8th phase polling claims one life amidst high turnout

May 8, 2014

Patna, May 8: High turnout was registered in the penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha election to 64 constituencies on Wednesday in which the fate of 1,737 candidates, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, were sealed.

One person was killed when police opened fire outside a polling booth in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district in a bid to prevent its capture.

The highest turnout in the 8th phase was 81.28 per cent in the six seats in West Bengal, which Trinamool Congress is trying to wrest from the Left Front, followed by 76 per cent in Seemandhra, where voters chose 25 representatives to Lok Sabha and 175 members of the proposed Assembly simultaneously.

Two key battleground states Bihar (where seven constituencies went to polls) and Uttar Pradesh (15 seats) recorded turnouts of 58 and 55.52 per cent, respectively. The Congress hopes to retain as many seats as possible in constituencies coming under eighth phase in the face of a strong Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) seeking to hold on to their Muslim-OBC-Dalit vote base. With Wednesday’s polls, voting has been completed in 502 of the total 543 constituencies and the remaining 41 seats will go to polls in the last phase on May 12.

The focus was on Amethi, where Rahul is contesting for the third time, which recorded 55.2 per cent polling. Rahul, who has represented the seat since 2004, toured polling booths in Amethi on the voting day for the first time, apparently in the face of a tough challenge posed by his rivals Smriti Irani of the BJP and Kumar Vishwas of the AAP.

In neighbouring Sultanpur constituency, where Rahul’s cousin and BJP’s Varun Gandhi is in fray, 57.2 per cent voters cast their votes.

Barring sporadic clashes between workers of YSR Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and alleged attacks on policemen in Rayalaseema districts, polling was largely peaceful in Seemandhra where Congress is battling hard to repeat its 2009 impressive show post bifurcation.

Prominent among the 118 candidates in Bihar were LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan from Hajipur and RJD candidate Rabri Devi from Saran.

In West Bengal, notable among the 72 nominees are nine-time CPM MP Basudeb Acharia facing the challenge of actress Moon Moon Sen of the TMC?from Bankura.

Two seats in Jammu and Kashmir registered a turnout of close to 50 per cent.

Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, where several incidents of militant violence have been reported since Tuesday and separatists gave a poll boycott call, recorded a turnout of 39.6 per cent.

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PM Modi, King Abdullah II share 8-point vision to deepen India-Jordan ties

News Network

December 16,2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, during which the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with the Prime Minister outlining an eight-point vision covering key areas of cooperation.

Describing the meeting as “productive”, PM Modi said he shared a roadmap focused on trade and economy, fertilisers and agriculture, information technology, healthcare, infrastructure, critical and strategic minerals, civil nuclear cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister praised King Abdullah II’s personal commitment to advancing India–Jordan relations, particularly as both countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

“Held productive discussions with His Majesty King Abdullah II in Amman. His personal commitment towards vibrant India-Jordan relations is noteworthy. This year, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our bilateral diplomatic relations,” PM Modi said.

The meeting took place at the Al Husseiniya Palace, where the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation, fertilisers and agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, and heritage.

The MEA said both leaders reaffirmed their united stand against terrorism.

PM Modi arrived in Amman earlier on Monday and was received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who accorded him a formal welcome. Following the talks, King Abdullah II hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the Prime Minister, reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties.

Jordan is the first leg of PM Modi’s three-nation tour. From Amman, the Prime Minister will travel to Ethiopia at the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, marking his first official visit to the African nation. The tour will conclude with a visit to Oman.

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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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