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8pm NEWSFEED

28, ఏప్రిల్ 2022, గురువారం

8pm NEWSFEED

Jaishankar Arrives In Dhaka For Talks With Bangladesh FM

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 04:59 AM PDT

Dhaka [Bangladesh]: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday arrived in Dhaka to hold talks with his Bangladesh counterpart AK Abdul Momen.


Jaishankar was received at the airport by the Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs and other officials. During his visit to Bangladesh, Jaishankar will also call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apart from holding discussions with his counterpart Abdul Momen.


The EAM is on a three-day visit to Bangladesh and Bhutan starting today. Notably, this is Jaishankar’s first visit to Bangladesh, since March 2021.


Jaishankar’s visit to Bangladesh may be seen in the context of frequent bilateral high-level visits and exchanges particularly as both sides commemorate 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties, an official statement said on Wednesday.


During his visit to Bhutan, the EAM will receive an audience with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and also call on Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering. He will also meet his counterpart Dr Tandi Dorji.

Delhi-Centre power row: SC May Refer To Five-Judge Bench

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 04:53 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on whether or not to refer to a five-judge Constitution bench a contentious issue of who should control administrative services in Delhi.


The Central government has sought a hearing by a five-judge bench on the matter pertaining to a legal dispute between the Delhi government and the Centre regarding the control over administrative services in the national capital. The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government strongly opposed the plea of the Central government.


A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli reserved orders on an application filed by the Centre seeking referral to a Constitution bench for a holistic interpretation of Article 239AA.


The bench said, “We will decide whether or not to refer it to a five-judge bench as early as possible. In case, we constitute a five-judge bench to hear the issue, we would like the arguments to be completed before May 15.”


Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Centre while senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented the Delhi government.


Delhi government filed petitions in the apex court on control over services and challenging the constitutional validity of the amended GNCTD Act, 2021 and the Transaction of Business Rules, which allegedly give more powers to the Lieutenant Governor respectively, saying they are “prima facie correlated”.


During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended that the case should be heard by a Constitution Bench and not a three-judge one as it involved several crucial constitutional questions of law.


The Central government contended that despite a Constitutional bench comprehensively evaluating a scheme of governance for the national capital, the administration continued to suffer on a daily basis due to a lack of clarity in relation to the executive authority.


Solicitor General Mehta said that the matter needed to be sent to a Constitution bench on grounds including that the earlier judgements of the five-judge bench did not give “any roadmap” to decide as to whether the Union or the Delhi government will have the competence to deal with the subject under dispute.


On the other hand, Singhvi said “This court is not here to refer every time the slightest thing is pointed out. How does this matter, if there were three or five judges. It is not about why not, it is about why.”


He said though there was no ambiguity in the previous 2018 Constitution bench judgement, but, if there was any, even then it can be decided by the present bench.


On Wednesday, Solicitor General had said the model of governance of the NCT of Delhi would invariably require the Union government to play a central role, even if a legislative assembly or council of ministers is introduced.

He had added that it was not meant to be about any particular political party.


Earlier, the Arvind Kejriwal government had told the apex court that a democratically elected government should not be left without powers to even transfer officials.

The NCT government’s predicament without power over the ‘services’ has been like that of a “king without a kingdom”, it had said.


The situation was such that a “democratic representative government” has to get the approval of the Lieutenant Governor to appoint a Health Secretary or a Commerce Secretary, the Delhi government had said during the arguments against the Centre in the battle for control over the bureaucracy in the national Capital.


On February 14, 2019, a two-judge bench of the top court had delivered a split verdict on the question of powers of the GNCTD and Union government over services and referred the matter to a three-judge Bench.


While Justice Ashok Bhushan had ruled the Delhi government has no power at all over administrative services. Justice AK Sikri, however, had said the transfer or posting of officers in top echelons of the bureaucracy (joint director and above) can only be done by the Central government and the view of the lieutenant governor would prevail in case of a difference of opinion for matters relating to other bureaucrats.


The two-judge Bench which was hearing pleas on six matters pertaining to a long-running conflict between the Centre and the Delhi government had given a unanimous order on the remaining five issues except for the control over services.


Governance of the national capital has witnessed a power struggle between the Centre and the Delhi government since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in 2014.


Prior to February 2019 judgement, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court had on July 4, 2018, laid down the broad parameters for governance of the national capital.

In the landmark verdict, it had unanimously held that Delhi cannot be accorded the status of a state but clipped the powers of the LG saying he has no “independent decision-making power” and has to act on the aid and advice of the elected government.


It had restricted the jurisdiction of the LG to matters pertaining to land, police and public order and on all other matters, it held that the LG would have to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers. 

Delhi: HC Asks For Status Report On CCTVs At Police Stations

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 04:41 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi Police and Delhi Government to file a status report on the plea seeking direction to ensure that CCTV cameras installed in the police stations must be functioning properly and the footages are stored for a minimum period of 18 months or one year as directed by the Supreme Court.


Justice Yashwant Varma issued directions to file a status report on the plea moved by Chandril Dabas through Advocate Manan Agrawal. The counsel appeared for State sought time to file the status report.

The Court granted him time and listed the matter on 25 August 2022 for further hearing.


The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the direction given by the Supreme Court on December 2, 2020, is not being followed in Delhi itself.

He sought a direction to ensure compliance with the direction of the apex court on the matter of CCTV installations in police stations.


The petitioner Chandril Dabas has moved a petition against the Commissioner of Police Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini, Station House Officer of Police Station Rohini North and the Delhi Government.


The petition also sought direction to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the DCP and SHO for deliberately delaying and failing to comply with the order passed on 14 June 2021 by the Metropolitan Magistrate, North West, Rohini Courts, Delhi.


It is stated in the petition that on 1 June 2021 lockdown was revoked and at around 11 AM petitioner was going to collect his documents from his factory situated in the Bawana Industrial area in order to get the E pass prepared.

His car was stopped by the Police at Rohini west metro station and he was asked to show the E pass for movement.


The plea stated that the petitioner tried to explain to the police officials that he was going to get his documents from his factory for registration of E pass.

The police officer did not listen to him and took him to Police Station North Rohini where he was harassed for two hours and was threatened that he would have to spend a night in jail, his car would be seized and he would get imprisonment for six months and was also forced to sign some papers.

He was allowed to leave at around 1 pm.


The petitioner against this act of police approached the court for the direction of registration of FIR and sought an order to Station House Officer (SHO) to preserve the CCTV footage of all the cameras installed in the Police Station.


The Investigation Officer (IO) filed a reply before the court stating that the CCTV footage could not be preserved as the footage backup is only for 18 days and the camera covering the open area of the police station was not working since 21 May 2021, the petition stated.


It is also stated that the IO had also filed one copy of the FIR having the time of registration as 1.48 PM lodged against the petitioner on June 1, 2021, but the petitioner had already left the police station at around 1 pm.

BCCI Invites Quotes For Women’s T20 Challenge 2022

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 04:30 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announces the release of Request for Quotations for title sponsorship rights For Women’s T20 Challenge 2022.


The BCCI invites quotes from reputed entities for acquiring the title sponsorship rights for the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022.

According to an official release, the detailed terms and conditions governing the tender process including the process for submissions of quotes, rights and obligations, etc. are contained in the ‘Request for Quotation’ (“RFQ”) which will be made available on receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 1,00,000 (Indian Rupees One Lakh Only) plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax.

The procedure to procure the RFQ documents is enlisted in Annexure A to this document. The RFQ will be available for purchase till May 4, 2022.


“Any interested party wishing to submit a quote is required to purchase the RFQ.

However, only those satisfying the terms and conditions set out therein shall be permitted to submit a quote. It is clarified that merely purchasing the RFQ does not entitle any person to submit a quote,” stated the release.


BCCI reserves the right to cancel or amend the RFQ process at any stage in any manner without providing any reason. 

SEWOCON To Be Organised By HARERA In Gurugram

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 04:23 AM PDT

Gurugram (Haryana): The Department of Town and Country Planning, Haryana, in association with the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HARERA), Department of Industries and Commerce and Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Haryana, along with the District Administration of Gurugram and Whiteland Corporation are organising a seminar-cum-workshop-cum-conclave (SEWOCON) of resident welfare associations (RWAs), in Gurugram on Friday, April 29.


Whiteland Corporation, a leading real estate development company is functioning as exclusive ‘Awareness Partner’ conceptualising and executing the event in entirety, to be held at the Vatika Ballroom of Hotel Westin, at Sector 29 in Gurugram.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, will deliver the Valedictory Address at the conclave, which will comprise of four sessions.

It is worth mentioning that in his address at the Urban Development Conclave in February this year, the CM had assured the representatives of various RWAs that an exclusive conclave to address their issues will be organised soon.

The upcoming SEWOCON is the fulfilment of same promise.

Whiteland Corporation echoing the spirit of Govt. of Haryana has taken the lead in thoughtfully by providing a platform for awareness and illumination aiming to bridge the gaps.


According to Nishant Yadav, DC, Gurugram, members from various resident associations from Gurugram and New Gurugram have been flagging issues pertaining to their registration and handing over of projects.

All their concerns have been incorporated in the agenda for the SEWOCON.


ACS, Town & Country Planning, Devender Singh, IAS said there is a need to educate the allottees and their associations about the various provisions of the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies Act, 2012 and the Real Estate (Regulation and Development Act) 2016.

He said many provisions related to associations were incorporated in the RERA Act, 2016, and there is a need to resolve some conflicting provisions and ensure implementation of others.


“The main purpose of SEWOCON is to spread awareness,” said Dr KK Khandelwal, Chairman, HARERA, Gurugram. “Lack of knowledge of provisions related to association of allottees in different Acts is the major problem,” he said, adding, “This seminar is the first step to detailed SOP for handing over of project to RWAs, formation of RWAs and obligation of builders.”

The objective of SEWOCON is not grievance-redressal, but to address common issues pertaining to RWAs, he emphasised.


Promoting a culture of proactive realty ecosystem, Navdeep Sardana, CMD of Whiteland Corporation, said, “The upcoming SEWOCON event aims to create country’s largest platform with 200+ RWA(s) representatives joining hands in creating awareness about the bylaws and guidelines.

I urge everyone to participate with a positive mindset as such initiatives go a long way in implementing fair and transparent processes in the realty sector. Awareness and illumination about various provisions coupled with future framework is of paramount importance to enhance the satisfaction quotient of investors. More such initiatives need to be planned in the future creating an atmosphere of responsiveness and objectivity.”


While the first session of SEWOCON will focus on the formation of associations of flats or floor-space owners according to the provisions of the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, the second session will have discussions on the registration of an association under the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies Act, 2012 and the issues related to multiple RWAs in a single project.

The third session will deal with the issues related to obligation of the promoter towards the association of allottees and the last session will be related to challenges/issues faced by the RWAs.

Karnataka: Man Throws Acid On 24Yr Old For Rejecting Marriage

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 03:14 AM PDT

Bengaluru (Karnataka): In a tragic incident, a case has surfaced wherein a 24-year-old woman near the Sunkadakatte area of West Bengaluru became a victim of an acid attack late Thursday night.


The victim is currently hospitalised. Reportedly, the accused man spilled acid over the victim as the latter rejected his marriage proposal.

In a conversation, Deputy Commissioner of Police-West Division in Bengaluru City, Sanjeev M Patil confirmed the information and said, “An acid attack case has been reported within the limits of Kamakshipalya Police Station in the area. The woman has been given primary health care and is out of danger.”


“We have formed teams to nab the accused at the earliest,” said Patil.


Further probe into the matter is underway.

J-K: Two Al-Badr Terrorists Killed In Pulwama Encounter

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 03:05 AM PDT

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Two Al-Badr terrorists were killed during an encounter in the Mitrigam area of Pulwama, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Thursday.


“We had received information about three terrorists in Mitrigam village of Pulwama on Wednesday and as soon as the police launched cordon and search operation, firing began from the opposite end,” said Vijay Kumar, the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

According to the IGP, these two Al-Badr terrorists were a part of the group of four terrorists killed earlier this month, in the Shopian encounter (April 14).


The police have recovered two AK 47 rifles from their possessions.


Earlier on Sunday, three terrorists, including a deputy commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and a Pakistani terrorist, were killed in an encounter in Pulwama. 

Bajaj Finserv Q4 Net Profit Surges 37% To Rs 1,346.1 Crore

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 03:00 AM PDT

Non-banking financial company Bajaj Finserv on Thursday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,346.1 crore for the fourth quarter of 2021-22, registering a growth of 37.5 per cent year-on-year.

The company’s consolidated total income surged to Rs 18,861.7 crore for the quarter ended March 2022 from Rs 15,387 crore recorded in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, registering a year-on-year growth of 22 per cent. The Board of Directors of Bajaj Finserv at its meeting held on Thursday recommended a dividend of Rs 4 per share, or 80 per cent of the face value. The total amount of dividend is Rs 64 crore. In 2020-21 the company’s total dividend stood at Rs 48 crore.

Business conditions improved significantly in Q4 of FY22 although they were volatile due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Although lower sales of automobiles due to supply chain problems affected the general insurance business, the overall environment was conducive and all our businesses recorded excellent growth, Bajaj Finserv said in a statement.

Bajaj Finserv recorded its highest ever assets under management and annual consolidated profit after tax in FY22.

Customer franchise stood at 57.57 million as of 31 March 2022 as compared to 48.57 million as of 31 March 2021 – an increase of 19 per cent. Customer franchise recorded the highest ever increase of 9.0 million in FY22.

Anti-China Militancy Sharpens In Pakistan

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:58 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The April 26 terror attack in the heart of the University of Karachi indicates that militancy in Pakistan, of both religious and ethnic variety, while not sparing traditional adversaries – minorities and the state — is increasingly getting a distinct anti-China edge, and it should worry self-touted “iron and all-weather friends”.


On paper, an impoverished but friendly Pakistan has welcomed China, mainly through the multi-million China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), allowing the latter’s expansion and access into the Indian Ocean region.

In reality, however, it has proved to be an expensive venture on several counts, not the least in terms of lives lost.

Twenty-four Chinese nationals have died and many more injured in targeted attacks in the last year alone, according to Pakistan’s Samaa news and TV network.


Besides, many – unaccounted or kept secret – died during the making of the Gwadar port and naval base and other projects in the pre-CPEC era.


With CPEC, the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have battled unsuccessfully, unable to deal with coordinated surprise attacks, despite oppression by the state and hundreds of youths having ‘disappeared’, ending up dead or in jail indefinitely.

Forming an elite division of the Army exclusively for CPEC’s security has not helped.


Founded in 1851 and among the oldest in South Asia, the Karachi University has a past tradition of strong student politics of different hues, but is also a hotbed of sectarian violence fuelled by mosques and mullahs who work the labyrinthine poverty-stricken youth in the country’s largest city and port town.


Yet, suicide attack by an organised group is not part of its record.

The militant attack in which four persons, including three Chinese, died, has spawned many unwelcome ‘firsts’.


One was that a university campus and not an industrial or infrastructure project with a significant Chinese presence was chosen for the act.

Secondly, the target was not a CPEC project that attracts opposition from the locals, but Confucius Institute, China’s cultural hub, one of the many set up worldwide.

Begun in 2004 to impart free education in the Chinese language and culture, it has been rejected in many Western countries as a purveyor of propaganda.


Thirdly and more worrying, it was a “suicide attack” and four, it was by a woman. There is yet another ‘first’ in that she had made a prior announcement of the militant attack on social media.


Shari Baloch’s photograph with a smile and a ‘V’ for victory sign, was available on social media. She belonged to the Balochistan Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade that has claimed responsibility for the attack.


As per her profile drawn by the Express Tribune, she was a post-graduate, a teacher by training and profession and a mother of two children. This indicates another disturbing aspect of growing militancy.


It confirms the views of Pakistan’s noted security analyst, Amir Husain Rana of the Institute of Conflict Studies, that militancy’s face in Balochistan has radically changed.

It is not from the impoverished tribal youths alone but also draws from the urban and educated classes of the province that feel exploited as a result of the CPEC.


Karachi metropolis has been the target of the Balochs earlier.

Back in November 2018, there was an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, which was also claimed by the BLA. In 2020, the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack on the Karachi stock exchange.

Baloch militants were also said to be behind a 2021 attack in Dasu, targeting a bus carrying Chinese nationals — the attack killed nine Chinese nationals.

That too was said to be a suicide attack.


While the Balochs have a political and economic agenda, that of the Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is sectarian. I

t has spread its wings across the country and in the areas bordering Afghanistan, allegedly using the Afghan territory.


This led the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to cross the border earlier this month and strafing and killing not only the TTP cadres but also Afghan civilians.

Kabul has since notified to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as a major act of diplomatic hostility, the first since Pakistan helped the Taliban to regain power in Afghanistan.


“Pakistan has already seen the TTP brand of terrorism making a comeback in the country. And now attacks targeting the Chinese are an added security concern,” the News International newspaper noted in its editorial.


Regarding the targeting of the Chinese (the Confucius Institute Director and two faculty), Dawn newspaper noted in its editorial:

“The Chinese are no stranger to attacks in other parts of the country either, where the development projects they have initiated are viewed with suspicion by many of the locals as well as militants.”


It also noted that “For years, the Baloch insurgency had been regarded as a low-intensity conflict. But this is no longer the case. The attacks are growing more audacious — as seen earlier this year when 10 soldiers lost their lives in an attack on an FC post in Kech. The militants’ reach is also growing as an earlier attack in Lahore demonstrated.”


The new government of Shehbaz Sharif has announced its resolve to address the militants, particularly those in Balochistan. But security in the provinces is managed by a mishmash of intelligence agencies, both civil and military, and there remain militants who are nursed as ‘assets’, to be played one against the others, till they turn rogue. Thus, it has a tough task on hand. 

Amit Shah, Governor Discuss Corruption Charges Against Soren Govt

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:45 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: In the backdrop of corruption allegations against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, state Governor Ramesh Bais on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the prevailing situation in the region, sources said on Thursday.


Bais met Shah at his residence on Wednesday evening and both leaders minutely discussed all issues in the state amid Soren facing charges of misusing his power and authority to benefit himself, his family and close aides, said the sources.

The matter pertains to the grant of in-principle approval for the stone quarrying lease in Chief Minister Soren’s name on government land on the outskirts of state capital Ranchi, which was cleared by the mines and environment departments, headed by the Chief Minister himself.

Soren is accused of granting a stone chips mining lease to himself near Ranchi.


The Election Commission of India (ECI) is already probing if it amounted to the Chief Minister holding an “office of profit”, which could invite his disqualification from the assembly membership.


Notably, both the mines and the industries departments are under Soren, who is already in a legal tangle owing to the alleged allotment of the stone mine in Ranchi in his name.


Soren, elected to the House from the Barhait constituency in 2019, had applied for a stone mining lease on plot number 482 of Angara block in Ranchi district, measuring 0.88 acres, 13 years ago.


The complaint was referred to the ECI by Governor Bais for its opinion following a complaint from the opposition BJP. According to the complaint lodged by the BJP, it was after 13 years that on July 10, 2021, the district mining office, Ranchi approved the lease in favour of Soren, who was by then the chief minister-cum-mines minister.


The BJP alleged that it was a matter of holding an office of profit by the CM as he obtained a mining lease and a violation of section 9A of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951.


A PIL (public interest litigation) on the same matter, seeking a probe by central agencies, is also being heard by the Jharkhand High Court.


Soren’s party JMM and its ally in the government, the Congress, have dismissed the allegations and accused BJP of trying to destabilise the state government by creating an opportunity for the central agencies to target the Soren family and their associates.


Following a reference from Jharkhand Governor, the ECI had written to the Jharkhand Chief Secretary, seeking relevant documents and their authentication.


Soren is also accused of allotting nearly 11 acres of Adivasi land to Sohrai Live, a firm owned by his wife Kalpana, to set up a meat-processing plant. The land is located inside the industrial area at Bijupara under Chanho block in rural Ranchi.


It is also accused that over 11 acres were also allotted to Shivshakti Enterprises for stone mining in Sahibganj. The firm is owned by Chief Minister’s press adviser Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu.


However, another six acres have been given to Mahakal Stone Works at Mari Mauza in Sahibganj, which is owned by Soren’s local representative Pankaj Mishra.

The former chief minister and BJP national vice-president Raghubar Das on Monday hurled these corruption charges. 

Unavailability Of Police Halts Encroachment Drive In Sarita Vihar

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:22 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor Mukesh Suryan on Thursday informed that the encroachment drive in Sarita Vihar could not be carried out due to the unavailability of police staff for assisting the SDMC.


During the anti-encroachment drives, the deployment of the police force is necessary for maintaining the law and order situation in the area.

“Due to the pre-engagement/pre-occupation of the Police Staff of PS Sarita Vihar in other law and order/investigation duties, it is not possible to provide sufficient staff to assist SDMC staff in carrying out encroachment removal drive in ward no. 101-S today,” Delhi Police told SDMC.


The Delhi Police also urged the administration to be intimated in advance for the successful conduct of tasks and drives.


“It is requested that prior intimation of at least 10 days may be given to fix the date for encroachment removal drive in the area of Police Station Sarita Vihar so that sufficient staff may be given to assist the SDMC staff,” it added.


Earlier on Monday, Suryan had disclosed that a month-long plan was sent to the police for the anti-encroachment drive in different parts of the national capital.


Other than Shaheen Bagh and Okhla, Suryan said that they have identified many wards for conducting the anti-encroachment drive in its area including the Vishnu Garden in Tilak Nagar West Zone, Madanpur Khadar, Jasola Vihar, Sarita Vihar, and Sangam Vihar.


Last week, the SDMC ran an anti-encroachment drive at Gandhi Market in Nazafgarh’s Sagarpur where people had encroached on the drain.

Certain Bangladeshis had captured the government land and were running factories.


He had said that the administration will get these lands vacated and dedicate them to the public.

Impact Of COVID-19 Is Down But Not Out-Health Expert

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:11 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: With India recording more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, health expert has advised all not to let their guard down by being careless and said that the impact of COVID-19 is ‘down but not out’.

In an, the Director of Tata Institute for Genetics and Society in Bangalore, Dr Rakesh Mishra warned that the impact of Coronavirus is down but not nullified and advised all to take precautions to curb the impact of the virus.


“It is important for all to take adequate precautions to curb the impact of the virus. It is observed that if the cases rise in an area, there is a chance that another variant exists,” he said.

“We should not be complacent at the moment. The Coronavirus is ‘down but not out’. So, we should exercise all precautions including wearing a mask in public places, avoiding crowded places, etc. Don’t be careless,” he said.


The health expert added, “If you don’t take care, there are chances that more people will get re-infected. Also, a new variant may come up and pose problems for all,” Dr Mishra said.


He further said the number of cases being reported in India as of date is not worrisome.


“But need to strengthen environmental surveillance, COVID-19 testing mechanisms and genome sequencing methods. Breaching the 3000 caseload mark today is not really a number to worry about. By strengthening our environmental surveillance, we all can, without testing, know about what is the extent of infection and whether it’s increasing or decreasing,” the TIGS director said.


“We should do it like seawater surveillance or/and air surveillance. Experts shall carry out testing of the people certainly for those who come to hospitals with symptoms or if there is some suspicion of increasing cases in the area and so on. And along with this, we should also do very extensive genome surveillance so that we know whether a new variant has surfaced or the same variant is increasing the infections,” Dr Mishra said.


“There is a less number of COVID-19 cases being reported as on date as compared to what was reported previously.

But that doesn’t mean that we have to keep our guard down. COVID-19 has not gone away yet and as long as COVID-19 is around, it may mutate into new variants. We all, thus, have to be very careful for the next few months,” he explained.


India on Thursday witnessed an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases, with 3,303 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry reported.

There were 39 fatalities over the same period.

On Wednesday 2,927 COVID-19 cases were reported from the country. 

Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis: Sanath Jayasuriya Requests India For Medicines

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:08 AM PDT

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya met with Indian High Commissioner of Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay and asked for assistance to obtain essential medicines for the island nation.

During his meeting with High Commissioner Baglay, the ace cricketer appreciated India’s support in the form of essential supplies, including medicines. “High Commissioner met cricket legend @Sanath07 and hailed his many achievements for the sport and #SriLanka. The ace cricketer appreciated India’s support in the form of essential supplies, including medicines,” the Indian mission in Sri Lanka tweeted.

Sanath had made the request during a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner today, Sri Lanka’s Newswire reported citing sources.

Sri Lanka cricketer has requested Indian aid to obtain medical supplies, which has become a major issue due to the current economic crisis in the island nation.
Sanath Jayasuriya also requested essential cancer medicines and other life-saving drugs.

Earlier this month, the former cricketer had lauded “big brother” India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending help to the island nation as it battles the worst economic crisis since independence.
Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst economic crises resulting in widespread protests against the Rajapaksa family leaders, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, which have resulted in the country being unable to buy enough fuel, and people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, fuel, and gas.

The World Bank this week agreed to provide Sri Lanka with USD 600m in financial assistance to help meet payment requirements for essential imports.

“The World Bank has agreed to provide $600 million in financial assistance to address the current economic crisis,” the Sri Lankan president’s media division had said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka Disappointed By China’s Response On Debt Restructuring

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 02:04 AM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Chinese response to Sri Lanka’s call for debt restructuring was disappointing according to sources. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last week told Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa that Beijing is ready to play a constructive role in the island nation’s socio-economic development and it empathises with Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges facing the South Asian country.


In a phone call with Sri Lankan PM, the Chinese Premier said Beijing is ready to consolidate political mutual trust with Sri Lanka, strengthen solidarity and push for sound and stable development of bilateral relations.

Noting that China empathises with Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges facing the South Asian country, Li said that China is ready to provide much-needed livelihood assistance for Sri Lanka within its capacity.


This phone call came after China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) pledged an urgent emergency humanitarian aid of RMB 200 million to Sri Lanka.

Although China extended humanitarian assistance, it refused to restructure the debt of the island nation.


According to True Ceylon, China’s offer of assistance to bail out Colombo from its current economic crisis is widely seen as inadequate.


Earlier, Sri Lanka had requested China for financial assistance and restructuring of its debt owed to China, which constitutes about 10 per cent of its total external debt burden.


But China reportedly said they were having a hard time processing Colombo’s request due to “severe challenges and complications” from the unilateral announcement of debt repayment suspension by Sri Lanka.


Many Sri Lankans view that the Chinese muted response amid the unprecedented crisis amounts to humiliation.


Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst economic crises resulting in widespread protests against the Rajapaksa family leaders, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa.


The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, which have resulted in the country being unable to buy enough fuel, and people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, heating fuel, and gas. 

Kirit Somaiya Alleges Mumbai Police Commissioner Had ‘Role’ In Attack On Him

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:58 AM PDT

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya launched a scathing attack on Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey who has questioned Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the security lapse after the former Lok Sabha member was allegedly attacked.

Mumbai CP Sanjay Pandey wrote to the Director-General of CISF to look into the role of the security personnel of Somaiya who was attacked allegedly by Shiv Sena workers outside the Khar police station. As Somaiya has been provided CISF personnel as part of Z security cover, Pandey asked about the role of CISF if, in spite of them, Somaiya was attacked twice.

In response, Somaiya said, “This was the responsibility of the police force of Sanjay Pandey, commandos protected Kirit Somaiya to come out alive from the attack, Sanjay Pandey had got Somaiya almost killed.”

The former Lok Sabha member further said that the Central government and state government both are answerable for the security lapse. As he has been provided with Z security, the yellow book of CISF security mentions that close security is the commandos’ responsibility but for the outside circle Sanjay Pandey was responsible.

Somaiya alleged that Pandey was blaming the CISF for the security lapse to hide his failure and accused the senior police official of playing an active role in the attack alongside “Shiv Sena goons.”

“There are only six close commandos around in Z security but the outside security was Sanjay Pandey’s responsibility. Pandey wrote the CISF about the security lapse but why does he not talk about the reply from the CISF or the yellow rule book provided by the CISF. This is because, he was with the Shiv Sena workers, around 80-90 goons were deployed for stone-pelting and Sanjay knew it. He has played a big role in this attack,” added Somaiya.

Notably, BJP leader and ex-MP from Mumbai, Somaiya, was attacked allegedly by Shiv Sena workers. The incident took place when Somaiya had come to meet independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana at the Khar police station following their arrest.

UK Launches Probe Into Imports Of Fibre Optic Cables From China

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:49 AM PDT

London [UK]: The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has opened two new investigations into imports of fibre optic cables, used in the delivery of broadband services, from China.


The Trade Remedies Authority is the body that investigates whether new trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.

“The TRA will carry out two investigations – an anti-dumping investigation to determine whether imports of these products are being dumped in the UK at prices below what they would sell for in their home country and a separate investigation to determine whether the Chinese imports entering the UK market are also benefiting from subsidies which lower their production costs,” the TRA said in a statement.


The investigations will also consider whether these imports are damaging the UK industry for fibre optic cables, the release added.


This probe is in response to an application from a UK manufacturer to the TRA to investigate whether these imports are causing injury to the UK industry.

The UK body will conduct an Economic Interest Test (EIT) as part of its investigation to assess whether a new trade remedy measure would be in the UK’s economic interest.


Oliver Griffiths, TRA Chief Executive, said: “Fibre optic cable is broadband’s workhorse. These investigations will examine whether fibre optic cable from China is being traded unfairly and assess its impact on the UK economy.”


The TRA will now seek information from all interested parties to establish whether imports of fibre optic cable from China are being dumped in the UK at prices below their normal value, whether they benefit from government subsidies, whether these imports are causing injury to UK industry and whether it would be in the UK’s interests for measures to be put in place to mitigate any injury. 

Pak To Seek $3.2Bn From Saudi Arabia During Shehbaz’s Visit

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:42 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to seek an additional package of USD 3.2 billion from Saudi Arabia during his ongoing visit to the Kingdom, media reports said on Thursday.


Shehbaz Sharif, who starts his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia today, will pose this request to avert further depletion of Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves.

“Today I am embarking on a visit to Saudi Arabia to renew & reaffirm our bonds of brotherhood & friendship. I will have wide-ranging discussions with Saudi leadership. KSA is one of our greatest friends & as Custodian of the Two Holy Places, has a special place in all our hearts,” Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.


Saudi Arabia had already given USD 3 billion deposits to the debt-ridden country and an oil facility on deferred payment worth USD 1.2 billion during Imran Khan’s tenure. Estimates say Pakistan requires USD 12 billion to prevent the balance of payment crisis and further depletion of the foreign currency reserves.


“We are going to request the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to increase the amount of the deposit from USD 3 billion to USD 5 billion and double the Saudi Oil Facility (SOF) from USD 1.2 billion to USD 2.4 billion, so the total package could be increased up to USD 7.4 billion during the visit of premier Shehbaz Sharif,” top official sources confirmed while talking to The News International on Wednesday.


Dozens of officials and political leaders have accompanied the Pakistan Prime Minister on his maiden visit to the Kingdom.


After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) raised questions about the modalities of the visit, Pakistan’s Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb responded on Monday, saying Shehbaz Sharif would travel to Saudi Arabia at his own expenses.


She slammed PTI leaders for spreading “lies” about the trip set to take place later this week. “Contrary to lies being propagated by PTI, Prime Minister will be travelling to Saudi Arabia later this week on a commercial flight at his own expense,” Marriyum said on Twitter.


Earlier on Monday, the newly-elected Pak PM presided over a meeting here to review preparations for his official visit to Saudi Arabia.


During the meeting, he said that Pakistan valued its long-standing brotherly ties with Saudi Arabia and it was looking forward to enhancing the same in future. 

PM Modi: ‘Bodo Accord’ Brought Long-Lasting Peace To Assam

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:35 AM PDT

Diphu/Karbi Anglong (Assam): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the Bodo Accord, saying it has brought “long-lasting peace” to Assam.


The tripartite Bodo Accord 2020 was signed between the Centre, the Assam government, and the Bodo group. “Last year, several organizations from Karbi Anglong joined the resolve for peace and development. Bodo Accord opened new doors for lasting peace in 2020,” said PM Modi in Assam today.


He also lauded the double-engine government for the development of the northeast regions saying that people who visit here also feel proud.


“Today when someone visits northeast and witnesses the rapid development taking place in the region, they also feel proud. We have understood the problems of the region,” PM Modi stated.


The Prime Minister also said that the scope of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been reduced in many areas of the northeast region for permanent peace.


“During the last eight years, we have removed AFSPA from many areas of the North East for permanent peace and better law and order situation,” he stated.


In addition, he also asserted that the solution to border-related issues like Assam and Meghalaya is being worked out.


Heaping praises on PM Modi for inking the Karbi Accord, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The Karbi community considers hard work as their dharma. The signing of the Karbi Accord that took place under the leadership of PM Modi has established peace and ensured fast-paced growth in the region.”


The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for several educational, healthcare, and development projects which include a veterinary college in Diphu, degree college in West Karbi Anglong, and an agricultural college in Kolonga. 

Champions League: Liverpool Beat Villarreal, Take Charge Of Semi-Final

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:27 AM PDT

Liverpool [UK]: Liverpool are one step closer to a third UEFA Champions League final in five seasons after a 2-0 win against Villarreal in the first leg of their semi-final tie at Anfield on Wednesday.


Liverpool scored twice in three second-half minutes to assume control of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Villarreal.

The Premier League side could so easily have been out of sight even before half-time as several of their players missed their chances in the first 45 minutes.


If not dominant enough in the opening period, the six-time winners went up a gear after the interval.

Fabinho’s header was ruled out for an offside in the build-up, but three minutes later the hosts were in front when Henderson’s cross ballooned into the net via a deflection off Pervis Estupinan and a Geronimo Rulli fist.


Liverpool threatened to cut loose when Mane latched on to Salah’s cute through ball before poking past Rulli, but Villarreal managed to limit the damage.


Mane has now moved level alongside Didier Drogba (both 14) as the leading African goalscorer in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. 

By 2050, Land Restoration Will Add Size Of India And Pakistan

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:17 AM PDT

Bonn [Germany]: The restoration of the land by 2050 will add an additional 4 million square kilometres of natural areas, which is the size of India and Pakistan, the UN said in their report on chronic land degradation.


This was revealed in the second edition of the Global Land Outlook (GLO) from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). “By 2050, an additional 4 million square kilometres of natural areas (the size of India and Pakistan); largest gains expected in South and Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Protections would prevent land degradation by logging, burning, draining, or conversion,” the UNCCD report said.


This latest UN report offers an overview of unprecedented breadth and projects the planetary consequences of three scenarios through 2050— business, as usual, restoration of 50 million square km of land, and restoration measures augmented by the conservation of natural areas important for specific ecosystem functions.


GLO 2 report further reads, “By 2050, an additional 83 gigatonnes of carbon are stored as compared to the baseline.

Avoided emission and increased carbon storage would be equivalent to more than seven years of total current global emissions.”


According to a report, the restoration of land and reducing the degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss could economically return as high as USD 125-140 trillion every year, which is up to 50 per cent of the USD 93 trillion global GDP in 2021.


The report further reads that repurposing just USD 1.6 trillion of the annual USD 700 billion in the next decade in perverse subsidies, which are given to the fossil fuel and agricultural industries would help the governments to meet their current pledges which were to restore some 1 billion degraded hectares by 2030.

The 1 billion hectares area would be the size of the USA or China, including 250 million hectares of farmland.


“Restoring land, soils, forests and other ecosystems would contribute more than one-third of the cost-effective climate change mitigation needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius while supporting biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, human health and other key sustainable development goals,” report read.


The report stated that traditional and modern regenerative food production practices can enable agriculture to pivot from being the primary cause of degradation to the principal catalyst for land and soil restoration.


Immediate financial support is required to fund the conservation and restoration in the developing countries with a greater share of the global distribution of intact, biodiverse, and carbon-rich ecosystems, according to the report.


GLO 2 report stated, “Restoration projects and programs tend to have long-term multiplier effects that strengthen rural economies and contribute to wider regional development.

They generate jobs that cannot be outsourced, and investments stimulate demand that benefits local economies and communities.”


The GLO 2 report has been in the making for five years with 21 partner organisations, and with over 1,000 references.


GLO2 also mentioned hundreds of examples from around the world that demonstrate the potential of land restoration.


The report comes ahead of the UNCCD’s 15th session of the Conference of Parties to be held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (COP15, 9-20 May).


“Modern agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity. We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80 per cent of deforestation, 70 per cent of freshwater use, and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss,” Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, said.


“Investing in large-scale land restoration is a powerful, cost-effective tool to combat desertification, soil erosion, and loss of agricultural production. As a finite resource and our most valuable natural asset, we cannot afford to continue taking land for granted,” Ibrahim added. 

China, Russia On Top Of US Intellectual Property ‘Watch List’

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:05 AM PDT

Washington [US]: China and Russia remain on top of Washington’s list of countries that must be monitored for intellectual property protection issues, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) revealed in an annual report.


The US report said trading partners on the Priority Watch List present the most significant concerns this year regarding insufficient IP protection or enforcement or actions that otherwise limited market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection.

The US named 27 trading partners as having IP protection issues and put on a “priority watch list,” seven of them including Argentina, Chile, India, China, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela.


“These countries will be the subject of particularly intense bilateral engagement during the coming year,” the report said.


According to Sputnik, the report heavily focuses on China, which was mentioned over 100 times in the 88-page document.


“China remains on the Priority Watch List in 2022,” the report, released on Wednesday, said.

“China must provide a level playing field for IP protection and enforcement, refrain from requiring or pressuring technology transfer to Chinese companies at all levels of government, open China’s market to foreign investment, and embrace open and market-oriented policies.”


According to the “Phase One” trade agreement the US and China signed in 2020, the report added, Beijing made commitments to address numerous long-standing concerns in the areas of trade secrets, patents, pharmaceutical-related IP, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications, and technology transfer.


Biden administration added, “it remains to be seen” whether commitments made by Beijing related to these concerns will improve the protection of intellectual property.

Silent Temples, Mosques In UP After 11,000 Loudspeakers Removed

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:57 AM PDT

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Following the direction of the Uttar Pradesh government, nearly 11,000 loudspeakers have been removed from religious places till Wednesday evening.


As per the data released by the government, a total of 10,923 loudspeakers were uninstalled from various religious sites in the state and the volume of 35,221 loudspeakers was lowered as per the parameters till 4.00 pm on Wednesday.

The home department of the state removed loudspeakers from eight zones of the state, including Agra, Meerut, Bareilly, Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and four commissionerates — Lucknow, Kanpur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Varanasi.

Out of the total, the home department removed a maximum of 2,395 loudspeakers and lowered the volume of 7,397 loudspeakers from the religious places in the Lucknow zone, followed by the Gorakhpur and Varanasi zones.


On Wednesday, the home department asked the police to remove the loudspeakers and also those flouting the noise limit standards at religious places across the state.

The order to remove loudspeakers from religious places in the state was issued on April 24. A compliance report from the districts in this regard has been sought by April 30.


UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on April 21 directed that the loudspeakers at religious places should not be loud and the sound must be confined within the premises only.


He also said that the microphones should not be installed and that no new loudspeakers would be allowed at religious places.


The Supreme Court’s June 2005 order had banned the use of loudspeakers and music systems in public between 10.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. (except in cases of public emergencies), citing the serious effects of noise pollution on the health of those residents who live in such areas.


The issue of loudspeakers has been gaining traction ever since MNS chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum for the removal of loudspeakers at mosques by May 3.

Sensex Up 485 Points On Positive Global Cues; HUL, RIL Surge

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:39 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Indian stock market’s benchmark Sensex was trading 485 points higher in early afternoon trade on Thursday led by strong buying support in FMCG, energy and IT stocks as positive cues from the global equities boosted investors’ sentiments.


The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex was trading 485 points or 0.85 per cent higher at 57,304.39 points at 12.19 pm against its previous day’s close at 56,819.39 points on positive global cues.

Earlier, the Sensex opened in the positive at 57,296.31 points.

However, it slumped to a low of 56,936.94 points in the morning trade.

The markets firmed up at noon on positive cues from the European equities.


The benchmark Sensex had lost 537.22 points or 0.94 per cent on Wednesday.


The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange was trading 147.60 points or 0.87 per cent higher at 17,186.00 points.


Hindustan Unilever surged 3.67 per cent to Rs 2222.90. The index heavyweight Reliance Industries was trading 1.99 per cent higher at Rs 2833.15.


Asian Paints 2.99 per cent higher at Rs 3242.50; L&T 2.64 per cent higher at Rs 1721.10; Infosys 1.98 per cent higher at Rs 1583.95; ITC 1.48 per cent higher at Rs 261.30; Nestle India 1.34 per cent higher at Rs 18470.90 and Power Grid Corporation 1.20 per cent higher at Rs 232 were among the major Sensex gainers.


Only eight of the 30 scrips that are part of the benchmark Sensex were trading in the red. Bajaj Finance slumped 1.24 per cent to Rs 6633.50.

HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel were among the major Sensex losers.

India’s Fresh COVID-19 Cases Breach 3000 Mark

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:30 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: India on Thursday witnessed an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases, with 3,303 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry reported. There were 39 fatalities over the same period.


On Wednesday 2,927 COVID-19 cases were reported from the country.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today informed that this single-day rise of these fresh cases pushed India’s coronavirus tally to 4,30,68,799. Moreover, the death toll from the virus rose to 5,23,693 in the country.


Of the fresh COVID-19 cases recorded today, Delhi accounted for 1367 cases which is 58.61 percent of the total cases, followed by Maharashtra with 186 cases and the rest of the cases were reported in other states.


India’s active caseload currently stands at 16,980 which accounts for 0.04 per cent of the total cases.


As the country reels under the pandemic, the ministry data mentioned that as many as 2,563 recoveries were logged in the last 24 hours from this virus thereby taking the total recoveries to 4,25,28,126.


The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 0.66 per cent with 4,97,669 COVID-19 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours. The weekly positivity rate was also reported at 0.61 per cent.


On the COVID-19 vaccination front, 188.40 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. 

Mamata Banerjee Ups Ante Against Centre, Calls To Limit BSF Within 50 kms From Border

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:12 AM PDT

In a move which may provoke the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked the Cooch Behar Police not to allow the Border Security Force (BSF) to allow beyond 50 kms from the international border.

The West Bengal Chief Minister also alleged that the “BSF is entering the villages and beating people while also throwing them on the other side of the international border”. “Don’t allow BSF to enter 50 kms of the area beyond the international border in the state because they are entering the village, killing people and throwing them on the other side. Ask the BSF to take state police in confidence while working on any operation,” the Chief Minister said in a virtual meeting with the senior officials of the state police.

The Central government had last year amended the BSF Act to authorise the border guarding force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the previous limit of 15 kms, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

The amendment had triggered a political slugfest over the role of the BSF and the state police in maintaining the law and order situation in the respective states.

Punjab and West Bengal governments even passed resolutions in November last year against the Centre’s decision to extend the BSF jurisdiction from 15 kms to 50 kms of the international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. They asked the Central government to withdraw the order passed on October 11, 2021.

Central and West Bengal governments have been at loggerheads for the past many years over various issues, especially the law and order situations in the state.
Banerjee, in a meeting with State Police, even claimed that the law and order situation is good in the state but some sections of the media are deliberately spreading misinformation and said that cases are lodged in West Bengal but not in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

“A case of death by suicide was portrayed as a rape case by the opposition parties. The BJP and CPI(M) are both trying to defame West Bengal. We will not let Bengal become Hathras or Unnao,” she said.

However, she also questioned the West Bengal Police about the recent incidents that took place in the state.

SC Reserves Order On Plea Of Death Row Convict, Who Claims To Be Kept In Solitary Confinement

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 10:08 PM PDT

The Supreme Court reserved the judgement on a petition of a death row convict challenging the Karnataka High Court order which dismissed his plea challenging the executability of his death sentence, pursuant to the rejection of his mercy petition filed before the President.

The convict has claimed to be kept in solitary confinement right from the decision of the Sessions Court awarding him the death sentence. A bench of Justices Uday Umesh Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha reserved the order on convict BA Umesh’s plea.

According to advocate Yug Mohit Chaudhry, appearing for the petitioner, the petitioner was kept in solitary confinement right from the decision of the Sessions Court awarding him a death sentence.

A case was registered against Umesh on February 28, 1998 by Peenya Police under Sections 376 (rape) 302 (murder) and 392 of the Indian Penal Code. On October 27, 2006 the Sessions Court passed the sentence of death against the petitioner.

On February 18. 2009 Karnataka High Court supported the imposition of the death sentence. On February 1, 2011, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitioner’s appeal and upheld the sentence of the death penalty passed on the petitioner.

On February 8, 2011, the petitioner’s mother filed a mercy petition before the President, which was rejected on May 12, 2013.

Counsel of the petitioner had argued before Karnataka High Court that there has been an excessive and unexplained delay of 2 years and 3 months and 7 days, that is 827 days, inadjudicating the mercy petition thereby causing unnecessary and avoidable pain, suffering, and mental torment which is in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Karnataka Government has opposed the submission that the accused has been kept in solitary confinement in jail.

Odisha CM Approves Rs 100 CR Plan For Development Of Kantilo Neelamadhab Peeth

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 08:09 PM PDT

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday approved a Rs 100 crore Master plan for the peripheral development of Kantilo Neelamadhab Peeth and sought the cooporation of local people and Servitors of the shrine for successful execution of the project.

The project will be completed within 18 months. The project was approved at a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister after a discussion on the master plan. The project will be executed under the integrated Heritage and Monuments Development Programme.

The Neelamadhab Peetha has a deep relationship with Jagannath culture. Neelamadhaba is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and according to legend, Vishnu was worshipped in a form of blue sapphire stone (Neelamani) in the Nilakandara cave on Nilachala mountain (present-day Brahmadri hills) by King Bishwabasu.

Every day thousands of devotees come to the Neelmadhab Peetha to witness this manifestation of the Lord. The place is also one of the major attractions for tourists. The systematic development of this holy shrine will also help in the economic development of the area as well as the devotees and tourists.

On the instructions of Patnaik, the Chief Minister’s Secretary VK Pandian visited the Neelmadhab Peetha last week and held a detailed discussion with Servitors, local people and the district administration on the development plan and ordered to prepare a master plan.

36 Hours On, Firefighting At Delhi’s Bhalswa Landfill Site Continues

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:48 PM PDT

Some areas of the Bhalswa landfill site in Delhi have been seen still burning on Thursday.

Fire tenders are there at the spot. Further details are awaited. A massive fire broke out at North Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill on Tuesday. According to Delhi Fire Service officials, smoke was reported around 5:00 pm that later spread into a massive fire.

Following the incident, locals living near the Bhalswa landfill in Delhi have also been reporting breathing problems.

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday accused the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of negligence over the Bhalswa landfill fire.
Speaking to ANI, the minister informed that the Delhi government has sought a report from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) over the fire incident.

“The people of Delhi are facing landfill fire due to MCD’s negligence and 15 years of BJP’s corruption. We ordered Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Tuesday to inquire and submit the report within 24 hours. We will make a decision on this matter after his report comes,” Rai said.

Further hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the minister said, “If they had worked on this, these garbage mountains would not have been here.”

He said the BJP people should first go to the Bhalswa landfill and survey what they have done in the last 15 years. “If they had driven bulldozers there for 15 years, these mountains of garbage would not have stood today.”

India Not Part Of Climate Problem, But Will Play Big Role In Solution, Says Environment Minister

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:39 PM PDT

Highlighting India’s efforts in the fight against climate change, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said India is not a part of the climate problem but wants to be a big part of the solution.

Speaking at the private event, the Union Minister said, “India is not a part of the climate problem but wants to be and will be a big part of the solution. India is a voice for developing countries.” “To address climate change, technology transfer is necessary. That is also not happening. India is among few G20 countries that have fulfilled its nationally determined contribution (NDC) under Paris Agreement,” Yadav said.

He said the CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure), ISA (International Solar Alliance), and OSOWOG (One Sun One World One Grid) initiatives signal India’s firm commitment to help achieve global climate targets and become a climate leader.

Emphasising on climate finance, the Minister further said, “Climate finance is a major challenge for developing countries, but India’s climate plan is based on the development of the country. Developing countries need more money for purpose of adaptation. It was the pledge of developed countries in Copenhagen that they would provide USD 100 billion for developing countries, but they are not able to fulfil their own promise.”

“At COP26, the developed world agreed to clearly define climate finance and there was an increasing recognition of the need to finance adaptation,” he added. 

NPR Required To Update Birth, Death And Migration: MHA

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:28 PM PDT

To incorporate the changes due to birth, death and migration, there is a need to update the National Population Register (NPR) again, according to the 2020-21 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released on Wednesday.

The report read that the government decided to update the NPR database in the entire country except the state of Assam along with the Houselisting Phase of Census 2021, from April to September 2020, as per the convenience of the State/UT governments.
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the work of NPR updation and other related field activities have been postponed until further orders.

The government prepared an NPR of all the ‘usual residents’ in the country in 2010 by collecting specific information about each resident. The NPR is prepared under various provisions of the Citizenship Rules, 2003, framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, the report read.

For updating the NPR database, a three-pronged approach would be adopted which includes self-updating wherein it is proposed to allow residents to update their own data fields after following some authentication protocols on a web portal. The approach also includes updating NPR data in paper format and mobile mode.

A pre-test on NPR update was undertaken in the selected areas of all the states/UTs except Assam along with the pre-test of Census. The demographic and other particulars of each family and individual are to be collected/updated during the updation exercise of NPR. No documents or biometrics would be collected during the updation, the report read.

The Union government has already approved the expenditure of Rs 3941.35 crore for updation of NPR.

In 2015, a few fields such as name, gender, date and place of birth, place of residence and father’s and mother’s name were updated and Aadhaar, Mobile and Ration card numbers were collected.

Notably, protests were witnessed against the National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in different parts of the country in 2019.

KTR Slams Centre Over Fuel Price Hike, Demands To Scrap Cess On Petrol, Diesel

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:22 PM PDT

Lashing out at the Centre for asking the States to reduce VAT (value-added tax) on fuel, Telangana Industry and Commerce Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday demanded the central government to scrap the Cess on petrol and diesel across the country.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre responsible for the rising prices of petrol and diesel. “Fuel prices have shot up because of NPA (non-performing asset) Central government. Name calling states for not reducing VAT even though we never increased it; is this the cooperative federalism you are talking about Narendra Modi ji?. Telangana has not increased VAT on fuel since 2014 and rounded off only once,” Rao tweeted.

“We do not get 41 per cent of our rightful share because of the Cess imposed by your government. In the form of Cess, you are looting 11.4 per cent from the state and we are getting only 29.6 per cent for FY23. Please scrap Cess so we can give Petrol at Rs 70 and Diesel at Rs 60 all over India. One Nation – One Price?” added KTR.

In view of the increasing COVID cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the states via video conferencing and discussed various issues.

The Prime Minister called upon opposition-ruled states to follow the Centre’s decision by reducing taxes on petrol and diesel to provide relief to the people from the price hike.

“In order to reduce the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices, the central government reduced the excise duty last November. We had urged the states too to reduce their taxes. Some states reduced the tax and provided benefits to the consumers but some did not do so,” said PM Modi in the meeting.
Naming opposition parties ruled states, PM Modi said, “Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu did not follow the advice of central government and people in these states are burdened with price rise.”
“I request these states to do now what they should have done in November. By reducing the VAT you can lower the burden faced by the residents,” he added.
The central government in November had reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively. Following the Center’s decision, 25 states and Union Territories, mostly ruled by BJP or their allies had reduced VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to consumers.

Elon Musk Says For Twitter To Deserve Public Trust, It Must Be Politically Neutral

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:17 PM PDT

Days after Tesla Chief Elon Musk take control over Twitter, he said that for the microblogging site to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral.

“For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally,” Musk tweeted.
Twitter on Monday (local time) confirmed the sale of the company to Musk for USD 44 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will receive USD 54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own, matching Musk’s original offer and marking a 38 per cent premium over the stock price the day before Musk revealed his stake in the company, CNN reported.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said that he was proud of the employees who continue to do the work with focus and urgency despite the noise.

“I took this job to change Twitter for the better, course-correct where we need to, and strengthen the service. Proud of our people who continue to do the work with focus and urgency despite the noise,” Agrawal tweeted.

Meanwhile, the former CEO of the microblogging site Jack Dorsey dropped a series of tweets, suggesting that he supports the move.

“In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company, however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness,” Dorsey tweeted.

For those unaware, Dorsey, the maverick co-founder of Twitter, on November 29, 2021, suddenly announced his resignation. Parag Agarwal, an IITian who was CTO at Twitter, was named his replacement.

After Rape Charges, Actor Vijay Babu Booked In Another Case

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:04 PM PDT

Kerala Police on Wednesday registered another case against Malayalam actor-cum-producer Vijay Babu, who has been booked with charges of sexual assault, for revealing the identity of the complainant. Earlier Police registered a rape case against Vijay Babu on a complaint of a woman actor.

Meanwhile, Vijay Babu on Wednesday denied the charges of sexual allegations against him and said he will file a defamation case against the complainant. Taking to Facebook Live, the Malayalam actor denied the allegations and made it clear that he will file a defamation case against the woman who filed the case against him.

“I am not afraid as I am sure, I did not do anything wrong. I am the victim here. I know a woman had been making allegations against me since 2018. I have not had a single chat with her since then until 2021. In December, she started texting me. I have 400 screenshots of messages sent by her. I will say all this in court,” Babu said.
“I have the answer to everything, whether it was rape or consensual. I will file a countercase against it. In addition, a defamation suit will be filed. Let this be a fresh start for me too. Let us see. Let us fight,” he added further.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kerala Police registered a case against Vijay Babu for an alleged sexual assault. Ernakulam South Police has registered the case on a woman’s complaint.

According to the police, the complaint was received on April 22.
The complainant alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Vijay Babu in a flat in Kochi. The offence was repeated by the accused more than once, she alleged.

The complaint said Babu committed the offence on the pretext of offering the victim roles in movies. The complainant is a native of Kozhikode district. 

Koregaon Bhima Inquiry Commission Summons Sharad Pawar On May 5, 6

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 06:59 PM PDT

The judicial inquiry commission probing the Bhima Koregaon case summoned Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on May 5 and May 6, asking him to be present as a witness during the hearing in Mumbai.

In February, when the commission had summoned Pawar, he had sought more time from the commission to file the affidavit, and then the commission had given him more time. inquiry commission’s lawyer Ashish Satpute told that the affidavit has now been filed before the commission on behalf of Sharad Pawar, so he has been summoned by the commission as a witness on May 5 and 6, these two dates.

Maharashtra government-appointed inquiry Commission is probing the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon violence.

On January 2, 2018, violence erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen.
The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a state-wide shutdown in January following clashes in Bheema-Koregaon.

IPL 2022: Saha, Tewatia And Rashid Shine As GT Beat SRH In Another Thriller Of Season

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 06:50 PM PDT

Half-century by Wriddhiman Saha and fiery cameos by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, guided Gujarat Titans to a thrilling five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday. The high-scoring match was settled in the last ball of the last over.

Rashid and Tewatia smashed 31 runs and 40 runs respectively to completely outshine the five-wicket haul of Hyderabad’s Umran Malik. Chasing 196, Gujarat started at a great pace as the openers Saha and Shubman Gill built a 50-run partnership in just 6 overs. Hyderabad then got a breakthrough after Umran Malik dismissed Gill in the 8th over and Gujarat were 69/1.

Saha was joined by Hardik Pandya and the duo tried to anchor the innings for some time but it was Umran Malik again who sent the GT skipper back to the dugout in the 10th over of the innings with only 10 runs in his kitty.

David Miller joined Saha at the crease and the duo made up for the lost momentum. Saha thrashed Hyderabad bowlers to every corner of the ground to bring his half-century in 28 balls. But it was Umran Malik, who had the last laugh as he bowled Saha out for 68 runs, in the 14th over and left Gujarat at 122/3.

Umran Malik struck again and took back-to-back wickets of David Miller and Abhinav Manohar in the 16th over with Gujarat now struggling at 140/5. Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan then joined hands at the crease and brought some hope back for their side.

The duo started smashing the Hyderabad bowlers and brought the momentum back to their side. With 22 runs left of the last over, Tewatia smashed the first ball of Marco Jansen out of the stands for a six. It was followed by a single which brought Rashid Khan to the crease.

Rashid followed the footsteps of Tewatia and he smashed the third delivery for a six. With nine runs required off 2 balls, Rashid hit two back-to-back sixes and took Gujarat to victory.

Earlier, the fifties from opener Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to 195/6 in the first innings. For Gujarat, Mohammed Shami took three wickets while Yash Dayal and Alzarri Joseph settled for one.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 195/6 (Abhishek Sharma 65, Aiden Markram 56, Mohammed Shami 3/39) vs Gujarat Titans 199/5 (Wriddhiman Saha 68, Rahul Tewatia 40; Umran Malik 5/25).

Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassination: SC Asks Centre To Clarify Its Position On Release Of AG Perarivalan

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 06:33 PM PDT

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to clarify its position on the release of AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao also pulled up the Central government and said that it “will release” Perarivalan if the government does not take a stand on the convict’s mercy plea within a week. “He has already spent 36 years in jail then why not we release him,” said the bench.

The apex court also took strong exception on the action of the Tamil Nadu Governor for sitting on the Cabinet’s release recommendation for more than three and half years and then forwarding it to the President.

“Why don’t you just agree to have him released? People who have served over 20 years are released… We are also offering you an escape route. Your argument that the Governor does not have the jurisdiction to take a decision on the mercy plea under Article 161 strikes a blow on the federal structure of the Constitution… Under which provision can the Governor refer the decision of the State Cabinet to the President?” the apex court bench told Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Centre.

“If at all the Governor disagrees with the State Cabinet decision to release him, the proper course for him would be to refer it back to the Cabinet and not forward it to the President, who is bound by the aid and advice of the Centre… That cannot simply be done. We prima facie find the Governor’s action wrong and you are arguing against the Constitution,” it added.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on May 4.
On March 9, the apex court had granted bail to Perarivalan while taking into consideration his conduct, ill health and the fact that he has spent more than 30 years in prison.

The bench had noted that there were no complaints about his conduct when he was released thrice before on parole.
Perarivalan was ordered to be released on bail for the first time since when he was

arrested.
The bench had taken into note that Governor is yet to decide on Perarivalan’s plea seeking release from prison.

The apex court had granted bail to Perarivalan despite the Centre opposing his bail plea vehemently.

Perarivalan had approached the top court seeking release from the prison based on the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in September 2018.
The Central government had earlier apprised the apex court that the Tamil Nadu Governor, after considering all the facts on record and relevant documents, said that the President of India is the “appropriate competent authority” to deal with the pardon plea of Perarivalan.

The top court by its January 21, 2021 order had asked the Governor to decide the Perarivalan’s remission of sentence plea.

It had earlier expressed unhappiness over the fact that the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu state government for the remission of the sentence had been pending before the Governor for over two years.

Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally.

On February 18, 2014, the apex court commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding the mercy pleas by the Centre.

PM Modi Urges Opposition-Ruled States To Lower VAT On Petrol, Diesel

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 04:14 AM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called upon opposition-ruled states to follow the Centre’s decision by reducing taxes on petrol and diesel to provide relief to the people from the price hike.

“In order to reduce the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices, the central government reduced the excise duty last November. We had urged the states too to reduce their taxes. Some states reduced the tax and provided benefits to the consumers but some didn’t do so,” said PM Modi. Naming opposition parties ruled states, PM Modi said, “Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu did not follow the advice of Central Government and people in these states are burdened with price rise.”

“I request these states to do now what they should have done in November. By reducing the VAT you can lower the burden faced by the residents,” he added.
PM Modi made the following comments during his interactions with Chief Ministers of several states over rising cases of COVID-19.

The Central government in November had reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively. Following the Center’s decision, 25 states and Union Territories, mostly ruled by BJP or their allies had reduced VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to consumers. 

UP: 7 People Held In Noida Garden Galleria Murder Case

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 02:31 AM PDT

Noida (Uttar Pradesh): Seven people were arrested in connection with the Noida Garden Galleria murder case, in which a 30-year old man was allegedly beaten to death during a brawl with the employees of the pub, informed Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday.


Police have also registered an FIR against the accused involved in the case that took place on Monday night. After the investigation, police found that a total of nine people were involved in the murder.


“After a detailed investigation, we found that a total of nine people were involved in the murder. So far, seven people are arrested.

In the post-mortem report, it was found that he had head, spleen, and stomach injuries. Further investigation is underway,” Ranvijay Singh, Noida ADCP said.


According to the police, some people got into a fight with the bar staff during which one person was seriously injured and later succumbed to death.


“A man was killed last night in Garden Galleria Mall, Noida.

Some people got into a fight with bar staff during which one person was severely injured. He was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The bar staff is taken into custody,” Singh said.


Following the incident, Noida police sent a letter to the district administration to cancel the license of the bar Lost Lemons at Garden Galleria, the official said.


Meanwhile, the wife of the deceased claimed that her husband was not taken to the hospital on time and accused his friends, bar owners and employees of being involved in the incident.


“The incident took place at 11 pm but I was informed at 3 am. My husband was not taken to the hospital on time. His friends, bar owners, and employees all are involved in this murder. I demand action against his friends too. No one should get such friends,” said Pooja Rai, wife of the deceased.


Further investigation is underway.

LIC IPO Price Band At Rs 902-949 Per Share Opens On May 4

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 02:24 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has set its price band for the Initial Public Offer (IPO) at Rs 902 to Rs 949 per equity share.

The public offer starts on May 4 and will remain open for bidders till May 9, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Wednesday.


The size of LIC IPO is set to be the largest so far in the country.

The government targets to raise Rs 20,557.23 crore by offloading 3.5 per cent of its equity stake or 22.13 crore shares of LIC.

This is substantially lower than the earlier projection of about Rs 60,000 crore.


Addressing a press conference, Pandey said, “Even after the reduce size of Rs 21,000 crore, the LIC IPO will initially be the biggest ever IPO in the country.”


The government has decided to reduce the size of the IPO due to the volatility in the market.


“This is right-sized considering the capital market environment and will not crowd out capital and monetary supply, given the current environmental constraints,” he said.

The IPO will be a pure offer for sale. Out of the 22.13 crore shares offered for sale, around 5.93 crore shares have been reserved for anchor investor portion. Employee reservation portion is at 1.58 million while policyholder reservation at 22.14 million.


Half of the shares are reserved for qualified institutional buyers (QIB), 15 per cent of the shares will be reserved for non-institutional investors while the rest is for retail investors.


Policyholders will get a discount of Rs 60 per equity share. Retail and employees will get a discount of Rs 40.

Delhi Police Nab 3 For Online Betting During IPL Match

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 02:19 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Three men were arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday for online betting during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Delhi’s Vijay Vihar.


“Based on a tip received in the PS Vijay Vihar (Delhi) on Tuesday evening, three persons namely Tarun (33), Deepak (39), and Dinesh Khatri (24) were arrested for playing and running online IPL cricket betting on a match between Rajasthan Royals (RC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB),” said the police.

The police informed that they have recovered 5 mobile phones, 1 Laptop, 1 LED TV, 1 Calculator, 2 Note Books, 2 Pens and Rs 1,09,260 (in cash) from the location.


“Bobby, the owner of the building, who also ran this online betting racket, is currently absconding. Concerted efforts are being made to nab him,” the police stated further.

A case under various sections of the Delhi Public Gambling Act has been registered against the accused.


Further investigation into the matter is underway. 

Xi Asks Chinese Officials To Enter Economic Race With US

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 02:10 AM PDT

Washington [US]: Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed officials to ensure that the country’s economic growth outpaces that of the US this year by urging them to enter in an economic race with the US.


The issue of the China-US competition has been raised in recent weeks in Xi’s meetings with senior officials in the economic and financial bloc, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The direction to enter into an economic race with the US comes at a time when investors are ditching China due to growing business risks, and rising interest rates elsewhere.

China witnessed USD 17.5 billion worth of portfolio outflows last month, an all-time high, CNN reported citing the data from the Institute of International Finance (IIF).


The US-based trade association said that this capital flight by overseas investors “unprecedented.”


Amid the growing economic insecurity, the Chinese leader said that ensuring stability and economic growth is extremely important, as the US is declining both politically and economically and that this was the best time to enter into an economic race with the US.


The relevant Chinese government agencies are discussing plans to accelerate the implementation of large construction projects, as well as to issue coupons for individuals, designed to stimulate consumer spending, WSJ’s sources said.


In the final quarter of 2021, the US economy outpaced China, growing 5.5 per cent year-on-year compared to China’s 4.0 per cent.


US President Joe Biden claimed that the American economy grew faster than the Chinese for the first time in 20 years. According to WSJ, this caused discontent among a number of senior Chinese officials.


Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) slightly downgraded its forecast for economic growth in China to 4.4 per cent this year and to 5.1 per cent in 2023.


According to the IMF forecast, the zero-COVID strategy pursued in China entails an increase in restrictive measures that have a negative effect on China’s private consumption and overall economic growth.

UP: 8 Injured After Lift Collapses In Ghaziabad College

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 02:01 AM PDT

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh): Eight students were injured after the lift in a college located near Lalkuan in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad collapsed.


According to the police, three of the eight students are in critical condition. All the students have been admitted to a nearby hospital, said the police. “8 students reported injuries after a lift fell in the IMS College in Dasna, Ghaziabad. Three are critical. All students have been admitted to a nearby hospital,” said Iraz Raza, SP Rural, Ghaziabad.


Further details are awaited.

Shehbaz Sharif Says Pakistan ‘Cannot Afford Enmity With US’

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:55 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Noting that Islamabad needs to develop good ties with Washington, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Pakistan “cannot afford enmity” with the US, reported local media.


The premier’s remarks came in the backdrop of the former Imran Khan government’s claims of a foreign-funded conspiracy behind its ouster, reported Geo News.

Stressing that the National Security Committee’s statement clearly dismisses any foreign conspiracy, Sharif said he will however consider forming a judicial commission on the cable controversy. He also said that Pakistan could ill afford an enmity with the US.


Notably, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has staged several protests across the country against the United States for an alleged “foreign conspiracy” to oust the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power who has been unseated after the no-confidence vote initiated by the Opposition was carried in the National Assembly.


Explaining the alleged conspiracy against him, Imran Khan had said that he learned three to four months ago that US officials had started meeting the leaders of the then Opposition along with PTI’s dissident MPs and journalists at the US embassy.


Imran Khan said that after those meetings, when US State Department official Donald Lu met the Pakistani ambassador, he knew that the no-confidence motion was being tabled against his government.


Meanwhile, speaking on the sit-in announced by the PTI calling for general elections, the premier said that though his government did not believe in politics of revenge, he would not tolerate anarchy in the country, reported the media outlet.


This comes after the PTI chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that he, along with his party workers, would stage a sit-in in Islamabad until the announcement of the next general elections.

Pakistan’s Economy Slumps To Catastrophic Low: Report

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:48 AM PDT

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan’s economy slumps to historic lows. While Pakistan’s miserable economic condition was shrouded by the political upheaval in the country over the past few months, the newly-elected Shehbaz Sharif government is now staring at an economic catastrophe not seen for decades, said a media report.


As everyone was fixated on a political war between the former Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government and the then Opposition aided by the army, the Pakistan’s economy continued to slip out of hands of policymakers quietly.

Now, the new government is bestowed with an economy which is dwindling on almost all parameters.

Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, who earlier served as the Federal Advisor on Finance, Chairman of the Pakistan Board of Investment and as an economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been put to a great test with too many daunting problems facing the country’s economy, reported Islam Khabar.


The major development lenders have slashed Pakistan’s economic growth forecast to 4 per cent, significantly lower than the 4.8 per cent set in the budget 2021-22.

Moreover, the IMF in its recent World Economic Outlook (WEO) 2022 has projected the inflation in the country to touch 11.2 per cent against last year’s 8.9 per cent, demonstrating how the economy continues to deteriorate.


According to Pakistani-American economist Atif Mian, the Imran Khan-led government inherited a bad economy, however, he left it in a worse shape with skyrocketing yawning fiscal deficit and current account deficit and zero increase in average income.


Recently, Moody’s projected a current account deficit of USD 12 billion between July 2021 and February 2022, against a USD 1 billion surplus in the same period a year earlier. The agency also highlighted risks for Pakistan’s economy in a fluid political situation and predicted further deterioration in its external position, including widening of the current account deficit and erosion of foreign exchange reserves, according to the media outlet.


According to Dr Aqdas Afzal, Professor of Economics at Habib University, Karachi, rising inflation will be another challenge for the Pakistan government and if the corrective measures are not taken, the country might plunge into a crisis like Sri Lanka.


A massive rise in foreign debt is another concerning issue for Pakistan as the external debt has risen from around USD 95 billion in 2018 to over USD 130 billion.

Further, amid foreign exchange reserves declined to a low of USD 11.3 billion, Pakistan needs to repay the foreign debt of around USD 2.5 billion during the ongoing quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal year.


Amid such a critical situation, the policymakers in Pakistan misrepresent the statistics to hide their failures as can be demonstrated by its assessment of foreign debt servicing lowered to the extent of 33 per cent as compared to IMF’s projection, the media outlet reported citing critics.


According to S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director at the Karachi based International Business Administration, “the responsibility for much of the current mess lies with many governments and the ruling elite of Pakistan, both military and civilian, who have failed their constituencies, their representatives and the people in whose name, and for whom, they claim to govern.” 

UEFA: Man City Edge Real Madrid In 7-Goal Semi-Final Opener

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:27 AM PDT

Manchester [UK]: Manchester City took a 4-3 lead to Real Madrid for their UEFA Champions League semi-final return after one of the competition’s great matches at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.


The Premier League leaders led by two goals three times but Karim Benzema’s double ensured the Spanish side remain in touching distance in the UEFA Champions league.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side would have been aware of what awaited them in Manchester but they could not contain the vibrant hosts early on.

Inside two minutes, Riyad Mahrez weaved inside from the right touchline and crossed for De Bruyne to head in.

The Belgian schemer was at his unplayable best and quickly turned provider, crossing for Gabriel Jesus, who turned David Alaba before sweeping in the second goal.


Then it was Karim Benzema who stepped up, guiding Ferland Mendy’s cross in off the far post for his 40th goal of the campaign in all competitions.


The chances flowed freely again after the break as the sides continued to slug it out. Mahrez raced clear to smack the post before Foden made it 3-1 from Fernandinho’s sublime cross but City’s joy was short-lived as Vinicius Junior escaped Fernandinho within two minutes on the way to a wonderful solo effort.


Still neither side relented. Bernardo Silva was next in on the act, thumping a drive past Thibaut Courtois from 20 metres, but Pep Guardiola’s charges could not keep hold of the two-goal advantage again as Aymeric Laporte’s handball gave Benzema the chance to become the outright top scorer in the competition this season.


The French striker’s Panenka penalty summed up a sensational contest, with the second instalment to come at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday. 

Great Players Go Through Phases Like This: Faf du Plessis Backs Kohli

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:26 AM PDT

Virat Kohli’s form for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 remains a cause for concern but the batting stalwart was backed by RCB skipper Faf du Plessis who on Tuesday said ‘great players go through phases like this’.

Chasing a 145-run target, Bangalore’s top-order failed again as they lost the four wickets for 58 runs and failed to recover from that. Talking about Kohli’s lean patch, the RCB captain said that great players go through the rough patches and they are going to back him to turn things around. Kohli was dismissed on just 9 runs while attempting a pull shot but he managed to get an edge and got caught. The batter has been going through a very rough patch this season with just 128 runs in just 9 matches.

“We have to try to change the batting order and see if that works. We have to try and play positively. That’s what we discussed after the last game, trying to get the best out of him [on Kohli]. Great players go through these things. Great players go through phases like this. We wanted him to get in straight away so that he doesn’t sit on the sidelines and think about the game. He is a great player and we still back him to turn it around and hopefully, it’s around the corner. It’s a game of confidence,” said Faf du Plessis in a post-match presentation.

Du Plessis admitted that his top-order batters are lacking consistency and his side will have to fix the problem sooner.

“It’s pretty similar to the previous game we played, there is a little bit of inconsistent bounce. We gave 20 runs too many and the dropped catch cost us 25. 140 was a par score on that pitch. That’s the thing we need to fix [the top-order batting]. The basics of the game don’t change. You needed someone in the top four to bat through and we have not done it,” he added.

A four-wicket haul by Kuldeep Sen and an unbeaten knock of 56 runs by Riyan Parag powered Rajasthan Royals to victory by 29 runs over Royal Challengers Bangalore at MCA stadium here on Tuesday. Apart from Kuldeep, Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets while Prasidh Krishna settled for two.

Mumbai: 337 Residential Buildings Categorised As ‘Dangerous’

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:17 AM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Ahead of Monsoon this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has categorised 337 residential buildings in Mumbai as “dangerous” that are unfit for habitation.


Out of these 337 buildings, a total of 163 buildings are in the western suburbs, 104 are in the eastern suburbs, and 70 buildings are in the city, a civic body official said.

“Ahead of monsoon, BMC categorised 337 residential buildings in Mumbai as dangerous. Out of these buildings, 163 are in western suburbs, 104 are in the eastern suburbs, wherein 70 buildings are in the city,” the official said.


The official also informed that if the BMC categorises a building as dangerous or dilapidated, the civic body asks the residents to get it reconstructed or demolished entirely.


“There is a process of demolishing or redeveloping these buildings. If the house owners need us to hold out the repairs, then we achieve this through the use of our manpower and tools. After the restoration works are accomplished, the residents should pay the redevelopment prices to the BMC, whereas buying the Occupation Certificates, submitting redevelopment,” the official said.


Further, the official informed that it is the responsibility of private owners to arrange alternate rehabilitation for the occupants of these buildings.


Every year, the BMC releases a list of dilapidated buildings and those which are not fit for habitation are categorised as C-1 structures. 

IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals Captain Sanju Samson Hails Riyan Parag After Win Over RCB

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:16 AM PDT

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson credited Riyan Parag for a 29-run victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Tuesday and said that seeing the way the team started, it was a great victory.

The Royals were in trouble after losing three wickets in powerplay and their in-form batter Jos Buttler as well. But a brilliant unbeaten knock of 56 runs helped RR win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Skipper said they are constantly backing Parag, and it finally yielded rich dividends. “It is a really great win. After the start in the first 15 overs, we had real belief and trust in someone called Riyan Parag. We have been backing him for the last three-four years and he just showed it to the world today. I thought we were 10-15 runs short with no dew in the second innings.

The pitch was turning and was two-paced, so 150-160 would have been a good total. It was something we were waiting for, for the back end of our batting to win us matches. Almost everyone has put up a match-winning performance so far,” said Sanju Samson in a post-match presentation.

“The chat we had just before the second innings, was that when you are chasing 200 there is only one gear. But for such totals like 150, it was only a matter of putting pressure as the batsmen had to change gears. The dressing room atmosphere is really important. We make a couple of changes according to the wicket and the opponent, but communication is very important. Karun, for example, was left out just because we needed that one over from Daryl Mitchell, and he understands that, and he can come back in later,” he added.

In Every Game, An Individual Player Always Stands Out – Rahul Tewatia

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:09 AM PDT

Gujarat Titans Rahul Tewatia said that in every match of the franchise, an individual player has always stood out and it is good for the team in tough circumstances, players take responsibility to win the games for their side.

“Looking at our games, every game had an individual player who stood out. It is not like we are dependent on one to three players.

In the first match against Lucknow Super Giants, it was me and Miller (David Miller), then next time it was Abhinav Manohar, then Lockie Ferguson bowled well and finally, there was David Miller who finished a match.

This is a team game, team matters more. We are happy that there is always someone who ends up being a part of tough times and takes the responsibility,” said Tewatia.

The attacking left-handed batter, who has finished some matches for his side and during his stint with Rajasthan Royals said regarding his ‘match-finisher’ image that winning matches brings responsibilities and it feels great to have responsibilities coming his way.

On facing and hitting West Indies bowlers like Sheldon Cottrell and Odean Smith for sixes, the all-rounder said that he does not look at who the bowlers are, but rather puts all his attention on seeing the ball and hitting it.

Capex In Manufacturing Gets Push in 2021-22

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 01:02 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Private sector capital expenditure (capex) in manufacturing surged by around 150 per cent in 2021-22 year-on-year backed by mega project announcements in steel, cement and auto sectors, Goldman Sachs said in a report.


New investment and capex announcements by the private sector saw a 145-150 per cent increase in FY22, compared to FY21 and FY20, Goldman Sachs report showed.

“New investment/capex announcements and ordering activity have seen a sharp pick-up in FY22 (both over last year and pre-COVID levels),” Goldman Sachs noted in the report titled ‘Make In India’ tracker.


The manufacturing sector, which has lagged for multiple years, saw an increase of 210 per cent and 460 per cent in FY22, compared to FY21 and FY20.


While the increase was aided by mega project announcements (especially in the Steel sector), the number of projects announced also increased by 80 per cent/140 per cent in FY22, compared to FY21 and FY20, the report said.


The growth was contributed by both traditional sectors like petrochemicals, steel, cement and automobiles, and new-age sectors like electronics, e-vehicles and Data Centres.


The government contracts also gave a big push to the Make in India initiative.

Contract awarding saw an overall increase of 55 per cent year-on-year in FY22, and the manufacturing sector witnessed a growth of 135 per cent year-on-year.


Growth in awards for infrastructure projects has been decent as well, primarily driven by higher activity in the roads sector.


The report also has a chapter on the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme of the government.


In order to give a push to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the Government of India proposed Production Linked Incentive schemes for 13 sectors during FY21, at a proposed incentive outlay of $26.7 billion. This excludes the PLI scheme on semiconductors.


Following approval of the automobiles and auto components PLI, all the 13 proposed PLI schemes have been approved by the cabinet, 10 have received and approved bids with an incentive outlay of Rs 1,108 billion, (excluding incentive for food products), the report noted. 

PM Modi Chairs COVID-19 Review Meeting With Chief Ministers

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:56 AM PDT

Amid rising COVID cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a meeting with Chief Ministers via video conferencing to assess the health situation across the nation.

Apart from the Prime Minister and senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and officials from their respective Ministries are also present at the meeting. As per sources, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will be making a presentation on the present situation of COVID, the extent of vaccination, especially the booster drive, and the trajectory of cases in certain states.

In the past, PM Modi has held several meetings with the Chief Ministers, and even District Magistrates, to understand the situation on the ground.

India recorded 2,483 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The active caseload is 15,636, while the positivity rate is 0.55 per cent, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare bulletin.

Prime Minister Modi on Sunday’s Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast urged people to stay alert for COVID-19 during the festival season. He also advised them to wear masks and wash their hands at regular intervals to keep COVID at bay. 

Shehzad Poonawalla Calls Digvijay Singh ‘Friend, Philosopher, Guide Of Fake News’

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:49 AM PDT

A day after Congress leader Digvijay Singh accused the BJP of paying Muslim youths for stone-pelting, the BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the Opposition leader a ‘friend, philosopher and guide of fake news’.

Poonawalla also stated that whenever legal action is taken against rioters, Congress spreads fake news to shield them and stoke communal tensions. In a self-made video, the BJP spokesperson on Wednesday said, “Singh is the friend, philosopher and guide of fake news, especially when he wants to protect rioters and terrorists. He does not have any facts or proof but he says that the Bharatiya Janata Party pays Muslim youths to pelt stones. Similarly, without facts and proof he gave this statement that 26/11 wasn’t the conspiracy of Pakistan or Ajmal Kasab but that of the RSS and the Hindus. Without proof, Congress had earlier said that Hindus are terrorists and this has been reiterated by Congress leaders from P Chidambaram to Sushil Kumar Shinde.”

He further said, “Post Khargone violence, Singh was the Congress leader who without facts and proof had tweeted a picture of some other place where some people could be seen planting flags on a mosque, to further flare communal tensions in the area. And in this manner, he propagated fake news by trying to associate that picture with that of Madhya Pradesh. Singh had also spread fake news on Batla House encounter to protect terrorists and questioned the martyrdom of Mohan Chand Sharma.”

“He and his party also questioned the Indian Army and surgical strikes. They also called the Pulwama attack a conspiracy of the Indian security forces and gave a clean chit to Pakistan. Time and again Congress and Singh have spread fake news to protect rioters and terrorists. The question is, whenever there is legal action against rioters, be it in Jahangirpuri, Karauli, or other parts of the country, why does Congress favour them and why does it propagate lies to flare up communal tensions?” added Poonawalla.

The BJP leader was reacting to the statement of Singh where he claimed that he received “unverified information that the BJP is paying poor Muslim youths to pelt stones”.

While interacting with reporters during his visit to the Modi village in Madhya Pradesh’s Jawad tehsil in Neemuch district, Singh had said, “I am getting such complaints that some poor Muslim boys are being paid by the people of BJP to pelt stones. But, (I) have not investigated it.”

Singh’s remarks came after clashes were reported between two communities in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during religious processions on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. 

Old Wine, Old Friends: Sidhu On Meeting Friend Prashant Kishor

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:33 AM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Following Prashant Kishor declining the Congress’ offer to join the party, former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu met him on Tuesday and shared a picture with the caption “Old wine, Old gold and Old friends still the best”.


The picture was shared from Navjot Singh Sidhu’s Twitter handle. Sidhu wrote, “Had a wonderful meeting with my old friend PK … Old wine, Old gold and Old friends still the best !!!”

After several rounds of meetings with Congress’s top brass in the last few days, poll strategist Prashant Kishor has declined to join the Congress party.


Prashant Kishor has held several meetings in the last 15 days with Congress’s top leadership and gave a proposal to revamp the party ahead of the 2024 general election.


Kishor had given a detailed presentation with a road map for the 2024 General elections.


Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Kishor said, “I declined the generous offer of Congress to join the party as part of the Empowered Action Group (EAG) and take responsibility for the elections. In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reforms.”


Following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in October last year, Kishor had said that the people are looking forward to an opposition led by the Grand Old Party (the Congress), but the party first needs to fix its deep-rooted problems and remove its structural weaknesses.

Madhya Pradesh Minister Rejects Digvijay Singh’s Claim Of ‘BJP Scripting Stone-Pelting Incidents’

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:25 AM PDT

Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang rejected senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s accusation that Bharatiya Janata Party “scripts stone-pelting incidents by paying Muslim boys”.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Singh had previously claimed that he had received some complaints regarding the allegation of the “BJP scripting stone-pelting” though he has not verified them. “I have received a few complaints, which I have not verified yet, but as per these complaints, some people from the BJP themselves pay poor Muslim boys to throw stones,” Singh said during a press conference in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

The Madhya Pradesh Minster for Medical Education Vishwas Sarang rubbished the accusation of Digvijaya Singh by terming it baseless and false.

Sarang also questioned the intentions behind his statement, saying “how could you level such charges when you are saying that you do not have proof”.

He further claimed that “the BJP is a party that stops riots, and not the one that promotes communal violence.”

“These are political statements made for advancing the politics of appeasement. Congress has a history of fuelling riots to gain power,” he added.

Singh’s statement came days after violence erupted in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh following a stone-pelting incident during a Ram-Navami procession on April 10.

Several people, including police personnel, were injured when groups of people pelted stones at each other during the procession. The stone-pelting started at the beginning of the procession leaving around four persons injured, including a police inspector.

Phone Tapping Case: Mumbai Police Files Chargesheet Against IPS Rashmi Shukla

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:13 AM PDT

Mumbai Police on Tuesday filed a chargesheet of around 700 pages against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in the phone tapping case.

The case was registered against Rashmi Shukla at Colaba police station in Mumbai on the complaint of a senior police officer in March this year. Around 20 people’s statements including statements of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse included in the chargesheet.

Colaba police started the investigation by registering a case against senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla under the Telegraph Act. The police have interrogated Rashmi Shukla in connection with the case.

Rashmi Shukla had allegedly tapped the phones of NCP leader Eknath Khadse and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and kept them under constant surveillance, the phone tapping happened when Rashmi Shukla was the head of the state’s SID.

Khadse’s phone was allegedly tapped twice in 2019 when he was with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After he had joined NCP in October 2020, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s phone was also tapped in November 2019 during the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Shukla is presently on central deputation and posted as Additional Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Hyderabad.

Pune Police has also registered a case against Rashmi Shukla. During the BJP government, the phones of Congress leaders Nana Patole and Bachu Kad were also allegedly tapped illegally.

Chhattisgarh: Railways Restarts Services Of 6 Trains After CM Baghel Urges To Resume Operation

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 12:05 AM PDT

Services of six trains were resumed following the conversion between Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday, days after the operation of 23 trains was stopped due to track maintenance work.

According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), after a discussion with Baghel, the Union Railway Minister has announced the operation of six major passenger trains passing through Chhattisgarh namely 18237/18238 Chhattisgarh Express, 12807/12808 Samta Express and 12771/12772 Secunderabad-Raipur-Secunderabad Express will be resumed. Earlier on Tuesday, Baghel urged Vaishnaw to restart the operation of all 23 passenger trains.

The South East Central Railway, Bilaspur issued an order on April 23, stating that the operation of a total of 23 express and local trains passing through Chhattisgarh has been stopped for the next one month from April 24, 2022.

In a telephonic conversation with Vaishnaw, the Chief Minister apprised him of the difficulties faced by commuters due to the cancellation of these trains.
“Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel had a telephonic conversation with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and apprised him of the problems being faced by the passengers of the state due to cancellation of operation of about 23 passenger trains passing through the state,” said CMO.

Baghel urged the Railway Minister to resume the operation of these trains in view of public interest.

The Railway Minister assured that the demand of the Chief Minister would be resolved soon after taking a suitable decision.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister objected to the decision of the Railways to halt the operation of 23 local trains passing through the state from April 24, 2022, for track upgradation work.

Chhattisgarh government wrote to Railway Board urging it to continue the operation of local trains passing through the state.

According to the state government, no alternative arrangement has been made for the passengers before the closure of services of these trains.

The Chhattisgarh government said earlier a total of 10 trains were discontinued by a similar kind of order by the South East Central Railway issued on March 2022.

The state government wrote to Railways on April 5 requesting to continue the operation of the above trains but the request of the state government was ignored.

Food Crisis In China Revives Memories Of Mao-Era Famine

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 11:49 PM PDT

Beijing [China]: Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China is going back to the days of Mao Zedong’s extreme communism and bringing back the memories of the famine in Mao-era.


Writing for InsideOver, Federico Giuliani said Xi Jinping has made it his motto to make China the strongest superpower in the world but he is repeating the same mistakes that were made in the Mao-era.

During Mao-era, the main cause of the famine was an ill-conceived effort, executed with insufficient means, to catch up with Britain in industrialisation.


“The view among distinguished China observers is that Xi Jinping has reversed the economic policies followed by his predecessors, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao; policies which had made China prosperous,” he said.


Xi Jinping’s attempts to follow in the footsteps of Mao in the 21st century would not work.


Food imports in China increased from USD 14 billion to USD 104.7 billion between 2003 and 2017.

Meanwhile, food export increased from USD 20.2 billion to USD 59.6 billion.


But the Covid-induced disruption has aggravated an already serious situation on the food front.


This predicament comes at a time when the race to industrialise in China has left it with a lop-sided development, with a shortage of arable land.


“It is estimated that since 1959 at least 20 per cent of the arable land of China has been lost to industries. Only about 10 per cent of land in China is arable, as against 20 per cent for the USA,” the report said.


According to Giuliani, the reality of a food shortage in China is so serious that in August 2020 President Xi Jinping introduced “Operation Clean Plate” under which diners in restaurants must eat all they have ordered.


There are even reports that China is trying to grab land in Latin American countries to produce food to send it back home.

PM Modi To Visit Germany, Denmark, France Next Week

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 11:41 PM PDT

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on an official visit to three European countries -Germany, Denmark and France – from May 2-4, the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said on Wednesday.


In a statement, the MEA said this will be the Prime Minister’s first visit abroad in 2022. On PM Modi’s visit to Germany, he will hold bilateral talks with Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany, in Berlin and the two leaders will co-chair the sixth edition of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).


The biennial IGC is a unique dialogue format that also sees the participation of several Ministers from both sides.

This will be Prime Minister’s first IGC with Chancellor Scholz, and also the first such Government-to-Government consultations of the new German government, which assumed office in December 2021.


During PM Midi’s visit to Germany, he and Chancellor Scholz will also jointly address a Business Event. Prime Minister will address and interact with the Indian community in Germany.


In 2021, India and Germany commemorated 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and have been strategic partners since 2000.

This visit will be an opportunity to enhance and intensify cooperation in a broad range of areas and for the two governments to exchange views on regional and global matters of mutual interest.


PM Modi will thereafter travel to Copenhagen on an official visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen.

He will also participate in the 2nd India-Nordic Summit being hosted by Denmark.


The bilateral component of the visit will include talks with PM Frederiksen as well as an audience with Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.

The Green Strategic Partnership was the first of its kind arrangement between India and Denmark.


According to the MEA release, the visit would provide both sides an opportunity to review its progress, as well as examine ways to further expand our multifaceted cooperation.

During the visit, Prime Minister will attend an India-Denmark Business Forum and also address members of the Indian diaspora.


During the 2nd India-Nordic Summit, Prime Minister will also interact with other Nordic leaders – Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store of Norway, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland.


The Summit will focus on subjects like post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovation and technology, renewable energy, the evolving global security scenario and India-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic region.

The 1st India-Nordic Summit took place in 2018 in Stockholm, MEA said.


On his return journey on May 4, the Prime Minister will briefly stop over in Paris and meet Emmanuel Macron, President of France.

India and France are celebrating 75 years of their diplomatic relations this year and the meeting between the two leaders will set a more ambitious agenda of the Strategic Partnership. 

Equity Indices Open In Red, Sensex Down By 400 Points

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:45 PM PDT

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Equity benchmark indices opened in red on Wednesday with Sensex down by 400.42 points and Nifty by 132.80 points.


At 9:45 AM, the BSE Sensex was down by 400.42 points or 0.70 per cent at 56,956.19.

BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange, is the oldest stock exchange in Asia, and also the 10th oldest in the world.


The 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 17,068.00, at 9:45 AM, down by 132.80 points or 0.77 per cent.


NIFTY 50 is a benchmark Indian stock market index, representing the weighted average of 50 of the largest Indian companies listed on the National Stock Exchange.

It is one of the two main stock indices used in India.

Centre scraps MP quota for admissions to KV schools

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:39 PM PDT

The Education Ministry has scrapped quotas in several categories including that of Member of Parliament (MP) and District Magistrate (DM) for admissions to Kendriya Vidyalayas, according to the latest circular issued by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).

Earlier, the KVS had put on hold all discretionary quotas, including the MP quota, for admissions to KV schools across the country, following a review. “In a revolutionary step to streamline admissions in Kendriya Vidyalas and improve the quality of education, it has been decided to discontinue several discretionary quotas which were beyond the approved students’ strength,” government sources told ANI.

Recently, a review of KVS functioning was carried out by the Education Minister and Chairman KVS Dharmendra Pradhan in which it was observed that these quotas crowd the classrooms, adversely affecting the Pupil-Teacher ratio and the quality of teaching-learning, sources said.

The government official further informed that the discretionary quotas had also distorted the overall percentage of SC/ST/OBC reservations in the schools.
“Keeping all these factors in mind, the decision has been taken to discontinue discretionary quotas of the Ministry of Education, Sponsoring Agency, MPs, etc. There was a long practice of recommending students by the Minister of Education, but the same has been discontinued,” the sources stated.

According to the official, it shall be noted that even in 2021-22, the education minister did not recommend a single admission under his quota and the provision of recommending up to ten cases by each MP is also discontinued.

Moreover, there were provisions of thousands of admissions under quotas of sponsoring agencies and Chairpersons Vidyala Management Committees, that is, District Collectors, which have now also been discontinued, sources said adding that it will free up about 40,000 seats in KVs across the country.

Meanwhile, a KV official also informed that the provision of admission under quota will still continue for some categories including single girl children, orphaned kids, etc.
“The provision of admissions will continue for a single girl child and those orphaned due to COVID under PM CARES Children scheme. A small number of discretionary quotas for wards of Kashmiri migrants, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies, etc. still continue. Moreover, children of serving employees of KVs, meritorious children in fine arts, sports, recipients of bravery awards, etc. shall also continue to be provided admission under discretionary quota. Even these quotas will be implemented at the local level only, after careful examinations of relevant documents by school principals,” the KV official told ANI.

The KV official also said these steps will ensure that KVs become the finest schools, which will impart quality education as per the mandate of the National Education Policy 2020.

Rajasthan CM Writes To Gadkari For Providing Better Connectivity To Bharatpur

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:32 PM PDT

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday wrote to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari requesting better connectivity to Bharatpur city in the state which is known for a popular bird sanctuary.

In his letter, Gehlot asked for the extension of the road connecting Paniyala Mod and Delhi-Mumbai expressway up to Bharatpur in the state along with announcing the Alwar-Bharatpur (97 km) road as a national highway and upgrading it to a four-lane road. In the letter, the chief minister said that Bharatpur has a world-famous bird sanctuary which hosts thousands of visitors from various states in the city.

The Delhi-Mumbai greenfield expressway and the newly-built Ambala-Narnaul-Paniyala Mod National Highway in Rajasthan are being connected by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) through Paniyala Mod-Alwar-Badodameo, according to the letter written by Gehlot.

The chief minister, in his letter, said that the traffic coming from the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Ambala-Narnaul-Paniyala Expressway would need an easy and accessible route to reach Bharatpur, Agra and Mathura in the future.

He further said that the road from Paniyala Mod to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway should be extended up to Bharatpur adding that the Alwar-Bharatpur road should also be declared a national highway and it is necessary to upgrade it to a four-lane.

According to Gehlot, this will boost development and provide employment opportunities in this area. 

India Logs 2,927 New COVID-19 Cases In Last 24 Hours, Daily Positivity Rate At 0.58 PC

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:19 PM PDT

Witnessing a steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 infections, India reported 2,927 new cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, India recorded 2,483 new COVID-19 cases. The active caseload has also increased from 15,636 to 16,279. The active cases account for 0.04 per cent of the total cases.

A total of 2,252 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,25,25,563. The recovery rate is 98.75 per cent.

According to the Ministry, 32 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours. The death toll in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic is now at 5,23,654.
The daily cases positivity rate also saw a rise from 0.55 per cent (on Tuesday) to 0.58 per cent (on Wednesday). The weekly positivity rate stands at 0.59.

As many as 5,05,065 COVID samples were tested in the last 24 hours. A total of 83.59 crore tests have been conducted in the country so far.

As far as vaccination is concerned, 21,97,082 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered during this period. With this, the total number of vaccine jabs administered under the nationwide vaccination drive so far went up to 1,88,19,40,971. 

PM Modi Announces Rs 2 Lakh Ex-Gratia For Kin Of TN’s Thanjavur Mishap Victims

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:13 PM PDT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his condolences over the death of 11 people due to electrocution during the chariot procession in Appar Swami Temple of Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur and also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin.

“Deeply pained by the mishap in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. I hope that the injured recover soon,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted. PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the Thanjavur mishap and Rs 50,000 for the injured persons.

“An amount of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the mishap in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” PMO further said in a tweet.

An FIR has also been registered and an investigation has started in connection with deaths due to electrocution during the chariot procession in Tamil Nadu today.

“A total of 11 people have died. Three people died on the spot and seven died in the hospital. 15 people are injured and have been taken to Thanjavur Medical College for treatment. FIR has been filed and an investigation into the matter has started,” said V. Balakrishnan Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range.

The police official said that the incident occurred after the temple car came in contact with a high voltage power line and went up in flames.

“Prima facie it suggests that some high tension wire came in contact with the temple car (of chariot festival) during the annual chariot festival in the Kallimedu village,” said Balakrishnan.

“The temple car was negotiating a turn and faced some obstacle before being reversed when it came in contact with the overhead line,” he added. 

NASA Chief Rues Chinese Lack Of Transparency In Space Operations

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 09:13 PM PDT

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday China continues to display a lack of transparency and willingness to cooperate with the United States and other countries in space.

“We want cooperation that has not been forthcoming from the Chinese government (but) it takes two to tango,” Nelson told a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We simply haven’t had any transparency from the Chinese.” When China launched its space station, the first stage of its booster space rocket landed in the Indian Ocean and Beijing did not share any tracking data either with the United States or other countries, Nelson said.

“When they put up their space station they did not reserve enough fuel to control where it came down and thank the Good Lord it came down in the Indian Ocean. (But) it could have come down in Europe, it could have come down in Saudi Arabia. It could have come down in Greece,” he said.

There has still been no forthcoming from the Chinese government about such cooperation and so the United States will deal with tracking Chinese space activity as it progresses, Nelson added.

The United States suspects that China may have a plan waiting to use space technology to block American radars and jam sophisticated weapons systems if the need arises, according to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the US.

The 80-page report released recently gives credence to what was suspected by the international community till now that China has acquired capabilities to “prevail in a major conflict with the US and is aggressively launching, acquiring, and obtaining through espionage the counter-space capabilities necessary to do so.”

According to this report, Russia and China seek to become leading space powers in the near future.

“Beijing and Moscow seek to position themselves as leading space powers, intent on creating new global space norms. Through the use of space and counter-space capabilities, they aspire to undercut US global leadership,” the agency said.

The combined space fleet of Russia and China has grown by 70 per cent between 2019 and 2021, while in the 2015-2018 period the two countries increased their respective fleets by more than 200 per cent, DIA said.

“Between 2019 and 2021 the combined operational space fleets of China and Russia have grown by approximately 70 per cent. This recent and continuing expansion follows a period of growth (2015-2018) where China and Russia had increased their combined satellite fleets by more than 200 per cent,” the agency added.

China Reports 1,818 New Local COVID-19 Cases, 48 Deaths

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 09:05 PM PDT

The Chinese mainland reported 1,818 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours, said the National Health Commission on Wednesday.

Of the new local cases, 1,606 were reported in Shanghai, while the rest of the cases were reported in 16 other provincial-level regions on the mainland, including 56 in Jiangxi, 51 in Jilin, and 31 in Beijing, Xinhua reported citing the commission. The country also reported 12,404 locally transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, of which 11,956 local asymptomatic carriers were identified in Shanghai.

While 3,728 COVID-19 patients recovered in the past 24 hours, as many as 26,774 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals across the country.

With 48 COVID-19 fatalities, all in Shanghai, reported in the past 24 hours, the country’s death toll mounted to 4,876, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread in more and more cities in China, questions are mounting over the country’s zero covid policy.

The country’s much-publicized “zero-covid” strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

Moreover, China’s financial hub, Shanghai, has been facing the worst COVID-19 outbreak and has been desperately seeking medical care and basic supplies like food. 

Imran Khan’s Smear Campaign Against Pakistan Army May Backfire Him

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 09:01 PM PDT

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s social media campaign against the Pakistan army to pave way for early elections may backfire him with the defence forces clearly annoyed with the move, reported local media.

Notably, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman (PTI) chairman is pursuing a policy of pressurising the military establishment to intervene and hold early elections, however, the defence forces have clearly denied interfering in the matter, reported The News International. The campaign which is being run by a sizeable number of social media PTI followers, who Imran Khan has termed as his “social media warriors”, against the army and its chief has miffed the military establishment.

According to defence sources, the army has all the evidence on how these smear campaigns against the army and its chief have been run and details are expected to be made public ‘at the right time’.

Further, the defence sources said that the army will maintain its apolitical stance and will not pressurize anyone to hold early elections. Such issues need to be discussed and decided by the politicians among themselves, added the sources.

While a senior PTI leader refuted the reports of Imran Khan being involved in such campaigns, he admitted that the party wants to pressurise the establishment to pave the way for early elections, reported the media outlet.

Notably, in his speech at the Lahore rally last week, Imran Khan, without naming the army, had subtly said that ‘whoever made the mistake’ of ousting him can rectify their mistake by holding early elections.

According to observers, Khan was sending out a clear message to the military establishment.

Moreover, while PTI sources claim that Imran Khan has always supported the army, some political observers noted that neither Khan nor any of the party’s top leadership did anything to stop his supporters from waging the smear campaign against the army.

Meanwhile, the PTI has decided to stage a sit-in in Islamabad until the announcement of the next general elections. In a video message, Khan asked PTI workers and the people of the country to make preparations for his call for a march on Islamabad in the next few weeks, according to the media outlet.

However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said it cannot hold general elections before May 2023. 

Tamil Nadu: 11 People Electrocuted During Temple Procession In Thanjavur

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 08:42 PM PDT

At least 11 persons have died due to electrocution during a temple festival in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning.

The incident took place in Kalimedu village after a temple car came in contact with a high voltage power line and went up in flames, police said today. The incident occurred during the annual chariot festival.

An FIR has been registered and an investigation has started in connection with deaths due to electrocution during the chariot procession in Appar Swami temple of Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur on Wednesday.

“A total of 11 people have died. Three people died on the spot and seven died in the hospital. 15 people are injured and have been taken to Thanjavur Medical College for treatment. FIR has been filed and an investigation into the matter has started,” said V. Balakrishnan Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range.

The police official said that the incident occurred after the temple car came in contact with a high voltage power line and went up in flames.

“Prima facie it suggests that some high tension wire came in contact with the temple car (of chariot festival) during the annual chariot festival in the Kallimedu village,” said Balakrishnan.

“The temple car was negotiating a turn and faced some obstacle before being reversed when it came in contact with the overhead line,” he added.

More details awaited.

Radico Khaitan Wins ‘Best Of Bharat’ Award At The Pride Of India Brand Awards 2022

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 08:34 PM PDT

Radico Khaitan has won the 'Best Of Bharat' award at the Pride of India Brand Awards 2022 by the Exchange4Media group. The Pride of India Brand awards celebrates the best of Bharat and the world-class Make in India companies it has produced.

“Building a brand is like raising a child. It requires a lot of patience and care and effort to make it grow over the years,” says Amar Sinha, COO, Radico Khaitan, one of the leading liquor companies in India.

Radico Khaitan is among the 500 Indian companies being honoured at the inaugural Pride of India Brand awards, by the exchange4media group. The Pride of India Brand awards celebrates the best of Bharat and the world-class Make in India companies it has produced.

“Just in the last few weeks we've launched two super-premium brands, and have been running a number of campaigns on different platforms ranging from in-store to digital. People are responding really well," says Sinha, who admits that digital has become the dominant means of creating buzz around brands.

Radico has been very proactive about marketing its products over the years, through traditional and electronic media. Also, the company is increasingly harnessing the power of the internet. “We’ve reached out to people through every means. Apart from our advertisements and campaigns, we’ve sponsored music festivals like Sunburn Music Festival and other events to engage with the youth, especially targeting the millennial market. We also work with influencers on social media platforms to reach out to customers in different geographies and languages,” says Sinha.

"We've always been very aware of the need for strong marketing, no matter what product you sell. Up to a decade back, we advertised mainly through traditional media, which would make up about 50% of our marketing budget, though of course, we were aware of the growing social media and digital markets,” notes Sinha. He added saying, “Today, digital ads and campaigns make up 50% of our spends, while traditional media ads are around 20%, and certainly the share of digital spending will only increase.”

However, Sinha believes that traditional media will always have a place in advertising. “When someone sees your brand has big hoardings up and is appearing in newspapers and sponsoring big events, they realise you’re a big company and have that brand recall. Digital is great for making the larger market aware of your product and a way to keep your consumers engaged and informed through social media, but traditional media still has the impact.“

US Vice President Kamala Harris Tests COVID-19 Positive With No Symptoms

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 08:11 PM PDT

US Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19 with no symptoms and has isolated herself, as per a White House statement on Tuesday (Local Time).

According to the release, Vice President Harris will continue to discharge her duties from her residence and will return once she tests negative.

“Today, Vice President Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on rapid and PCR tests. She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence. She has not been a close contact to the President or First Lady due to their respective recent travel schedules. She will follow CDC guidelines and the advice of her physicians. The Vice President will return to the White House when she tests negative,” said the White House press release. 

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn To Align In Straight Line This Week After 1000 Years

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:56 PM PDT

After 1,000 years, a rare and unique astronomical event will take place during the last week of April when four planets including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in a straight line in the eastern sky for around one hour before the sunrise, said Subhendu Pattnaik, Deputy Director, Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar.

Speaking to ANI, Subhendu Pattnaik said, “During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet alignment will occur, which is popularly known as ‘planet parade” Although there is no scientific definition for ‘planet parade’, it is being widely used in astronomy to denote an event that takes place when planets of the solar system line up in a row in the same area of the sky.”

Pattnaik further explained the three most common types of ‘planet parade’. He said
when planets line up on one side of the Sun as seen up above the plane of our solar system is termed as the first kind of planet parade. The alignment of three planets on one side of the Sun is very common and can be seen for many days in a year.

Similarly, the alignment of four planets occurs once a year while that of five planets occurs once in every nineteen years. The alignment of all eight planets occurs once in about 170 years.

“Secondly, when some planets appear in a small sector of the sky at the same time regardless of their visibility conditions, from Earth’s point of view we term the event also as a planet parade. A planet parade of this type last happened on April 18, 2002 and July 2020 when all planets of the Solar system that are visible to the naked eye lined up in a row in the evening sky,” said Pattnaik.

He said the third type of planet parade is on rare occasions where there are favourable conditions for observation of all or some of the planets. These events are also referred to as planet parades. Three planets can be simultaneously observed in the same part of the sky several times a year.

“During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet parade will take place when Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up in the eastern sky around one hour before sunrise. This will be a planet parade of the third kind as described above. The last such parade of these planets occurred in 947 AD around 1,000 years ago,” Pattnaik said.

“One hour before sunrise on April 26 and 27, the moon along with four planets will be visible within 30 degrees from the eastern horizon in a near-perfect straight line. If the conditions are right, one can see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn in a line without the need for binoculars or telescopes. On April 30, the brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – can be seen very close together. Venus will be 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter,” he added.

US Offers USD 10mn For Info On Russian Intelligence Officers

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:48 PM PDT

The US government is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Russian military intelligence officers who have allegedly conducted malicious activities against the United States, the Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday.

“The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,” the release said.

The United States is specifically seeking information on six Russian nationals, who allegedly took part in a criminal conspiracy affecting US critical infrastructure, the release said.

The six persons of interest are: Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko, Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov, Pavel Valeryevich Frolov, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, Artem Valeryevich Ochichenko and Petr Nikolayevich Pliskin, the release added. 

Humanitarian Situation In Syria Dire Amid Economic Crisis: UN Official

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:41 PM PDT

The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire amid a worsening economic crisis, said Joyce Msuya, the deputy UN relief chief, on Tuesday.

As the eyes of the world turn to other conflicts, Syria is on the verge of becoming a forgotten crisis. Yet millions of Syrians struggle each month to survive. For many, their situation has never been direr since the civil war erupted in 2011, she told the Security Council. Fighting in many areas continues, and civilians, including women and children, are being killed and injured. The economic crisis continues unabated, she said.

Fuel shortages and lack of electricity impact the delivery of basic services, including health, education, and water and sanitation. Food and fuel prices are spiraling higher every month, putting the basic necessities for a healthy and dignified life even further out of reach for millions of people.

Food prices rose another 18 percent between February and March, said Msuya, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator.

Reliable access to sufficient and safe water across the north remains a major challenge.

Unprecedented water shortages last year are already taking their toll on farmers and livestock producers. Some sub-districts in the Northeast are reporting harvest losses of over 75 percent. The loss of crops and of agricultural livelihoods will likely worsen already high rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to their prominent role in agriculture, she said.

A staggering 4.1 million people in the Northwest need humanitarian aid. Almost 1 million people are living in tents, half of which are beyond their normal lifespan. Most are women and children, she said.

“For Syrians living through the 12th year of this crisis, the future looks bleak. As the economic and food security outlook worsens, the resources available for our emergency response are dwindling. We simply do not have the money needed,” said Msuya.

“Rapid and substantial investments are now required to help us break the vicious cycle of suffering, violence and despair. We count on the generous support of donors and the cooperation of Syrian authorities,” she said.

Putin, UN Chief Meet To Discuss Ukraine

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:34 PM PDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Putin told Guterres that the Ukrainian issue arose after the 2014 “unconstitutional coup” in Kyiv and people in Donbass remained under blockade and military pressure even after the Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement were reached. According to Putin, the Donbass “republics” have the right to declare their sovereignty and Russia has the right to recognize their independence and provide them with military assistance in full accordance with the UN Charter.

“Despite the ongoing military operation, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic track. We are negotiating and we do not refuse them,” he said.

Guterres proposed creating a contact group where the UN, Russia and Ukraine can discuss the situation together so that the humanitarian corridors are truly effective.
He said that to resolve the situation in Ukraine’s Mariupol, the UN is ready to fully mobilize its logistical capabilities and human resources, working together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces.

Guterres also said that the UN is ready in two or three days, together with the ICRC, to assess the situation at the Azovstal plant in order to evacuate civilians from there.
In response, Putin denied reports that Russian humanitarian corridors are not working and stressed that 130,000 to 140,000 people have left Mariupol with the assistance of Russia and they are free to go anywhere.

Putin also offered an opportunity to UN and ICRC representatives to have a look at how Russia treats Ukrainian war prisoners.

Before his trip to Moscow, Guterres met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the capital Ankara. The UN chief will travel to Ukraine following talks with Putin. 

AIIMS Nurses Call Off Strike After Delhi HC’s Order

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:23 PM PDT

Following Delhi High Court’s order, nurses of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) called off the strike on Tuesday night.

“We are accepting the decision of the Delhi High Court. We have been asked to appear in court on Wednesday. We will do so and based on the decision of the court, we will chalk our future course of action,” said a representative of the AIIMS nurses union. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the AIIMS nurses union to ensure that the employees including nurses who are on strike join duties immediately.

On Tuesday AIIMS moved Delhi HC seeking direction to the Nurses Union and any staff of AIIMS to desist from resorting to strike or in any manner disrupting the general functioning of the petitioner’s institute and hospital.

The bench of Justice Yashwant Varma on Tuesday directed Nurses Union to ensure that its workers including nursing officers immediately start working and issued notice to the nurses union. The court listed the matter for a detailed hearing on Wednesday morning while hearing a petition moved by the AIIMS administration against the ongoing strike by nurses.

In response to the suspension of the President of AIIMS Nurses Union, Harish Kajila, the nursing staff of the hospital on Tuesday went on an indefinite strike. The nurses union has demanded the immediate revocation of Kajla’s suspension.

In a letter addressed to the AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, the Union wrote, “In response to your unilateral decision to suspend Harish Kajila, president of AllMS Nurses Union, without even citing proper reasons, the union called an emergency executive meeting and took the decision to go on indefinite strike from 8 AM on April 26 demanding immediate revocation of suspension of Harish Kumar Kajla and stopping of all kinds of retaliative measures against union executives and Union members of main operation theatre (OT).”

“The union has always been receptive and open to expressing our genuine concerns and version throughout this issue. But unfortunately, we were neither called, nor contacted via any communication which forced us to go on an indefinite strike to safeguard the basic rights of our members. We would like to remind you that the undemocratic AllMS administration will be solely responsible for the consequences if any,” the letter read.

On April 23, AIIMS witnessed a dispute between the nursing officer Harish Kajila and the Resident Doctors Association. The nursing staff were protesting over the lack of manpower and late duty hours in the main operation theatre. 

Corbevax COVID-19 Vaccine Gets DCGI’s Nod For Children Aged 5-12

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:18 PM PDT

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use authorisation to Biological E’s Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 5 to 12 years, informed the pharmaceutical company on Tuesday.

Corbevax is currently being administered to children in the age group of 12-14. The approval comes after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) recommendation based on the review of interim safety and immunogenicity data of Corbevax for this age bracket.

This approval comes a month after Corbevax was given the nod for children between 12 and 15 years.

“BE has developed India’s first Indigenous Sub-unit COVID-19 against the novel coronavirus. The company performed a multi-centric, Phase 2/3 clinical trial in 624 children aged between 5 and 18 in two age sub-sets, i.e., >=12 to <18 years and >=5 to <12 years. As a part of the trial, children were administered two doses of 0.5 ml each of the vaccine or placebo in a gap of 28 days,” Biological E said in a statement.

BE submitted the interim safety data and immunogenicity data to regulatory agencies. For both the age sub-sets, the trial showed a significant increase in the anti-RBD IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies (nAb) against ancestral strain and Delta variant.

The nAb titers observed post-vaccination with Corbevax in the paediatric cohorts were comparable to the adult cohort evaluated in earlier clinical trials and the vaccine showed excellent safety for both age groups.

Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E Limited, said, “As many of us would be aware, the SEC had already given a positive recommendation for our vaccine’s use in the 5-12 age group. In continuation of the same, we were very happy to receive the formal approval from the DCGI making this an extremely safe and effective intervention available, particularly for the age groups 5 years onwards.

Datla further said that this is a great opportunity to get back to some level of normalcy in our continuing fight against the prevalent pandemic situation as Corbevax is the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in the country that addresses the vaccination needs of all age groups from 5 years and above.

Biological E Limited has manufactured 30 crore doses of Corbevax and has already supplied nearly 10 crore doses to the Central Government.

Currently, over 3 crore doses of Corbevax have been administered to children between 12-15 years of age.

COVID-19 vaccination for minors in India started from January 3 onwards for those in the 15-18 age group with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. The drive later expanded on March 16 to include children aged above 12 for Corbevax. India is currently administering two COVID-19 vaccines for children above 12. 

Haryana: Khelo India Youth Games’21 Between June 4-13

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:09 PM PDT

New Delhi[India]: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur met virtually with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal at the Organising and Coordinating Committee meeting of Khelo India Youth Games 2021, to make official the dates of the event.

The Games are scheduled from June 4 to June 13.


The Games, to take place for the U-18 age category, will be held in Shahbad, Ambala, Chandigarh and Delhi apart from Panchkula.

Around 8500 players will participate in these games.

It will feature a total of 25 sports, including 5 indigenous games of India.

The meeting was done to also know the preparedness of the State in organising the upcoming games. Sardar Sandeep Singh, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Government of Haryana, was also present along with other officials from the State and the Sports Authority of India in the meeting.


Laying out a detailed information plan to the Union Sports Minister, Manohar Lal mentioned that preparations are up and running for the smooth conduct of the Games.


The Chief Minister said that on May 8, a mascot and logo of Khelo India Youth Games would be launched at Indradhanush Auditorium in Panchkula.


For this, extensive preparations have been completed. He said that 2-3 multipurpose halls, synthetic track, and athletic track have been constructed for sports. Apart from this, the work of the auditorium in Badminton Hall, Government Women’s College, Sector 14, Panchkula has also been completed.

He said that the construction work of Hockey Stadium Panchkula and Shahbad has also been almost completed. Manohar Lal also mentioned that the all-weather swimming pool has been completed in Ambala.


The Chief Minister said that cultural programs full of Haryanvi culture would be organised in these games and during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the story of innumerable heroes of freedom struggle and the introduction of excellent players of the state would be shown in the exhibition so that the young generation could take inspiration from them.

He said that a promotion event program would be organised in Gurugram on May 13 for the games.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said that commendable work has been done in Haryana to save the girl child.

Apart from this, the women players of the state have also hoisted the flag in every game organised abroad. He said that in order to increase the interest of the students in more sports, the focus should be given to the theme dedicated to sports.


Work should be done with new ideas in Khelo India Youth Games so that there is more discussion about Haryana across the country. He said that in these games to be held in June, the rules of Covid-19 should be fully followed and full arrangements should be made for testing etc. for the players.

Sri Lanka In Talks With China For Debt Refinancing

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:08 PM PDT

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: After talks with International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid the ongoing economic crisis in the country, Sri Lanka’s Mass Media Minister Nalaka Godahewa on Tuesday said that the country is in talks with China as well for refinancing its debt.


“Now that IMF (International Monetary Fund) is ready to cooperate with Sri Lanka, other countries are aware that we have support.

We were guaranteed the support of the World Bank and other (financial) agencies,” Godahewa said, adding that the negotiations with Beijing on debt refinancing are at an early stage, Sputnik reported.

China is Sri Lanka’s biggest creditor having provided the Island nation with USD 3.5 billion of credit, the report said citing local media.


Last Tuesday, the Sri Lankan Finance Ministry said the IMF and India pledged assistance to mitigate the economic crisis that has gripped the country.


An IMF official on Tuesday advised Sri Lanka to tighten its monetary policy, raise taxes and adopt flexible exchange rates to overcome its debt crisis, according to media reports.


Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst economic crises resulting in widespread protests against the Rajapaksa family leaders, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.


The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, which have resulted in the country being unable to buy enough fuel, and people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, heating fuel, and gas.

PM Modi To Visit Assam On April 28 To Green Signal Many projects

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:07 PM PDT

New Delhi [India]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on April 28 where he will lay the foundation stone for several projects.


As per the Prime Minister’s Office, at around 11:00 am on Thursday, PM Modi will address the rally at Diphu in Karbi Anglong district.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Veterinary College (Diphu), Degree College (West Karbi Anglong) and Agricultural College (Kolonga, West Karbi Anglong). These projects, worth more than Rs 500 crore, will bring new opportunities for skilling and employment in the region.


During the programme, as per the release, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for more than 2,950 Amrit Sarovar projects.

The state will develop these Amrit Sarovars at a cumulative cost of around Rs 1,150 crore.

He will also lay the foundation stone of various projects in the education sector.

Thereafter, at around 01:45 pm, Prime Minister will reach Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh and dedicate Dibrugarh Cancer Hospital to the nation.


Later, at around 3 pm, PM Modi will attend a public function at Khanikar ground in Dibrugarh, where he will dedicate six more cancer hospitals to the nation and lay the foundation stone for seven new cancer hospitals.


At Diphu, as per the PMO’s press release, the Prime Minister’s unwavering commitment toward peace and development of the region was exemplified by the recent signing of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) by the Government of India and the Government of Assam with six Karbi militant outfits.


“The MoS has ushered in a new era of peace in the region. Prime Minister’s address at ‘Peace, Unity and Development Rally’ will provide a major boost to the peace initiatives in the entire region,” it stated.


At Dibrugarh, Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint venture of the Government of Assam and Tata Trusts, is executing a project to build South Asia’s largest affordable cancer care network with 17 Cancer care hospitals spread across the state.


“Under Phase 1 of the project, out of 10 hospitals, the construction of seven hospitals have been completed while three hospitals are at various levels of construction.

Phase 2 of the project will witness the construction of seven new cancer hospitals,” the release read.


The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation seven cancer hospitals completed under phase 1 of the project. These cancer Hospitals are built at Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Darrang, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, and Jorhat.


The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of seven new cancer hospitals at Dhubri, Nalbari, Goalpara, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Golaghat to be constructed under phase 2 of the project.


Notably, the Assam government has declared a state holiday in both districts for April 28.

IPL 2022: Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Sen Shine As RR Defeat RCB By 29 Runs

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:00 PM PDT

Four-wicket haul by Kuldeep Sen and an unbeaten knock of 56 runs by Riyan Parag powered Rajasthan Royals to victory by 29 runs over Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022 at MCA stadium here on Tuesday.

Apart from Kuldeep, Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets while Prasidh Krishna settled for two. Chasing 145, RCB had a pathetic start as their star batter Virat Kohli continued having a poor form with the bat and departed after scoring only 9 runs in the second over. He was caught by Riyan Parag on Prasidh Krishna’s delivery.

Opener and skipper Faf du Plessis was joined by Rajat Patidar and the duo tried to provide some momentum to Bangalore but the former was caught by Jos Buttler, with only 37 runs on the board, in the 7th over. It was followed by Glenn Maxwell’s wicket on the delivery, leaving RCB’s total at 37/3.

Patidar was joined by Shahbaz Ahmed, who then anchored the innings for some time. Ravichandran Ashwin sent Patidar back to the dugout in the 10th over with the team’s total at 58/4.

RCB then faced another loss in the form of Suyash Prabhudessai’s wicket in the 12th over after he fell to Ashwin’s spell and departed with just two runs in his kitty. Dinesh Karthik came to the crease and got run-out after scoring only 6 runs, with RCB’s total at 72/6.

Shahbaz was then joined by Wanindu Hasaranga but the duo also could not create any miracle for RCB as the former also ended up giving his wicket to Ashwin in the 16th over. It was followed by Hasanrang’s dismissal in the 17th over by Kuldeep Sen, which left RCB’s total at 102/8.

Prasidh Krishna then dismissed Mohammed Siraj in the 18th over. With a total of 30 runs left to win in the last over, it was Kuldeep Sen who put the last nail in the coffin and took Harshal Patel’s wicket to provide Rajasthan with a victory by 29 runs.
Earlier, Riyan Parag’s unbeaten 56-run knock off 31 balls guided Rajasthan Royals to a modest 144/8 in the first innings. For RCB, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga and Mohammed Siraj bag two wickets.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 144/8 (Riyan Parag 56*, Sanju Samson 27; Josh Hazlewood 2/19) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/10 (Faf du Plessis 23, Wanindu Hasaranga 18; Kuldeep Sen 4/20). 

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