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8pm NEWSFEED

15, మార్చి 2022, మంగళవారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Under construction building collapses in Delhi

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:51 AM PDT

An under construction building collapsed at Nicholson Road near Kashmiri Gate. Search and rescue operations are underway and 8 persons have been rescued so far.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, MCD, Rajesh Goyal, the incident took place around 5pm and no casualty has been reported so far.

Gandhis responsible for Cong. rout in assembly polls. Capt. Amarinder Singh

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:42 AM PDT

Amarinder Singh on Monday held the Gandhis totally responsible for the rout of the Congress in the assembly polls, claiming that the party was "comfortably placed" in Punjab before he was unseated as Chief Minister.

In a statement a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) took stock of the drubbing received by the party in five states, Mr Singh took digs at the "pompous" state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and the "corrupt" Charanjit Singh Channi, who replaced him as Chief Minister.

After his ouster as Chief Minister last year, Amarinder Singh left the Congress and floated his own Punjab Lok Congress.

He slammed the CWC for trying to put the blame for the Congress defeat in Punjab on him instead of "gracefully admitting" their "own blunders".

"The Congress has not only lost in Punjab but also in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and the Gandhis are entirely to blame for the party’s shameful defeat," he said.

People across the country had lost faith in the leadership of the Gandhis," he said, referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

On Monday, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar also questioned the appointment of Mr Channi as the Punjab Chief Minister ahead of the polls, mocking a senior party leader for reportedly describing him as an "asset".

In the just-ended assembly polls, the Congress got just 18 seats, and the Aam Aadmi Party romped home with 92 in a House of 117.

Amarinder Singh claimed several senior leaders within the party were blaming the infighting in Punjab Congress and the "anti-party" statements of Navjot Sidhu for its bad performance in the state.

"The party had dug its own grave in the border state the day they decided to back an unstable and pompous person like Navjot Sidhu, and naming a corrupt man like Charanjit Singh Channi as chief minister just months before the polls," he said in a statement here.

The CWC leaders who were claiming that there was strong "anti-incumbency" against his government had conveniently forgotten that he had won every election for the party since 2017, including the civic bodies polls in February 2021, just seven months before his unceremonious removal, Mr Singh said.

"These leaders are just sycophants who are trying to shield the family by shifting blame and closing their eyes to the writing on the wall," he said.

He claimed the Congress had no future under the present set-up.

Mr Singh said the real reason for the defeat in Punjab was the party high command first favouring and then failing to rein in people like Navjot Sidhu, "who indulged in tarnishing the image of the party for their own personal gains".

"In their efforts to discredit me, the party high command joined hands with Navjot and others, and in the process ended up discrediting the party totally." Mr Singh said though he did not owe any explanation to the CWC or the Congress, he had chosen to react to the comments of these leaders just to clarify his position to the people of Punjab, to whom he still felt accountable.

Amarinder Singh was made to resign as the CM last September following a bitter feud between him and Navjot Sidhu.

In the 2022 polls, Mr Singh’s new party failed to win any seat.

276 schools in Pakistan’s Karachi have 317 teachers but zero students

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:35 AM PDT

Karachi [Pakistan]: According to a report, out of 2,844 schools in Pakistan’s Karachi, a total of 276 schools have zero students but 317 teachers employed at these institutes and the authorities are reluctant to comment on the issue.


According to the Reform Support Unit (RSU) of the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department census of 2019, 276 schools, which amounts to 9.7 per cent of total schools in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, have no enrolments in them.

The News International repeatedly tried to reach the relevant authority on the issue. A visit to the office by the news portal, the Elementary, Secondary and Higher Secondary School Education Director Shahid Zaman and the office of Primary School Education Director Abida Lodhi resulted in disappointment because both of them refused to comment on the issue.


The statistics provided by the Directorate of School Education Karachi show zero enrolments at 119 co-educational schools, 119 boys schools and 38 girls schools in the city, reported The News International.


As per the educationists, post-2020 COVID pandemic, the number of such public schools is likely to be higher than the one mentioned in the census report because, during the lockdowns, even the dropout rate at established schools had increased.


In the month of January, the education department had closed 4,901 unviable schools across the province due to the lack of proper buildings, had poor enrolments and was facing a shortage of teachers, reported The News International.


One hundred and fourteen of those schools were closed in Karachi: 53 in District Malir, 15 in District Central, 14 in District West, 12 in District South, nine in District Keamari, seven in District Korangi and four in District East. 

BJP govt will bear interest cost of farmers’ loans in MP – a promise made by Congress

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:30 AM PDT

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will bear the cost of interest of the loans, after many farmers turned defaulters in hope that loans up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived off under a scheme that was launched during the Congress government, said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday.


During the ongoing Budget Session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Chouhan said that many farmers turned defaulters in hope of that loans up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived off (a scheme launched during Congress government).

He also said that BJP will bear the cost of interest of the loans. In his speech, he also highlighted the plight of the farmers stuck in the vicious circle of the loans and said that when one becomes a defaulter, the circle of interest starts and leaves them frustrated.


The Budget Session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly commenced on March 7 and will continue till March 25. There will be a total of 13 sittings.

AAP to contest West Bengal Panchayat elections in 2023

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:24 AM PDT

Kolkata (West Bengal): After a resounding victory in Punjab polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now eying West Bengal Panchayat polls scheduled to be held next year.


The AAP on Monday announced that it would contest the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal and has already begun campaigning for the same.


“Aam Aadmi Party will contest the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal. On the instructions of the party high command, the local unit has already started its campaign. AAP held a rally in Kolkata on March 13”, said Sanjoy Basu, Incharge, AAP, West Bengal.


Meanwhile, Reacting to AAP entering Bengal politics, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “We have seen AAP when they had come to Bengal. That time, they could not gather workers and they went away. It’s a democratic country. People have the right to contest elections from anywhere they want but it’s useless as they are uncountable in Bengal. What happened to Mamata Banerjee in Goa? Her competitors were Independent candidates. In Bengal, it will be the same for AAP.”


Through an official release on Monday, West Bengal’s AAP said, “On 13 March, Aam Aadmi Party, Woman’s Wing held a state conclave at Kolkata. It has been resolved in that meet that a state-level Steering Committee of Aap Mahila Shakti will be formed to strengthen the wing further up to block level in next six months.”


The release further said that the Central Observers from Delhi has chosen five people who will coordinate with all other office bearers of the Party in every district of West Bengal. For AAP, Deity Das will coordinate from North 24 Parganas, Soma Bhadra from Kolkata, Subhra Banerjee from Howrah, Tanuka Santra from Hoogly and Gargee Bose from South 24 Parganas.


AAP’s contesting in Panchayat polls will put Arvind Kejriwal’s party directly in the path of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) as both the parties are aspiring to expand their national footprint. They both contested the Goa polls separately at a time when CM Banerjee was calling out to the opposition parties to unite against the BJP.


Besides West Bengal, AAP will hit the ground in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat which will go to poll in November this year.


“As far as Himachal is concerned, it borders Punjab where AAP just swept the Assembly polls. The AAP is hopeful that the wave of Punjab will also reach Himachal Pradesh” said a source.


The AAP registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls winning 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

Karnataka High Court to pronounce judgment in Hijab row case tomorrow

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:16 AM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka High Court is set to deliver its judgment in the Hijab row case on Tuesday.


Earlier, the High Court reserved its order on various petitions challenging the ban on Hijab in educational institutions. A bench of the three judges, comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice JM Khazi, was hearing various petitions challenging the ban on hijab in educational institutions.


The hijab protests in Karnataka began in January this year when some students of Government Girls PU college in the Udupi district of the state alleged that they had been barred from attending classes. During the protests, some students claimed they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab.


Following this incident, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles. The situation was the same in several colleges in the Udupi district.


The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that students can wear only the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. 

India, Canada review progress in bilateral cooperation

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:12 AM PDT

New Delhi: India and Canada held Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) here on Monday and reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in domains such as political, security, trade, investment, education and science & technology.


A Ministry of External Affairs release said the FOCs provided a timely opportunity to exchange assessments on regional, multilateral and global issues of mutual interest.
The Indian delegation was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs. The Canadian delegation was led by Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada. The last FOCs were held in March 2021 in a virtual mode.


“The discussions were cordial and friendly. Both sides reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in domains such as political, security, trade and investment, education, science and technology, consular and mobility,” the release said.


The delegations agreed that the two countries should continue work to renew the momentum in relations and convene meetings of bilateral dialogues and working groups.


Both sides agreed to continue their productive consultations. The next FOCs will be held in Ottawa on a mutually convenient date. 

‘I bow my head before the people’s mandate’; Parkash Badal after poll defeat

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 07:04 AM PDT

Chandigarh (Punjab): Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal, who faced defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections, on Monday said that he bows his head before the people’s mandate and assured of continuing to fight for the state and the country.


Speaking to media persons here today, Badal said, “I bow my head before the people’s mandate. After Emergency, we won all the seats. So such things happen in politics. We’ll continue to fight for Punjab and the country.” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Gurmeet Singh Khudian defeated Badal from the Lambi Assembly seat in the recently concluded Punjab Assembly polls. AAP’s Khudian won with a margin of 11,396 votes.


Khudian won the Assembly constituency Lambi constituency by bagging total votes of 66,313 while Badal trailed at second position with a total of 54,917.


Notably, Badal was Chief Minister of state from 1970 to 1971, 1977 to 1980, 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017.


AAP registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

N Chandrasekaran appointed chairman of Air India

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 06:55 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran has been officially appointed as chairman of Air India, nearly two months after Tata Group took management and control of the airline from the government, sources said on Monday.


According to sources, Air India board at a meeting held last week approved Chandrasekaran’s appointment as chairman. N Chandrasekaran, who took over the reins of Tata group in 2017, last month got five years extension as executive chairman of Tata Sons.


On January 27, Tata Group took over management and control of Air India from the government.


Last month, Tata Group announced the appointment of former Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci as CEO and MD of Air India. However, Ayci has turned down the offer saying his appointment has been “coloured” by the Indian media. 

Chennai uses drones to prevent mosquito breeding

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 06:49 AM PDT

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): To prevent the breeding of mosquitoes in water bodies, Chennai Corporation is using drones to spray mosquito larvicide.


Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Chennai Corporation Commissioner, said that the 15 days of anti-larvae chemical spray project started by the Chennai Corporation has engaged two drones to spray mosquito larvicide in the waterbodies of Chennai every day.


“Stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. We are using drones to spray anti-larval chemicals in water bodies to control mosquito breeding.

2 drones are used every day to spray approximately 400 litres of chemicals,” said Gagandeep. 

India vs Sri Lanka: India Complete 2-0 Series Sweep Against Sri Lanka

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 05:47 AM PDT

India scored an emphatic 238-run victory against Sri Lanka on Monday as they bowled out the visitors for 208 in the second innings of the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here. Rohit Sharma-led team wrapped up the Test match inside three days and have swept the two-match series 2-0.

Resuming the post-Tea session at 151/4, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella struck a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The 55-run partnership was broken by left-arm spinner Axar Patel who dismissed wicket-keeper batter Dickwella for 12 after he was stumped by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Charith Asalanka joined his skipper but could not do much as he became the second victim of Axar Patel, caught by Rohit Sharma for 5 to put Lankans in further trouble at 180/6.
Karunaratne kept the fight on as he went on to notch up his century and along with Lasith Embuldeniya took Sri Lanka’s total beyond the 200-run mark.

Jasprit Bumrah was again introduced into the attack and the pacer cleaned up the centurion Karunaratne for 107 with the visitors losing their seventh wicket for 204. In the next over, Lasith Embuldeniya was dismissed leg before wicket for 2.

Bumrah struck for the third time in the innings as he cleaned up tail-ender Suranga Lakmal for 1 picking up his eighth wicket of the match. Ashwin delivered the final blow as he dismissed Vishwa Fernando for 2 to bowl out visitors for 208. Ashwin finished with 4 wickets in the second innings.

This was India’s third day-night Test match victory on home soil in as many matches.
Earlier in the day visitors resumed the second innings at 28/1 as Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis batted well to take the team’s total beyond the fifty run mark. Mendis was the more aggressive of the two as he went on to score his half-century off just 57 balls.

Ravichandran Ashwin finally broke the partnership dismissing Mendis for 54 stumped by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. The Lankans lost their second wicket for 97.
In the next over Jadeja struck as he cleaned up Angelo Mathews for 1 to leave Sri Lanka in a spot of bother at 98/3.

Dhananjaya de Silva walked in to bat and he along with his skipper Karunaratne took the team’s total beyond the 100-run mark. Ashwin struck for the second time in the innings as he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva caught in the short leg for 4 to put visitors in further trouble at 105 for 4.

Dickwella walked in to bat after de Silva’s dismissal as Karunaratne went towards his half-century.

Brief Scores: India 252/10 & 303/9 Declare vs SL 109/10 & 208/10 (Dimuth Karunaratne 107, Kusal Mendis 54; Ravichandran Ashwin 4/78) 

Gujarat to experience severe heatwave for next two days, IMD issues ‘yellow’ alert

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 05:40 AM PDT

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a ‘yellow’ alert to Gujarat for the next two days as the heatwave intensifies in the country.

IMD said that the regions of Gujarat and Saurashtra might experience a severe heatwave and the temperature in Ahmedabad is likely to rise by 1-2 degrees.

Manorama Mohanty, Director, Meteorological Centre Ahmedabad said, “Yellow alerts have been issued for a heatwave in Gujarat region for next 2 days. The temperature might rise around 1-2° C & a severe heatwave is expected in Saurashtra & Gujarat regions. The temperature in Ahmedabad is expected to be around 40-41° C.”

Disney Star renews broadcast rights for next three Premier League seasons

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 05:33 AM PDT

Disney Star has renewed its broadcast rights for the Premier League for the next three seasons, from 2022/23 to 2024/25 for the Indian sub-continent.

With the extension, the Indian broadcaster will be associated with the biggest football league in the world for over two decades. The Premier League produces some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The Premier League is available to watch in 880 million homes in 188 countries.

“We are delighted to continue our association with the Premier League and look forward to the collaboration over the next three seasons. Our joint efforts have seen viewership for the league grow manifold and we remain committed to widening its popularity as well as deepening the affiliation for its clubs,” said Sanjog Gupta, Head- Sports, Disney Star in a statement.

“With Premier League and the Indian Super League, we are home to the two most popular football leagues in India and will continue our endeavor to grow football fandom in the country,” he added.

Pakistani banks under international scrutiny for terror funding: Report

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 05:26 AM PDT

Pakistan, which has been trying to elude accusations for keeping banking laws lax to help terrorist groups move funds, has suffered a major blow after two US banking regulators fined the National Bank of Pakistan over USD 50 million for not complying with anti-money laundering laws, said a think tank, Policy Research Group (POREG).

The Pakistani bank, which operates in the US as a foreign bank, was slapped with a penalty of USD 20.4 million on February 24 this year by the US Federal Reserve Board. In another blow to the bank, the New York State Department of Financial Services imposed an additional penalty of USD 35 million on the bank in relation to investigations carried out in 2014 and 2015. Notably, the penalty was imposed by the Board for Pakistan’s continuous violation of international norms and regulations despite several warnings from different organizations, reported the think tank, adding that the Board has mandated the bank to set up an acceptable suspicious activity monitoring and reporting mechanism.

Further, in the investigations conducted by the New York Department of Financial Services, it was found that the Pakistani bank had failed to meet mandated oversight requirements and had serious issues with its transaction monitoring system.
However, citing previous examples the think tank reported that this is not the first time that Pakistani banks have come under international scrutiny for anti-money laundering laws violations.

“In 2007, Habib Bank was sued by the widow of assassinated US journalist Daniel Pearl for running the financial pipeline for al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. In 2017, the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) of Pakistan was forced to close its New York Branch,” the think tank reported citing several such examples.

Notably, the global anti-terrorist watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which has retained Pakistan on its grey list, has time and again threatened to raise the sanction to the blacklist if Pakistan continues its laxity in anti-money laundering laws.
However, continuous gross violations of international banking norms have raised serious concerns regarding Pakistan’s intentions to rein in terrorist financing.

INX media case: Delhi HC judge recuses from hearing plea of ED against trial court order

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 05:18 AM PDT

A Delhi High Court judge on Monday recused himself from hearing a plea moved by Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the trial court order, that allowed Congress leader P Chidambaram and others accused to inspect the documents in the INX media case pertaining to money laundering.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh recused himself from hearing the plea and directed the registry to list it before the bench of the acting Chief Justice. The investigating agency has sought to set aside a Special Court order allowing the accused to inspect the documents kept in the Malkhana (a place where case properties are kept).

Earlier, the High Court dismissed a similar plea moved by CBI against the Special Court on March 5, 2021.

The CBI had opposed the inspection of the document on the grounds that the investigation in the INX media case is still going on.
The agency had submitted that the INX media case involved a high level of corruption with wide ramifications on society and its collective interest could not be impinged.

The Kashmir Files: Anupam Kher reacts to Kerala Congress’s statement on exodus of Kashmiri Pandits

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:54 AM PDT

Actor Anupam Kher attended the press conference of his recently released film ‘The Kashmir Files’ in New Delhi on Monday, along with the film’s director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and actor-producer Pallavi Joshi.

The film has brought the spotlight on the killings and forced exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the late 1980s and afterwards. Amid the buzz, the Kerala unit of Congress claimed in a tweet, now deleted, that more Muslims were killed in Jammu and Kashmir during 1990-2007 than Pandits.

Responding to this after the press conference, Kher told ANI, “The kind of love that the storm has created from this film, the kind of people who are going to watch this film, what Kerala Congress has said is not important. I think they are trying to find what are the opinions of the actors or director of the film. I don’t want to give them that pleasure.”

He added, “There is a democracy in our country, everyone has constitutional rights, so let them speak. But slowly, it seems like no one is listening to them because they do not talk about anything in the nation’s interest. They do not talk about how to take the country forward. There is destruction in everything they say, there is no constructive thing. So, why should we talk about such people who have no love for the country and have no love for the people who have been living as refugees in their own country? I pity them. Unfortunately, they are in very pathetic condition.”
Kher also talked about his crucial role in representing the Kashmiri Pandits.

He said, “‘Kashmir Files’ is not just a film for me, it is a wound for me that has not been filled in life for years and it might never be filled. The kind of lives my relatives, friends have lived 32 years back, when they were thrown out from their houses, environment, jobs, city and villages. Later their tragedy was not acknowledged by the people in the country. I was representing all those 5 lakh people whose exodus took place on January 19, 1990.”

He also shared his acting process of taking inspiration from his personal life.
He said, “Pushkar Nath was my father’s name and I kept this name in the movie so before every shot, I thought of him that if he would’ve been in this situation then how he would’ve reacted. This thought process became realistic for me.”

Kher concluded by sharing that he tried his best to feel the pain of the people he portrayed.

“I say without any diffidence that my tears in every shot were real. After every shot, I have cried dreadfully. Not because of me, but because of all those people. After doing a scene, I would go to the hotel, eat food and take shower, but what about the people who I have portrayed. Were they killed or did they flee away in that truck or were their sisters and mothers were raped? That thought used to make my heart tremble,” he signed off.

The film, which was released in theatres on March 11, also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi in pivotal roles.

Imran Khan came to power to ruin Pakistan, says Sharif on ‘aloo, tamatar’ remarks

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:45 AM PDT

Reacting to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on the hike in prices of “aloo and tamatar”, Pakistan’s Leader of Opposition and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif said that it is clear that he was “never concerned about the sufferings of people due to high inflation as he had come to ruin the country”.

This comes after Imran Khan on Sunday addressed a rally in Punjab’s Hafizabad and said that he did not join politics to know the prices of “aloo and tamatar,” instead, he had become a politician for the “sake of the country’s youth”. In an official statement, Sharif said that Khan’s speech in Hafizabad was a “testament to his defeat”, Geo News reported.

The PML-N president went on to say that Khan had assumed office so that he could create “illegal construction schemes” and turn his “black money into white money,” Geo News reported.

Further criticising Khan on rising inflation in the country, Sharif said that the reason Imran Khan came to power was to increase the price of petrol from Pakistani Rs 96 to Pakistani Rs 160.

“You have transformed Pakistan into the third-most-expensive country of the world. Under your rule, the people of Pakistan are suffering from inflation, unemployment, and economic catastrophe — all of which have turned out to be a doomsday for the masses,” Geo News quoted Sharif as saying.

“Imran Sahib, your work is done, now go home and let the nation breathe a sigh of relief,” Sharif added.

Chitra Ramkrishna sent to 14-day judicial custody, home-cooked food not allowed

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:39 AM PDT

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday remanded Chitra Ramkrishna to 14-day judicial custody in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) co-location case.

Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal sent Chitra Ramkrishna to judicial custody till March 28. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had sought judicial custody of the accused saying that she is a “very influential person”.

She was presented before the court on the expiry of her 7-day judicial custody in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, Ramkrishna’s defence counsel said that he is filing a bail application.
Her defence counsel urged that the court allow home-cooked food for Ramkrishna during her judicial custody, which the judge declined and said that he himself has had the food given in judicial custody many times. “It’s quite good,” he said.

Earlier, the CBI had submitted that they are seriously looking at all aspects of the investigation and there is a special team of 30 officials consisting of a senior official to probe the case.

“We are also probing the role of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) officials in the matter. We have also recently questioned Ravi Narain, former MD of NSE,” they said.

The CBI had earlier apprised the court that Ramkrishna did not recognize Anand Subramanian in the first meeting.

The CBI had also said that Ramkrishna continues to provide evasive answers and misguide the investigation officer.

According to the CBI investigation, group operating officer Anand Subramanian’s appointment was influenced by NSE chairman and MD Chitra Ramakrishnan.

The CBI is probing the alleged improper dissemination of information from the computer servers of the market exchanges to the stockbrokers.

Earlier, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has penalized the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and its former CEOs Chitra Ramakrishna and Ravi Narayan and two other officials for lapses in recruitment at the senior level.

Ravi Narain was the MD and CEO of the National Stock Exchange from April 1994 till March 2013, while Chitra Ramkrishna was the MD and CEO of the NSE from April 2013 to December 2016.

The market regulators observed that the NSE and its top executives violated securities contract norms relating to the appointment of Anand Subramaniam as group operating officer and adviser to the managing director. 

Imran Khan govt offers Opposition a deal to take back no-trust motion

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:33 AM PDT

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government has offered a deal to the Opposition for taking back the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, local media reported.

Saying that the opposition should take back its no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that the PTI government “will see what can be given in return”, reported The News International. “If the Opposition withdraws the no-trust motion, let’s see what can be given to them in return,” the media outlet quoted him as saying.

Chaudhry added that the no-trust motion had caused bitterness in politics and the current political situation could harm the country.

However, he ruled out the possibility of declaring an emergency by saying that the “emergency powers are limited after the 18th Amendment.”

Terming the PTI’s upcoming public gathering at Islamabad a “mini referendum” on the no-confidence motion, Chaudhry said that the MNAs will cast their votes in the National Assembly after passing through the crowd, according to the publication.

Notably, the Opposition Parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly Secretariat last Tuesday.

At present, the government has a 17-member lead over the Opposition but the latter has claimed that it has enough support to prove that Imran Khan no more commands the people’s trust.

Chinese province of Jilin under complete lockdown as country faces worst COVID outbreak in 2 years

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:30 AM PDT

Chinese province of Jilin, with a population of 24 million has been put under complete lockdown due to the increased number of COVID cases in the region.

The province reported a total of 895 locally transmitted COVID cases and 131 asymptomatic cases on Sunday, according to the announcement made by the authorities on Monday, said Epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding.

Additionally, as the outbreak of COVID spreads, China has fired the Mayor of Jilin city. Shenzhen officials imposed a lockdown for one week. Nonessential workers are ordered to stay home and adults have been asked to undergo three P.C.R. tests. On Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 3,122 new virus cases, a rise from previous totals from 1,524 on Saturday.

Shenzhen health official Lin Hancheng warned on Sunday that the BA.2 strain is “highly contagious, spreads quickly and has a high degree of concealment”, leading to widespread community transmission if control measures were not strengthened soon, wrote the Epidemiologist in his tweet.

Amid a rapid resurgence of COVID-19 cases, a top Chinese infectious disease expert said that it is “not time for China to lie flat” and debate over zero-COVID, instead, Beijing should take the period as an opportunity to lay out anti-epidemic strategies that are complete and sustainable.

Shanghai-based renowned infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong made these remarks in a post on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo on Monday. He said that it is “the most difficult period” for China since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Zhang noted that it is “still not time for China to lie flat.” “We should have clearer methods for the future rather than debating over zero-COVID or co-existence,” he was quoted as saying by the Chinese state media tabloid Global Times.

“If China reopens quickly at this time, new cases would surge in a short time. The domestic medical system would be overloaded and the society grinds to a halt, causing irreparable damages,” Zhang further explained.

The recent rise in coronavirus cases has led to allowing rapid antigen tests for public use and resulted in the dismissal of senior officials for their slack response to the ongoing health crisis. The latest COVID-19 spike, described as the severest outbreak in two years, has forced several major cities to go into lockdowns.

The average number of new virus cases in the country has reached 1,370 per day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Chinese state media reported that Chinese observers warned local governments to avoid taking extreme measures such as city lockdowns, as they would harm the local economy.

J-K police busts Hizbul Mujahideen module involved in killing of sarpanch in Kulgam, arrests 3 terrorists

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:19 AM PDT

The Kulgam police on Monday busted a terror module of proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), involved in the killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir and arrested three terrorist associates actively involved in it, said Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range Vijay Kumar.

Sarpanch was killed by HM terrorist Mushtaq Yatoo on the direction of HM Chief terrorist Farooq Nalli, who received directions from Pakistan terror handlers to target the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) Members of Kulgam, Police said. The police have seized vehicles used in the commission of the crime and recovered incriminating materials including two pistols on their disclosure. Incriminating materials seized from their possession also include three Pistol Magazines, 11 Pistol rounds, two grenades, one Magazine of AK 47, and 15 rounds of AK47.

During the investigation, it was learnt that the Sarpanch was killed by Mujahideen militant Mushtaq Yatoo on the directions of HM chief terrorist Farooq Nalli, police said.
“Kulgam Police busted terror module of proscribed terror outfit HM involved in the recent killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir and arrested three terrorist associates actively involved and recovered incriminating materials including two pistols on their disclosure,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted quoting IGP Kashmir.

“Vehicles used in the commission of crime have also been seized. During the investigation, it was learnt that the Sarpanch was killed by HM terrorist Mushtaq Yatoo on the directions of HM Chief terrorist Farooq Nalli: IGP Kashmir,” it said in another tweet.

Police said that during the course of investigation it was learnt, Nalli received directions from Pakistan terror handlers to target the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) Members of Kulgam and identified the target and later further directed active HM terrorists.

“Investigation is going as more arrests and recoveries are expected. Also, massive searches are going on to neutralise the terrorists involved in this heinous crime,” police said in a statement.

According to police, on March 11, terrorists barged into the residential premises of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir in Adoora, Kulgam and fired indiscriminately upon him. The Sarpanch was rushed to the district hospital in Kulgam where he succumbed to his injuries.

An FIR under relevant sections of the Arms Act and UAPA was registered in Police Station Kulgam and a Special Investigation Team has been constituted. 

Two injured in landmine explosion in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:13 AM PDT

Two people were injured in a landmine explosion in Balochistan’s Sibi district on Sunday, local media reported.

The incident occurred in the Samgan area of Sibi district, according to Dawn newspaper. According to Levies officials, the landmine planted, along the roadside, exploded when two persons were passing through the area. As a result of the explosion, both were seriously injured, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

The Levies force rushed to the site soon after the blast and shifted the injured to Sibi district hospital.

The condition of the injured was stated to be serious and they would be shifted to Quetta for further treatment, Dawn newspaper reported citing officials as saying.

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Over 2,500 Mariupol residents killed since war began

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:09 AM PDT

Over 2,500 Mariupol residents have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday.

“More than 2,500 people have been killed, according to official reports from the city authorities. And this is a catastrophe to which the world has not given a proper assessment,” CNN quoted Arestovych as saying. On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics requested help in defending themselves.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia’s operation in Ukraine.

Indian equities rally for 5th day; Sensex surges 936 points

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 04:05 AM PDT

The Indian equities markets key indices rallied for the fifth consecutive session on Monday with benchmark Sensex gaining nearly 2 per cent led by strong buying support in banking, IT, and auto stocks.

Despite the continued uncertainty and ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian equities market witnessed a strong rally. The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex surged 935.72 points or 1.68 per cent to 56,486.02 points against its previous session’s close at 55,550.30 points.

Earlier, the Sensex started the day in the positive at 55,614.40 points. The Sensex surged to a high of 56,545.83 points and hit a low of 55,556.47 points in the intra-day.

The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange jumped 240.85 points or 1.45 per cent to 16,871.30 points against its previous session’s close at 16,630.45 points.
There was a strong buying support in IT, banking and financial stocks.

HDFC Bank surged 3.25 per cent to Rs 1442.40 after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lifted all the restrictions imposed on the lender regarding its business-generating activities under a programme called Digital 2.0. HDFC Bank surged to a high of Rs 1449.90 in the intra-day.

State Bank of India surged 3.14 per cent to Rs 485.15. Axis Bank surged 2.78 per cent to Rs 710.10. ICICI Bank jumped 2.66 per cent to Rs 696.10.

Infosys was the biggest Sensex gainer. It surged 3.76 per cent to Rs 1890.80. Wipro rose 2 per cent to Rs 597.95. TCS closed 1.17 per cent higher at Rs 3642.70.
Only four of the 30 scrips that are part of the Sensex closed in the red. Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Tata Steel were among the Sensex losers. 

India’s exports rise 25.1 per cent in Feb; trade deficit widens to $20.88 bn

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 03:24 AM PDT

India’s merchandise exports rose by 25.1 per cent to $34.57 billion in February led by a healthy performance of engineering, petroleum and chemicals sectors, while the country’s imports during the month jumped to $55.45 billion resulting in a trade deficit of $20.88 billion, the government data showed on Monday.

India’s overall exports, merchandise and services combined, rose by 25.41 per cent to $57.03 billion in February 2022. Overall imports in February 2022 are estimated to be $69.35 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 35.64 per cent over the same period last year and a positive growth of 44.62 per cent over February 2020. There has been a sharp increase in the trade deficit. The overall trade deficit, merchandise and services combined, widened to $12.32 billion in February 2022 against $5.65 billion recorded in February 2021.

India’s overall exports, merchandise and services combined, in April-February 2021-22 are estimated to be $601.77 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 36.19 per cent over the same period last year and a positive growth of 23.44 per cent over April-February 2019-20, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement.

Overall imports in April-February 2021-22 are estimated to be $683.01 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 51.51 per cent over the same period last year and a positive growth of 21.66 per cent over April-February 2019-20.

Merchandise exports for the period April-February 2021-22 stood at $374.81 billion as against $256.55 billion during the period April-February 2020-21, registering a growth of 46.09 per cent.

Merchandise imports for the period April-February 2021-22 stood at $550.56 billion as against $345.54 billion during the period April-February 2020-21, registering a positive growth of 59.33 per cent.

The merchandise trade deficit widened to $175.75 billion in April-February 2021-22 as compared with $88.99 billion recorded in the corresponding period of the last year.
Non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports in February 2022 stood at $26.75 billion, registering a positive growth of 19.01 per cent over non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports of $22.48 billion recorded in February 2021.

Non-petroleum, non-gems & jewellery (gold, silver & precious metals) imports stood at $31.70 billion in February 2022 with a positive growth of 32.04 per cent over non-petroleum, non-gems & jewellery imports of $24.01 billion in February 2021, the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed.

WPI inflation rises to 13.11 per cent in February.

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 03:17 AM PDT

India’s annual wholesale price-based inflation surged to 13.11 per cent in February from 12.96 per cent recorded in the previous month due to a sharp jump in the prices of crude petroleum and natural gas, the government data showed on Monday.

The annual rate of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation stood at 4.83 per cent in February 2021. “The high rate of inflation in February 2022 is primarily due to rise in prices of mineral oils, basic metals, chemicals and chemical products, crude petroleum & natural gas, food articles and non-food articles etc. as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year,” the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement.

The WPI based inflation accelerated in February after two months of a declining trend. The month-over-month change in WPI index for the month of February 2022 stood at 1.4 per cent as compared to January 2022.

Prices of crude petroleum and natural gas surged by 14.25 per cent, non-food articles by 3.28 per cent and minerals by 3.17 per cent in February 2022 as compared to the previous month.

The annual inflation in crude petroleum surged to 55.17 per cent in February, against 39.41 per cent in the previous month. This has surged due to a sharp jump in the crude oil prices in the international markets.
However, the prices of food articles declined by 0.87 per cent in February 2022 as compared to January 2022.
WPI food index, which has 24.38 per cent weight in the WPI, consists of ‘food articles’ from primary articles group and ‘food product’ from manufactured products group. The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index decreased from 9.55 per cent in January 2022 to 8.47 per cent in February 2022.

One can learn art of losing elections from Congress – Anurag Thakur

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 03:11 AM PDT

Taking a potshot at Congress, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said how to lose elections should be learnt from the main Opposition party.

“How to lose elections should be learnt from Congress,” said Thakur. Bharatiya Janata Party leader made the comments while reacting to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s statement that Rahul Gandhi should become the party president.

“Rahul Gandhi should become the party president. For the last three decades, nobody from the Gandhi family became the Prime Minister or a minister. It is significant to understand that the Gandhi family is important for Congress’ unity,” said Gehlot.

As per sources, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra proposed to resign during the Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday but the CWC unanimously rejected the offer.
The CWC meeting was called after the party’s humiliating defeat in five states which went to polls recently.

In Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, Congress failed to snatch power from Bharatiya Janata Party.

In Punjab, Congress facing factionalism handed over the power to the Aam Aadmi Party with both Congress CM face Charanjit Singh Channi and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu losing elections from their respective seats.

International flights to operate with 100 per cent capacity from March 27

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 03:06 AM PDT

The services of all international passenger flights will resume by March 27, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The Minister made the announcement during Question Hour as the Upper House assembled for its second part of the Budget Session after one month’s break. “All regular international flights will operate in 100 per cent capacity by March 27 as the coronavirus situation in India has improved now,” Scindia said.

The government had banned all international scheduled flights for a week starting March 23, 2020. The ban stretched for nearly two years in the midst of a raging pandemic.

However, special international flights have been operating between India and about 35 other countries since July 2020 under the air bubble.

The move is expected to boost international tourism and will help soften airfares’ which have been soaring due to an increase in crude oil prices.

While the government had earlier planned to resume international flights on March 15, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which necessitated relief flights to bring back stranded Indians in Ukraine, delayed the process.

Ministry of Civil Aviation recently also announced “after having recognised the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with the stakeholders, the government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India from March 27”.

For airlines, it is a much-needed relief because resuming international operations means they will be able to use aircraft on longer sectors, resulting in better utilisation of assets. They will also be able to improve their revenue earned per seat because fares are higher on international sectors than on domestic routes.

Sikh employees, passengers can carry Kirpan at airports – Ministry Of Civil Aviation

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 02:57 AM PDT

The Central government on Monday has revoked the order banning Sikh employees and passengers from carrying kirpan at the airports.

Taking to Twitter, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Manjinder Singh Sirsa informed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has allowed Sikh employees to carry kirpan at the airport during their duty. “The corrigendum removed the objectionable restriction. Employees (& passengers) can carry Kirpan at Indian airports,” Sirsa tweeted.

“The length of the blade of kirpan carried by a Sikh passenger should not exceed 15.24 cms (6 inches), and the total length of a kirpan must not exceed 22.86 cms (9 inches),” said the copy of the order shared by Sirsa.

However as per the order by Jaideep Prasad, Director General, BCAS, the Kirpan is allowed while travelling by air on Indian aircraft within India (domestic routes of full domestic flights only).

“It is (Kirpan) is allowed while travelling by air on Indian aircraft within India (domestic routes of full domestic flights only),” the order stated.

Vasundhra Raje Scindia urges Rajasthan government to make ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax free

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 02:48 AM PDT

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vasundhra Raje Scindia on Monday urged the state government to make the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax free in the state.

Taking to Twitter, she said, “The film The Kashmir Files based on the past situations and true events of Jammu and Kashmir, has been made tax free in many states including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat. I request the state government to make this film tax free in Rajasthan as well.” Earlier on Sunday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax-free in the state, stating that the film needs to be watched by maximum people.

Earlier, Haryana and Gujarat governments had declared that “The Kashmir Files” movie will be tax-free.

The Haryana government also directed cinemas and multiplexes not to charge state GST on the screening of the movie.

The film revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. 

Abhishek Bachchan starrer ‘Dasvi’ to stream on OTT in April

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:56 AM PDT

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan on Monday shared a short teaser of his upcoming film ‘Dasvi’ and announced that it will be streaming on Jio Cinema and Netflix from April 7, 2022.

Abhishek took to his Instagram handle and posted the teaser that gave a sneak peek of the actor’s character in the film. He seemed to be a convict locked in jail who wants to exercise his right to Education. The actor also shared a new poster of the film that featured him in a white kurta-pyjama, standing on a table amid a few bookshelves while people stare at him.


Along with the clip, Abhishek wrote, “From one student to another, Dasvi ke exams ke liye dher saari best wishes! #Dasvi streaming from 7th April on @officialjiocinema and @netflix_in.”

SC expresses concerns over fake medical certificates for availing COVID-19 compensations

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:45 AM PDT

The Supreme Court on Monday again expressed concerns over misuse of claims being made for Rs 50,000 ex-gratia for COVID-19 deaths on the basis of the fake medical certificates.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah indicated that it may order a probe by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) into the reports of fake claims for compensations. “We never visualised that this kind of fake claims could come up. It’s a pious work. We never thought this scheme could be misused. And if officials are involved, it makes it even worse,” the bench observed.

The bench wondered if our morality has gone down so much that fake claims are being made in this (compensation for COVID-19 deaths) too.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, also informed the apex court that the applications regarding the alleged fake applications for COVID-19 compensation will be filed by tomorrow.

On March 7, Solicitor General had mentioned the issue of fake COVID-19 certificates or fake claims and how it can be curbed.

On the application of Assam seeking clarification of the order dated January 19, 2022, to the extent that if a deceased has more than one child, then will each child be entitled to get compensation separately, the bench clarified that the earlier order was very clear and that the ex-gratia compensation to be paid is on a “per death” basis.
It clarified that ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000, ordered by the apex court, is to be paid for each death due to COVID-19 and not to each child of the affected family.
The bench said if there is more than one child, then only one child or family member shall be entitled to get compensation and if both parents have succumbed to the pandemic, then the compensation would be Rs. 50,000 for each death.

On prescribing a limitation period for the purpose of applying for COVID-19 compensation by the next of kin of those persons who have succumbed to the pandemic and curbing the practice of fake claims relating to the same, Solicitor General submitted that a fixed period such as four weeks from the date of death due to the pandemic be prescribed or fixed.

Asking the Centre to file an affidavit within two days on prescribing the limitation for filing claims for compensation, the bench posted the matter for hearing on March 21.
On the last date of hearing, the Supreme Court had warned against the misuse of its order to get compensation for COVID-19 deaths on the basis of fake medical certificates and observed that it would order an independent probe to catch those who indulged in such practices.

It had expressed serious concerns at fake certificates being issued by doctors to enable undeserving people to claim compensation for COVID-19 deaths.
Solicitor General had suggested that there has to be a definite time limit for filing the application and availing the compensation by next of kin of those who succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mehta had submitted that a limitation period should now be prescribed as the process cannot go on indefinitely.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by lawyer-cum-petitioner, Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking compensation for those family members, who died due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, the top court had approved the Centre’s disaster management guidelines on payment of Rs 50,000 compensation to the next kin of those who died of Covid-19 deaths and said the money to be disbursed within 30 days of applying. 

PM Modi greets people on Sikh New Year

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:34 AM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion of Sikh New Year, expressing hopes that “Waheguru blesses everyone with good health and prosperity”.

“Greetings at the start of the Sikh New Year. May Waheguru bless everyone with good health and prosperity. May the teachings of the Guru Sahibs keep illuminating the world with their brightness,” tweeted PM Modi today. The first month of the Sikh Calendar is Chet. Today marks the first day of Chet, which is the first day of the calendar.

Parliament Budget Session: PM welcomed in Lok Sabha with chants of ‘Modi, Modi’

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:29 AM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given an enthusiastic welcome by BJP Members in Lok Sabha on Monday, the first day of the second part of the Budget Session that is being held just days after BJP’s win in the recently held assembly polls.

As soon as the prime minister entered the House, soon after it commenced proceedings, the BJP MPS gave his a rousing welcoming to the chants of chanting “Modi, Modi” and thumping their desks, following the party’s victory in assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh were among those who welcomed the PM to the House.

Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha.

The Finance Minister informed the Lok Sabha that several states have requested for extension of the GST compensation period (beyond June 2022) during deliberations in the GST Council and in letters addressed to the central government.

The second half of the Budget session that commenced today will conclude on April 8.
The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11.

G20 Summit: Indonesia puts strict health protocols as a precaution against COVID-19

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:23 AM PDT

On track to host the G20 summit in Bali on November 15-16, The Indonesia’s Ministry of Health is set to implement a strict health protocol system as a precaution against COVID-19. The system will serve as a guideline for every activity during the summit.

The Indonesian G20 presidency’s overarching theme is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” encouraging all countries to work together to achieve a more sustainable world recovery as the global pandemic continues to affect all sectors of life. “The bubble system is in line with the current global framework of pandemic prevention. =

Four separate bubbles will be established. The first bubble is for G20 country delegates, including their main entourages. The second bubble is for general G20 participants and journalists, with the third bubble prepared for the summit’s organizers and field officers. The fourth bubble is for all the operational and supporting staff involved in the summit’s affairs.

A similar closed-loop bubble system implemented in the Beijing Olympics last February was successful, keeping the COVID-19 infection rate down to 0.01% throughout the event. This will also be employed in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, in May 2022.

Vaccination mandates, regular health checks, and COVID-19 screenings will also be part of the measures during the G20 summit in Bali. Prior to their arrival, all participants must be double-vaccinated and able to show their vaccine certificates.

They must also provide negative PCR test results taken a maximum of three days before their departure. During the summit, they must undergo a daily antigen test or a once-every-three-day PCR test throughout their stay in the bubble system area.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health is committed to providing quality health care to all people living in Indonesia, creating healthy, productive, and resilient communities across the nation. We strive for effective leadership in the health sector through health quality standards, policies, and legislation.

Afghanistan’s cash-strapped Washington embassy to shut down in coming week

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:12 AM PDT

Without the backing of a recognised government or money to keep the lights on, Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington will be shutting down in the coming week.

The Afghan diplomats, appointed by the former government, are now left with one month to apply for residency or temporary humanitarian parole to remain in the US before being deported as they could be under threat by the Taliban-led government if they return home. About 25 diplomats of the estimated 100 who worked at the Afghan Embassy in Washington have still not applied for the visas, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Friday citing two US State Department officials.

After Citibank froze the embassy’s bank accounts to avoid violating American sanctions against the Taliban, the Afghan diplomats were left with no money or savings as they were not paid since October. To survive in the US, they have been living on savings or forced to borrow money, NYT reported.

The Afghan diplomats in the US have been informed via a memo earlier that they would be stripped of their immunity.

Washington’s move comes less than six months after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

The Taliban, who seized power last August, is not recognised by the international community, including the US, and they have not fully gained control of diplomatic missions set up under the previous government. 

Uttar Pradesh: RLD dissolves state units, frontals after poll defeat

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 01:05 AM PDT

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary on Monday dissolved all units and fronts of the party in Uttar Pradesh after the defeat in the recently held state Assembly polls.

“As per the orders passed by RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, party’s state, regional, and districts units and frontals in Uttar Pradesh have been dissolved effective immediately,” reads the RLD tweet. The RLD which contested Assembly polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party won only eight out of 33 seats on which the party had fielded candidates.

The SP bagged 111 seats, a significant improvement from its 2017 tally when it secured only 47 seats.

The BJP has retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share. Yogi Adityanath will be the first Chief Minister in the last 37 years to return to power after completing a full term in the state.

Sensex rises 469 points; banking, IT stocks shine

Posted: 14 Mar 2022 12:35 AM PDT

The Indian equities markets key indices, Sensex and Nifty, rallied by nearly one per cent on Monday led by strong buying support in banking and IT stocks.

Despite the continued uncertainty and ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian equities market started the week on a positive note. The Sensex started the day in the positive at 55,614.40 points and surged to a high of 56,128.72 points.

At 12.24 pm, the 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex was trading 469.27 points or 0.84 per cent higher at 56,019.57 points against its previous session’s close at 55,550.30 points.

The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange was trading 108.90 points or 0.65 per cent higher at 16,739.35 points against its previous session’s close at 16,630.45 points.

There was good buying support in IT, banking and financial stocks.

Infosys jumped 2.65 per cent to Rs 187020. Wipro rose 2 per cent to Rs 597.90. HCL Technologies jumped 1.42 per cent to Rs 1210.50. Tech Mahindra was trading 0.97 per cent higher at Rs 1501.30.

State Bank of India surged 2.57 per cent to Rs 482.50. HDFC Bank was trading 2.53 per cent higher at Rs 1432.40. ICICI Bank jumped 2.43 per cent to Rs 694.50. Axis Bank was trading 1.83 per cent higher at Rs 703.55.

Fourteen of the 30 scrips that are part of the Sensex were trading in the red. Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma and Power Grid Corporation were among the major Sensex losers. 

Bhagwant Mann meets AAP MP Sanjay Singh ahead of tendering resignation from Lok Sabha

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 11:28 PM PDT

Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Monday visited Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh’s residence in Delhi before tendering his resignation from his Lok Sabha seat on Monday.

Mann is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur.
“He is going to tender the resignation from his Lok Sabha membership today,” Singh told ANI after his meet with Mann.

AAP bagged a landslide victory in Punjab Assembly elections. Mann, who was the party’s chief ministerial candidate, will take the oath on March 16 at the freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s native village Khatkar Kalan.

Notably, Mann has invited Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to the oath-taking ceremony.

Mann, who was contesting from Dhuri assembly constituency in Sangrur district, won by a margin of 58,206 votes over Congress’ Dalvir Singh Goldy.

AAP registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

ITBP officer killed, jawan injured in IED Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 11:24 PM PDT

An Assistant Sub-Inspector rank officer of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police was on Monday killed in a high-pressure improvised explosive device (IED) blast attack by Naxals in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The incident took place within 3 Km of ITBP’s Sonpur camp. “ASI Rajendra Singh, resident of Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand is martyred today in a high-pressure IED blast by Naxals,” said Sadanand Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Narayanpur.
Head constable Mahesh was also injured in the blast and will be airlifted to state capital Raipur for better treatment.

“The blast took place at 8:30 AM on Monday when a company of 53 Battalion ITBP was patrolling in between Sonpur and Dhondaribeda village to ensure security of workers working at a road construction site in the area,” said Kumar.
Investigation in the matter has begun. More details are awaited. 

7 killed in China’s chemical plant fire

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 11:18 PM PDT

A fire at a chemical plant in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has left seven people dead.

The fire broke out on Monday at about 2:08 am in the Hondlon District of Baotou city and was brought under control about an hour later, Xinhua reported The rescue team reached the spot to find the seven missing people but after the work finished at 6:40 am, the team found all the missing people dead.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

Critics Choice Awards 2022: ‘THE POWER OF THE DOG’ win big, see complete list

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 10:22 PM PDT

At the 2022 Critics Choice Awards, which were handed out on Sunday in categories encompassing film and television, ‘The Power of the Dog’ nabbed a total of four trophies.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, its helmer, Jane Campion was also named best director. While receiving the award he hugged fellow New Zealand-born filmmaker Taika Waititi. Jessica Chastain took the Best Actress award for Searchlight’s ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ and Will Smith won best actor for ‘King Richard’ after collecting the BAFTA Award earlier in the day and a SAG Award two weeks ago.

When the latter’s speech ran on a bit, the play-off music welled up. “Best Actor should get a little more time. I’m just saying,” Smith said to cheerful laughs.
On the TV side, HBO’s ‘Succession’ received the drama prize, with cast members Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, J. Smith Cameron and executive producer Scott Ferguson accepting the trophy.

In addition, Issa Rae presented Halle Berry with the See Her award, while Jimmy Kimmel honoured Billy Crystal with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Here’s the complete list of winners:


Film Categories
Best Picture
‘Belfast’
‘CODA’
‘Don’t Look Up’
‘Dune’
‘King Richard’
‘Licorice Pizza’
‘Nightmare Alley’
‘The Power of the Dog’ — Winner
‘tick, tick…Boom!’
‘West Side Story’

Best Actor
Nicolas Cage – ‘Pig’
Benedict Cumberbatch – ‘The Power of the Dog’
Peter Dinklage – ‘Cyrano’
Andrew Garfield – ‘tick, tick…Boom!’
Will Smith – ‘King Richard’ — Winner
Denzel Washington – ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain – ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ — Winner
Olivia Colman – ‘The Lost Daughter’
Lady Gaga – ‘House of Gucci’
Alana Haim – ‘Licorice Pizza’
Nicole Kidman – ‘Being the Ricardos’
Kristen Stewart – ‘Spencer’

Best Supporting Actor
Jamie Dornan – ‘Belfast’
Ciaran Hinds – ‘Belfast’
Troy Kotsur – ‘CODA’ — Winner
Jared Leto – ‘House of Gucci’
J.K. Simmons – ‘Being the Ricardos’
Kodi Smit-McPhee – ‘The Power of the Dog’

Best Supporting Actress
Caitriona Balfe – ‘Belfast’
Ariana DeBose – ‘West Side Story’ — Winner
Ann Dowd – ‘Mass’
Kirsten Dunst – ‘The Power of the Dog’
Aunjanue Ellis – ‘King Richard’
Rita Moreno – ‘West Side Story’

Best Young Actor/Actress
Jude Hill – ‘Belfast’ — Winner
Cooper Hoffman – ‘Licorice Pizza’
Emilia Jones – ‘CODA’
Woody Norman – ‘C’mon C’mon’
Saniyya Sidney – ‘King Richard’
Rachel Zegler – ‘West Side Story’

Best Acting Ensemble
‘Belfast’ — Winner
‘Don’t Look Up’
‘The Harder They Fall’
‘Licorice Pizza’
‘The Power of the Dog’
‘West Side Story’

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – ‘Licorice Pizza’
Kenneth Branagh – ‘Belfast’
Jane Campion – ‘The Power of the Dog’ — Winner
Guillermo del Toro – ‘Nightmare Alley’
Steven Spielberg – ‘West Side Story’
Denis Villeneuve – ‘Dune’

Best Original Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson – ‘Licorice Pizza’
Zach Baylin – ‘King Richard’
Kenneth Branagh – ‘Belfast’ — Winner
Adam McKay, David Sirota – ‘Don’t Look Up’
Aaron Sorkin – ‘Being the Ricardos’

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion – ‘The Power of the Dog’ — Winner
Maggie Gyllenhaal – ‘The Lost Daughter’
Sian Heder – ‘CODA’
Tony Kushner – ‘West Side Story’
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth – ‘Dune’

Best Cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel – ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’
Greig Fraser – ‘Dune’
Janusz Kaminski – ‘West Side Story’
Dan Laustsen – ‘Nightmare Alley’
Ari Wegner – ‘The Power of the Dog’ — Winner
Haris Zambarloukos – ‘Belfast’

Best Production Design
Jim Clay, Claire Nia Richards – ‘Belfast’
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – ‘Nightmare Alley’
Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo – ‘The French Dispatch’
Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo – ‘West Side Story’
Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos – ‘Dune’ — Winner

Best Editing
Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn – ‘West Side Story’ — Winner
Una Ni Dhonghaile – ‘Belfast’
Andy Jurgensen – ‘Licorice Pizza’
Peter Sciberras – ‘The Power of the Dog’
Joe Walker – ‘Dune’

Best Costume Design
Jenny Beavan – ‘Cruella’ — Winner
Luis Sequeira – ‘Nightmare Alley’
Paul Tazewell – ‘West Side Story’
Jacqueline West, Robert Morgan – ‘Dune’
Janty Yates – ‘House of Gucci’

Best Hair and Makeup
‘Cruella’
‘Dune’
‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ — Winner
‘House of Gucci’
‘Nightmare Alley’

Best Visual Effects
‘Dune’ — Winner
‘The Matrix Resurrections’
‘Nightmare Alley’
‘No Time to Die’
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Best Comedy
‘Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar’
‘Don’t Look Up’
‘Free Guy’
‘The French Dispatch’
‘Licorice Pizza’ — Winner

Best Animated Feature
‘Encanto’
‘Flee’
‘Luca’
‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ — Winner
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

Best Foreign Language Film
‘A Hero’
‘Drive My Car’ — Winner
‘Flee’
‘The Hand of God’
‘The Worst Person in the World’

Best Song
Be Alive – ‘King Richard’
Dos Oruguitas – ‘Encanto’
Guns Go Bang – ‘The Harder They Fall’
Just Look Up – ‘Don’t Look Up’
No Time to Die – ‘No Time to Die’ — Winner

Best Score
Nicholas Britell – ‘Don’t Look Up’
Jonny Greenwood – ‘The Power of the Dog’
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer’
Nathan Johnson – ‘Nightmare Alley’
Hans Zimmer – ‘Dune’ — Winner
Television Categories

Best Drama Series
‘Evil’ (Paramount Plus)
‘For All Mankind’ (Apple TV Plus)
‘The Good Fight’ (Paramount Plus)
‘Pose’ (FX)
‘Squid Game’ (Netflix)
‘Succession’ (HBO) — Winner
‘This Is Us’ (NBC)
‘Yellowjackets’ (Showtime)

Best Comedy Series
‘The Great’ (Hulu)
‘Hacks’ (HBO Max)
‘Insecure’ (HBO)
‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Hulu)
‘The Other Two’ (HBO Max)
‘Reservation Dogs’ (FX on Hulu)
‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple TV Plus) — Winner
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)

Best Limited Series
‘Dopesick’ (Hulu)
‘Dr. Death’ (Peacock)
‘It’s a Sin’ (HBO Max)
‘Maid’ (Netflix)
‘Mare of Easttown’ (HBO) — Winner
‘Midnight Mass’ (Netflix)
‘The Underground Railroad’ (Amazon Prime Video)
‘WandaVision’ (Disney Plus)

Best Movie Made for Television
‘Come From Away’ (Apple TV Plus)
‘List of a Lifetime’ (Lifetime)
‘The Map of Tiny Perfect Things’ (Amazon Prime Video)
‘Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia’ (Lifetime)
‘Oslo’ (HBO) — Winner
‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas’ (The Roku Channel)

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown – ‘This Is Us’ (NBC)
Mike Colter – ‘Evil’ (Paramount Plus)
Brian Cox – ‘Succession’ (HBO)
Lee Jung-jae – ‘Squid Game’ (Netflix) — Winner
Billy Porter – ‘Pose’ (FX)
Jeremy Strong – ‘Succession’ (HBO)

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Uzo Aduba – ‘In Treatment’ (HBO)
Chiara Aurelia – ‘Cruel Summer’ (Freeform)
Christine Baranski – ‘The Good Fight’ (Paramount Plus)
Katja Herbers – ‘Evil’ (Paramount Plus)
Melanie Lynskey – ‘Yellowjackets’ (Showtime) — Winner
MJ Rodriguez – ‘Pose’ (FX)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nicholas Braun – ‘Succession’ (HBO)
Billy Crudup – ‘The Morning Show’ (Apple TV Plus)
Kieran Culkin – ‘Succession’ (HBO) — Winner
Justin Hartley – ‘This Is Us’ (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen – ‘Succession’ (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin – ‘The Good Fight’ (Paramount Plus)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Andrea Martin – ‘Evil’ (Paramount Plus)
Audra McDonald – ‘The Good Fight’ (Paramount Plus)
Christine Lahti – ‘Evil’ (Paramount Plus)
J. Smith-Cameron – ‘Succession’ (HBO)
Sarah Snook – ‘Succession’ (HBO) — Winner
Susan Kelechi Watson – ‘This Is Us’ (NBC)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Iain Armitage – ‘Young Sheldon’ (CBS)
Nicholas Hoult – ‘The Great’ (Hulu)
Steve Martin – ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Hulu)
Kayvan Novak – ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)
Martin Short – ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Hulu)
Jason Sudeikis – ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple TV Plus) — Winner

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Elle Fanning – ‘The Great’ (Hulu)
Renee Elise Goldsberry – ‘Girls5eva’ (Peacock)
Selena Gomez – ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Hulu)
Sandra Oh – ‘The Chair’ (Netflix)
Issa Rae – ‘Insecure’ (HBO)
Jean Smart – ‘Hacks’ (HBO Max) — Winner

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ncuti Gatwa – ‘Sex Education’ (Netflix)
Brett Goldstein – ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple TV Plus) — Winner
Harvey Guillen – ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)
Brandon Scott Jones – ‘Ghosts’ (CBS)
Ray Romano – ‘Made for Love’ (HBO Max)
Bowen Yang – ‘Saturday Night Live’ (NBC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder – ‘Hacks’ (HBO Max)
Kristin Chenoweth – ‘Schmigadoon!’ (Apple TV Plus)
Molly Shannon – ‘The Other Two’ (HBO Max)
Cecily Strong – ‘Saturday Night Live’ (NBC)
Josie Totah – ‘Saved By the Bell’ (Peacock)
Hannah Waddingham – ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple TV Plus) — Winner

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Olly Alexander – ‘It’s a Sin’ (HBO Max)
Paul Bettany – ‘WandaVision’ (Disney Plus)
William Jackson Harper – ‘Love Life’ (HBO Max)
Joshua Jackson – ‘Dr. Death’ (Peacock)
Michael Keaton – ‘Dopesick’ (Hulu) — Winner
Hamish Linklater – ‘Midnight Mass’ (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Danielle Brooks – ‘Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia’ (Lifetime)
Cynthia Erivo – ‘Genius: Aretha’ (National Geographic)
Thuso Mbedu – ‘The Underground Railroad’ (Amazon Prime Video)
Elizabeth Olsen – ‘WandaVision’ (Disney Plus)
Margaret Qualley – ‘Maid’ (Netflix)
Kate Winslet – ‘Mare of Easttown’ (HBO) — Winner

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Murray Bartlett – ‘The White Lotus’ (HBO) — Winner
Zach Gilford – ‘Midnight Mass’ (Netflix)
William Jackson Harper – ‘The Underground Railroad’ (Amazon Prime Video)
Evan Peters – ‘Mare of Easttown’ (HBO)
Christian Slater – ‘Dr. Death’ (Peacock)
Courtney B. Vance – ‘Genius: Aretha’ (National Geographic)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge – ‘The White Lotus’ (HBO) — Winner
Kaitlyn Dever – ‘Dopesick’ (Hulu)
Kathryn Hahn – ‘WandaVision’ (Disney Plus)
Melissa McCarthy – ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ (Hulu)
Julianne Nicholson – ‘Mare of Easttown’ (HBO)
Jean Smart – ‘Mare of Easttown’ (HBO)

Best Foreign Language Series
‘Acapulco’ (Apple TV Plus)
‘Call My Agent!’ (Netflix)
‘Lupin’ (Netflix)
‘Money Heist’ (Netflix)
‘Narcos: Mexico’ (Netflix)
‘Squid Game’ (Netflix) — Winner

Best Animated Series
‘Big Mouth’ (Netflix)
‘Bluey’ (Disney Plus)
‘Bob’s Burgers’ (Fox)
‘The Great North’ (Fox)
‘Q-Force’ (Netflix)
‘What If…?’ (Disney Plus) — Winner

Best Talk Show
‘The Amber Ruffin Show’ (Peacock)
‘Desus & Mero’ (Showtime)
‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ (Syndicated)
‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ (HBO) — Winner
‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ (NBC)
‘Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen’ (Bravo)

Best Comedy Special
‘Bo Burnham: Inside’ (Netflix) — Winner
‘Good Timing with Jo Firestone’ (Peacock)
‘James Acaster: Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999’ (Vimeo)
‘Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy’ (Peacock)
‘Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American’ (Netflix)
‘Trixie Mattel: One Night Only’ (YouTube)

Hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer, the 2022 ceremony was broadcasted live on the CW and TBS, as the evening unfolded with celebrations held in both Los Angeles and London, as the Critics Choice Association (CCA) added the satellite location to include nominees who also attended the BAFTAs.

The Los Angeles portion of the ceremony was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, while stars gathered for a late-night event at the Savoy Hotel in London, as per Variety.

India logs in 2,503 fresh COVID-19 cases

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 10:06 PM PDT

New Delhi: India logged 2,503 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Monday.


On Sunday, India reported 3,116 new COVID-19 infections and 47 deaths. The Ministry also informed that 27 fatalities in the last 24 hours have pushed the death toll to 5,15,877. Of these fatalities, Kerala reported 15 deaths, as per its state health bulletin.


The country’s total tally of COVID-19 cases has moved up to 4,29,93,494. The active caseload currently stands at 36,168 accounting for 0.08 per cent of the total cases, the health ministry said.


As many as 4,377 recoveries were reported from this virus in the last 24 hours thereby taking the total tally of recoveries to 4,24,41,449 in the country. The recovery rate is currently at 98.72 per cent.


The government data informed today that as many as 5,32,232 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours wherein a daily positivity rate of 0.47 per cent was observed.


Further, total tests conducted so far reached near 77.90 crores and the weekly positivity rate touched 0.47 per cent.


The health ministry informed that about 180.19 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. 

Holi fever grips Prayagraj, Modi masks in demand

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:43 PM PDT

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh): Ahead of Holi, markets in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh witnessed growing demands for Prime Minister Narendra Modi masks.


According to shopkeepers, the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand has given a boost to the demands of Modi masks. The markets are full of Prime Minister Narendra Modi masks, Gulaal (colours), and Pichkari (water guns).


“Due to COVID-19 pandemic, people did not have the enthusiasm to celebrate Holi. After the conclusion of the Assembly polls, people have, however, become more excited. The demand for Modi masks is high and the sales are also good. Unlike the last two years, business is doing well this time,” a shopkeeper said.


“This year Holi will be celebrated with saffron colour,” he added.

“People are asking for Modi masks. Elections are over and this time the Holi is going to be good. The sales have increased. There is no inflation,” said another shopkeeper Mohammad Naseem.


Holi is a Hindu festival but is celebrated by people of all faiths. Marking the onset of the spring season, the occasion is symbolic of joy and victory of good over evil. People smear colours on each other, blurring divides and highlighting unity in diversity.

PM Modi wishes Obama quick recovery from COVID-19

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:39 PM PDT

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wished former US President Barack Obama a quick recovery after he tested positive for COVID-19.


“My best wishes @BarackObama for your quick recovery from COVID-19, and for your family’s good health and wellbeing,” PM Modi tweeted. Obama on Sunday announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to Twitter, the former US President informed that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative.


“I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple of days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative. It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down,” he tweeted.


Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States. 

Kamal Haasan starrer ‘Vikram’ to release in June

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:37 PM PDT

South superstar Kamal Haasan announced on Monday that his much-awaited upcoming movie ‘Vikram’ will be released on June 3, 2022.

Haasan took to his Instagram handle and shared the news by writing, “I am waiting with bated breath for our ‘Vikram’ to release world over, in theatres on June 3rd 2022,” alongside a making video of the action flick. The video showcased some glimpses of the high-octane action that the film will offer. It also showed the three actors of the film, Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil, looking powerful and ready to blaze guns with their upcoming action entertainer.

‘Vikram’ has been directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film also stars Shivani Narayanan, Kalidas Jayaram, Narain, Antony Varghese and Arjun Das in supporting roles. The soundtrack and film score has been composed by Anirudh Ravichander. 

German Open: Lakshya Sen loses in summit clash against Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:32 PM PDT

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen on Sunday lost in the finals of the German Open here at the Westenergie Sporthalle.

Playing at court 2, Lakshya got defeated by Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in straight games 21-18, 21-15, in a match that lasted for 57 minutes. The Indian shuttler had earlier defeated reigning Olympic Gold medallist and World No.1 Viktor Axelsen in the semi-final match.

Lakshya had made a stunning comeback in the third and final game against Axelsen to win the match 21-13, 12-21, 22-20 that lasted for 70 minutes and enter the final of the German Open. 

MP: Uma Bharti vandalises liquor shop, calls for closure in one week

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:26 PM PDT

Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti on Sunday vandalised a liquor store in Bhopal, hurling a stone into the shop while leading a group of protestors against the sale of alcohol in residential areas.

After the video went viral on social media platforms, Bharti took to Twitter to explain reasons for her action that such vends have been opened in residential areas. She also warned the local administration that the liquor vends should be closed within a week. “There is a liquor vend which serves alcohol in labourers’ settlement located in the the Azad Nagar Basti of BHEL Barkhed Pathani area in Bhopal,” she tweeted with the video of the incident.

Former MP Chief Minister also claimed that the liquor vend is a nuisance in the areas, creating safety issues for women and girls. She also lamented that the labourers often end up spending their entire earnings on alcohol.

“Residents and women of the area have often been protesting to press for their demand for the closure of liquor shops, which have come up in violation of rules and regulations,” she said.

“Authorities have always assured that the shops will be closed but no action has been taken so far,” she added.

Bharti has been running campaigns against the sale and consumption of liquor in the state.

However, the BJP has distanced itself from Bharti’s campaign.

“Uma Bharti is running a personal campaign against alcohol which has no relations with the party. As for the recent incident, that is a matter between her and authorities,” said Hitesh Bajpai, the BJP state spokesperson.

Five Indian students killed in road mishap in Canada

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:20 PM PDT

In a heartbreaking tragedy, five Indian students were killed in a road accident in Canada, said India’s High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria on Monday, adding that two others were injured and were hospitalised.

The accident occurred on Saturday on the Ontario highway and two injured students were rushed to the hospital. Taking to Twitter, Ajay Bisaria expressed deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

“Heart-breaking tragedy in Canada: 5 Indian students passed away in an auto accident near Toronto on Saturday. Two others in the hospital. Deepest condolences to the families of the victims. @IndiainToronto team in touch with friends of the victims for assistance,” India’s High Commissioner to Canada said.

According to Quinte West Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) the deceased students were identified as Harpreet Singh, Jaspinder Singh, Karanpal Singh, Mohit Chouhan, and Pawan Kumar.

They were traveling west in a passenger van on Highway 401 Saturday morning when they collided with a tractor-trailer at around 3:45 am.
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and no charges have been laid.

Joe Biden speaks to French President Macron, discusses Ukraine war

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:09 PM PDT

US President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Both the leaders reviewed recent diplomatic engagements and underscored their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its actions and support the government and people of Ukraine. “President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine. They reviewed recent diplomatic engagements and underscored their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its actions and to support the government and people of Ukraine,” White House statement read on Sunday (local time).

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine.

COVID-19: Major Chinese cities impose restriction as cases spike

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 08:05 PM PDT

Amid a rapid resurgence of COVID-19 cases in China, two of the country’s biggest cities, Shenzhen and Shanghai, have imposed strict virus measures.

The recent spike in coronavirus cases has led to allowing rapid antigen tests for public use and resulted in the dismissal of senior officials for their slack response to the ongoing health crisis. The latest spike, described as the severest COVID-19 outbreaks in two years, has forced several major cities to go into lockdowns. Shenzhen officials imposed a lockdown for one week. Nonessential workers are ordered to stay home and adults have been asked to undergo three P.C.R. tests. Similarly, Shanghai has entered a partial lockdown. Residents are barred from leaving the city unless it is necessary.

On Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 3,122 new virus cases, a rise from previous totals from 1,524 on Saturday. The average number of new virus cases in the country has reached 1,370 per day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Chinese state media reported that Chinese observers warned local governments to avoid taking extreme measures such as city lockdowns, as they would harm the local economy.

China isolates all virus cases, including those in the community, as part of its COVID Zero policy. State media tabloid Global Times reported that China must strive to achieve a new breakthrough in its COVID policy.

Meanwhile, the situation is not at ease even in the autonomous region of Hong Kong. About 300,000 Covid-19 patients and their close contacts in Hong Kong are now under home quarantine, according to the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

The city chief also highlighted that it would be challenging for the authorities to keep up if the cases keep rising at the current rate.

US condemns Russia’s missile attack on Yavoriv military base in Ukraine

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:59 PM PDT

The United States on Sunday (local time) condemned the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv city of Ukraine.

“We condemn the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv, close to Ukraine’s border with Poland. The brutality must stop,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Tweet. Russia claimed that it killed 180 “foreign mercenaries” in a missile strike on Yavoriv military training ground in western Ukraine, according to a media report. Kyiv, however, denied the report terming it “pure Russian propaganda”.

Responding to Russia’s claim, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson Markiyan Lubkivsky said: “This is not the truth. Pure Russian propaganda,” adding that there are still no foreigners confirmed among the dead in Yavoriv military base.
“Russia claims it killed 180 ‘foreign mercenaries’ in the missile strike on Yavoriv military training ground in western Ukraine. The Russian government added that it will continue to kill foreign nationals in Ukraine whom it considers mercenaries,” The Kyiv Independent said in a Tweet.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s National Energy Company (NEC) Ukrenergo completed repair work and resumed power supply to the Chernobyl NPP, the company announced on Sunday.

“Ukrainian specialists of NEC “Ukrenergo” completed repair works on the 330 kV line… and resumed power supply to the Chernobyl NPP and town of Slavutych,” Ukrenergo posted on its Telegram channel, as per CNN.

Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s electrical system was damaged during a Russian attack on March 9. 

3.5 million Afghan children need nutritious treatment: WFP

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:57 PM PDT

United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has expressed concern over children’s situation in Afghanistan and said that 3.5 million Afghan children currently need nutritious treatment in the country.

Meanwhile, the program said that most of the children in Afghanistan have access to nutritious treatment offered by the international aid agencies. Earlier, UNICEF had said that half of the Afghan children under the age of five will face severe malnutrition in 2022, Khaama Press reported.

Mass poverty in Afghanistan that is triggered by people’s displacement, unemployment, conflicts, and now political transformation have led millions of people to starve.

Children are the most affected among them as they are now suffering from the spread of measles in the country, Khaama Press reported.

The international aid agencies have been calling on the World Community to support the Afghan people at a time when they are experiencing the worst humanitarian situation in decades, the media outlet added.

China promoting Russia’s information over Ukraine war: Report

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:52 PM PDT

As Chinese officials seem to adopt a “neutral position” in public statements and at international summits over the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Beijing’s true intentions have not been hidden by the world.

China has neither condemned Russian actions in Ukraine nor ruled out the possibility of Beijing acting as a mediator in a push for peace. With its international messaging, China has kept many guessing as to Beijing’s true intentions, much of its domestic media coverage of Russia’s “action” tells a wholly different story. According to CNN, there is an alternate reality is playing out for China’s 1.4 billion people, one in which the “action” is nothing more than a “special military operation,” according to its national broadcaster CCTV. While the other one in the United States may be funding a biological weapons program in Ukraine.

According to an analysis, nearly 5,000 social media posts from 14 Chinese state media outlets during the first eight days of Russia’s military operations were posted onto China’s Twitter-like platform, Weibo. The analysis found that of the more than 300 most-shared posts about the events in Ukraine — which were each shared more than 1,000 times — almost half, about 140, were pro-Russian, often containing information attributed to a Russian official or picked up directly from Russia’s state media, CNN reported.

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine. Following Russia’s military operation, the US and its European allies have introduced sanctions targeting several major Russian banks and high-rank Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, besides ousting Russia from the SWIFT financial system.

Ahead of no-confidence motion, PTI leader Imtiaz Safdar Warraich to rejoin PPP

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:46 PM PDT

As Opposition parties in Pakistan gear up for the no-confidence motion to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Punjab leader Imtiaz Safdar Warraich has decided to rejoin the PPP, local media reported citing sources.

According to the sources, Warraich will make a formal announcement with the Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari soon, The News International reported. The publication also reported that there are four other members of PTI from Punjab province who may join hands with PPP.

The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on Tuesday. However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion.

As per ARY News sources, it has been recommended to the Speaker to summon the assembly session any day before March 22.

The News International reported that a total of 86 lawmakers from the Opposition parties signed the no-confidence motion.

At present, the government has a 17-member lead over the Opposition but the latter has claimed that it has enough support to prove that PM Imran Khan no more commands the people’s trust.

BJP will win 2023 MP Assembly polls with a majority – Jyotiraditya Scindia

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:40 PM PDT

Union Civil Aviation Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections with a majority and return to power in the state.

The Union Minister said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda gave guidelines to the workers and the people of the country have given historic results through the double engine government.” He added that PM Modi has established a people-oriented government in the last seven years.

Scindia further said, “The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been working day and night for the welfare of the people and I am sure BJP will win with a majority in the upcoming 2023 Assembly elections.”
“Congress was my past and I don’t want to waste time on the past, will talk about my present and future,” he added.

PM Modi ‘man of tremendous vigour and dynamism’ – Shashi Tharoor

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:35 PM PDT

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him ‘a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism’ and gave credit to him for the BJP’s victory in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism and has done some things which are very impressive, especially politically. We did not expect him to win with such great margins but he did,” said Tharoor while interacting with the media at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at an event on Sunday said regarding the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that one day, the Indian voter will surprise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but today the people have given them (BJP) what they wanted.

After the words of praise for the Prime minister, the Congress leader, however, also criticized him and said, “He has unleashed such forces in the society that are dividing our nation on communal and religious grounds which according to me is introducing a toxin that is unfortunate.”

Tharoor further said that he was surprised over the political analysts describing the UP poll results as a “foregone conclusion”, and said that very few predicted BJP’s victory until the exit polls came out.

“Until the exit polls came out there was no question in my mind that most of the people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead,” he said.

The Congress leader said, “The Indian voter has the capacity to surprise, and one day, they will also surprise the BJP. But right now they have given the BJP what they wanted.”

“Many people had not expected that BJP will come in power once again with such a majority. Samajwadi Party’s (SP) seats have increased and hence they will prove to be a good opposition,” added the Congress leader.

On Congress’ performance in the UP Assembly elections he said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did remarkable and energetic campaigning for the party, and “from my point of view, I don’t think that the Congress per se can be faulted on the grounds of one person’s campaigning.”

“I think the issues are rather larger for the party as well as for party viability in some states where our presence has been systematically going down over the last 30 years,” he said.

“You would have seen her everywhere, including getting arrested a couple of times by the Uttar Pradesh Police. You have seen her very much on the spot and running through the state,” said the Congress leader.

Tharoor was in Jaipur on Sunday to take part in the Jaipur Literature Festival 2022.
The 15th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival 2022 is taking place from March 5 to March 14 in a hybrid format with its on-ground events from March 10 to March 14 at Clarks Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

CWC Meeting: Amid defeat in Punjab, G23 leaders blame Sidhu for ‘anti-party’ statements

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:28 PM PDT

After a humiliating defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections, Congress G23 leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ajay Maken said that the party high command’s decision of replacing Captain Amarinder Singh with Charanjit Singh Channi as the state’s chief minister was justified, but pointed out that the decision was ‘delayed’.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the decision to remove Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh was right. At the same time, Ajay Maken, chairman of the Punjab Screening Committee, criticized Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the meeting on the poll debacle. In the 4-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee, detailed consultations were held on the defeat of the Punjab elections.

Azad said, “Not only the MLAs of Punjab were troubled by Captain, but the party was also not happy with his growing ‘Nawabi’ attitude,” adding that he while sitting in Delhi was aware of the situation.

Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi took responsibility for a delay in taking the decision of replacing Singh.

Giving a report on the crushing defeat in the Punjab elections, Maken targetted Sidhu and said, “When the party was trying to work on the decision of relief in electricity bills during the Channi government, Sidhu’s statements created an atmosphere against the government.”

He also mentioned in his report the statements made by Sidhu’s wife, after the party’s decision to make Channi the chief minister of the state. Ajay Maken told the CWC members how Sidhu’s wife raised questions in protest against the party’s slogan of a ‘poor CM’.

He even stated that the statement of Sidhu’s daughter also caused a huge loss to the party just before the elections.

Based on the discussion held in the CWC, it is certain that the party might take strict action against the Punjab Congress President.

Yogi Adityanath meets PM Modi, discusses govt formation

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 07:23 PM PDT

After the Bharatiya Janata Party’s massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the state’s Chief Minister-designate Yogi Adityanath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders on Sunday ahead of the formation of a new government in the state.

Adityanath’s meeting with the Prime Minister lasted for about two and a half hours where he had a long discussion about the next government to be formed in the state. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister-designate also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda and discussed the political strategy ahead.

Adityanath also called upon Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

He also met the BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh at the latter’s residence and later met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

A new government is to be formed in Uttar Pradesh, for which the new team of the Council of Ministers has to be chosen and the departments have to be allotted accordingly. Adityanath had a discussion regarding this with all the BJP leaders.

Adityanath is likely to meet Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan, Anurag Thakur and President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday.

Case registered against owner of godown where a massive fire broke out yesterday

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 10:11 AM PDT

A massive fire broke out at a godown in the Tangra area of Kolkata yesterday. Eight fire tenders had to be rushed to the spot to control the raging fire.

The cause of the fire is still unknown but a case has been registered against the owner of the godown, wherein it has been alleged that the accused person kept Rexene, leather & other items in godown without obtaining fire safety certificate. He is also accused of flouting all norms of fire safety measures.

IPL 2022: Delhi Capitals organises exhibition match at Jersey launch event

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 10:07 AM PDT

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals gifted the new DC jersey to budding cricketers from the Delhi Capitals Academy and Prestige Warriors at Bal Bhavan International School in New Delhi on Saturday.

The children from DC Academy and Prestige Warriors also played a 10 over cricket match, wearing the brand new jersey. Speaking on the occasion, Delhi Capitals Interim CEO Vinod Bisht said in a statement, “The Delhi Capitals jersey is not only for the players, but for the entire cricketing community in Delhi, and all fans.”

“It was a delight to see the new jersey worn by children at our flagship academy where young talent is being groomed,” he added.

IPL 2022 will kick start from March 26 with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders squaring off in the first match. Delhi Capitals will be facing Mumbai Indians on March 27 for their opening clash. 

Gujarat Titans launch their Official Team jersey at Narendra Modi Stadium

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 10:01 AM PDT

Gujarat Titans hosted their eagerly anticipated inaugural event here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. The event was graced by the Honorable Secretary of the BCCI Jay Shah as Chief Guest.

The grand celebrations showcased the rich culture and heritage of the team’s home state. The jersey was launched by Jay Shah along with Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer Colonel Arvinder Singh, Gujarat Titans Head Coach Ashish Nehra, Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki and its captain Hardik Pandya. Also, in attendance at the stadium were members of the Gujarat Titans squad such as Wriddhiman Saha, Varun Aaron, Vijay Shankar, Yash Dayal, Darshan Nalkande,

Abhinav Manohar and B Sai Sudharshan to name a few.

Gujarat Titans grabbed the headlines after launching the team logo. They became the first team to do so and in introducing a dedicated virtual space for its global community of fans and players, it set a benchmark. Building on that, they launched the team jersey in Augmented Reality. It is again a remarkable step in terms of fan engagement and community building.

The team is all set for its debut season which will be preceded by a pre-season camp at its iconic home stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Congress to hold ‘Chintan Shivir’ after Budget Session

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:59 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: After the party’s abysmal performance in the recently held Assembly polls in five states, Congress will be holding a ‘Chintan Shivir’ with senior leaders of the party after the Budget Session of the Parliament, party General Secretary KC Venugopal informed on Sunday.


Notably, the Congress Working Committee will meet again before the ‘Chintan Shivir’. Addressing the media after a nearly five-hour-long CWC meeting, Venugopal said,

“CWC also decided to have a detailed deliberation on party’s strategy and a way for the upcoming elections in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Chintan Shivir of the senior leaders will be held immediately after the current Parliament session.”


“Before that, CWC will meet once again to discuss the matters to be taken up in the meeting including the organisational changes and strategies,” he added.


Further, Venugopal said that the Congress president will immediately take up immediate corrective measures to revamp, re-strengthen the organisation.
Congress Working Committee called the recent Assembly election results of five states a “cause of serious concern” for the party.


“The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges,” Venugopal said.


Congress leader R Surjewala was addressing the press conference along with Venugopal said, “Every single member of CWC wants Sonia Gandhi to guide the party till organisational elections are held.”


The results of five assembly polls came as a shock to the Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul & Priyanka offered their resignations, but were rejected-Sources

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:53 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra proposed to resign during the Congress Working Committee meeting today but the CWC unanimously rejected this, said sources on Sunday.


“Sonia Gandhi in her speech said that if the party feels we all three (herself, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are ready to resign, but CWC unanimously rejected this,” said sources. Speaking on the matter, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Sonia Gandhi along with her family members Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was ready to sacrifice their posts for the party, but we all rejected this.


Congress Working Committee called the recent Assembly election results of five states a “cause of serious concern” for the party.


Addressing a press conference after around five-hour-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Venugopal said “The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges.”


Congress will also hold a Chintan Shivir immediately after the Budget Session of Parliament and before that Congress Working Committee will meet again, he added.
Sonia Gandhi will take up immediate corrective measures to revamp and re-strengthen organisation, informed Venugopal.


Congress leader R Surjewala was addressing the press conference along with Venugopal said, “Every single member of CWC wants Sonia Gandhi to guide the party till organisational elections are held.”


The results of five assembly polls came as a shock to the Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country.

Ind Vs SL, 2nd Test (D/N): An uphill task for Sri Lanka as India set a massive target

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:52 AM PDT

Visitors need 419 more runs to win as they scored 28/1 going into Stumps on Day-2 of the second Test being played here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Resuming the post Dinner session at 199/5 the Indian team went past the 200-run mark. The duo of Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja batted well to notch up the second half-century stand of the Indian innings. Shreyas Iyer carried on from where he left in the previous innings when he scored 92. Iyer went on to score his half-century making his second score of 50 plus in the match.

The 63-run partnership between Jadeja and Iyer was broken by left-arm medium-pacer Vishwa Fernando as he cleaned up southpaw Jadeja for 22.

Ravichandran Ashwin walked in to bat and along with Iyer took India’s total beyond 250 and its lead beyond the 400-run mark. Sri Lankans struck consecutive blows to India as both Ashwin and Iyer were dismissed by Praveen Jayawickrama and Lasith Embuldeniya respectively. Ashwin got out for 13 while Iyer was dismissed for 67 to leave India at 278/8.

Axar Patel and Mohammed Shami then came in and took the team’s total beyond the 300-run mark. Embuldeniya then cleaned up Axar Patel for 9 as India declared the 2nd innings at 303 for 9 with Shami remaining unbeaten on 16. Hosts set visitors a mammoth 447-run target.

Chasing a mammoth 447-run target Lankans were dealt with an early blow as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Lahiru Thirimanne’s leg before wicket for a duck of the third ball of the innings.

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis batted steadily to take the team’s total to 28/1 at stumps on Day-2 needing 419 more runs to win the Test match.

Earlier in the day Sri Lanka resumed day-2 at 86 for 6 but could add only 9 runs to the overnight score and lost the wicket of Lasith Embuldeniya caught behind to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant of Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling for 1 to put the visitors in further trouble at 95 for 7.

The Lankans scratched their way to the triple-figure mark but immediately after reaching there they lost yet another wicket as Ravichandran Ashwin cleaned up Suranga Lakmal for 5 to leave them tottering at 100 for 8.

Bumrah once again struck dismissing wicket-keeper batter Niroshan Dickwella for 21 caught behind by keeper Pant. Dickwella became Bumrah’s fifth scalp of the innings as he went on to take his eighth five-wicket haul and his first on home soil.

Sri Lankans were bowled out for 109 giving India a 143-run lead as Ashwin dismissed Vishwa Fernando stumped by Pant for 8.

Unlike the first innings, Indian openers started off steadily in the second innings as local lad Mayank Agarwal and skipper Rohit Sharma batted steadily to take the team’s total to 42. Slow left-arm bowler Lasith Embuldeniya then broke the partnership dismissing Agarwal for 22 caught in the gully by Dhananjaya de Silva.

Hanuma Vihari joined his skipper in the middle to take their team’s total beyond the 50-run mark as the hosts scored 61/1 going into Tea on day-2.

Resuming the Post Tea session at 61/1 Hanuma Vihari and skipper Rohit Sharma batted steadily to notch up a fifty partnership. The 56-run partnership between Rohit-Vihari was broken by right-arm off-break bowler Dhananjaya de Silva as dismissed captain Rohit Sharma for 46 left India at 98/2.

Virat Kohli came in to bat with Vihari and the duo took India’s second innings total to a triple-figure mark. At the score of 116 the hosts lost their third wicket as Praveen Jayawickrama cleaned up Vihari for 35.

Rishabh Pant walked in to bat and the southpaw started in his trademark aggressive style hitting boundaries and sixes. But the small 23-run partnership was broken as Jayawickrama dismissed Virat Kohli’s leg before the wicket and the star batter’s disappointing run with the bat continued.

India’s top-run scorer in the previous innings Shreyas Iyer walked into bat with Pant and took India’s second innings total beyond the 150-run mark. The wicket-keeper batter continued to deal in boundaries and sixes and went on to notch up his half-century of just 28 balls. Pant became the fastest Indian half-centurion in Test matches breaking Kapil Dev’s record who scored his Test fifty of 30 balls.
Soon after scoring his half-century Pant was dismissed caught and bowled by Jayawickrama to leave India at 189/5. Ravindra Jadeja came into bat with Shreyas Iyer and the duo took India’s total to 199 for 5 going into Dinner to extend the lead to 342 runs.

Brief Scores: India 252/10 & 303/9 declare (Shreyas Iyer 67, Rishabh Pant 50; Praveen Jayawickrama 4/78) vs SL 109/10 & 28/1 (Kusal Mendis 16*, Dimuth Karunaratne 10*; Jasprit Bumrah 1/9)

US warns China of consequences for helping Russia bypass sanctions

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:47 AM PDT

Washington [US]: US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan on Sunday said that Washington has communicated to Beijing that it would take serious action against China if Beijing helped Russia bypass Western sanctions.


According to Sullivan, the US believes that China was aware in advance of what Washington describes as an “invasion” of Ukraine, Sputnik reported. “We also are watching closely to see the extent to which China actually does provide any form of support, material support or economic support to Russia is a concern of ours.

And we have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses,” Sullivan told CNN, according to the Russian News Agency.


On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics requested help in defending themselves.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.


The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia’s operation in Ukraine. 

FM Sitharaman to table J-K budget in Parliament today

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:42 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Jammu and Kashmir budget for the financial year 2022-23 in Parliament on Monday.


“Finance Minister to present a statement of estimated receipts and expenditure of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2022-23,” reads an official statement. The second half of the Budget session will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11. 

Sonia Gandhi’s plea to resign rejected, to stays Cong. chief

Posted: 13 Mar 2022 09:38 AM PDT

Congress Working Committee on Sunday termed the party’s abysmal performance in the recently held Assembly polls in five states a “cause of serious concern” and unanimously reaffirmed that the party will contest the forthcoming elections including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requested her to lead from the front.


The highest decision-making body of Congress met this evening and the meeting lasted for around five hours. “Congress interim president Sonia will lead us and will take future steps. We all have faith in her leadership,” Mallikarjun Kharge said after the party’s working committee meeting.


After the conclusion of the CWC meeting, Indian National Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also informed that Sonia Gandhi will continue being the President of the party.


Addressing the media here, Venugopal said, “The party accepts that due to shortcomings in our strategy, we could not effectively expose the misrule of BJP State Governments in four States and overcome the anti-incumbency in the state of Punjab in a short time after effecting a change of leadership.”


“The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges,” he added.


Venugopal further added that the Congress party represents the “hopes of millions of Indians against political authoritarianism prevailing in the country today and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility.”


Accepting the electoral verdict of the latest round of Assembly elections, the Congress party assured its workers and the people of India that it will continue to remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition.


“The Congress Party will be fully prepared to face the electoral challenges in the election going states in 2022 and 2023 as well as in the Lok Sabha elections 2024,” he said.


The results of five assembly polls came as a shock to the Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country.


Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said that a detailed discussion was held over the party’s defeat in the state polls and the party leaders discussed how to take things forward.

“Sonia Gandhi continues to be the president of the party. A detailed discussion was held about the five state elections. We discussed how to take things forward and how we prepare for the forthcoming elections,” Rao, who is Congress Goa in-charge said after the crucial meeting.

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