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Tehran:  Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saturday urged a speedy approval in Tehran of a nuclear deal so blame for any failure falls on US lawmakers who may yet vote against it.

Abbas Araghchi’s comments come as US Secretary of State John Kerry and members of his nuclear negotiating team are being grilled in Congress two weeks into a 60-day review of the deal in Washington.

A similar process is under way in Iran’s parliament, where some MPs have argued that the agreement has jeopardised the country’s nuclear programme.

The deal between Iran and six world powers led by the United States must be approved by Iran’s top security committee and parliament before it can be finally implemented.

“We should announce our opinion quickly so if the Congress decided to reject the deal, the onus of such rejection and failure of talks would fall on Congress,” Araghchi said, not naming lawmakers but signalling the need for their endorsement.

“In that case we will not suffer any losses and we can return to our normal programme,” he told Iranian state television’s political editors.

“Then the world would say that Iran went through its legal process and approved the agreement yet the Congress destroyed the whole thing.”

Kerry has said it would be embarrassing to him and a blow to American credibility on the world stage if the Republican-led Congress rejects the deal to put an atomic bomb out of Iran’s reach.

Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.

President Barack Obama can veto Congress and keep the deal alive as long as US lawmakers do not obtain a two thirds majority vote.

Araghchi, effectively the number two negotiator for Iran in the nuclear talks behind Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, spoke ahead of President Hassan Rouhani’s live televised speech on Sunday night which is expected to focus on the nuclear deal.

Israel and other opponents believe the agreement, struck in Vienna on July 14, does not achieve its primary objective of mothballing Iran’s nuclear programme and closing all paths to a bomb. Obama’s White House says it does exactly that.

However Rouhani’s government has been trying to convince conservatives that the concessions made in the deal are not detrimental to its ambitions of producing nuclear energy, saying that the sanctions relief is worth the limitations.

However despite Araghchi’s call for a speedy rubber stamp, Iranian lawmakers are believed to be awaiting the outcome of Congress’s review before they announce their final opinion.

 

New Delhi:  The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on Saturday slashed VAT rates on all cutlery items made of metal from the existing 12.5 percent to five percent, an official statement said.

VAT rates on wax, wood and timber items were also reduced.

“In keeping with the Delhi government’s agenda of implementing pro-people tax reforms, the finance department has notified more than seven per cent reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) charged on the items falling in three categories,” the statement said.

These categories include utensils of cutlery items made of metal (including pressure cookers/pans) except those made of precious metals, wax of all kinds not covered by any other entry of any schedule of the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004 and wood and timber.

“Rationalisation of VAT and other taxes is the need of the hour and Delhi government will continue with its pro-people reforms,” the statement said.

New Delhi:  Former Union Minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari today took a dig at Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, saying she seemed to have a “direct ‘hotline’ to the ISIS in Libya”, and asked whether India is “doing business” with the extremist group in that country.

“Happy 2 Indians released in Sirte Libya pray for others Ques- since Sushma Swaraj claiming credit- is India doing business with IS in Libya?,” Mr Tewari tweeted, adding, “Since Foreign Minister seems to hv direct”hotline” to IS or ISIS in Libya what happened to 57 people from Punjab Are they dead or alive FM?”

The 49-year-old Congressman’s comments came after the Foreign Minister yesterday announced the release of two Indian teachers who were among four kidnapped in an Islamic State-controlled territory in Libya earlier this week. “Four Indians abducted in Libya – I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar. Trying for other two,” Ms Swaraj tweeted on Friday.

Slamming Mr Tewari for making irresponsible comments, BJP Spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, “Why does the Congress Party feel unhappy or perturbed when Government of India achieve something for Indian citizens?”

The four men, who have been working for more than a year at the Sirte university in Libya, were detained at a checkpoint about 50 kilometres outside the town late on Wednesday while on their way back to India.

The government had, in July last year, issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave Libya.

Various militias and Islamist factions have been battling in Libya since former strongman Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.

The area where the men were detained is controlled by the Islamic State, which has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and has declared itself a caliphate.

Panaji:  Goa’s Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza has defended his government’s controversial decision to seek a pardon for former cabinet colleague Francisco Xavier Pacheco, who is presently in jail for assaulting a government official. Mr D’Souza justified his government’s action, saying slapping a government official is a “minor offence”.

“The cabinet has approved the release of Mickky (an alias for Pacheco). It is a pardon. According to the list of offences in the IPC it is a minor offence,” D’Souza said.

He also defended his government’s support for a pardon for Pacheco, saying the law has to be more reformative than punitive.

On Thursday, the Goa cabinet had unanimously recommended that Governor Mridula Sinha pardon Pacheco. The Governor had forwarded a mercy petition from the former minister to the cabinet.

Pacheco has served two months of his six-month sentence. However, during this period, he has sought privileges given to MLAs, and took parole to attend the Assembly, submitting over a 100 questions in ‘public interest’ as a ‘people’s representative’. The application is still pending.

The move has been roundly criticised by activists and political opponents. Activist Aires Rodrigues has written to the Governor, urging her to reject the plea as Pacheco had other criminal cases against him.

“This is a mockery of Justice. The government has recommended he be pardoned but has not told the Governor of the many criminal proceedings against him. He is a repeat offender of crime,” Mr Rodrigues said.

Pacheco, leader of BJP ally Goa Vikas Party, is accused of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend. He had been untraceable for two months, after the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in March. He surrendered on June 1.



 

Panaji:  Goa’s Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza has defended his government’s controversial decision to seek a pardon for former cabinet colleague Francisco Xavier Pacheco, who is presently in jail for assaulting a government official. Mr D’Souza justified his government’s action, saying slapping a government official is a “minor offence”.

“The cabinet has approved the release of Mickky (an alias for Pacheco). It is a pardon. According to the list of offences in the IPC it is a minor offence,” D’Souza said.

He also defended his government’s support for a pardon for Pacheco, saying the law has to be more reformative than punitive.

On Thursday, the Goa cabinet had unanimously recommended that Governor Mridula Sinha pardon Pacheco. The Governor had forwarded a mercy petition from the former minister to the cabinet.

Pacheco has served two months of his six-month sentence. However, during this period, he has sought privileges given to MLAs, and took parole to attend the Assembly, submitting over a 100 questions in ‘public interest’ as a ‘people’s representative’. The application is still pending.

The move has been roundly criticised by activists and political opponents. Activist Aires Rodrigues has written to the Governor, urging her to reject the plea as Pacheco had other criminal cases against him.

“This is a mockery of Justice. The government has recommended he be pardoned but has not told the Governor of the many criminal proceedings against him. He is a repeat offender of crime,” Mr Rodrigues said.

Pacheco, leader of BJP ally Goa Vikas Party, is accused of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend. He had been untraceable for two months, after the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in March. He surrendered on June 1.



 

New Delhi:  Congress leader Gurudas Kamat was today asked by the National Commission for Women to explain within a week his offensive remarks against Education Minister Smriti Irani that have attracted much criticism.

On Thursday, Mr Kamat, 60, referred to Ms Irani as a “poncha lagane wali (one who mops floors)” in an attack that questioned the minister’s credentials to have charge of the education portfolio.

“We have sent a showcause notice to Gurudas Kamat on his remarks about Smriti Irani… Have asked him to reply to this notice in a week’s time,” said Lalitha Kumaramangalam, chairperson of the National Commission for Women.

Mr Kamat, who made the remarks against Ms Irani while campaigning for local body elections in Rajasthan, had said, “She’s come from Delhi and resides here in Mumbai. The first job she got here was mopping the floor of a Mumbai restaurant. Nothing wrong in that. If a ‘chaiwala‘ can become the Prime Minister of the country, then why can’t a ‘poncha lagane wali‘ become a minister,” referring to PM Narendra Modi’s much-flaunted humble beginnings as a tea seller.

But the Congressman today, in a tweet, said, “Words twisted out of context. Never degraded work in McDonalds, questioned qualifications to handle imp HRD Ministry.”

While Ms Irani’s party, the BJP has lashed out at Mr Kamat, he has also earned severe criticism from others. “You can comment on her work and her qualification etc. But by saying that in past she used to do house hold work and now she is working as a minister is wrong. You can’t disrespect women like this,” said K Kavitha of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS.

The BJP’s Sambit Patra tweeted, “So very pained to hear what Congress leader Gurudas Kamat said about HRD Minister Smt Smriti Irani ..has Politics come down to this level?”

New Delhi/Mumbai:  Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and invited him to visit the “Virtual Classroom” project in civic schools in Mumbai.

The Virtual Classroom project, where children are taught without the use of textbooks, and notebooks, has been initiated by the Yuva Sena in collaboration with the Shiv Sena.

“We have created special educational tablets which have the entire syllabi of classes 8 to 10 in five languages… English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Urdu. It also has notes, work sections, assessments which can be of immense benefit to the student community,” Mr Thackeray told media-persons after emerging from the meeting.

The 25-year-old youth leader said the tablets have proved extremely successful in the civic schools and the students using it have scored above 90 per cent in the competitive examinations.

Inviting PM Modi to witness the success of the Virtual Classroom Project, launched in 2011 as a pilot, covering around 400 civic schools, at a cost of Rs.27 crore, he said it would complement the PM’s vision of a digital and skilled India.

Presenting a sample tablet to PM Modi, Aditya said that till date, around 1,200 have been distributed to students.

“Even Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde has expressed interest to popularise these educational tablets and reduce the burden on students,” Mr Thackeray added.

He was accompanied by Shiv Sena parliamentary party chief Anandrao Adsul, party MPs Arvind Sawant, Chandrakant Khaire and Gajanan Kirtikar.