Chandigarh: Internet and SMS services have been suspended till further orders in Rohtak, Rohtak SP Shashank Anand said today.

The decision has been taken ‘to maintain law and order’ in the district, he said.

However, he said mobile services will continue in the district.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has called an all-party meeting today to discuss Jats’ demands.

Normal life has been badly hit because of the ongoing Jat agitation which has spread to more parts of the state after talks between the community leaders and the government failed to break the deadlock.

The protests have disrupted road and rail traffic with the worst hit being the Rohtak-Jhajjar region, the epicentre of the protests, besides Bhiwani, Sonipat and Hisar.

The protesters, who have rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s offer of enhancing quota for economically backward classes, set up road blockade at many places in Panipat affecting movement of vehicles towards Uttar Pradesh.

In view of the blockades by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes.

The administration has imposed prohibitory orders in the entire Rohtak district, banning assembly of five or more persons.PTI

RANCHI: Four naxals, including a woman ultra, were killed in an encounter between security forces and Maoists at a village bordering Nawadih jungle near Ranchi late last night, a police officer said today.

The encounter took place at Ghagrabeda village, about 35 km from Ranchi, on Ranchi-Jamshedpur National Highway 33 last night, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Raj Kumar Lakra said.

Mr Lakra said two policemen who sustained injuries, were airlifted to Ranchi at midnight where they were undergoing treatment. Their condition was stated to be out of danger.

Acting on a tip-off about the movement of a group of Naxals who had assembled in the jungle, security personnel comprising district armed police and CRPF rushed to the spot, Mr Lakra said.

The rebels opened fire on them and the security personnel retaliated killing four naxals including a woman, he said, adding that the bodies have been recovered and two SLRs and two 303 rifles were recovered.

Some other naxals were suspected to have sustained injuries in the encounter, which lasted for a couple of hours, but managed to escape, Mr Lakra said, adding that a massive search operation was launched this morning to trace them.RNI

An earthquake that rattled remote towns high in California’s Sierra Nevada on Tuesday afternoon startled residents for miles around California, but caused no serious damage or injuries, authorities said.

The magnitude 4.8 quake struck just after 3 p.m. six miles (9.6 kilometers) west of Big Pine, a small community in the eastern side of the mountain range along scenic US Route 395.

The quake nine miles(14.4 kilometers) underground in Inyo County hit along the Owens Valley fault line, said Susan Garcia of the US Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park.

The area has experienced eight quakes of a magnitude 3 since 1935, and a magnitude 4 hit in 1988.

The initial jolt on Tuesday was followed by a series of six aftershocks over more than an hour, the largest had a magnitude of 4.3, Garcia said. Residents in Sacramento, Livermore, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and across the state line in Nevada reported feeling the ground shaking.

“I thought something hit our building because there was a loud boom and everything shook for about four to six seconds,” said Cody Lawson, a dispatcher at the nearby Bishop Police Department. “It hit hard right off the bat.”

Nobody called to report an emergency in the town of about 2,500 residents, he said, adding that some in the dispatch center where he works sought shelter under their desks. Lawson said he went to a door frame and waited for the shaking to stop.

Minutes after he got back to his desk and answered the phone, he described one of the aftershocks. “It’s not as strong,” he said. “We’re rolling.” A pre-dawn quake also Tuesday struck just north of Big Bear in the mountains east of Los Angeles. The USGS reported that it registered at 3.8 in magnitude.

The Reserve Bank of India today fixed the reference rate of the rupee at 68.5920 against the US dollar and 76.6104 for the euro.

These rates were 68.3360 and 76.2425 respectively, yesterday.

According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 98.0180 and 60.32 per 100 yens, respectively, based on reference rates for the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.

The SDR-rupee rate will be based on this rate, the statement added.

Dubai, Feb 17 (PTI) Gulf carrier Etihad Airways along with partner Jet Airways has carried a record 3.3 million people between Abu Dhabi and India in 2015, registering a 63 per cent growth in passenger traffic.

Together, the airlines carried a record 3.3 million passengers between Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub and India in 2015, representing a sharp rise on the 2 million flown during the previous 12 months, the airline said.

“Bilateral relations between the UAE and India continue to grow based on years of friendship and deep commitment to strengthen economic, cultural and trade ties.

“With Etihad Airways and Jet Airways together offering over 44,000 seats each week between Abu Dhabi and India, we are clearly are a key contributor to India’s dynamic economy.

There is further room to grow and we are looking at the many opportunities that exist to develop our operations,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Our investment in Jet Airways was aimed at being part of the Indian success story. Before the Jet deal, Etihad Airways carried only two per cent of the international traffic to and from India. We have helped bring Jet Airways back to profitability.

“Today, Jet Airways is our number one equity partner for revenue and passenger contribution on Etihad Airways, and India is Abu Dhabi’s number one source market for international visitors,” he added.

The UAE is the 10th biggest foreign – and largest Arab – investor in India.

Etihad operates 175 flights each week to and from 11 Indian gateway cities. The combined networks of Etihad Airways and Jet Airways offer over 250 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India.

From May 1, the airline will launch its award-winning Airbus A380 operations to Mumbai.

By 2020, domestic and international passenger traffic through Indian airports is expected to double to 450 million.

The UN World Tourism Organisation predicts more than 50 million Indians travelling overseas annually by 2020.