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21, మార్చి 2022, సోమవారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Former Afghan finance minister now drives Uber in Washington

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:27 AM PDT

Khalid Payenda, who was once Afghanistan’s finance minister, now makes a living in Washington as an Uber driver.

A week before the Taliban seized Kabul, Payenda had resigned from his position after President Ashraf Ghani lashed out at him in a public meeting. The finance minister didn’t think the government was about to fall, however, he felt he had lost the Ashraf Ghani president’s trust, The Washington Post reported.

Even after the months of the tragic fall of Afghanistan, the question of who was at fault still haunts Payenda. Payenda shares the blame with his fellow Afghans and himself for the swift collapse of the democratically elected government.
“We didn’t have the collective will to reform, to be serious,” he said.

The former minister also blamed the Americans for handing the country to the Taliban and betraying the enduring values that supposedly had animated their fight. “It eats at you inside,” he said.

“Right now, I don’t have any place,” he said. “I don’t belong here, and I don’t belong there. It’s a very empty feeling.” (ani)

The Taliban in last August took control of Afghanistan since then country is in chaos and in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Last week, Afghanistan was listed as the world’s unhappiest country for the second year in a row.

The World Happiness Report, a publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, every year rates happiness with a survey of about 149 countries.
The annual report ranked Afghanistan as last among 149 countries surveyed, while Finland remained the world’s happiest country.

Pak Opposition rebukes Imran Khan for using ‘religion card’ to save his govt

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:07 AM PDT

Amid political instability in the country, Pakistan Opposition parties on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan for using “religion card” in an effort to save his government.

The Opposition parties also accused the Imran Khan government of launching a “propaganda campaign” through its social media team against the army over its “neutrality”, Dawn newspaper reported. Bilawal also lashed out at Khan for using Islam for party politics and asked him not to use the slogan of Madinah state, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have also slammed National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser for not convening the assembly session within 14 days of its requisition to take up their no-confidence resolution against Khan and demanded that he should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution, Dawn newspaper reported.

The Pakistan Army’s top brass, led by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has reportedly asked Imran Khan to resign after the conference of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Earlier, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson and Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hit out at the National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaisar for violating the Constitution by not convening the NA session within two weeks of requisition request by the Opposition, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

The development comes after the Pakistan National Assembly Speaker summoned a session of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Islamabad on March 25 for a no-trust motion against Imran Khan.

The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on March 8. While the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion, the Opposition is sure that they will oust Khan.

The resolution needs to be passed by 172 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and the Opposition faces the tough task to bring that number not only in the National Assembly but also ensuring that they remain inside the Assembly hall during the voting time.

Notably, if Imran Khan is voted out through the motion, it would create history as a vote of no-confidence has never been carried against the Prime Minister in Pakistan.

Delhi-Doha Qatar Airways flight with over 100 passengers diverted to Karachi, Pakistan

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:03 AM PDT

A Qatar Airways’ Delhi-Doha flight with over 100 passengers on board was diverted to Pakistan’s Karachi airport due to technical reasons.

The Qatar Airways QR579 was scheduled from Delhi to Doha. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways in a statement said the incident is currently under investigation and a relief flight is being arranged to transport passengers onwards to Doha.

“Qatar Airways flight QR579 from Delhi to Doha on 21 March diverted to Karachi having declared an emergency due to the indication of smoke detected in the cargo hold,” read the statement.

According to the statement, the aircraft landed safely in Karachi where emergency services were provided after the passengers safely disembarked.

Qatar Airways also apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan to face no-confidence vote on Friday

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:58 AM PDT

Almost two weeks after the opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Sunday summoned session of the Lower House at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Friday.

The joint opposition made the requisition for the session along with the submission of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister on March 8. The Speaker summoned the session under Article 54 (3) and Article 254 of the Constitution, The Nation reported. The 14-day constitutional deadline to convene the NA session on the Opposition requisition will expire on March 21.

Clause 3 of Article 54 of the Pakistan Constitution says, “On a requisition signed by not less than one-fourth of the total membership of the National Assembly, the Speaker shall summon the National Assembly to meet, at such time and place as he thinks fit, within fourteen days of the receipt of the requisition; and when the Speaker has summoned the Assembly only he may prorogue it”, The Nation reported.
According to Article 254, “When any act or thing is required by the Constitution to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing shall not be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that it was not done within that period,” the Pakistani newspaper reported.

The opposition leader has expressed frustration over the delay in conducting voting on no-confidence against Khan and claimed that National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser is biased.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the right to bring about a no-confidence motion is democratic and a constitutional right, adding that the votes cannot be bought this time, reported Geo News.
“The speaker was biased since day one, and is still showing his bias,” the senior leader claimed.

President Kovind to confer Padma awards for 2022 today

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:51 AM PDT

President Ram Nath Kovind will confer Padma awards for the year 2022 on Monday.
As per Rashtrapati Bhavan’s press release, today, Kovind will confer two Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and 54 Padma Shri Awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Amongst the prominent awardees at today’s Investiture ceremony will be Padma Vibhushan recipients Radhey Shyam and General Bipin Rawat (Posthumous).

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Gurmeet Bawa (Posthumous), N Chandrasekharan, Devendra Jhajharia, Rashid Khan, Rajiv Mehrishi, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla and Sachchidanand Swami will receive the Padma Bhushan awards.

The Civil Investiture Ceremony -II is scheduled to be held on March 28.
The Awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

These Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
The awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

As per the release, this year a total of 128 Padma Awards are being conferred, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).

The list of awardees comprises four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards.

34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.

AAP nominates Harbhajan Singh, Raghav Chadha to Rajya Sabha from Punjab

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:42 AM PDT

After a thumping victory in Punjab Assembly polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday announced that it has nominated former cricketer Harbhajan Singh and Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha to Rajya Sabha from Punjab.


Harbhajan made his debut in 1998 and the last international match he played was in 2016 but official retirement was announced in 2021. Chadha is an MLA from Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar and party’s co-incharge in Punjab.

Besides these two, Aam Aadmi Party has nominated Dr Sandeep Pathak to Rajya Sabha. He camped in Punjab for nearly three years and formed an organization at the booth level.


Aam Aadmi Party also nominated Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU), Ashok Mittal to the Upper House. He is known for his work in the field of education – one category of the poll promises of AAP – and social services.

Aam Aadmi Party also nominated founder of Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Care Charitable Trust, Sanjiv Arora to Rajya Sabha.

AAP swept the recent state Assembly elections securing 92 of the 117-member House.

The five Punjab vacancies are arising due to the term of the following Rajya Sabha MPs ending on April 9. The last day for filing the nominations is Monday.

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 whose term is approaching the end.

In all, Punjab has seven seats in the Upper House.

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.

Second India-Australia virtual summit begins

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:28 AM PDT

The second India-Australia virtual summit began in New Delhi on Monday amid indications that discussion will seek to lay the roadmap for new initiatives to enhance cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between the two countries.

During the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are expected to commit to closer cooperation in trade, critical minerals, migration and mobility, and education, among others. The summit is expected to witness the largest ever trade pact by the Australian government in India with Canberra set to announce investments worth Rs 1,500 crore in India across multiple sectors.

The two countries are also expected to conclude an early harvest agreement by the end of this month.

An early harvest agreement is aimed at liberalising tariffs on the trade of certain goods between two countries or trading blocs before a comprehensive agreement.
As per sources, the two countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of critical minerals, which will help increase India’s access to metallic coal and lithium in Australia and cater to India’s growing demand for electric vehicles and growing infrastructure.

Further, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines in India, Pralhad Joshi, will visit Australia soon, as per the sources.

The cooperation between the two countries has also been carried forward at the ministerial level, with the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue.

Sensex slides 190 points; energy, financial, FMCG stocks slip

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:21 AM PDT

The Indian equities markets benchmark Sensex fell 190 points at around noon session on Monday due to selling pressure in energy, financial and FMCG stocks.
At 12.05 pm, the 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex was trading 190.72 points or 0.33 per cent down at 57,673.21 points against its previous session’s close at 57,863.93 points. Earlier, the Sensex opened in the positive at 58,030.41 points and surged to a high of 58,127.95 points in the morning trade. However, the Sensex slipped into negative shortly after opening of the trade. It fell to a low of 57,569.85 points.

The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange was trading 38.10 points or 0.22 per cent down at 17,248.95 points against its previous session’s close at 17,287.05 points.

Energy, financial and FMCG stocks were among the major losers. Power Grid Corporation slipped 1.84 per cent to Rs 207.60. State Bank of India slumped 1.71 per cent to Rs 493.15. Kotak Bank slumped 1.62 per cent to Rs 1789.75. IndusInd Bank fell 1.54 per cent to Rs 918.45.

Hindustan Unilever fell 1.45 per cent to Rs 2071.70. Nestle India was trading 1.23 per cent down at Rs 18045.

The index heavyweight Reliance Industries was trading 0.35 per cent down at Rs 2471.

Maruti Suzuki jumped 2.55 per cent to Rs 7887.60. Titan, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, Wipro and Tech Mahindra were among the major Sensex gainers.

Karnataka: Body of Naveen Shekharappa to be donated for medical research, says father

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:03 AM PDT

Shekharappa Gyangoudar, father of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in a shelling attack in Ukraine on March 1, said on Monday that the remains of his son would be donated to a hospital for medical research.

The mortal remains of Naveen reached Bengaluru at 3 am Monday and were later taken to his hometown in Haveri in an ambulance. The remains reached Haveri at 9 am. The final rites of Naveen are being conducted as per Hindu Veerashaiva Lingayat tradition by his parents and thereafter it will be taken out for a procession in the village. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is expected to Naveen’s village to pay his tribute.

The family has decided to handover the body to SS Medical College in Davanagere.
Shekharappa said, “Since childhood, he wanted to become a doctor and serve society. However, he did not get a seat in a government medical college in India, so he went to Ukraine to pursue his medical education. His dream of becoming a doctor did not come true, so we decided to donate his body so that the future generation could do their research and be beneficial for them.”

The father also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him and assured him that the mortal remains of Naveen will be brought back. He said, “Soon after his death reports came in, PM Modi called us. He said that the government is making all efforts to bring back the body to India.”

He also said that he was in touch with CM Bommai, local MLA and MP.
After the mortal remains of Naveen reached Bengaluru, CM Bommai paid last respect at the airport and later it was taken to Haveri.

Newly-elected Uttarakhand MLAs swear in as members of Legislative Assembly

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:56 PM PDT

Newly-elected MLAs of Uttarakhand were sworn in as members of the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Protem speaker Bansidhar Bhagat administered the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs. Ahead of the government formation in Uttarakhand, Governor Lt. General (Retired) Gurmit Singh sworn in senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bansidhar Bhagat as the Protem Speaker of state Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Meanwhile, the BJP is scheduled to hold a legislature party meeting in the evening to elect the leader who will also be the next Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

Notably, BJP MLA and former minister Rekha Arya have supported Dhami as the next Chief Minister.

Several MLAs including Ganesh Joshi and Arvind Pandey, have given their consent for Dhami as the leader of the legislature party.

Till now six MLAs of the BJP have expressed willingness to vacate their Assembly seats to help Dhami get elected to the House.

Dhami had lost to Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by a margin of 6,579 votes.

Dhami got a total of 41,598 votes with a vote share of 44.8 per cent as against Kapri who got 48,177 with a huge vote share of 51.89 per cent.

The BJP won the popular mandate for the second consecutive term in Uttarakhand, bagging 47 seats in the 70-member Assembly.

Autism-affected girl creates history, swims from Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi in 13 hrs

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:15 PM PDT

Jiya Rai, an Indian para-swimmer suffering from autism, has set a new record by crossing the Bakjala Junction in 13 hours from Sri Lanka’s Thalaimannar to Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi on Sunday.

Rai, daughter of Madan Rai, an Indian naval officer in Mumbai, suffered from autism spectrum disorder and speech delay when she was two years old and started swimming training on the advice of a doctor. She holds the world record for the most special woman to swim in the open water at a speed of 14 km/hour. In this situation, she set a record by swimming in the Palk Strait between Rameswaram and Thalaimannar. At 5.25 pm, she reached the Arichalmunai beach in Rameswaram where she was welcomed by Tamil Nadu DGP C Sylendra Babu. He then presented her with a souvenir.

In 2017, the DGP himself had swum in the Palk Strait.
The DGP Babu said, “There are many trekkers in the country who trek in the Himalayas. But the number of swimmers is very less. So the youth should come forward to achieve the feat of swimming. This sea is not like any other sea; it is a tidal sea.”

He also stated that the presence of current under the sea is not known to people who are familiar with the sea. “It is also home to dangerous fish called milk sharks. Similarly, there is a lot of jellyfish. Beyond all this, swimming in the Palk Strait is one of the greatest achievements. And it is much easier to swim at night than during the day,” he said.

The DGP also said it was commendable that a young woman with autism achieved the feat of swimming across the sea.

Jiya Rai’s father Madan Rai said, “For the first three hours, it was difficult for her to swim. My daughter, who suffers from autism and has lost the ability to speak, said that she considered it a great achievement to have swum through the Bay of Bengal in 13 hours.”

The 13-year-old girl, who is studying at Navy Children School, has been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 under the open water swimming category, the highest award for citizens below 18 years.

Last year, she had also created history after swimming from Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India, a distance of 36 km, in 8 hours and 40 minutes.

Angela Bassett talks about ‘Black Panther’ sequel, says it will ‘top’ the first film

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:09 PM PDT

Actor Angela Bassett recently teased what fans can expect in the upcoming movie ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and said that it is going to outdo its predecessor.
Adding to the excitement of the movie buffs, the actor spoke about the ‘Black Panther’ sequel while making an appearance on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, reported The Hollywood Reporter. Without giving away any details about the sequel, the star said that the film will be “amazing” and called writer-director Ryan Coogler “the perfect leader.”

She added, “It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to top [the first] one. Can I say that?”

DeGeneres spoke about how it must have been hard for the cast to return for a sequel without the first movie’s star Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, aka Black Panther. Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, after a battle with colon cancer.

Bassett, who played his mother, Ramonda, the Queen Mother of Wakanda, said that they hope to “raise the standard” in honour of Boseman.
The Oscar-nominated actor said, “He was such an example, such a leader, an amazing talent — we all know that. Big heart, great intellect, and we just hope to raise his standard.”

There have been several production delays on the upcoming sequel after one of the movie’s stars got injured on set. The film recently restarted production and will hit theatres on November 11 this year.

The first installment of the ‘Black Panther’ series was a massive hit when it was released in February 2018.

The film earned USD 1.34 billion worldwide, making ‘Black Panther’ Marvel’s highest-grossing non-‘Avengers’ movie of all time.

The movie also earned seven Academy Award nominations and won Oscars for the score, costume design, and production design to its credit.

Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck moving in together?

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:00 PM PDT

Star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are seemingly taking the next step in their relationship, as they are buying a new house in Los Angeles.

Sources close to the news told TMZ that the couple is buying a 20,000 square foot estate in the ritzy Bel-Air area of Los Angeles. “The estate is super private, tucked away in a forest of trees with an incredible city view,” the source told TMZ adding that the couple has sealed the deal in the mid- USD 50 million range.

The sources also informed the outlet that “it’s not a done deal” because “there are still contingencies that must be satisfied”.

Reportedly the families of both the stars will love together if the deal gets final. 

Pallavi Joshi quashes rumours claiming ‘The Kashmir Files’ contains fictional content

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 10:45 PM PDT

Actor and producer Pallavi Joshi quashed rumours doing rounds on the internet claiming their recently released film ‘The Kashmir Files’ contains some fictional content.

The Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri directorial film ‘The Kashmir Files’ featuring Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar, and others has been the talk of the town since its release on March 11, 2022. At a press conference held in Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the team was asked if the reports of the movie containing fictional content were true.

Film producer Pallavi Joshi who has also played Professor Radhika Menon–the believer in the ‘Kashmir Cause’ in the movie, rubbished the rumours and revealed that she and her husband Vivek Agnihotri spent about four years doing the research work for the movie.

“We went across the world, USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Jammu and Kashmir, Pune, Thailand, Delhi, wherever we could find the first family of the victim, whose father was murdered, whose mother was raped, the children who saw their parents being murdered in front of their eyes.. We have met those people,” Joshi said during the media interaction.

She added, “We shot their long format video interviews and we have those videos that too will bring in front of people… So if there’s anybody who is accusing me that I have something wrong in the film, then you can come and see all the 4,000 hours of research that we have on our videos.”

‘The Kashmir Files’ movie revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 and has been directed by Vivek Agnihotri, known for films like ‘Tashkent Files’, ‘Hate Story’ and ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’.

The film that has crossed Rs 100 crore mark at the box office has been declared tax-free in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Goa, Haryana, and Uttarakhand.

‘The Kashmir Files’ team, including Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and the film producer Abhishek Agarwal also met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel in Lucknow on Sunday. 

Ahead of PM Modi-Morrison summit, Australia returns 29 antiquities to India

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 10:18 PM PDT

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual summit with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday, Australia has handed over as many as 29 antiquities to India, which is seen as a boost to New Delhi’s bid to get back the country’s heritage from across the world.

The antiquities range in six broad categories as per themes – Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain traditions, portraits and decorative objects. These antiquities come from different time periods, with earlier ones dating to 9-10 century CE. These are primarily sculptures and paintings executed in a variety of materials – sandstone, marble, bronze, brass, paper.

Representing a large geographical region in India, antiquities are from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspected the antiquities returned by Australia.

The repatriated antiquities includes Shiva Bhairav, a 9th-10th century CE Rajasthan Sandstone, the child-saint Sambandar from 12th century CE, and seated Jina sculpture from Mount Abu region, Rajasthan.

Other antiquities repatriated includes the portrait of Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Yamin Lala Deen Dayal, memorial portrait of Hiralal A. Gandhi, and untitled ‘Manorath’ portrait of donor and priests before Shri Nathji, Nathdwara.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the Narendra Modi government has been instrumental in bringing back some 200 stolen antiquities to India from across the world.

Chinese minister draws Ukraine parallel to Indo-Pacific, rejects ‘Bloc politics’

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:56 PM PDT

Beijing [China]: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng has drawn a comparison between the ongoing Ukraine crisis and geopolitical theatre of the Indo-Pacific which it calls as Asia-Pacific region.


At the Fourth International Forum on Security and Strategy, Yucheng said the Ukraine crisis provides a mirror for us to observe the situation in the Asia-Pacific. “We cannot but ask, how can we prevent a crisis like this from happening in the Asia-Pacific? The Asia-Pacific is an anchor for world peace and stability, an engine for global growth and a new pace-setter in international cooperation. Such a promising situation has not come easily and should be cherished by all sides,” he said.


Underlining that Asia-Pacific now faces two opposite choices, Yucheng asked, “Should we build an open and inclusive family for win-win cooperation or go for small blocs based on the Cold War mentality and group confrontation?”


Since the crisis in Ukraine started, China has worked actively to promote dialogue for peace, voicing its support for peace and doing its best for talks, Le said.


“The European continent is a key region for world peace. It was marred by two World Wars and was not tranquil after the Cold War. Now flames of war are reignited. This is indeed deeply distressing and more importantly, should prompt us to profoundly reflect,” he said and added the root cause lies in the Cold War mentality and power politics.


Le said one should not seek its own absolute security. “Bloc politics and group confrontation should be rejected,” Le said, adding that military bloc is a Cold War vestige.


The Chinese minister also said globalisation should not be “weaponised”. “History has shown time and again that instead of solving problems, imposing sanctions is like putting out fire with firewood and will only make things worse. The abuse of sanctions will bring catastrophic consequences for the entire world.”


“Small countries should not be used as pawns,” Le noted, adding that some big countries do not want to get dragged into conflicts and bring harm to themselves, so they make empty promises to small countries, turn them into their cat’s paw and even use them to fight proxy wars.

COVID-19 cases drop further; 1,549 cases reported in last 24 hours

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:51 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Continuing with the declining trend of COVID-19 cases, India logged 1,549 new cases on Monday with 3,84,499 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.


The COVID-19 cases had dropped below the 2,000 mark on Sunday with 1,761 fresh infections detected across the country. As per government data, India’s active caseload currently stands at 25,106. It accounts for 0.06 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.


In the last 24 hours, 31 people succumbed to the virus. The death toll is now at 5,16,510 and the case fatality rate remained stagnant at 1.20 per cent.


With 2,652 recoveries from the infection reported in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recoveries mounted to 4,24,67,774. The recovery rate also remained the same as yesterday – 98.74 per cent.


Both the daily and weekly positivity rates also remained the same at 0.40 per cent.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive, the coverage has exceeded 181.24 crores. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a statement said that 1,81,24,97,303 vaccine doses have been administered so far, as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,14,03,116 sessions, it said.


In the vaccination drive for children in the age group 12-14 years, which started on March 16 this year, 17,99,684 doses of Corbevax vaccine have been administered. It is the only vaccine being given to this age group.


‘Precaution dose’, whose identified beneficiaries include frontline workers, healthcare workers and those above the age of 60 years, have been given to 2,17,49,035 people so far. Of these, 43,59,722 were given to healthcare workers, 66,66,494 to frontline workers and 1,07,22,819 to people above the age of 60 years.


A total of 5,62,15,365 first doses and 3,55,29,066 second doses have been administered to children in the age group 15-18 years. They are being administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.


Meanwhile, the ministry in a statement said that more than 183.52 crore (1,83,52,25,060) vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through the government’s free of cost channel and through direct state procurement category.


Over 17.21 crore (17,21,00,256) balance and unutilised COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs to be administered, it further stated. 

Biden to visit Poland to discuss Ukraine crisis

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:47 PM PDT

Washington [US]: US President Joe Biden will travel to Poland during his Europe trip to discuss international efforts to support Ukraine and impose “severe and unprecedented costs” on Russia for its invasion, the White House said in a statement.


“This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will travel to Poland following his meetings in Brussels, Belgium with our NATO Allies, G7 Leaders, and European Union leaders to discuss international efforts to support Ukraine and impose severe and unprecedented costs on Russia for its invasion,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement. The statement said, on Friday, March 25, President Biden will travel to Warsaw, Poland, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with President Andrzej Duda.


“The President will discuss how the United States, alongside our Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created,” read the statement.


Meanwhile, on March 23, Biden will travel to Brussels, Belgium.


On March 24, Biden will attend an extraordinary NATO Summit to discuss ongoing deterrence and defence efforts in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine. The President will reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO Allies and to defend every inch of NATO territory.

The President will attend a G7 meeting to further discuss with its Allies and partners the consequences of imposing on Russia for its war of choice.

Biden will also join a scheduled European Council Summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence, and address other challenges related to the conflict.

Afghan activists protest at White House against Taliban

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:28 PM PDT

Members of Afghan diaspora in the United States, including women’s rights activists and supporters of the National Resistance Front (NRF) organized a protest rally in Washington DC in front of the White House on Sunday.

The main speakers included Javid Pymanee, NRF activist, journalist and political analyst, Khalida Nawabi of the Free Afghanistan movement and Marina Omari, Afghan woman activist. All the speakers detailed the pitiable situation of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule and the continuous gross human violations being perpetrated by the Taliban rulers.

They condemned the violations of human rights, including arbitrary arrests, executions and abduction of innocent Afghans by the Taliban.

Opposing recognition of the legitimacy of Taliban rule by any country, the speakers also stressed on the importance of the global community standing with NRF at this crucial juncture.

Nawabi also said that the Afghan diaspora fully supports US House Resolution 6993, which seeks to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.

The protest was supported by more than 50 Afghan activists, who pledged to continue their efforts to free Afghanistan from the Taliban and Pakistan.

Equity indices open in red, Sensex plunges by 56 points

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:24 PM PDT

Equity indices opened in red on Monday with Sensex plunged by 56.16 points and Nifty down by 11.20 points.

The 30-scrip BSE Sensex was down by 56.16 points or 0.10 per cent at 57807.77 at 9.35 am. The 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 17275.80 at 9.35 am, down by 11.20 points or 0.06 per cent. 

N Biren Singh to take oath as Manipur CM today

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:22 PM PDT

Senior BJP leader N Biren Singh, who was unanimously elected leader of the legislature party in Manipur on Sunday, will take oath as Chief Minister of the state for a second term on Monday at 3 pm.

Singh was unanimously elected as leader of the legislature party of the BJP in a meeting held on Sunday, which was attended by the party’s central observers, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju.

Ahead of the BJP’s state legislature party meeting, Singh had visited Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party retained power in the state by winning an absolute majority with 32 seats in the 60-member House in the recently concluded Assembly polls. Congress bagged five seats and the NPP won seven seats. Naga People’s Front bagged five and the Kuki People’s Alliance got two seats. Independents bagged three seats.

The BJP leaders have been discussing the government formation in Manipur after the BJP won an absolute majority in the state for the first time. The BJP had formed the previous government in the state with the support of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the National People’s Party (NPP) with Biren Singh as Chief Minister.

Pakistan: Demanding right to life seen as act of dissent

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:37 PM PDT

Highlighting the human rights violations in the country, a Pakistan activist said that demanding the most basic right, the right to life, has become an act of dissent in the country.

Usama Khilji, writer and director of Bolo Bhi, an advocacy forum for digital rights, while writing for Dawn newspaper, said that voicing concerns over being unable to live peacefully and being subjected to forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, profiling and harassment is a natural, reasonable reaction. However, those who raise such concerns are branded “dissidents from the margins”, added Khilji. Their intentions are always questioned, the all-time favourite label of “treason” is slapped on them, and they are showcased as the kind of citizens one must keep away from, said Khilji.

A number of residents in Islamabad, who have started to frequent the camp set up outside the National Press Club in Islamabad by the Baloch Students Council, Islamabad, are seeking the release of Hafeez Baloch, a student of M.Phil in physics at the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, and demanding end to racial profiling and harassment at university campuses, said Khilji.

Hafeez Baloch was reportedly profiled and harassed. On February 8, during a visit to his native village in Khuzdar, Balochistan, masked men in a black vehicle stormed the tuition academy where he was teaching young students, and forcibly took him away in front of his minor pupils.

While his family has filed a complaint with the police in Khuzdar, there is still no information regarding Hafeez’s whereabouts.

Khilji stated that students in Pakistan should be made to feel secure instead of being threatened by the state as they pursue their education peacefully. They should be granted the right to due process rather than becoming victims of “disappearance”, added Khilji.

FIH Hockey Pro League: Mandeep scores in dying moments as India edge past Argentina 4-3

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:33 PM PDT

Mandeep Singh scored a goal in the dying moments of the match as India edged past 4-3 against 2016 Olympic champions Argentina here at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.
Hardik Singh scored a goal too while Jugraj Singh scored a brace for India to avenge the previous match defeat against Argentina in the shootout. Just like the previous match, where India lost 1-3 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw, this match’s first quarter too ended without a goal being scored from both sides. The Indian team started the second quarter on a positive note as Mandeep Singh earned a penalty corner for India where Hardik Singh scored for the team on the rebound after Harmanpreet’s drag-flick was blocked to give his side a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later India earned another penalty corner which was converted by drag-flicker Jugraj Singh who scored his fourth international goal to put hosts 2-0 ahead in the match.

After trailing 0-2 Argentina did try hard to get to the scoring sheet and also earned two penalties but failed to convert as Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak managed to save it and the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist went to half-time with a 2-0 lead.
After half-time, the visitors kept on trying for a goal and they earned a penalty corner in the 40th minute of the match which was converted by Nicolas della Torre as Argentina pulled one goal back going into the final quarter.

In the final quarter, Surender Kumar’s tackle from the back helped Argentina earn a penalty stroke where the visitors scored to make it 2-2.
I

n the very next minute, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay helped India earn another penalty corner where Jugraj Singh scored his second goal of the match to put his side 3-2 ahead with only eight minutes remaining in the match.

The Argentines were not willing to give up without a fight and they earned a penalty immediately but goalkeeper Krishan Pathak once again came to India’s rescue.
In the 53rd minute, India got yet another penalty which Jugraj Singh converted to make it his hat-trick of the match but his happiness was shortlived as Argentina reviewed the decision and the goal was turned down after a review suggested that India collected the ball inside the circle.

In the 56th minute of the match, Argentina got the equaliser to make it 3-3 as Martin Ferreiro scored for them.

Just like the previous match, it seemed as even this match will go to a shootout. With only 26 seconds remaining a superb pass into the circle from Jugraj Singh helped Mandeep Singh get a brilliant touch with his back to goal to deflect it in. Mandeep’s last-minute goal in the previous first leg match helped India get an equaliser and a goal in the second leg match helped the side get a winner as hosts edged past visitors 4-3. India’s defender Varun Kumar was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his stellar performance.

Arunachal Pradesh: 2 NSCN-IM insurgents killed in Tirap, huge cache of ammunition recovered

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:28 PM PDT

Two insurgents of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) were killed and one was injured in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district, officials said on Monday.

The encounter took place on Sunday in the Old Kolagaon area near Khonsa in Tirap district. The security personnel recovered a huge cache of weapons and other warlike stores from the area and also nabbed an insurgent.

Chukhu Apa, IGP (Law and Order) of Arunachal Pradesh, told ANI that police and Assam Rifles on Saturday had jointly launched an operation on the basis of an intelligence input in the area where the encounter took place.

“Two NSCN-IM insurgents were killed and one was injured during the gunfight. The security personnel nabbed another insurgent. The injured insurgent was referred to a hospital in Dibrugarh, Assam. A huge cache of arms, ammunition and other warlike stores were recovered from the area,” the top police official said.

He further said, “The NSCN-IM insurgents had been carrying out extortion drive and new recruitment in Tirap district since January this year.”

The personnel also recovered one AK 56 rifle with a magazine, one 5.56 mm M4 A 1 Carbine, made in the US, one 32mm Pistol, a huge cache of ammunition and other warlike stores from the encounter site.

10 million Ukrainians forced to flee homes amid Russian invasion

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:15 PM PDT

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Sunday said that 10 million Ukrainian refugees have fled abroad or been displaced inside the country in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

UN Refugee Agency chief Filippo Grandi said that millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes due to escalating fights between Russia and Ukraine, reported NHK World. The office of the UNHCR said that as of Saturday the number of Ukrainians who fled abroad had topped 3.38 million.

It added that nearly two-thirds of the refugees, about 2.05 million, had evacuated to Poland and about 180,000 were sheltering in Russia, reported NHK World.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration said that as of Wednesday, the number of displaced people inside Ukraine was estimated to be 6.48 million.

Over dozen NATO warships headed to Stockholm

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:11 PM PDT

Thirteen warships from several NATO countries are heading to Stockholm after military drills, the Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper reports.

The warships include nine German vessels and four ships from the Baltics that are on their way to Frihamnen Port following the exercise, the newspaper said on Sunday citing the Swedish military. According to Aftonbladet, the ships’ movement has nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the member states were stepping up their support to Ukraine.

At the end of last month, 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 Kiev forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize 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.

France freezes USD 24bn of Russian Central Bank’s assets

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 08:07 PM PDT

France has frozen 22 billion euros ($24 billion) worth of assets belonging to the Russian Central Bank, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday.

“We have frozen the assets of the Central Bank of Russia in the amount of 22 billion euros. In addition, we have frozen assets in private individuals’ accounts in French financial institutions in the amount of 150 million euros,” Le Maire told the RTL radio. France also froze real estate in the country worth half a billion euros, which is about 30 properties and apartments owned by Russian citizens, according to the minister.

“In total, this is almost a billion euros, or 850 million euros, that we have frozen,” Le Maire added.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in defending themselves against the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation was targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only.
In response, the US and its allies have imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia, its financial and energy sectors. 

US could expand sanctions against Russia, ‘nowhere near’ lifting restrictions: White House official

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:59 PM PDT

The United States could impose more sanctions on Russia and the White House is “nowhere near” lifting any of the restrictions, Daleep Singh, the deputy national security adviser for international economics, said.

“We can broaden our sanctions. So – take the measures, take the sanctions we’ve already applied, apply them in more targets. Apply them to more sectors,” Singh said on Sunday on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” He specified that the areas that could be targeted include Russia’s banking sector, as well as oil and gas.

“It’s mostly about oil and gas, but there are other sectors too. I don’t wanna specify them, but I think (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would know what those are,” Singh said.

Asked about what Putin could do so that the US lifts its sanctions, Singh said that it does not appear likely in the foreseeable future.

“Well, we’re nowhere near that point. The first thing he has to do is to stop – a reckless and barbaric attack on the civilians of Ukraine. That’s not happening,” Singh said.

He projected that Russia’s economy “is gonna be, half of its size that it was before” the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.

“And we take no pride in the suffering of the Russian people. This is Putin’s war. These are Putin’s sanctions. And this is Putin’s hardship he’s putting on the Russian people,” Singh told CBS “60 Minutes.”

China’s tech crackdown wreaks havoc in jobs market

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:39 PM PDT

China’s tech crackdown has adversely affected the jobs market amid economic headwinds laden with stories about frozen head-counts and lay-offs.

China’s year-long campaign to clip the wings of the country’s Big Tech sector has taken a heavy toll and is now casting a long shadow over the employment market, reported think-tank Policy Research Group POREG. Over the past year, China has launched a relentless crackdown on big tech firms, with a raft of new regulations aimed at curbing consumer rights abuses, monopolistic market practices, breaches of consumer data privacy, protecting minors from gaming addiction and curbing content deemed socially harmful – among other things. Most of this has been carried out under the banner of “curbing the irrational expansion of capital”.

However, it is now clear that this campaign is impacting the jobs market, reported POREG.

The tech sector in the past decade has been one of the strongest job-creating sectors in the world’s second-largest economy.

The destruction of tech-related jobs from content creation to private tutoring is translating into fears of a jobless wave, reported POREG.

Around 10 million fresh graduates will enter the job market this summer, adding to China’s growing army of young jobseekers, at a time of mounting economic headwinds amid the Ukraine crisis and another COVID-19 surge in the country.

This is threatening long-term government strategies, such as “dual circulation” – the concept of driving economic growth mainly via domestic demand to offset an uncertain and potentially hostile external environment.

The massive job cuts at Big Tech companies could bring significant economic instability, as the digital economy has taken up a greater proportion of China’s GDP in recent years, said Wang Peng, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China.

An earlier report published by Chinese recruitment site Zhaopin.com found that half of the people surveyed said their company had laid off staff in 2021 while a quarter said they were directly affected.

The country’s two most-valuable Big Tech firms, Alibaba Group Holding, which had over a quarter of a million employees, and Tencent Holdings, which had 107,000 employees, are said to be in the process of slashing thousands of jobs, reported POREG.

Second India-Australia virtual summit to kick-off today

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:32 PM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison will hold talks today on the occasion of the Second India-Australia virtual summit to lay the roadmap on new initiatives and enhance cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between the two countries.

The summit is expected to witness the largest ever trade pact by the Australian government in India with Canberra set to announce investments worth Rs 1,500 crore in the country across multiple sectors. The two countries are also expected to conclude an early harvest agreement by the end of this month.

An early harvest agreement is aimed at liberalising tariffs on the trade of certain goods between two countries or trading blocs before a comprehensive agreement.
As per sources, the two countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of critical minerals, which will help increase India’s access to metallic coal and lithium in Australia and cater to India’s growing demand for electric vehicles and growing infrastructure.

Further, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines in India, Pralhad Joshi, will visit Australia soon, as per the sources.

The Summit follows the historic first Virtual Summit in June 2020 when the relationship between India and Australia was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. During the upcoming virtual summit, the leaders will take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The previous summit delivered eight landmark agreements to drive India-Australia cooperation, which included a joint declaration on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in various fields including cyber technology, mining, defence cooperation, public administration and water resources management.
Recently, in September 2021 Prime Minister Modi had held a bilateral meeting with PM Morrison in Washington DC on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit.
The two leaders met again in November of last year on the occasion of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

PM Morrison also addressed the Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 17 of that year, where he announced the new Australia-India Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy and the intention to establish a new Consulate General in Bengaluru, while his Indian counterpart PM Modi delivered the keynote address at the Sydney Dialogue, on India’s technology evolution and revolution on November 18.
The cooperation between the two countries has also been carried forward at the ministerial level, with the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Peter Dutton met their Indian counterparts S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh in September 2021 in New Delhi for the First India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

Quad has become an important multilateral forum to strengthen cooperation on issues of mutual interests. S Jaishankar visited Australia in February 2022 to attend the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Melbourne on February 11.

Even at the cultural level, the Indian community in Australia continues to grow in size and importance, with a population of about 721,000 in 2020.
India is one of the top sources of skilled immigrants to Australia as well as a steady source of students and tourists.

Mortal remains of Indian student killed in Ukraine arrives in Bengaluru

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:27 PM PDT

Mortal remains of Indian student Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, who was killed in shelling in Ukraine’s Kharkiv on March 1 amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, arrived at Bengaluru airport here on Monday.

Family members of the deceased medical student and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai were present at the airport, along with state government officials. The family members paid their last respects to the deceased followed by the Chief Minister, who laid a wreath on the mortal remains.

The flight carrying the mortal remains of Naveen landed at Bengaluru airport at around 3:00 am and have been sent to his native village in the Haveri district of Karnataka.

“I thank the Central Government for making efforts on bringing back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa Gyangoudar, who was killed in a shelling attack in Ukraine. It’s unfortunate that we lost him in the shelling,” CM Bommai said while addressing the press outside the airport.

Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, an MBBS student, was a resident of Karnataka’s Haveri district. The 21-year-old student of Kharkiv National Medical University was reportedly standing in a queue to buy food when he was killed in Russian shelling.
The Karnataka chief minister has handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh to the family of Naveen Shekharappa and promised a job for a family member.

Earlier on Saturday, Shankarappa, father of Naveen said that the family members have decided to donate their son’s body for medical research.

“My son wanted to achieve something in the medical field, that didn’t happen. At least his body can be used by other medical students for studies. That’s why, we at home, have decided to donate his body for medical research,” Naveen’s father said.

Zelenskyy warns of World War III, if talks with Russia fails

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:22 PM PDT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that if “negotiations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin fail then “that would mean that this is a third World War.”
“I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” reported CNN.

“I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War,” he added.

The humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Mariupol continued to worsen as thousands of civilians were estimated to be killed in the city since the beginning of hostilities, even as Russian and Ukrainian forces trade charges over who is to blame for the deplorable situation.

Russia’s defence ministry has consistently levelled charges of serious human rights violations on the Azov battalion of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Azov battalion has been alleged to consist of “neo-Nazi” Ukrainian nationalist elements.

“There is a terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol as a result of the lawlessness brought about by Ukrainian nationalists. Desperate and mindless bandits, realizing the impossibility of receiving any assistance from Kyiv, terrorize those neighbourhoods of the city that are still under their control,” the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Sunday.

He added that the Ukrainian nationalists in the besieged city are killing between 80 and 235 civilians that try to flee each day, Sputnik News Agency reported.

“It has been established that from 80 to 235 innocent citizens die every day at the hands of the Nazis, this is a terrible statistic for the last three days only. These are the people that are trying to leave the city on their own, the militants simply shoot them,” Mizintsev said.

The Russian official went on to say that up to 130,000 civilians are being held hostage by Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of bombing civilian sites including a theatre sheltering civilians and an art school.

Mariupol City Council, who had shared an image of the destroyed theatre building, said Russian forces had “purposefully and cynically destroyed the Drama Theater in the heart of Mariupol,” CNN reported.

At the same time, Thousands of Mariupol residents who managed to escape from Russian bombs are starving to death in occupied Manhushi and Melekin.
The Head of Donetsk Military-Civil Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko claimed on Sunday said that the Russian occupying forces are refusing to provide food, water and safe passage.

“Head of Donetsk Military-Civil Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said thousands of Mariupol residents who managed to escape from Russian bombs are starving to death in occupied Manhushi and Melekin. Russian occupying forces refuse to provide food, water and safe passage,” tweeted The Kyiv Independent.

The coastal city of Mariupol has seen some of the most brutal fightings in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

As many as 2,500 civilians have died in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials estimate, and hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in the city — with officials warning those who remain are without electricity, water and heat, CNN reported.

Russia has been facing immense pressure from the international community to stop its military operations in Ukraine which has created an immense humanitarian crisis with thousands of refugees from Ukraine fleeing to the neighbouring countries to the west.

Cyclone Asani: Andaman and Nicobar Islands will experience heavy rain, strong winds on Monday

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:17 PM PDT

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are expected to experience heavy rain and strong winds on Monday as depression over the Bay of Bengal approaches towards North, said India Meteorological Department Scientist R K Janamani.

“So far it is a depression which will intensify into a deep depression by Monday morning and it will further intensify into a cyclonic storm by Monday evening. If it emerges into a cyclonic storm then it will be known as Cyclone Asani,” said Janamani. IMD scientists said to ANI that by Saturday evening the depression over the Southeast and South Andaman sea is moving towards the north with the speed of 12 Km per hour.

“The Depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal, about 200km of north-northeast of Car Nicobar (northern part of Nicobar Islands) and 100 km of south-southeast of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), will intensify into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and further into a cyclonic storm,” he added.

Meanwhile, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been deployed and are ready at different places with all necessary equipment to carry out search and rescue operations.

Indian Coast Guard ships have been shepherding the fishermen out at sea and issuing weather warnings on Sunday afternoon ahead of the upcoming Cyclone Asani.
Further, fishing, tourism and shipping activities have been stopped. Fishermen have been advised to return from sea. Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard are on stand by. Central Ministries are ready with assistance if required, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated.

Jaishankar holds discussion with Austrian counterpart on tapping new economic possibilities

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:13 PM PDT

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held a one-on-one meeting with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg and had a wide-ranging discussion on identifying new economic possibilities for cooperation besides regional security issues and implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“An interesting evening with Austrian FM @a_schallenberg who spent his early years in New Delhi. Appreciated his insights on India’s progress in the last decade. Held wide-ranging & fruitful discussions. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation & identified new economic possibilities,” Jaishankar tweeted. The two leaders exchanged views on several contemporary issues including the ongoing Ukraine situation, Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan, Jaishankar informed in another tweet.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg extended his thanks to EAM Jaishankar for the excellent discussion on further strengthening the ties between the two countries.

“Thanks to my Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar for the excellent discussion on further strengthening our bilateral relations and economic cooperation. Also spoke about regional security issues, incl. in the #IndoPacific, and the global implications of #Russia’s war in #Ukraine,” Schallenberg said in a tweet.

Jaishankar on Sunday welcomed Schallenberg and said that he looked forward to productive discussions.

“A warm welcome back to Austrian FM @a_schallenberg to India. Look forward to productive discussions today,” Jaishankar had tweeted.

Earlier, on Friday, India and Austria held the sixth round of Foreign Office Consultations virtually and discussed various aspects of bilateral relations including political, economic, commercial ties as well as cultural and academic linkages.
The Indian side was led by Dammu Ravi, Additional Secretary (Europe and COVID19), and the Austrian side was led by Ambassador Gregor Koessler, Director General for Political Affairs in the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, according to the MEA.

“India and Austria have warm and cordial relations which are based on shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and equality. Our bilateral relations are marked by strong linkages across institutions, academia, culture, and people-to-people ties,” MEA had said in a statement.

The talks covered the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, and commercial ties as well as cultural and academic linkages, the ministry said.
It further stated that two sides exchanged views on the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery including vaccines. Regional and global issues including developments in the Indo-Pacific, neighbourhood policy, terrorism, and India-EU Relations, amongst others, were discussed.

The ministry added that the deliberations also covered multilateral issues such as United Nations reforms and India’s priorities during its term in the United Nations Security Council.

BJP to fulfil promise of liberating Pakistan occupied Kashmir, assures Jitendra Singh

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:58 PM PDT

Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party government will fulfil its promise to liberate Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) just like it fulfilled its promise of abrogating Article 370.

“People don’t understand that when BJP promises somethings it fulfils. When we used to talk about the Abrogation of Article 370 people used to make fun of us but we fulfilled our promise. Similarly, it is our promise that we will liberate the part of Jammu and Kashmir which has been illegally occupied by Pakistan,” said Singh after unveiling a 20-ft statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh in Kathua “Parliament passed a resolution unanimously in 1994, emphasizing that Pakistan must vacate parts of J&K under its illegal occupation. It is our promise to liberate PoJK,” he added.

Remembering the promise made by Late former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in 1980 that one-day BJP will form government at the centre, Singh said “people used to make fun of that too.”

“Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is trying to fulfil every promise made by the party,” he said.

Union Minister made the comments on Sunday after unveiling a 20-ft statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

All England Open: Lakshya Sen loses to Viktor Axelsen in men’s singles final

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:52 PM PDT

The world number one Viktor Axelsen on Sunday defeated India’s Lakshya Sen to win the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships.

It took the reigning Olympic champion just 53 minutes to defeat the unseeded Indian by 21-10, 21-15 here at Utilita Arena in Birmingham. The Dane shuttler has now increased his lead in the head-to-head against Sen by 5-1. The young Indian shutter was bidding to become only the third man after Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) to win the All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England which is the world’s oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament.
The top-seed was the man on mission from the get-go as he took the 6-0 lead in the first game and then raced towards a nine points lead at the mid-game interval.

After the resumption, the Danish shuttler continued the demolition of the World number 11 Indian as he grabbed the first game without breaking any sweat.

The second game started on a pacy note as the shuttle kept changing on the racquet of both the players but it was again the athlete from Denmark who came out at the top in the mid-game break and this time with the lead of four points.

The change of sides didn’t do any favour for Sen as he continued to struggle against the smashes of the former All England champion. Axelsen who was playing in his fourth consecutive All-England final showed no respite to young shuttler as he continued his charge and demolished any resistance showed by Sen.

The Dane shuttler eventually called the match by winning the second game 21-15.
After taking part in this final, Sen is now only the fifth Indian – after Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980 and 1981), Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Saina Nehwal (2015) – to make the summit clash of All England.

India’s rising badminton star has been in top form in recent times. He secured his maiden world championships bronze in December, before winning his first Super 500 title at India Open in January and finishing runner-up at the German Open last week.

Goa Chief Minister’s name to be announced today post BJP’s Legislative party meet

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:42 PM PDT

Bharatiya Janata Party Legislative assembly in Goa will meet on Monday in Panaji to announce the name of the next Chief Minister and the date of the swearing-in ceremony.

Goa BJP President Sadanand Tanavade confirmed on Sunday that Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and L. Murugan will also be present in the meeting as BJP’s central observers to facilitate the government formation in the state. “The BJP legislature party meeting will be held at 4 pm at the BJP office,” said Tanavade.
Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, also the frontrunner candidate for the CM post, said that he will accept whatever responsibility the party decides to give him.

“I am happy that I was able to get 20 seats for my party. BJP observers are coming tomorrow for the Party Legislature meeting. Everything will be decided in the meeting tomorrow. I’ll gladly accept the responsibility given by the party,” said Sawant on Sunday.

The BJP will stake a claim and approach Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai to form the government.

Earlier on Saturday, Sawant met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss government formation.

In the recently concluded state Assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa, winning 20 seats in the 40-member state Assembly and decimated Congress to 11 seats. The BJP fell one seat short of the majority figure in Goa but is set to retain power in the state with the help of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and independent candidates.

Newly elected Uttarakhand MLAs to take oath today, CM name to be announced by evening

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:37 PM PDT

The newly elected MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party will take the oath of office at a ceremony scheduled to take place at the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun on Monday.

“All newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly will take oath at 11 am in Vidhan Sabha,” said Madan Kaushik, BJP chief, Uttarakhand. Kaushik further informed that the name of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister will be announced at the Legislative Party meeting scheduled to take place in the evening after the swearing ceremony.
“The meeting of Legislative Party will be held in the evening. Thereafter, the Chief Minister’s name will be announced,” Kaushik added.

Pro-tem Speaker in the Uttarakhand Assembly Bansidhar Bhagat and Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General (Retired) Gurmit Singh had also confirmed on Sunday that the MLAs would take their oath on Monday.

Meanwhile, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Kaushik, and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday at his residence in the national capital to discuss government formation.

BJP President JP Nadda and party leaders BL Santhosh and Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj were also present at Shah’s residence.

“The procedure for government formation is underway…the BJP central leadership will take a decision (on CM face),” said Dhami, at Uttarakhand Bhawan in Delhi on Sunday.

Till now six MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party have announced their willingness to vacate their Assembly seats to help Dhami get elected to the House.

Dhami had lost to Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by a margin of 6,579 votes. Dhami got a total of 41,598 votes with a vote share of 44.8 per cent as against Kapri who got 48,177 with a huge vote share of 51.89 per cent.
The BJP won the popular mandate for the second consecutive term in Uttarakhand, bagging 47 seats in the 70-member Assembly.

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