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26, మార్చి 2022, శనివారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Oscar Awards; first time LIVE viewing party in Paris

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 07:16 AM PDT

Washington [US]: For the first time ever, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will host a live Oscar viewing party on Sunday in Paris for its French members and industry guests.


According to Variety, the Parisian Oscar viewing party will be held at Blanche, a mansion that used to be the oldest and most legendary film school in Paris and was turned into a lavish private club. The venue boasts a state-of-the-art projection room, as well as a lively and faceted bar and mirrored tables.


Prior to the ceremony, guests will be treated with a dinner at BB, the venue’s fancy restaurant, and will enjoy Brad Pitt’s Fleur de Miraval, the official champagne of the 94th Oscars, to get ready for the all-nighter.


“After years of hosting an Oscar party in London, we’re thrilled to expand the Oscar experience to our French members in Paris for the first time,” said the AMPAS European Events Committee who initiated the event.


The organisation added, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for some of our European members to engage with the show and see live the results of their voting.”


As per Variety, the organisation of the Paris viewing party was spearheaded by Carola Ash, AMPAS director of member relations and awards, who is based in London and previously hosted the London event.

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Yogi Cabinet 2.0; 52 ministers take oath while 24 ministers dropped

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 07:07 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): The Yogi Adityanath Cabinet 2.0 made space for fresh faces by dropping as many as 24 ministers from the first term of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.


The Ministers who failed to find places in the second term of the BJP government in the state included Dinesh Sharma, Satish Mahana, Ashutosh Tandon, Shrikant Sharma, Siddharth Nath Singh, and others. The BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Friday took oath for his second consecutive term as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.


A total of 52 ministers, including Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, were sworn in on Friday.


Among those who have not been made ministers are Mohsin Raza, Jai Prakash Nishad, Ram Naresh Agnihotri, Ashok Kataria, Jai Prakash Nishad, and Ramapati Shastri.


Neelkanth Tiwari from Varanasi, who was Minister of State with independent charge last time, is also missing from the list of ministers.


Neelkanth held departments like charitable work and tourism. PM Modi’s dream project Kashi Vishwanath corridor was built under his supervision. Vishwanath Temple corridor comes in the southern Varanasi city from where Neelkanth Tiwari is the MLA.


Dinesh Sharma, who previously served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has been dropped from the Yogi cabinet. In his place, Brajesh Pathak along with Keshav Prasad Maurya were sworn in as Deputy CMs.


On the other hand, the BJP MLA from Mathura as well as Energy Minister in the first term, Shrikant Sharma, also did not find a place in the Yogi Cabinet. Sharma had defeated Congress’ Pradeep Mathur by a massive margin of 1,09,803 votes in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022.


In addition, Satish Mahana who previously served as Infrastructure and Industrial Development minister in Uttar Pradesh has also been dropped from the new Cabinet in the state.


The BJP won 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh with its allies in the state in the recently held Assembly elections. The Chief Minister is expected to carry the momentum of the party’s electoral victory to fulfil the poll promises and give a further push for the development of the state in his second term. 

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Central agencies-BJP nexus defaming Maharashtra govt, says Sanjay Raut

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 06:18 AM PDT

Lashing out at the Centre, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday alleged that there is a nexus going on between the Central agencies and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to defame the Maharashtra government.

This statement by Raut came days after former Maharashtra Chief Minister and

Leader of Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis, alleged that the special public prosecutor of the state government has been planning a conspiracy against BJP leaders in Maharashtra. Fadnavis had also handed over a pen drive with a video recording to the Assembly Speaker and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

Speaking on this issue today to the reporters, Raut said, “What is this Pendrive? A new pendrive is surfacing every day…Is theirs a factory of it? There’s a nexus of Central agencies and BJP…Same is happening in West Bengal, soon it’ll happen in Tamil Nadu as well.”

“In Maharashtra, both the National Investigation Agency and the opposition are joining hands in order to defame the Maharashtra government. The central probe agency wants to overthrow the Maharashtra government in ‘false’ cases. The chargesheet get ready immediately on random cases. We do not even know what is the charge against us is about,” he said.

“There has never been such poor and low-level politics in Maharashtra,” he added.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday attacked the Centre over raids and action by central probe agencies in alleged money laundering cases against people linked to the ruling alliance in Maharashtra and said that “missiles are being fired but we are safe as of now”.

These developments pour in as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are slated to be held this year.

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States yet to receive Rs 53000 crore from Centre as GST compensation

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 06:13 AM PDT

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday the payment of around Rs 53000 crore is pending as Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states for the current financial year.

Replying to a debate on the Finance Bill 2022 in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said the central government has not made any discrimination in releasing of GST compensation to states. “Please stop this politics. Every state gets the compensation as per the decision of the GST Council,” the Finance Minister said.

“Many members do raise, the dues for this state is so much, that state is so much. Those are not decided by me. The dues are agreed… as of now Rs 53,000 odd crores are pending and that is also an amount decided by the council,” Sitharaman said.

The Finance Minister informed the Rajya Sabha earlier this month that the Central government has released Rs 96,576 crore to states and Union Territories (UTs) so far this year to meet the revenue shortfall on account of the implementation of GST.

As part of the implementation of the new tax regime, the centre has agreed to compensate the states and Union Territories (UT) with Legislative Assembly for any loss in revenue. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime was implemented on 1 July 2017. The centre has agreed to compensate the revenue shortfall for the first five years of the implementation.

Replying to a demand made by Congress Party leader Gaurav Gogoi regarding the extension of GST compensation to states in view of the revenue shortfalls, Sitharaman said the GST Council has already extended the GST compensation cess till March 2026.

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Pramod Sawant lashed out at Arvind Kejriwal for mocking ‘The Kashmir Files’

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 05:12 AM PDT

Goa Chief Minister-designate Pramod Sawant on Friday lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for ‘mocking and laughing’ at a film that highlights the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus.

This statement by Sawant came a day after Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal urged makers of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ to put the film on YouTube and denied the film to be made tax-free for people in Delhi. In a thread of tweets today, Sawant shared screenshots of tweets wherein Kejriwal in the past had declared movies like Nil Battey Sannata, Saand Ki Aankh as tax-free in Delhi.

“While Kejriwal’s Government in the past waived off tax for several Bollywood films, he refuses to do the same on #KashmirFiles and goes a step ahead by mocking and laughing at the film which brings to light the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide,” tweeted BJP leader today.

Sawant added, “Kejriwal’s statement is inhumane & and an insult to those who faced the atrocities at the hands of terrorists in Kashmir.”

Slamming the BJP for promoting ‘The Kashmir Files’ and demanding that it be made tax-free in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said, “Some people were earning crores” by exploiting the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits, while BJP leaders had been “reduced” to putting up posters of the movie.

“If the BJP wants everyone to watch the movie, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri should release it on YouTube so that it is available to everyone for free,” Kejriwal said in the Delhi Assembly yesterday.

The Vivek-Agnihotri directed ‘Kashmir Files’ that was released in theatres on March 11 stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar and others. It revolves around the killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s. The movie, which has been made tax free in several states in the country has caught up in controversy with BJP and Opposition parties sparring over the portrayal of the incidents it depicts.

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China hasn’t invited India to Afghanistan meet: Jaishankar

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 05:06 AM PDT

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday said that China has not invited India to the Afghanistan meeting that is set to take place later in March.

China had earlier announced the third foreign ministers’ meeting among the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan. The Taliban have confirmed participation in the meeting scheduled to be held later this month. “On the Afghanistan meeting, which the Chinese are convening, I believe… No, they have not invited us,”

Jaishankar said during a press conference after holding the delegation-level talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Answering a question on Wang Yi’s recent remark at the OIC meeting, Jaishankar said the two ministers discussed that issue and he conveyed India’s hope that China would follow an independent policy in respect to New Delhi.

“I conveyed that we hope that China would follow an independent policy in respect to India and not allow its policies to be influenced by other countries and other relationships,” said Jaishankar.

On the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Jaishankar said, “It did come up, in terms of my sharing with him India’s view of concerns, what we have in respect of Pakistan and of course what were the positions taken during OIC meet.”

Answering a question of whether Indo-Pacific featured in the talks, the minister answered that Indo-Pacific did not come up during the talks.

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Supreme Court grants interim relief to physically disabled persons in UPSC matter

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

In an interim order, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed physically disabled persons who have cleared the civil services exam, to provisionally apply to the Union Public Service Commission for selection in various categories including the Indian Police Service.

A bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Abhay S Oka passed the interim order in a writ petition filed by NGO National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled. Those successful in written exams can submit hard copies with these choices to UPSC Secretary-General by April 1, the court said.

The Court directed that the petitioners and similarly placed petitioners to submit their applications by April 1 physically or through courier.

The Court had listed the matter for further hearing on April 18.

The Court was hearing a petition challenging a government notification which grants a blanket exemption from the grant of reservation to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the Indian Police Service, Indian Railways Protection Force Service, & Delhi, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Police Service (DANIPS).

The petitioner has sought to quash Notification dated August 18, 2021 as it grants a blanket exemption from the grant of reservation to PwDs in the IPS, DANIPS and IRPFS.

The petitioner has sought to direct the Department Of the Empowerment Of Persons With Disabilities to reserve suitable posts for PwDs in the IPS, DANIPS and IRPFS.

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No-confidence motion against PTI not tabled as Assembly session is adjourned till March 28

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:48 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The much-awaited session of Pakistan’s National Assembly to take up the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has been adjourned to March 28 without the motion being tabled.


The session was adjourned shortly after tributes were offered to Khayal Zaman, a member of the house from the ruling PTI who had recently passed away.

Citing parliamentary convention, speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser said the first sitting after the death of a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) is limited to prayers for the soul of the departed and tributes fellow lawmakers wish to pay them, The Dawn reported.


Qaiser asserted that he would conduct proceedings “as per rules and procedures” after which he adjourned the session till 4 pm on March 28.


National Assembly Asad Qaiser has previously been slammed by the Opposition for siding with Imran Khan and even attending the party meetings of the ruling PTI.


The National Assembly Secretariat had on Thursday evening issued a 15-point ‘Orders of the Day’ for the National Assembly session, which included the no-confidence motion.


The development comes even as the Opposition parties had vowed to not allow any adjournment of the session without tabling of the motion.


In a meeting on Thursday night, it was decided that the opposition would lodge strong protests if the proceedings were adjourned, media reports said.


The Opposition parties had made elaborate preparations for the session, which was demanded in a letter to the National Assembly speaker on March 8.


On the other hand, the ruling PTI has not issued any special instructions to its members for attending the session as the session has been requisitioned by the opposition.


Earlier, the joint Opposition had lodged protests over the session not being convened within the stipulated 14 days of the requisition, calling the delay by the speaker unconstitutional.


The Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172.

The PTI led coalition was formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan’s PTI having 155 members, and four major allies Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven, five, five and three members respectively.


Imran Khan’s situation is precarious given that three of the four allies, that is, MQM-P, PML-Q and BAP have stated their support to the Opposition’s no-confidence motion and said that they will vote accordingly.


Upset with the news of allies joining the opposition camp, Imran Khan, in a last-ditch attempt, recently dispatched a team of senior PTI leaders to meet the allies and assure them that their reservations would be addressed.


Adding to Khan’s woes, almost 20 members from his own party had recently sought refuge in the Sindh House in Islamabad, and are expected to vote in favour of the no-confidence motion.


The Opposition parties in Pakistan on the other hand hold the support of 162 members of the house and are expected to be joined by the three ruling coalition parties during the vote, helping them cross the majority mark, with 179 members supporting the no-confidence motion.

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Sensex & Nifty close in the Red after a choppy session

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:41 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Indian equities markets benchmark Sensex closed 233 points down in a choppy session on Friday amid mixed cues from the global markets.


The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex closed 233.48 points or 0.41 per cent down at 57,362.20 points against its previous day’s close at 57,595.68 points.

Earlier, the Sensex opened in the positive at 57,801.72 points and surged to a high of 57,845.37 points in the morning trade. However, the index turned into negative within a few minutes of trade. It slipped to a low of 57,100.24 points in the intra-day.


The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange closed 69.75 points or 0.4 per cent down at 17,153 points against its previous day’s close at 17,222.75 points.
Titan slumped 3.59 per cent to Rs 2524.60. Maruti Suzuki fell 1.79 per cent to Rs 7419.45.


There was heavy selling pressure in IT stocks. Tech Mahindra slumped 2.35 per cent to Rs 1532. Wipro fell 1.18 per cent to Rs 603.65. TCS slipped 1.12 per cent to Rs 3707.95. HCL Technologies closed 0.94 per cent down at Rs 1180.35.


Only eight of the 30 scrips that are part of the Sensex closed in the positive. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories closed 0.77 per cent higher at Rs 4360.90. Asian Paints, Reliance Industries, State Bank of India and Kotak Bank were among the major Sensex gainers.

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Brajesh Pathak, Keshav Prasad Maurya sworn as Deputy CMs

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:37 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Sticking with the Brahmin-OBC combination for Deputy Chief Ministers, Brajesh Pathak along with Keshav Prasad Maurya took oath on Friday as deputies of CM Yogi Adityanath.


In the last term of the Yogi Adityanath government, Dinesh Sharma was the Deputy CM, representing the electorally crucial Brahmins in the state.

Pathak had served as the Law Minister in the previous Yogi Adityanath led UP Government, and was credited to have worked for the party to consolidate the support base among the Brahmins in the run up to the Assembly elections.


A prominent Brahmin leader of the party, he won the Assembly polls from the Lucknow Cannt seat in the 2022 state Polls.


In 2017, Pathak jumped ship from Bahujan Samaj Party and joined the BJP in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Mahesh Sharma.


Then in the 2017 Assembly elections in UP, he became an MLA from Lucknow Central seat.


On 21 August 2019, after the first cabinet expansion of Yogi Adityanath he was given the charge of Legislative, Justice, and Rural Engineering service departments.
He was a Member of the Parliament from the Unnao Lok Sabha seat from 2004 to 2009.


Pathak started his political career from student politics in 1989 and became the president of Lucknow University in 1990.


Brajesh Pathak was born on 25 June 1964 in the Hardoi district of UP. Brajesh Pathak is a lawyer by profession. He has done LLB from Lucknow University.


The BJP has created other records with its successive victory in Uttar Pradesh. It is the first time that a party has returned to power in successive polls after 37 years.


The BJP won 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh with its allies in the state also registering impressive performance. The Chief Minister is expected to carry the momentum of the party’s electoral victory to fulfil the poll promises and give a further push for the development of the state in his second term. 

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After Wang Yi’s comments at the OIC meet, India hopes China will pursue independent policy

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:30 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Friday that the remark made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the OIC meet, which had sparked a strong response from New Delhi, featured in the delegation-level talks between the two ministers.


Speaking to reporters here after the talks between the two ministers, Jaishankar said he conveyed that India hopes that China would follow an independent policy in respect to New Delhi and will not allow its policies to be influenced by other countries.

“Did the issue of what Minister Wang Yi said at the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Conference come up? Yes, it did. I referred to it. I explained to him, why we found that statement objectionable. It was a subject discussed at some length. There was a larger context as well,” Jaishankar told reporters after delegation-level talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister.


“I conveyed that we hope that China would follow an independent policy in respect of India and not allow its policies to be influenced by other countries and other relationships,” said Jaishankar.


Jaishankar said that the Chinese Foreign Minister expressed a desire to return of the bilateral ties to normalcy, but he conveyed that India wants stable and predictable relations.


“(Chinese) Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed a desire to return (of the bilateral relationship) to normalcy but also referred to the larger significance of our ties. I was equally forthcoming that India wants a stable and predictable relationship but restoration of normalcy will require the restoration of peace and tranquillity,” he added.


Wang Yi’s visit comes shortly after India rejected his remarks on Kashmir at the OIC meeting in Islamabad. India had also said that other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs.


Before meeting Jaishankar, Wang Yi met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
NSA Doval told the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister that there has to be “early and complete disengagement” in border areas for Indo-China ties to move forward. 

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Yogi joins the flock of under-fifty CMs in India

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:20 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The flock of ‘under 50’ Chief Ministers is growing in size, with the monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath leading the pack of the younger generation of leaders at the helm of as many as six states in the country.


The youth leadership taking the reign of the states was a rare event in the last century as very few broke the glass ceilings. While Adityanath (49) stays under 50 years of age, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, 48, expanded the ‘under 50’ group this month which now has six members.


M.O.H Farook was the first to break the glass ceiling, becoming the youngest Chief Minister in India after he took the charge of Puducherry in 1967 when he was just 29-years-old.


The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal was 43 years old when he became Chief Minister of Punjab in 1970.


Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had announced his arrival at the forefront of Indian politics by taking charge of Maharashtra in 1978. He was 38-years-old when he became the Chief Minister of the state.


Afterwards, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in 1985 became Assam Chief Minister when he was 34 years old.


But India in the last two decades has seen more younger political leaders rising in the ranks in their respective political parties, with some gaining from the political legacies passed on to the next generation.


The National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdulla in 2009 handed over the leadership baton to his son Omar Abdulla in 2009 who became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at 38 years of age.


The generational shift again took place in the Samajwadi Party when Akhilesh Yadav took over the leadership of his party and also became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2012 when he was 38 years old.


A year later, Hemant Soren became the Chief Minister of Jharkhand in 2013 when he was 28-years-old, with his father Shibu Soren passing on the leadership baton of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to him.


Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of veteran Congress leader YS Rajsekhara Reddy, became the youngest CM of Andhra Pradesh in 2019 at 46.


The last decade on the other hand has seen the arrival of the new set of leadership at the helm of the states while not hailing from leading political families.


The Aam Admi Party (AAP) founder and bureaucrat-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi when he was 45 years old.


Prema Khandu, 42, is also among the young Chief Ministers. He had first become the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh when he was 37 years old.


Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, 48, and his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, 46, are other ‘under 50’ members of the group.


Out of the six ‘under 50’ Chief Ministers, four are from the Bharatiya Janta Party, and one each from the AAP and YSR Congress. 

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Adityanath Yogi takes oath as the CM of Uttar Pradesh

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:10 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath on Friday took oath for his second consecutive term as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several Union Ministers were present at the grand ceremony in Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.

Chief Ministers of the BJP ruled states and party leaders also attended the oath-taking ceremony. Yogi was sworn in by Governor Anandiben Patel in a jam-packed Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium having a crowd of more than 50,000 in attendance.

The event began with the national anthem after the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Making the oath-taking ceremony a mega-show, many colourful programmes were organised for the visitors at the stadium where Actor-politician Dinesh Lal Yadav alias Nirahua performed on the stage.

Adityanath on Thursday met Governor Anandiben Patel and staked a claim to form the government in the state after he was elected leader of the BJP legislative party.
The monk-turned politician will take the reins of the most populous state for a second time in a row after completing his full five-year term – a feat repeated after 37 years.

During the electoral campaign for the Uttar Pradesh elections, the Prime Minister lauded Yogi Adiyanath’s work and his coinage – “UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi” (UP plus Yogi is very useful) became quite popular.


In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP after winning the poll chose Adityanath as the Chief Minister.


After becoming the CM of the state, he kept 36 ministries under his direct control, including Home, Economics and Statistics, Sainik Welfare, Home Guard, Personnel and appointment, as well as Civil Defence.


Before being sworn as UP chief minister in 2017, he was Gorakhpur MP for five consecutive terms from 1998 to 2017.


Born on June 5, 1972, in a village in Uttarakhand, he was named Ajay Singh Bisht by his parents. He left home to join the movement for the construction of Ram Temple and became a disciple of Mahant Avaidyanath of Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.


He commenced his political journey in 1998 becoming the youngest MP from Gorakhpur.


The BJP has created other records with its successive victory in Uttar Pradesh. It is the first time that a party has returned to power in successive polls after 37 years.

The BJP won 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh with its allies in the state also registering impressive performance. The chief minister is expected to carry the momentum of the party’s electoral victory to fulfill the poll promises and give a further push for the development of the state in his second term. 

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Peace & tranquility in border areas with China foundation of stable ties- Jaishankar

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 03:14 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday said that peace and tranquillity at the border areas with China have been the foundation of stable and cooperative ties between the two countries.


He made these remarks after holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi that lasted for about three hours. Jaishankar said that he and his Chinese counterpart addressed a broad and substantive agenda in an open and candid manner. “I would describe the current situation as work in progress, obviously at a slower pace than desirable. And my discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi today were aimed at expediting that process,” Jaishankar told reporters here after delegation-level talks with Chinese FM.


“The impact of the tension at the border areas on the overall relationship has been visible in the last two years. This is only natural since peace and tranquillity at the border areas have been the foundation of stable and cooperative ties. Indeed we have agreements designed to strengthen these foundations and prevent the kind of situation that we are seeing today,” he added.


National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday told the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that there has to be “early and complete disengagement” in border areas for Indo-China ties to move forward.


In a meeting between the Chinese Foreign Minister and NSA Doval, both countries emphasised that their actions should not violate the spirit of equal and mutual security, the government sources said.


The two Asian neighbours also concurred to work in the same direction and resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible, the sources added.


The Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, held delegation-level talks with NSA Doval on Friday.


In their meeting, the two sides emphasised on the need to continue positive interactions at diplomatic and military levels for restoration of peace, a prerequisite for normalisation of bilateral relations.


This is the first interaction at the topmost level ever since the clashes between the two sides at the Galwan Valley in the summer of 2020.


Both countries have held several rounds of border talks to resolve the standoff. India has called for complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh at all friction points.

Today’s discussions between Doval and Wang were held in a cordial atmosphere, the sources said.


The two sides, according to government sources, discussed that the continuation of the present situation in the border areas is not in mutual interest, adding that restoration of peace and tranquillity will help build mutual trust and create enabling environment for progress in their relations.


With both India and China emphasising the need for maturity and sincerity, the Chinese side invited the NSA to visit China to take forward the mandate of Special Representatives (SRs).


The NSA Doval is learnt to have said that he could visit China after immediate issues are resolved successfully, said the sources. 

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Vibrant, festive feel at the oath- taking venue of Yogi Adityanath

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 03:02 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Thousands of people thronged Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, hours before the oath-taking ceremony of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.


Adityanath is all set to take oath today for the second consecutive term after completing his full five-year term. Cultural events are being held before the commencement of the oath-taking ceremony. A huge stage has been set up in the stadium, decked with garlands in shades of orange and yellow.


A poster that reads “New Uttar Pradesh of New India” has also been displayed at the bottom of the stage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states and other party leaders are among the long list of invitees.


Several Opposition leaders, including Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and others, have been invited to the oath-taking ceremony.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati among others have also been invited for the oath-taking ceremony.


Religious leaders have also been invited in large numbers for the oath-taking ceremony. Prominent Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev will also be present on the occasion.
Eminent industrialists, sportspersons, artists, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardees have also been invited.


The guest list also includes professionals, leaders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), besides retired government officers.


The BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.

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CBI opposes Indrani Mukerjea’s bail plea in Supreme Court

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 02:02 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has opposed in the Supreme Court the plea of Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, saying she has committed a “heinous act of planning and killing her own daughter” and “such a gruesome act does not deserve leniency”.


The CBI in an affidavit filed before the apex court vehemently opposed Indrani Mukerjea’s bail plea saying she has committed the offence of murder of her own daughter and attempt to murder of her own son.

Indrani Mukerjea is an influential person in the society who can influence the witnesses who are yet to be examined and there is apprehension that she may tamper with the evidence, said the CBI while adding that she is not trustworthy and reliable hence her bail plea should be dismissed.


“There is every apprehension that she will threaten, intimidate or induce the prosecution witnesses, will tamper with the evidence and will abscond if enlarged on bail. Further, CBI has not filed a closure report as alleged, only further investigation has been concluded. Charge sheet have already been filed in the trial court,” the affidavit stated.


The prosecution has strong apprehension that in case she is released on bail, she may abscond which shall seriously hamper the ongoing trial of the case as the accused is a British national, the CBI further stated.


As the matter came up for hearing today, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai granted two weeks to Mukerjea to file a response on CBI’s affidavit.


The offence committed by Mukerjea is very serious in nature and she is not entitled to any leniency from this Court on medical grounds, it said.

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Birbhum: BJP welcomes Calcutta High Court’s order directing CBI enquiry

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 01:51 AM PDT

New Delhi: Amid the row over Birbhum violence, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday welcomed the Calcutta High Court’s order directing a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry in the case.


“We welcome the decision of the Calcutta High Court. Democracy has fallen in West Bengal. Now the High Court’s order will help in instilling people’s faith in democracy. I believe the CBI will bring the leaders who are involved in a larger conspiracy under justice. These leaders will be sent to jail. We had specific information that these leaders directed police to reach the spot late after houses were gutted in the fire,” West Bengal BJP president and party MP Sukanta Majumdar told ANI. BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government had formed the SIT to suppress the truth.

“Everyone demanded CBI inquiry. Everyone knows that Mamata Banerjee constituted SIT to suppress the case. Innocent people are murdered there but she is not accepting her government’s failure,” Ghosh said.


Meanwhile, BJP MLAs staged a protest in the Vidhan Sabha premises on Friday against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanding her statement over the Birbhum violence.

“The SIT by the state government was an attempt to suppress the facts. We had demanded a CBI inquiry in the case so that truth can be divulged. We thank the High Court for ordering a CBI probe in the case. We believe that a fair inquiry will be done now and justice will be given to the victims and their families,” the BJP MLAs said.


“We also demand that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inform the house over the entire incident and also hold a discussion in the House. Our protest will continue until the chief minister gives a statement over the matter in the House,” they added.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the case.


The High Court sought a report that is to be submitted by April 7. The case was being investigated by an SIT formed by the West Bengal government.


As many as eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh.


Director-General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, Manoj Malviya informed that 11 arrests have been made in the case so far. 

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Unification of the three municipal corporations of Delhi bill introduced in Parliament

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 01:22 AM PDT

New Delhi: Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Friday to unify the three municipal corporations of the national capital.


Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) opposed the introduction of the Bill in the Lower House. Earlier on Tuesday, the Union Cabinet gave its nod to present a bill for the unification of three municipal corporations in Delhi, “The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022”.


Erstwhile, Delhi Municipal Corporation was trifurcated into three municipal corporations including South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in the year 2011, as per Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Act, 1911 (Delhi Act, 12 Of 2011).


Earlier, State Election Commissioner SK Srivastava informed that the Centre has deferred the announcement of polling dates for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election after the central government raised a few issues that are yet to be legally examined by the Election Commission.


He also informed that the Centre is planning to “unify” the three civic bodies and hence did not announce the poll schedule.


The second half of the Budget session of Parliament began on March 14 and will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11. 

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Birbhum arson reverberates in Rajya Sabha, brings Roopa Ganguly to tears

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 01:15 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The unfortunate arson incident in West Bengal’s Birbhum that occurred early this week reverberated the Rajya Sabha on Friday with BJP leader from the state Roopa Ganguly breaking down over the tragedy while targeting the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, causing adjournment of the House for 10 minutes till 12.10 pm following ruckus.


“Being born in Bengal is not a crime”, said Ganguly while crying and wiping her tears, and mentioning “eight people, including two children, were burnt to death, Deputy Chairman sir”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s attack during Zero Hour drew retaliation from TMC members, sloganeering against the BJP government in Centre and then the party leader trooping into the well of the House.


Several MPs belonging to Bengal from treasury benches also came in support of Ganguly and they hit out at the West Bengal Chief Minister.


Despite repeated requests from Deputy Chairman Harivansh, the members from treasury benches and the TMC continued sloganeering against each other.


Amid the din, the Deputy Chairman tried to run the Zero Hour. As the ruckus continued, he then adjourned the House for 10 minutes till 12.10 pm.


Ganguly raised the issue three days after a nine-member delegation of BJP MPs from West Bengal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention and action against the perpetrators involved in the crime.


Following the meeting, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government over the arson incident which claimed lives of eight people after some houses were set on fire in the state’s Birbhum district.


Around 10-12 houses were set on fire by the mob on Monday night and charred bodies were recovered by the police on Tuesday morning.


The burnt bodies of eight people were found on Tuesday morning after houses were set on fire in Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum in protests over the alleged murder of a Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh– the deputy chief of the Barshal gram panchayat and a resident of Bogtui who died in a bomb attack late on Monday night.


Director-General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, Manoj Malviya informed on Tuesday that 11 arrests had been made in the case so far.

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NSA Doval call for ‘early and complete disengagement’ in meeting with Chinese FM

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 01:04 AM PDT

New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Friday told the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that there has to be “early and complete disengagement” in border areas for Indo-China ties to move forward.


India and China, in a meeting of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, have ensured that the actions of both the countries do not violate the spirit of equal and mutual security, the government sources said.

The two Asian neighbours also concurred to work in the same direction and resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible, the sources added.

The Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, held delegation-level talks with NSA Doval on Friday. In their meeting, the two sides emphasised the need to continue positive interactions at diplomatic and military levels for restoration of peace, a prerequisite for normalisation of bilateral relations.


This is the first interaction at the topmost level ever since the clashes between the two sides at the Galwan Valley in the summer of 2020.


Both countries have held several rounds of border talks to resolve the standoff. India has called for complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh at all friction points.
Today’s discussions between Doval and Wang were held in a cordial atmosphere, the sources said.


The two sides, according to government sources, discussed that the continuation of the present situation in the border areas is not in mutual interest, adding that restoration of peace and tranquillity will help build mutual trust and create enabling environment for progress in their relations.


With both India and China emphasising the need for maturity and sincerity, the Chinese side invited the NSA to visit China to take forward the mandate of Special Representatives (SRs).


The NSA Doval is learnt to have said that he could visit China after immediate issues are resolved successfully, said the sources.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets EAM S. Jaishankar

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 11:11 PM PDT

The key objective of Wang's visit is to restart physical engagement and also invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS meet to be hosted by Beijing later this year.


Before his India visit, the Chinese foreign minister attended the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad where he said, "On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope."


However, India had rejected his remarks on Kashmir and said that other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment on its internal affairs.

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Grammy 2022; Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Nas, and Chris Stapleton set to perform

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 11:02 PM PDT

Washington [US]: The Grammys 2022 just got a little more star power. The Recording Academy has unveiled the second round of performers for the 64th annual Grammy Awards.


This year’s Grammy nominees Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Nas, and Chris Stapleton are set to take the stage to deliver some dazzling performances.

This announcement was made on Thursday, reported Variety. A special ‘In Memoriam’ segment will also feature Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt, and Rachel Zegler singing songs by the late Stephen Sondheim.


The new slate of performances announced on Thursday join the list of previously confirmed sets, including BTS, Billie Eilish, Brothers Osborne, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Brandi Carlile, and Jack Harlow.


This year’s show, which was originally scheduled for January in Los Angeles before being postponed amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, will now be held in Las Vegas on April 3.


The award ceremony will be hosted by Trevor Noah for a second consecutive year. 

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Yogi oath-taking to be a grand event; Political heavyweights, religious leaders invited

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:58 PM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Several opposition leaders including Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and others have been invited to the oath-taking ceremony of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow on Friday.


Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati among others have also been invited. Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met Governor Anandiben Patel and staked a claim to form the government in the state after he was elected leader of the BJP legislative party.


Adityanath will take oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second time in a grand ceremony at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium at 4 pm today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda are among the list of invitees scheduled to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Apart from the union ministers, the Chief Ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior BJP leaders are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony.


Chief Ministers from BJP ruled states who will attend Yogi Adityanath’s oath-taking include Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Haryana CM ML Khattar, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Manipur CM Biren Singh, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai R Thakur and Tripura CM Biplab Deb, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. Pramod Sawant, who will take oath as the Chief Minister of Goa on March 28, will also be present at the event in Lucknow.


Religious leaders are being invited in large numbers to give their blessings for the government to work for the people of the state in the next five years. Prominent Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev will also be present at the ceremony.


Eminent industrialists, sportspersons, artists, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardees are also invited to the event.


The guest list also includes professionals, leaders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and retired government officers.


The BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.

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Chinese FM Wang Yi to meet NSA Ajit Doval shortly

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:55 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reached National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s office in South Block here on Friday and will meet him shortly.


The Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. This is the first visit of a senior Chinese leader to India in two years since the border stand-off between the two countries since May 2020.


The key objective of Wang’s visit is to restart physical engagement and also invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS meet to be hosted by Beijing later this year.


Before his India visit, the Chinese foreign minister attended the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad where he said, “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.”


However, India had rejected his remarks on Kashmir and said that other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment on its internal affairs.


Last month, EAM Jaishankar had said that India’s relations with China are going through a “very difficult phase” after Beijing violated the border agreements and asserted that the “state of border will determine the state of the relationship”.


After the Galwan Valley clash, both countries have held several rounds of border talks to resolve the standoff. India has called for complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh at all friction points.


On March 11, the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks were held between the two countries on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border point in which both sides agreed to maintain the security and stability along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector.

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Swiss open; PV Sindhu and K Srikanth storm into third round

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:48 PM PDT

Basel [Switzerland]: PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth entered the third round while men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock defeat at the ongoing Swiss Open being played at St. Jakobshalle here on Thursday.


India’s ace shuttler PV Sindhu thrashed Neslihan Yigit in straight games to storm past into the third round of Super 300 tournament. The second-seed double Olympic medallist defeated the player from Turkey by 21-19, 21-14 in 42 minutes.

At court 1, the third seeds of India, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock defeat in the men’s doubles round-2 encounter against the unseeded Indonesians. Satwik-Chirag went down to Indonesian pair of Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan by 19-21, 22-20 in 39 minutes.


In the men’s singles encounter Kidambi Srikanth rallied to an epic win. The 7th-seeded Indian edged Christo Popov in 73 minutes by 12-21, 25-23, 21-11 at court 2.


The other Indian in men’s singles, HS Prannoy also rallied to defeat his opponent to reach the next round in Basel. Prannoy defeated Kalle Koljonen in three games by 19-21, 21-13, 21-9 in 56 minutes. With this victory, Prannoy booked an all-Indian clash with Parupalli Kashyap, who received a walkover after World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen withdrew from the tournament.


This will be the first meeting between the Prannoy and Kashyap on the BWF circuit since 2017.


In women’s singles, India’s Ashmita Chaliha lost to Kirtsy Gilmour by 18-21, 22-20 in 40 minutes.


In the other women’s singles encounter, even after winning the first game, Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal went down against Kisona Selvaduray. The Malaysian defeated Nehwal by 17-21, 21-13, 21-13 in 55 minutes 

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Manika Batra & G. Sathiyan settle for silver, Sharath Kamal gets bronze in WTT Contender 2022

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:41 PM PDT

Doha [Qatar]: India ended their campaign with two medals with Manika Batra and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan settling for a silver in mixed doubles while Achanta Sharath Kamal bagging a bronze in men’s singles of the WTT Contender 2022 here at Lusail Sports Arena.


In mixed doubles, the third seed Indian pair of Manika Batra and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan lost to the top-seeded Chinese Taipei pair of Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching 4-11, 5-11, 3-11. The Indian mixed doubles pair were no match to their opponents losing the match in straight games and hence had to settle for a silver medal.

In men’s singles, India’s Achanta Sharath Kamal went down fighting 3-4 (5-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 10-12, 9-11) in the semifinals against China’s Yuan Licen.

The veteran Indian paddler fought hard but lost and therefore had to be content with a bronze taking India’s tally to two medals with one silver and one bronze.

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Archie comics film adaptation shooting begins with SRK’s daughter & Mr. Bachchan’s grandson

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:55 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, Sridevi-Boney Kapoor’s youngest Khushi Kapoor and megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda have begun shooting for ‘Archie Comics’ film adaptation.


The trio will be marking their Bollywood debut with the upcoming Netflix musical, helmed by Zoya Akhtar. Pictures from the sets of the film have gone viral on social media.

Khushi’s look resembles that of Betty from ‘Archie Comics’, while Suhana seems to be playing Veronica.

Agastya’s elder sister Navya Nanda was also spotted in the pictures from the set.

Set in the 1960s, the upcoming film will be a live-action musical set and introduce Riverdale to a new generation in India.


Zoya Akhtar’s company Tiger Baby Films will also co-produce the project with Graphic India. 

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Salman Khan wraps up shooting of Telugu film ‘Godfather’

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:48 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Salman Khan has wrapped a shooting schedule of his upcoming Telugu debut ‘Godfather’, which co-stars Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara, and Ram Charan.


Film’s director Mohan Raja shared the update on his Twitter handle, writing, “Finished an Amazing Schedule with the Mighty Man, Sweetness Personified Dearmost Bhai @beingsalmankhan. Thanks Bhai for Making this So Comfortable and So Memorable And Thanks to OUR pillar of Support @kchirutweets for making this happen for Our #GodFather @MusicThaman & Team.”


The details of the role that Salman will play in the film have currently been kept under wraps.


For the unversed, ‘Godfather’ is the Telugu remake of the 2019 blockbuster film ‘Lucifer’ which starred Mohanlal in the lead role with Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Vivek Oberoi. 

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‘Antytila’- popular Ukrainian band wants to remotely perform with ED Sheeran

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:43 PM PDT

Kyiv [Ukraine]: Members of popular Ukrainian band ‘Antytila’ have sent a video message to singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from the frontline, offering to perform remotely at the ‘Concert For Ukraine’.


As per Billboard, the ‘Concert For Ukraine’ is slated to take place on March 29 in Birmingham, England, and feature sets from Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Emeli Sande, Gregory Porter and Snow Patrol, with more acts to be added soon. The live two-hour special will raise funds for humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.


A video of the Ukrainian band ‘Antytila’ has gone viral on social media, in which they are asking to join the performance remotely from their home country.


In the clip, they said, “Hello Ed, greetings from Kyiv! We are musicians of the Ukrainian band Antytila – one of the most popular Ukrainian bands with a lot of fans in Ukraine and all over the world. The war has changed our lives and now we are fighting with weapons against the Russian occupiers. We thank you, and all the British people for their support. Believe me, we are grateful, and we will always, always remember this.”


They then talked about making a live broadcast between Kyiv and Birmingham.


They added, “Today we learned about your charity concert for Ukraine, which will take place in Birmingham. And we offer to make a live broadcast between Kyiv and Birmingham with Antytila temporary joining the gig remotely. Our band will play our music in Kyiv, a city that has not surrendered and will never surrender to the Russian occupiers. You will play in Birmingham.”


Further, they talked about the power of music.


“We are not afraid to play under the bombs. Through music, we want to show the world that Ukraine is strong and unconquered. We will fight and sing for victory in front of the whole world that supports us. So on March 29, we are ready,” they signed off.


The broadcast of the concert will air on ITV, STV, ITV Hub and the STV Player in a collaboration with the Disasters Emergency Committee, with the goal of spreading a message of “hope and support, and most importantly, raising funds for the ongoing DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal,” according to a statement obtained by Billboard.
All sponsorship and advertising revenue generated from the broadcast — expected to raise nearly USD 4 million — will be donated by ITV to the DEC appeal. 

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Charlie Puth breaks down in tears while reflecting on his painful break-up

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:36 PM PDT

Washington [US]: Charlie Puth broke down in tears while announcing his upcoming single, titled ‘That’s Hilarious’ in an Instagram video.


As for the reason behind his tearful video, Charlie, 30, explained that the song’s subject matter draws from a “challenging” and painful breakup.

“It just rears its ugly head every time–sorry–every time that I hear it,” the artist explained, taking a moment to wipe away tears.

“I’m also really excited for you to hear it as well because I just heard the master, but it just brought me back to 2019, which was the f–king worst year of my life.”


The story behind the song seemingly continued to weigh on his heart.


“I never told people what happened to me and the pain that I went through going through the worst breakup of my life in 2019,” he said. “I just wanted to throw it under the carpet and just start over and surround myself with better people.”


The ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ singer tearfully concluded the video, saying, “This is the hardest song that I’ve ever had to put together and I’m so excited for you to hear it. So thank you.”

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‘Nova’ may join the Marvel cinematic universe

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:29 PM PDT

Washington [US]: ‘Nova’ (Richard Rider) seems to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


According to Deadline, Marvel is developing a ‘Nova’ project with ‘Moon Knight’ scribe Sabir Pirzada. It is unknown for now whether this will be developed as a feature film or a limited series for Disney+.


‘Nova’ first appeared in a 1976 issue of ‘Super Adventures’ as a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, for which he gained superhuman abilities including enhanced strength, flight and resistance to injury.


Meanwhile, Pirzada’s ‘Moon Knight’ series premieres on March 30 on Disney+.

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‘Hannah Montana’ completes 16yrs of release; Miley Cyrus pens heartfelt note

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:24 PM PDT

Washington [US]: As one of the most loved Disney shows ‘Hannah Montana’ completed 16 years of its release, singer-actor Miley Cyrus penned a heartfelt note for the show which changed her life forever.


Taking to her Instagram handle, Miley shared pictures from the show and wrote, “Happy 16th Hannah-versary! 16 years ago my life changed forever when HM premiered. Because of your loyalty and support I’ve had the honour to travel the world for over a decade and perform for fans that bring so much greatness into my life.

Grateful to each of you for all of your love & ATTENTION! You personally paved my path! Eternally thankful!”


Cyrus became a household name when the show made its debut on the Disney Channel in 2006.


The show revolved around the life of Miley Stewart, an average teenage girl who lives a double life as a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana while trying to conceal her true identity from the public.


‘Hannah Montana’ ran on the Disney Channel from 2006 to 2011, and a star-studded film ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie’ was released in theatres in 2009.

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Cardi B and her family to do a cameo on Baby Shark’s Big Show’

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:16 PM PDT

Washington [US]: Cardi B is all set to make her cameo on ‘Baby Shark’s Big Show’ along with her family.


As per Billboard, the rapper will guest-star as Sharki B on the animated preschool series, and she’ll be joined by her husband Offset (voicing Offshark) and 3-year-old daughter Kulture (Kulture Shark).


On the show’s April 15 episode, Baby Shark and his best friend William meet Sharki B and learn ‘The Seaweed Sway,’ the viral song-and-dance set she has created.


‘Baby Shark’s Big Show!’ — based on the Pinkfong song ‘Baby Shark’ and its record-shattering dance video — premiered on Nick Jr. in December 2020 with a Christmas special. In addition to the Nickelodeon series, a ‘Baby Shark’ movie is on the way in 2023.

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Unity between US and Europe is important, we need to stop this guy (Putin)- Joe Biden

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:59 PM PDT

In a meeting with the leaders of the European Union (EU) at their Council meeting on Thursday (local time), US President Joe Biden reiterated commitment towards transatlantic unity in the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a White House official.

“President Biden enjoyed a warm and friendly meeting with EU leaders at their Council meeting tonight. According to the official, the discussion focused on Russia and Ukraine, including continued support for sanctions and humanitarian assistance, with a strong message of transatlantic unity and the need to stay the course animating the evening.

“President Biden delivered powerful closing remarks, speaking from the heart about why Europe–the EU, NATO, the transatlantic alliance–is so important to the US,” added the official.

Notably, before heading for the Council meeting, Biden had said that he would “discuss China” with the European Council.

On being asked if he trusts China, Biden said, “Yes,” before adding “well, we’ll discuss China. I’ve spent some time with Xi Jinping and I hope we’re gonna get the chance to discuss China.”

He also said that unity between the United States and Europe was “the single most important thing that we can do to stop this guy (Putin) who’s, in our country, we believe he’s already committed war crimes”, according to the media outlet.

Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics requested help in defending themselves. What followed the military operation was a slew of sanctions imposed by the western countries targeting the Russian economy.

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Chinese FM Wang Yi to meet S. Jaishankar today

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:49 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in New Delhi from Kabul on Thursday, is set to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday.


He is also likely to meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Wang Yi was in Afghanistan’s Kabul on Thursday after his three-day visit to Pakistan. This is the first visit of a senior Chinese leader in two years since the border stand-off between the two countries since May 2020.


There has been disengagement from areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and India and China have been holding military and diplomatic talks for further disengagement from the remaining friction points.


The visit by the Chinese minister comes at a time when India had rejected his remarks on Kashmir at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad. India had also said that other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs.


After the Galwan Valley clash, both countries have held several rounds of border talks to resolve the standoff. India has called for complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh at all friction points.


On March 11, the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks were held between the two countries on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border point in which both sides agreed to maintain the security and stability along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector

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Yuan weakens against the dollar for the second day

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 PM PDT

Beijing [China]: On the second Consecutive day, the central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, weakened 99 pips to 6.3739 against the US dollar on Friday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.


Yesterday, it was weakened 82 pips to 6.364 against the US dollar. In China’s spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 per cent from the central parity rate each trading day, Xinhua News Agency reported.


The central parity rate of the yuan against the US dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day, it added. 

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COVID-19: South Korea reports 339,514 new cases

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:42 PM PDT

South Korea reported 339,514 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 11,162,232, the health authorities said Friday.

The daily caseload was down sharply from 395,597 in the previous day, staying below 400,000 for two straight days, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The recent resurgence was driven by infections in the Seoul metropolitan area amid the Omicron variant spread.

Of the new cases, 66,941 were Seoul residents. The number of newly infected people living i Gyeonggi province and the western port city of Incheon was 87,703 and 21,773 respectively.

The virus spread also raged in the non-metropolitan region. The number of new infections in the non-capital areas was 163,068, or 48.0 per cent of the total local transmission.

Among the new cases, 29 were imported from overseas, lifting the total to 30,848.
The number of infected people who were in a serious condition stood at 1,085, up 4 from the previous day.

A total of 393 more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 14,294. The total fatality rate was 0.13 per cent.

The country has administered COVID-19 vaccines to 44,938,697 people, or 87.6 percent of the total population, and the number of fully inoculated people was 44,467,812, or 86.7 percent of the population.

The number of those who received booster jabs was 32,524,158 people, or 63.4 percent of the population. 

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Prices of Petrol & Diesel hiked by 80p; 3rd hike in 4 days

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:38 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The prices of petrol and diesel on Friday were once again hiked across the country after a gap of a day.


Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise per litre in the national capital. The petrol and diesel in Delhi will cost Rs 97.81 per litre and Rs 89.07 per litre respectively today.

In Mumbai, the petrol price is increased by 84 paise, sold at Rs 112.51 per litre and after 85 paise hike, the price of diesel is Rs 96.70 per litre.


Chennai saw a jump in petrol and diesel prices by 76 paise per litre each. Petrol will cost Rs 103.67 per litre and diesel at Rs 93.71 per litre in Chennai.


Petrol is priced at Rs 106.34 per litre after an increase of 84 paise in Kolkata and diesel is sold at Rs 91.42 a litre, after an increase of 80 paise.


This is the third increase in four days after a pause of over four months. Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise per litre each on Tuesday and Wednesday.


Earlier on Thursday, the oil companies raised the prices of petrol and diesel, the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) increased the rate of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by Rs 1 per kilogram.


The price of one kg CNG has reached Rs 59.01 per kg in Delhi.

The IGL has also increased the price of domestic piped natural gas (PNG) by Rs 1 per standard cubic meter (SCM) effective from Thursday.

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886 civilians killed, wounded or kidnapped in Mali: UN

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:34 PM PDT

At least 886 civilians were killed, injured or missing in Mali in the second half of last year, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said in a note published on Thursday.

Of the victims, 40 are children and 65 are women, the MINUSMA said. According to the document, the number of violence-affected civilians decreased slightly by 7 per cent from the first half of last year.

Human rights abuses that were attributable to groups, such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, have increased by 21 per cent from the previous period.

The note said that the violence was concentrated in the centre of the country, notably in the regions of Bandiagara, Douentza, Mopti and Segou, with a shift towards the southern regions.

Since 2012, Mali has been facing a deep multifaceted crisis at the security, political and economic levels.

Independence insurgencies, jihadist incursions and inter-community violence have left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced in this West African country.

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Maruti Suzuki appoints Hisashi Takeuchi as MD & CEO

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:31 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on Thursday said its board has appointed Hisashi Takeuchi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from 1st April 2022 for a period of three years.


The term of the current MD & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa expires on 31st March 2022.

Ayukawa has been the Managing Director of Maruti Suzuki India Limited since April 2013. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, Ayukawa will continue as a Whole-time Director designated as Executive Vice Chairman till 30th September 2022, and will continue to provide guidance to the company, Maruti Suzuki said in a statement.


Reacting to his appointment as MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki, Takeuchi, said, “I thank the Board of Directors for placing this trust in me. Maruti Suzuki is a great organisation with a rich legacy and it will be my endeavour that we keep serving more and more customers both in India and the world with exciting cars that are good for them, environment and society.”


“We will also try to build our business in a manner that strengthens Atma-Nirbhar Bharat and the economic growth of India,” Takeuchi added.


Takeuchi joined Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) in 1986. With vast experience in the international operations at SMC as well as in overseas markets, he has been on the Board of Maruti Suzuki since July 2019 and as Joint Managing Director (Commercial) since April 2021.

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US, allies call on Taliban to revoke ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:27 PM PDT

Condemning the Taliban’s decision not to reopen secondary schools to Afghan girls, the United States and its allies have called on the group to revoke its decision.

A joint statement issued by Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union has condemned the Taliban’s decision on March 23 to deny so many Afghan girls the opportunity to finally go back to school.

“The Taliban’s action contradicted its public assurances to the Afghan people and to the international community,” read the statement, adding that the decision came after months of work by the international community to support teacher stipends based on an expectation that schools would be open for all, with the higher interest of Afghan students and teachers in mind.

“We call on the Taliban urgently to reverse this decision, which will have consequences far beyond its harm to Afghan girls. Unreversed, it will profoundly harm Afghanistan’s prospects for social cohesion and economic growth, its ambition to become a respected member in the community of nations, and the willingness of Afghans to return from overseas,” added the statement.

The statement further said that the move will have an inevitable impact on the Taliban’s prospects of gaining political support and legitimacy either at home or abroad. “Every Afghan citizen, boy or girl, man or woman, has an equal right to an education at all levels, in all provinces of the country,” it added.

Notably, as the new school year begins in Afghanistan, the Taliban has announced that the boys can continue their education normally, however, the doors of the schools will be closed to girls beyond the sixth grade, reported local media.

“The Ministry of Education once again assures our nation that it is fully committed to providing the educational rights of all our compatriots. In order to generalize and standardize the quality of education …,” Tolo News quoted Aziz Ahmad Rayan, director of publications and communications at the Taliban Ministry of Education.
Rayan added that the schools for the girls beyond grade six will remain closed for now and the final decision on the same will be made by Taliban leadership.

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46,000 stalled units of the Amrapali group will be delivered by June 2024; NBCC chief

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:22 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: ANAROCK Group, the exclusive channel partner for the sale of 5000+ unsold homes in projects by the erstwhile Amrapali Group, has sold 150 units at an approx. sale value of INR 70 Cr. within just 30 days.


ANAROCK will deploy its proprietary PropTech marketing tools to market these projects. NBCC has undertaken the completion of 650+ units in Noida and 4500+ units in 23 projects in Greater Noida under the aegis of Amrapali Stalled Projects and Investment Reconstruction Establishment (ASPIRE) and supervision of the Supreme Court of India.


P K Gupta, CMD – NBCC, says, “41,000+ sold and 5,000+ unsold units in 20+ stalled projects, together accounting for 46,000+ units, will be delivered by NBCC in tranches by June 2024. It is the beginning of the biggest customer redressal initiative in the history of Noida/Greater Noida’s real estate market.”


This been the biggest launch of any real estate project in NCR, comprising of 23 projects which include more than 5600 units of different size apartments.


Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Group says, “The real estate market in Noida and Greater Noida is once again in growth mode, and there is high demand for the revitalised NBCC projects. Unsold housing stock in Noida and Greater Noida has reduced by 21% in the last 2 years.

The total unsold stock in the two cities collectively stood at 64,010 units by 2019-end; it came down to approx. 50,260 units by 2021-end. Despite the pandemic, the two cities witnessed high sales.”


“NCR recorded the maximum project completions among the top 7 cities in 2021. Approx. 86,590 units were completed in 2021, out of which Noida 5,430 units completed while in Greater Noida saw 14,750 units completed. Buyer demand today is heavily tilted towards ready properties.”


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No-trust motion against Imran Khan on agenda today in Pakistan Assembly session

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:19 PM PDT

The crucial session of the Pakistan National Assembly will begin today in which the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan will be moved.

According to the National Assembly Secretariat, the house will meet at 11 am, with Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair. A 15-point agenda of Friday’s session issued by the Secretariat on Thursday night also includes the no-confidence motion.

Notably, acting on mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan, the Opposition parties submitted the no-confidence motion in National Assembly on March 8.

In the 342-member National Assembly, the Imran Khan government requires at least 172 members to sail through the no-confidence vote.

However, several dissident MNAs of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came out in open and the government allies are reported to have sided with the Opposition, thus, it is yet to be seen if Imran Khan succeeds in defeating the no-trust motion.

Further, in reference to the defection of Parliament members, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Thursday said that not counting votes that members will cast during no-trust proceedings against Imran Khan would be “contemptuous”. 

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Target of Natural gas consumption raised to 15% of total energy mix by 2030

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:10 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has set a target to raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030 from the current around 6.7 per cent, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameswar Teli said on Thursday.


In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said, “various steps taken by the Government in this direction include expansion of National Gas Grid Pipeline, expansion of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network, setting up of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminals, allocation of domestic gas to Compressed Natural Gas (Transport) / Piped Natural Gas (Domestic) CNG(T)/PNG(D) in no cut category, allowing marketing and pricing freedom to gas produced from high pressure/high temperature areas, deep water & ultra-deep water and from coal seams, Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiatives to promote Bio-CNG, etc.”

With the aim to increase coverage of CGD Networks in the country, Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has authorised 268 GAs for development of CGD Network in the country.


Further, Letters of Intent have been issued for 21 GAs. Also, PNGRB has launched 11A CGD bidding round for development of CGD Networks in 6 GAs (covering 27 districts). After that, the CGD network shall potentially cover 98 per cent population and 88 per cent geographical areas of the country, the minister said. 

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Popular chain of educational institutes raided by IT dept.

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:59 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Income Tax (IT) Department said on Thursday it has conducted raids on a popular chain of educational institutes, running several schools and colleges at multiple locations in India and abroad.

The search operation covered more than 25 premises spread over locations in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.


The search and seizure operation was conducted on 14th March. During the search, several incriminating evidences including hard copy documents and digital data have been found and seized, which reveal that substantial funds have been siphoned-off from the Trusts for the personal benefit of the group’s promoters and their family members, in violation of provisions relating to claim of exemption by the Trusts under the Income-tax Act, 1961, according to a statement released by the Union Ministry of Finance.


During the search, evidences of about two dozen immovable properties located in Maharashtra, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu have also been gathered which are either benami properties or not disclosed in the respective returns of Income. These properties have been placed under provisional attachment.


The search also revealed evidences of borrowings on Hundi aggregating to Rs 55 crore, and their repayment in cash in the form of discharged Promissory Notes/Bills of Exchange, which were found & seized.


The IT search action has resulted in the seizure of unaccounted cash of Rs 27 lakh and jewellery worth Rs 3.90 crore, the Finance Ministry said. 

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Ukraine Crisis: Russia to open humanitarian corridor for foreign ships.

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:58 PM PDT

Russia on Friday claimed to open a humanitarian corridor to allow foreign ships to leave Ukrainian ports, said Ukraine’s local media outlet The Kyiv Independent on Friday.

“The corridor would be 3 miles wide an open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 25.

Earlier, Russia claimed there were drifting mines in the Black Sea,” wrote the media outlet.

The humanitarian condition in Ukraine continues to worsen as Mariupol City Council calls for help as residents begin to die from starvation.

According to the local media, more and more people are left without any food while multiple attempts to create humanitarian corridors and to provide aid have failed as Russian troops continue to violate ceasefire agreements.

Moreover, as the Ukraine-Russia war enters the second month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives four cities the honorary title of ‘Hero City’ and seven National Guard service members ‘Hero of Ukraine’ title.

The four cities to receive the title were Bucha, Irpin, Mykolaiv, and Okhtyrka. Five of the seven service members received the award posthumously.

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Ukraine Crisis: Belarus supporting Russia’s invasion, Australia imposes sanctions on Lukashenko

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:48 PM PDT

Citing Belarus’ continuous strategic support to Russia and its military forces, Australia on Friday has placed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and members of his family along with 22 Russians including senior editors from organisations including Russia Today, the Strategic Culture Foundation, InfoRos and NewsFront.

The Government of Belarus, under President Lukashenko, continues to provide strategic support to Russia and its military forces in their assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, said the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking on the sanctions on Lukashenko’s family, the statement read, “We are also placing sanctions on his son Viktor Lukashenko, who previously held senior national security roles in the Belarussian Government, and his wife Galina Lukashenko, the First Lady of Belarus.”

“These latest steps, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, continue our focussed efforts to ensure that Russia and those who support its illegal, unprovoked invasion of its democratic neighbour, pay a high cost,” it read.

It slammed Belarus saying, “it has allowed Russia to fire ballistic missiles from Belarus into Ukraine, enabled the transport of Russian military personnel, heavy weapons and tanks into Ukraine, provided refuelling points in Belarus for Russian military aircraft and stored Russian weapons and military equipment.”

Australia reiterated its “unwavering” support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the people of Ukraine. It called upon Russia to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine. 

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Government e-Marketplace eyes Rs. 1.5L Crore procurement in 2022-23

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:48 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has attained an annual procurement of Rs 1 Lakh crore in the current financial year and this figure is likely to surge to Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2022-23, Prashant Kumar Singh, CEO, GeM, said on Thursday.


Talking to media persons, Singh said cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of the Government e-Marketplace reached Rs 1 Lakh crore over 4 and half years from inception till 23rd March 2021, whereas the GMV of GeM in the current Financial Year surpassed Rs 1 lakh crore in less than a year.

This represents a 160 per cent growth compared to the last financial year. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about this accomplishment.


“Happy to know that Government e Marketplace (GeM) has achieved order value of Rs 1 lakh crore in a single year! This is a significant increase from previous years. The GeM platform is especially empowering MSMEs, with 57 per cent of order value coming from the MSME sector,” the prime minister said in a tweet.


GeM is an online platform for public procurement in India. The initiative was launched on August 9, 2016, by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with an objective to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.


Singh added that the portal had transformed public procurement in India by driving its three pillars viz. inclusion, usability and transparency and efficiency and cost saving. The number of orders has also surpassed 31.5 Lakh in the current financial year with a growth at the rate of 22 per cent.

In a short span of 5 years, GeM has become one of the biggest government e-procurement platforms in the world.


Referring to the share of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Singh said that approximately Rs 43,000 crore worth procurement was done by CPSEs (43 per cent of total GMV) on GeM, showing an approximate growth of 508 per cent as compared to last FY.


He also asserted that States continued to be an important stakeholder with approx. 30 per cent contribution to total GMV.


Highlighting the role played by GeM in ushering in inclusion in government procurement, Singh said that GeM has taken a host of steps to onboard products of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), tribal communities, craftsmen, weavers, and MSMEs.

57 per cent of the total business on GeM has come through the MSME units and over 6 per cent has been contributed by female entrepreneurs. It may be noted that the number of women sellers and entrepreneurs on GeM has grown 6 times in a year.


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Yogi Adityanath to take oath as Uttar Pradesh CM today

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:25 PM PDT

Yogi Adityanath will take oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second time on Friday in a grand ceremony at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior BJP leaders are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony. According to sources, around 85 thousand people will be attending the grand ceremony in Lucknow.

A grand stage has been set up and posters have been put with slogans that read ‘New UP of New India (Naye Bharat ka Naya UP)’.

Adityanath will script history as he takes oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for a second term in office after completing a full five-year term, a feat none of his predecessors has been able to achieve.

It is the first time that a party in UP has returned to power in successive polls after 37 years.

The BJP won 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh with its allies in the state also registering impressive performance. The chief minister is expected to carry the momentum of the party’s electoral victory to fulfill the poll promises and give a further push for the development of the state in his second term. 

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CM Bhagwant Mann meets PM Modi; discusses Punjab issues

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:32 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Days after Aam Aadmi Party won Punjab Assembly Elections, State Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.


The Chief Minister is hopeful that people of Punjab will get the necessary support from the Central Government. In a tweet today, Bhagwant Mann wrote, “I called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and discussed Punjab issues. I sincerely hope that the burning issues of Punjab will get the necessary support from the Central Government.”


Mann took the oath of office at Khatkar Kalan village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on March 16.


In the recently-concluded Punjab elections, the AAP registered a landslide victory, winning 92 seats, pushing the Congress party to distant second at 18 seats.

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Yogi meets UP governor, stakes claim to form government

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:26 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Uttar Pradesh Chief-Ministerial designate Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met Governor Anandiben Patel and staked claim to form the government in the state, after he was elected leader of the BJP legislative party.


Earlier today Adityanath was unanimously chosen as leader of the BJP legislative party in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of BJP’s central observers — Union home minister Amit Shah and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das. BJP’s central observer Raghubar Das, Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad, Ashish Patel of the Apna Dal (S) also presented letters of support to Governor Anandiben Patel.


Adityanath, who led his party to a thumping victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections, will be the first Chief Minister in the last 37 years to return to power after completing a full term.


The BJP retained power in the state by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.


Adityanath, a monk-turned-politician, won his first-ever Assembly election by a margin of 1,03,390 from Gorakhpur Urban constituency, defeating the Samajwadi Party candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla, who secured 62,109 votes in the recently-concluded UP Assembly elections.

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Priyanka Chopra stuns in Dazzling Black saree in pre Oscar party

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:18 AM PDT

Washington [US]: Priyanka Chopra channelled her inner desi girl in a dazzling black sequinned saree, at the ‘Celebrate South Asian Excellence’ pre-Oscar event.


Pictures and videos of the star ‘PeeCee’ from the pre-Oscars party held on Wednesday in Beverly Hills have been doing rounds on the internet. The star paired her outfit matching jewels and flawless makeup.

The 39-year-old actor was among hosts of the event which was also co-hosted by Mindy Kaling and Kumail Nanjiani.

In the viral videos from the event, Priyanka spoke about her journey to Hollywood, and also the presence of South Asian artists in Hollywood at the party that was organised to celebrate South Asian excellence in films.

In one of the viral videos, Priyanka said, “Each and everyone of you are here today because you are excellent in what you do. I came ten years ago and started looking for work in America.”


Recalling the time when she was the only brown celebrity at the party she said, “We went out there and met everyone else. But today, I am not someone else. Today, I stand amongst peers, amongst colleagues, amongst South Asian excellence. I have goosebumps, I am emotional, it makes me very proud.”


Priyanka also talked about how she and Nick are keeping busy after the arrival of their daughter in January.


She said, “Haven’t been stepping out anywhere but had to come here tonight just to say this that I’m highly proud to be rubbing shoulders with all of you, to be encouraging you.”


“Make business plans, make deals, let’s get out there, let’s forge a path where we are unstoppable and that can only happen if we do it together. I’m gonna do that tonight,” Priyanka said in a viral video.


For the unversed, Priyanka Chopra debuted in Hollywood with the 2015 thriller TV show ‘Quantico’ as a lead. She went on to star as an antagonist in the 2017 Hollywood action-comedy film ‘Baywatch’ and also as Sati in the recently released ‘The Matrix Resurrections’, starring Keanu Reeves in the lead.


Priyanka will next be seen in Hollywood films like ‘Ending Things’, ‘Text For You’ and web series ‘Citadel’.


She will also star in Farhan Akhtar’s Bollywood film ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles.

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Japan beat Australia to qualify for FIFA world cup-2022 Qatar

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:10 AM PDT

Sydney [Australia]: Japan secured their place in a seventh successive FIFA World Cup emerging from a crucial AFC Asian Qualifiers – clash against Australia with a 2-0 goal win on Thursday in Sydney.


A pair of late goals from substitute Kaoru Mitoma finally rewarded Japan on a night where they peppered the Australian goal, leaving the Socceroos in a precarious position in their own bid to reach Qatar 2022.

The result means Graham Arnold’s side will enter the playoffs in June, with wins required over the third-placed side in Group A, as well as the fifth-placed South American side, if they are to qualify.


Driving rain greeted the players for the latest instalment of one of Asian football’s great modern rivalries, and it took Japan less than a minute to test Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who held a dangerous 15-yard effort from Takumi Minamino.

Several efforts went and passed but neither team managed to get a breakthrough.


With the game reaching a goalless draw, it was Australia who most needed to score, but Japan always looked more likely to, and their reward finally arrived in the 89th minute, with Miki Yamane supplying his former Kawasaki Frontale teammate Mitoma, who calmly beat Ryan from close range.


Mitoma’s superb cameo continued when he added a second in stoppage time, slipping an effort under the palms of Ryan as Japan celebrated their sixth win in a row, and another trip to the top tier of world football. 

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IPL 2022: Shane Watson and Agarkar excited to be in DC Camp

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:09 AM PDT

The two new faces among the Delhi Capitals coaching staff for the IPL 2022 season- Former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar and former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson – have expressed their excitement on starting a new journey.

Speaking about his first few days with the Delhi Capitals players, Agarkar said, “It’s been excellent to be in the Delhi Capitals camp. There are a lot of young players in the side. I could see from the outside that the DC management has created a nice environment around the team and that shows in the franchise’s success. There are a lot of new faces that have joined the team, including me, and it’s our responsibility that the good environment stays intact.”

Agarkar also spoke about working with the Delhi Capitals head coach, “Ricky Ponting is a big factor behind a lot of people wanting to work in this team. I’ve been fortunate enough to play against him a few times and I have also played IPL with him. I have known him for a long time. And I know how much the young players enjoy working with Ricky.”

Meanwhile, Watson expressed about the players he is looking forward to work with in the DC camp, “There are a lot of exciting young talents in the Delhi Capitals. I have played with Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh and I am super excited to reconnect and work with them in a different capacity. Lalit Yadav is another really exciting player that I have seen during training. But, I am here to help everyone and I am excited about this opportunity.”

Watson further added: “The thing about coaching that excites me the most is the chance to help people become better versions of themselves. The chance of working with Ricky was not something I was going to let go of. He has always been an incredible leader and mentor for me.”

The IPL 2022 will begin on March 26, 2022. Delhi Capitals will take on Mumbai Indians in their first match of the season on March 27, 2022.

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IPL 2022: Ruturaj and Jadeja will be key players for CSK believes Sunil Gavaskar

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:58 AM PDT

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), defending and four-time champions, will take on two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of the IPL 2022 on March 26. All eyes will be on some of the home-grown players who have impressed everyone with their performances and maturity.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that the CSK duo Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad will play key roles in the team’s campaign in the 15th edition of the event which will be played at four venues in Maharashtra – Wankhede, Barbourne, DY Patil and MCA Stadium in Pune.

Speaking about the leading run-scorer in the last edition, Sunil Gavaskar said: “Ruturaj Gaikwad is another player who has very little areas to improve. There is nothing really required as far as Gaikwad’s improvement is concerned. He has got all the shots in the book, but the most impressive aspect is his shot selection. Whatever shot he plays, he doesn’t get cowed down.”

“He is not afraid to play the lofted shot when required and his shot selection has been very good in the IPL. All he needs to do is keep on scoring runs similar to last season,” Gavaskar added.

Former India opener, Aakash Chopra has put his money on Venkatesh Iyer to give KKR explosive starts with his destructive batting.

“For Team India, he was in the team playing a completely different role as a batting all-rounder and playing the role of a finisher which, in my opinion is a very tough thing to do. But for KKR this season, I see him playing the role of an explosive opener,” said Chopra.

“If you look at the second half of the last IPL, no one really expected him to do what he did. The grounds in Maharashtra are very conducive for stroke making and he will look to provide KKR the kind of start they must be expecting him to give,” he added. 

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UNGA adopts resolution on Humanitarian situation in Ukraine; India abstains

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:56 AM PDT

New York [US]: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on Thursday, with 140 countries voting in favour and five against.


A total of 38 countries including India abstained. Meanwhile, Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria voted against it. “The General Assembly adopted a resolution that calls out Russia’s assault on Ukraine for creating a dire humanitarian situation, pushes for a humanitarian corridor, and demands that fighting stops. In favour: 140 Against: 5 Abstained: 38,” the UN News tweeted.


The resolution deplores the “humanitarian consequences” of Russia’s actions.
Earlier this, India had abstained from voting on a similar resolution against Russia at UNGA.


The UNGA had overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

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Allies more interested in joining opposition ahead of No-trust motion in Pakistan

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:50 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Ahead of a no-trust motion on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was informed that allied parties of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) were now more inclined to side with the opposition.


Moreover, the estranged party MNAs also appeared uninterested in returning to the party’s fold. In fact, in a meeting of PTI’s political committee presided by Imran Khan, it was informed that “angry party, members” also apparently were not ready to review their position, reported The News International on Thursday.

In this connection, they cited video clips of some of them while others were not interested in going public before the voting on the no-trust motion but their chances of returning to the PTI’s fold were quite slim.


The meeting included federal ministers Pervaiz Khattak, Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and others.


The committee informed Khan that their interaction with the MQM-Pakistan and PML-Q and others, was not very encouraging, as they were no more interested in going along with the government in the given situation, and instead were more interested in joining the opposition camp, reported The News International.


The political committee reviewed the latest political situation with special reference to the opposition’s no-trust motion and the upcoming session of the National Assembly and the government’s options. 

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IPL 2022: Kohli lauds Dhoni’s ‘legendary’ captaincy tenure at CSK

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:44 AM PDT

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday lavished praise on MS Dhoni’s “legendary” tenure as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and said the fans will never forget the rich legacy of the wicket-keeper batter.

MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of CSK to Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the much-awaited season of IPL 2022. “Legendary captaincy tenure in yellow skip. A chapter fans will never forget. Respect always,” Kohli captioned the post on Koo app.

Ravindra Jadeja, who has been an integral part of CSK since 2012, will only be the third player to lead the Chennai-based franchise. Dhoni will continue to represent CSK this season, an official statement from the franchise confirmed.

Dhoni, who was the most expensive buy at the inaugural IPL auction in February 2008, has been the captain of CSK since the beginning of the IPL. Under his leadership, CSK has registered a record 121 wins in 204 matches in the IPL.

The IPL games will be played across stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune with an audience occupancy rate of 25 per cent as per COVID-19 protocols.

In all, 20 matches each will be held at Wankhede Stadium & DY Patil Stadium, 15 matches each at Brabourne and MCA International Stadium, Pune. 

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PM meets Sikh intellectuals from around the country

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:40 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a delegation of Sikh intellectuals from across the country at his residence on Thursday and emphasised the importance of the spirit of unity which acts as the central pillar amidst the wide and beautiful diversity of the country.


The Prime Minister said efforts are being made to develop professional courses in Indian languages so that higher education in the mother tongue becomes reality.

A PMO release said the meeting witnessed freewheeling interaction by the Prime Minister with the delegation on diverse topics like farmer welfare, youth empowerment, drug-free society, National Educational Policy, skilling, employment, technology and Punjab’s overall development trajectory.


Expressing happiness at his meeting with the delegation, the Prime Minister said that the intellectuals are opinion-makers of society.


He urged the members of the delegation to engage and educate people and work towards making the citizenry properly informed.


“He emphasised the importance of the spirit of unity which acts as the central pillar amidst the wide and beautiful diversity of our country,” the release said.


The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and said they had never imagined that “the Prime Minister of the country would engage with them in such an informal setting”.


“They also appreciated the continuous and multiple steps taken by the Prime Minister for the betterment of Sikh community,” the release said.

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PM to conduct ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ on April-1

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:29 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the students, teachers and parents across the country during the 5th edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ on April 1, according to information received by Education Ministry.


The Prime Minister had conceptualised the unique interactive programme in which students, parents, teachers across the nation and also from overseas interact with him to discuss and overcome the stress emerging out of examinations.

An online creative writing competition was conducted in December-January to select participants. Around 15.7 lakh participants had registered for the creative writing competition.


‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ has been organised successfully for the last four years by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. The first three editions of Pariksha Pe Charcha were held in New Delhi in a town-hall interactive format. The fourth edition was held online on April 17, 2021.

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Democracy under greatest threat in West Bengal; BJP

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:21 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Amid the row over the Birbhum violence, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday said democracy is under the biggest threat in West Bengal.


The BJP leader slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the “falling law and order situation in West Bengal.” Briefing mediapersons here Patra said, “This is the fall of humanity. The way eight people were burnt to death, is a matter of great concern for the entire country. A few questions should be asked to Mamata Banerjee.

These are revenge killings. Democracy is under the greatest threat in West Bengal. According to the postmortem report, these people were badly beaten up and then burnt alive. This is almost like a concentration camp.


Terming Mamata Banerjee as “Nirmam Banerjee”, the BJP leader further said, “These are gruesome killings. This is because the administration is working hand-in-glove with these people. Even ambulances were not being sent to that place on time.”


Patra demanded that Chief Minister Banerjee apologise for her remarks for likening the brutal incident with mere sneezing. He said, “Is this equivalent to sneezing? Would you compare this with sneezing? Mamata Banerjee should apologise.”


A total of eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bhadu Sheikh.


Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reached Bagtui village in Rampurhat to meet the kin of those who were killed in the Birbhum violence.


The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the Rampurhat incident and directed that the state government submit within 24 hours a status report on the incident.


The Court had also directed the state government to install CCTV cameras for round-the-clock surveillance. Following the direction. CCTV cameras are being installed in the violence-affected area of Rampurhat.


A special investigation team has been formed to probe the matter.

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Rajnath Singh congratulates CM designate Yogi Adityanath

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:10 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday extended his best wishes to Chief Minister-designate Yogi Adityanath on being elected as the leader of the Uttar Pradesh BJP Legislature Party at a meeting held today in Lucknow.


“I extend my heartiest congratulations to Yogi Adityanath on being elected the leader in the Uttar Pradesh BJP Legislature Party meeting today. Under his leadership, the state continues to progress on the path of progress, my best wishes,” Rajnath tweeted in Hindi (roughly translated).


Earlier this evening, Yogi Adityanath was elected as the leader of the Legislative Party in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.


In the recent Assembly polls, the BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies.


Addressing BJP MLAs in Lucknow, an emotional Yogi Adityanath said: “For the first time, a Chief Minister completed his five-year tenure and the party came to power once again for the second time (in Uttar Pradesh). This has happened for the first time. It has happened under the guidance and leadership of PM Modi.”

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UP; Amit Shah slams Samajwadi party for ‘criminalisation of politics’

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:01 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Buoyed by the victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday slammed Samajwadi Party for promoting ‘criminalisation of politics’ in the state.


He said that it is a proud moment for all as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has got a chance to come to power in the state again. Today, at the BJP Legislature Party meeting, Yogi Adityanath has been elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party in Uttar Pradesh.


Addressing an event today after the meeting, Shah said, “It is a proud moment for all of us, when a Chief Minister has got a chance to come to power again. This has not happened in Uttar Pradesh since the general elections started in the country.”


“It has been possible under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added.
Former BJP chief Shah said that BJP government has brought poor welfare schemes to the common people without any discrimination. “There was no plan for the development of the poor in the SP-BSP government,” he said.


Shah lashed out at Samajwadi Party for hampering the pace of development in the state. He alleged that for most of the time, there was an atmosphere of political instability in Uttar Pradesh. “This resulted in the rise of casteist and family parties in the politics of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.


“There was sheer criminalisation of politics in the Samajwadi Party government. The people of Uttar Pradesh wanted freedom from this. The time period of 2017 had come and the people here got freedom from it,” he said.


Home Minister recalled that earlier, the industrialists’ conference (for investments to be made in Uttar Pradesh) used to be held in Delhi under the Samajwadi Party government. “This happened because no industrialist was ready to come to Lucknow,” Union Home and Cooperation Minister said.


Yogi Adityanath led his party to a victory in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.


The BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.


Adityanath, a monk-turned-politician, won his first-ever Assembly election by a margin of 1,03,390 from Gorakhpur Urban constituency, defeating the Samajwadi Party candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla, who secured 62,109 votes in the recently-concluded UP Assembly elections. 

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Chinese Minister arrives in India-1st by a senior leader since Galwan valley clash

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday.


Wang Yi is likely to meet his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval tomorrow. Wang Yi earlier today was in Afghanistan’s Kabul after his three-day visit to Pakistan.


This is the first visit of a senior Chinese leader in two years since the border stand-off between the two countries since May 2020.


There has been disengagement from areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and India and China have been holding military and diplomatic talks for further disengagement from the remaining friction points.


The visit by the Chinese minister comes a day after India had rejected his remarks on Kashmir at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad. India had also said that other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs.


After the Galwan Valley clash, both countries have held several rounds of border talks to resolve the standoff. India has called for complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh at all friction points.


On March 11, the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks were held between the two countries on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border point in which both sides agreed to maintain the security and stability along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector. 

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India on Kashmir reference: OIC irrelevant, Pakistan its manipulator – Arindam Bagchi

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:43 AM PDT

India on Thursday hit out at OIC’s (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) references to Kashmir in statements adopted at its meeting in Islamabad, saying these “demonstrate both the irrelevance of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as a body and role of Pakistan as its manipulator”.

In a strongly-worded response to the OIC statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said references have been made to India and are based on falsehoods and misrepresentation. He said the “absurdity” of OIC commenting on the treatment of minorities at the instance of “a serial violator of human rights like Pakistan”, is so evident.

Bagchi said countries associated with this exercise should realise its impact on their reputation.

“The statements and resolutions adopted at the meeting demonstrate both the irrelevance of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as a body and the role of Pakistan as its manipulator,” he said.

Bagchi was responding to media queries on references to India in the statements and resolutions adopted at the OIC meeting in Pakistan.

India had on Wednesday rejected the “uncalled reference” to Jammu and Kashmir by the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his speech at the opening ceremony of the OIC.

Bagchi had said matters related to the union territory “are entirely the internal affairs of India” and added other countries including China have no locus standi to comment.

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All the five nominees of the AAP elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:30 AM PDT

All the five nominees of the Aam Admi Party (AAP), including former cricketer Harbhajan Singh were on Thursday elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha.

With AAP registering a landslide victory in the recently-concluded Punjab elections and the party winning 92 out of 117 seats in the state Assembly, the election of AAP candidates into the Upper House of Parliament was a certainty. Five out of the seven Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab will become vacant on April 9.

AAP nominated former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha who is also AAP co-in-charge of Punjab, IIT Delhi Professor Sandeep Pathak, Chancellor of Lovely Professional University Ashok Mittal and founder of Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Care Charitable Trust Sanjeev Arora to these five vacant seats from Punjab.

Returning Officer-cum-Secretary, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Surinder Pal said that as no candidate had withdrawn his nomination till March 24, the last day for doing so, Sandeep Kumar Pathak and Raghav Chadha (first cycle), Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal and Sanjeev Arora (second cycle) were declared unopposed as winners.

Congress leaders Partap Singh Bajwa and SS Dullo, BJP’s Shwait Malik, SAD’s Naresh Gujral and SS Dhindsa from SAD-Sanyukt are the five Rajya Sabha MPs who are retiring from the Rajya Sabha.

The term of SAD’s Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Congress leader Ambika Soni, who are also Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, will end on July 4. Elections to these two seats would be held later this year.

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Experts support India’s neutral stand in Ukraine-Russia conflict

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 04:01 AM PDT

London [UK]: As the global community responds to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, experts have supported India on its stand to remain impartial at the UN Security Council.


They were speaking at the virtual seminar hosted by The Democracy Forum titled “The Indo-Pacific & the India factor in US-China rivalry: A discussion”. It shone a light on security in the Indo-Pacific region and the roles played there by three major world powers: America, India and China. In his opening comments, The Democracy Forum President Lord Bruce spoke of India’s long policy of non-alignment. But, he also highlighted Jawarharlal Nehru’s 1949 warning, in response to the emergence of the Cold War, that “the very process of marshalling the world into hostile camps precipitates the conflict it had sought to avoid.”


It is arguable that the invasion of Ukraine has pushed India into just this predicament, said Lord Bruce.


Forced to confront the consequences of its multipolar alignment with both Russia and the US, India chose to abstain on three occasions at the UN Assembly in the last month, rather than joining the condemnation of Russia’s actions – though abstention is not supported.


Despite its careful strategic balancing of collective security interests in the Indo-Pacific, clearly represented by its membership of the Quad, India has been reluctant to discontinue its reliance on Russia’s traditional role as its principal arms supplier, which could lead to the imposition of sanctions by the US.

And a more insidious threat to India’s security may emerge, added Lord Bruce, if the US recalibrates its global military responsibilities and its commitment to the security of Europe, to the detriment of its strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.


While former Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran said: “A nightmare scenario where the United States comes to the conclusion that it confronts a greater threat from Russia and that this justifies a strategic accommodation with China – in blunt terms, to concede Chinese dominance in Asia while safeguarding its European flank.”


Outlining the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, particularly in relation to US-India-China relations, Dr Walter Ladwig III of King’s College, London called the region “a grand strategic domain” and a fusion of the world centre of economic dynamism, vital as a source of raw materials and a transport corridor.


Strategists have long argued that the Indo-Pacific is where the great power rivalries of the 21st century will play out, due to the region’s oil, gas and other valuable reserves, and its waterways, which are vital conduit for bringing those resources to market.

So strategists are worried that important segments of the region are part of the ‘arc of instability, where there are large numbers of failed states, unresolved maritime disputes, environmental degradation, etc.


Ladwig highlighted the very different foci the various states have in this realm, with the US prioritising the Pacific (since the Indian Ocean has less direct value for the US), and India taking in the whole region and prioritising the Indian Ocean.

For China, both the Pacific and Indian Oceans are important, with flash-points such as Taiwan and problems in the Korean peninsula, and Chinese economic growth depending on sea lanes of the Indian Ocean.


“One should recognise that the notion of a permanent Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and its ostensibly commercial infrastructure projects as part of its maritime silk road is alarming for India,” said Ladwig.


“Since China is the principal military patron of India’s troublesome neighbour Pakistan, Sino-Pakistan economic ties are strengthening and China is moving into India’s natural sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific, there are plenty of reasons for India to be looking askance at Beijing. When it comes to the Indo-Pacific,” he concluded.


India, the US and China are operating in a complicated geopolitical environment where the interests of the various parties only partially overlap and different pressures can simultaneously push pairs of states together, and pull them apart.


Dr Kate Sullivan de Estrada, Associate Professor in the International Relations of South Asia, at St Antony’s College, Oxford, explored how US engagement with India stands to further polarise US-China rivalry, and also how India is both leveraging and working against this dynamic.


She drew out the divergent understandings of the term Indo-Pacific, and the order that is envisaged in that geopolitical domain, positing two images of India in the region: first, as a US partner and a defender of a particular kind of order in the Indo-Pacific. This image frames India’s role in the region as part of a wider geopolitical response to a rising China.


India is valuable in the Indo-Pacific as it can materially balance China, and also institutionally balance China through the Quad – a hugely valuable role to both the US and its allies, and to India, according to her.


“The second image of India in the Indo-Pacific is of a country that engages selectively with a US-centred vision of order, and hopes to shape that order in ways that serve its own interests and preferred social roles,” she said.


Growing strategic convergence with the US has been valuable for India but it comes at a price, said Sullivan de Estrada, peppered as it is with expectations for India to play balancing and capacity building roles.


Also, despite India’s very real security concerns vis-a-vis China, it doesn’t want to take on the US’ ‘enemy’ image of China or pursue an overt strategy over Chinese containment.

And while India’s refusal to take sides over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disappointed the US and its allies, it could promise a thaw in relations with China, sending a powerful message to Beijing that India does not unequivocally support a US vision of the global order.


We have seen for well over a decade how the US has perceived India as central to how it manages the geopolitical challenges posed by China, said Dr Daniel Markey, Senior Advisor on South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace, who considered the risks to the United States associated with increased India-China hostility.

While India is a political and security partner for the US, part of a broader Asian counterweight to China, Markey also underscored India’s historic reticence to commit to a strategic partnership with the US, given Delhi’s doubts about US strategic intentions, eg with regard to Pakistan, and concern that the US was getting too close to China during the Obama era.


So, India has pursued its own approach, developing relationships with other major powers, including Russia and Iran.


A breakdown in India-China relations would not serve US interests, said Markey.
Greater India-China hostilities will make India more reliant on Russian arms, as well as making India more distracted to its land border, and therefore a less capable strategic partner for the US.


For Eyck Freymann, a DPhil candidate in China Studies at Balliol College, Oxford, the focus was on the Quad, what holds it together, what it is for and what it can and cannot become, based on its intrinsic design and membership.


He outlined what the Quad is not: it is not a geopolitical coalition to contain China, or an alliance in the traditional sense, including a military one, which might act in defence of Taiwan.


Nor is it an investment or trading pact, a grouping that exists to spread or impose democratic norms, or a group that exists to speak as one voice outside the Indo-Pacific region.


“So, what is the Quad? Freymann referred to it as a set of rules -digital, environmental, rules for law of the sea, labour standards, etc -for what the Indo-Pacific should look like, set collectively rather than by a single country, and creating a playing field upon which the nations of the region will compete. Not that the obvious geopolitical context of the Quad’s common interests relating to China can be denied,” added Freymann.


None of the Quad countries wants to be dependent on China for critical raw materials or components, for example, or for China to become a dominant naval power in the Indian Ocean, or to seize sovereign territory belonging to other states. For all its intrinsic limitations, the Quad is succeeding brilliantly, said Freymann, as evidenced by how concerned it has made China, which wants to fashion a vision for the Indo-Pacific that is neither free nor entirely open.


Looking at the subject from an Indian perspective was journalist and author Dr Manoj Joshi.


Although the Chinese are seeking to exploit the perceived gap between India and the US, arising out of India’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they have an uphill task, said Joshi, as Delhi is far from normalising its ties with Beijing and, in fact, India is not happy with the Russian action, but is merely acting to prevent a deeper Russia-China embrace.


Also, India is dependent on Russian defence platforms up to 85 per cent and has, furthermore, enjoyed close geo-political ties with Russia since the 1950s.


Close China-Russia ties are not good for India, so Delhi has gone out of its way to keep on the right side of Moscow. India has also rejected Western criticisms of its position, as many European nations have oil sufficiency, or are even importing it from Russia.


Regarding the US and India in the Indo-Pacific, Joshi cited the latest Indo-Pacific document, in which Washington has pledged to support India’s role as a net security provider, as it needs India’s potential to balance China in the region.

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MS Dhoni resigns – hands over CSK captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 03:47 AM PDT

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has resigned as the captain of Chennai Super Kings and decided to hand over the leadership to Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team in IPL 2022.
Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season.

Dhoni has captained in 204 matches in the IPL winning 121, losing 82 and one match ended in a no-result with a win percentage of 59.60. Under the astute leadership of Dhoni Chennai have won four IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 as well as two Champions League T20 titles in 2010 and 2014.

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All aspects of Ukraine-Russia conflict & its impact on India being studied-Center in Rajya sabha

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 03:03 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Centre on Thursday assured the Rajya Sabha that all aspects linked to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, including impact on trade, are being examined by a group of different Ministries led by the Union Finance Ministry.


“…Because of the emerging problems in dealing with Russia, our government is examining various aspects, including the payment aspect. There is a group within the government composed of different ministries. It is led by Finance Ministry to examine these matters,” said Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while replying to a supplementary question asked by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral during Question Hour.

Gujral mentioned that India has been facing a day-to-day problem when it comes to trade with Russia and said that the West is playing a double game as they continue to import petroleum from Russia while lecturing us (India) not to trade with them.


“For many years India had a policy and we used to do rupee trade with Russia. Is the government thinking on those lines so that our exports are not hurt and we continue to import from Russia?” Gujral asked.


Jaishankar then clarified that India imports very little oil from Russia.


“It is less than one per cent of our imports. And many other countries import 10, 15, 20 times…” Jaishankar said.


Replying to another supplementary query of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha, the Minister said that India is very clear on its policy “which is very much guided by our belief that the international border must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state.”


“At the same time, what is happening in our neighbourhood is obviously it is in our attention. There is a lot of development taking place and we are monitoring them very carefully,” said Jaishankar.


Noting that India had a robust policy from 1947 onwards whenever territorial integrity or sovereignty is violated anywhere in the world, Jha had asked “Are we in sync with the same kind of policy as far as our statement is concerned on the Ukraine-Russia issue? Are we (India) watching realignment in our immediate neighbourhood?”


On another supplementary question asked by BJP leader Swapan Das Gupta, Jaishankar said “our (India’s) position is for peace”.


“When the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) spoke to (Russian) President Putin three times and he spoke to (Ukraine) President Zelenskyy two times, the intent at that time was to evacuate Indian students as it was a very big issue. But there was also a larger conversation about what we could do to lead to encourage a secession of hostilities and return to diplomacy and dialogue. Today, that sentiment is widely shared by many countries in the world,” the External Affairs Minister said.


Pointing at increasing polarisation, Gupta had asked “Is this going to have any negative impact on some of our (India’s) closest allies?” 

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Dhoni resigns from CSK captaincy; Jadeja new captain

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 02:53 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Mahendra Singh Dhoni has resigned as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and decided to hand over the leadership to Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team in IPL 2022.


Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season.

Dhoni has captained in 204 matches in the IPL winning 121, losing 82 and one match ended in a no-result with a win percentage of 59.60. Under the astute leadership of Dhoni Chennai have won four IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 as well as two Champions League T20 titles in 2010 and 2014.

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Birbhum Arson: Mamata Banerjee reaches Bagtui village to meet kin of deceased

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 01:22 AM PDT

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reached Bagtui village in Rampurhat to meet the kin of those who were killed in the Birbhum violence.

Eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh.

Ahead of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Rampurhat, Superintendent of Police of Birbhum, Nagendra Nath Tripathi inspected the village along with a large contingent of the police personnel.

Following the direction of the Calcutta High Court, CCTV cameras are being installed in the violence-affected area of Rampurhat. Taking suo motu cognisance of the Rampurhat incident, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to install CCTV cameras for round-the-clock surveillance.

The Court has also directed the state government to submit a status report on the incident in 24 hours (by around 2 pm on Thursday).

A special investigation team has been formed to probe the matter. 

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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to meet PM Modi today

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 01:02 AM PDT

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Mann will also call on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after the meeting. Notably, this is Mann’s maiden visit to Delhi as Punjab’s Chief Minister.

Mann took the oath of office and secrecy at Khatkar Kalan village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on March 16.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended greetings to Bhagwant Mann for taking oath as Punjab Chief Minister.

“Congratulations to Bhagwant Mann on taking oath as Punjab CM. Will work together for the growth of Punjab and welfare of the state’s people,” PM Modi had tweeted.
Among Bhagwant Mann’s key announcements as the Chief Minister is the launch of anti-corruption action helpline number– 9501200200.

In the recently-concluded Punjab elections, the AAP registered a landslide victory, winning 92 seats, pushing the Congress party to distant second at 18 seats. 

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Metal and Pharma stocks climb as Sensex wipes off opening losses

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 12:40 AM PDT

The Indian equities markets benchmark Sensex, which started the day sharply down, wiped off losses in the late morning trade on Thursday led by good buying support in metal and pharma stocks.

The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex was trading 48.02 points or 0.08 per cent higher at 57,732.84 points at 11.48 am, against its previous day’s close at 57,684.82 points.

Earlier, the Sensex started the day deep in the red at 57,190.05 points and slumped to a low of 57,138.51 points in the early morning trade. The turned into positive later in the day. It rose to a high of 57,827.99 points.

The Sensex had lost 304.48 points or 0.53 per cent on Wednesday.
The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange also witnessed volatile trading.

The Nifty also started sharply down at 17,094.95 points and fell to a low of 17,091.15 points in the early morning trade. The Nifty later turned positive and rose to a high of 17,291.75 points.

At 11.52 am, the Nifty was trading at 17,255.00 points, which is 9.35 points or 0.05 per cent higher from its previous day’s close at 17,245.65 points. The Nifty had lost 69.85 points or 0.4 per cent on Wednesday.

There was strong buying support in pharma and metal stocks.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories surged 3.67 per cent to Rs 4278.45. The scrip had gained 2.31 per cent on Wednesday. Sun Pharma was trading 1.14 per cent higher at Rs 910.80.

Tata Steel rallied for the second day. The scrip was trading 1.77 per cent higher at Rs 1354 after gaining 2.15 per cent in the previous day. UltraTech Cement rose 1.36 per cent to Rs 6320. NTPC rallied 1.12 per cent to Rs 134.95.

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Exams have nothing to do with Hijab: Supreme Court

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 12:21 AM PDT

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that exams have nothing to do with Hijab while hearing the mentioning of a plea seeking urgent hearing on a petition challenging the ban on sporting Hijab in educational institutes.

Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the petitioner mentioned his plea seeking urgent hearing on petitions challenging Karnataka High Court’s order that dismissed petitions against the ban on Hijab in educational institutions. Senior counsel Devadatt Kamat said that exams are starting on March 28 and students would lose a year as authorities are not allowing their entry in educational institutions with hijab.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said, “Exams have nothing to do with the hijab issue.” The Court also asked the counsel not to sensationalise the issue.
Last week the Supreme Court had said that the appeal challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order to uphold ban on Hijab in educational institutions would be listed for hearing after Holi break.

Some of the petitioners had approached the apex court challenging the order upholding the Karnataka government’s decision which directs strict enforcement of schools and colleges uniform rules.

One of the appeals in the top court has alleged “step-motherly behaviour of government authorities which has prevented students from practising their faith and resulted in an unwanted law and order situation”.

The appeal said the High Court in its impugned order “had vehemently failed to apply its mind and was unable to understand the gravity of the situation as well as the core aspect of the essential religious practices enshrined under Article 25 of the Constitution of India”.

“Wearing of Hijab or headscarf is a practice that is essential to the practice of Islam,” it added.

A bench of Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi on Tuesday held that the prescription of uniform is a reasonable restriction that students could not object to and dismissed various petitions challenging a ban on Hijab in education institutions, saying they are without merit.

The Hijab row had erupted in January this year when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred six girls wearing the Hijab from entering. Following this, the girls sat in protest outside college over being denied entry.

After this, boys of several colleges in Udupi started attending classes wearing saffron scarves. This protest spread to other parts of the state as well leading to protests and agitations in several places in Karnataka.

As a result, the Karnataka government said that all students must adhere to the uniform and banned both Hijab and saffron scarves till an expert committee decided on the issue.

On February 5, the pre-University education board released a circular stating that the students could only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious attire would be allowed in colleges.

The order stated that in case a uniform is not prescribed by management committees, then students should wear dresses that go well with the idea of equality and unity, and do not disturb the social order.

A batch of petitions was filed against the government’s rule in the Karnataka High Court by some girls seeking permission to wear the Hijab in educational institutions.
On February 10, the High Court had issued an interim order stating that students should not wear any religious attire to classes till the court issued the final order. The hearings related to the Hijab case were concluded on February 25 and the court had reserved its judgement.

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Road safety: Delhi to have dedicated lanes for buses, goods carriers

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 10:14 PM PDT

Kejriwal government is all set to start an intensive enforcement drive for bus drivers and goods carriage vehicles to ensure that they adhere to strict lane discipline rules.

“Road Safety is of primary importance to us. By training and enforcement, we want to ensure that Delhi roads are safer for all citizens,” said transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

The Transport Department along with Traffic Police will earmark dedicated lanes which will be used exclusively by buses and goods carriers from 8 am to 10 pm and along with other vehicles from 10 pm to 8 am, stated a release from the Delhi Transport Department.

In its first phase, the enforcement drive will be conducted on 15 prioritised corridors of the total 46 selected for the initiative.

Violators would be penalised and prosecuted under the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019.

The Transport Department has issued advisory to its public fleet operators DTC and DIMTS to sensitise its drivers about restricting or plying their buses in the earmarked bus lanes to avoid penalty and prosecution.

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Sensex, Nifty open in Red

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 09:18 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Equity indices opened in red on Thursday with Sensex plunged by 294.19 points and Nifty down by 77.00 points.


The 30-scrip BSE Sensex was down by 294.19 points or 0.51 per cent at 57390.63 at 9.27 am. The 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 17168.70 at 9.27 am, down by 77.00 points or 0.45 per cent.

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CNG costlier by Re. 1/- from today in NCR

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 09:13 PM PDT

New Delhi: Days after the oil companies raised the prices of petrol and diesel, the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) on Thursday increased the rate of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by Rs 1 per kilogram.


The price of one kg CNG has reached Rs 59.01 per kg in Delhi. The new price will come into effect from today, March 24. In Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, the CNG will cost Rs 61.58 per kg and in Gurugram the price is at Rs 67.37per per kg.


The IGL has also increased the price of domestic piped natural gas (PNG) by Rs 1 per standard cubic meter (SCM) effective from Thursday.


The new rates will come into effect from today. The move will affect more than 72 lakh domestic households.


Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise per litre for the second consecutive day across the country on Wednesday. In the first hike in four months, the fuel prices were raised on Tuesday.

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UP: Exam centres to be monitored through CCTV cameras to curb cheating

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 09:07 PM PDT

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh): Over nine thousand students are to try their luck in Moradabad as the Uttar Pradesh Board Examinations began on Thursday. In order to curb cheating, surveillance is being done in the exam centres through CCTV cameras.


The security around the exam centres have been increased and zonal magistrates have been appointed on duty to avoid copying and any malpractice in the centres.

“We have 125 exam centres, around 4,830 cameras and 272 DVR. We have clubbed it together through software. Continuous monitoring is going on for all schools” Ravindra Kumar Chauhan, Chief Monitoring Officer said.


A control room has been set up which will keep an eye on the exam centres. Information on any complaint by the district administration can be given to the control room number on ‘ 9453991942.’


The examination will be held in two shifts. The morning shift will be held between 8 am and 11.15 am while the timings of the evening shift will be from 2 pm to 5.15 pm.


The examinations will continue till April 12. 

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PNG rates increase by Rs. 1 after Petrol, diesel and LPG hike

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:59 PM PDT

New Delhi[India]: After a hike in petrol, diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has also increased the price of domestic piped natural gas (PNG) by Rs 1 per standard cubic meter (SCM) effective from Thursday.


According to IGL, PNG will cost Rs 36.61 per unit in Delhi and Rs 35.86 per unit in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. People in Gurugram will need to pay Rs 34.81 per SCM while in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Shamli, the new rate is Rs 39.37 per SCM. The new rates will come into effect from today. The move will affect more than 72 lakh domestic households.


As per data provided by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), as of December 31, 2020, the total number of domestic PNG connections in India was approximately 72.47 lakh.

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Man forced to rub nose in temple over comment on ‘The Kashmir files’

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:53 PM PDT

Alwar (Rajasthan): A man was allegedly forced to rub his nose inside the temple in Behror town of Rajasthan’s Alwar district over his comment on ‘The Kashmir Files’ on social media, said police on Wednesday.


The incident, which occurred under Behror police station on Tuesday, was captured on camera, and a picture of the same had gone viral on social media in which the victim, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, can be seen rubbing his nose in a temple.


“It is a serious issue. So, I came here and spoke with the locals. Circle Officer has rounded up a few people and questioning is being done. Such acts are not tolerable in a democratic country. Everyone has the right to speak their mind on social media.

This type of incident should not happen. Strict action will be taken for this so that such incidents do not happen in the future. The investigation is going on,” said Bhiwadi Superintendent of Police (SP) Shantanu Kumar.


The workers of Bhim Army on Wednesday met the Bhiwadi SP and handed over a memorandum demanding the arrest of the accused in the incident.

Bhim Army warned of a violent agitation if their demand is not met. They have also asked for security for Rajesh Kumar and his family.


Bhim Army Alwar President Surendra Meena said, “Some wrong comment was made on social media by Rajesh Kumar for which he has apologised on social media at our request. But still, some anti-social elements of the village created a conspiracy and was forced to rub his nose at a temple. This was not an insult to Rajesh Kumar but of the entire Dalit community.”


Meanwhile, Meghwal Samaj President Purna Singh said some people were committing excesses and giving threats to Rajesh. “I had informed the station officer about it. But the police administration did not take any action and on March 22, this condemnable incident happened with him. If the accused are not arrested within 24 hours, then this agitation will be done in the Rajasthan and across the country”. 

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‘Rape is rape’, regardless of it being performed by man or husband-Karnataka High Court

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:40 PM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: Marriage is no license to “provide special male privilege or a license for unleashing a brutal beast”, said the Karnataka High Court while refusing to drop rape charges framed by a trial court against a man for his wife’s alleged sexual assault.


“The institution of marriage does not confer, cannot confer and should not be construed to confer, any special male privilege or a license for unleashing of a brutal beast,” said a single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka High Court said. The High Court’s observations came on a case filed by a woman who accused her husband of treating her as a ‘sex slave’.


While upholding the charge of rape against the husband, the bench observed: “A man is a man; an act is an act; rape is a rape, be it performed by a man the ‘husband’ on the woman ‘wife’. If it is punishable to a man, it should be punishable to a man albeit, the man being a husband.”


At present, the exception to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, says sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.


However, the High Court clarified that the order pertains to the framing of charges against the husband and is not about whether marital rape should be recognised as an offence.


“It is for the legislature to delve upon the issue and consider tinkering of the exemption. This Court is not pronouncing upon whether marital rape should be recognised as an offence or the exception be taken away by the legislature,” the Karnataka High Court stated.


The petitioner alleged said that her husband forced her to have unnatural sex, even in front of their daughter.


Earlier in January this year, while hearing the petitions relating to the criminalisation of marital rape, the Delhi High Court questioned how the dignity of a married woman is not affected as an unmarried woman when the man imposes himself on her and remarked that relationship cannot put it on a different pedestal as a woman remains a woman.


In August 2021, the Chhattisgarh High Court acquitted a man charged with marital rape stating that sexual intercourse or any sexual act between a legally wedded couple is not rape even if done by force.

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PV Sindhu, Ponnappa-Reddy enter second round of Swiss Open

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:36 PM PDT

PV Sindhu and women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy entered the second round of Swiss Open.

Men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost in the opening round of the Swiss Open played at St. Jakobshalle.

The two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu defeated Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt 21-14, 21-12 to enter the second round of the women’s singles. After a straight games victory, the Hyderabadi shuttler will now face Neslihan Yigit of China in the second round.

In women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy registered a comfortable straight games win against local pair of Aline Muller and Jenjira Stadelmann in the opening round.

The sixth-seeded pair of Ponnappa-Reddy pair won the match 21-15 21-16 in a match that lasted for 35 minutes.

In men’s doubles the Indian pair MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost to Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 19-21 13-21.

The Indian pair was leading in the opening game but they squandered their advantage as the Indonesian pair took away the game from them while in the second game Arjun and Kapila were trailing right from the start and could never make a comeback losing the match in straight games.

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Sania Nehwal entered second round of Swiss Open defeating Spain’s Yaelle Hoyaux

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:30 PM PDT

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Wednesday entered into the second round of the ongoing Swiss Open, here at St. Jakobshalle, Basel.

Playing at court 2, Nehwal defeated Spain’s Yaelle Hoyaux in straight games 21-8, 21-13, in a match that lasted for 31 minutes. Apart from her, shuttler Parupalli Kashyap also won his men’s singles clash and stormed into the next round.

Kashyap won against France’s Enogat Roy in straight games 21-17, 21-9, in a match that lasted for 38 minutes.

Earlier, Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated Denmark’s Mads Christophersen to enter the second round. However, Shuttler Malvika Bansod lost in her women’s singles clash against France’s Qi Xuefei.

The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the first-round clash against the Indonesian pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana 17-21, 21-11, 21-18.

Mixed doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sumeeth Reddy were defeated by fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France in straight-sets 13-21, 9-21 in 33 minutes.

Later in the day, two-time Olympic Medalist PV Sindhu will be facing Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt in her women’s singles clash.

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One month into war, Zelenskyy asks citizens the world over to hit streets to support Peace & life

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:26 PM PDT

Kyiv [Ukraine]: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday urged citizens around the world to take to the streets to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


Sharing a video message by Zelenskyy, Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted, “The war of #Russia is not only the war against #Ukraine. started the war against freedom as it is. That’s why I ask you to stand against the war! Starting from March 24 – exactly one month after the Russian invasion. All as one together who want to stop the war!”

Calling for global protests beginning Thursday, one month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, speaking in English, Zelenskyy said, “From this day and after that, show your standing. Come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities. Come in the name of peace. Come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life.”


“Come to your schoolyards, your streets. Say that people matter, freedom matters, peace matters, Ukraine matters,” he added.


“In downtowns of your cities, all as one together who want to stop the war,” he said further.


In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kyiv forces.


Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted – the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.


According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, “who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.”


However, the Western countries have strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions on Moscow.

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Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the second round of Swiss Open

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:21 PM PDT

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Wednesday stormed into the second round of the Swiss Open here at St. Jakobshalle, Basel.

Playing in court 1, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Denmark’s Mads Christophersen in straight games 21-16, 21-17, in a match that lasted 32 minutes. However, Shuttler Malvika Bansod lost in her women’s singles clash against France’s Qi Xuefei. Bansod lost 21-16, 21-17 in a match that lasted for 42 minutes.

Earlier, the Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the first-round clash against the Indonesian pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana 17-21, 21-11, 21-18. The match lasted 57 minutes.

Mixed doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sumeeth Reddy were defeated by fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France in straight-sets 13-21, 9-21 in 33 minutes.

Later in the day, Indian pair of Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand will face Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

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Two security personnel injured in grenade attack in Srinagar

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:07 PM PDT

Two security personnel have sustained minor injuries in a grenade attack on a checkpoint (naka) in the Rainawari area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

“One Central Reserve Police Force personnel and one police personnel sustained minor injuries in a grenade attack on a Naka in Rainawari which missed its intended target,” said Rakesh Balwal, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar. Three other passers-by also sustained minor splinter injuries from the grenade attack.

“Two off-duty traffic men riding a motorcycle and one civilian got minor splinter injuries,” said Balwal.

All the people who got injured in the attack are now fully stable and completely out of danger.

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India abstains from voting in the UNSC again-this time on Russia sponsored resolution

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:05 PM PDT

New York [US]: India abstained from voting on a Russian-drafted resolution in the UN Security Council over Ukraine humanitarian situation, which has been widely criticised for not referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


India and UAE joined the West in abstaining from the resolution that failed at the UNSC meeting with only Russia and China voting in favour and the remaining 13 members abstaining.

“Russia is the aggressor, the attacker the invader, the sole party in Ukraine, engaged in a campaign of brutality against the people of Ukraine. And they want us to pass a resolution that does not acknowledge their culpability,” US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the UNSC.


“It really is unconscionable that Russia would have the audacity to put forward a resolution asking the international community to solve a humanitarian crisis that Russia alone created,” Greenfield noted.


“If Russia cared about the humanitarian situation, it would stop bombing children and end their siege tactics. But they haven’t,” Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council after the vote.


China, the only country to support Russia by voting in favour of the resolution, stated UNSC should play its role in the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations pointed to Beijing’s six-point initiative and told the Security Council members that the vote in favour was a call to the international community to prioritise the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.


The Russian Resolution, which made no reference to Moscow’s role in the crisis of Ukraine, called upon all parties concerned to allow safe and unhindered passage to destinations outside of Ukraine, including to foreign nationals without discrimination, and facilitate safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance to those in need in and around Ukraine, taking into account the particular needs of women, girls, men and boys, older persons and persons with disabilities.


A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, Britain, France or the United States to be adopted. 

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G7 Health Ministers condemn attacks on health facilities in Ukraine

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:00 PM PDT

As the healthcare system in Ukraine continues to remain under significant strain, G7 Health Ministers condemned the ‘indiscriminate’ attacks on the Ukrainian population, and health facilities and health workers who are caught in the crossfire.

“We fully support the joint statement issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on 13 March to stop the devastating impact of attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine, such as the horrific shelling of the maternity hospital in Mariupol,” read the joint statement.

Ministers asserted that intentionally directing attacks at civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health care facilities and workers, violates International Humanitarian Law. “Health must remain a priority, with health workers being protected so they can provide emergency care to save lives, and with health systems and facilities being protected so that they remain accessible to all who need them.” The statement read.

Since the start of Russia’s further invasion, 64 attacks hitting health care facilities have been documented in the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care, resulting in 15 deaths and 37 injuries, it added.

“In most of the cases, health care facilities were damaged or destroyed. Beyond the immediate deaths and injuries, these attacks have a huge impact on people’s lives and reduce access to essential health services – especially for sick and wounded people as well as for children, pregnant women, older persons and other vulnerable populations – and can lead to delayed treatments, worsening the prognosis of affected people and resulting in indirect deaths,” concerned the Ministers.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 with the goal of demilitarizing the country, neutralizing nationalist battalions, ensuring Ukraine remains a neutral country and that Crimea is recognized as a part of Russia that cannot be taken away. Russia also seeks to ensure Ukraine also recognizes the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics are independent states.

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Netflix to release first game on its mobile app this month

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 07:45 PM PDT

Washington [US]: Netflix is still in the early stages of its video-game strategy and is continuing to work on the selection of games in its mobile apps. And later this month, the streaming giant will drop its first first-person shooter title.


Netflix will soon introduce ‘Into the Dead 2: Unleashed’, a zombie-apocalypse shoot-’em-up described as the “ultimate runner/shooter hybrid,” reported Variety. In the new game, from New Zealand-based developer PikPok, armed players must fend off ever-increasing zombie threats while “crossing treacherous terrain… Maim, mow down, and eliminate the Dead – anything to keep moving,” according to Netflix’s description.


The game features multiple chapters, dozens of stages, several challenges (navigating burning forests and frozen mountain tops). Players can also unlock and upgrade extras like weapons, firearms and explosives.


Since launching games worldwide in November, Netflix has rolled out 14 titles, available for no additional charge in its mobile apps. Those range from casual puzzle and card games to scrolling arcade-style titles.


Netflix subscribers can download games directly from the streamer’s mobile app for both Android and iOS from a dedicated games section available on the platform.


The 14 other games currently available in Netflix’s app are: ‘Arcanium: Rise of Akhan’, ‘Asphalt Xtreme’, ‘Bowling Ballers’, ‘Card Blast’, ‘Dominoes Cafe’, ‘Dungeon Dwarves’, ‘Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story’, ‘Knittens’, ‘Krispee Street’, ‘Shooting Hoops’, ‘Stranger Things: 1984’, ‘Stranger Things 3: The Game’, ‘Teeter (Up)’ and ‘Wonderputt Forever’.


As part of its video-gaming expansion, Netflix has acquired two game studios: Night School Studio, best known for its supernatural mystery adventure title ‘Oxenfree’, and Next Games, a mobile games developer based in Finland, whose titles include the story-driven puzzle game ‘Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales’ and two based on hit zombie series ‘The Walking Dead’

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Delhi to develop 17 world-class level city forests- Arvind Kejriwal

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 07:27 PM PDT

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed officials to transform 17 city forests in the national capital to “world-class level” city forests.

“Around 3000 acres of land will be used to develop world-class city forests across 17 locations of Delhi. A detailed plan will be chalked out and submitted to the Chief Minister in 15 days,” reads an official statement on Wednesday.

As part of the Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojna, 1,500 parks are being transformed in collaboration with 450 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) under a unique community parks initiative.

Parks, spread over an area of 500 acres, are being developed by the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society in collaboration with local RWAs, NGOs and MLAs.


“The Arvind Kejriwal Government will fund the development of 5 thousand parks in Delhi.” says the official statement.

Under the scheme, 16,828 parks will be surveyed in Delhi. So far 6,396 parks have been surveyed. Of these, 3,565 parks have been identified as those not being maintained upto standards. After surveying all the locations, appropriate steps will be taken with the help of RWAs/NGOs to transform them into world-class parks.

“Under its vision for Delhi@2047 to make Delhi a modern, equitable and sustainable city, the Kejriwal Government has launched the Community Parks Initiative to transform the neighbourhood parks of Delhi into modern, world-class parks,” reads the official note.

These parks would not only improve the ecology but also the overall quality of life for the residents of Delhi.

The parks are expected to have Public conveniences including adequate lighting, CCTVs, toilets, a dedicated play area for toddlers, children and adolescents with child-friendly play equipment, open air gyms, gazebos, covered seating area, Walking, jogging and cycling tracks, open air gyms, water bodies, Composting, rainwater harvesting, irrigation supply, power backup, Native trees, flowers and shrubs. 

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Sonia Gandhi calls meeting on Saturday to discuss organisational elections

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 07:15 PM PDT

After election debacle, congress has called a meeting on Saturday to discuss range of issues and organisational elections.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met G23 leaders Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Vivek Tankha at her residence in New Delhi as part of her efforts to resolve the deepening rift within the party after the poll rout of Congress in fives states in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

G-23 leaders of the Congress party has been pushing internal reforms including organisational elections in the party.

All India Congress Committee General Secretaries and in-charges will be present at the meeting which will be chaired by General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal. The Agenda for the meeting includes, “Special Membership Drive, Organizational Elections and Planning agitational programmes.”

While G-23 leaders pressing for organisational changes, Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have said in the meeting that the requisite measures will be taken after the August-September elections for party president.

Quoting Sonia, sources said, “By August-September, the election for party’s president will be over. Focus on that. I can make changes only to a certain extent by then.”
Congress faced a debacle in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand Goa, Manipur and Punjab that recently went to the polls.

Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat are due for assembly polls later this year.

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Politics, now is limited to earning money and fame – Ghulam Nabi Azad

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 07:00 PM PDT

The politics today have changed a lot as nowadays people enter into politics for earning money or fame- Ghulam Nabi Azad

“A lot has changed in today’s politics, now politics is limited to earning/making money or getting fame,” said Azad while addressing a lecture commemorating the 99th Birth Anniversary of Former Union Railway Minister Late Lalit Narayan Mishra.

He also said, “During those days when Lalit Narayan Mishra was active in public life, politics was not at all about earning or making money,”.

Expressing concerns over the politics being done on issues of religion, Azad said “I pray that more such politicians like Mishra come to the forefront. That generation of leaders never mocked any religion. They kept religion at a personal level and it was not like that they didn’t practice any religion. They were religious but at the same time secular.”

Further, Azad expressed concern about the deteriorating situation of the judiciary system and the purported delay in the appointment of judges.

“Our Judiciary system has deteriorated. The recruitment of judges is being delayed. It is not like that there is a shortage of lawyers but a shortage of Judges being witnessed in our Judiciary system,” said Azad.

Many leaders from across the party attended the event which was organised in New Delhi to remember Congress leader Late Lalit Narayan Mishra on his 99th birth anniversary.

Narayan Mishra served as Minister of Railways from 1973 to 1975. He was brought into politics by the first Chief Minister of Bihar, Krishna Sinha, when he was made parliamentary secretary to the First Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

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I will not resign, says Imran Khan ahead of no-confidence motion

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 06:44 PM PDT

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that he will not “resign under any circumstances” ahead of a no-confidence motion to be held on Friday.

Pakistan’s prime minister while replying to press said that despite the Opposition laying out all of their cards, the no-confidence motion against him would not be successful, reported Geo News. “I will not resign under any circumstance. I will play till the last ball and I will surprise them a day before as they are still under pressure,” said Khan, without revealing further details.

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has summoned the session for the no-confidence motion on March 25 – and in line with the NA rules, the voting has to take place after three and within seven days, reported Geo News.

“My trump card is that I have not laid any of my cards yet,” said Khan confidently, as he vowed to foil the no-trust motion.

“No one should be under the false impression that I will sit at home. I will not resign, and why should I? Should I resign due to the pressure from thieves?” he stressed.
He also reiterated that he had good relations with the military to date, reported Geo News.

Khan said that it was wrong to consistently attack and criticise the army as a powerful military was crucial for Pakistan. “Had the army not been here, the country would have split into three parts.”

Khan also warned the Opposition that he would not sit silent if he steps down from office – a threat he has repeated time and again.

“I will not compromise on my principles even if my government is ousted. I cannot betray the people and God.”

He also claimed that his party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI’s) popularity has witnessed an increase.

“People are with me, as many as 60-65 per cent respectable people are standing by my side.”

The post I will not resign, says Imran Khan ahead of no-confidence motion appeared first on 8PM News.

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