Month: December 2020

With the protests at Delhi’s borders showing no signs of slowing down, farmers’ unions on Sunday said they would write to members of UK Parliament to stop Prime Minister Boris Johnson from visiting India for the Republic Day celebrations until their demands were met.

“UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to visit India on January 26 for the Republic Day celebrations. We are writing to British MPs asking them to stop the UK PM from visiting India till the Indian government agrees to meet our demands,” said Kulwant Singh Sandhu, a farmer leader from Punjab at the Singhu Border.

Sandhu also said, “In today’s meeting, it was decided what decision will be taken on the proposal sent by the Centre.”

On December 15, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed that Johnson will be attending India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2021 as the chief guest, adding that it is symbolic of a new era of India-UK ties.

Meanwhile, agitating farmers on Monday started a 24-hour long relay hunger strike, with 11 people sitting on strike each day.

Even after several rounds of talks with the government, farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws-Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)

Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha on Tuesday treated fans to a glimpse of her workout session and termed herself as ‘the pilates girl’

The ‘Dabangg’ star hopped on to Instagram and shared a picture from her pilates session. Sporting a camouflage jegging, and a black mesh top, Sinha tied her hair in a neat ponytail as she continued her workout.

With her legs stretched on the pilates machine, the ‘Holiday’ star balanced herself with her arms in the air.

The actor also shared workout advice for her fans in the caption to the post.

“Align your mind… the body will follow! #pilatesgirl” wrote Sinha.

Celebrity followers including Huma Qureshi and more than 59 thousand fans liked the post within 46 minutes of being posted.

In appreciation of the post, many left red heart and fire emoticons.

The ‘Rowdy Rathore’ actor has been quite active on social media and has been updating fans on her activities by sharing pictures and videos.

Earlier, Sonakshi Sinha treated her fans to an adorable picture as she showers love on her furry friend. The actor proved that she is a true pet lover as she channelled her love for her four-legged friend. (ANI)

Indian-Canadian singer Jaswinder Singh Bains also known as Jazzy B on Tuesday addressed agitating farmers at the Singhu border.

In his address, Jazzy B said that the farm protest has united farmers from all over the country.

“This protest has united all the farmers from the country. The farmers from Punjab, Haryana and many other states are coming out from their areas. I am thankful to the youth who came to support them. The whole world now knows that this protest is peaceful and many Prime Ministers of foreign countries are in support of the farmers,” Jazzy said.

Hundreds of farmers are protesting at the borders of Delhi since November 26 against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Several protesting leaders have threatened to step up their agitation. Several rounds of talks between the protestors and the Centre failed to produce any decisive result. (ANI)

The trade ban imposed by China on Australia is impeding its economic growth and is cutting through its growth projections.

China is more than ever dependent on Australian iron ore to feed its steel furnaces, and on Australian coal to generate power to keep its export manufacturing apparatus running, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Ban on Australian coal imports is creating a power crunch in Chinese manufacturing hubs resulting in non-fulfillment of the overseas orders thereby eating into its GDP.

Zhou Xin writing for SCMP opined that Beijing’s approach of selectively picking battles is backfiring on China’s own economy as it is undermining its effort to seek closer trade and economic ties with regional trade partners.

China has cited anti-dumping probes and strict quarantines as legitimate reasons to restrict Australian imports, reports SCMP.

China is hauling Australia over its leading role in the COVID-19 blame against China as the origin of the pandemic, as well as Canberra’s’ policy to lockout Chinese tech giants such as Huawei from its 5G rollout.

Moreover, the Chinese hostility post-COVID-19 towards nations which are blaming it for the pandemic is impeding Beijing’s ability to cultivate relationships with regional trade partners. Closer ties with China are now coming at the expense of the hatred towards those who dare to offend Beijing.

Beijing’s trade measures targeting Australia, therefore, could be seen as China using its trade power through its huge domestic market as a weapon to serve political purposes, reported SCMP.

After all, who would want to cultivate a closer relationship when it could be used as a tool of punishment in the future?

The dogmatic approach of Beijing is going to hamper its chances of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional 11-member trade deal in which Australia is a member.

Beijing needs to re-calibrate its trade policies to keep the production line running as the ban on Australia is starting to backfire, said Zhou Xin. (ANI)

By Amit Kumar

Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech delivered on the occasion of the AMU centenary celebrations event on Tuesday saying that the Prime Minister should have assured that the Centre will provide adequate funds for the development of the University.

Speaking to ANI CPI General D Raja said, “When PM was addressing the students, faculties members of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) he should have underlined that his government will provide adequate financial support, adequate funds for the development of the university. He should have said that students and faculty members and the image of the University will not be destroyed and the government will provide all supports and funds for the development of AMU.”

Earlier today Prime Minister Narendra Modi Virtually addressed the AMU Centenary celebration event and said that School dropout rate among Muslim girls was more than 70 per cent and this situation persisted for 70 years.

In these circumstances, Government started Swachh Bharat Mission, built toilets in villages and toilets for school-going girls. Now this rate has fallen to nearly 30 percent.

CPI leader and former Rajya Sabha MP further criticizes Prime Minister’s speech saying, “If you look at the speech delivered by the Prime Minister, one can come to the conclusion that he could have delivered such speech in any public meeting but here he was addressing students, faculty members of AMU. Whatever he spoke did not have any relevance.” (ANI)

Actor Rakul Preet Singh who has been shooting for Ajay Devgn’s ‘MayDay’ on Tuesday revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19.

The ‘De De Pyaar De’ actor took to Instagram to share a statement about her COVID-19 diagnosis and also informed that she has quarantined herself.

“I’d like to inform everyone that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have quarantined myself,” the statement read.

The 30-year-old actor also shared that she has been feeling fine and also urged anyone who came in her contact to get tested.

“I am feeling fine and will rest up well so that I can be back at shoot soon. Request everyone who met me to kindly get yourself tested. Thank you and Please stay safe,” the statement further read.

Rakul Preet Singh had started shooting for ‘MayDay.’ Directed and produced by Ajay Devgn, the film also stars megastar Amitabh Bachchan. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised the Aligarh Muslim University and said it has worked to strengthen India’s relations with many countries of the world in the last 100 years.

Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), he said that the research done at AMU on Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages, research on Islamic literature, gives new energy to India’s cultural relations with the entire Islamic world.

“The way AMU has helped society during the coronavirus crisis is unprecedented – free tests, building isolation wards, plasma banks and contributing a large amount to the PM CARES Fund shows the seriousness of fulfilling your obligations to the society,” PM Modi said via video conferencing.

“In the last 100 years, AMU has also worked to strengthen India’s relations with many countries of the world. The research done here on Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages, research on Islamic literature, gives new energy to India’s cultural relations with the entire Islamic world,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the history of education attached to AMU buildings is India’s valuable heritage.

“Today, people from AMU have trained in hundreds of countries of the world, along with the best places in India. The educated people of AMU represent the culture of India, anywhere in the world. History of education attached to AMU buildings is India’s valuable heritage,” PM Modi said.

“I often meet AMU alumni during my foreign visits, who very proudly say that they’ve studied from AMU. The university campus is like a city… We also see a Mini India. The diversity of AMU is a country’s power. We should not forget this strength nor let it become weak. We have to work towards strengthening the feeling of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’,” he added.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi released a postal stamp as part of centenary celebrations of AMU. This is the first time PM Modi is participating in a programme of the Aligarh Muslim University.

AMU became a University in 1920, through an Act of Indian Legislative Council by elevating the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College to the status of a Central University. MAO College was set up in 1877 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the PMO release stated.

The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It also has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad-Jangipur (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar). (ANI)

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan’s wife Tanzeen Fatima, who is also an SP MLA, has been released from Sitapur jail on Monday after securing bail from a court in a forgery case.

On December 21 late night, Fatima walked out of jail and said, “I am released from jail after 10 months, I give full credit to the judiciary, and the judiciary has done justice with me,” said Tanzim Fatima.

“I did not get any special facility in jail,” she added.

Her husband, Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament Mohammad Azam Khan, and disqualified MLA from UP, son Abdullah Azam continue to remain in jail.

The three had surrendered on 26 February this year. (ANI)