QBullet: California Shooting, Chennai Deluge, and More
Take a look at the top news and views from across the papers this morning.
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1. 14 Dead in San Bernandino Shooting
Fourteen people were killed and a further 14 wounded in a shooting incident that unfolded at about 11 am local time at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino Wednesday, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles. A manhunt is under way to nab up to three suspects who opened fire, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said in a televised news briefing.
2. Chennai Under Deluge
As many as 3,500 people, including 1,500 passengers, were stranded this morning at the Chennai international airport, which has been closed for operations till 6 am following flooding of the runway, reports The Indian Express.
Four columns of the Army have been deployed to reach out to the people affected by the rains.
Schools, shops, factories and offices were shut, and phone and power lines cut as two weather stations of the India Meteorological Department in the city recorded 249.1 mm and 345.1 mm of rain, respectively. With heavy rain expected over the next three days, and the death toll across Tamil Nadu touching 197 this monsoon, the state government issued an advisory to private firms to declare holidays for their employees.
Read the full story here.
3. Gujarat Civic Polls: BJP Loses PM’s Mehsana, Wins Hardik’s Village
The BJP retained its hold on urban Gujarat, winning elections for all six municipal corporations and most municipalities Wednesday while the Congress staged a comeback in rural areas, taking most districts and surging ahead in the taluka panchayats.
The BJP captured the six municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar, and some party leaders interpreted this as a rejection of the bid by Patel protesters to turn urban voters against the BJP. The Congress took cheer from the fact that it won five district panchayats around the six metros — the Surat district panchayat went the BJP way.
4. Fresh Allegations of Corruption Against Kerala CM Oommen Chandy
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy faced fresh allegations Wednesday in the “solar scam” with the prime accused deposing before a judicial panel that he had paid Rs 5.5 crore as bribe to the Congress leader, reports The Indian Express.
Biju Radhakrishnan also claimed that he had “visuals” to show Chandy and five others — ministers A P Anil Kumar and Shibu Baby John, Kumar’s personal secretary Nazeerulla, Congress MLA Hybi Eden and Congress leader Aryadan Shoukkath — had links to the other main accused in the scam Saritha S Nair.
Radhakrishnan was Saritha’s live-in partner until both were arrested in 2013 for allegedly duping investors from whom they collected crores for a solar power project.
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5. New Islamic State Manifesto Vows to Expand to India
The Islamic State has vowed to expand its fight to India, citing prophecies that refer to a global war. The threat is made in a new manifesto — Black Flags from the Islamic State — released online on jihadist platforms Tuesday, reports The Indian Express.
The organisation also offers an analysis of the political situation in India. It notes that “a movement of Hindus is growing who kill Muslims who eat beef. The people who fund these organisations want to grow a huge following of Islam-haters who can turn into potential recruits for future wars in their countries”.
Read the full story here.
6. Govt Has 134 Classified Files Related to Netaji
The government has 134 classified files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which are being examined for the purpose of declassification, Rajya Sabha was informed today, according to The Indian Express.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said,
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7. Centre Wins in SC: Rajiv’s Assassins Will Languish in Jail
The Supreme Court’s verdict on the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins is out. The state of Tamil Nadu will not get a say in granting remission to convicts under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In cases such as these, which are registered under central law and probed by central agencies like the CBI, the Centre will have primacy. Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins, therefore, will languish in jail.
8. Geelani Rules Out Dialogue With Centre
A day after the Centre offered to hold dialogue “with those ready to shun path of violence in Jammu and Kashmir,” separatist Syed Ali Geelani on Wednesday ruled out entering into any talks, reports The Hindu.
The separatist leader also revealed that former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had “promised” him “demilitarising of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “But the betrayal from India stalled the progress.”
Read the full story here.
9. Lokpal or Jokpal, Mr. Kejriwal?
The independence of Jan Lokpal Bill from the clutches of politicians was the very soul of the concept of Lokpal.
And yet, as Shanti Bhushan, senior advocate from Supreme Court and law minister from 1977-79, writes in an opinion piece in The Indian Express, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got a bill tabled in the Delhi Assembly in which total control of both selection and removal of the Lokpal is in his hands.
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