Max licence revoked over death of twins
New Delhi: The Delhi government Friday cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, for alleged medical negligence, including the twins case in which one of the babies was found alive after being declared dead by the doctors. The move came after a three-member inquiry panel of the government submitted its final report to Health Minister Satyendar Jain. Jain told reporters that the government will not tolerate “criminal negligence”. “Max Hospital is a habitual offender and three notices were served earlier to it. And, it has been found guilty in those cases too,” he said.
PAN-Aadhaar linkage deadline extended
New Delhi: The government Friday extended the deadline for mandatory linking of PAN with Aadhaar by three months to March 31, 2018. This is the third extension given by the government to individuals to link the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with the biometric ID. The Centre had already informed the Supreme Court that it is willing to extend till March 31 the deadline fixed for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes. “It has come to notice that some of the taxpayers have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar. Therefore, to facilitate the process of linking, it has been decided to further extend the time for linking of Aadhaar with PAN till March 31, 2018,” the finance ministry said.
Maharashtra LS MP Nana Patole quits BJP
New Delhi: Dissident BJP Maharashtra leader Nana Patole, who has been publicly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced Friday that he had resigned from the Lok Sabha and quit the party too. Patole, elected from Bhandara-Gondiya, said he submitted his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s office and also to the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership. He said he was “deeply anguished and felt let down by the party”. The development is seen as a blow to the BJP, coming a day ahead of the first round of the Gujarat Assembly polls on Saturday.
Rlys restores vital bridge quicktime
Bhubaneswar: Railway officials Friday said railway bridge (No 249) on the Kottavalasa-Koraput-Kirandul (KK) line has been repaired and restored in record 58 days. The bridge was damaged October 6 after a boulder fell on the tracks between Chimidipalli and Borraguhalu. The line is crucial for freight movement in the region. The bridge is located about 90 km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 120 km from Koraput in Orissa. “The bridge was reconstructed on an expenditure of Rs7 crore employing 400 labourers over 58 days. This is the record as no other bridge work has been completed in such a short period,” a top railway official said.
Britain, EU sign deal on terms for Brexit
Brussels: Britain and the EU reached a historic deal Friday on the terms of the Brexit divorce after Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to Brussels for early morning talks. The European Commission said it “recommends sufficient progress” had been made by Britain on separation issues including the Irish border, Britain’s divorce bill, and citizens rights. The agreement paves the way for EU leaders at a summit on December 14-15 to open the second phase of Brexit negotiations, covering trade talks and a transition period. “The Commission is satisfied that sufficient progress has been achieved in each of the three priority areas,” the European Commission said in a statement. Negotiators worked through the night to seal an agreement on the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.
Japan to buy missiles to counter N Korea
Tokyo: Japan plans to purchase offensive air-to-surface missiles to counter North Korea’s rising military threat, its defence minister said Friday, a move likely to stir debate over its decades-long pacifist policy. Itsunori Onodera said the ministry intends to request a special budget for the fiscal year starting April 2018 to purchase long-range cruise missiles deployed on fighter jets. According to local media, the ministry plans to buy JASSM and LRASM long-range, air-to-ground missiles with a range of some 900 kilometres from US firms. It also plans to buy Joint Strike Missiles with a range of some 500 kilometres from Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, news reports said.
Maldives signs FTA with China
Beijing: The Maldives Friday moved closer to China as the strategically-located island nation signed a crucial free trade deal with Beijing, while endorsing its Maritime Silk Road project shunned by India for its strategic implications in the Indian Ocean. “China deems the Maldives as an important partner to building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR),” President Xi Jinping told his visiting Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Yameen as they witnessed signing of 12 agreements, including the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) – much-criticised by Maldivian opposition parties.
Oscar body adopts code of conduct
Los Angeles: The Academy of Motion Pictures, the body that chooses the Oscars, has adopted a code of conduct and warned members it reserves the right to expel any who flout the new rules. The code of conduct, sent to more than 8,000 members late Wednesday and to news media Thursday, follows the Academy’s expulsion in October of film producer Harvey Weinstein in light of accusations of sexual harassment or assault against him by more than 50 women. Weinstein, who has denied non-consensual sex with anyone, was only the second person in the Academy’s 90-year history to be thrown out. Reuters has not been able to verify the accusations against Weinstein. The Weinstein allegations have been followed by multiple accusations of sexual harassment or assault against actors, film producers, directors and talent agents that have roiled Hollywood. Prominent figures in media and politics have also faced similar accusations. Wednesday’s letter from Academy Chief Executive Dawn Hudson, which included the code of conduct, also said that a task force set up by the Academy was working on “finalising procedures for handling allegations of misconduct, assuring that we can address them fairly and expeditiously.” Neither the letter nor the code mentioned any names. It comes six weeks before nominations are announced for the 2018 Oscars, the highest awards in the film industry. The 2018 Oscars will be handed out at a ceremony in Hollywood on March 4.
Anushka flies out amid wedding rumour
Mumbai: Actor Anushka Sharma and family were spotted early Friday at the international airport here leaving for an unknown destination amid rumours that she and cricketer Virat Kohli were getting married in Italy. Anushka was photographed leaving from Mumbai airport around 1 am with her brother Karnesh and their parents. There are reports that the couple will tie the knot at a private ceremony in Milan December 12. However, Anushka’s spokesperson has denied it.