Month: February 2022

The Government of India will ban 54 more Chinese apps that pose a threat to India’s security, informed sources on Monday.

“Government of India to ban 54 Chinese apps that pose a threat to India’s security,” sources said.
The 54 Chinese apps include Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite.

Earlier in June last year, India banned 59 Chinese mobile applications including the widely-used social media platforms such as TikTok, WeChat, and Helo keeping in view the threat to the nation’s sovereignty and security.

The majority of the apps banned in the June 29 order were red-flagged by intelligence agencies over concerns that they were collecting user data and possibly also sending them “outside”.

This action came after 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers were killed during violent clashes in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh amid border tensions with China.

Later in September, the Government of India further blocked 118 Chinese mobile apps stating that they are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order”.

However, China opposed India’s decision to continue the ban on Chinese mobile apps and said the action is in violation of the World Trade Organisation’s non-discriminatory principles. (ANI)

In the absence of the former state Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing an uphill task in Goa to retain power as Congress tries to regain lost ground and the new entrants of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress making the polls a multi-corner contest. Parrikar was credited to have been the architect of the rise of the BJP in Goa.

Notably, this is the first electoral fray for the BJP without Parrikar. However, Utpal Parrikar, his son, is seeking to carry the legacy of his father in the Panaji Assembly constituency as an Independent candidate. After the BJP refused to give him the ticket.

Manohar Parrikar represented the Panaji Assembly seat. He had resigned from the BJP after Utpal Parrikar was denied a ticket from the Panaji Assembly constituency.

The Panaji Assembly seat has its own importance in the electoral politics of the state. Former Union Minister for Defence Manohar Parrikar, who had represented Panaji, had been a three-term Chief Minister of the state.

Goa BJP which corresponds to senior leader Manohar Parrikar is contesting against his son and has fielded Congress party turncoat Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate from the Panaji seat. Monserrate had joined the BJP along with nine other MLAs in 2019 from Congress.

Goa witnessed intense electioneering by top leaders of the various political parties. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram along with the AICC in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao canvassed in Goa, seeking votes for works carried out by the Congress-led governments in the past, slamming political rivals for hampering the welfare of the people in the state.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar also posted a video message for voters in Goa. He recalled works done by the Congress-led government in the past in the state.

Similarly, several candidates of the BJP, Congress and TMC along with other political parties posted video messages, highlighting the developmental works carried out by them in their respective constituencies.

In particular, BJP is contesting Goa polls on all the 40 assembly seats for the first time and fielded Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from the Sanquelim seat against Congress’ Dharamesh Saglani.

Meanwhile, AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also promised cash assistance for every woman above the age of 18 years and other benefits for many communities if his party came to power in the state.

Shiv Sena who is also contesting the Goa polls, highlighting the model of good governance in Maharashtra and pitching for its replication in all other states.

Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which the BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of MLAs from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), and three independents. The GFP and MGP each have three MLAs, and Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.

The intense poll campaigning by all the political parties for 40 Assembly seats in Goa concluded on Saturday evening.

The counting of votes in poll-bound Goa will take place on March 10. (ANI)

Amid the hijab protests, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the BJP wants to erase all ‘symbols’ of Muslims like Hijab.

Mehbooba Mufti said, “I fear BJP won’t stop at Hijab. They will come for other symbols of Muslims and erase all. For Indian Muslims, it is not enough to be an Indian, they have to be BJP as well.” According to her, BJP won’t stop at Hijab and will come for other symbols of Muslims and erase it all.

Further attacking the BJP, Mufti said, “Jammu and Kashmir is a political matter but they (BJP) want to make it a community matter.”According to her, the situation has only become more complicated after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

The PDP chief said that the draft recommendations of the Delimitation Commission are an attempt to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir into sectarian and social grounds. “The rights and guarantees given by the Indian Constitution are being mutilated and the Delimitation Report that has come recently is part of that. They have tried to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir on a sectarian level (and) on a social level, so that the people fight with each other. But the PDP’s struggle would be against it,” said Mufti.

She claimed that the people from other states are exploiting Kashmir’s resources. “People from Punjab, Haryana are coming here and exploiting our resources. They come and take away tenders. Our Kashmir people are disempowered”, said Mufti.

Speaking about the merger of Rajouri and Poonch with Anantnag parliamentary constituency, Mufti said, “In this delimitation, they have ruined everybody other than the BJP. If you don’t like Rajouri and Poonch and you want to create an exclusive constituency, wait and you can give a separate seat to Rajouri and Poonch.”

Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said that everyone is free to wear to eat as they wish and practise their religious beliefs. “There are some radical elements who are attacking a religion in an attempt to win polls by dividing people on communal lines,” Abdullah said. (ANI)

Amid the ongoing hijab controversy, Karnataka Congress leader Zameer Ahmed on Sunday said Hijab means ‘Parda’ in Islam and ‘women get raped when they don’t wear Hijab’.

Zameer Ahmed while speaking to ANI said, “Hijab means ‘Parda’ in Islam. Girls, when they grow up, should cover their faces with veils to hide their beauty. I think that India has the highest number of rape cases in the world. What is the reason? The reason is that they don’t cover their face. Wearing a hijab is not compulsory but this has been in practice for years.”

The Congress leader was speaking in the context of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan saying that Hijab practice is not written in Quoran.

The Hijab protests in Karnataka began in January this year when some students of Government Girls PU college in the Udupi district of the state alleged that they had been barred from attending classes. During the protests, some students claimed they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab.

Following this incident, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles. The situation was the same in several colleges in the Udupi district. The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that students can wear only the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court also appealed to the student community and the public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity while hearing various pleas challenging a ban on hijab in the state. The Karnataka High Court on Friday uploaded the interim order passed in the petitions challenging the Hijab ban in colleges in the state. The hearing of the petitions will continue on February 14. (ANI)

After several controversies regarding her relationship status, actor Rakhi Sawant has announced her separation from husband Ritesh on social media on Sunday.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the ‘Bigg Boss’ contestant wrote, “Dear Fans and well wishers, Just wanted to say that Ritesh and I have decided to part ways. After the Big Boss show a lot has happened and I was unaware of certain things which were out of my control. We have tried to work out our differences and tried to make things work but I think it’s best we both move on amicably and we both enjoy our lives seperately.”
She further expressed her sadness in announcing the news on the eve of Valentine’s Day.

She wrote, “Im really sad and heartbroken that this had to happen before Valentine’s Day but the decision had to be made. I wish Ritesh the best in life but for me at this stage in life I have to focus on my work and my life and keep myself happy and healthy. Thank you for understanding and supporting me always! – Rakhi Sawant.”

Rakhi had introduced Ritesh as her husband on the reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ Season 15.

Meanwhile, the finale of ‘Bigg Boss’ Season 15, hosted by superstar Salman Khan, aired on January 30. Actor Tejasswi Prakash lifted the ‘Bigg Boss’ Season 15 trophy and took home the cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs. (ANI)

Delhi witnessed another dip in COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours with the national capital reporting 804 new infections on Sunday.

With this, as per the Health Department, there are 3,926 active COVID cases in Delhi presently with the positivity rate at 1.50 per cent.
As many as 12 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative COVID death toll to 26,072 with the case fatality rate standing at 1.41 per cent.

In the last 24 hours, 1,197 patients also recovered from the virus.

A total of 53,719 samples were tested for the COVID virus during the last 24 hours, of which 45,743 were RT-PCR.

During the last 24 hours, a total of 99,390 COVID vaccination doses were administered in the national capital, of which 43,637 were administered to the 15-18 age group and 7,133 as precaution doses. (ANI)

With an aim to improve the on-time performance (OTP) of the airline, Air India, which was recently owned by Tata Group, on Sunday issued a new circular for its cabin crew, instructing them to wear minimum jewelry, and prohibiting them from visiting duty-free shops, drinking alcohol, and eating before guest boarding.

“The Cabin Crew must adhere to the uniform regulations with emphasis on minimum jewelry being worn in order to avoid any delays at customs and security checks,” Air India circular read.

“The Cabin crew should not visit duty-free shops and proceed to the boarding gate soon after completing immigration and security checks,” AI circular added.

The issue of the circular to the cabin crew behind the airline seeks to improve the airline’s on-time performance.

“Cabin supervisor must ensure that all cabin crew is present in the cabin. The crew must not consume beverages/or eat food prior to/during guest boarding) and assist in swift boarding/seating of guests,” Circular added.

Actor Madhuri Dixit Nene did her best to make her husband Sriram Nene’s birthday memorable.

Several videos and pictures from the birthday bash have been doing the rounds on the internet. In one of the clips, the couple is seen dancing to the recreated version of Madhuri’s hit song ‘Tamma Tamma’

Filmmaker Farah Khan also shared the clip on her Instagram Stories and wrote, “Happy Birthday Ram. Giving Madhuri Dixit serious competition. #CoupleGoals.”

For the occasion, Madhuri and Sriram twinned in black outfits.

Actor Sanjay Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh also marked their presence at the star-studded party.

Madhuri and Sriram got married in 1999. They are doting parents to two sons — Arin and Ryan. (ANI)

The Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Delhi was running the Punjab government headed by the former state Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. Vadra sought to explain the change of ledaership in Punjab, which had led to Singh quitting the Congress.

“We have had the Congress government in Punjab for last five years. But this government had stopped operating from Punjab, and instead was being operated from Delhi, not by the Congress but by the BJP,” said Vadra.
Channi had replaced Singh after he resigned from the post in September last year amid unending infighting in the party. Singh’s parting of the ways with the Congress was on a bitter note. Singh later floated his own political party and struck an alliance with the BJP.

Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress Party is contesting the election in alliance with the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Samyukt).

Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.

In the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, Congress had won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats, ousting the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 years. (ANI)

Tibetans in exile gathered in Dharamshala on Sunday and celebrated the 109th anniversary of ‘Tibetan Independence Day’.

On February 13, 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibetan independence in the declaration of the “Proclamation of Independence” and since then Tibetans mark February 13 as an important day in Tibet’s history to educate people on the significance of Tibet’s history.
To commemorate the occasion the Students for Free Tibet (SFT, India) held a symbolic celebration here in Dharamshala on Sunday.

SFT activists held a talk on this issue and exhibited photographs of previous events of this day. They also held a group dance to celebrate the occasion.

Activists also displayed the treaty which was signed during the Shimla convention in 1913- 1914 concerning the status of Tibet negotiated by then representatives of the Republic of China, Tibet, and the United Kingdom.

Tibetan activists say that Tibet was occupied by China in March 1959. Activists raised their voices to send a clear message to China by saying that “Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in the land of China”. (ANI)