One policeman has been critically injured after a terrorist fired at him in the Soura (Anchar) area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
As per the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the policeman’s daughter also sustained an injury in the incident.
“Terrorist fired upon one policeman Saifullah Qadri in Soura (Anchar) area. He is critically injured. His daughter also got injured,” the police said.
Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Navjot Sidhu, a maverick, has hopped around many roles but hopping into jail was not the one he probably scripted for himself. Sometimes events and ‘Qudrat’ sabotage the best of plans. Sidhu first became a great cricketer, starting his rise in 1981 to dizzy heights in international arena. Sixter Sidhu was his nickname as he had a habit of hitting sixers. But even that was not uneventful. Sometimes he swore and got himself kicked out and sometimes he just walked out as he did in the match against England. Yet, his talent always got him back. Finally the sixes ran out and he retired in 1999. Not for him to the idea of buying a farm, raising chicken or growing rice.
Sidhu joined media as a commentator, then as a comedian and even acted in a film or so. He became famous for his one liners. He hopped around various stations as his tongue got the better of him at times, getting him the odd sack. Stations had to drop him, only for him to surface in a different station and finally back to the one that booted him. His talent at laughing at his own jokes before anyone else even got it, was infectious. Everyone laughed and his bank balance also laughed.
Then he started hopping in politics. First it was BJP, then independent, then Congress and he was even wooing Aam Aadmi. Perhaps he was too big or hot or a loose cannon for the control-obsessed Kejriwal to handle. In Congress he created enough entertainment to be a constant headliner in the media, a media sixter if any. Finally he was bowled out from political stardom in 2022 when a relatively unknown grabbed his Amritsar seat. Qudrat again!
Still groping around for a role after his political demise, the esteemed judges of Supreme Court obliged him with one. They gave him the title of prisoner number 137683 in Barrack no 10 of Patiala jail for a year! That was one role Sidhu had probably never expected he had a talent for, but all signs are he is playing well. He doesn’t like the paani dal (hot water with a sprinkle of masala) containing six peas and a potato slice served with crusting roti. So he has gone hungry and still grabbing the headlines.
Sidhu landed with this role because Supreme Court decided to hear a case from 1988 after a few decades. It finally came up for a final hearing in 2022 at the Supreme Court. Voyager 1, the space craft launched in 1977 reached interstellar space in 2012. So the Indian judicial system, known for its ‘justice in eternity’ has just about beaten the space mission by a year (77-2012 =35 years: 1988-2022= 34 years) and Sidhu should be grateful that our SC is faster than space travel.
Sidhu got the sentence for his slightly lesser known talent. That of landing a hard punch. In 1988, in a road rage incident he is accused to have punched a 60-year old man. The fist blow caused death.
There are going to be a lot of headlines with Sidhu tantrums in Patiala Jail. But he has company with Bikramjit, his political adversary. If he is lucky and Bhagwant Mann gets around to it, he might be joined by a few more political celebrities, possibly from Akali Dal and Congress.
Identity Crisis For Prithviraj!
As the common Indian is trying to take cover from searing heat and eating a reasonable meal a day against rising fuel and food prices, there are still parts of the nation where even more important issues such as attempts to get to the one place where a certain group will get access to God and what caste was Prithviraj Chauhan.
Religion and caste is never further than micromillimeter in Indian politics. However times slogans of unity, one nation, ekta etc. are promoted by Governments, the people have a habit of blowing up in identity politics. The very political class that doesn’t want this, also joins in.
Heat, inflation and climate change are miniscule problems compared to the caste and religion conflicts. After all they have been going on for thousands of years in India, whereas climate change issues are only a few decades old, without a pedigree.
Prithviraj Chauhan was a King in twelfth century. His last war is said to be with Muhammed Ghori. Ghori defeated him and paved the way for Islamic rule in India. He is called the last Hindu king, although others dispute that as Hindu kings continued to flourish in south India and parts of North India.
Bollywood is making a film. Chauhan is a subject that draws in box office money. Nothing wrong with that. No one is fighting over or complaining about the money.
But it is what Chauhan is being depicted as that has started another war, albeit peaceful at the moment. No it’s not something as trivial as depicting him as ‘Last Hindu King’. It’s far more important.
Chauhan has been claimed to be a Rajput. The Gurjars don’t agree. They say he was a Gurjar. The film maker is lost.
Rajputs have a national body. In fact it is an activist movement called ‘Karni Sena’ or more precisely Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena. In 2017 the Karni Sena even threatened to cut off Deepika Padukone’s nose for her role in Padmavaat. It became famously infamous when it started protesting against Jodha Akbar film in 2008. That move ended with Rajasthanis having to take a bus to Gujrat to see the film.
Now the Sena wants the title Samrat and surname Chauhan to be used. They want him to be referred as Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. They are threatening to gherao theatres around the country if film maker does not oblige.
The film maker who only wants to make a few crore rupees, doesn’t want to upset the Rajputs or the Gurjars. The title Samrat and surname Chauhan are not being used much to the annoyance of the offended Rajputs.
The Gurjars, have their own national movement called the Akhil Bharatiya Veer Gurjar Mahasabha. They don’t want word Chauhan used. They say that Prithviraj was a Gurjar and has been historically kidnapped or hisnapped (our word from history and kidnapped) by the Rajputs.
They have told whoever wants to listen, that they too have a presence from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. They can disrupt the film and stop it in all the states of India. They have filed some sort of a case. That’s a few crores gone down the drain for the producer.
The only redeeming fact is that both groups are resorting to peaceful tactics such as protests and courts, instead of a spears and talwars as would have happened at one time.
Murti In The Mosque?
In Varanasi, on the other hand, a group of women have also gone to court inspired by the BJP game of claiming every other religion’s holy place as a a building built over a hidden ‘murti’.
In this case the murti exists. It is in the territory of a Mosque. It’s probably been there for few centuries. However the women claim that they must be allowed to ‘worship’ or do puja there. Perhaps their call to the murti won’t be heard if it is in another place.
Looking on the bright side, ‘life never changes in India even for centuries’.
Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Branch on Tuesday arrested Punjab Minister Vijay Singla following corruption allegations against him.
Before his arrest, he was sacked by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from the cabinet.
According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Singla was demanding 1 per cent commission from officials for contracts. The CMO said that concrete evidence was found against Singla.
“For the second time in the history of the country, a Chief Minister took strict action directly against his minister,” claimed the Punjab CM Office in a statement.
Earlier, in the year 2015, the Delhi Chief Minister had sacked one of his ministers in a corruption case, added the Punjab CMO.
“People have formed the government of Aam Aadmi Party with great expectations, and it is our duty to live up to that expectation,” said Mann
He further said that as long as “mother India has sons like Arvind Kejriwal and soldiers like Bhagwant Mann, the great war against corruption will continue”.
“Arvind Kejriwal had made a promise that we would uproot corruption. There is no place for 1 per cent corruption,” he said. (ANI)
Tiger Shroff, Bollywood’s newest action star, who is known for his high-octane stunt sequences, is set to return with yet another thriller.
The actor shared a photo from the film’s set in Leh, Ladakh, on his social media account, on Monday.
The ‘Heropanti’ actor took to his Instagram stories and dropped a picture from the sets of his upcoming flix, ‘Ganapath’, where he wrote, “Just wrapped the most challenging sched of my life…cacan’t wait for you guys to see what’s coming”#ganapath.
After an arduous schedule in Ladakh the actor will now begin preparations for ‘Rambo’, followed by ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ alongside Akshay Kumar.
The movie will be released on December 23, 2022. (ANI)
Actor Kriti Sanon has expanded her wings.
On Monday, the 31-year-old-star announced her new venture as an entrepreneur. She is making a foray into a fitness community along with 3 other trainers and co-founders, Robin Behl, Karan Sawhney, and Anushka Nandani.
Sharing more details about her wellness studio ‘The Tribe’, Kriti wrote on her Instagram handle. “Thrilled to announce my journey as an Entrepreneur with my three amazingly talented Co-founders Anushka Nandani, Karan Sawhney and Robin Behl as we launch our Passion Project ‘The Tribe’.I discovered my personal fitness journey post MIMI when I had to shed the 15kilos I had put on for the film and we hit a lockdown where gyms were shut.”
She added, “Robin, Karan and Anushka became a Huge part of this journey of mine and made me realise that to stay fit, all you need is motivation, the right guidance and someone who can make workouts fun for you no matter where you are.”
Kriti also informed that ‘The Tribe’ app will be launched by the end of this year.
“We at The Tribe believe in motivating you to become the best and the fittest version of yourself- Be it with in-studio, group/personal or virtual sessions with some of the coolest, youngest & fittest trainers who will not only push your limits but also make workouts super fun!
Also excited to announce that we will be launching The Tribe App later this year which will give you access to anything and everything to do with Fitness and Mindfulness no matter where you are,” she shared.
The announcement comes at a time when Kriti has completed eight years in the film industry. (ANI)
The Varanasi district court is likely to pronounce the verdict in the Gyanvapi mosque case on Tuesday.
The district court on Monday completed the hearing of arguments in the case and reserved its order for today.
Advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, representing the Hindu side, on Tuesday said that the Muslim side wanted the case dismissed.
Speaking to ANI, he said, “Muslim side presented their arguments yesterday, they said that the matter doesn’t meet the parameters of the Places of Worship Act. They wanted the matter dismissed. But we too presented our arguments before the Court.”
He further said that the court will hear the matter at 2 pm today.
“The matter can’t be dismissed just like that, it will sustain. It is not a matter of property but of the Right to Worship. The court will hear the matter at 2 pm today. The decision will be out probably by 4 pm,” Yadav added.
Varanasi District Judge Dr AK Vishvesha heard a civil suit in the case.
The hearing began in Varanasi court after the Supreme Court said it would not interfere with the Gyanvapi mosque survey and transferred the case to the lower court while noting the “complexities and sensitivities involved in the matter” would require a “more senior and experienced hand”.
The bench said the District Judge should decide the maintainability of the civil suit in the case on priority as sought by Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi.
After the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded, lawyers representing Hindu petitioners claimed that a Shivling was found in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex.
The claim was disputed by the mosque committee members who said it was part of the water fountain in the wazoo khana. On May 16, the Varanasi court ordered the sealing of part of the mosque.
The Supreme Court ordered the Varanasi district magistrate to ensure the area where a shivling was purportedly found is protected without obstructing the Muslim community’s right to worship.
The Court had appointed an official and a team of lawyers to conduct an inspection at Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi in connection with a plea seeking access to a Hindu temple behind it.
A lawyer had also filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court seeking impleadment in the Gyanvapi mosque case stating that a mosque constructed on temple land cannot be a mosque.
The application was filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay who had earlier filed a petition challenging the Constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (Act).
Five Hindu women have sought round-the-year access to pray at “a shrine behind the western wall of the mosque complex”. The site is currently made open for Hindu prayers once a year. (ANI)
Quad leaders at the Tokyo summit are set to launch a range of initiatives, including a maritime security partnership, that will allow the member countries to monitor illegal fishing, track “dark shipping” and other tactical-level activities.
“The benefit of this maritime initiative will allow tracking of dark shipping and other tactical-level activities, such as rendezvous at sea, as well as improve partners’ ability to respond to climate and humanitarian events and to protect their fisheries, which are vital to many Indo-Pacific economies,” said the White House in a media statement on the sidelines of Quad Summit.
Notably, “dark ships” are vessels with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) – a transponder system – switched off so as not to be detectable. This crucial maritime pact between the Quad member countries will enhance the security apparatus of the Indo-Pacific region.
The maritime initiative Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) will offer a near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness picture, added the White House in the statement.
This initiative will transform the ability of partners in the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean region to fully monitor the waters on their shores and, in turn, to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Quad countries are committed to contributing to the region’s maritime domain awareness — a fundamental requirement for peace, stability, and prosperity — through investment in IPMDA over five years, stated the White House in the statement.
The partnership will innovate upon existing maritime domain awareness efforts, rapidly bringing emerging technologies to bear for the greater good of the Indo-Pacific community.
IPMDA will build a faster, wider, and more accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters. This common operating picture will integrate three critical regions — the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean region — in the Indo-Pacific.
Moreover, the Quad is committed to maintaining its global leadership in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and bolstering global health security.
“The United States will provide COVID-19 boosters and pediatric doses to countries of greatest need, including in the Indo-Pacific. The Biological E Ltd facility in India will continue to use expanded vaccine-manufacturing capacity as part of the Quad Vaccine Partnership,” added the White House in the statement.
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and EXIM India decided to support a USD USD 100 million facilities, which will bolster the Indian health care sector, including global capacity for COVID-19 countermeasures.
Quad leaders will also launch the Quad Fellowship, which will sponsor 100 American, Australian, Indian, and Japanese students to study in the United States each year for graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The four Quad countries have meaningfully deepened and regularized cooperation in meeting the climate crisis. The Quad leaders will launch further efforts on green shipping, energy supply chains, disaster risk reduction, and the exchange of climate information services.
Member countries are also committed to responsible innovation in critical and emerging technologies. Since launching the Critical and Emerging Technologies Working Group at the first-ever leader-level summit of the Quad, in March 2021, Quad partners have mapped collective capacity and vulnerabilities in global semiconductor supply chains and launched the Common Statement of Principles on Critical Technology Supply Chains, which will provide a cooperative foundation for enhancing supply-chain resilience in the region.
At the same time, Quad partners are exploring ways to collaborate on the deployment of open and secure telecommunications technologies in the region.
The Quad also seeks to build resilience across our four countries in response to cybersecurity vulnerabilities and cyber threats with the QUAD Cybersecurity Partnership.
Its areas of focus are critical-infrastructure protection, led by Australia; supply-chain resilience and security, led by India; workforce development and talent, led by Japan; and software security standards, led by the United States.
“As leaders in space, Quad countries are strengthening cooperation and pooling our collective expertise to exchange satellite data, enable capacity-building, and consult on norms and guidelines,” added the White House in its statement.
To help meet the Indo-Pacific’s enormous infrastructure needs, Quad leaders launched the Quad Infrastructure Coordination Group, which will deepen collaboration and pursue complementary actions, including in digital connectivity, transportation infrastructure, clean energy and climate resilience.
The Quad was forged in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. In recognition of that history and of present-day threats, the Quad established a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mechanism.
The meeting of Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad) kicked off in Tokyo on Tuesday to review the progress made by the four-member countries. The Summit in Tokyo is the fourth interaction of Quad Leaders since their first virtual meeting in March 2021, in-person Summit in Washington D.C. in September 2021, and virtual meeting in March 2022.
The Quad cooperation is anchored in the shared values of democracy, international law, and rules-based international order and a vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
Drawing a parallel between “India’s success with China’s failure” to handle the pandemic, US President Joe Biden praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a closed session of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday, for handling Covid-19 outbreak in a democratic manner.
According to a senior official, Biden contrasted India’s success with China’s failure to handle the COVID-19 pandemic while both the countries are of comparable size.
Biden added that PM Modi’s success has shown the world that democracies can deliver, and busted the “myth that autocracies like China and Russia can handle the rapidly changing world better because their leadership can take and implement decisions without going through lengthy democratic processes”, said the official.
According to the official, these remarks from President Biden appeared to be unscripted, as he made a special intervention to say this before his prepared remarks.
PM Modi met US President Biden today shortly after holding the Quad Leaders’ Summit. The meeting marks a continuation of their regular dialogue having interacted most recently in virtual mode on April 11.
The leaders of the Quad nations–Australia, India, Japan, and the United States–met today in Tokyo for the fourth time and the second time in person.
This meeting comes after the fourth interaction of Quad Leaders since their first virtual meeting in March 2021, in-person Summit in Washington D.C. in September 2021 and virtual meeting in March 2022.
The Quad Summit provided an opportunity for the Leaders to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary global issues of mutual interest. The Quad summit taking place witnessed the launch of a new initiative for continuous collaboration in the maritime domain, space, climate change, health and cyber security. (ANI)
By Shalini Bhardwaj
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday raised concerns over the WHO’s recent exercise on all-cause excess mortality in India in the 75th session of the World Health Assembly held at the global body’s Geneva headquarters.
Earlier in March, the Health Ministry had objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates concerning coronavirus and had said that the validity and robustness of the models used and the methodology of data collection were questionable.
“It is with a sense of dismay and concern that India notes WHO’s recent exercise on all-cause excess mortality where our Country specific authentic data published by the statutory authority has not been taken into account,” Mandaviya said.
Recently during Swathya Chintan Shivir, the Council of Health and Family Welfare, (CCHFW) which was attended by around 23 health ministers of the country passed a resolution against WHO’s modelling estimates over deaths in India during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Council also said, “deeply disappointed and distressed” and “unacceptable to India”.
During his address in Geneva, the Union Health Minister also mentioned about the action taken by the CCHFW stating “the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare, a representative body of Health Ministers from all States within India, constituted under Article 263 of Constitution of India, passed a unanimous resolution asking me to convey their collective disappointment and concern with WHO’s approach in this regard”.
Noting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark on the need to build a resilient global supply chain to enable equitable access to vaccines and medicines, the Minister said “India is ready to play a key role in these efforts as a responsible member of the global community”.
“India believes that this year’s theme linking peace and health, is timely and pertinent because there can be no sustainable development and universal health and wellbeing without peace,” he added.
However, a technical officer at the department of Data and Analytics, William Msemburi laid down the statistics of the excess deaths in India.
“The reported Covid-19 number is 481,000 and the estimated excess is 4.74 million. So 481,000 reported COVID-19 numbers and then an excess mean of 4.7 million. The uncertainty around that is 3.3 million to 6.5 million. So, those are the estimated numbers for India,” he said.
“Globally, we estimate 14.9 million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by 31 December of 2021. So, this estimate ranges from 13.3 million to 16.6 million. There are 4.4 million reported Covid-19 deaths to WHO over this period. So, this excess estimate represents 9.5 million more deaths or 2.75 times more deaths than reported,” Msemburi added.
The official further said that most of the excess deaths are concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.
“Low and middle income and upper-middle-income countries account for 81 per cent of this 14.9 million number, that’s 52 per cent to low and middle income (countries) and 28 per cent upper-middle-income countries. Some 68 per cent of excess deaths are concentrated in just 10 countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, after WHO’s statement, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, speaking to ANI, said, “Unfortunately, in spite of our emphatic writing, rational communication at the ministerial level, they have chosen to use the number that is based on modelling assumptions – one size fits all kind of assumptions.”
“We understand that this report has covered what they label as excess mortality, in the yr spanning COVID19. India has been telling WHO via diplomatic channels with data that we don’t agree with the methodology followed for us,” said Dr Paul.
Also, DG ICMR Dr Balram Bhargava said, “Once we have this systematic data, we do not need to rely on modelling, extrapolations & taking press reports & utilising them for putting into a modelling exercise.”
AIIMS Director said that data should be used to see the number of excess deaths that happened during this time and excess deaths that could be attributable to COVID and WHO didn’t use that data.
“Secondly– data that WHO used is more on hearsay evidence– what’s there in media or unconfirmed sources. That data is questionable. Modelling on that data isn’t the correct and scientifically right thing to do, especially, when you have data that is more robust,” he said. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that Washington is ready to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan in the event of invasion.
Biden met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on Monday to advance cooperation on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues.
During a joint press conference with the Japanese PM, Biden reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to ensuring the security of the Taiwan Strait and preventing any change in the status quo unilaterally.
When asked whether the US is ready to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, he replied in the affirmative, adding that this is the commitment that the US has taken on.
“We remain committed to supporting peace and stability in Taiwan Strait. The US stands firmly with Japan and other nations not to let that happen (China taking over Taiwan),” he said.
“After this, US and Japan together with 11 other nations will be launching the Indo-Pacific economic framework. This framework is a commitment to working with our close friends and partners in the region and challenges that matter most to ensuring economic competitiveness,” he added.
According to the White House statement, Biden commended Prime Minister Kishida’s leadership in responding to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and his determination to strengthen Japan’s defence capabilities, noting that a strong U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two leaders committed to work closely together to address security challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and China’s increasingly coercive behaviour that runs counter to international law.
They agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as emerging technologies, supply chain security, and clean energy.
Addressing a press conference, the Japanese PM said the two leaders discussed the impact of the Ukraine situation on the Indo-Pacific. “For China, we concurred to monitor recent activities of Chinese Navy and joint military exercise of China and strongly oppose the changes caused by force.”
Ahead of the Quad summit on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi slammed the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, charging that the four-nation grouping was formed in the guise of freedom and openness but with the purpose to contain China.
He made these comments while addressing a press conference after talks with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Guangzhou, Xinhua news agency reported.
When asked about the “Indo-Pacific Strategy”, Wang said: “The US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy is causing more and more vigilance and concern in the international community, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.” (ANI)
When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Control your personal Cookie Services here.