Tony Blair has insisted that Labour can recover from its disastrous general election defeat only if it reoccupies the centre ground of British politics, proudly championing a pro-business agenda and bold new ideas to reform public services.

As the party attempts to come to terms with a devastating result that saw the Conservatives returned to office for five more years with an unexpected Commons majority, the former prime minister and three-times election winner said Labour has to be “for ambition and aspiration as well as compassion and care”.

While generous about Ed Miliband – praising him for showing “courage under savage attack” and campaigning brilliantly – Blair made clear in an article in the Observer that he believes Miliband’s left-of-centre agenda alienated the business community and failed to appeal to those wanting to get on in life. In an unashamed call for the party to return to the approach of New Labour which Miliband abandoned, Blair wrote: “The route to the summit lies through the centre ground.

“The Labour party has to be for ambition as well as compassion and care. Hard-working families don’t just want us celebrating their hard work; they want to know that by hard work and effort they can rise up, achieve. They want to be better off and they need to know we don’t just tolerate that, we support it.”

His intervention sets the stage for weeks of bitter arguments over the direction the party should take as it seeks a new leader who can take the party into a 2020 election and ensure it does not spend three terms out of office.

Seeking to avoid any impression that he is stoking conflict at a low point in the party’s history, Blair made the striking admission that Miliband was right to champion the cause of inequality and accepted that during his two-and-a-half terms as prime minister he paid the issue insufficient attention.

“Ed was absolutely right to raise the issue of inequality and to say that Labour should focus anew on it. This will stand as his contribution to the party’s development. In so far as this was an implied rebuke to my politics, I accept it. But we still need ways relevant to today and tomorrow, not yesterday, to tackle it.”

He said that Labour could be convincing in advancing the case for greater equality only if it does so within a wider pro-business agenda. “We have to conduct the big argument on the wealth-creating potential of the macro-economy, not only the targeted campaign on the injustices of it. So we were proud in 1997 to put forward the case for Britain’s first minimum wage. But we could never have an election on it unless set within a broader framework. The same is true with zero-hours contracts.”

A Facebook post suggests that all heritage site have not been demolished. The five storeyed temple in Bhaktapur is still intact so are other temples in Patan and Bhaktapur. A lot still can be seen in Kathmandu apart from the damage done due to the deadly earthquake.

Roads connecting to and from Kathmandu are still operational. The local people at this time of great difficult request tourist to visit Nepal as a support to the damage and victims of the earthquake.

Actually this is the right time for tourists to see world heritage sites in Nepal, and also visit and help the people of the devastated villages in rural areas of Gorkha, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk and other districts.

As a proof of this statement this photograph clicked on 5th May proves it all.

Kolkata: Sovan Chatterjee on Friday took oath as the mayor of Kolkata for a second successive five-year term at the historic Town Hall here.

Chatterjee, who has already served his first five-year innings from 2010-15, was renominated for the post by his party, Trinamool Congress, which achieved a landslide win in the recent Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.

He becomes the first city mayor to be sworn in at the Town Hall.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the event alongside hed cabinet ministers and frontranking party leaders.

Mala Roy, who returned to the Trinamool from the Congress last month, was administered oath as the KMC chairperson.

A number of dignitaries, diplomatic corps and bureaucrats attended the brief function.

Kolkata: Great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grand-nephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday evening and is understood to have raised the issue of declassification of all secret files related to the freedom fighter amid a row over snooping on the leader’s close relatives.

Confirming the news, a PIB tweet said, “Chandra Bose, grandson of Sarat Bose(brother of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) and Usha Menon Bose meeting PM.”

Last month, PM Modi had met Surya Bose, another grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, in Berlin and had assured him that he will look into the surveillance issue.

Recently, declassified IB files had revealed that the former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru-led government had order surveillance on Netaji’s kin between 1948 and 1968. The files reveal that the IB had resumed British-era surveillance on the two Bose family homes in Calcutta at Woodburn Park and Elgin Road.

PM Modi arrived here today evening about 45 minutes ahead of schedule while on a two-day trip to West Bengal.

Prior to the meet, on his first visit to West Bengal after taking over as Prime Minister, Modi kickstarted the “Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana” (accident insurance), “Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana” (life insurance) and “Atal Pension Yojana” here. The schemes were launched in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal where Assembly Elections are due next year.

Midnapore: One of the four injured in the Pingla firecracker unit blast, which claimed 12 lives, testified before a judicial magistrate today even as the officer-in-charge of the police station was put under suspension for alleged inaction.

The injured, Sk Mustaq, was taken to the court of Third Judicial Magistrate Md Moidul from Medinipur Medical College and Hospital and testified before the judge.

He was then taken back to hospital and then discharged as his condition was stated to be medically fit by attending doctors, a top district police officer said.

The other three injured were still under treatment, the officer said.

Meanwhile, officer-in-charge of the police station Pankaj Mistri has been suspended for alleged delay in action after news of the fire broke out and not allegedly acting upon the complaints by villagers about the illegal fireworks unit in the area in past, the district police officer said.

He said the OC was suspended yesterday.

SP Bharati Ghosh yesterday told PTI, “With such a big incident having taken place some disciplinary action will surely be taken against the OC,” but refused to confirm whether he will be suspended.

A powerful explosion in a house packed with explosives had killed 12 people ? several of them in their teens ? and injured four at Pingla in West Midnapore on Wednesday night.
PTI

Kathmandu: Snowfall, avalanches and landslides following the April 25 temblor have hit hard rescue and relief work in three remote districts of Nepal where officials fear over 100 people may still need to be rescued.

The avalanches are occurring in one of the major trekking routes of the country, Langtang, seriously disrupting the rescue work in the earthquake-ravaged area.

Gajendra Kumar Thakur, member secretary at the District Disaster Management Committee and a local development officer, said the Nepal Army`s rescue team had taken out 90 bodies, including those of nine foreigners, from the area.

But the status of 150 others, including foreigners, remains unknown.

Lt. Col. Anup Jung Thapa said huge piles of debris caused by avalanches in and around the area were preventing rescuers from proceeding to the affected places.

As many as 160 houses collapsed in the deadly quake that has claimed nearly 8,000 lives, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction in the Himalayan nation.

The earthquake also triggered some 150 aftershocks of varying intensity, which caused further landslides.

Another 183 locals, 20 labourers, 80 tourists, 40 tourist guides and 10 army personnel have been missing in the areas.

Also, 15 villages of northern Gorkha, the epicentre of the earthquake, remain disconnected due to avalanches that have struck the link road which connect these villages with the district headquarters.

“Dozens of landslides have hit the rescue bid,” said Suk Bahadur Gurung from Kerauja village over telephone. “Several parts of the link road have suffered cracks, making them very difficult to pass.”

Residents of these villages say dozens have perished in the landslide.

“Due to landslides and cracks on the link road, rescue teams could not reach these villages,” said another local, Dhan Prasad Gurung.

In desperation, residents of these villages are taking shelter in hydroelectric stations, schools, village buildings, schools, Buddhist temples and a community building.

After failing to clear the route, the local Gorkha administration is mulling to open two entry points close to the Tibet border so that relief goods reach 14 villages.

Out of 885 households in Kerauja village, only three are still standing, said Suk Bahadur.

More than 900 people have been waiting to be rescued since April 25 in remote Rasuwa district.

Rescue team also could not find their way due to recurrent landslides in that area.
IANS

New Delhi: Delhi Government has asked all its officials to lodge a complaint with the Principal Secretary (Home) if they come across any news item which damage the reputation of the Chief Minister or the government, so that further action can be taken.

According to a circular issued by the Directorate of Information and Publicity Department, if any officer associated with the Delhi government feels that the published or aired news item damages his or the government’s reputation, he should file a complaint with the Principal Secretary (Home).

“In such case, a reference letter will be sent to the Principal Secretary (Home) containing details of the defamatory imputation published, the mode of publication, factual inaccuracy, details of allegations made and ground for believing that it will harm the reputation of the person against whom the imputation has been made,” a senior officer said.

According to the official, the Principal Secretary (Home) will then examine the matter and will also seek the opinion of the Director (prosecution) as to whether the prosecution under section 499/500 of the IPC is to be launched.

If as per the opinion of the Director (prosecution), offence of defamation is made out the Principal Secretary will refer the matter to the Law Department for examining the matter and obtain the sanction of under section 199(4) of the CrPc.

After the sanction of the government is obtained, the home department will forward the case to the public prosecutor for making a complaint under Section 199(2) of the CrPc.

The move came just a few days after, Delhi Government issued order for close monitoring of all news channels.
PTI

Chandigarh, May 10 (PTI) Punjab and Germany are all set to join hands for creating ‘Renewable Energy Equipment Hub’ in the state.

Punjab has also sought help from Germany to harness the huge potential available in rooftop solar and biomass power, an official spokesman said here today.

Indo German Energy Programme has proposed to facilitate linkage between Punjab and German Renewable energy sector.

A delegation of Indo German Energy Programme, led by its Director Winfried Damm, today called on Bikram Singh Majithia, Punjba’s New and Renewable Energy Minister and apprised him about the efforts being put in facilitating technology transfer as well as investment by German companies in the renewable Energy (RE) sector to India, the spokesman said.

Damm offered to facilitate linkage between Punjab and German renewable energy industry to create RE equipment hub in Punjab besides bringing in experienced German companies to execute high standard RE project in the state.

Majithia assured the delegation that the State would extend all help to German Industry.

He said the state has an investor friendly policy in place supported by a specific New and Renewable Energy Policy.

Making a strong case of huge potential for investment available in state in rooftop solar and biomass power, Majithia requested the delegation to help Punjab in emerging state in these sectors as Germany had a strong presence and proven track record in both the sector.

Etah (UP), May 10 (PTI) A total of 343 cases were settled in Lok Adalat held here in which a penalty of over Rs 2,88,000 was awarded, an official release said.

The Lok Adalat held under District Legal Sewa Tribunal headed by District Judge K K Sharma amicably settled the cases and awarded a penalty of Rs 35,950 apart from the settlement amount of Rs 2,88,000, the release added.