Month: May 2022

Kashi Vishwanath Temple (KVT) Trust Chairman Prof Nagendra Pandey on Wednesday demanded handing over of the Shivling claimed to be found in Gyanvapi Mosque to Kashi Vishwanath Temple for proper worship till the matter is in court.

“If idol of Baba Vishweshwar was found then how can it be a ‘wazukhana’, this cannot happen now. We demand that, until the ruling comes, Shivling be handed over to Kashi Vishwanath Nyas so that God can be duly worshipped,” Prof Pandey told ANI.

Meanwhile, an application has been filed in Varanasi court to demolish the wall beside wazukhana where a Shivling is claimed to be found during the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque premises, said lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side on Wednesday.

The three-day-long court-monitored videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday.

The Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya on Monday claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex. Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found “conclusive evidence”.

The Supreme Court heard the plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi on Tuesday and observed that till the next date of hearing Varanasi District Majistrate will ensure that the Shivling area will be protected but it will not impede access of Muslims to the mosque for prayers.

The President of the Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta on Tuesday filed an intervention application seeking directions for dismissal of the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Management Committee challenging the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, which is adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, “to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place.”

In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board held an urgent meeting of its executive committee on Tuesday over the Gyanvapi Mosque and Tipu Sultan Masjid issue. (ANI)

Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen punched her way into the final with a sensational win while Manisha and debutant Parveen ended their campaigns with bronze medals after defeats in the semi-finals at the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Exhibiting a skilful display, Nizamabad (Telangana)-born boxer, Nikhat pulled off a comprehensive 5-0 win against Brazil’s Caroline De Almeida in the 52kg semi-final.

On the other hand, Manisha (57kg) and Parveen (63kg) gave their all but ended up with 0-5 and 1-4 defeats against the 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist Italy’s Irma Testa and Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst respectively.

Playing her only second World Championships, Nikhat will take a shot at gold on Thursday when she squares off against Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the fly weight final. Jutamas stunned the two-time World Championships medallist experienced Kazakh boxer Zhaina Shekerbekova 4-1 in the semi-final.

In the first Indian bout for the day, Nikhat started off cautiously but soon shifted the gears and went into all out offensive, unleashing a flurry of punches. Her Brazilian opponent struggled to keep pace with a technically superior 25-year-old Indian, who looked in a commanding position after the first two rounds.

Having taken a lead, the former junior youth world champion, Nikhat didn’t let the momentum slip in the final round as she moved around the ring, maintaining distance and also hit some timely punches before securing a dominating victory.

However, in the feather weight category, Manisha tried her best but found it tough to cope with her strong rival from Italy, who fought aggressively and did not give the Indian many chances.

Parveen too faced a tough challenge from the Irish boxer in a more physical bout. The Haryana youngster, despite losing the first round, recovered well and made an impressive comeback.

However, the 2019 European Championships bronze medallists Broadhurst took charge in the final round and clinched the intensely-fought match in her favour, ending the Indian’s dream run on debut at the prestigious event, which has been witnessing exciting action in the presence of 310 boxers of 73 countries from across the world.

This year’s tournament also marks the 20th anniversary of the Women’s World Championships.

In the last edition of the tournament, held in Russia in 2019, Indian boxers clinched one silver and three bronze medals. India have won 36 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and 19 bronze, in the 11 editions of the tournament so far–the third highest after Russia (60) and China (50). (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai and AS Bopanna granted bail to Mukerjea while noting that she has been in jail for six-and-half years.

The bench while releasing her said, “We are granting bail to Indrani Mukerjea. Six-and-a-half years is too long a time. We are not making comments on the merits of the case. Even if the 50 per cent witnesses are given up by the prosecution, the trial would not be over soon. She is granted bail. She will be released on bail subject to satisfaction of the trial court. The same conditions imposed on Peter Mukherjea will also be imposed on her.”

Indrani had challenged the Bombay High Court order of 16 November 2021 that denied her bail. Earlier, the bench had asked the CBI to file an affidavit on Indrani’s bail plea.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, had opposed the plea of Indrani Mukerjea, by saying that she has committed a “heinous act of planning and killing her own daughter” and “such a gruesome act does not deserve leniency”.

“Indrani is an influential person in the society who can influence the witnesses who are yet to be examined and there is an apprehension that she may temper with the evidence as there is material,” CBI had said and added that Indrani is not trustworthy and reliable hence her bail plea should be dismissed.

Stating further, CBI said, “The prosecution has strong apprehension that in case, she is released on bail, she may abscond which shall seriously hamper the ongoing trial of the case as the accused in British National.”

The allegation that Sheena Bora was alive after April 2012 based on the SMS exchange between Sheena Bora and Rahul Mukherjea after 24 April 2012 is only the “figment of the imagination of the petitioner”, the CBI had told the apex court.

“There is sufficient evidence available in the present case which proves the guilt of Indrani and other co-accused beyond the reasonable doubt,” it had added.

Indrani, facing trials for the alleged killing of her daughter Sheena Bora, is currently lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai, following her arrest in August 2015.

Indrani had sent a letter (from the jail) to CBI stating that an inmate in the jail had spotted Sheena Bora in Kashmir and she is alive. She asked CBI to record a statement of a jail inmate who claimed to have met Sheena in Kashmir.

Indrani always maintained that Sheena was not murdered, and had gone abroad for her education in 2012, although Indrani could never prove her claims.

The CBI has been investigating the Sheena Bora case since 2015, after taking over the case from Mumbai Police. According to the case registered by Mumbai Police, Sheena Bora was kidnapped and murdered by strangulation in April 2012.

This case first came to light after the arrest of Indrani’s driver, Shyamvar Rai in another case in August 2015.

During the investigation, he confessed to the killing of Sheena Bora in April 2012 and said that he dumped her body in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. He had also told Mumbai Police that Sheena’s mother, Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna (ex-husband of Indrani) were also involved in this murder.

According to CBI’s case before the court, Indrani killed Sheena Bora because she was furious over the relationship between Sheena Bora, whom she introduced as her sister to everyone, and Rahul Mukerjea, son of Peter Mukerjea (third husband of Indrani Mukerjea) from his first marriage.

As per CBI, she (Indrani) had killed Sheena Bora as the latter was threatening to expose her in public over the fact that she was not her sister, but her daughter. Driver Shyamvar Rai turned approver in this case. (ANI)

The United States charged four Chinese nationals and a US citizen allegedly for spying on pro-democracy activists and rights leaders, a Russian news agency reported on Thursday citing the US Department of Justice.

A press release by the department said that a US citizen Shujun Wang and four Chinese intelligence officers identified as Feng He, Jie Ji, Ming Li, and Keqing Lu were charged by the US court with espionage.

“An indictment was returned yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn charging Shujun Wang, a US citizen and Queens resident, and four officials from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), with conspiracy and other charges related to an espionage and transnational repression scheme,” the Sputnik reported citing the press release.

American national Shujun Wang was previously arrested on March 16 pursuant to a criminal complaint and will be arraigned at a later date, but the other four remain at large, the release added. (ANI)

The prevalent political disturbance in Pakistan upon the election of the new government, has proven to be beneficial for militants who have, till now staged 24 per cent more attacks on the authority as well as the civilians in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, causing concerns to the world community.

According to the Global conflict Tracker of the Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which keeps an eye out for ongoing conflicts around the world, concerning the United States, the rise in the number of attacks by the insurgents has been spreading its bases in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, says Portal Plus.
“The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan could increase regional instability by allowing militants from Pakistan to establish a safe haven in Afghanistan,” said CPR. In addition, the persistent instability, Pakistan is facing could pose serious security implications in the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and India.

The primary reason for the attack pertains to the role of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which was banned from Pakistan and has now joined hands with the Taliban, who are also their ideological brothers, says Portal Plus. Further as per CFR reports, “The TTP is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban in its battle against Afghan troops…”

The data further mentions that “in April, militants carried out 34 attacks in which 55 people were killed, including 34 security forces personnel, 13 civilians and eight militants. As many as 25 people were injured including 11 security personnel and 14 civilians. The militants had carried out 26 attacks across the country in March 2022 in which 115 people were killed and 288 were injured.”

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) confirmed that most of the attacks carried out by the militants occurred in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also witnessed similar attacks as well. There were 6 militant attacks in FATA, coupled with 10 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 17 people, and four militant attacks in Balochistan causing the deaths of one security official and one civilian says Portal Plus.

Notably, the average number of militant attacks in Pakistan ascended from 16 in 2020 to 25 in 2021, the highest in number after 2017. The CFR data reveals that militancy can be expected not just between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also between Pakistan and China as well which is quite evident from the attack on Karachi University where a woman suicide bomber was involved in the killings of three Chinese nationals. (ANI)

Russia has decided to expel 34 employees of the French diplomatic missions in Moscow in retaliation to a similar move by Paris, according to the country’s foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the ministry summoned French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy to express protest in connection with the decision of Paris to declare 41 employees of Russian diplomatic missions in France personae non gratae.
“As a response, 34 employees of French diplomatic missions in Russia have been declared personae non gratae. They are ordered to leave the territory of Russia within two weeks from the date of delivery of the relevant note to the ambassador,” the ministry said as quoted by Sputnik News Agency.

In April, France has expelled six Russians suspected of working as spies under diplomatic cover after the French intelligence services uncovered a clandestine operation on its territory.

“Six Russian agents operating under diplomatic cover whose activities were found to be contrary to our national interests have been declared persona non grata,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, as per France 24.

It said the DGSI domestic intelligence service had revealed on April 10 after a long investigation “a clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services on our territory”.

The statement did not give details on the nature of the operation.

Meanwhile, Russia will also expel 24 employees of the Italian diplomatic missions in Russia in retaliation to a similar move by Rome, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik today.

The ministry told Sputnik in the day that it had summoned Italian Ambassador to Russia Giorgio Starace to announce Moscow’s response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats.

Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in the last week of February.

Since then, several western countries have backed Kyiv in the ongoing war and imposed several sanctions on Russia. (ANI)

Even as Australia and other nations, attempt to challenge China’s recent moves in the Pacific of signing a security pact with the Solomon Islands, the Asian giant’s expansion is being attributed to the strong economic ties it forges with the tiny Island countries.

For countries like Australia and New Zealand, as well as the US, throwing aid and little else at the islands may no longer be enough to keep them on their side as China makes inroads with a seductive mix of money, security and ceremony, Asia Nikkei reported.
“Something China is very good at is cultivating those political-level relationships with Pacific island leaders,” Mihai Sora, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute think tank and a former Australian diplomat posted to the Solomon Islands and Indonesia was quoted as saying.

At the same time, he said, China’s relationships in the Pacific “are not underpinned by aid, they’re underpinned by trade, underpinned by economics.”

In the case of the Solomon Islands, China accounted for 64.4 per cent of exports and 34.4 per cent of imports in 2020, the report said citing the latest data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Furthermore, a Brookings Institution report by Jonathan Pryke from 2020 noted that two-way trade between China and the Pacific region had overtaken that of Australia since 2013, excluding Papua New Guinea.

“You can’t ask Pacific island countries to choose between income versus an alliance (of) like-minded powers,” Sora said. “Better diplomacy is part of the answer, but it’s not the whole answer.”

Amid concern about China’s other moves in the region besides the security deal — lately it has also provided policing equipment to the Solomons and military equipment to Fiji, as well as loans to shore up pandemic-hit Pacific economies — Western allies are keeping the jabs flowing, the report said.

It has also been speculated that China is using the COVID-19 pandemic, and its vaccine diplomacy to further its reach in these Pacific countries.

Last July, China accused Australia of interfering in its vaccine assistance to Papua New Guinea, claiming that Australian consultants were using “political manipulation and bullying” to hinder the rollout. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Australia should “stop disrupting and undermining vaccine cooperation between China and Pacific island countries” — a charge Australia rejected, Asia Nikkei reported.

China denies exploiting the pandemic to bolster its influence, or engaging in vaccine diplomacy at all. “China’s vaccine assistance to [the] Solomon Islands is sincere, without any conditions attached,” Ambassador Li reportedly said last July. “China never pursues ‘vaccine diplomacy’ and has no intention to compete with any other country on vaccine assistance.”

When asked if the recent security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands came as a surprise, a former senior official from New Zealand told Asia Nikkei on condition of anonymity, “Not at all.” The ex-official noted China’s ambitions in the Pacific had been visible for some time.

With or without a base, the pact is seen as a potential game changer. In a Brookings article, foreign policy analyst Patricia Kim raised the question of whether it “heralds the rise of a more activist China that is now willing to extend military support to other states in its concerted search for allies.”

A way forward could be to forge more well-rounded relationships, with countries like the U.S., Australia, Japan and New Zealand pooling resources on “large-scale infrastructure projects and projects that deliver a security dividend as well an economic dividend,” Sora suggested.

Some steps are already being taken with Australian local media reporting last year that the country was ready to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars for Pacific projects, the report said.

Last Thursday, a joint statement from a European Union-Japan summit committed to deepening “ties with the Pacific island countries to strengthen good governance and resilience.”

However, for residents of these islands, all this geopolitical jockeying can seem a world away from their daily needs, the report said.

“Whether or not China establishes a military base in the Pacific,” Sora said, adding, “it doesn’t really solve the day-to-day development needs and livelihood needs, education and health needs of people in the Solomon Islands.” (ANI)

As the economic crisis in Sri Lanka is worsening day by day, several people including those jobless are participating in the protest against the government to get two-times meal for the day.
Hundreds of people including daily wage labourers and those who lost their jobs due to the ongoing crisis have queued up at Galle face in Colombo to get food provided by a Colombo based trust.

“We have started distributing food from April 9. We want the President to resign, as he is unable to take care of the poeple and failed to govern the country,” Akushla Fernando who is a social worker told ANI.

She said that her trust gets donation including money, goods and food from across the world. “So far we have distributed food to over thousand people.”

She added, “Many people including those who are working and are jobless come here. Also, there are some people who have lost their jobs because of the ongoing protest say that they don’t care about losing the job because they are protesting for their generation.”

Sri Lanka is facing a large-scale economic crisis, a level of economic emergency of unprecedented nature, with nationwide anti-government protests.

Shervin Ranatunga, another person who was distributing food provided by the Colombo based trust said that there are different kinds of people who are coming here from all over Sri Lanka. “They are coming from far away by buses, taxis and train and we provide for all.”

“We provide food to all without any discrimination –rich and poor,” he said.

Sri Lanka is currently struggling with acute food and electricity shortages and the recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in an address to the nation on Monday gave an account of the grave economic situation facing the island nation and said that the people need to be prepared to make sacrifices.

Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down on Monday, following violent incidents reported between pro-government groups and anti-government protesters. (ANI)

Karnataka is likely to witness widespread rains in the coming two to three days, India Meteorological Department informed on Wednesday.

In a conversation with ANI today, Dr Geeta Agnihotri, Head of Meteorological Department, Karnataka said, “For North Interior Karnataka, we are expecting widespread rains for the next two days followed by fairly widespread rains on Day 3. While on Day 4 and Day 5, we are expecting scattered rains.”
“For South interior Karnataka, widespread rains expected for the next two days, followed by fairly widespread rains from day 3-5. Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in coastal Karnataka for day 1(today); heavy to very heavy rain on May 19, followed by heavy rain on May 20,” said Geeta Agnihotri.

The IMD in a tweet today also confirmed the information. It read, “Isolated heavy to very heavy falls very likely over Kerala-Mahe, Coastal and South Interior Karnataka on 19th and over Tamil Nadu on 18th with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Kerala-Mahe, Coastal and South Interior Karnataka on today, the 18th May.”

The IMD on Monday declared the onset of monsoon over the Andaman Sea. This year, the early monsoon has been attributed to Cyclone Asani which brought in plenty of moisture over the region.

The IMD, in its daily bulletin on Monday, said that the Southwest monsoon winds are all set to strengthen over these regions in the coming days, and the islands will experience rainfall. (ANI)

In a major step to enhance India’s stature as an international film-making destination, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday announced an incentive scheme for the audio-visual co-production and shooting of foreign films in India with a cash incentive of up to 30 per cent and a cap of USD 260,000.
The Minister made the announcement at the inauguration of the India Pavilion at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

“I’m delighted to announce today in Cannes an incentive scheme for audio-visual co-production and shooting of foreign films in India with a cash incentive of up to 30% with a cap of USD 260,000,” the minister said.

He also announced incentives to boost local employment.

“In the case of foreign films that will be shot in India, an additional bonus with a cap of USD 65,000 for employing 15 per cent or more manpower in India,” the minister said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday expressed happiness at India’s participation as ‘Country of Honour’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

In a message, the Prime Minister had said that India truly possesses immense potential to become the content hub of the world and the government remains steadfast in its efforts towards furthering ease of doing business in the film sector.

He had also said that from facilitating international film co-productions to ensuring single window clearance mechanism for permissions for filming across the country, India offers seamless possibilities to filmmakers of the world.

“Our spellbinding locations, technological prowess in film making and the talent of young men and women provide a perfect backdrop for film makers,” PM Modi had said.

Anurag Thakur on Tuesday led the largest-ever Indian official delegation of eleven celebrities walking together on the inaugural event at Cannes Film Festival. Mame Khan became the first ever folk artist to open a Red Carpet for Indian contingent. (ANI)