The rallies were a part of the BJP’s plan of organising up to 200 public meetings in the state by February 8 to boost its electoral prospects ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Amid the BJP’s ongoing tussle with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the state government Sunday declined the permission for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s rally. The rallies, scheduled to be held today in Balurghat and Raigunj, were declined permission without any prior notice, news agency ANI quoted the Uttar Pradesh CM’s office as saying
This is the result of Adityanath’s popularity that Mamata Banerjee has not even allowed us to land the chopper,” Mritunjay Kumar, Information Advisor to Yogi Adityanath told ANI.
Reacting to the development, BJP leader Mukul Roy called it “undemocratic attitude of the government. “Ultimately, BJP will get permission at Balurghat. There is a regular airport at Balurghat. What is the harm of giving permission to land helicopter on that regular helipad? So, it is absolutely undemocratic attitude of the govt of West Bengal,” the former TMC leader told ANI
At least six people have died and 24 others were injured after nine coaches of Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express derailed today in Bihar’s Vaishali at 3.52 AM. Several people are reported to be injured. The office of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that rescue and relief operations are on after derailment the nine coaches of Jogbani-Anand Vihar Terminal Seemanchal Express at Sahadai Buzurg, Bihar.
Rescue operations are underway and helpline numbers have been issued, the Railway Ministry said. “Rescue and relief operations are on for derailment of 9 coaches of Jogbani-Anand Vihar Terminal Seemanchal express at Sahadai Buzurg, Bihar,” Piyush Goyal’s office tweeted.
Among the nine coaches that derailed, three are sleeper coaches – S8, S9, S10, one general coach, one AC coach B3, said East Central Railway spokesperson Rajesh Kumar. A team of doctors has been sent from nearby towns of Sonpur and Barauni to the site of accident.
Here are the updates on the train accident:
Feb 03, 2019 13:37 (IST)
Railways has issued a clarification that six people have died in the accident, and not seven as previously reported.
Feb 03, 2019 11:55 (IST)
Six passengers who died in the accident have been identified
Six passengers who died in the accident have been identified, one body yet to be identified. The condition of three people said to be critical.
All the passengers were served tea, food packets and packed drinking water.
Each coach being manned by commercial and RPF staff.
Affected passengers have been transported to Hajipur and Danapur railway stations
Arrangements for refunds to the passengers who do not want to continue their journey have been ensured at different stations.
Arrangements for ex gratia payment has been made.
Feb 03, 2019 11:39 (IST)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed anguish over the death of people in the train accident in Bihar.
“Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the derailment of coaches of the Seemanchal Express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly,” the PM tweeted.
He said, Railways, NDRF, and local authorities are providing all possible assistance in the wake of the accident.
Feb 03, 2019 10:22 (IST)
Officials say the coaches separated from the engine before they derailed; three of the coaches overturned completely. Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had to climb on them and break the hardened glass of the AC coaches and cut through the iron grills of the sleeper coaches to reach trapped passengers.
Feb 03, 2019 10:13 (IST)
Principal Secretary, Disaster Management Department, Pratyay Amrit said that the identities of the victim was yet to be confirmed.
“The identity of the deceased was yet to be confirmed. Rescue operations are in full swing and an accident relief train has been sent to the site of the mishap. A team of the NDRF has also reached the spot,” Mr Kumar said.
Feb 03, 2019 09:51 (IST)
Seven people have been confirmed dead in the accident. Officials said that the seven bodies have been brought to Hajipur Sadar hospital for post-mortem.
Feb 03, 2019 09:44 (IST)
Apart from Railway Administration and State Administration, NDRF is also assisting Railways in relief and rescue operations.
Feb 03, 2019 09:33 (IST)
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announces Rs 5 lakh compensation to the immediate relative of those killed. Those injured in the accident will receive Rs 1 lakh, his office said.
Feb 03, 2019 08:57 (IST)
Feb 03, 2019 08:45 (IST)
Teams of NDRF conducting rescue operation.
The accident took place near “Sahdoi Bujurg” railway station.
Feb 03, 2019 08:38 (IST)
As per preliminary investigations, the engine of the express train decoupled and chugged forward with the first few coaches and those decoupled eventually derailed.
Feb 03, 2019 08:35 (IST)
“There was a loud noise, and we fell down. Someone broke the window from outside. When I saw the broken window, I lifted by father up and he was pulled out by my brother,” a passenger told NDTV.
Feb 03, 2019 08:34 (IST)
Help lines at Patna
06122202290
06122202291
06122202292
06122213234
Rly no 025-83288
Help lines at Samastipur
06274-224061
06274-232131
Feb 03, 2019 08:26 (IST)
Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are currently at the site.
One person is believed to be trapped inside one of the affected coaches and the number dead is likely to rise, a police official said.
Feb 03, 2019 08:01 (IST)
Minister Piyush Goyal said that he is taking regular updates from railway officials regarding the rescue operations.
Feb 03, 2019 07:56 (IST)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the accident. Mr Kumar has directed the administration to provide all kind of assistance.
Feb 03, 2019 07:39 (IST)
Two teams of NDRF have reached the spot: Railway official
“We are focusing on rescue and relief operations right now. Railway Accident Medical Van along with team of doctors are at site. Two teams of NDRF have also reached the spot,” Smita Vats Sharma, Additional Director General PR (Rail), said.
Feb 03, 2019 07:35 (IST)
The superfast train was running at full speed when the accident took place, officials said. Three of the coaches overturned and the high force of the impact destroyed them completely.
Feb 03, 2019 07:33 (IST)
14 passengers have been injured in the train derailment, officials said.
Feb 03, 2019 07:23 (IST)
All passenger trains on the route have been cancelled.
Feb 03, 2019 07:20 (IST)
Nine coaches of Seemanchal Express derailed near Sahadai Buzurg at around 3:52 am.
Feb 03, 2019 07:01 (IST)
People climb out of an overturned coach of the Seemanchal Express in Bihar.
Feb 03, 2019 06:56 (IST)
One general coach, one AC coach B3, three sleeper coaches -S8, S9, S10 and four more coaches have derailed, said East Central Railway spokesperson Rajesh Kumar.
Riding on Ambati Rayudu’s 90 and a quickfire 45 off just 22 balls by Hardik Pandya towards the end, India were bowled out for 252 runs in 49.5 overs. Pandya hit a hat-trick of sixes to spinner Todd Astle in the 47th over when India’s score was 205/7. With a strike rate of 204.55, he hit five sixes and two fours taking India to a respectable total. Earlier, Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar stitched together a 98-run stand for the 5th wicket when India were tottering at 18/4 following MS Dhoni’s dismissal. Vijay Shankar made a morale-boosting 45 runs that included four boundaries. Following his dismissal, Kedar Jadhav joined his CSK teammate Ambati Rayudu as the duo added another 74 runs taking India close to 200 when Rayudu was dismissed for 90. Jadhav contributed with 34 runs that included three boundaries. For New Zealand, Matt Henry picked four wickets for just 35 runs. Trent Boult was also impressive as he carried his form from the Hamilton ODI to pick three wickets giving away just 39 runs. The Kiwi duo dismissed the Indian openers early.
Pope Francis will arrive in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later on Sunday, becoming the first pontiff to visit the Arabian peninsula.
The Pope has been invited by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan to take part in an interfaith conference.
The landmark trip will also feature a Mass on Tuesday that is expected to draw 120,000 people.
The visit will be carefully watched for any references to the war in Yemen.
Pope Francis has condemned the conflict, in which the UAE is involved as part of a Saudi-led coalition.
Last year, the pontiff appealed to the international community “to avoid a worsening of the already tragic humanitarian situation” in Yemen.
The UAE is also home to nearly one million Roman Catholics, most of them from the Philippines or India.
In a video message on Thursday, the Pope said: “I am happy for this occasion the Lord has given me to write, on your dear land, a new page in the history of relations between religions.
“Faith in God unites and does not divide, it draws us closer despite differences, it distances us from hostilities and aversion.”
He paid tribute to the UAE as “a land that is trying to be a model of coexistence, of human brotherhood, and a meeting place among diverse civilisations and cultures”.
While in Abu Dhabi, the Pope will also meet Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar mosque which is the highest seat of learning for Sunni Muslims.
BBC Arabic’s Murad Batal Shishani, who is in Abu Dhabi, says the Vatican hopes that the Pope’s visit might loosen restrictions on the building of churches in the region particularly in neighbouring Saudi Arabia where non-Muslim places of worship are forbidden.
Vatican officials say they need a stronger Church presence in the UAE to minister to the Catholic community there.
“We are really stretched. We need more churches. We need more priests,” one official, quoted by Reuters, said.
India has made a diplomatic protest to the US after 129 Indian students were arrested for enrolling in a fake university.
The University of Farmington, advertised as based in Michigan state, was run by undercover agents from the Department of Homeland Security to expose “pay-to-stay” immigration fraud.
Prosecutors say those who enrolled knew that the facility would be illegal.
However, Indian officials say the students may have been duped.
On Saturday, the Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) issued the protest to the US embassy in Delhi, expressing concern over the arrests and demanding consular access to those detained.
“Our concern over the dignity and wellbeing of the detained students and the need for immediate consular access for Indian officials to the detainees was reiterated,” the ministry said.
How did the sting work?
The fake university was set up in 2015 to try to catch foreign nationals who had initially travelled to the US on student visas and wanted to stay in the country, US media reported.
A website for the University of Farmington showed pictures of students in classes and libraries or relaxing around a grassy campus.
Image captionThe website used stock images of students working
It advertised tuition for undergraduates at $8,500 (£6,500) a year and $11,000 a year for graduate students. It also had a fake Facebook page with a calendar of events.
But court papers released last week showed that the employees of the University of Farmington were undercover agents for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).
The “campus” was an office at a business park in a Detroit suburb.
The indictment, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, said the students knew the scheme was illegal.
“The university was being used by foreign citizens as a ‘pay to stay’ scheme,” prosecutors said.
What is India arguing?
The Indian government said the students could have been tricked into enrolling and should be treated differently to any recruiters who may have duped them.
“We have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the government, to release them from detention at the earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will,” MEA added.
Meanwhile a telephone hotline for worried relatives of those being held has been set up at the Indian embassy in Washington, the Times of India reported.
The US embassy in Delhi confirmed it had received the note of protest but made no further statement.
According to the Detroit News, many of those arrested now face deportation. Eight people who allegedly acted as recruiters face federal conspiracy charges for helping at least 600 foreign nationals stay illegally, it added.
It is not the first time US authorities have run such an operation. In 2016, 21 people were arrested after immigration agents set up the fake University of Northern New Jersey.
Most of the foreign nationals involved in that scheme came from China and India.
The Colombian military says it has killed one of the leaders of a faction of Farc rebels who have refused to abide by the peace process.
Rodrigo Cadete, 52, died in an operation in the southern Caqueta region along with nine other militants.
Colombian Defence Minister Guillermo Botero said Cadete had been trying to unite some of the 1,700 members of the Farc who have not handed in their arms.
Most are now operating in remote jungle areas, fighting other armed groups.
The overwhelming majority of the Farc are honouring the 2016 peace agreement that ended decades of armed conflict.
Rodrigo Cadete took part in the peace negotiations held for nearly four years in the Cuban capital, Havana, but refused to accept the deal.
He was considered second in command in the main group of dissidents led by Gentil Duarte, who was expelled by Farc in 2016 for refusing to demobilise.
“Today in a seamless operation the criminal known as Rodrigo Cadete, one of the most feared figures of terrorism in our country, was neutralised,” President Ivan Duque said at an event in the city of Manizales.
Mr Botero said fighting was continuing in the region.
The Farc, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is now a political party known as the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force with five seats in the Senate and five in the House of Representatives.
Who were the Farc?
The Farc was formed in 1964 with the stated intention of overthrowing the government and installing a Marxist regime.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Their main founders were small farmers and land workers who had banded together to fight against the staggering levels of inequality in Colombia at the time.
After modest beginnings, the left-wing group rose to prominence through the 1980s and 1990s as its association with the drugs trade improved its financial standing. At its peak it was the largest and best-equipped guerrilla force in Latin America.
During half a century of conflict between Farc and the authorities, eight million people died, disappeared or were displaced.
The 2016 peace deal, reached after years of negotiations, resulted in about 7,000 ex-fighters laying down their weapons.
Media captionThe BBC’s Will Grant gained access to a Farc camp in 2016
Theresa May has said she is “determined” to deliver Brexit on time, ahead of talks on the Irish backstop.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the prime minister said she would return to Brussels with a “fresh mandate, new ideas and a renewed determination”.
MPs have voted to seek an “alternative arrangement” to guarantee the Northern Ireland border stays open after Brexit.
But the Irish deputy prime minister has said “there are no credible alternative arrangements” to the proposal.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Simon Coveneysaid: “The EU will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and there will be no withdrawal agreement without the backstop.”
‘Critical legislation’
Mr Coveney said the backstop was required to “ensure the protection of the Good Friday Agreement” which ended 30 years of armed struggle in Northern Ireland.
The backstop forms part of the withdrawal agreement negotiated by the UK and EU and is aimed at keeping the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic open after Brexit.
The UK is due to leave the EU at 11:00 GMT on Friday 29 March, when the two-year time limit on withdrawal negotiations enforced by the Article 50 process expires.
Some MPs have suggested Britain will need more time to negotiate its exit to avoid crashing out of the EU without a deal.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt conceded on Thursday that “extra time” might be needed to get “critical legislation” related to Brexit through Parliament.
But Mrs May has insisted the departure date will not change, writing in the Telegraph that she would “deliver Brexit on time”.
Mrs May said she rejected the suggestion “that seeking alternative arrangements for the backstop constituted ‘ripping up the Good Friday Agreement'”.
The prime minister added that MPs wanted the government to go back to Brussels to renegotiate the deal after the Commons voted in favour of Tory backbencher Sir Graham Brady’s amendment on Tuesday that called for “alternative arrangements” to be found.
What is the backstop?
Media captionConfused by Brexit jargon? Reality Check unpacks the basics
The backstop is an “insurance policy” – designed to avoid a hard border “under all circumstances” between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
Under the current Brexit deal, the 310-mile Irish border would become the only land border between the EU and the UK.
This would probably mean checks on goods crossing it, unless both sides could reach a comprehensive trade deal.
If such an agreement could not be reached, then to avoid those checks and border posts or other infrastructure, the backstop would come into force.
It would keep the UK in a “single customs territory” with the EU and leave Northern Ireland effectively in the EU’s single market for goods.
A number of MPs fear the UK could be “trapped” in this arrangement for years, leaving it unable to strike its own trade deals on goods with the rest of the world.
Mrs May wrote: “While replacing the backstop with alternative arrangements was one option, [Sir Graham] would also be happy with the current backstop if there was a time limit or unilateral exit mechanism.”
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionSimon Coveney said the backstop in the event of a no-deal Brexit was a “necessary guarantee” to ensure there was no hard border
But Mr Coveney said no alternatives have been put forward “that achieve the shared goal of the UK and EU to avoid a hard border”, and the backstop was a “necessary guarantee”.
Our political correspondent Chris Mason said that while Mrs May pledged to “go back to Brussels to secure a plan that Parliament can stand behind”, the EU remains publicly opposed to changing the backstop.
And our correspondent added that the UK has not yet publicly suggested an alternative Brussels could live with.
After the Commons voted on the Brady amendment, the EU’s chief negotiator Michael Barnier said the backstop is “part and parcel” of the UK’s Brexit deal and will not be renegotiated.
In January, MPs rejected Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement by 432 votes to 202, with nearly 120 Conservative MPs voting against their leader
Search and rescue teams are trying to find a missing university student.
Daniel Williams, 19, was last seen in a student union bar at the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus in the early hours of Thursday.
He was reported missing after he failed to return to his student accommodation.
Thames Valley Police said officers, volunteers and Berkshire Lowland Search & Rescue had been deployed. It added that anyone who knew his whereabouts should “urgently” contact the force.
Superintendent Jim Weems said: “We are continuing to appeal for anyone with information about Daniel’s whereabouts to contact police urgently, as we are extremely concerned for his welfare.
“Our officers and volunteers have worked tirelessly searching for Daniel, and will continue to do so.”
Image copyrightPOLICE HANDOUTImage captionPolice said anyone who knew of Mr William’s whereabouts should “urgently” contact the force
Mr Williams is described as 6ft tall, slim, with short light brown hair and blue eyes.
He was wearing jeans, black shoes and a black hooded top over a black T-shirt.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to visit the US and Canada next week.
The trip is planned in a bid to build stronger trade links between Scotland and North America.
It comes as figures show the US is still Scotland’s top export country. It is estimated £5.5bn worth of exports were made in 2017.
Canada is in the top 20 export destinations, and was worth £580m in the same period.
Building on existing links
Ms Sturgeon will have trade and cultural engagements in Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, Ottawa and Toronto during the five-day visit.
This will include discussing Brexit and Scotland’s future at an address at Georgetown University, in Washington DC, and the launch of the Scotland is Now campaign in Canada.
Ms Sturgeon said Scotland had a “long-standing relationship with North America”, and that the new figures highlighted the importance of the trade relationship between the countries to Scotland’s economy.
She added: “This visit will build on the existing links between our countries and provide new opportunities for us to work together and learn from each other’s expertise in areas including climate change, renewables and gender equality.
“With the shadow of Brexit hanging over our economy, it is more important now than ever to reassure businesses that Scotland is an open and welcoming country and an attractive place to invest in, visit and live.”
A High Court judge has used Twitter to urge a mother who vanished with her three-year-old son to return home.
Ellie Yarrow-Sanders, 26, disappeared with Olly Sheridan in July after becoming involved in family court litigation with her ex-partner Patrick Sheridan.
It is thought to be the first time a judge has used Twitter in this way.
Miss Yarrow-Sanders’ family have since issued a statement saying she should only return “under certain conditions”.
Mr Justice Williams’s plea was delivered in a tweet posted on the Judicial Office Twitter account using the hashtag #comehomeolly.
In a post on Facebook, Miss Yarrow-Sanders’ mother Donna, 47, and sister Maddie, 22, insisted the family were not “not siding” with Mr Sheridan, who is in his mid-40s, after a joint plea for the young mother to return home was issued on Friday.
Maddie Yarrow said the family appeal was being made by “us independently, and with the judge” and said that for her sister, the decision to “go on the run with her son” was the “hardest decision of her life”.
She wrote: “As her mother and sister, we support her coming home but only on certain conditions, such as safety from being prosecuted and that she will not lose custody.
“Please believe that we are doing this with the best interest of them both, as a life on the run is very lonely.”
Miss Yarrow also said that she missed her sister and nephew “more every day”.
Mr Justice Williams’ tweet used the hashtag #comehomeolly and analysed the latest stage of the litigation at a hearing on Friday.
He oversaw a hearing in private, but authorised lawyers to release a statement detailing his message to Miss Yarrow-Sanders.
It reassured her that she would not be “punished” for coming back and promised that she would be “given a voice in court” in order for the case to be dealt with fairly.
The statement also said a senior social worker had been appointed to “promote Olly’s welfare”.
Lawyers said the judge had made it clear that such a move did not mean there was any chance of the toddler being placed in foster care.
Essex Police has urged anyone with information about the missing pair to get in touch.
Image copyrightFAMILY HANDOUT/PAImage captionPatrick Sheridan has previously urged his estranged partner to “see sense”
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