Jet Airways Starts Flights From Allahabad Under Regional Connectivity Scheme

Jet Airways on Thursday commenced its services under the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) -- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) by linking Allahabad with Lucknow and Patna, said the airline in a press release. Jet Airways is set to launch a total of five new routes this week wherein atleast half of the passengers of each of the routes will get to travel at discounted rates. The other two routes will be launched later.

All these routes connect non-metro cities or tier 2 towns such as Allahabad, Lucknow and Patna. So, the regular fliers who happen to stay or work in the tier 2 towns will soon be able to make use of the subsidised tickets offered by Jet Airways under the UDAN scheme.


To fund the scheme, the civil aviation ministry is collecting a levy of Rs. 5,000 per departure from airlines operating in major routes, including Mumbai and Delhi. 

Jet Airways will deploy its 72-seater ATR aircraft on the RCS routes that connect Allahabad with various other destinations in its network. Operating thrice a week, the new routes will offer Allahabad a six-day a week connectivity. 

The new flights will offer two-way connections to Mumbai from Allahabad via Nagpur/Indore/Lucknow. Similarly, the flights will offer two-way connections to Bengaluru from Allahabad via Indore/Patna. 

However, services on the remaining two routes -- Lucknow–Bareilly and Delhi-Bareilly -- are expected to be launched in the coming days.

UDAN Operations: Jet Airways to commence regional connectivity services from Allahabad

 To cater to unserved regions and connect under-served airports, Jet Airways is all set to commence its ''UDAN' operations from here tomorrow.

'UDAN' stands for 'Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik' - a (RCS) launched by the central government.

The airline was awarded seven routes under the scheme and will launch operations on five of these -- Lucknow-Allahabad-Lucknow, Patna-Allahabad-Patna, Nagpur-Allahabad-Nagpur, Indore-Allahabad-Indore and Delhi-Nashik-Delhi this week, the airline said in a release today.

Launch of the other two routes connecting Lucknow, Bareilly and Delhi will take place once the Bareilly airport is ready for civil operations, the release said.

Jet Airways' inaugural RCS service will see it connect the holy city of Allahabad with two state capitals - Lucknow and Patna, thrice a week, it said.

The airline will commence its second UP-based RCS service on Saturday, connecting Allahabad with Nagpur and Indore, thrice every week.

Much like the rest of the country, aviation traffic from Uttar Pradesh has been witnessing a strong and steady growth.

Similarly, the growth in domestic connectivity from UP has been even more robust at 62 per cent during the past three years, it added.

Source - Economic Times

United States concerned about lack of religious freedom in Pakistan

Washington: The US on Tuesday expressed concern over the lack of religious freedom in Pakistan where some 50 individuals are serving a life sentence for blasphemy and 17 are awaiting execution.

According to the data provided by civil society organisations (CSOs), police registered at least ten new blasphemy cases against 17 individuals. The CSOs reported lower courts often failed to adhere to basic evidentiary standards in blasphemy cases.

Throughout the year, the report said visiting US government officials met with madrassa board leaders and members of the National Counterterrorism Authority to discuss plans for curriculum reform in the public and madrassa education systems.

"We remain very concerned about religious freedom, or the lack thereof, in Pakistan, where some 50 individuals are serving life sentences for blasphemy, according to Civil Society reports; 17 are awaiting execution," said Sam Brownback, the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

Brownback said this in a briefing with reporters after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the annual report of the State Department on International Religious Freedom.

Pompeo and Brownback also met with minority community representatives, parliamentarians, human rights activists, and members of the Office of the Prime Minister to highlight concerns regarding the treatment of the Shia, Ahmadiyya, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and other minority communities, the application of blasphemy laws, and other forms of discrimination on the basis of religion.

According to the 2014 government registration documents cited by the press, there are approximately 1.4 million Hindus, 1.3 million Christians, 126,000 Ahmadis, 34,000 Bahais, 6,000 Sikhs, and 4,000 Parsis.

Taking account of the Ahmadi boycott of the official census, however, community sources put the number of Ahmadiyya Muslims at approximately 500,000-600,000. 

Estimates of the Zikri Muslim community, located in Balochistan, range between 500,000 and 800,000 individuals. Most of the historic Jewish community has emigrated.

The report noted that in March the government enacted legislation codifying the legal mechanisms to register Hindu marriages and to prove the legitimacy of Hindu marriages under the law, a move which proponents state could help reduce the frequency of forced marriages and conversions of Hindus. The law allows for the termination of the marriage upon the conversion of one party to a religion other than Hinduism, it said.

"Members of religious minority communities stated the government was inconsistent in safeguarding minority rights, and official discrimination against Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadiyya Muslims persisted," the report said.

A bill passed by the Sindh Assembly in November 2016 criminalising forced conversions stalled when the governor declined to ratify it, disappointing religious minority activists, it added. 

Source- 

Assembly Bypoll results 2018 Live Updates: Samajwadi Party, RJD upset BJP in UP, Bihar

Congress has won Meghalaya's Ampati Assembly constituency on Thursday. The party and its allies are now leading in 6 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP is facing a stiff opposition from several counters. The party's lead has dwindled and BJP+ is ahead in just 3 seats. Meanwhile, Congress and its alliances is gaining pace and is leading 6 seats.

The trends of Bypoll results 2018: Congress is leading in Punjab's Shahkot and has already won in Maharashtra's Palus Kadegaon. Trinamool is leading in West Bengal's Maheshtala, RJD in Bihar's Jokihat, JMM in Silli. CPM is leading in Kerala's Chengannur, Samajwadi in UP's Noorpur. BJP in leading in Uttarakhand's Tharali and Jharkhand's Gomia.

Congress has gained a strong lead in Punjab's Shahkot Assembly seat, traditionally a SAD bastion. 

Amid a tight layer of security, the counting of votes for bypolls to 10 crucial Legislative Assembly constituencies began at 8 am on Thursday. 

The 10 Assembly seats are – Punjab's Shahkot, Uttarakhand's Tharali, Meghalaya's Ampati, Kerala's Chengannur, Bihar's Jokihat, Jharkhand's Gomia and Silli, West Bengal's Maheshtala, Uttar Pradesh's Noorpur and Maharashtra's Palus Kadegaon.

The results of these high stake assembly constituencies are been witnessed as a litmus test for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress ahead of general elections in 2019. 

In Jharkhand, the Gomia bypoll was necessitated after sitting Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Yogendra Prasad Mahto was expelled following his conviction in coal theft case. Similarly, the Silli seat fell vacant after the sitting JMM MLA Amit Mahto was convicted in a criminal assault case in March this year. 

Uttar Pradesh's Noorpur seat fell vacant after the death of two-time BJP MLA Lokendra Singh Chouhan while the Maheshtala seat fell vacant after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kasturi Das' death in February. 

Former Meghalaya Chief Minister and Congress MLA Mukul Sangma resigned from Ampati seat in March after he won from Songsak. By-poll to Uttarakhand's Tharali, reserved for the member of scheduled castes, was necessitated after the death of the BJP MLA Magan Lal Shah in February. Chengannur seat fell vacant after the death of Communist Party of India (Marxist) sitting MLA K.K. Ramachandran Nair in January. Sarfaraz Alam had won the Jokihat assembly seat on Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) ticket. He later contested from RJD ticket and resigned in April from the post of MLA after his victory in the Araria Lok Sabha by-poll. The Shiromani Akali Dal representative of the Shahkot seat, Ajit Singh Kohar the sitting MLA, died in February, which necessitated by-poll in the assembly. The by-poll in Palus-Kadegaon Assembly constituency was necessitated due to the death of Congress`s Patangrao Kadam, who had won the constituency twice. The EC has declared Kadam`s son elected unopposed as the BJP had withdrawn its candidate. 

Microsoft files patent for foldable dual-screen notebook

Microsoft has filed a patent for a foldable dual-screen notebook which is quite like the companys "Courier" concept -- a booklet PC which was first reported in 2008 and then cancelled in 2010.

"It shows the now well described dual-screened device with a first and second `surface` with the `self-regulating hinges` which would allow the device to be positioned in a number of ways similar to a Lenovo Yoga but without any of the thickness associated with a regular hinge," mspoweruser.com reported late on Friday.

The patent, filed at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), includes intricate details around how the hinge works. However, there are not much details about software for such a device.

Notably, Microsoft appears to have used the special hinge to solve the bezel problem of having two screens.

The design shows two edge-to-edge displays which are positioned such that they touch each other without any significant gap.

The company is also reportedly using gear-like cogs to create this adjustable hinge, allowing the device to hold in different positions.

Source-

Japan to beef up missile defence system against North Korea

Japan`s government on Tuesday approved the introduction of the US military`s land-based Aegis missile interceptor system, beefing up its defence against "serious" and "imminent" North Korea threats.

The regime in Pyongyang has fired two missiles over Japan this year and has threatened to "sink" the country into the sea.

Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that plunged into the waters of Japan`s exclusive economic zone. 

"North Korea`s nuclear and missile development has entered a new stage of threat that is more serious and imminent to our country`s security," the government said as it endorsed the introduction of Aegis Ashore at a cabinet meeting.

Japan needs to drastically improve its missile defence, Tokyo added.

Japan plans to introduce the Aegis Ashore system at two locations, covering the entire nation with powerful radars.

The deployment will hand the US ally another layer of defence in addition to SM-3 guided missiles launched by Aegis destroyer vessels and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles.

However, it will take years before the Aegis Ashore system is operational, according to Japanese officials.

The contract is yet to be signed with the United States and deployment at two locations could cost a total of 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion), including the cost of building new facilities.

However, officials insisted the new system would boost Japan`s missile defence.

"Naval vessels need to return to their ports regularly for rest and refuelling, but if it`s ground deployment, we will be able to operate almost 24-7," an official said. 

"We can be on permanent vigilance even when signs (of missile firing) are hard to detect," he said.
Japan is reportedly planning a record $46 billion defence budget for the next fiscal year in the face of the North Korean threat.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said this month the country also plans to purchase long-range cruise missiles from US firms with a range of some 900 kilometres (560 miles).

The move would be controversial as Japan`s pacifist constitution bans the use of force as a means of settling international disputes.

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BJP's vote share rise hides future threat from Congress

The BJP may have seen its final seat tally in Gujarat drop from its 2012 score, but the party managed to raise its vote share to its second highest ever in an assembly election in the state.

The BJP was set for a tally of 99 wins out of 182 constituencies around 5:30 pm, down from the 115 it won in 2012. But its provisional vote share had risen from 47.85 to 49.1.

"That the party has increased its vote share after 22 years of ruling the state is a remarkable achievement," said BJP president Amit Shah.

The BJP has won a greater percentage of the vote in an Assembly elections only 2002, when it received 49.85 percent of the votes cast.

The fall in seats won when read in conjunction with the rise in vote share suggest that the BJP won by wide margins in a handful of seats while thinning the margin in some. 

However, there is a flipside to the BJP's performance. It has seen the overall margin of victory reduce. The difference in vote shares between the BJP and the Congress slid from 8.22 percentage points in 2012 to 7.39 percentage points in 2017. That's a difference of 0.83 percentage points.

And that slip in the vote share margin has thrown up a significant challenge for the BJP in coming elections, especially to the Assembly. The 0.83 percentage point fall saw BJP lose 16 seats, bringing the seat margin against the Congress from 53 seats to just 20.

The Congress too saw an increase in its vote share, rising to 41.4 percent from the 38.93 percent it polled in 2012. This netted the party 16 seats more.

However, the pattern in Gujarat doesn't seem set to affect the BJP's performance in Lok Sabha elections in the state. The party consistently polls a greater percentage of the vote than it does in the Assembly elections, winning the larger share of seats.

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