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8pm NEWSFEED

15, ఏప్రిల్ 2022, శుక్రవారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Sri Lanka Introduces Fuel Rationing In View Of Economic Crisis

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 10:04 AM PDT

In midst of the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka which has led to a shortage of essential commodities, the country has introduced fuel rationing for most categories of non-commercial vehicles starting Friday, local media reported.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) announced the restrictions on issuing fuel for various categories of vehicles starting at 1:00 pm on Friday (today). Fuel will only be issued for LKR 1000 for Motorcycles, LKR 1,500 for three-wheelers, and LKR 5,000 for Cars, Vans, and Jeeps, Daily Mirror reported.

CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe informed that the new regulations do not apply to Buses, Lorries, and Commercial vehicles.

Earlier, CPC had requested people to purchase only the required quantity of fuel as sufficient stocks of fuel have been supplied to filling stations, according to Colombo Page.

Sri Lanka’s 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 affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The shortage of essential goods has forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries.

India had earlier provided Sri Lanka with a USD 500 million Line of Credit for fuel purchases which are expected to exhaust soon

Landslide In Assam’s Dima Hasao Hits Traffic Movement On NH-54E

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:55 AM PDT

Several vehicles got stuck on National Highway 54E near Kelolo village in Assam’s Dima Hasao district on Friday following a massive landslide in the area.

A heavy traffic jam was seen on the National Highway and several vehicles were stuck in the mud.

A massive landslide was reported in the hill district following incessant rains in the past few days.

Several parts of the road have been damaged due to the landslide.

Following the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Dima Hasao district Nazreen Ahmed along with Assistant Commissioner Iboun Teron rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation and strictly ordered the highway authority to clear the debris as soon as possible.

“Similar situation happened last year also during the rainy season. NHAI told me that, they had terminated the earlier maintenance contract and float a new contract. I ask NHAI and the company to keep men and machineries at vulnerable points. I will see the situation that things are going in right direction and we will not take it lightly,” DC of Dima Hasao district Nazreen Ahmed said.

Meanwhile, NHAI and district administration are in work to clear the debris and clear the road.

Contractor Death Row: Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa Quits From Cabinet

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:44 AM PDT

Karnataka Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa on Friday tendered his resignation from Ministership to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai amid the row over the alleged suicide of contractor Santosh Patil.

State Ministers Bairati Basavaraj, MTB Nagaraj, Araga Jnanendra and MLA Ramesh Jharkiholi were also present at the Chief Minister’s residence while Eshwarappa tendered his resignation. Notably, Eshwarappa represents the Shivamogga Assembly seat. Before leaving for Bengaluru, Eshwarappa said the reason for his resignation is to set a benchmark for the workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who “should feel that they will not get power until they come out clean and innocent”.

“All the workers, MLAs, and leaders across the state are calling and supporting me. They expressed confidence that no BJP worker can commit such a mistake,” Eshwarappa said while adding that he is sure of coming out clean in the “Agni Pariksha”.

Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Dushyant Gautam said the minister needs to step down only if he is guilty in the contractor death case.
Bommai, on Friday, confirmed that Eshwarappa will tender his resignation from his ministerial post today.

Deceased contractor Santosh Patil had accused the Minister Eshwarappa of corruption. He was found dead in a lodge in Udupi on Tuesday.

Andhra: Police Seizes Worth Rs 1.90 CR Unaccounted Cash From Passengers In Bus, 2 Held

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:39 AM PDT

The Krishna District Police in Andhra Pradesh on Friday arrested two people for carrying unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.90 crore during the routine checking of buses.

The accused were identified as Malladi Murali Mohan and Srinu, the police said.

“During routine checking of buses in Garikapadu, Jaggayyapeta of Krishna district after Rs 1.90 cr of unaccounted cash was seized from their possession,” said Nageswara Reddy, Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Nandigama.

The two could not produce any documentation for the same, therefore it was declared unaccountable cash and will be handed over to the Income Tax department, he added.

China Avoids Bailing Out Sri Lanka, Pakistan As Their Debt Deepens: Report

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:32 AM PDT

China is displaying reluctance in assisting with loan bailouts to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which are facing severe economic and foreign debt crises even as the Asian giant was earlier keen on providing loans for various infrastructure projects in these countries, according to a media report.

According to an analysis in The Straits Times, China’s cautious approach reflects both a refining of President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as a hesitancy to be seen interfering in messy domestic political situations. “Beijing has for the past couple of years been rethinking its external lending because their banks realized they were carrying a lot of debt with countries whose prospects of paying back were quite limited,” Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore was quoted as saying.

“This came on top of a tightening economic situation at home which also required a lot of spending, so there was less appetite to just throw money around wantonly,” he added.

China has become the world’s largest government creditor over the past decade, with its state-owned policy banks lending more to developing countries than the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank in some recent years.

The opacity around the terms and scale of some of that lending has been criticized, especially as the pandemic exacerbates debt problems in poorer countries, the report said.

Notably, World Bank President David Malpass recently called China’s opaque lending practices a “sizeable problem” and said that the country needs to improve its lending practices in the developing world.

Sri Lanka’s top diplomat in Beijing this week said he was “very confident” that China will come through with credit support, including US$1 billion for the country to repay existing Chinese loans due in July, the report said.

However, the report said, China’s role in helping to resolve ongoing crises in South Asia may be limited despite its status as a major creditor.

Earlier this month, Jin Liqun, president of the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, encouraged Sri Lanka to turn to the IMF for help in a meeting with Kohona.

China’s ability to assist either Sri Lanka or Pakistan with a balance-of-payments crisis is limited, particularly as Beijing’s financial assistance is almost always tied to specific projects, the report said citing Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, principal researcher at the Point Pedro Institute of Development in Sri Lanka.

“Even the IMF appears to be moving very slowly – if not abandoning – the requests of both Pakistan and Sri Lanka for their assistance,” Sarvananthan said, adding, “Which sane bilateral donor country or international financial institution would pour money into sinking ships in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka?”

Air India Starts Restoring Pre-COVID Salaries Of Pilots, Cabin Crew

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:25 AM PDT

Within three months of taking control of Air India, Tata Group has started the process of restoring the salaries of pilots and cabin crews to the pre-COVID level as air traffic increases.

Salaries and allowances of Air India pilots and cabin crews were cut sharply after COVID-19 pandemic hit the airlines business. In an organisational announcement, Air India on Friday said, “As the hope of a post-pandemic world seems within reach and the Aviation Sector takes off once again with some visible changes in our performance, we are happy to inform you that your salary cuts have been reviewed and the restoration of salaries will happen in a phased manner.”

With effect from April 1, 2022, employee salaries have been restored by almost 75 per cent as compared to the pre-COVID pandemic level.

Air India has restored 20 per cent of the flying allowance for pilots. It was cut by 35 per cent after the pandemic hit. Special pay pilots and wide body allowances, which was cut by 40 per cent during the pandemic, has been restored by 25 per cent.

For cabin crew, the flying allowance has been restored by 10 per cent. It was cut by 15 per cent. Wide body allowance, which was cut by 20 per cent, has been restored to 5 per cent in the current phase.

The organisational announcement letter signed by Amrita Sharan, Director (Personnel), Air India, noted that the salaries would be reviewed further as performance improves in coming months.

For pilots and cabin crew, international layover allowance and domestic layover allowance wherever applicable, remain unchanged and rates applicable in March 2022 will continue to be applicable, Sharan said in the organisational announcement letter.

Alliance Air Is No Longer Air India Subsidiary; To Be Run As Govt Business Unit

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:17 AM PDT

Alliance Air is no longer a subsidiary of Air India and it will be run as an independent business unit under the Government of India, the companies announced on Friday.

“Alliance Air, from 15th April 2022 will no longer be part of Air India after its disinvestment and will be run as an independent Business Unit under Government of India,” according to an official statement released by Alliance Air. In a statement, Vineet Sood, CEO, Alliance Air, said, “going forward with absolute efficiency, Alliance Air will now sell its tickets under Alliance Air banner.”

Air India also posted an announcement on Twitter, “For the kind attention of our esteemed passengers: Alliance Air is no longer a subsidiary of Air India.”

“Passengers holding tickets of Air India with a 4-digit flight number starting with 9 or 3-digit flight number starting with 91 may please be informed that these bookings belong to Alliance Air. Bookings/queries related to Alliance Air will not be handled by Air India from 15th April, 2022,” Air India said.

The announcement comes less than three months after Tata Group took control of Air India from the Government of India.

China To Hold Military Drills Near Taiwan

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:11 AM PDT

China on Friday announced military exercises near Taiwan in light of a visit by US congressmen to the island.

A delegation of six US congressmen, headed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, arrived on the island on Thursday on an unannounced visit.

They will hold talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and National Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, Taiwanese news agency CNA reported. “On April 15, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command sent warships, bombers, fighter jets and other forces to organize multi-purpose combat patrols and conduct sea and air exercises in the East China Sea and around the island of Taiwan,” the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China said in a statement.

According to the Chinese military, these actions were organized in response to “recent erroneous US signals regarding the Taiwan issue,” and are absolutely useless and very dangerous. “The one who plays with fire is sure to burn themselves,” the statement added.

In an earlier response, China had opposed official contact between the US and Taiwan.

“China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. Members of the US Congress should act in consistence with the US government’s one-China policy,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a briefing.

Zhao noted that the US “should abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques” and stop any form of “official exchanges with Taiwan and avoid going further down this dangerous path.”

He also reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said this visit showed bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress.

This comes a few days after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancelled a planned visit to Taiwan, after contracting COVID-19.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China for over seven decades.

Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, which is a territory with its own democratically-elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country.

Reconstruction Of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Will Herald New Phase For Ayodhya: Vice President

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 09:05 AM PDT

Reconstruction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple is not simply a high point in India’s cultural history, it will also herald a new phase in the economy and development of the ancient city of Ayodhya and nearby areas, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.

Naidu’s statement came after he along with his spouse Usha Naidu visited the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple site in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. They were accompanied by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. “Spiritual tourism is a major employment generator in India and Ayodhya, one of the most ancient cities of the world, which is fast emerging as a preferred destination for national as well as international devotees,” Naidu further said.

“I am pleased to note that to meet the increasing requirements of surging tourist inflows, the Central and State governments have started many infrastructural works.”
A new International Airport is being constructed and redevelopment of Ayodhya Railway Station is also underway, said the Vice President.

“The private sector is also investing in hotels, medical sector and food chains. All in all, this sacred region is witnessing an unprecedented scale of development and Ram Nagari is on course to regain its ancient glory.”

“My visit to Ayodhya and Darshan of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi today was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream, one which, I am sure I share with millions of my countrymen,” Naidu said.

“The rebuilding of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya symbolises India’s cultural renaissance and our renewed commitment to the principles of Ram Rajya – a vision of democratic and righteous governance which ensures peace, justice and equality for all,” he added.

The Vice President said the message of the Ramayana has universal significance and transcends geographical boundaries, and that different adaptations of this timeless epic are hugely popular across various South East Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.

With Prime Minister, Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone on August 5, 2020, Naidu said the reconstruction work of the temple is proceeding apace at the Ram Janmabhoomi site.
“It was gladdening to know that experts from various institutions including IITs, Central Building Research Institute, L&T Constructions and Tata Consultancy Engineering Limited are working together as a large team overseeing this historic mission.”

US ‘Agrees’ With Pakistan Army’s ‘No Foreign Conspiracy’ To Oust Imran Khan

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 08:51 AM PDT

United States Department of State Spokesperson on Ned Price on Friday said the US government agreed with the statement of the Pakistan Army regarding a “foreign conspiracy” to oust former prime minister Imran Khan.

Price said that his country does not support one political party over another in Pakistan or anywhere else in the world. The State Department spokesperson made the remarks during a press briefing while answering a question seeking US comments on Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) statements on Thursday.

The ISPR is the media wing of Pakistan’s military forces.
Price dismissed the accusations that have been leveled by Imran Khan, saying “there is no truth whatsoever to the allegations that have been put forward.”

“We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional and democratic principles, including respect for human rights. We do not support, whether it’s in Pakistan or anywhere else around the world, one political party over another,” Price said.
He also underlined that the United States looked forward to working with newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his government “to promote peace and prosperity in Pakistan and the broader region”.

Days before the vote on no-confidence against his government, former Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged that the resolution against him was part of a “foreign conspiracy” hatched in the US, producing an alleged “threat letter” received from the Pakistani embassy in the US as evidence.

According to the “threat letter” which was a diplomatic cable received from Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed, US’s Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had warned the Pakistani Ambassador that Imran Khan’s continuation in office would have repercussions on bilateral relations. The US was said to be annoyed with Imran over his “independent foreign policy” and Moscow visit.

In a press briefing on Thursday, DG ISPR Babar Iftikhar had categorically rejected the “foreign conspiracy” to oust the Imran Khan government as well as the involvement of the Army in any way in the no-confidence motion.

Joe Root Quits England’s Test Captaincy

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 05:08 AM PDT

Batter Joe Root on Friday stepped down as the captain of England’s Test team, following the loss in the series against West Indies.

Root holds the record for the most number of matches and wins as England Men’s Test captain. His 27 victories put him ahead of Michael Vaughan (26), Sir Alastair Cook, and Sir Andrew Strauss (24 each). “After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test captain. It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right,” said Joe Root in an official statement.

“I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride. It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket. I have loved leading my country, but recently it’s hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game,” he added.

Root was appointed as the captain after Cook’s resignation in 2017. He led the side to a number of famous series victories, including a 4-1 home series win over India in 2018 and a 3-1 triumph away to South Africa in 2020.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank my family, Carrie, Alfred and Bella, who have lived it all with me and been incredible pillars of love and support throughout. All of the players, coaches and support staff that have helped me during my tenure. It has been a great privilege to have been with them on this journey,” said the England batter.

“I would also like to thank all the England supporters for their unwavering support. We are lucky to have the best fans in the world, and wherever we play, that positivity is something we always cherish and admire, which is a huge drive for all of us out there. I am excited to continue representing the Three Lions and producing performances that will enable the team to succeed. I look forward to helping the next captain, my teammates and coaches in whatever way I can,” he added.

In 2018, he became the first England Men’s Captain to win a Test series in Sri Lanka since 2001, a feat he went on to repeat with a 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka in 2021.

India To Get Record Number Of New Doctors In Coming 10 Years: PM Modi

Posted: 15 Apr 2022 01:07 AM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the country is going to get a record number of new doctors in the coming 10 years.

His remarks came after he inaugurated the KK Patel Super Speciality Hospital in the Bhuj district of Gujarat via video conferencing. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, PM Modi said, “Hospital in Bhuj will make good quality healthcare accessible to people at affordable price. Two decades ago, there were only nine medical colleges in Gujarat with only 1,100 seats. Today we have more than 36 medical colleges with 6,000 seats.”

The Prime Minister also assured that India will get a record number of doctors in the coming ten years for better health facilities. “Whether it is the goal of building medical colleges in every district of the country or efforts to make medical education accessible to all, the country is going to get a record number of new doctors in the coming 10 years,” PM Modi said.

Further, he described the meaning of ‘better health facilities’ and said that they are not restricted only to the treatment of diseases.

“Better health facilities are not just limited to the treatment of diseases, they also promote social justice. When a poor get access to the cheap and best treatment, his faith in the system gets stronger,” PM Modi stated.

The hospital has been built by Shree Kutchi Leva Patel Samaj, Bhuj. This is the first charitable super speciality hospital in Kutch and is a 200 bedded hospital, according to PMO.

“It provides super speciality services such as Interventional Cardiology (Cathlab), Cardiothoracic Surgery, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Nephrology, Urology, Nuclear Medicine, Neuro Surgery, Joint Replacement and other supportive services like laboratory, radiology etc,” PMO said.

Further, the PMO said that the hospital makes medical super speciality services easily accessible for the people of the region, at an affordable price.

Punjab: 300 Units Of Free Electricity Maybe Announced Tomorrow

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:50 PM PDT

Chandigarh (Punjab): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is likely to announce 300 units of free electricity for the people of the state on Saturday, as per sources.


Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab will complete one month of governance tomorrow. During a press conference in Jalandhar on Thursday, Mann said, “On the 16th we will give a great good news to the people of Punjab.”


Mann met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday to discuss the scheme of providing free electricity in Punjab, informed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources.


Providing free electricity to every household for up to 300 units is one of the major promises made by AAP in Punjab in the Assembly elections that concluded last month.


Mann rolled out a doorstep ration delivery scheme in the state last month which was also AAP’s key campaign agenda in the polls. 

Egypt Approves India As Wheat Supplier: Piyush Goyal

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:44 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that Egypt has approved India as a wheat supplier.


Taking to Twitter, Union Minister said, “Indian farmers are feeding the world. Egypt approves India as a wheat supplier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government steps in as the world look for reliable alternate sources for a steady food supply. Our farmers have ensured our granaries overflow and we are ready to serve the world.”


The Egyptian delegation of the General Authority for Supply Commodities, Agriculture and Supply Ministry which is on an India visit, examined Indian grains which involved touring fields and grain warehouses as well as export warehouses in different Indian provinces including Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.


Earlier in the day, the President of the Egyptian Council of Ministers posted a statement on their official Facebook account where it stated that their delegation discussed cooperation with the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, including the Egyptian agriculture exports to India.

Wael Mohamed Awad Hamed, Egyptian Ambassador to India was also present during their visit, according to the President of the Egyptian Council of Ministers’ Facebook post.


Egypt among the world’s biggest wheat importers was earlier dependent on Ukraine and Russia for wheat but now the government has been seeking alternative supplies from countries including India and France.


Though India is not among the top ten wheat exporters in the global trade, its rate of growth in exports has surpassed that of other countries, indicating the rapid strides it is taking in reaching new markets worldwide.


India’s wheat exports are mainly to neighbouring countries with Bangladesh having the largest share of more than 54 per cent in both volume and value terms in 2020-21. In 2020-21, India entered new wheat markets such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Qatar and Indonesia.


According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India accounts for even less than one per cent of world wheat export. However, its share has increased from 0.14 per cent in 2016 to 0.54 per cent in 2020. India is the second-largest producer of wheat with a share of around 14.14 per cent of the world’s total production in 2020.


India produces around 107.59 Million MT of wheat annually while a major chunk of it goes towards domestic consumption. Major wheat growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat.


The unit price of wheat plays an important role in international trade. While the unit export price of wheat has increased for all countries in the last five years, India’s unit export price is slightly higher than that of other countries. This is one of the factors adversely impacting wheat exports from India. 

‘Lifetime Of Love And Happiness’: Priyanka to Alia, Ranbir

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:37 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Actor Priyanka Chopra, who will be starring in the upcoming Farhan Akhtar directorial ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ alongside Alia Bhatt, on Friday, shared a congratulatory social media post celebrating Alia’s marriage to Ranbir Kapoor.


Priyanka Chopra took to her Instagram Stories and shared a dreamy picture of Ranbir and Alia as newlyweds. Along with the image, she penned, “Awwwww…. Congratulations you two… Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness @aliabhatt #Ranbir.”


Ranbir and Alia tied the knot on Thursday at the former’s Bandra residence Vastu.

The two took pheras in the presence of their closest friends and family members.
In attendance were Neetu Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Soni Razdan, Karisma Kapoor, Karan Johar, Ayan Mukerji and others.


Ranbir has previously worked with Priyanka in two films, first in the 2010 movie ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ followed by the Anurag Basu directorial blockbuster ‘Barfi’, which was released in 2012.


Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra is awaiting the release of her film ‘Text For You’. She also recently wrapped the shoot for her Amazon series ‘Citadel’, a much-anticipated TV series that comes from the Russo Brothers, the directors of MCU movies like ‘Avengers: End Game’.

Christ’s Ideals Of Service, Brotherhood Guide Us: PM Modi On Good Friday

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:30 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Remembering the courage and sacrifices of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Jesus Christ’s ideals of service and brotherhood are the guiding light for people.


“We remember the courage and sacrifices of Jesus Christ today on Good Friday. His ideals of service and brotherhood are the guiding light for several people,” PM Modi said in a tweet as Christians all over the world commemorate the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday.

A special mass service is held across the churches on Good Friday including the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church in the national capital.

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday or Black Friday, marks the day when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. Each year, scores of people gather in churches across the country to offer prayers to Jesus Christ.

K’taka Contractor’s Death: KS Eshwarappa To Resign As Minister Today

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:07 PM PDT

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday confirmed that Minister KS Eshwarappa will tender his resignation from his ministerial post today following allegations of corruption.

Addressing the reporters here, Bommai said, “Eshwarappa has decided to resign on his own. He will tender his resignation today evening. He has expressed that he will come out from all allegations soon. The police will investigate the matter from all angles.” “No need for the Opposition to become an investigation officer or judge as everything will come out after probe,” the Chief Minister said.

Congress has demanded the Eshwarappa’s arrest in connection with the death of contractor Santosh Patil who had alleged corruption by the minister.

“Resignation is not a solution. A case of corruption has to be registered, then he has to be arrested,” said Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Thursday.
Earlier, Eshwarappa announced his resignation following the row over his alleged role in the suicide of the contractor. He said that he will hand over his resignation to Chief Minister Bommai today.

Eshwarappa said that he does not want to embarrass anybody including the high command leaders of the party.

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Likely To Add 12 PML-N, 7 PPP MNAs In Federal Cabinet

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 10:01 PM PDT

The newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to add 12 National Assembly members of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and seven members of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to his federal cabinet, a local media reported citing sources.

PPP member Raja Pervez Ashraf is the candidate for National Assembly Speaker after the Speaker Asad Qaiser decided to resign from his post on late Saturday while someone from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) might become the Deputy Speaker as Qasim Suri is currently facing no-confidence motion, Geo News reported citing sources. PM Sharif became the Prime minister on April 11, following the ouster of Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion, with this Khan became the first PM to be removed through the democratic process.

According to sources, JUI-F will get three ministries and a state minister portfolio while, Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) will get the governorship of Sindh, PPP will get Punjab and JUI-F will get Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and BNP-M will get the governorship of Balochistan, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, PM Sharif has sought the support of MQM-P in the National Assembly (NA) speaker election.

According to Ary News, a meeting was held by Sharif with MQM-P leaders during his visit to Karachi. It was attended by Amir Khan, Aminul Haque, Farogh Naseem, Nasreen Jalil and others.

MQM-P was a key ally of the alliance led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its switching sides to the opposition parties led to the fall of the Imran Khan government.
Sharif vowed that the promises made to the MQM-P leaders will be fulfilled. He urged coordinated efforts between the Centre and the province for the development of Sindh. Sharif also assured MQM-P of its inclusion in the consultative process for the development of Sindh.

Sharif thanked the MQM-P for supporting the opposition parties in the no-trust motion against the former premier. He individually thanked the lawmakers who cast their votes in the NA, said the sources.

He also expressed hope that MQM-P would continue to support the government in the upcoming elections for the NA speaker, reported Ary News.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, leader of MQM-P and a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan said he hopes for a resolution of issues in Karachi and urban parts of the Sindh. 

CBI Team Visits Hanshkali, Collects Sample From Accused

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:18 PM PDT

Nadia (West Bengal): A CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) team visited Hanshkali on Thursday to collect samples from the accused in the case. They also visited the residence of the victim.

CBI DIG Akhilesh Singh with CBI Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay on arriving at the house in Ganrapota Bilpara Village of the prime accused in which the minor girl was allegedly gang raped, found the house to be locked.

The lock was then broken after which CBI officials entered the house.

Further, the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team collected samples from the alleged crime scene at the residence of the accused, they were with the CBI team visiting Hanshkali.


A 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in Hanskhali in Nadia district earlier this month.

The victim’s family has accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case.


Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted permission to the CBI to investigate the case.

In its detailed order, the High Court noted that in order to have a “fair investigation” and instil confidence in the family of the victim, the case was being handed over to the CBI.


The state investigating agency was asked to hand over all papers relating to the investigation, as well as the custody of the accused to the central agency. The matter has been listed for May 2.


A case under sections 376(2)(G) (gangrape), 302 (murder), 204 (tampering with evidence) of the IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO) Act was registered in the case.


Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sougata Roy said the West Bengal government is extremely concerned about crime against women and even a single incident is quite a shame for the party.


“Everyone is extremely concerned about crime against women. Even a single incident in the state under the leadership of a woman Chief Minister is quite a shame for us. We have to have zero tolerance in these matters. I hope police and administration will take care of this,” Roy said.


Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned if the minor girl was actually raped or had a love affair that got her pregnant.


“How do you know if she was raped? The police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death. I had asked them. Was she pregnant or had a love affair or was sick? Even family knew it was a love affair. If a couple is in a relationship, how can I stop them?,” the chief minister said during an address at the inauguration of the ‘Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan’


“This is not Uttar Pradesh that I can do that in name of Love Jihad,” she further said.
Pertinent to mention, the five-member fact-finding committee constituted by BJP chief JP Nadda will visit Hanskhali on Friday.

The Committee include BJP MP Rekha Verma, Uttar Pradesh Minister Baby Rani Maurya, Tamil Nadu MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, Khusbu Sunder and West Bengal MLA Rupmitra Chaudhary. 

Heavy Rains Disrupt Normal Life In Bengaluru

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:04 PM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Normal life has been disrupted due to severe waterlogging in several parts of Bengaluru amidst heavy rains in the city on Friday.


Several houses, cars and vehicles have submerged in the water due to heavy rain in several areas of Bengaluru.


People are also stranded in some places due to waterlogging on the roads.


An emergency operation in waterlogged areas is underway by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the fire department.


With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting rain for three more days, the civic body chief asked his force to get ready to speedily attend to complaints such as tree fall, and water blockage on roads and at traffic junctions. Any failure to comply will lead to action against the concerned officials, BBMP Chief Commissioner Sri Gaurav Gupta strictly warned the officials.


Addressing an emergency virtual meeting held, due to the rainfall in the city, he said that, no citizen should face problems during the rainfall.

BBMP teams should immediately reach the places where trees/ branches have fallen or wherever the rainwater gets blocked. Should immediately resolve the issue and facilitate smooth traffic.


He asked to identify the areas where the water gets blocked and take steps to avoid water blockage. He also called for ensuring a smooth flow of water in all the major stormwater drains in the city.


All the zonal control rooms shall have the necessary equipment/ machines along with the necessary personnel. Zone-wise senior officials should conduct meetings to address the prevailing rain-related issues, Chief Commissioner instructed the officials.


The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted light to moderate fairly widespread or scattered rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning very likely over Kerala-Mahe and South Interior Karnataka during the next five days under the influence of the cyclonic circulation over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep Area upto middle tropospheric levels.


“Light to moderate fairly widespread/scattered rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Kerala-Mahe & South Interior Karnataka during next 5 days; over Lakshadweep during next 3 days and isolated/scattered rainfall over Tamilnadu-Puducherry-Karaikal, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal and North Interior Karnataka during next 5 days,” it said. 

Congress Demands Eshwarappa’s Arrest, Lodging Of FIR

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:56 PM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Congress Demands Eshwarappa’s arrest. Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that resignation is not a solution, a case of corruption has to be registered against state minister KS Eshwarappa and he should be arrested in connection with the death case of contractor Santosh Patil.


“Resignation is not a solution. A case of corruption has to be registered, then he has to be arrested,” said Shivakumar. The Congress leader questioned why FIR was not registered for asking for a 40 per cent commission from the contractor.


“His mother, wife, brother, everyone has alleged that he was tortured and was asked for a 40 per cent commission; where’s the FIR on that?… our agitation is not on behalf of DK Shivakumar or Congress, it is the voice of Karnataka,” he added.


The Congress state chief had also announced that the party would protest against the government in front of the Chief Minister’s residence and in all districts.


Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on behalf of the Congress, demanded Eshwarappa’s arrest.


Meanwhile, Eshwarappa announced his resignation on Thursday, following the row over his alleged role in the suicide of the contractor. He said that he will hand over his resignation to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai tomorrow.


Eshwarappa said that he does not want to embarrass anybody including the high command leaders of the party.


Earlier, the brother of the deceased contractor Santosh Patil on Wednesday demanded the arrest of Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa and his close aides Ramesh and Basawaraj.


A Congress delegation led by state party chief DK Shivakumar, and former chief minister Siddaramaiah also met the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, demanding the expulsion of Eshwarappa from the state cabinet as well as his arrest over contractor Santosh Patil’s death.

Earthquake Of Magnitude 5.3 Hits Arunachal Pradesh

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:36 PM PDT

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted North of Pangin, Arunachal Pradesh on Friday at 6.56 am, informed the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The Earthquake was felt at 06:56 hours at 1176 km kilometres North of Pangin, Arunachal Pradesh. “Earthquake of Magnitude:5.3, Occurred on 15-04-2022, 06:56:19 IST, Lat: 38.62 and Long: 97.05, Depth: 30 Km, Location: 1176km N of Pangin, Arunachal Pradesh,” NCS tweeted. 

IPL 2022: RR Skipper Sanju Samson Praises Hardik Pandya For His all-round performance

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:28 PM PDT

After facing the defeat against Gujarat Titans by 37 runs in IPL 2022 on Thursday, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson praised GT captain Hardik Pandya for his brilliant unbeaten knock of 87 runs.

Skipper Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten half-century was backed by a spirited performance of bowlers as Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs in their IPL 2022 match here at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday. Debutants Gujarat Titans’ fourth victory in the five matches has taken them to the top of the Indian Premier League 2022 table while for Rajasthan Royals’ this is their second loss in the league as they fall to the third spot.

“You can say that (if Gurajat got 10-15 extra runs). But I would like to give credit to their batters. Hardik played a very good innings, they played really well to get that score. If we had wickets in hand this was chasable I feel. We were almost there in terms of run rate, in the powerplay we had a better run rate actually, But we kept losing wickets. Freaky niggle last night in training, definitely missed him (Boult). Hopefully he will be back soon. He (Hardik) had a really good day today, batted, bowled and fielded well,” said Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson in a post-match presentation.

“I have played enough number of years in this league to understand that each game is crucial. Very important to learn and comeback stronger in the next game. I was doing No. 3 continuously till last season. So we decided to have that flexibility, come down at No. 4 or 5 or wherever the team needs me. Having someone like R Ashwin allows us to do that, Devdutt Padikkal batted 3 in the first three games. So it all depends on the combination we are playing.” he added.

Opener Jos Buttler’s quick knock of 54 went in vain for RR while for GT, Lockie Ferguson and debutant Yash Dayal were the picks among the bowlers. The pace duo scalped three wickets each. GT skipper Hardik also scalped a wicket and forced a run-out.

No Plan To Levy Surcharge On Trains Running On Diesel Traction: Railways

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:11 PM PDT

The Indian Railways on Thursday said it has no plan to levy surcharge on trains run on diesel traction as reported in a section of media.

“Some sections of the media are enquiring whether Indian Railways is going to levy a surcharge on trains which are being run on diesel traction. It is informed for the guidance of all concerned that Indian Railways has no such plans. The speculation is baseless,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement. It has been reported in a section of media that the Indian Railways would levy an additional charge on the tickets of diesel-run trains.

Shanghai Logs 3,200 Local, 19,872 Asymptomatic COVID Cases

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:05 PM PDT

China’s economic hub Shanghai reported 3,200 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 19,872 local asymptomatic carriers on Thursday, the municipal health commission said Friday, reported Xinhua.

The recent spike in COVID cases in the global financial hub Shanghai, which has caused a major disruption in supply chains, has been attributed to family infections and logistics transmission. Shanghai registered 2,573 locally transmitted confirmed infections and 25,146 asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday amid the continuing lockdown in the biggest Chinese city. In an editorial published in the Global Times, state media acknowledged that the quarantine of around 20 million residents in their homes and rising infections have stirred public concerns.

Wu Huanyu, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the delay in the release of screening data has led to increases over the past few days.

According to Wu, the workload of nucleic acid testing is huge since if mixed samples test positive, the suspicious samples will be tested individually and verified again, and follow-up epidemiological investigations will be carried out to collect accurate medical and personal information while accomplishing reporting.

The second reason for the increasing numbers is family infections and the latent and fast-spreading characteristics of the Omicron variant, Global Times reported.

Amid growing criticism over its zero-COVID policy, China on Tuesday defended its coronavirus measures that reportedly have resulted in hardship in several Chinese cities including the global financial hub Shanghai.

Speaking at the press conference on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the country’s “dynamic” zero-COVID policy and anti-epidemic protocols are based on science and expert opinions.
“They have effectively protected the life and health of Chinese and foreign nationals living in China and made important contributions to the global fight against the pandemic. The international community, the WHO included, has spoken highly of them,” he said.

This response comes as the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said COVID lockdowns have caused “significant disruptions” for many companies. Nearly half of German firms said in a survey their supply chains have been impacted.

Further defending the country’s COVID-19 policies, the Chinese spokesperson said although these measures have had some impact on daily life and production, the effect is limited in both duration and scope.

He said all prevention and control measures “come at a price.”

Delhi Govt To Issue COVID-19 Guidelines For Schools Amid Surge In Cases

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:55 PM PDT

The Arvind Kejriwal government on Friday will issue COVID-19 guidelines for schools amid concerns over the rise in coronavirus cases in the national capital.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia made the statement on Thursday after a teacher and a student of a private school in South Delhi were found COVID-19 positive, following which, other students who were in the same class were sent home.

It assumes importance as the schools started to function fully offline from April 1 after all the curbs related to COVID were lifted on February 28 considering the low positivity rate.

“COVID cases have slightly increased but there is no rise in hospitalisation, so we need not worry. There is no need to panic but stay alert. Since COVID is there, we have to learn to live with it. We are constantly monitoring the situation. A general guideline to be introduced for schools tomorrow,” said Sisodia.

Delhi on Thursday reported 325 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours with a case positivity rate of 2.39 per cent. There was an increase in COVID-19 cases compared to Wednesday. The national capital yesterday saw 299 new COVID-19 cases with a daily positivity rate of 2.49 per cent.

Speaking on the fees hike in school, the Delhi Minister said that the government has not allowed Delhi schools to increase their fees since 2015, and now private schools have been allowed to increase their fees only to 2 to 3 per cent.

Since 2015 we didn’t permit the private schools to increase fees and continued till 2020 in wake of COVID. But now we have allowed very limited schools to increase by 2-3 per cent,” he said, adding that if there are schools increasing fees on their own, action will be taken against them.

Elon Musk Employs Corporate Raider-Style Tactic, Asks Shareholders To Decide On His Twitter Bid

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:50 PM PDT

Showing his bare-knuckle business tactics, Tesla Chief Elon Musk has posted an opinion poll on Twitter, saying that the company shareholders should decide on his “best and final” offer to acquire 100 per cent of social media giant with USD 54.20 per share in cash.

Employing a corporate raider-style tactic, Musk took to Twitter, to put the decision of acquisition to a vote of all company shareholders. A corporate raider is an investor who buys a large number of shares in a corporation whose assets appear to be undervalued. The large share purchase would give the corporate raider significant voting rights, which could then be used to push changes in the company’s leadership and management. This would increase share value and thus generate a massive return for the raider.

“Taking Twitter private at $54.20 should be up to shareholders, not the board,” Musk tweeted with the opinion poll with two options ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ .
Implying that shareholders have to decide as they own the company, not the board of directors.

This comes at a time when the world’s richest man made the offer in an updated 13D filing earlier today. Musk offered a “best and final” bid to purchase 100 per cent of Twitter for USD 41.39 billion with USD 54.20 per share in cash.
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in his filing.

“However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” he said.
In a separate Tweet, Musk mentioned that he will try hard to keep as many shareholders in privatized Twitter as allowed by law.
He tweeted, “Will endeavor to keep as many shareholders in privatized Twitter as allowed by law.”

Tesla’s chief also said he has a ‘Plan B’ if the board of the social media giant Twitter decides to reject his offer to buy the entire company, reported a local media outlet on Thursday.

Twitter on Thursday said that it will be holding an emergency “all-hands meeting with employees” at 2 pm (local time) to discuss Elon Musk’s hostile bid to buy the entire company.

“The Twitter Board of Directors will carefully review the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders,” Twitter said in a statement.

Musk’s latest move toward Twitter comes just days after he turned down a seat on the board following his acquisition of a 9.2 per cent stake in the microblogging platform.

Biden Greets Jain Community On Occasion Of Mahavir Jayanti, Encourages People To Strive For Peace, Happiness

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:43 PM PDT

US President Joe Biden on Friday extended wishes to the Jain community across the world on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti and encouraged people to follow Lord Mahavir’s path of non-violence, truthfulness, and compassion.

Taking to Twitter, Biden sends his regards writing “Jill and I send warm greetings on Mahavir Jayanti to people of the Jain faith. This is a day to strive for peace, happiness, and the success of all. May we each pursue the values Mahavir Swami embodied: to seek truth, turn from violence, and live in harmony with each other.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted people on the birth anniversary of Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.

“Mahavir Jayanti greetings to you all. We recall the noble teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, especially the emphasis on peace, compassion and brotherhood,” PM Modi tweeted.

Mahavir Jayanti is an important religious festival in Jainism that celebrates the birth of Lord Mahavir. The festival is marked with prayers and fasting.
The occasion marks the birth of the 24th and last Tirthankara, Lord Mahavir. This year, Mahavir Jayanti falls on April 14.

Galle Face Area In Sri Lanka Echoes With ‘Go Gota Go’

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:38 PM PDT

Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims gathered at Galle Face Green, the main beachfront in the capital Colombo, outside Sri Lankan President’s secretariat and raised ‘Go Gota Go’ slogans and also held President Gotabaya Rajapaksa responsible for the country’s economic situation.

One of the protestors displayed his disappointment saying, “The protests are going on against the government and people are asking for justice as there is a lot of suffering.

Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims everyone is here and all resonate with the same sentiment against the government. All the Sri Lankans demand justice.” Expressing his dismay over the economic crisis in the country, another protestor said, “Today is Sri Lanka’s New Year , we used to mark the new year with celebrations but this time everyone is protesting against the government. Things costing Rs 100 are now being sold at Rs 400. No one has money. What did the government do with the money? Why did the country go bankrupt? No one knows anything.”

Agitators are asking Rajapaksas to leave power, accusing them of corruption and misrule.

“We are asking our president to come and tell us the reasons that led to this state of the economy. We urge him to show us the audit and the finance minister should also be responsible for the same. I call upon all the responsible people of the country to come together and seek a solution to this problem. We have all come together and we are united to bring the president down and all those who are responsible for the corruption,” he added.

With a deep sentiment of nationalism, the protestor added, “We want more people and professionals to come forward and save this beautiful nation.”

A massive protest erupted in the Galle Face Green area in the capital city of Colombo as the Island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices, and power cuts.

This comes at a time when Sri Lanka is celebrating its New Year. The Sri Lankans are protesting against the government’s handling of the economic situation and demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Protesters have been accusing Rajapaksa’s government of corruption and misrule.
Sri Lanka’s Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), plans to hold a massive march next week to support the public and dethrone the Rajapaksa government.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, JVP General Secretary, Tilvin Silva, said that this public march will be the largest in the country’s history and is scheduled to hold on April 17, 18 and 19, Colombo Page reported.

Silva further stated that the march will start from Beruwala on April 17 at 9 am and will reach Colombo on April 19.

“We are ready to give a new impetus to the struggle and turn it into a people’s power that will end victoriously,” the JVP General Secretary was quoted as saying by Colombo Page.

“Artists, lawyers and experts from all walks of life have joined the people’s struggle and are urging this government to go home. The government is stubbornly trying to stay in power by using various tactics without listening to the people’s demands,” he added.

JVP General Secretary urged people to join hands with them to make their march successful.

We need to create a people’s power that will turn this into a struggle that the government will not be able to ignore the demands of the people. We have to create a people’s power that will drive out the corrupt government, and create a people’s government that punishes the corrupt…We urge the people to join hands with the measures and make it a success,” JVP General Secretary said.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa signed the impeachment motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the no-confidence motion against the government.

The signatures were placed at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo in the presence of other Samagi Jana Balwegaya (SJB) MPs, reported Daily Mirror.
The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the people in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s 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 affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The shortage of essential goods forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries.

Delhi Govt Passes Budget Of Rs 476 CR For Development Of Mandis

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:32 PM PDT

The Delhi government on Thursday passed a budget of Rs 476.89 crore for the development of various mandis in the national capital, including over Rs 175 crore for the Aazadpur market.

In a joint meeting chaired by Development Minister Gopal Rai with the officials of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB) and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) today, regarding the development of Delhi’s mandis, the board passed a budget of Rs 476 crores 89 lakhs for the development of mandis for the financial year 2022-23 at the meeting.

The board has allocated approximately Rs 178.73 crore to APMC Azadpur, Rs 13.34 crore to the fruit and vegetable market in Ghazipur, Rs 13.96 crore to FP and EMC in Ghazipur, Rs 8 crore to the flower market, Rs 18.91 crore to APMC Keshopur, Rs 45.03 crore to APMC Narela, Rs 5.32 crore to APMC Najafgarh and Rs 193.57 crore to the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board.

Divulging more details on the same, Rai said, ”Along with the development of Tikri Khampur Wholesale Mandi, the development of Ghazipur’s Fruit and Vegetable Mandi and Poultry Market, as well as the renovation of Ghazipur Flower Market, will be carried out, with a budget allocation of Rs 303 crores. The Kejriwal Government is committed to the development, expansion, and creation of better infrastructure in the Mandis.”

He further said that the government has issued orders for the renovation of Kisan Bhawan in order to protect farmers from similar difficulties and to provide better amenities.’

”In today’s meeting with the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board, instructions have also been given for the renovation of Kisan Bhawan of Azadpur Mandi. Farmers come to Azadpur Mandi to sell their vegetables and fruits and sometimes they have to stay in hotels around the Mandi for 1 to 2 days which costs them a lot. Our government has issued orders for the renovation of Kisan Bhawan in order to protect farmers from similar difficulties and to provide better amenities,’ he added.

Orders were also issued for the installation of CCTV cameras at all mandis in the national capital.

”To monitor the work being done in the Mandis, orders have been issued by the board to install CCTV cameras in all the Mandis in Delhi soon. With this, the security of the Mandis will be kept under strict surveillance and the movement of people will also be taken care of,” he said. 

Jaishankar Discusses Afghanistan, Global Impact Of Ukraine Conflict With UN Chief

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:22 PM PDT

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a “wide-ranging discussion” with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday (local time) and exchanged views on the global impact of the Ukraine conflict as well as the situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar.

UN Chief expressed his interest in working with India ‘to effectively address important contemporary challenges’. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, “Spoke about latest developments in respect of Afghanistan and Myanmar. Appreciate his interest in working with India to effectively address important contemporary challenges.

The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions and exchanged views on the global impact of the Ukraine conflict, especially on food and energy security.

Jaishankar tweeted, “A wide-ranging discussion with UNSG @antonioguterres. Exchanged views on the global impact of the Ukraine conflict, especially on food and energy security. Implications for developing countries are serious.”

Moreover, they also spoke about the latest developments in respect of Afghanistan and Myanmar. Jaishankar appreciated the interest of the UN chief in working with India “to effectively address important contemporary challenges.”

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti received External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New York on Wednesday (local time).
Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were in Washington for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their US counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.

Jaishankar took part in the fourth US-India 2+2 Dialogue. He also held talks with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Washington.

India and the US on Monday called on the Taliban to abide by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution to ensure that the Afghan territory does not become a breeding ground for terrorists to launch attacks against any country.

In a joint statement issued on the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin held on April 11 in Washington, the two sides called on the Taliban adhere to the UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) that demands that Afghan territory must never again be used to threaten or attack any country or shelter or train terrorists or plan or finance terrorist attacks.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US’ complete troop withdrawal on August 31.
Jaishankar on Tuesday praised the US for helping India during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During an interaction with students of Howard University in Washington, Jaishankar recalled how the COVID experience has been enormously stressful for all the countries.
“If there was a silver lining to it, it also showed what friendships and relationships across the world could do…We have three vaccines in India, that we’re producing, which are a direct outcome of our relationship with the US,” he said.
“On the Indian side, our 2020 National Educational Policy prioritizes international cooperation in education,” said Jaishankar. “On the American end, we recognize the renewed focus on the STEM sector, including in activities like the Quad. My colleague, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is looking forward to engaging more intensively in developing this important facet of our relationship,” he added.
This event was seen as an opportunity to build off the announcement during the 2+2 Ministerial of the formation of a ‘Working Group on Education and Skill Training.’

Elon Musk Ready With ‘Plan B’ If Twitter Rejects His Offer

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:06 PM PDT

Tesla chief Elon Musk said he has a ‘Plan B’ if the board of the social media giant Twitter decides to reject his offer to buy the entire company, reported a local media outlet on Thursday.

Twitter on Thursday said that it will be holding an emergency “all-hands meeting with employees” at 2 pm (local time) to discuss Elon Musk’s hostile bid to buy the entire company. In a recent development, Elon Musk said he has a ‘plan B’ if Twitter board doesn’t approve of his offer to purchase the company, reported The Spectator Index.
“Will endeavor to keep as many shareholders in privatized Twitter as allowed by law,” he tweeted.

Asserting that Twitter is the platform for free speech around the globe and is imperative for a functioning democracy, he puts out a tweet, “Interesting. Just two questions, if I may. How much of Twitter does the Kingdom own, directly & indirectly?

What are the Kingdom’s views on journalistic freedom of speech?

As per media reports, Twitter executives have reportedly scheduled an emergency “all-hands meeting with employees” to discuss Tesla Chief Elon Musk’s staggering

USD 41.39 billion offer to acquire the platform.
Twitter on Thursday said that its board will evaluate an unsolicited, non-binding offer from Tesla chief Elon Musk to acquire the social media company.

“The Twitter Board of Directors will carefully review the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders,” Twitter said in a statement.

The world’s richest man made the offer in an updated 13D filing earlier today. Musk offered a “best and final” bid to purchase 100 per cent of Twitter for USD 41.39 billion with USD 54.20 per share in cash.

“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in his filing.

“However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” he said.

Musk’s latest move toward Twitter comes just days after he turned down a seat on the board following his acquisition of a 9.2 per cent stake in the microblogging platform.

IPL 2022: Skipper Hardik Pandya Powers Gujarat Titans To Win Over RR, Reaches Top Spot With 4th Victory

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:00 PM PDT

Skipper Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten knock of 87 was backed by a spirited performance of bowlers as Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs in their IPL 2022 match here at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday.

Debutants Gujarat Titans’ fourth victory in the five matches has taken them to the top of the Indian Premier League 2022 table while for Rajasthan Royals’ this is their second loss in the league as they fall to the third spot. Hardik Pandya’s captain knock was well accompanied by Abhinav Manohar’s 43 as the duo stitched an 86-run partnership to guide Gujarat Titans to a challenging target of 192/4. For RR, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal and Riyan Parag bagged one wicket each.

Jos Buttler’s quick knock of 54 went in vain for RR while for GT, Lockie Ferguson and debutant Yash Dayal were the picks among the bowlers. The pace duo scalped three wickets each. GT skipper Hardik also scalped a wicket and forced a run-out.

Chasing 193, Rajasthan Royals enjoyed a fast start in the innings as they scored 65 runs in the first powerplay but lost 3 wickets in that period. Two of those wickets came in the sixth over.

Jos Buttler who is red-hot form smashed 24 runs off the first two overs but his fellow opener Devdutt Padikkal wasn’t able to impress as he was removed by debutant Yash Dayal for a golden duck in the 2nd over. In the 4th over, the English opener went ballistic again as he thrashed Yash Dayal for 18 runs.

The Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin who came to bat at no. 3 was removed by Lockie Ferguson in the last over of the powerplay. In the same over, Buttler smashed Lockie for a six to bring his fifty but it was the Kiwi pacer who had the last laugh as he castled Buttler’s stumps with a sensational slow yorker on the off stump on the last ball of the over.

The Gujarat skipper Hardik then got the better of his counterpart as he ran out Sanju Samson through a brilliant direct over in the 8th over off Lockie Ferguson. Yash Dayal put more misery on the ailing RR side in the 11th over as Rassie van der Dussen edged to Matthew Wade behind the stumps.

The dangerous-looking West Indian Shimron Hetmyer was removed by Mohammad Shami in the 13th over as the wickets kept falling for RR at regular intervals. By the end of the match, Lockie and Yash grabbed three wickets each while Hardik Pandya also joined the party with a wicket in the 18th over. The chasing team in the end came 37 runs short.

Earlier, put in to bat first, Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Matthew Wade got a positive start as they gathered 12 runs in the opening over, but the duo could not be on the crease for long as Wade was run out by Rassie van der Dussen.

Kuldeep Sen was introduced into the attack and he dismissed Vijay Shankar for two runs. GT lost their two important wickets in the first powerplay of the innings leaving the team’s total at 16/2. Captain Hardik Pandya walked in to bat with Gill to take his team’s total to 53/2 in 6.3 overs but the emerging partnership was broken as Riyan Parag dismissed Shubman Gill for 13 runs.

Abhinav Manohar came to the crease and tried to anchor with Pandya as they hammered RR bowlers all around the ground. The duo also struck a much-needed partnership of 48 runs and took their team’s score beyond 100-mark in the 13th over.

In the 14th over of the innings, Pandya notched up a second consecutive half-century which he made in 35 balls. Gujarat Titans skipper smashed two successive sixes on Ravichandran Ashwin’s delivery which put RR under great pressure. The partnership of 86 runs was broken as Manohar was caught by Ashwin on Yuzvendra Chahal’s delivery, after scoring only 43 runs, leaving the team’s total at 139/4 in the 16th over.

The new batter David Miller walked in to bat with the captain to keep the scoreboard moving. Pandya along with Miller took his team’s total to 192/4 in the first innings as they gathered 13 runs in the last over.

Brief score: Gujarat Titans 192/4 (Hardik Pandya 87*, Abhinav Manohar 43; Yuzvendra Chahal 1-32) vs Rajasthan Royals 155/9 (Jos Buttler 54, Shimron Hetmyer 29; Lockie Ferguson 3-23).

Defence Supplies To India Continue From Russia Amid Ukraine Conflict But Payment Remains An Issue

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:22 AM PDT

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, defence supplies from Moscow are continuing as the Indian defence forces have received a shipment of overhauled aircraft engines and spares. However, there is concern about whether this would continue in the near future as a solution for making payment to Russia has not yet been found.

“The defence forces have received shipments from the Russians very recently and it is still on. So far, there has not been any glitch in supplies for our forces,” a government source told ANI.

“However, there are concerns on whether these supplies can continue in the same manner as the Indian side cannot make payments to these Russian firms in view of the sanctions related to their banks,” he added.

The sources said the Indian and Russian sides are working to find a way this issue can be overcome and many options are being explored.

The latest supplies from Russia included overhauled fighter aircraft engines and spares for an aircraft fleet and they arrived through the sea route, the sources said.
India also received the final parts of the S-400 Triumf air defence system from Russia whose first squadron is operational with its elements deployed to take care of threats from both Pakistan and China.

India is one of the largest users of Russian weaponry including major platforms like fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, warships, tanks, infantry combat vehicles and submarines.

Over the last couple of decades, it has broadened its source base by including equipment from countries like the US, France and Israel in a big way but the dependence on Russia still remains very high.

The Air Force is dependent majorly on the Russian supplies as its mainstay Su30 aircraft fleet is Russian along with its Mi-17 helicopter fleet.

The Army is also dependent on the Russian-origin T-90 and T-72 tank fleet for the armoured regiments.

4 LeT Terrorists Neutralised In Encounter At J-K’s Shopian

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:08 AM PDT

A total of four terrorists of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been neutralised in an encounter with security forces on Thursday at Badigam, Zainapora area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district.

“4 LeT terrorists neutralised in today’s encounter. They were active in Shopian and adjacent areas of Pulwama. They were involved in 6 terror crimes including attacks on outside labourers,” said Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Vijay Kumar. “A hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on & they will be neutralised soon,” he added.

As per the police, the search operation is still underway.
Earlier today, an encounter broke out at Badigam.

“Police and security forces are on the job,” Jammu and Kashmir police had said in a tweet.

Further details are awaited.

Notably, two terrorists, including one from Pakistan were also killed in an encounter in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Kunal Ghosh Slams WB Governor, Calls Him BJP Agent

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:59 AM PDT

Trinamool Congress spokesperson and state general secretary, Kunal Ghosh, on Friday, slammed the West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and called him a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agent.

“He (Dhankar) has become a BJP agent and BJP person who doesn’t see development in Bengal. He is maligning Bengal with a clear political intention,” said Ghosh. Highlighting the lens through the positives in the state, Ghosh emphasised the awards the state of West Bengal had won, he also mentioned that the ‘governor’s tweet and attitude would be protested against.’

Earlier, Dhankar had mentioned the need to focus on the spirit of the Indian Constitution. The whole tussle of words started amid the row over the gang rape and death of a minor, where a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in Hanskhali in Nadia district. The victim’s family accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case. 

Pak PM Sharif Ready To Take China Ties To Higher Level

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:12 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, on Tuesday said that his country is ready to deepen bilateral cooperation and elevate relations with China to the next level, which he said, is the voice of 200 million of his countrymen and that he is ready to take the ties with China to higher level.


Sharif made the remarks in a meeting with the charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan Pang Chunxue, who called in on the newly elected Prime Minister at his residence in Islamabad, Xinhua reported.

Noting that the Pakistan-China friendship is unique, unshakable, and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of the two countries, Shehbaz said that “whenever Pakistan was faced with internal, external difficulties or major challenges, China has always stood firmly with Pakistan,” adding that “Pakistan regards China as its steadiest friend and closest partner.”


“Major development has been witnessed in Pakistan-China relations in recent years, and bilateral cooperation in political, economic, diplomatic and other fields has been deepened in an all-round way, opening a new chapter in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” he said.


Pakistan owes most of its debt to China. The CPEC project, which aims to connect Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Baluchistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).


It has been argued by various analysts that China is using “debt-trap” diplomacy to gain access to strategic assets in Pakistan with infrastructure projects in Pakistan being financed by Chinese banks.


In his address to the National Assembly of Pakistan shortly after being elected as the country’s Prime Minister on Monday, Shehbaz had said that developing Pakistan-China relations is the most important thing and a priority in Pakistan’s diplomatic policy, noting that China is a time-tested friend of Pakistan and the great and eternal Pakistan-China friendship can never be shaken by anyone, and that he was ready to take ties with China to higher level. 

Amul Celebrates Ranbir, Alia’s Wedding With New Doodle

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:04 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Keeping up with its tradition of posting topical doodles on film releases, celebrity weddings and other significant events, dairy brand Amul celebrated star couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s wedding on Thursday by dedicating its new doodle to the duo.


The company shared a unique artwork on its Twitter handle in which Ranbir and Alia-styled doodles could be seen dressed in ethnic attires.

Ranbir’s doodle could be seen feeding a slice of bread loaded with Amul butter to Alia.

Amul used witty wordplay in the caption that read, “Patt Mangni, Bhatt Byaah!” and “Star butter”, in place of ‘Star couple’.

The ‘Brahmastra’ stars tied the knot today at Ranbir’s Bandra residence Vastu.


Apart from the couple’s family members, several guests including Akash Ambani, Shloka Ambani, Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji also attended the wedding.


The pre-wedding festivities including a special pooja and mehendi ceremony were conducted on Wednesday.


Ranbir and Alia had fallen in love with each other on the sets of their upcoming film ‘Brahmastra’. The two made their first appearance as a couple at Sonam Kapoor’s wedding reception in 2018. 

Tiny Tots Taimur Jeh Mark Their Presence At Ranbir, Alia’s Wedding

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:57 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Paparazzi’s favourites Tiny Tots Taimur and Jeh once again stole the limelight with their adorable presence at Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s wedding ceremony.


Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s children made their late yet grand entry along with their nanny at the ceremony.

A while back, Saif and Kareena were spotted arriving hand-in-hand at Ranbir’s Bandra residence Vastu.


The whole family chose to twin in the shades of white and pink.


Kareena opted for Manish Malhotra’s classic pink real zari embroidered timeless organza saree. Saif went for a pink coloured kurta. He elevated his ethnic look with a white Nehru jacket.


The tiny tots Taimur and Jeh also looked their best in kurtas. Jeh was seen dressed in a pink kurta, while Taimur opted to sport a white colour kurta.


Meanwhile, paps are waiting to catch Ranbir and Alia’s first glimpse as husband and wife.

Woman Attempts Suicide At Delhi Metro Station

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:51 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: A woman attempted suicide by jumping from parapet at the Delhi Metro station. The incident happened at Akshardham metro station on Blue Line in East Delhi on Thursday morning.


A senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said that CISF personnel on duty at platform number 2 of the metro station noticed a woman had climbed the parapet of the metro station at around 7.30 am.

They tried their best to convince and beg her to get off the wall at the Metro Station on the Blue Line.

The CISF personnel quickly swung into action, while one team tried to persuade the lady to abandon her thoughts, the other team with the help of local civil employees arranged a blanket to catch her in case of a fall.


“In the meantime, another team of CISF rushed towards the ground floor and with the help of others, they created a safety net by collecting a blanket and bedsheets from shops around the metro station premises,” the official added.


While attempting suicide at the Delhi Metro station, the woman jumped off from the parapet and fell into the safety net but unfortunately, she received severe injuries. She was rushed to a hospital where she is undergoing treatment in ICU, he added.


Due to the severity of the fall, she sustained severe injuries but her life has been saved. She was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where she is under treatment and in family care, he added.


“We informed local police regarding the incident and her family members were also informed. The motive of her taking the extreme step is unknown,” he added. 

Pakistan Army Chief Bajwa To Retire In November

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:39 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa is not seeking an extension of his term, the country’s military media wing said on Thursday and that Army chief General Bajwa will retire in November.


Addressing a press conference here today, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said that Bajwa will complete his tenure in November this year.

“Let me put this to rest. The chief of army staff is neither seeking an extension nor will he accept an extension. No matter what, he will be retiring on the 29th of November 2022,” Major Iftikhar was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.

This statement put to rest all speculations regarding the Army chief’s tenure and extension and now it appears that Gen. Bajwa will retire in November.


Bajwa has been serving as Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army since November 2016.


In an apparent swipe at the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan army asked political parties and the public not to drag the military into politics.


Pakistan’s military said any effort to create a rift between people and the armed forces is against national interest. The DG ISPR pointed out that a “malicious campaign” is being run against the army and its leadership.


This comes a few days after Pakistan Army claimed that there was a “recent propaganda” campaign by some quarters to malign the country’s military.


This statement was issued after the 79th Formation Commanders’ Conference held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.


This high-level meeting was attended by the country’s army’s corps commanders, principal staff officers and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.


“The forum took note of the recent propaganda campaign by some quarters to malign [the] Pakistan Army and create division between the institution and society,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.


The Pakistan military’s media wing noted national security of the nation is sacrosanct. “Pakistan Army has always stood by the state institutions to guard it and always will, without any compromise,” the ISPR said. 

Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt Are Officially Husband And Wife

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:31 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Tinsel town’s most anticipated wedding is finally over as Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt have tied the knot and are now officially husband and wife.


The intimate wedding ceremony took place in the presence of family members and close friends, including Neetu Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Soni Razdan, Shaheen Bhatt, Luv Ranjan, Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji, among others.

Though the wedding ceremony has concluded, Ranbir and Alia are yet to make an official public appearance as a married couple.


If reports are to be believed, Ranbir and Alia will pose as newlyweds for the paparazzi at 7 pm today.

Reports also suggest that the couple will host a grand reception at the luxury hotel Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai on April 17.


The pre-wedding festivities including a special pooja and mehendi ceremony were conducted on Wednesday.


Ranbir and Alia had fallen in love with each other on the sets of their upcoming film ‘Brahmastra’.

The two made their first appearance as a couple at Sonam Kapoor’s wedding reception in 2018 and are now officially husband and wife.

Hanskhali gang rape: Bureaucracy Is Politicised-Governor Dhankhar

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:25 AM PDT

Kolkata (West Bengal): Amid the row over gang rape and death of a minor in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday alleged that the bureaucracy is politicised and the preamble of the Constitution is disregarded in the state.


“We need to focus on the spirit of the Indian constitution. It is my duty and obligation that violation of the Constitution does not take place. Recent events were painful.

Even before such incidents, there was an urgent need to improve the situation in the state,” Governor Dhankhar told mediapersons here.

“Those concerned with governance must see that probe must be fair. We cannot have a state that is known only for violence and gets into the headlines for crime against women, where bureaucracy is politicised and preamble of the Constitution is disregarded,” he said.


Earlier on Wednesday, Dhankhar summoned State Chief Secretary and Director General Police to take steps to curb rising crime against women.


The Governor had directed the officials to improve law and order situation in the state and respond to pending issues.

The meeting went on for an hour where Governor Dhankhar emphasised that constitutional governance is a must and not optional, said the Raj Bhavan.


Earlier this month, a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in Hanskhali in Nadia district. The victim’s family accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case.


Dhankhar also raised concerns about the recent commotion in Calcutta High Court.
“Whatever happened in HC was unprecedented and shocking. If access to justice is obstructed then where is democracy? If those who perform solemn duty in the temple of justice are cornered, then it is not acceptable,” Governor Dhankhar said.


On Wednesday, the TMC workers’ legal wing of West Bengal blocked the doors of the Calcutta High Court and barred the lawyers from entering the Court of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay.


TMC workers’ legal wing said, “Justice Gangopadhyay has committed a crime by passing orders in the School Service Commission (SSC) corruption case.”


On Tuesday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court stayed a single bench order that directed West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI in connection with irregularities in the appointment of assistant teachers in state government-aided schools. Justice Gangopadhyay had also given CBI liberty to arrest the state minister in the case.


The Bar Association, Calcutta High Court brought out a resolution to boycott Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay. 

Musk Offers To Buy Twitter For $41 Billion Or Else…

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:59 AM PDT

Washington [US]: Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter for USD 41 Billion. Musk on Thursday offered a “best and final” bid to purchase 100 per cent of microblogging site Twitter for USD 41.39 billion with USD 54.20 per share in cash.


The world’s richest man made the offer in an updated 13D filing on Thursday and follows an announcement by Twitter that Musk will not be joining the company’s board of directors.

Elon Musk offer to buy Twitter for USD 41 Billion, was at a price of USD 54.20 per share that was 38 per cent higher than the closing price of Twitter’s stock on April 1, the last trading day before his investment of 9.2 per cent in the company was publicly announced, reported Sky News.


“Since making my investment I now realise the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” said Musk in a letter to Twitter chairman Bret Taylor.


“Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company,” he added.


Earlier last week, Musk had disclosed that he had taken a nine per cent stake in the social media platform.


“My offer is my best and final offer and if it is not accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder,” said Tesla CEO.


The offer comes after Musk rejected a seat on the social media company’s board.
Taking the board seat would have stopped him from a possible takeover of the company, reported Sky News. 

Islamabad HC: All Pak Medical Commission Appointments Illegal

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:40 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday announced the nullification of the appointments of the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), considering it to be illegal.


As per the background of the case, the legislature passed the Pakistan Medical Commission Act, 2020 on September 23, 2020, and after two days of passing the Act, the prime minister, vide notification issued on September 25, 2020, appointed the members of the council without following the procedure or selection criteria despite the fact the appointments of such members had already been declared illegal by the IHC in its earlier round of proceedings.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has called for the immediate removal of the PMC members including the President of PMC, Dr Arshad Taqi, and Vice President Mohammad Ali Raza. The other five members who have been asked to leave by the IHC are Rashana Zafar, Dr Rumina Hassan, Tariq Ahmed Khan, Dr Anisur Rehman, and Dr Asif Loya, reported Dawn.


IHC had earlier declared the appointments of certain members of the erstwhile Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) illegal.


It further directed the competent authority to appoint the members on merit after advertising posts in media.


But in clear defiance of the direction, the competent authority, vide impugned notification, again appointed the same seven members of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Commission without following the selection criteria, per se, such appointments also depict ‘conflict of interest’, reported Dawn. 

World Bank: Sri Lanka Needs Urgent Policy Measures

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:33 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Sri Lanka needs urgent policy measures to address its high levels of debt and debt service, reduce the fiscal deficit, and restore external stability, the World Bank said in its twice-a-year regional update.


The island nation faces a highly uncertain economic outlook due to fiscal and external imbalances. Released on Wednesday, the World Bank’s latest ‘South Asia Economic Focus Reshaping Norms: A New Way Forward’ projects the region to grow by 6.6 per cent in 2022 and by 6.3 per cent in 2023. The 2022 forecast has been revised downward by 1.0 percentage points compared to the January projection, mostly due to the impact of the war in Ukraine.


This comes as countries in South Asia are already grappling with rising commodity prices, supply bottlenecks, and vulnerabilities in financial sectors.

The war in Ukraine will amplify these challenges, further contributing to inflation and deteriorating current account balances.


“The World Bank is deeply concerned about the uncertain economic outlook in Sri Lanka and the impact on people,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “We are working on providing emergency support for poor and vulnerable households to help them weather the economic crisis and we remain committed to the wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka, and to a narrative of sustainable and inclusive growth that will require concerted and collective action.”


Sri Lanka needs urgent policy measures, to address the structural sources of its vulnerabilities. This would require reducing fiscal deficits especially through strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation. Sri Lanka also needs to find feasible options to restore debt sustainability. The financial sector needs to be carefully monitored amid high exposure to the public sector and the impact of the recent currency depreciation on banks’ balance sheets.


According to the World Bank, the necessary and urgent policy measures and adjustments may adversely affect growth and impact poverty initially but will correct the significant imbalances, subsequently providing the foundation for stronger and sustainable growth and access to international financial markets. Mitigating the impacts on the poor and vulnerable would remain critical.


In South Asia, though GDP growth continues to be solid during the recovery, all countries in the region will face challenges ahead. On a positive note, exports of services from the region are on the rise as the pandemic subsides.

The report says that the war and its impact on fuel prices can provide the region with much-needed impetus to reduce reliance on fuel imports and transition to a green, resilient and inclusive growth trajectory.


The report recommends that countries steer away from inefficient fuel subsidies that tend to benefit wealthier households and deplete public resources.

South Asian countries plan to move towards a greener economy by gradually introducing taxation that puts tariffs on products which cause environmental damage.


Another challenge the region faces is the disproportionate economic impact the pandemic has had on women.


The report includes in-depth analysis of gender disparities in the region and their link with deeply rooted social norms, and recommends policies that will support women’s access to economic opportunities, tackle discriminatory norms, and improve gender outcomes for inclusive growth. 

China Creating New COVID Strains In Pakistan: Expert

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:09 AM PDT

Beijing [China]: China is creating new COVID Strains In Pakistan that experts say has the potential to wipe out much of humanity.


Anthony Klan, writing in The Klaxon said that the Chinese Communist Party has set up highly-advanced scientific infrastructure developing the “technology” in impoverished Pakistan.

Pakistan in recent years has largely become a vassal state of China under China’s notorious “debt-trap” style colonial expansion and it is here that China is creating new COVID Strains.


As per experts, the Pakistan facility is jointly run by the Wuhan Institute of Virology – known for being named a likely origin of Covid-19 – and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DESTO), which is under the direct control of the Pakistan Army.


The developments – confirmed by top-level intelligence sources from multiple countries – mean that Chinese bio-engineers now have the ability to create in Pakistan, or to “drop-in” from connected facilities in China, antigens that are hundreds of times more infectious and lethal than COVID-19, said Klan.


The Wuhan laboratory is known for being a likely source of the COVID-19 pandemic, which to date has killed over 6 million people.


The laboratory, a collaboration between the China-Pakistan military laboratory is a “Biosafety Level 4” facility (BSL-4).


Under international standards, there are four bio-safety levels, with BSL-4 being the most dangerous and where infectious agents for which there is no known vaccine or remedy.


“BSL-4 laboratories are used to study infectious agents or toxins that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening disease for which no vaccine or therapy is available.


Global biodefense expert Dr Ryan Clarke, who focuses specifically on “high-risk pathogen networks”, said China’s activities in Pakistan if left unchecked, could have devastating global consequences.


Ryan Clarke is a senior fellow at the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore.


“Whether through error or malicious intent, if the joint WIV-DESTO bioweapons program is left unchecked, we will be facing exponentially accelerating risks that many will find impossible to comprehend until they occur,” Dr Clarke said.


“If the joint WIV-DESTO bioweapons program is left unchecked, we will be facing exponentially accelerating risks that many will find impossible to comprehend until they occur,” said bio expert, Dr Ryan Clarke.


“The joint WIV-DESTO operation in Pakistan is not a bilateral biomedical research partnership between two civilian institutes focused on advancing human and animal health.”


“It represents a dangerous platform for WIV, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and multiple other CCP-run institutions, including those with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) links, to conduct bioweapons research under Pakistan Army cover,” he said.


Dr Clarke, who is a Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore, said it had now also emerged that China has built another BSL-4 facility in Kunming, which had gone almost entirely undetected by the international community. This lab is officially managed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS).


The existence of the Pakistan Army/China run bio-safety level 4 facility was revealed in late 2020, yet despite those revelations – and subsequent confirmation of the facility by China – the issue has gone almost entirely unreported outside of Australia and India, reported The Klaxon. 

Maharashtra: Will Bring Out Another Scam Tom- Kirit Somaiya

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:00 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya on Thursday said that he will bring out another scam of the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.


Addressing a press conference, Somaiya said, “Tomorrow, I will bring out another scandal of the Thackeray government. I will answer why I was not reachable.”

He added, “Property of a dozen MVA leaders attached by ED– Anil Deshmukh, Shridhar Patankar, Nawab Malik and their property attached. Sanjay Raut, Yashwant Jadhav, Ajit Pawar, and others’ property attached too.”


However, it is worth mentioning that a case has been registered against Kirit Somaiya and Neil Somaiya under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Trombay Police station in Mumbai for INS Vikrant financial bungling.


The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to Kirit Somaiya in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds collected in the name of saving the decommissioned naval aircraft carrier Vikrant.


“As per the rules, I or the lawyer can go, we are giving all the information in the court, Vikrant’s campaign started from 1997-98. Vikrant’s event was symbolic.

Shivsena had given support to save Vikrant. Started in 1997. Sanjay Raut accused me of Uddhav Thackeray’s statement”, he said.


Commissioned in 1961, INS Vikrant, a Majestic-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, had played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. It was decommissioned in 1997. In January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction and scrapped in November that year. 

Karnataka: Party Will Take Action Against Guilty-Dushyant Gautam

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:54 AM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam on Thursday said that if the allegations against the BJP leader KS Eshwarappa in the contractor Santosh Patil’s death are true, then the party will take necessary action against him.


An FIR has also been registered against Karnataka minister Eshwarappa in this case.

Congress is also demanding the dismissal of the minister in this matter.


The Congress delegation has also met the Governor of Karnataka in this matter and is continuously demanding action against Eshwarappa.


“It is the rule of our party that if the allegation is levelled against anyone. Whatever action is required, it will be taken on them. There will be absolutely no indiscipline within the party,” Dushyant Gautam said.


Earlier, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwarappa made it clear that he would not resign under pressure from the opposition.

The minister defended himself by saying that “no death note was found near the body”. Any relationship with the contractor is denied, he added.


He said, “I have not seen the face of Santosh Patil, but as journalists are saying that he used to go to Delhi often. It should be investigated who booked his flight tickets and why.”


Earlier today, Congress leaders DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, and others were detained as the police stopped them from marching toward Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s residence to demand Minister KS Eshwarappas’s resignation in connection with contractor Santosh Patil’s death.


The leaders have been detained at High Grounds Police Station. Earlier today, Patil’s mortal remains arrived at his residence in Belagavi.


Meanwhile, the brother of the deceased contractor on Wednesday demanded the arrest of Eshwarappa and his close aides Ramesh and Basawaraj.


Speaking to the reporters here, Prashant Patil (brother of the deceased) had said, “Minister KS Eshwarappa, Basawaraj and Ramesh (Eshwarappa’s close aides) must be arrested. We want justice.” 

IMD Predicts Normal Rainfall In Monsoon This Year

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:45 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Indian meteorological department on Thursday predicted “normal” Monsoon rainfall between the months of July to September this year.


The normal range is 96 per cent to 104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). The IMD released the first stage Long Range Forecast (LRF) for the 2022 Southwest Monsoon Season Rainfall.


“Southwest Monsoon Seasonal (July to September) Rainfall over the country as a whole is most likely to be normal which is 96 to 104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). Quantitatively, the monsoon seasonal rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the LPA with a model error of +-5 per cent. The LPA over the country as a whole for the period 1971-2020 is 87 cm,” IMD said.


“La Nina conditions are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific region. The latest Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS), as well as other climate model forecasts, indicates that La Nina conditions are likely to continue during the season,” said a press release by the Department.


IMD will issue the updated of the forecasts in the last week of May 2022. 

Fire At Delhi Club, No Casualties Reported

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:35 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: A massive fire broke out at a club in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area on Thursday.


According to Delhi Police, the fire was soon doused and no casualties were reported.

Twelve fire tenders were dispatched to the site of the incident, police said.


All four floors of the building had caught fire, triggered allegedly due to a short circuit.


“Reportedly, no one was inside the building,” they added.


Further investigation is underway. 

8 Trains Introduced Following Suspension Of Flights At Bagdogra

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:29 AM PDT

Siliguri (West Bengal): In view of the suspension of the flight services at Bagdogra airport this month, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has introduced eight trains for different routes from New Jalpaiguri station to give relief for the passengers.


The Bagdogra airport has suspended the flight services from 11th to 25th of this month due to the repairing work of the runway.

A total of 28 flights were operated at the airport. As a result, there has been a tremendous rush of the tourists and passengers to get the train tickets.


The railway official said following this they were running eight weekly basis additional special trains to meet the demands.


The trains are Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri, Sealdah-Kamakhya, Howrah-New Jalpaiguri and Rangapara North-Puri via NJP. The passengers welcomed the decision of the railway.

Filmmakers Karan, Ayan, Luv Ranjan Attend Ranbir Alia Wedding

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:22 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Popular filmmakers Karan Johar, Ayan Mukerji, and Luv Ranjan, who share a close bond with Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, have arrived at the groom’s Bandra residence, Vastu, to attend Ranbir Alia wedding ceremony.


All of them marked their presence at Ranbir Alia wedding in traditional outfits. Karan opted for a pink sherwani, while Luv Ranjan went for an all-white outfit.

Ayan was seen dressed in beige sherwani.

For the unversed, it’s Karan who launched Alia in the film industry with ‘Student of the Year’ in 2012. He has also worked with Ranbir in the film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.

After directing Ranbir in ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’, Ayan teamed up with him for ‘Brahmastra’, which also stars Alia in the lead role.


Speaking of Luv Ranjan, he has recently collaborated with Ranbir for a romantic film, which is scheduled to release in 2023. Shraddha Kapoor is also a part of the project.

ED Questions Ex-Punjab CM Channi For 6-Hours In Sand Mining Case

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:10 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday questioned former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for over six hours in a money-laundering investigation linked to an alleged sand mining case in the state, officials said on Thursday.


The ED recorded Channi’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he left the ED’s zonal office in Jalandhar late on Wednesday night, the officials said. Channi, through his Twitter account, also confirmed his questioning by the ED.


“I was summoned by the ED yesterday regarding the mining case. I attended and replied to the queries put by them to the best of my knowledge. A Challan in this case has already been presented by ED in the Hon’ble court. The authorities have not asked me to come again,” Channi said in a tweet.


Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey was arrested in the case by the ED some days before the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls. A charge sheet was also filed against him and others named in the case early this month.


The agency also named one more person in the charge sheet filed on March 31 under money laundering charges in the court of Special Prevention of

Money Laundering Act (PMLA) judge, Rupinderjit Chahal, in Punjab.


Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey and his associate Kudratdeep Singh were charged under various sections of money laundering by the federal agency.


Honey was arrested on the intervening night of February 3 and 4 by the ED, and as per rules, the agency had to file a charge sheet against him within 60 days.


The ED had on January 18, days before the Punjab Assembly elections, conducted raids against Honey and others at 10 locations.


The ED has also seized more than Rs 10 crore, gold worth above 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of Honey, and others in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case.


The ED had declared the recoveries after it concluded its two-day raid conducted at the business and residential premises of the accused persons and their associates in over a dozen places in Mohali, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Pathankot.


The federal agency had also raided the premises of the accused persons and their associates including Kudratdeep Singh, the owner of Pinjore Royalty Company, and his partners and shareholders Kanwarmahip Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sunil Kumar Joshi, Jagveer Inder Singh on January 18 and 19.


The raids were also conducted at the premises of Randeep Singh, the owner of Providers Overseas Consultants Pvt Ltd and its other Directors and shareholders including Bhupinder Singh and Sandeep Kumar.


The places searched then included Honey’s Homeland Heights Society residence in Mohali’s Sector-70.


ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station under sections 379, 420, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 21(1) and 4(1) of Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957 in March 2018.


In the FIR, it was mentioned that a team comprising of the officials of the Mining Department, Civil Administration and Police Department made a surprise check on 7 March 2018, on the basis of a complaint received at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station regarding illegal sand mining.


Consequently, it was found that several mines were being excavated by various machines and mining was being carried out beyond the designated area.


Accordingly, several tippers and trucks, Porcelain machines and JCB Machines were captured and seized by the investigating team.


“The seized tipper and trucks were also found to be overloaded with sand. The seized weighment slips having office stamps had actually not been issued by the concerned office and were forged,” ED had said.


Subsequently, the ED had also informed, that the mining operation at the Malikpur mining site was stopped, and also the approval of weighment slips was stopped by the team.


As per the FIR, apart from Malikpur, illegal mining activities were also carried out at Burjtahl Das, Barsal, Lalewal, Mandala and Khosa.


On the basis of information available, the ED said the investigation was initiated against all the accused mine owners and their associates in order to ascertain the money laundering activities undertaken by them for laundering their proceeds of crime.


The ED suspects that black money was invested in getting a contract for the sand mine. The company floated, sources say, is of very small scale and unlikely to get a contract worth crores.


Honey’s partner Kudratdeep Singh of Ludhiana and 25 others have already been booked by Punjab Police in its FIR registered in 2018.


When the ED questioned Kudratdeep Singh it came to the fore that the main facilitator was Honey. 

Meet Ranbir Kapoor’s Dance Squad That Performed At His Mehendi Ceremony

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 02:54 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra) : No Punjabi wedding is complete without the family hitting the floor and dancing their hearts out, so meet Ranbir Kapoor’s Dance Squad That Performed At His Mehendi Ceremony


Seems like Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s mehendi ceremony was also filled with some fun and peppy performances. Ranbir’s mother and veteran actor Neetu Kapoor took to Instagram and shared a picture of her “dance squad”.


The image features Neetu posing with ace choreographer Rajendra Singh. Ranbir’s cousin Karisma Kapoor, sister-in-law Anissa Malhotra and aunt Rima Jain were also a part of the dance squad.

Ranbir’s sister Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, too, shared a picture with the masterji.

Meanwhile, the family members and guests are expected to arrive at Ranbir’s Bandra residence, Vastu, soon for his wedding ceremony with Alia. 

‘Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya’ A Source Of Inspiration: PM Modi

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 02:40 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ‘Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya’ will become a source of inspiration for future generations and the youth will be able to witness the difficulties each PM faced.


Speaking at the inauguration of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya here, PM Modi said, “PM Sangrahalaya will become the source of inspiration for the generations to come. Here, our youth will be able to witness the hardships each Prime Minister faced and how they overcame it all to lay the foundations of New India.”

He also said that the museum dedicated to the country’s all Prime Ministers since Independence will also reflect the living reflection of the shared heritage of each government.


“Today PM Sangrahalaya has also become a living reflection of the shared heritage of each government that served the country,” the Prime Minister said.


Notably, before the inauguration, PM Modi bought the first ticket to make his way inside the museum.


“Guided by the vision of PM Modi to honour the contribution of all the Prime Ministers of India towards nation-building, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence, irrespective of their ideology or tenure in office,” Prime Minister’s Office press release stated.


Further, it was informed that the Sangrahalaya is an inclusive endeavour led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed at sensitising and inspiring the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all Indian Prime Ministers.


“Representing a seamless blend of the old and the new, the Sangrahalaya integrates the erstwhile Teen Murti Bhawan designated as Block I, with the newly constructed building designated as Block II. The total area of the two blocks is over 15,600 square metres,” the PMO said.


The design of the museum building is inspired by the story of rising India, shaped and moulded by the hands of its leaders. The design incorporates sustainable and energy conservation practices. No tree has been felled or transplanted during the course of work on the project. The logo of the Sangrahalaya represents the hands of the people of India holding the Dharma Chakra symbolising the nation and democracy. 

Uttar Pradesh: Muslim Cleric Asks Minority Community To Drop Anti-BJP Tag

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 12:37 AM PDT

National General Secretary of All India Tanzeem Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi has called upon the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh to stop supporting the Samajwadi Party and explore other alternatives and also drop the anti-BJP tag. Muslim Cleric Asks Minority Community To Drop Anti-BJP Tag

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Rizvi said that the SP, which is headed by the former state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, neglected the tall leaders from the Muslim community by not giving tickets during the recently concluded Assembly elections.

“Based on the new circumstances that have come to the fore in Uttar Pradesh, I have suggested that the Muslim community should stop supporting the SP and ponder over some other alternatives because Akhilesh Yadav is neglecting Muslims,” he said.

Rizvi reiterated the charge that the SP leadership neglected the tall leaders from the Muslim community in the state polls. “The SP didn’t give party tickets to the tall Muslim leaders. While Mulayam Singh Yadav was surely a well-wisher of Muslims but the now the SP under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav is not our well-wisher,” Rizvi added.

Talking about the new circumstances that have come to the fore after the BJP leader Yogi Adityanath retained power in the state for the second consecutive term, Rizvi said that the “Muslims have turned against Muslims, and Hindus are speaking against the minority community”.

Rizvi stated that the Muslims had opposed the BJP to stop the party from coming to power in the state. “Since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister for the second term, it is being seen that Muslims have turned against Muslims. If one Muslim keeps the BJP flag, the other Muslim opposes him. It has led to one or two murders as well.

On the other hand, Hindus are speaking against Muslims,” he said.
Rizvi appealed to the Muslim community to stop fighting among themselves and also drop the tag of being opposed to the BJP.

“Hatred between the two communities is increasing. I want to end this hatred and the Muslims who are fighting against each other should stop, and an effective way for it is that the Muslims should stop opposing the BJP,” he said. 

India, France Affirm Closer Defence Ties In 20th Joint Staff Talks In Paris

Posted: 14 Apr 2022 12:20 AM PDT

Amid growing defence collaborations between India and France, the 20th edition of Joint Staff talks between the two countries took place during April 12-13 with a focus on strengthening bilateral defence engagement.

The Ministry of Defence in an official statement said that the 20th edition of the India-France Joint Staff talks was held in Paris on April 12-13, 2022. Discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms and strengthening ongoing defence engagements. The meeting was co-chaired by Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff and Air Vice Marshal B Manikantan and Head of Bilateral Cooperation South/Staff HQ Brigadier General Eric Peltier. The Ministry stated that the meeting took place in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere.

The India-France Joint Staff talks is a forum established to enhance defence cooperation between both nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels.

In a telephonic conversation held in January 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed a range of issues of mutual interest and agreed on keeping in touch and enhancing all-around strategic cooperation between India and France, including in the areas of defence.
France is fast growing as India’s partner in defence cooperation.

Australia Imposes New Sanctions Against 14 Russian Companies

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:57 PM PDT

The Australian government has imposed targeted financial sanctions against 14 Russian-state-owned enterprises while calling upon Russia to withdraw its military forces immediately from Ukraine.

As per an official statement, the list includes defence-related entities such as transportation company Kamaz, and shipping companies SEVMASH and United Shipbuilding Corporation. “Sanctions extend to electronic component company Ruselectronics, which is responsible for the production of around 80 per cent of all Russian electronics components. They also target Russian Railways, which is one of the world’s largest transportation companies and one of the largest single contributors to Russia’s GDP,” read the statement.

The Australian government has said that targeting of Russia’s state-owned enterprises is aimed at undermining their capacity to boost the Russian economy.

Reiterating its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Australian government said that preventing dealings with these important sources of revenue for the Russian Government, they are increasing the pressure on Russia and undercutting its ability to continue funding war.

On February 24, Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow.

World Bank Lowers Pakistan’s Growth Forecast To 4.3pc

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:47 PM PDT

Citing the additional burden on the budget put by the last-ditch energy subsidies by the outgoing Imran Khan government, the World Bank on Wednesday reduced Pakistan’s economic growth rate forecast for the current fiscal year by almost one per cent, reported local media.

“The financing of the price cuts or subsidies can create an additional burden on the fiscal budget, threaten the ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and limit the use of the fiscal budget on other, more productive projects”, the Dawn newspaper quoted the World Bank as saying ahead of the IMF-WB Annual Spring Meetings beginning early next week. Terming these subsidies as ‘unsustainable and ineffective’, the bank’s Chief Economist for South Asia Region Hans Timmer advocated that the right prices should be charged to consumers and redistributed to poor households.

“While these measures can help reduce fluctuations in domestic prices, also constitute a direct burden or hidden liability on the government’s budget, which could increase fiscal vulnerabilities going forward. GDP growth is expected to slow to 4.3 per cent in FY22 (against 5.6 per cent last year) and to 4 per cent in FY23,” said the bank.

The bank noted that Pakistan had earlier followed its agreement with the IMF to remove tax exemptions and increase the tax on fuels. However, rising energy prices domestically and challenges from political opposition forced the government to offer electricity and fuel price relief in February, according to the media outlet.

Noting that energy subsidies are one of Pakistan’s challenges in the current environment, the bank said that inflation will reach double digits in the country before subsiding in 2023.

Further, accumulated government debt in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to fiscal consolidation measures as general government debt has reached over 70 per cent of GDP, reported the media outlet.

Sri Lankans Protesting At Galle Face Reject PM Rajapaksa’s Offer For Talks

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:22 PM PDT

Amid the unprecedented economic crisis in Sri Lanka, a group of protestors at the Galle Face area, which they have renamed “Gota Go Gama”, rejected the offer of talks extended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa while pressing for the resignation of the ruling dispensation.

While rejecting the offer of talks, the protestors stuck to their two specific demands that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa must resign and all Rajapaksa family members must leave the government, Daily Mirror reported. PM Rajapaksa on Wednesday had offered to hold talks with the protesters.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister’s office earlier had confirmed that if the protesting youth are ready to meet him, the Prime Minister is ready to discuss the ongoing crisis situation in the country, Daily Mirror reported.

However, protestors wrote to PM Rajapaksa, saying they were not ready to meet him unless President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns and all Rajapaksa members leave the government.

The letter which was released on social media platforms by some activists said they will continue the “GotaGoGama” protest until their main two demands are met, according to Daily Mirror.

The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the people in the island nation, resulting in massive protests over the government’s handling of the situation.

Sri Lanka’s 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 affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The shortage of essential goods forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries.

The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

NCP’s Sharad Pawar Questions Silence Of Rajnath, Jaishankar Over Blinken’s Remarks On ‘Abuses In India’

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:01 PM PDT

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday questioned the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for not rebutting United State Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks on ‘human rights abuses’ in India, at a joint presser in the US.

Earlier on Monday, Blinken said the United States was monitoring what he described as a rise in “human rights abuses” in India by some officials, in a rare direct rebuke by Washington of New Delhi. “We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values (of human rights) and to that end, we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police and prison officials,” Mr Blinken said on Monday in a joint press briefing with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Jaishankar and Singh.

“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and EAM S Jaishankar were present there, they should have commented. Instead, they stayed silent,” said Pawar during a press conference in Mumbai.

Mr Blinken did not elaborate, while Mr Singh and Mr Jaishankar, who spoke after Blinken at the briefing, did not comment on the human rights issue, said a statement by the NCP.

“Talking about the problems of the country brings disrepute to the country. If something wrong is happening in the country, then it should be stopped rather than talking about it in front of others, ” added Pawar.

Blinken’s remarks came days after US Representative llhan Omar questioned the alleged reluctance of the US government to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on human rights.

“What does Modi need to do to India’s Muslim population before we will stop considering them a partner in peace?” Ms Omar, who belongs to President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, said last week.

India Logs 1007 New COVID Cases In Last 24 Hours, Daily Positivity Rate At 0.23 PC

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 09:46 PM PDT

India logged 1,007 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a daily case positivity rate of 0.23 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

With this, the active caseload in the country stands at 11,058 which accounts for 0.03 per cent of the total cases. As many as 818 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,25,06,228. The recovery rate currently is 98.76 per cent.

As many as 4,34,877 samples were tested on Wednesday. The total number of COVID tests conducted in the country so far is 83.08 crore. The weekly positivity rate stands at 0.25 per cent.

As far as the vaccination is concerned, 14,48,876 doses of COVID vaccines were administered in the last 24 hours. The cumulative vaccine doses jabbed in the country under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive reached 1,86,22,76,304.

Andhra CM Announces Ex-gratia For Kin Of Pharma Unit Fire Accident Victims, Orders Probe

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 09:41 PM PDT

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday condoled the death of six people and announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family members of the victims of the gas leak-triggered explosion at a chemicals manufacturing unit at Akkireddygudem.

Thirteen people were also injured in the fire accident. The chief minister also declared Rs 5 lakh compensation for each of those critically injured and Rs 2 lakh for those who sustained minor injuries.

Officials have been instructed to monitor the condition of those injured and the SP along with the district collector have been directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the reason for the incident.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan also expressed anguish over the accident.

The district officials informed the Governor that the fire broke out in the chemical factory on Wednesday night and the injured have been shifted to a hospital in Vijayawada for better treatment.

The Governor also expressed his condolences to the bereaved family members and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.

IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians Team Fined For Slow Over-Rate

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 08:58 PM PDT

Mumbai Indians have been fined for slow over-rate during their match against Punjab Kings under the IPL’s Code of Conduct here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

This was Mumbai Indians team’s second offence of the season under the Code of Conduct relating to a minimum over-rate offence. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was fined Rs 24 lakh and the rest of the members in the playing eleven were fined Rs 6 lakh or 25 per cent of their match fee, whichever is lower. It was a double blow for the five-time champions as they succumbed to a 12-run defeat which was their fifth loss of the season failing to chase the 199-run target and they are yet to win a match in the ongoing season. Moreover, both the captain and the teammates faced fines.

The Rohit Sharma-led side will look for a change in fortunes when they will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their next match on Saturday.

6 Person Burnt To Death In Andhra’s Fire Accident

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 08:12 PM PDT

Six persons were charred to death and 12 injured in a massive fire accident that took place in a chemical factory called Porus Private Limited in the Musunuru village of Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district on Wednesday.

The fire broke out in the factory delivering polymer raw material after a container got leaked and the flames started hitting the factory through an opened manhole, police said. “A container got leaked in the factory and suddenly, the flames came out through a manhole. A total of five people died on the spot and one was killed on the way to the hospital. As many as 12 people are also injured in the accident,” Srinvasulu, DSP Nujiveedu told ANI.

Rahul Dev Sharma, Eluru SP said, “There were 18 workers on duty at the time of the accident. The victims were shifted to Vijayawada and Nuziveedu for better treatment. Upon receiving the information, firefighters and police rushed to the scene and took relief measures. Two floors were completely burnt in the fire.”

Police also informed that out of six died, a total of four deceased people belonged to Bihar state. 

Russian Warship In Black Sea ‘Badly Damaged’ By Explosion

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 08:01 PM PDT

Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been hit by heavy fire and the following detonation of ammunition, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

“As a result of the fire that hit the Moskva missile cruiser, the ammunition has detonated. The ship has been seriously damaged,” the ministry said in a statement, Sputnik reported. The statement added that all the crew members had been safely evacuated, causes of the fire are being investigated.

The ship, whose initial name was “Slava,” was laid down in 1976 in Mykolaiv and commissioned in 1983, the news agency reported.

US Considering Sending High-Level Official To Meet Zelenskyy In Kyiv: Reports

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:54 PM PDT

The Biden administration is considering sending a high-level official to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sputnik News Agency reported citing Politico.

The report on Wednesday said that the US administration has made no final decision about who to send to Kyiv but it could be President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Sputnik added. Moreover, the US announced to provide Ukraine with an additional 800 million US dollars’ worth of military aid including heavy artillery as Washington anticipated a “wider assault” by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

“As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself,” Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said.

“These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers. I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters,” he said, adding that the United States will continue to facilitate the transfer of significant capabilities from its allies and partners around the world.

The United States has committed 1.7 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia began its “special military operation”.

Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Moscow has added 398 members of the United States Congress to its travel ban list.

“In response to another ‘wave’ of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the administration of (US President) Joe Biden on March 24 of this year against 328 lawmakers of the State Duma … which … constitutes almost its entire composition, ‘mirror’ sanctions are introduced against 398 members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Russian media.

The ministry added that Russia plans to expand its travel ban list in the near future.

IPL 2022: Not Playing Good Cricket, That’s Why We’re On Losing Side, Says Rohit Sharma After 5th Consecutive Defeat

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:42 PM PDT

After facing the fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2022 on Wednesday, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said they are not playing good cricket for a while in the tournament and that’s why they are on the ‘losing side.’

Brilliant half-centuries by Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan were backed by courageous bowling performance as Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in their IPL 2022 match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday. This is Mumbai Indians’ fifth successive loss in the Indian Premier League 2022 while for Punjab this is their third win of the season.

“There’s hardly anything to find out from that game. I thought we played the game pretty well, came pretty close towards the back end of our batting innings. It’s just that a couple of crucial runouts there was not needed, but that happens. At one stage we were cruising through and keeping up with the run rate as well, but in the end we couldn’t hold our nerves. Credit to Kings with the way they bowled at the back end,” said Rohit Sharma in a post-match presentation.

“If you’re not winning games, you’ve got to try to find a way you can succeed as a team as a batting group. So we’re trying to find different ideas, different thought processes. It doesn’t seem to be working at the moment but I don’t want to take anything away from the guys. We fought pretty well. We batted brilliantly, but they held their nerves pretty good, the Kings, and they won the game,” said MI skipper.
Talking about the Punjab kings’ performance, the MI skipper praised PBKS batting and said they put pressure on Mumbai bowlers when they stitched up a 90-100 runs partnership for first wicket.

Mayank Agarwal played an innings of 52 while Shikhar Dhawan smashed 70 runs as the opening duo stitched a 97-run partnership for the first wicket to guide PBKS to a defendable target of 198/5. For MI, Basil Thampi scalped two wickets while star pacer of team Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket.

“We’ve been not playing good cricket for a while and that’s why we’ve been on the losing side, simple as that. The Kings batted pretty well upfront and put pressure on our bowlers, got a 90-100 run partnership to begin with. But I thought 190+ was chaseable on that pitch because that pitch was really good to bat on as you saw when we were batting as well. We just have to go back and see what we do as a team,” he added.

Rohit Sharma Becomes Second Indian After Virat Kohli To Record 10,000 Runs In T20 Cricket

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:34 PM PDT

Rohit Sharma on Wednesday became only the second Indian batter after Virat Kohli to complete 10,000 runs in the T20 cricket.

India and Mumbai Indians skipper achieved this milestone during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) match of MI against Punjab Kings here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Rohit Sharma (10003) became the seventh batter overall to reach the 10,000 runs in T20s. The opener achieved the feat in style as he smashed South African pacer Kagiso Rabada for a six on the third ball of the 4th over to cross the 10000-run mark before getting out on the next ball.

West Indian legend Chris Gayle is leading the list of run-getters with 14562 runs to his name followed by Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik (11698), WI’s Kieron Pollard (11474), Australia’s Aaron Finch (10499), Virat Kohli (10379) and Australia’s David Warner (10373).

CBI Probing Hanskhali Rape-Murder Case Proves HC Lacks Trust In Mamata Govt: BJP

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:21 PM PDT

After the Hanskhali rape case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul on Wednesday said that it shows the court does not have faith in the West Bengal administration and police as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee controls them and do atrocities.

“Every case is in the hands of the CBI, which shows that the court doesn’t have faith in the West Bengal administration, police, and law and order. CM Mamata Banerjee controls the police and the administration and does atrocities,” Paul told ANI. The BJP MLA from Asansol further slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for blaming a minor for having a love affair with the accused and of her becoming pregnant.

“It is fortunate that CBI is handling Hanskhali rape-murder, keeping in view the increasing incidents. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed a minor for having a love affair with the accused and of being pregnant, we are ashamed. It is good that truth will come out,” she added.

Earlier she had said that the Calcutta High Court has sought a report on the progress of the investigation in the Hanskhali rape case from the CBI by May 2.

“BJP national president JP Nadda formed a five-member fact-finding committee to visit the place of rape and murder of a minor girl at Hanskhali, Nadia in West Bengal. The committee will submit its report at the earliest, as per the order.”
A three-member CBI team probing the case left the Hanskhali Police Station after taking the documents of the rape-murder case.

A 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in West Bengal’s Nadia district. The victim’s family accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case.

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the Hanskhali rape case. In its detailed order, the HC noted that in order to have a ‘fair investigation’ and instil confidence in the family of the victim, the case was being handed over to the CBI.

The state investigating agency has been asked to hand over all papers relating to the investigation, as well as the custody of the accused to the central agency. The matter has been listed for May 2.

A case under sections 376(2)(G) (gangrape), 302 (murder), 204 (tampering with evidence) of the IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO) Act was registered in the case.

Meanwhile, Banerjee on Monday questioned if the girl was actually raped or had a love affair that got her pregnant.

“How do you know if she was raped? The police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death. I had asked them. Was she pregnant or had a love affair or was sick? Even family knew it was a love affair. If a couple is in a relationship, how can I stop them?,” the chief minister said during an address at the inauguration of the ‘Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan’

“This is not Uttar Pradesh that I can do that in name of Love Jihad,” she further said.

Pakistan Election Body Announces Schedule For First Phase Of Local Govt Elections In Sindh

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:12 PM PDT

The schedule for the first phase of local government (LG) elections in Pakistan’s Sindh province has been released, according to the country’s poll body.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday released the election schedule for local government polls. The first phase covers a total of 14 districts of Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions with elections due on June 26 from 8 am to 5 pm and results on June 30, The Dawn newspaper reported.

In further guidelines to ensure the elections are held fairly and honestly and to ensure that corrupt practices are prevented, the ECP barred executive authorities from announcing development projects or using state resources to influence polls in favour of a candidate.

The Pakistani rupee has depreciated 30.5 per cent against the US dollar in the last three years and four months under the ousted government of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The first year of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in power saw an increase in unemployment in the case of both males and females, with the male unemployment rate rising from 5.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent and female unemployment rate jumping from 8.3 per cent to 10 per cent, reported Dawn. 

Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect Arrested: New York Police Chief

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:55 PM PDT

New York police have arrested a suspect accused of shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn that left 10 people injured, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

According to the US Attorney for Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, suspect Frank Robert James has a very rich history of arrests in previous years in several states. “His arrest history in New York is nine prior arrests dating from 1990 to 1998, those include possession of burglary tools four times, criminal sex act, theft of service two times,” Peace said during a press briefing.

James, who is 62, is well known to law enforcement and has ties in the states of Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania, he added. The suspect also has three arrests in the state of New Jersey in 1991, 1992 and 2007, Peace said.

The suspect had opened smoke grenades on the train and fired his gun 33 times, striking at least 10 people Tuesday morning, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.

Later at the scene, investigators found a Glock handgun, three extended magazines, two detonated smoke grenades, two non-detonated smoke grenades and a hatchet, Essig added.

None of the injuries to the victims appears to be life-threatening, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell had said.

“We know this incident is of grave concern to New Yorkers,” Sewell said. “We cannot lose sight of victims in this city. We will use every resource we can to bring those to justice who continue to prey on the citizens of New York.”

According to Sewell, 10 people were shot and 13 others injured after a man wearing a gas mask opened fire and threw a smoke canister aboard the moving train during the morning rush hour.

“He then shot multiple passengers as the train pulled into 36th Street station in Sunset Park. 10 people were injured by the gunfire & an additional 13 were either injured as they rushed to get out of the train station or they suffered smoke inhalation,” she had said.

Meanwhile, New York City agencies are offering a joint USD 50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect involved in Tuesday’s shooting, as per a statement from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

The MTA and Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 both offered USD 12,500 each in reward money and the New York City Police Foundation offered USD 25,000 in reward money to bring the total reward offering to USD 50,000.

Major Tragedy Averted With Timely Detection Of IED In J-K’s Doda

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:49 PM PDT

A major tragedy was averted following the timely detection of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) by the security forces in the Ghat area of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, said police.

On Wednesday late evening, police received the information of a suspicious polythene bag lying along the Ghat road on the outskirts of Doda town, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Doda, Abdul Qayoom.

“Acting on the same, the Special Operations Group of the local police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel reached the spot, along with the bomb disposal squad, which after inspection confirmed the presence of an IED inside the bag. The IED was subsequently neutralised safely,” said Doda SSP.

Qayoom said that the IED was of small size but had a powerful impact.
“A major tragedy has been averted by the timely diffusion of the IED,” he added.
Moreover, SSP Doda said that police in on high alert and an investigation into this matter has started.

Further details are awaited.

Cong To Call CWC Meet Ahead Of ‘Chintan Shivir’ For Party’s Future Strategy

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:44 PM PDT

The grand old party is all set to call a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting ahead of the ‘Chintan Shivir’ to chalk out the party’s future strategy.

In the last CWC meeting, it was decided by the party to call a ‘Chintan Shivir’ to formulate a strategy for the course correction to reverse the trend of electoral defeats after the party’s abysmal performance in the recently held Assembly polls in five states. The party is now in power in only two states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and is part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

A senior functionary of the party told ANI, “We are in the process of finalizing the dates venue and the matters to be taken into account in the ‘Chintan Shivir’ of the party.”

Several meetings have already been held for the preparation of the Chintan Shivir.
Senior leaders Ambika Soni, Jairam Ramesh, Mukul Wasnik and party general secretary organization KC Venugopal are deliberating on the preparation of the Chintan Shivir in the meeting held in the Congress War Room on Tuesday.
According to a top source in the party, within two-three days the final proposal of the ‘Chintan Shivir’ like the agenda, dates and the venue will be worked out and a final nod will be given by the CWC.

The grand old party is seriously considering that the venue should be in poll-bound states like Gujarat or Himachal Pradesh where elections are to be held at the end of the year, the source added.

Earlier, the party had called the meeting of the CWC on March 13 after the poll debacle in the five states in the meet it was decided that a ‘Chintan Shivir’ will be held to assess the defeat and to prepare the future road map for the party.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also held deliberations with party leaders including those of the G23 who had been critical of the leadership and have demanded organisational overhaul.

US Announces Additional USD 800 Million Military Aid, Heavy Weapons To Ukraine

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:37 PM PDT

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that his administration will provide Ukraine with an additional 800 million US dollars’ worth of military aid including heavy artillery as Washington anticipated a “wider assault” by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

“As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself,” Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said.

“These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers. I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters,” he said, adding that the United States will continue to facilitate the transfer of significant capabilities from its allies and partners around the world.

The United States has committed 1.7 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia began its “special military operation”.

Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Moscow has added 398 members of the United States Congress to its travel ban list.

“In response to another ‘wave’ of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the administration of (US President) Joe Biden on March 24 of this year against 328 lawmakers of the State Duma … which … constitutes almost its entire composition, ‘mirror’ sanctions are introduced against 398 members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Russian media.

The ministry added that Russia plans to expand its travel ban list in the near future.

Pakistan: Imran Khan Questions Judiciary’s Role In His Ouster

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:33 PM PDT

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan has questioned the judiciary to explain the motive behind opening its doors at midnight on Saturday, hours before his ouster as the prime minister via a successful no-confidence motion against him in the National Assembly.

The no-trust vote took place after a high political drama in the National Assembly with the Supreme Court overturning the decision of the Deputy Speaker to reject the opposition sponsored no-confidence motion against the ruling PTI-led coalition. In his first public address on Wednesday at a rally in Peshawar since losing power, Khan directly addressed the judiciary, and asked: “I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?

Referring to the rallies that started from Sunday, Imran said, “Every time a prime minister was ousted, people would celebrate it, but when he was removed from office, the masses registered a protest .”

He reiterated that a “foreign conspiracy” was plotted in Washington with the help of the Opposition parties to overthrow the PTI government in Pakistan.

The former premier said that those who had hatched the conspiracy were very happy that he was ousted from the government. “I was not dangerous when I was part of the government, but I will be more dangerous now.”

“We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.
Addressing a massive rally he highlighted that the people of Pakistan will not accept Shehbaz Sharif as his Prime Minister as he has corruption cases worth Rs 40,000 crore.

“During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death is in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” he asked.

“There are 40,000 crore corruption cases against Shehbaz Sharif. Do you think we will accept him as our Prime Minister? and whoever thinks so… would like to tell that it is not that 1970’s Pakistan when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was removed with the help of foreign powers. It is a Naya Pakistan,” he said further.

Imran Khan had sought to link the opposition’s move to oust him through a no-trust vote with “foreign conspiracy” and named the United States in some of his speeches. However, the United States rejected his allegations. Imran Khan also gave calls for people to take to the streets while the joint opposition remained steadfast in its objective of defeating him.

Imran Khan has become the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to lose a no-trust vote in the National Assembly.

Despite several attempts to block the no-confidence motion here in the National Assembly, the voting took place after midnight in which as many as 174 members voted in favour of the motion in the 342-member House while members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were absent.

Notably, no Prime Minister has completed a full five-year tenure in Pakistan so far, according to reports.

Centre Waives Off Customs Duty On Cotton Imports Till Sept 30

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:18 PM PDT

The Central government has waived off all customs duties on cotton imports till September 30, 2022, to boost the textile exports.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) announced the exemption from customs duty and Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess (AIDC) on cotton imports in a notification. “This notification shall come into effect on April 14, 2022, and will remain in force up to and inclusive of September 30, 2022,” the notification reads.

This exemption would benefit the textile chain- yarn, fabric, garments and made-ups and provide relief to consumers. Textile exports would also benefit, the ministry noted.

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations thanked the Finance and Textile Ministers for reducing the customs duty on raw cotton from 10 per cent to zero stating that the duty-free import of raw cotton pushed exports of value-added cotton textile.

Dr A Sakthivel, President of FIEO said, “It will push exports of apparel and made-up sectors significantly by softening the prices of yarn and fabrics as well.”

FIEO Chief said that cotton textile exports will get a further boost as the high prices of cotton were affecting the competitive edge.

He added that India has increased its market share in apparel exports in the US and many countries recently and the signing of CEPA with UAE and Australia will further accelerate it. “Similar arrangements are being worked out with the UK, Canada, EU, GCC and SACU,” he added.

Dr Sakthivel said that the Government has provided all support to the textile sector and we should endeavour to reach USD 100 billion in textile exports by 2030.

Imran Khan Calls Youth Of Pakistan To Raise Voice Through Social Media Against Shehbaz Sharif

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:13 PM PDT

Lashing out at the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government over the recent crackdown on social media in the country, former Prime Minister Imran Khan said that it is not the Pakistan of the 1970s era but a ‘Naya Pakistan’ where people have the right to raise their voice through social media.

Speaking at a rally in Peshawar, Imran Khan highlighted that the people of Pakistan will not accept Shehbaz Sharif as he is involved in corruption cases worth over crores. “There are 40,000 crore corruption cases against Shehbaz Sharif. Do you think we will accept him as our Prime Minister? and whoever thinks so… would like to tell that it is not that 1970’s Pakistan when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was removed with the help of foreign powers. It is a Naya Pakistan,” he said while addressing a mammoth rally at Peshawar.

Imran Khan had accused the US for interfering in Pakistan’s politics and plotting to oust his regime citing an alleged “threat letter” that was sent to Pakistan, carrying the exchanges between Pakistani diplomats and US officials.

“It is a social media’s Pakistan. Today, the country has six crore mobile phones, through that the youth raise their voice. Now nobody can shut their mouth,” he said addressing a massive crowd on Wednwsday.

Issuing a stern warning to newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over “the actions he is taking against the social media,” Imran Khan said that “the day we raise our voices over it, you will find no place to escape”.

Imran Khan’s remarks come after Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a “mastermind” and at least six other members of his network for launching a Twitter trend against the country’s Army.

The mastermind was reportedly behind over 2,100 Twitter accounts involved in a social media propaganda campaign against the Army, The News International reported.

Shehbaz Sharif, President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former leader of the Opposition, was elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan by the National Assembly of the country on Monday, a couple of days after former PM Imran Khan’s government was voted out of power in a no-confidence motion following a series of dramatic political events. 

Russia Puts 398 Members Of US Congress In Travel Ban List

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:06 PM PDT

Russia has added 398 members of the United States Congress to its travel ban list, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

“In response to another ‘wave’ of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the administration of [US President] Joe Biden on March 24 of this year against 328 lawmakers of the State Duma … which … constitutes almost its entire composition, ‘mirror’ sanctions are introduced against 398 members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Russian media. The ministry added that Russia plans to expand its travel ban list in the near future.

The development comes after US President Joe Biden approved USD 800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery and helicopters, amid the Russia Ukraine war.

Apart from that Russia also imposed sanctions against 87 members of the Senate of Canada.

“In response to the decision of the Canadian authorities .. on the inclusion of the entire composition of the Russian Federation Council … in the ‘black list’ of persons subject to sanctions restrictions, including a ban on entry into the country, countermeasures are introduced on the basis of reciprocity against the current senators of the Canadian parliament,” the ministry said yesterday.

Moscow has also expelled a senior Czech diplomat in a tit-for-tat response to Prague, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry mentioned that it summoned the Czech ambassador earlier in the day to protest Prague’s recent decision on expelling a senior Russian diplomat.

“The ambassador was handed a note from the ministry about the announcement of a senior diplomat of the Czech embassy in Moscow a persona non grata in response, who was ordered to leave the territory of Russia before the end of the day on April 16,” the ministry said in a statement.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. 

IPL 2022: Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan Star For PBKS As Mumbai Indians Fall To Fifth Consecutive Loss

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 05:59 PM PDT

Brilliant half-centuries by Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan were backed by courageous bowling performance as Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in their IPL 2022 match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday.

This is Mumbai Indians’ fifth successive loss in the Indian Premier League 2022 while for Punjab this is their third win of the season. Mayank Agarwal played an innings of 52 while Shikhar Dhawan smashed 70 runs as the opening duo stitched a 97-run partnership for the first wicket to guide PBKS to a defendable target of 198/5. For MI, Basil Thampi scalped two wickets while star pacer of team Jasprit Bumrah took one wicket.

Dewald Brevis smashed a quick knock of 49 to lay the foundation for Mumbai Indians along with Tilak Verma (36) after which Suryakumar Yadav (43) tried his best to grab two points but wickets kept falling in the regular intervals and in the end, MI succumbed to their fifth defeat of the season. Odean Smith scalped four wickets for PBKS.

Chasing 199, Mumbai had a bad start as their both openers were back in the hut after the first powerplay. Kagiso Rabada removed dangerous-looking MI skipper Rohit Sharma for 28 runs in the 4th over after the Indian completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket.

In the very next over Vaibhav Arora struck to remove Ishan Kishan from the crease. Vaibhav bowled a good length delivery as the late swing helped him get the outside edge of Ishan into the gloves of the keeper.

Dewald Brevis took nine balls to get off the mark but the teenage prodigy was quick to turn the tables. He went 4, 6, 6, 6, 6 against Rahul Chahar in the 9th over and turned the match on its head within a span of four deliveries. Brevis was back in the hut in the 11th over and what followed was chaos as Tilak and Kieron Pollard lost their wickets through runouts.

Suryakumar Yadav did try to steady the ship but wickets kept falling on the other side as PBKS grabbed a comfortable 12-run win in the end.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 198/5 (Mayank Agarwal 52, Shikhar Dhawan 70; Basil Thampi 2-47) vs Mumbai Indians 186/9 (Suryakumar Yadav 43, Dewald Brevis 49; Odean Smith 4-30). 

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