8pm NEWSFEED

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• Britain’s Johnson Meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv
• Speaker Asad Qaisar Says Won’t Conduct Voting Against Imran
• IPL 2022: Abhishek Sharma Stars For SRH As CSK Fall To 4th Consecutive Loss
• Panic Selling Of Chinese Bonds By Foreign Investors
• Goods Worth Rs 2.4 Cr Stolen From Sonam Kapoor’s Delhi House
• Pak PM Calls Cabinet Meeting As No-Confidence Threat Looms
• Covishield’s Price Reduced From Rs 600 To Rs 225
• Parliament Panel To Examine Bill Proposing Marriage Age Change On Wednesday
• Pakistan FM Says Accidental Missile Firing By India Could Have Led To War
• Bilawal Opposes Discussion On ‘Foreign Conspiracy’, Calls For No-trust Vote As Per SC Order
• Pakistan: No-Confidence Vote Against Imran Khan Expected To Be Held Late Evening
• Pakistan: PML-N Leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif Calls Imran Khan Psychopath
• ‘Hiding Like A Rat’: BJP Slams TMC’s Anubrata Mandal For Birbhum Violence
• How People Gained Weight During COVID-19 Pandemic
• No-Confidence Motion: National Assembly To Reconvene Shortly
• US ‘Bluntly’ Refutes Imran’s Claim Of ‘Foreign Conspiracy’
• Bihar: 3 Girls Dead, 3 Hospitalised After Consuming Poison In Aurangabad
• Will Smith Responds To Academy’s 10-Year Ban After 2022 Oscars Slap Incident
• Freebies Before Or After Election Is Decision Of The Party: ECI To SC
• Pakistan: Imran Khan Skips Assembly Session, Opposition Urges Speaker To Follow Constitution
• Yogi Confident Of Majority In UP Legislative Council
• Delhi: Auto Drivers Threaten Indefinite Strike Against CNG Hike From April 18
• India Logs 1150 New COVID Cases In Last 24 Hours
• Nothing To Think, Just Go And Hit Sixes, Says Rahul Tewatia
• Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Are Engaged
• Korea Open- Sindhu Loses To An Seyoung In Semi-Final
• Mumbai Terror Attack Mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Son Declared Designated Terrorist By MHA
• Opposition MP In Sri Lanka Calls For Impeachment Of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
• Delhi: Fire In Anand Parvat Industrial Area, 6 Firemen Injured
• Delhi: Fire In Azad Market Area, No Casualties Reported
• Pak PM To Face No-Confidence Motion Today
• Kashmir Sees Record Tourist Arrivals, Highest In A Decade
• Decision Of Each Country Including India: US On Purchase Of Russian oil
• CM Khattar Reviews Haryana Civic Poll Preparations With BJP MPs
• Twitter Account Of UP Chief Minister’s Office Restored
• US-India Partnership Most Important Relationship Believes Biden: Psaki

Britain’s Johnson Meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv Posted: 09 Apr 2022 09:16 AM PDT Kyiv [Ukraine]: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday. Johnson said that he has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy in person and show solidarity with the Ukrainian people. “Today I met my friend President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. We’re setting out a new package of financial & military aid which is a testament of our commitment to his country’s struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign,” Johnson tweeted. The Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom tweeted a picture of Boris Johnson sitting alongside Zelenskyy in an office. This visit comes as the Johnson government has announced defensive aid to Ukraine with a new £100m package. The new support will include: more NLAW anti-tank missiles, additional Javelin anti-tank systems, additional loitering munitions, additional Starstreak air defence systems, and additional non-lethal aid including ballistic helmets, body armour and night-vision goggles. This package amounts to more than £100 million and has been designed in consultation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to ensure that it meets their military needs. This builds on the £350 million of military aid and around £400m of economic and humanitarian support that the UK has already provided. As well as providing bilateral lethal aid, the UK Armed Forces – alongside Polish, US and international partners – have established an International Donor Coordination Centre in Stuttgart. This plays a leading role in the international effort and ensures that the military aid delivered to Ukraine is as coordinated and effective as possible. The team from 104 Logistics Brigade was established following the first International Donor Conference convened by the Defence Secretary in February. UK Prime Minister: “Putin has steeled our resolve, sharpened our focus and forced Europe to begin to rearm to guarantee our shared security.”

Speaker Asad Qaisar Says Won’t Conduct Voting Against Imran Posted: 09 Apr 2022 08:40 AM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Amid the ongoing session of the Pakistan National Assembly discussing the no-confidence motion against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Speaker Asad Qaisar has reportedly said that he will not conduct voting against Imran Khan under any circumstances. The National Assembly speaker reportedly made the comments while talking to the Opposition representatives while the session was in adjournment according to Geo News. Saying that he will not conduct a vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Qaisar reportedly said that he had a relationship of 30 years with Imran Khan and he can’t end that, even if it means facing contempt of court. This comes amid reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan has called in a Federal Cabinet meeting at 9 pm tonight, leading to speculations over whether the vote on the no-confidence motion will be held by today, as per the directions of the Pakistan Supreme Court. The voting on the no-confidence motion was expected to be held after 8 pm tonight. Earlier today, the session of the National Assembly was adjourned after convening in the morning amid ruckus in the House. The House reconvened at around 2:30 pm (local time) and was further adjourned after speeches were made by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Opposition leaders including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Pakistan’s Supreme Court in a historic judgement on Thursday had called for the convening of the session of the National Assembly “not later than 10:30 am on Saturday” after setting aside the April 3 ruling of the Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri against the no-confidence motion on “Constitutional grounds”. Declaring the ruling of the Deputy Speaker “to be contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect”, the Court set aside all the subsequent steps taken, including the dissolution of the National Assembly, while also restoring Prime Minister Imran Khan and all the Federal Ministers to their respective positions as of April 3. The court also fixed the Saturday session with the conditions that the session cannot be prorogued unless the motion is voted upon, and in case Imran Khan loses the no-trust vote, the next PM has to be elected in the same session.

IPL 2022: Abhishek Sharma Stars For SRH As CSK Fall To 4th Consecutive Loss Posted: 09 Apr 2022 07:49 AM PDT Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra): Openers and bowlers starred for SunRisers Hyderabad as they thrashed defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets in their IPL 2022 match here at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Saturday. SRH openers Abhishek Sharma (75) and Kane Williamson (32) stitched a crucial 89-run partnership for the first wicket in the chase before their bowlers restricted four-time champions CSK to 154/7. Rahul Tripathi also played a good hand for the men in orange with an unbeaten 39. This is Chennai Super Kings’ fourth successive loss in the Indian Premier League 2022. Chasing 155, SRH openers enjoyed a steady start as their openers, Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson gathered 37 runs in the first powerplay. In the 8th over, Abhishek Sharma smashed CSK all-rounder Moeen Ali for a six to bring up the team’s 50. Runs kept clocking for SRJ at a decent pace as their score read 69/0 at halfway in the innings. In the 12th over Abhishek brought up his maiden IPL half-century in 32 balls. In the very next over, Mukesh Choudhary gave CSK their first wicket of the match as he removed Kane Williamson. Mukesh bowled a full-length ball, pitching outside off stump, to which SRH skipper attempted to loft the ball over covers, but Moeen easily caught the ball inside the thirty yards. Rahul Tripathi then joined Abhishek on the crease as the duo then anchored the march of SRH. The pair took the attack to CSK bowlers as their rapid fifty-runs partnership came in the 17th over. In the very next over Dwayne Bravo dismissed Abhishek Sharma but until then it was too late for the men in yellow to create any comeback. In the same over Nicholas Pooran and Tripathi completed the clinical chase with 14 balls remaining in the contest. Earlier, Moeen Ali scored 48 while Ravindra Jadeja smashed a quick 23 to help Chennai Super Kings reach 154/7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chennai Super Kings’ openers Robin Uthappa and Ruturaj Gaikwad started aggressively after being put in to bat first by Sunrisers Hyderabad and they smashed SRH bowlers. But the small partnership was broken as Washington Sundar dismissed Uthappa on 15 runs. In the sixth over, Ruturaj Gaikwad fell prey to T Natarajan, who dismissed him after he had scored 16 runs in 13 balls. Ambati Rayudu then came to the crease and joined opener Moeen Ali. The duo tried to anchor the innings for some time but could not stand longer as Rayudu got caught by Aiden Markram of Washington Sundar’s delivery, after scoring only 27 runs, leaving the team’s total at 98/3 in 14 overs. CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo then guided their team to a defendable score of 154/7. Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 154/7 (Moeen Ali 48, Ambati Rayudu 27; Washington Sundar 2/21) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 155/2 (Abhishek Sharma 75, Rahul Tripathi 39*; Mukesh Choudhary 1-30)

Panic Selling Of Chinese Bonds By Foreign Investors Posted: 09 Apr 2022 07:40 AM PDT Beijing [China]: Foreign investors reduced their holdings of Chinese bonds by more than USD 15 billion in March, a record high and the largest withdrawal from China in a single month. It was the second month in a row that foreign investors sold Chinese bonds. Massive outflows from China will continue in April, based on data collected by market research, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. According to the report, analysts believe that possible factors for investors to sell include concerns about the geopolitical risks of investing in China, broader economic uncertainty, and China’s market yield advantage over the US bonds is waning. International investors also pulled more than USD 7 billion from onshore Chinese equities through the Hong Kong market in March. Some international fund managers were concerned about holding Chinese assets after Western countries imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia. In addition, with Russian assets in the US, Japan and Europe effectively frozen, the Russian central bank is likely to reduce its holdings of Chinese bonds to raise cash and repay foreign debt. The flight was noteworthy because authorities had avoided major outflows in previous market stress events, including COVID-19, and the trade war with the United States. In addition, global funds have begun to dwindle in buying Chinese debt as the US and Chinese central bank’s monetary policies move in opposite directions which have made the yield gap between Chinese benchmark bonds and the US Treasuries virtually disappear. The extra yield on Chinese sovereign bonds relative to the US counterparts had fallen to 0.12 percentage points as of Thursday, according to FactSet. In 2021, Chinese sovereign bonds offer an extra 2 percentage points over their US counterparts. Data released by China Central Depository and Clearing Co Ltd. (CCDC) on Friday showed that foreign institutional investors reduced their holdings of Chinese interbank bonds for the second consecutive month in March, reaching USD 6.2 billion; Holding Chinese government bonds, the scale is 8.1 billion US dollars, which is the highest monthly outflow in history. China is the world’s second-largest bond market, with foreign investors holding about USD 561 billion in Chinese bonds, and overall, March’s withdrawals were small. But the flight of Chinese investment will continue as the global economic downturn worsens due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Goods Worth Rs 2.4 Cr Stolen From Sonam Kapoor’s Delhi House Posted: 09 Apr 2022 07:29 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Goods Worth Rs 2.4 Cr Stolen- A complaint has been filed by the in-laws of Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor alleging theft of cash and jewellery worth Rs 2.40 crores from their Delhi residence, said Police. “Their house is on Amrita Shergill Marg in Lutyens’ Delhi, where Anand’s parents Harish Ahuja, mother Priya Ahuja and grandmother Sarla Ahuja live. The theft incident in Sonam’s in-laws’ house took place in February,” said Amrutha Guguloth, Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi. A complaint was made on February 23, 2022, that there was a theft at the residence of Harish Ahuja where goods worth Rs 2.4 Cr were stolen. “They complained that some cash and jewellery combined worth 2.4 crores was stolen. They had noticed it on February 11, 2022, but the complaint was filed on February 23, 2022. Immediately FIR was filed under section 381 IPC at Police Station Tughlaq Road and an investigation started. Teams have been formed and examination of the evidence is underway,” said the officer. Police further said that the case has been transferred to special staff New Delhi district and they are investigating the matter. No arrest has been made so far.

Pak PM Calls Cabinet Meeting As No-Confidence Threat Looms Posted: 09 Apr 2022 07:19 AM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has called an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday at a time when a crucial National Assembly session on the no-confidence motion is underway. Khan has summoned a special meeting of the federal cabinet tonight at 9 pm. He will chair the meeting where important decisions are to be taken, Geo News reported citing sources. While addressing the Pakistan National Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday said that sabotaging the no-trust motion would imply contempt of court. Speaking in the National Assembly, Bilawal said that if voting does not take place it will be a violation of the constitution. He reiterated that the court has bound the speaker to not sabotage the no-trust vote. Bilawal said that if any conspiracy was being hatched against Pakistan before March 7, then it should have been aroused at that time. “Imran Khan came up with the idea of this conspiracy only when he lost the majority. Imran Khan is still not present in the House and cannot defend himself,” said Bilawal. The Chairman of PPP slammed Imran Khan for “running away from transparent elections”. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s verdict setting aside the National Assembly Deputy Speaker’s rejection of the no-trust motion against Imran Khan, reported local media. The petition, filed against the April 7, 2022 verdict by the apex court, seeks a review of the ruling given by the five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, ARY News reported. The development came after Imran Khan finalised his consultations with legal experts over the matter, the report added. The government will plead for suspension of the verdict and for the National Assembly to be allowed to function according to the rules, reported the media outlet citing the sources. Notably, in the wake of the apex court’s decision, Imran Khan chaired a meeting of senior party leaders and legal experts ahead of a National Assembly session for the vote on the no-confidence motion. He also had a telephonic conversation with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to discuss the strategy for the voting on the no-trust motion.

Covishield’s Price Reduced From Rs 600 To Rs 225 Posted: 09 Apr 2022 07:09 AM PDT Pune (Maharashtra): Covishield’s price reduced- Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Saturday announced that it has revised the price of its COVID vaccine Covishield for private hospitals from Rs 600 to Rs 225 per dose. “We are pleased to announce that after discussion with the Central Government, SII has decided to reduce the price of Covishield vaccine for private hospitals from Rs 600 to Rs 225 per dose. We once again commend this decision from the Centre to open precautionary dose to all 18+,” tweeted Adar Poonawalla, CEO SII. The Union Ministry of Health on Friday announced the rollout of the precautionary third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for the 18-plus population at private vaccination centres from April 10, now with Covishield’s price reduced, people will find it easier on the pocket. All those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose, would be eligible for the precaution dose, the ministry said in a statement. This facility would be available in all private vaccination centres. India started administering precaution doses to frontline workers, healthcare workers and those above the age of 60 years with comorbidities on January 10 this year. Later, on March 16, the vaccination drive for precaution dose was extended to all adults above the age of 60 years.

Parliament Panel To Examine Bill Proposing Marriage Age Change On Wednesday Posted: 09 Apr 2022 05:53 AM PDT The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports would examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill in its first meeting on April 13. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session. The committee chaired by the BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe in its first meeting will hear the members of the Jaya Jaitley committee, who will depose on Wednesday. The committee recently was given an extension by another three months to examine “Demand For Grants”. The panel is now required to submit its report by June 24 this year. Earlier the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev had said that it was not appropriate for such a Bill to be scrutinised in a committee where 30 out of 31 members are male members. The Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had also written to the Upper House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, urging him to take a relook at the committee and induct more women members into the committee to ensure fair scrutiny. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes to amend the existing law to bring parity at the minimum marriageable age for men and women. The Bill proposes raising the minimum age for marriage for women from 18 to 21. The Bill will also affect laws relating to the age of marriage — ‘The Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872’; ‘The Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936’; ‘The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937’; ‘The Special Marriage Act, 1954’; ‘The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955’; and ‘The Foreign Marriage Act, 1969’, besides ‘The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956’; and ‘Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956’. The Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy (particularly the Right to Equality and Right against Exploitation) under the Constitution of India guarantee gender equality. The government has claimed that the Bill also aims to lower the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), besides improving nutrition levels as well as sex ratio at birth.

Pakistan FM Says Accidental Missile Firing By India Could Have Led To War Posted: 09 Apr 2022 05:40 AM PDT Speaking on the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday raised the issue of the accidental misfire of a misile from India into Pakistan in early March, saying that the accidental firing of the missile could have escalated into a full-fledged war between the two nuclear countries. The Foreign Minister was speaking after the House resumed its proceedings on the no-confidence motion at around 2:30 pm (local time), following an adjournment of the session in the morning after a ruckus in the House. “They said that it was an accidental fire… I have written to the President of the Security Council, and I have written to the Secretary-General of the United Nations… that accidental fire, could have led to an accidental war, between two neigbours who are atomic powers,” Qureshi said, adding that “the reaction time is not hours, its just minutes… It’s such a dangerous game that India has played.” Referring to India, Qureshi said, “Where are the protocols, where was the “self-destructing system”? That missile was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.” The Pakistani authorities had earlier demanded that the world community asks India to ensure that its military equipment is safe. Diverting from the issue of the no-confidence, Qureshi talked about the India-Pakistan relations, holding the “RSS” and the “Hindutva” ideology responsible for the lack of dialogue. “When have we rejected dialogue? My Prime Minister says, take one step towards peace, I will take two, but the Hindutva mindset that has come there… the RSS mentality that Delhi is occupied with… they don’t want dialogue,” Qureshi said. Further talking about the Kashmir issue, Qureshi said that India seeks to keep Kashmiris “bounded”. Earlier in his speech, Qureshi primarily had talked about the “foreign conspiracy” to topple the Imran Khan government, alleging that the US had categorrically told Pakistan not to go forward with the Moscow visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He also conceded that today (Saturday) is probably his last day as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan). Earlier today, the session of the National Assembly was adjourned as the Opposition continued to chant slogans, pressing for the taking up of the no-confidence motion, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking in the National Assembly, local media reported. In an apparent move seen as part of the strategy of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) to delay the proceedings, Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, while chairing the Saturday session to take up the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, said that the House should also hold a discussion on the issue of “international conspiracy.” The Speaker’s suggestion was met with strong protest by the Opposition members who asked the Chair to stick to the mandate of the session spelt out by the Supreme Court. Pakistan’s Supreme Court in a historic judgement on Thursday had called for the convening of the session of the National Assembly “not later than 10:30 am on Saturday” after setting aside the April 3 ruling of the Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri against the no-confidence motion on “Constitutional grounds”. Declaring the ruling of the Deputy Speaker “to be contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect”, the Court set aside all the subsequent steps taken, including the dissolution of the National Assembly, while also restoring Prime Minister Imran Khan and all the Federal Ministers to their respective positions as of April 3. The court also fixed the Saturday session with the conditions that the session cannot be prorogued unless the motion is voted upon, and in case Imran Khan loses the no-trust vote, the next PM has to be elected in the same session.

Bilawal Opposes Discussion On ‘Foreign Conspiracy’, Calls For No-trust Vote As Per SC Order Posted: 09 Apr 2022 05:31 AM PDT After the Pakistan National Assembly Speaker said that the House should also hold a discussion on the issue of “international conspiracy”, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the Supreme Court has passed an order to vote on the no-trust motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday and anything against this order cannot be discussed. The voting in the Pakistan National Assembly over the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to be held after 8 pm (local time) on Saturday. The session resumed after it was adjourned as the opposition parties continued to chant slogans, pressing for the taking up of the no-confidence motion, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking in the National Assembly, local media reported. In an apparent move seen as part of the strategy of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to delay the proceedings, Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, while chairing the Saturday session to take up the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, said that the House should also hold a discussion on the issue of “international conspiracy.” The Speaker’s suggestion was met with strong protest by the Opposition MPs, who asked the Chair to stick to the mandate of the session spelt out by the Supreme Court. Urging the Speaker to carry out the proceedings of the House according to the norms of the Constitution, Shahbaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in Pakistan National Assembly, stated, “I hope you (Speaker) will carry out today’s proceedings of the House as per the Supreme Court order. I urge you to stand for the Constitution and law.” During the session, Foreign Minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi made it clear that it is the duty of the government to defend the no-confidence motion. “It is the Constitutional right of the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against the government, and it’s the government’s duty to defend it,” he added. Proceedings of the Pakistan National Assembly session with the specific mandate to take up the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government and the election of the new leader of the House got underway on Saturday.

Pakistan: No-Confidence Vote Against Imran Khan Expected To Be Held Late Evening Posted: 09 Apr 2022 05:19 AM PDT The voting in the Pakistan National Assembly over the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to be held after 8 pm (local time) on Saturday. The session was adjourned as the opposition parties continued to chant slogans, pressing for the taking up of the no-confidence motion, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking in the National Assembly, local media reported. In an apparent move seen as part of the strategy of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) to delay the proceedings, Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, while chairing the Saturday session to take up the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, said that the House should also hold a discussion on the issue of “international conspiracy.” The Speaker’s suggestion was met with strong protest by the Opposition MPs, who asked the Chair to stick to the mandate of the session spelt out by the Supreme Court. Urging the Speaker to carry out the proceedings of the House according to the norms of the Constitution, Shahbaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in Pakistan National Assembly, stated, “I hope you (Speaker) will carry out today’s proceedings of the House as per the Supreme Court order. I urge you to stand for the Constitution and law. You must catch this moment with your conviction.” During the session, Foreign Minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi made it clear that it is the duty of the government to defend the no-confidence motion. “It is the Constitutional right of the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against the government, and it’s the government’s duty to defend it,” he added. Proceedings of the Pakistan National Assembly session with the specific mandate to take up the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government and the election of the new leader of the House got underway on Saturday. Heavy security has been deployed outside the Pakistan National Assembly in Islamabad. Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, and other MNAs are attending the session of the National Assembly, reported Geo News. The Supreme Court had on Thursday ordered the incumbent government to face the no-confidence motion on Saturday. The court had turned down the ruling of the Deputy Speaker to reject the no-confidence motion. The top court’s directives came after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu cognisance of Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly, declaring all the decisions unconstitutional. As per the order of the Supreme Court, voting is to be held at all costs today and in case the PM is voted out, the election of a new Leader of the House will be held during the same session. The voting on the no-confidence motion is at the fourth position in the six-point agenda issued for today. Speaker Asad Qaiser can not take up agenda other than voting on the motion, and if he did not do so, he would have to face contempt of court proceedings, reported Geo News. It is pertinent to mention here that the Opposition has submitted the no-confidence motions against the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. However, Asad Qaiser can chair today’s session according to the rules. The National Assembly officials told Geo News that according to the SC larger bench’s written order, the NA Speaker has been made duty-bound to proceed with the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government as per the April 3 agenda of the House. The NA officials said that the voting on the no-trust motion could take place within seven days of its submission and last Sunday (April 3) was the last day of voting. So, SC’s larger bench ordered the Speaker to revive the April 3 agenda of the National Assembly and conduct voting on the no-confidence motion, they added. Therefore, today (April 9) will be considered the last day (seventh day) of voting on the no-confidence motion and it is essential to move with the set agenda, reported Geo News. The NA officials said if the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeds, the National Assembly session will be extended till Sunday to complete the process for the election of the new Leader of the House while the Secretariat will undertake the necessary documentation. When asked if the government tried to get the voting on the no-trust motion delayed for a day or a week, the NA official said that in this situation, the NA Speaker would violate SC’s larger bench order and should get ready to face a five-year disqualification and contempt of court. Despite Imran Khan-led PTI government’s hectic efforts to avoid voting on the no-confidence motion, the National Assembly will decide the fate of the premier today. Meanwhile, the ruling party has prepared its strategy to scuttle the proceedings and delay the voting by asking its MPs to give lengthy speeches on the ‘foreign conspiracy”, reported Geo News. The same was endorsed by Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chauhdry. Talking to Geo News, he said that the foreign secretary is going to brief the House on the “threat letter”, so the voting on no-confidence may not happen and maybe deferred till next week.

Pakistan: PML-N Leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif Calls Imran Khan Psychopath Posted: 09 Apr 2022 04:50 AM PDT Maryam Nawaz Sharif, vice president of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Imran Khan, calling him a “Psychopath” while asserting that he must not be allowed to take the nation down. Taking to Twitter, Maryam wrote, “One person who is not in his senses anymore cannot be allowed to wreak havoc & bring the entire country down. This is not a joke. He should not be treated as PM or ex PM, he must be treated as a PSYCHOPATH who just to save his own skin is holding the entire country hostage. Shame.” Imran Khan was conspicuous by his absence in the National Assembly, which commenced its proceedings on Saturday to take up the no-confidence motion on the direction of the Supreme Court. The no-confidence motion is listed fourth on the day’s agenda of the National Assembly. While the Opposition has come out in full force, very few members of the treasury benches were seen in attendance. Prime Minister Imran Khan was also not present in the House, reported Geo News. Taking the floor, the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hailed Thursday as a historic day when the apex court rejected the Deputy Speaker’s ruling to reject the no-confidence motion. According to the PML-N leader, the SC decision had made Pakistan’s future “bright”, reported Geo News. He also thanked the Opposition leaders for leading protests against the erroneous ruling of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. He called upon the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to conduct proceedings in accordance with the SC’s directives, stating that Parliament would be writing history today. “Today, Parliament is going to defeat a selected prime minister in a Constitutional manner,” he declared. Shehbaz urged the Speaker to let bygones be bygones and to stand for the law and the Constitution. He urged the Speaker to play his role and get his name “written in history in golden words”. “You must cash in on this moment with conviction and with your heart and mind. Don’t act on the dictation of the selected Prime Minister,” he urged Qaiser, adding that the apex court’s directives were clear. Responding to Shehbaz’s earnest plea, Qaiser assured the Opposition leader that he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution. “[But] the important thing is that there has been talk of an international conspiracy. This should also be discussed,” he said, as the hall echoed with protests from the Opposition benches. This prompted Shehbaz Sherif to tell the Qaiser that he would be violating the court’s directives if he would go down that road (foreign conspiracy). He also read out the court’s directives regarding the convening of the session of the National Assembly. “Under the court’s directives, you are bound to take up this agenda item and no other items. That is the intent of the order and you cannot deviate from it,” he said, calling on the Speaker to hold voting on the motion forthwith. “The SC’s orders will be followed in true letter and spirit,” Qaiser replied, giving the floor to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, reported Geo News. After what can perhaps be called the longest week in Pakistani politics in recent history, the National Assembly session to decide the fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently underway. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser is chairing the session which began at 10:30 am sharp, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives. Lawmakers began arriving at Parliament House ahead of the session while television footage showed tight security arrangements in place in the capital. The united Opposition also held a meeting of its Parliamentary group that was chaired by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and attended by 176 lawmakers, reported Geo News. The Opposition needs the support of at least 172 lawmakers from a total of 342 to oust the premier through the no-confidence motion. Despite the impression that the PTI has lost its majority in the lower House, the ruling party is still adamant that it would not leave the field open for the Opposition and has vowed to make things as difficult for them as they can by creating hurdles in the voting procedure and also preventing the election of Opposition nominee Shehbaz Sharif as the new leader of the House. Ahead of the session, on Friday, PM Imran had presided over a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary group. Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said the government would present the “threatening” cable — purportedly containing evidence of a foreign plot against the government — or its contents in the Assembly and will ask the Speaker for a debate on the issue. The joint Opposition, primarily the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the PPP, had submitted the no-confidence motion against the premier with the NA Secretariat on March 8.

‘Hiding Like A Rat’: BJP Slams TMC’s Anubrata Mandal For Birbhum Violence Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:37 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: West Bengal BJP vice president Saumitra Khan on Saturday hit out at Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal for his alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling case and said that he is dodging the CBI inquiry into the matter and “hiding like a rat” in the hospital in the name of ill health. Speaking on the matter, Khan said, “CBI had asked Anubrata to appear in Kolkata’s Nizam Palace for questioning in the cattle smuggling case. He wrote to CBI and said that he wishes to take part in the interrogation, but it is not possible as he is being admitted to the hospital due to ill health.” “Anubrata Mandal always says ‘Khela Hobe’, he played with the lives of the people in Birbhum and now he is hiding like a rat,” the BJP leader added. Talking about the preliminary report submitted by the CBI in the Calcutta High Court in the Birbhum violence case, Khan slammed TMC leaders, Anubrata Mandal and Rana Singh for their alleged involvement in the Birbhum violence in which nine people were charred to death in West Bengal, and said that the violence was planned and took place at will. “Two people are very dominant in Birbhum, one is Anubrata Mandal and the other is Rana Singh. If both of them were not involved in the incident, then Birbhum’s SP, Additional SP, DSP, would not have let the incident happen silently. The incident was planned and executed at will. CBI is looking into the case now, but Mandal has sucked people’s blood,” he said. The BJP leader exuded confidence in the Court and CBI and said that “the perpetrators will be punished”. The CBI in its preliminary report on West Bengal’s Birbhum massacre has said that the massacre was planned and organised and the incident was a direct result of the killing of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The Calcutta High Court on Friday handed over Sheikh’s murder probe to the CBI saying that the case is interlinked with the arson at Birbhum’s Rampurhat which resulted in the death of nine persons.

How People Gained Weight During COVID-19 Pandemic Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:31 AM PDT A new study has found that more people weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than the previous year. The evidence was presented from a large, nationally representative survey that showed this trend and helped researchers to explain behaviour changes that led to widespread weight gain in 2020. “Previous studies present evidence that intra-pandemic changes in risky dietary and other health-related behaviours are likely to contribute to the rapid rise in body weight during this period. Adults who reported weight gain also reported more frequent snacking and alcohol intake; increased eating in response to sight, smell and stress and decreased physical activity. The analysis of the BRFSS data employed linear regression models that control for age, sex. race/ethnicity, education, household income, marital status, numner of children, survey year indicators and state of residence indicators. According to the analysis of more than 3.5 million US adults (aged 20 or older) from the 2011-2020 BRFSS, obesity was 3 per cent more prevalent during the year begining March 2020, compared with the 2019 to pre-pandemic 2020 period. The study also found statistically significant changes among US adults in four obesity-related risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: exercise participation, sleep duration, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. While exercise participation and sleep duration were higher by 4.4 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively, the number of days in which alcohol was consumed was 2.7 per cent higher and cigarette smoking prevalence was lower by 4 per cent. The overall increases in exercise and sleep were not sufficient to offset the impact of other behaviors, resulting in an average 0.6 per cent rise in body mass index during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although smoking cessation is a healthy step, it is known to cause some weight gain. “Our results, which are broadly consistent with what prior studies have found using smaller and less representative samples, contribute additional insights that can serve to inform policymakers about the state of the US adult obesity epidemic and obesity-related risk factors,” noted Dr. Restrepo. “Because obesity affects some adults more than others, it would be helpful to further explore the changes in the rates of adult obesity by demographic subgroup and socioeconomic status,” he added.

No-Confidence Motion: National Assembly To Reconvene Shortly Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:29 AM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser adjourned the House proceedings till 1pm (IST). In another development, Pakistan federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government could be shifted to next week. Proceedings of the Pak National Assembly session with the specific mandate to take up the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan led government and the election of the new leader of the House got underway on Saturday. Heavy security has been deployed outside the Pak National Assembly in Islamabad ahead of the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, which is slated to be taken up in the House shortly. Members of Pakistan’s National Assembly (MNAs) have begun arriving at Parliament House ahead of the no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government in line with the deadline set by the Supreme Court. Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, and other MNAs have started arriving at the National Assembly, reported Geo News. The Supreme Court had on Thursday ordered the incumbent government to face the no-confidence motion on Saturday. The court had turned down the ruling of the Deputy Speaker to reject the no-confidence motion on the grounds of the move being “unconstitutional” and brought as part of a “foreign conspiracy”. The top court’s directives came after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu cognisance of Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly, declaring all the decisions unconstitutional. As per the order of the Supreme Court, voting is to be held at all costs today and in case the PM is voted out, the election of a new Leader of the House will be held during the same session. The voting on the no-confidence motion is at the fourth position in the six-point agenda issued for today. Speaker Asad Qaiser can not take up agenda other than voting on the motion, and if he did not do so, he would have to face contempt of court proceedings, reported Geo News. It is pertinent to mention here that the Opposition has submitted the no-confidence motions against the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. However, Asad Qaiser can chair today’s session according to the rules. The National Assembly officials told Geo News that according to the SC larger bench’s written order, the NA Speaker has been made duty-bound to proceed with the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government as per the April 3 agenda of the House. The Pak National Assembly officials said that the voting on the no-trust motion could take place within seven days of its submission and last Sunday (April 3) was the last day of voting. So, SC’s larger bench ordered the Speaker to revive the April 3 agenda of the National Assembly and conduct voting on the no-confidence motion, they added. Therefore, today (April 9) will be considered the last day (seventh day) of voting on the no-confidence motion and it is essential to move with the set agenda, reported Geo News. The NA officials said if the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeds, the National Assembly session will be prorogued till Sunday for the election of the new Leader of the House and the National Assembly Secretariat would begin with its necessary documentation. The NA Secretariat has prepared forms for the nomination of the new Leader of the House and those forms would be issued as soon as the session is prorogued and scrutiny of the nomination forms will be completed till night and the list of the candidates for PM’s slot will be issued at night and after that, the National Assembly will elect new Prime Minister on Sunday. To a question that the government wants to hold a debate on the issue of the letter shown by Imran Khan in its rally on March 27, alleging foreign conspiracy to topple his government, the NA official said it was impossible. They said the government will have to submit a separate resolution in the NA Secretariat for the debate on the letter and briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary to the House and will have to seek the permission of the House if the House should be converted into a standing committee. The Opposition enjoys its majority in the House, so it can reject this resolution, reported Geo News. When asked if the government tried to get the voting on the no-trust motion delayed for a day or a week, the NA official said that in this situation, the NA Speaker would violate SC’s larger bench order and should get ready to face a five-year disqualification and contempt of court. Despite Imran Khan-led PTI government’s hectic efforts to avoid voting on the no-confidence motion, the National Assembly will decide the fate of the premier today. Meanwhile, the ruling party has prepared its strategy to scuttle the proceedings and delay the voting by asking its MPs to give lengthy speeches on the ‘foreign conspiracy”, reported Geo News. The same was endorsed by Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chauhdry. Talking to Geo News, he said that the foreign secretary is going to brief the House on the “threat letter”, so the voting on no-confidence may not happen and maybe deferred till next week.

US ‘Bluntly’ Refutes Imran’s Claim Of ‘Foreign Conspiracy’ Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:26 AM PDT Washington [US]: Refuting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim of a ‘conspiracy’ by the US to topple the government in Islamabad, US State Department, for the fourth time, said there is absolutely no truth to these allegations. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter, in a press conference on Friday, rejected Imran’s accusations and stated, “Let me just say very bluntly there is absolutely no truth to these allegations.” Earlier, Imran Khan had accused the US of interfering in Pakistan’s politics and plotting to oust his regime through a no-trust motion in the National Assembly. Jalina noted that Washington continues to follow the developments in Pakistan and it supports the constitutional process and rule of law in the country but refuted Imran’s claim. “Of course, we continue to follow these developments, and we respect and support Pakistan’s constitutional process and rule of law. But again, these allegations are not true,” she concluded.

Bihar: 3 Girls Dead, 3 Hospitalised After Consuming Poison In Aurangabad Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:17 AM PDT Aurangabad (Bihar) : 3 girls dead- Three teenage girls died after six friends consumed poison together on Friday in Bihar’s Aurangabad. M K Chaudhary, Police Inspector, Rafiganj, “Six girls tried to end their life by consuming the poisonous substance, and 3 Girls were declared dead out of the six. Two girls are out of danger but are still hospitalised and have been kept under observation and one is critical as yet” “The girls were admitted to Magadh Medical College by the villagers. We are enquiring from where the girls got the poisonous substance and the reason behind taking such a drastic step,” the PI further added. According to the information, all the friends had gone out of the village towards the pond in the evening, after which they consumed poison in the field. After some time, their condition started deteriorating when a few villagers saw them. The girls were rushed to the hospital for treatment, but three girls died. All the six friends are said to be between the age of 12 to 16 years from Chiraila village in Aurangabad of Bihar. As per the Sarpanch of Baghora village, Anuj Singh, “It is being said that there was a one-sided love angle after which the six friends decided to end their lives. It is exactly not clear as to why all the six girls took this step.” The three deceased have been identified as Neelam Kumari, Kajal Kumari, and Anisha Kumari. Further investigation is underway.

Will Smith Responds To Academy’s 10-Year Ban After 2022 Oscars Slap Incident Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:14 AM PDT Actor Will Smith has responded to being banned from Academy events for 10 years after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. The Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, on Friday, voted to ban the ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ star from all the Academy events for 10 years. Minutes after the decision was announced, Smith responded by saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” to Page Six. “The Board of Governors has decided, for a period of 10 years, from April 8, 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” the Academy announced on Friday, through an official statement. The statement continued, “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.” Smith, 53, will keep the Oscar he won this year for his role in ‘King Richard.’ For the unversed, while presenting the best documentary feature award at the 2022 Oscars, Chris Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Rock said he couldn’t wait to see Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia areata, star in ‘G.I. Jane 2’ which led Smith to go up on stage and slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!” A few minutes after the incident, Smith was announced Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards. While accepting his first-ever Oscar for best actor (leading role) in ‘King Richard’, Smith apologized to the Academy and fellow nominees but did not mention Rock. However, after receiving backlash for his disorderly behaviour, Smith issued an apology to Chris Rock and Academy on his social media handle. On March 29, there was a short virtual meeting between Smith, Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, initiated by Smith. A few hours later, Smith announced his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, claiming he “willfully accept any and all consequences for my conduct.”

Freebies Before Or After Election Is Decision Of The Party: ECI To SC Posted: 09 Apr 2022 01:04 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that offering any freebies either before or after the election is a policy decision of the party concerned and whether such policies are financially viable or its adverse affect on the economic health of the State is a question that has to be considered and decided by the voters of the State. “It is also stated that offering/distribution of any freebies either before or after the election is a policy decision of the party concerned and whether such policies are financially viable or its adverse effect on the economic health of the State is a question that has to be considered and decided by the voters of the State,” the EC said in its affidavit. The Election Commission of India also submitted that it cannot regulate state policies and decisions which may be taken by the winning party when they form the government. “Such an action, without enabling provisions in the law, would be an overreach of powers, ” ECI said. ECI has filed its reply to a petition filed by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. Petitioner lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay in his plea has sought direction from the Centre and Election Commission of India to take steps to regulate political parties and to make them accountable for essential rational manifesto promises. Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has also sought direction from the Election Commission to seize the election symbol and deregister/de-recognise the political parties, which fail to fulfil their essential rational promises, made in the election manifesto. ECI has cited a top court judgment and said that it is observed that the Election Commission of India has no power to de-register a political party, except on three grounds. EC submitted that seizing election symbol/deregistering the political party which promises or distributes irrational freebies from the public fund, does not fall under any of the three exceptions.

Pakistan: Imran Khan Skips Assembly Session, Opposition Urges Speaker To Follow Constitution Posted: 09 Apr 2022 12:09 AM PDT Contrary to his earlier statement that he would play the game till the last ball, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was conspicuous by his absence in the National Assembly, which commenced its proceedings on Saturday to take up the no-confidence motion on the direction of the Supreme Court. The no-confidence motion is listed fourth on the day’s agenda of the National Assembly. While the Opposition has come out in full force, very few members of the treasury benches were seen in attendance. Prime Minister Imran Khan was also not present in the House, reported Geo News. Taking the floor, the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hailed Thursday as a historic day when the apex court rejected the Deputy Speaker’s ruling to reject the no-confidence motion. According to the PML-N leader, the SC decision had made Pakistan’s future “bright”, reported Geo News. He also thanked the Opposition leaders for leading protests against the erroneous ruling of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. He called upon the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to conduct proceedings in accordance with the SC’s directives, stating that Parliament would be writing history today. “Today, Parliament is going to defeat a selected prime minister in a Constitutional manner,” he declared. Shehbaz urged the Speaker to let bygones be bygones and to stand for the law and the Constitution. He urged the Speaker to play his role and get his name “written in history in golden words”. “You must cash in on this moment with conviction and with your heart and mind. Don’t act on the dictation of the selected Prime Minister,” he urged Qaiser, adding that the apex court’s directives were clear. Responding to Shehbaz’s earnest plea, Qaiser assured the Opposition leader that he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution. “[But] the important thing is that there has been talk of an international conspiracy. This should also be discussed,” he said, as the hall echoed with protests from the Opposition benches. This prompted Shehbaz Sherif to tell the Qaiser that he would be violating the court’s directives if he would go down that road (foreign conspiracy). He also read out the court’s directives regarding the convening of the session of the National Assembly. “Under the court’s directives, you are bound to take up this agenda item and no other items. That is the intent of the order and you cannot deviate from it,” he said, calling on the Speaker to hold voting on the motion forthwith. “The SC’s orders will be followed in true letter and spirit,” Qaiser replied, giving the floor to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, reported Geo News. After what can perhaps be called the longest week in Pakistani politics in recent history, the National Assembly session to decide the fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently underway. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser is chairing the session which began at 10:30 am sharp, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives. Lawmakers began arriving at Parliament House ahead of the session while television footage showed tight security arrangements in place in the capital. The united Opposition also held a meeting of its Parliamentary group that was chaired by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and attended by 176 lawmakers, reported Geo News. The Opposition needs the support of at least 172 lawmakers from a total of 342 to oust the premier through the no-confidence motion. Despite the impression that the PTI has lost its majority in the lower House, the ruling party is still adamant that it would not leave the field open for the Opposition and has vowed to make things as difficult for them as they can by creating hurdles in the voting procedure and also preventing the election of Opposition nominee Shehbaz Sharif as the new leader of the House. Ahead of the session, on Friday, PM Imran had presided over a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary group. Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said the government would present the “threatening” cable — purportedly containing evidence of a foreign plot against the government — or its contents in the Assembly and will ask the Speaker for a debate on the issue. The joint Opposition, primarily the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the PPP, had submitted the no-confidence motion against the premier with the NA Secretariat on March 8.

Yogi Confident Of Majority In UP Legislative Council Posted: 08 Apr 2022 11:35 PM PDT Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh): After casting vote in the elections for the members of the Legislative Council, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after almost four decades will attain a majority in the Upper House. “After almost four decades, a ruling party will attain a majority in the Legislative Council. Anti-land-mafia task force is taking back encroached land from the mafias. We won’t raze shanties of poor on encroached land until we rehabilitate them,” said Adityanath in Gorakhpur. The polling for 36 Legislative Council seats spread across 35 local authorities constituencies is underway on Saturday. Of the 100-member Legislative Council, the BJP currently has 34 MLCs, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has 17 seats and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has four members. The Congress, Apna Dal (Sonelal), the Nishad party and Nirdal Samooh have one member each in the House. The elections for the Legislative Council are taking place a month after the BJP retained the power in the state for the second time by bagging 273 seats along with its allies in the Assembly polls. The biennial polls were earlier scheduled to be held in two phases on March 3 for 29 constituencies and March 7 for six constituencies but they were later rescheduled keeping in view of the Assembly polls in the state, held in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on April 12.

Delhi: Auto Drivers Threaten Indefinite Strike Against CNG Hike From April 18 Posted: 08 Apr 2022 11:18 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: The associations of auto drivers, who have been protesting against the continuous rise in the price of CNG, will hold a protest outside the Delhi Secretariat on April 11. Auto drivers also threaten to go on indefinite strike from April 18 if a subsidy of Rs 35 is not given to them. At present, there are 95,000 autos plying in Delhi. Rajendra Soni, Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh’s general secretary, said, “At 12 pm we will start protesting against the CNG hike outside the Delhi Secretariat. We are demanding a subsidy of Rs 35 from the Delhi government as we don’t want to burden our passengers. If the government listens to us then it’s fine else from April 18 onward taxis, and autos drivers will go on indefinite strike.” He also said the Delhi government has not held any meetings with any of the unions since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came into power. The auto associations are also planning to rope in associations from the NCR to take part in the protest. CNG in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi now costs Rs 69.11 per kg and that is one reason that the auto drivers are threatening the stir. Vikas, an auto driver said, “We do not know how we will survive. Are we considered human beings at all? Other than the rent everything is increasing like fire. Now schools have started functioning and each day kids need school uniforms, books where will we bring them from? Won’t our children study? The Government must think about it.” Another auto driver Anis said that they have never experienced a crisis like this before. “Rs 400 daily rent, Rs 300 CNG what is left for us to survive on? We are experiencing a crisis like this for the first time. We want relief else surviving would be tough.” The country has been witnessing a rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, and CNG.

India Logs 1150 New COVID Cases In Last 24 Hours Posted: 08 Apr 2022 11:07 PM PDT New Delhi (India): India logged 1150 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a case positivity rate of 0.25 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday. The active caseload in the country stands at 11,365 which is 0.03 per cent of the total number of cases. As many as 1,194 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,25,01,196. The recovery rate currently in the country stands at 98.76 per cent. According to the Ministry, 83 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 5,21,656. 4,66,362 COVID samples were tested in the last 24 hours. With this, 79.34 crore tests have been conducted in the country so far with a weekly positivity rate of 0.23 per cent. As far as the vaccination is concerned, 14,79,544 COVID vaccine doses were administered during this period taking the total number of vaccines jabbed under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive to 1,85,55,07,496.

Nothing To Think, Just Go And Hit Sixes, Says Rahul Tewatia Posted: 08 Apr 2022 10:53 PM PDT Rahul Tewatia’s consecutive sixes of the last two balls of the match with 12 runs required to win helped Gujarat Titans beat Punjab Kings by six wickets here at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday. To pull off a performance like this is incredible but Rahul Tewatia kept things simple which perhaps helped him draw victory from the jaws of defeat. “Amazing feeling. There was nothing to think! Just go there and hit sixes, that’s what me and David were thinking, ” said Rahul Tewatia after the match. With 12 runs to win off the last two balls of the match, Rahul Tewatia was on strike against pacer Odean Smith. The southpaw just played three balls and scored an unbeaten 13 at a strike rate of 433.33 to pull off a chase of 190 in 20 overs. “I planned against Smith. The last ball was off the middle of the bat, and I knew it was six. The first ball he bowled was wide outside off, and so I thought the last ball was going to come there too, ” explained Rahul Tewatia. The Gujarat Titans look like a very well balanced squad and their support staff is also comprised of some big names like former India cricketer Ashish Nehra as Head coach, Former South Africa opener and former India coach Gary Kirsten as Batting coach, and former England cricketer Vikram Solanki as Director of Cricket Operations. The southpaw is enjoying the atmosphere of the team. “Staff is really chilled here. They just tell us to practice hard,” said Rahul Tewatia. After winning three consecutive matches Gujarat Titans are at the second spot in the points table with three wins in as many matches and they will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.

Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Are Engaged Posted: 08 Apr 2022 10:52 PM PDT Washington [US]: Bennifer fans rejoice! As almost a year after rekindling their romance, star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have gotten engaged again! Lopez, 52 confirmed that Affleck, 49 has put the ring on her finger again by posting a short video of her “perfect” green-hued diamond band, via her fan newsletter, On The JLo. The ‘Marry Me’ star also teased the same on her Instagram handle by saying, “I am really excited to announce this.” As per the engagement announcement video obtained by Page Six, Lopez stared adoringly at her massive green-hued diamond ring. “You’re perfect,” Lopez says in a voiceover as romantic music plays. The couple sparked engagement rumours earlier this week when Lopez was photographed by paparazzi, wearing a ring on her wedding finger while shopping in LA with her 14-year-old daughter Emme. For a quick recap of Bennifer 1.0 days, As per E! News, the Lopez and Affleck began dating in July 2002 while filming the famous box office bomb ‘Gigli’. The ‘Gone Girl’ actor proposed that November with a USD 2.5 million 6.1-carat pink solitaire custom-made Harry Winston diamond ring. However, the couple at that time decided to postpone their planned 2003 wedding, blaming “excessive media attention” in a statement, as per Page Six. Before officially walking down the aisle, the couple split in 2004 and a rep for Lopez confirmed the news to People magazine at that time saying, “Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy.” After partying ways, Affleck married actor Jennifer Garner. They welcomed three children together– daughters Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel. His relationship with Garner did not survive long as they officially divorced in 2017. On the other hand, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony in June of the same year. The couple went on to have twins Max and Emme in 2008. They got divorced in 2014. Lopez entered into another whirlwind romance with former MLB star Alex Rodriguez in 2017. The ‘Jersey Girl’ co-stars rekindled their romance in April, just a month after Lopez ended her two-year engagement to Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Affleck before rekindling his romance with Lopez was dating actor Ana de Armas and split with her in January. On the occasion of her birthday, Jennifer Lopez made her relationship with Ben Affleck Instagram official. Since the reunion, the duo has been virtually inseparable. The two have been clicked making most of their time vacationing with each other and working hard to have their families along every step of the way. The duo recently made headlines after being spotted visiting their lavish estate in the ritzy Bel-Air area of Los Angeles, which they are planning to buy in order to move in together.

Korea Open- Sindhu Loses To An Seyoung In Semi-Final Posted: 08 Apr 2022 10:42 PM PDT Suncheon [South Korea]: Third seed PV Sindhu lost to second seed An Seyoung of South Korea in straight games in the women’s singles semi-final of the Korea Open Badminton Championships 2022 on Saturday here at the Palma Stadium. Right from the opening game, South Korean ace shuttler started off with a bang taking a 3-0 lead and she never allowed two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu to come anyway near to her winning the game by a comfortable margin of 21-14. In the second game former World Champion PV Sindhu started off in a similar fashion as her opponent started in the first game taking a 3-0 lead but the Korean won five consecutive points to take a 5-3 lead. It was a see-saw battle till 9-9 but after that, the local girl won four points on the trot to take a 13-9 lead and she never looked back from there onwards as Sindhu lost the second game 17-21. PV Sindhu lost Korean Open semi-final match 14-21 17-21 in 49 minutes as her campaign came to a crashing end.

Mumbai Terror Attack Mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Son Declared Designated Terrorist By MHA Posted: 08 Apr 2022 10:35 PM PDT Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed’s son Hafiz Talha Saeed has been declared a designated terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In a notification dated April 8, the MHA said Hafiz Talha Saeed was a senior leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and head of the cleric wing of the terror outfit. Talha Saeed has been “actively involved in recruitment, fund collection, planning and executing attacks by LeT in India and Indian interests in Afghanistan,” the notification said. The notification comes on the day that Talha’s father and the chief of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 31 years in jail by a Pakistan anti-terrorism court. The MHA notification further said that Talha Saeed has been “actively visiting various LeT centres across Pakistan and during his sermons propagating for jihad against India, Israel, the United States of America and Indian interests in other western countries.” “The Central Government believes that Hafiz Talha Saeed is involved in terrorism and Hafiz Talha Saeed should be notified as a terrorist under the said Act,” said the MHA notification. Notably, the Central Government had amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in August 2019, to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organizations. Following the amendment, the Ministry had designated nine individuals as designated terrorists under provisions of the UAPA Act in July 2020. By invoking the said amended provision, in September 2019, the Central government designated four individuals as terrorists, which included Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafeez Saeed, Zaki-ur-RehmanLakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim. The nine individuals who were designated terrorists in July 2020 include Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Pakistan based Chief of “BabbarKhalsa International”, Lakhbir Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “International Sikh Youth Federation”, Ranjeet Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Paramjit Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “Khalistan Commando Force”, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, Germany based key member of “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Gurmeet Singh Bagga, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada based Chief of “Khalistan Tiger Force”, and Paramjit Singh, United Kingdom-based Chief of “BabbarKhalsa International”.

Opposition MP In Sri Lanka Calls For Impeachment Of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Posted: 08 Apr 2022 10:18 PM PDT Amid the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, National People’s Power (NPP) MP Vijitha Herath on Friday said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should be impeached if he on his own doesn’t quit and the no-confidence motion be brought against the incumbent government. Herath said that the Parliament should first address the political crisis in the country to deal with the economic challenges faced by the people. He said that he and his party are ready for both impeachment and the no-confidence motion against the President. “We are ready to support both impeachment and no-confidence motion,” he said. Herath further said that all the people should appeal to the President to resign. “It is absurd to find a solution to the economic crisis without the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” said Herath while the Parliament was discussing the prevailing economic crisis in the island nation. Herath said that a new leader should be brought in to find the solution to the economic crisis. He further added that this is the only solution to the issue. On Sunday, 26 Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers resigned en masse from their positions amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis. Although President Rajapaksa on April 4 named at least four ministers to maintain the legitimacy of the government until a full Cabinet was appointed, he has asked opposition members to join a unity government to deal with the economic crisis. Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis, with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of the tourism sector. Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has, incidentally, affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The country is facing long power cuts. The country is also witnessing protests over the government’s handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. Yesterday, a protest was held outside the US Embassy in Colombo against the Sri Lankan government.

Delhi: Fire In Anand Parvat Industrial Area, 6 Firemen Injured Posted: 08 Apr 2022 08:13 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: As many as 6 firemen were injured in a fire-fighting operation after a fire broke out at a factory in Anand Parvat Industrial Area in the national capital on Saturday morning, informed fire officials. As per officials, all the 6 firemen injured, have been rushed to BL Kapoor Hospital. Ten fire tenders are present at the spot to douse the fire. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. More details into the fire mishap are awaited. In yet another fire accident that took place the same day, a fire broke out in a few shops and later spread across three buildings in the Azad market area of the national capital today which has now been brought under control. “The fire that broke out in a few shops in Azad Market today has been brought under control with the help of 20 fire engines. The fire was spread across 3 buildings,” said Rajinder Atwal, Divisional Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service. No casualties were reported so far.

Delhi: Fire In Azad Market Area, No Casualties Reported Posted: 08 Apr 2022 08:08 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: A fire broke out in a few shops and later spread across three buildings in the Azad market area of the national capital on Saturday morning. The fire, however, has now been brought under control. A total of 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. “The fire that broke out in a few shops in Azad Market today has been brought under control with the help of 20 fire engines. The fire was spread across 3 buildings,” said Rajinder Atwal, Divisional Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service. No casualties have been reported so far. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited.

Pak PM To Face No-Confidence Motion Today Posted: 08 Apr 2022 07:24 PM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Amid the chaotic political play for over a week, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will finally face the no-confidence motion today following the Supreme Court’s order. Interestingly, for Pakistan National Assembly, which has notably never seen a Prime Minister complete the full 5-year-tenure and this is not going to be the first no-confidence motion against an elected leader. Imran Khan’s government suffered a setback on Thursday as Pakistan Supreme Court set aside the ruling of the Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri in which he had rejected the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition. The court set aside the dissolution of the Pakistan National Assembly and all the subsequent decisions taken. It gave directions for holding a sitting of the National Assembly “not later than 10:30 am on April 9” for the no-trust vote, resulting in scheduling the no-confidence motion today. Reinstating the National Assembly, the court also declared that the Prime Minister and federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers, etc, stand restored to their respective offices as on April 3. The top court further ruled that the National Assembly session must not be adjourned until a vote on the motion. “The Speaker is under a duty to summon and hold a sitting of the Assembly in the present Session, and shall do so immediately and in any case not later than 10:30 a.m. on Saturday 09.04.2022, to conduct the business of the House as per the Orders of the Day that had been issued for 03.04.2022 and in terms as stated in, and required by, Article 95 of the Constitution read with Rule 37 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly Rules, 2007 (“Rules”),” the Supreme Court verdict said. The Supreme Court also said that if Imran Khan is removed as a result of the no-confidence motion, the new leader of the House should be elected in the same session. The opposition appeared to have the numbers for the no-confidence motion toady, with some allies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) deciding to part ways. Several members of PTI had also turned rebels. 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 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. The opposition party had moved the no-trust motion against the PM on March 8. Imran Khan received a massive blow when the PTI “lost the majority” in the National Assembly after losing its key ally in the coalition Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P). The MQM announced that it had struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and would support the no-trust vote in the 342-member National Assembly.

Kashmir Sees Record Tourist Arrivals, Highest In A Decade Posted: 08 Apr 2022 07:16 PM PDT Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Kashmir, the Heaven on Earth saw record tourist arrivals this year, the highest in a decade. The major attraction for tourists is Asia’s largest “tulip garden” which was opened for visitors on March 23. People are enjoying the beauty of 1.5 million multicoloured tulips under the foothills of the Zabarwan mountains. “If we compare the figures for the past 10 years, then the Valley is witnessing record tourist arrivals this year. Keeping in view the COVID-19 pandemic situation, we have done rigorous campaigning for tourism. We also used the social media platforms,” said Dr GN Itoo, Director Tourism Kashmir said. Dr Usha, a visitor said, “I have come from Kerala. Kashmir is really very beautiful place. In this valley, the weather is very pleasing and we are having a nice time here.” “This is my first visit to Kashmir which is also called the Heaven on Earth. I have never seen such a beautiful place and a garden in my life. After the difficult times of COVID-19, we felt like visiting this heavenly place,” Sharda, another visitor said. Samarth, a tourist from Delhi has also recommended people visit Kashmir valley at least once in their lifetime. “I have come on a trip to Kashmir for the first time. I was really excited to visit Tulip garden,” he added. Meanwhile, Mohamad Afzal, a photographer expressed his happiness over receiving an impressive number footfall in the Kashmir valley this year and said that Kashmir had received record tourist arrivals this year. “For the last two years, we were facing huge losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists were not coming here to visit. But now, around two lakh tourists have come here and we are expecting more in the coming days. This is the only source of income for us,” the photographer stated.

Decision Of Each Country Including India: US On Purchase Of Russian oil Posted: 08 Apr 2022 07:07 PM PDT Washington [US]: Dismissing the reports that sanctions imposed on Russia by the US may also be considered on other nations, the White House said that it is the decision of each individual country whether they will go for purchase of Russian oil. This comes after Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) for International Economics Daleep Singh during his trip to India had warned not to purchase Russian oil. Speaking at the press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday (local time) noted that India’s imports of Russian energy represent only 1 per cent to 2 per cent of their total energy imports. “It is the decision of each individual country, including India, to determine whether they are going to import Russian oil, it is only 1 to 2 per cent of their imports. About 10 per cent of their imports is from the United States,” Psaki said. She was responding to a question when Daleep was in India. He delivered US’ warning to India to not raise purchase of Russian oil which hinted that if perhaps sanctions along similar lines are being considered for other nations, asking them to keep purchases of Russian oil only limited to previous levels and, perhaps, not raise (inaudible). She responded: “I wouldn’t characterise it as a warning, nor did we at the time.” India has defended its right to secure better deals for its energy needs and the purchase of Russian oil. New Delhi has pointed out Europe’s growing purchases of petroleum products from Moscow despite the Ukraine war. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said the European countries remain the biggest buyers of oil and gas from Russia. He even slammed a “campaign” against India for buying Russian oil at discounts. Russia has offered crude oil and other commodities at discounted rates to India after the US and its allies imposed sanctions on Moscow. India’s import of crude oil from Russia stood at around an average of nearly 360,000 barrels a day in the first half of this month. As per the current shipment schedules, the average oil trade between the two countries is estimated to be around 203,000 barrels per day. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden signed two bills that will ban US imports of Russian oil and suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, as per White House.

CM Khattar Reviews Haryana Civic Poll Preparations With BJP MPs Posted: 08 Apr 2022 06:54 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday held a meeting with BJP MPs from the state in the national capital to discuss the preparations for Haryana civic poll and organisational issues in the state. Along with CM Khattar, Haryana BJP President Om Prakash Dhankar, and MPs including Krishna Pal Gurjar, Ramesh Kaushik, Arvind Pandey, Dushyant Gautam DP Vats and others were present in the meeting. “We have discussed the upcoming municipal corporation elections (Haryana civic polls) and Panchayati Raj polls. There are some municipal bodies in every parliamentary constituency,” the state BJP president said after the meeting. Speaking about the preparation of civil polls in Haryana, he said that Mahila Morcha is trying to bring one lakh new members while Yuva Morcha is also engaged in the work. He also informed that BJP National chief JP Nadda will inaugurate the BJP office in Gurugram on April 14. “We have already discussed the ongoing standoff between Punjab and Haryana after both the State Assemblies passed resolutions claiming their right on Chandigarh,” Dhankar said. Further, the Haryana BJP chief took a swipe at Aam Aadmi Party saying that it has won the Punjab Assembly elections under the pretext of exaggerated promises made to the public, adding the newly-elected government does not have enough resources to fulfil those commitments. Row over Chandigarh came to the fore after the Punjab Assembly last week passed a resolution reiterating the state’s claim on Chandigarh. The move was made after the decision of the Central Government to implement Central Service Rules on Chandigarh employees. In an attempt to counter the resolution passed by Punjab Vidhan Sabha last week staking a claim on Chandigarh, the Haryana Assembly Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution moved by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar during a special session of the Assembly convened Tuesday.

Twitter Account Of UP Chief Minister’s Office Restored Posted: 08 Apr 2022 06:42 PM PDT Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): The Twitter account of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) was restored after it was hacked on Saturday. UP CMO (@CMOfficeUP) Twitter account has four million followers at present. The breach came to light when unknown hackers used the UP CMO Twitter handle to publish a post based on a tutorial called “How to turn your BAYC/MAYC animated on Twitter”. In addition, a cartoonist picture was used as a profile picture on the UP CMO account. The unidentified hackers also posted a thread of some random tweets on the UP CMO account.

US-India Partnership Most Important Relationship Believes Biden: Psaki Posted: 08 Apr 2022 06:37 PM PDT Washington [US]: President Joe Biden believes that the US-India partnership is the most important relationship the United States has in the world, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday (local time). Speaking about the India-US 2+2 dialogue under the Biden administration next week, the White House Press Secretary said that the President expects that the dialogue will continue driving forward US’ work with India and shared goals in Indo-Pacific region. “President Biden believes US-India partnership is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. As you know, he met with Presi- — Prime Minister Modi and other Quad leaders in March. He expects that at this 2+2, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin will continue driving forward our work with India and our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world,” she said in a statement. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III will welcome Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an enhanced honour cordon ceremony at the Pentagon on April 11 (Sunday). India and the US are set to hold the 2+2 dialogue between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and their respective American counterparts on Sunday. “The Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and a vision for further consolidating the relationship,” a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said. “The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern,” the statement added. The US State Department in a media has note informed that Secretary of State Antony J Blinken and Secretary of Defence will welcome their Indian counterparts in Washington DC on Sunday. “The 2+2 Ministerial is an important opportunity to advance our shared objectives across the breadth of the US-India Strategic Partnership, including enhancing our people-to-people ties and education cooperation, building diverse, resilient supply chains for critical and emerging technology, scaling up our climate action and public health cooperation, and developing a trade and investment partnership to increase prosperity for working families in both countries,” the US statement had said. Saying that the dialogue will also be a chance to highlight the growing major defence partnership between the US and India, the US State Department said, “The relationship between the world’s largest democracies is built on a foundation of common values and resilient democratic institutions, and the shared Indo-Pacific interests of a rules-based international order that safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity, uphold human rights and expands regional and global peace and prosperity.” The EAM, who will be visiting the US on April 11-12, will also meet his counterpart, Secretary of State Blinken separately and is also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to advance India-US strategic global partnership, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed during a briefing. Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with EAM Jaishankar on a phone call to review regional and global priorities, including the situation in Ukraine. The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi. India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional meeting in September last year in Washington and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Indian Ocean.

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