Violence in part of Mumbai over train delay
The delay in the train services from Virar was caused due to snapping of overhead cable line.
As the violence spread, the police had to resort to firing in the air and lathicharge.
While property damage has been reported, there were no major injuries in the firing or the lathicharge when reports last came in.
Source: India Syndicate
Jet pilots’ body to go ahead with ‘illegal’ strike
The National Aviators Guild (NAG), the recently formed union of Jet Airways’ pilots, has decided to go ahead with their strike if the management does not come up with any satisfactory reply by September 7. This, despite the fact that the strike would be considered illegal if the guild goes ahead with it while the conciliation meetings are on.
“The airline management has been asked by the labour commissioner to come up with a reply on the termination of pilots by September 7, 2009. If they do not come up with any satisfactory reply or do not reinstate the terminated pilots, we will go ahead with our strike,” an NAG representative said.
He made the comment after the first conciliatory meeting of the Jet Airways management and the NAG today. The meeting did not arrive at any solution.
“The airline representatives came without any explanation and asked for more time from the labour commissioner. The date for next hearing is September 14, but they have to reply by September 7,” said another representative of NAG, which has the support of over 650 pilots.
A Jet Airways release said that the labour commissioner has directed the guild not to go on strike till the conciliation meetings are on.
“The conciliation officer has directed that the NAG members cannot resort to strike or cause disruption to the operations on September 7, 2009, or thereafter, pending completion of the conciliation proceedings,” the release said.
Towards the end of July, Jet Airways had terminated the services of two senior pilots — Sam Thomas and D Balaraman — without giving any reason for the same. The guild said that they were terminated for actively taking part in forming a union. The union is demanding reinstatement of the two pilots.
The labour commissioner had called the pilots and the management for a conciliation meeting over the issue today.
Source: Business Standard
Shiv Sena activists ransack ‘Society’office in Mumbai
Around four to five Shiv Sainiks entered the magazine’s office in “Magna House” building in Prabhadevi, ransacked the place and vandalised the property.
“The group was shouting slogan of ‘Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji’ and broke furniture and threatened to assault us in protest against an article published in the magazine two months back on Thackeray,” said Suchitra Iyer, editor of the magazine.
The article titled “What after Balasaheb” was regarding what will happen to Shiv Sena post-Thackeray.
Source: PTI
It’s official, CBSE Class 10 exams become optional
Making this announcement here late Monday evening, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters: “The CBSE Class 10 exams are optional from the 2009-10 academic year.”
“I have said this earlier too,” Sibal said after the 56th meeting of the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) here, attended by education ministers and officials from states.
He added that the examination would give way to a grading system and students would be evaluated throughout the year.
HRD ministry officials believe this move would help relieve the stress on thousands of students and their families.
Officials said all schools, which have Class 11 and 12, need not conduct the Class 10 exams, but schools with classes up to standard 10 may conduct the board examination.
Under the grading system, students would be given grades like A+, A, B, C, D and E.
Sibal said many state governments were happy about the new system, but they need to evolve a consensus in their respective state assemblies to implement it in their secondary education boards.
The grading system is for the CBSE now and not for the state boards, Sibal said.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service
Man arrested for raping German girl 12 years ago
Jaswant Singh (36), who runs a transport company here, was caught from his residence in north-west Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar late last night, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Neeraj Thakur told reporters here.
Singh, who allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl in a park in Germany’s Darmstadt on the night of August one in 1997 along with his two friends, will be tried in New Delhi as Berlin has not sought his extradition, he said.
The arrest comes following “painstaking” investigations for over eight months after Germany approached New Delhi last year.
Singh, hailing from Miani in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, allegedly dragged the girl, who was walking towards her home, into a park and raped her. “He slapped her when she resisted and then raped her.
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