Daily News (In Short)-11-July-2015

#* Kashmir issue to be tackled through back-channel diplomacy: Pakistan 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have agreed in their meeting in Russia to address the issues of Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek through Track II diplomacy. 

PM's Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz yesterday said both leaders were of the opinion that for lasting peace the way forward was to address the outstanding issues like Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek. 

"The two sides also agreed to take up these issues under the back-channel Track-II mechanism for better understanding of each other's point of view," the Dawn quoted Aziz as saying. 

Aziz's remarks came after furor back in Pakistan for not mentioning Kashmir in the joint statement issued after the meeting between Sharif and Modi in Ufa, Russia. 

The adviser said that the meeting between the two leaders was held in "very good atmosphere" as both sides believed that peace in the region was vital for progress. 

He said the two sides believe in combating poverty, instead of fighting each other. 

Aziz said that the first priority was to lessen tensions on the Line of Control and the two sides agreed to activate the mechanism of meetings between the Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers. 

He also said the meeting was "very useful in lessening tension" and for better understanding of each other's point of view. 

#* Madras High Court cancels its controversial order on rape

The Madras High Court on Saturday withdrew its controversial order in which it had directed a rape victim to mediate with the accused. The High Court's order comes days after the Supreme Court's lashing over its 'outrageous' ruling.
Adopting a tough stance over recent ruling by the Madras High Court judge for mediation between a rape accused and the victim, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, July 01 had termed such decisions as a compromise on the dignity of a woman.
Hearing an appeal filed by the Madhya Pradesh government in a rape case, the Supreme Court said any attempt of mediation between a rape victim and the perpetrator is thoroughly illegal. Courts cannot take a soft approach over such issues. It's a spectacular error on the part of the court to promote any such mediation, the apex court said.
Last month the Madras High Court has granted bail to a man convicted of raping a minor girl to settle the case through mediation. The high court's decision evoked sharp reactions on the social media.
 
The Madras High Court's order was issued in response to an appeal and a bail plea from the convict, V Mohan, who was sentenced to seven years and slapped with a fine Rs 2 lakh by a Women Court in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, in 2002.
 
"In the facts and circumstances, the case before us is a fit case for attempting compromise between the parties. 'Mediation' mode is best suited to them. Keeping the appellant inside the jail and asking him to participate in the mediation talk will not result in any fruitful result," the judgment by Justice D Devadass stated.
 
"He should be enabled to participate in the deliberations as a free man and vent his feelings, open his mind and moorings. Where there is a will, there is a way," the judgement added.

#* IRCTC asks 26 banks to put OTP systems in place 

Concerned over people not getting One Time Passwords (OTP) from several banks while booking train tickets on its portal, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has proposed that banks should take corrective action by August 15 to ensure smooth e-ticket transactions.

IRCTC has tied up with 50 banks for payments for e-ticket transactions, but only 24 of these banks have an OTP system, while the remaining 26 are yet to introduce it.

“We recently held a meeting with the officials of these banks to discuss the issue. We have now set August 15 as the deadline for the banks to issue OTPs to passengers who book tickets on our portal,” said IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director AK Manocha.

IRCTC, a ‘mini Ratna’ PSU of the Indian Railways, has been receiving complaints not only from customers but also from the Crime Branch regarding fraudulent transactions carried out on its digital portal.

All such banks which are yet to provide a hassle-free OTP system, have been intimated by e-mails and letters to take corrective measures before the expiry of the deadline, he added.

M. Srinivas MS, Addl GM (Software), IRCTC, said the e-ticketing portal has arrangements for transactions with 50 banks — 28 for Net banking, six for Payment Gateways (PGs), 10 for Debit Card and for for Cash Card, while one each is EMI-based and an IRCTC Prepaid Card. All the banks collect service charges for e-ticket transactions.

“Most of the banks/PGs/Cash Cards/EMI-based cards have the OTP facility for online transactions. Hence, it is imperative for them to implement it for all IRCTC transactions, including e-ticketing and online shopping,” he said, adding: “To avoid fraudulent transactions, we need to implement OTP for all transactions on our website. There should be a uniform policy.”

“This also makes a strong case for banks to introduce the OTP system at the earliest,” he said, adding: “This is also in consonance with the RBI guidelines.”

“The universal application of OTP is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the IRCTC’s Passenger Reservation System (PRS). On the other hand, touting activities such as cornering of e-tickets and use of automated tools for booking e-tickets will be restricted,” he said.

#* Seven and counting: Another witness in Asaram rape case shot at in UP, seriously injured

Bareilly: A witness in a rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was shot at and seriously injured by unidentified assailants in Shajanpur district, police said on Saturday.
Kripal Singh, who is 35-years-old, was shot at by two unidentified motorcycle-borne persons in the Puwayan area while he was on his way home on Friday night, police said. Singh, who sustained severe bullet injuries was rushed to Bareilly where his condition was stated to be critical.
The Indian Express has quoted a police officer saying that a bullet hit Singh in the spine and is lodged there.
In a statement given to Additional City Magistrate, Singh had alleged that people connected to Asaram Bapu had been threatening him over the last few days.
Police said that Singh was an employee of a transport company, whose owner's daughter had lodged a case against the self-styled godman. The godman is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year old girl.
Singh is said to have been working as an LIC agent and has a six-year old son.
In January this year, another witness who had served as a cook at Asaram's ashram, Akhil Gupta was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar. Gupta, who was said to be the prime witness in the rape case against Asaram Bapu.
Before he was shot, Gupta had given a statement in a court in Gandhinagar and given incriminating evidence against Asaram.
Also, in March 2014, two motorcycle-borne men threw acid on Dinesh Bhagchandani, a key witness against Asaram.
The attack on Singh is the seventh such attack on a witness against the self-styled godman.

#* After loss in Bihar Legislative Council polls, Lalu to give Sonia's Iftar party a miss, host his own the same day

New Delhi: After a humiliating defeat in the recently concluded Bihar Legislative Council polls, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad has decided to not attend the Iftar party organised by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on July 13, said sources on Saturday.
The RJD is also trying to downplay Lalu's absence in the Iftar party by stating that no motives should be attached to skipping it, the sources said.
The sources further said that the RJD was organising a march to the Governor's residence on July 13 itself to demand that the Centre should release caste census. They added that the RJD supremo has also organised an Iftar party on the same day. It is unlikely that the RJD chief will send any of his representatives to Sonia's party.
However, RJD leader Manoj Jha claimed that SECC march and Iftaar party were planned in advance and cannot be scrapped.This came a day after the NDA won 13 seats in the Bihar Legislative Council elections while the Nitish Kumar led alliance managed to win just 10 of the 24 seats in the state. The results also significance in the wake of upcoming Bihar Assembly elections due in September-October.
Cutting across party lines, Sonia's Iftar party will be attended by all opposition parties and is crucial to show an united opposition ahead of the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on July 21.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also skip the Iftar party but send her representatives. Sources said Mamata had accepted Sonia's invitation but communicated that she has work in Kolkata.
Another opposition leader who will not be attending Sonia's Iftar party is Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but will send his representatives.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader will be organising an Iftar party on July 12 and it is to be seen whether any senior Congress leader will attend it.

#* Lebanese media also reports that the drone fell into the ocean off the coast of Tripoli around 8:30 this morning.

e Lebanese army said an Israeli drone crashed into the sea off the port of the northern coastal city of Tripoli on Saturday.

Lebanese media also reported that the drone plunged into the ocean around 8:30 in the morning, and has been retrieved by the the Lebanese army for inspection. 

In response to the allegedly felled aircraft, an IDF spokesperson quipped that the Israeli Army does not  "comment on foreign reports."Last month, An Israel Air Force drone crashed in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanese media reports. An Israeli aircraft then fired on it and destroyed the downed unmanned platform, the reports said.

A blast heard in a remote area in western Lebanon was the sound of the strike targeting the drone, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station, based in Beirut.

According to the report, IAF jets struck in the mountainous areas near the town of Saghbine.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters that the cause of the blast “is still not 100 percent clear but most probably it was an Israeli air strike to destroy their drone.”

International media outlets have attributed attacks carried out on the Syria-Lebanon border to Israel on a number of occasions during the ongoing Syrian civil war.

While Israel’s policy is to refrain from responding to foreign reports, senior officials have said repeatedly that Israel would not allow the Syrian regime to transfer “game-changing” weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Earlier this year an alleged Israeli helicopter strike in Syria killed several Hezbollah members and an Iranian general.

The group hit back days later with a rocket attack that killed two Israeli soldiers on the frontier with Lebanon.

Observers and Lebanese residents have sometimes seen surveillance planes over Lebanon before such strikes.

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