Month: May 2022

Pakistan reported 64 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the country’s ministry of health said on Monday, pushing the overall tally of infections to 1,528,800.

This comes amid World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that suggest that the actual number of COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan was eight times the figure reported by the government.

A total of 30,375 people died from COVID-19 in Pakistan, with no more deaths recorded on Sunday, according to the ministry’s statistics.

On Sunday, 13,190 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan while the positivity rate stood at 0.49 per cent.

Currently, there are 92 active cases that are in critical condition in the South Asian country. (ANI)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently gave security clearance to the new promoters of Jet Airways to resume commercial operations in the country.

The Jalan-Kalrock consortium is currently the promoter of Jet Airways. The airline was owned by Naresh Goyal and operated its last flight on April 17, 2019.

“MHA gave security clearance to new promoters of Jet Airways last week. Jet Airways 2.0 plans to resume commercial flight operations in next few month,” MHA official to ANI.

The airline conducted a Hyderabad-Delhi positioning ferry flight on May 5, its first flight since April 17, 2019, when it ceased operations after it went bankrupt.

“This is to clarify and reiterate that Jet Airways operated a test flight in Hyderabad earlier today, and a positioning ferry flight to Delhi thereafter. These were not Jet Airways’ proving flights. We expect to schedule the proving flights in the coming days, which would be jointly determined with the DGCA,” spokesperson, Jalan-Kalrock Consortium said.

After the successful test flight, the CEO of Jet Airways 2.0 said that it was a very emotional moment for the entire Jet Airways family.

“A very emotional moment for all the wonderful folks who have been working hard to get Jet back in the skies. This was a test flight, not a proving flight. The aircraft will position to Delhi this evening. Proving flight to be scheduled in the coming days from Delhi,” Sanjiv Kapoor said.

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal ran the airline for more than 20 years before it went bankrupt and was shut down completely on 17 April 2019.

In 2018 Jet Airways saw its worst financial times ever and the airline reported a negative financial outlook due to mounting losses.

“In March 2019 it was reported that nearly a quarter of Jet Airways’ planes were grounded due to unpaid lease rates. On 25 March 2019, Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal resigned from the board of directors,” said a former employee of jet airways.

However, the company is yet to clarify whether the airline is going to change the logo and colors of the entire fleet. (ANI)

After ‘Khalistan’ flags were found tied on the Himachal Pradesh Assembly main gate and walls, the state police on Sunday issued orders to seal the interstate borders.

Police registered an FIR under sections 153-A and 153-B of IPC, section 3 of HP Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985, and section 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) at Dharamshala Police station after the ‘Khalistan’ flags incident.
Police booked banned outfit ‘Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ) general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and called him the ‘main accused’ in the case.

“ADGP-CID, IG/DIG Ranges and District SPs have been directed to seal all interstate borders/barriers and keep strict vigil at the places of probable hideouts i.e. hotels and sarais etc. They have been directed to keep the Special Security Units (SsUs), Bomb Disposal Squads and Quick Reactions Teams (QRTs) in position and on high alert and strengthen the security of dams, railway stations, bus stands, towns, government building and vital installations,” the statement added.

The field formations have been directed to sensitize all the security staff and chowkidars of government buildings, banks, and public sector undertakings with regard to the threat and they may be advised to report any matter of concern to the local police station immediately.

Earlier in the day, ‘Khalistan’ flags were found tied on the main gate and boundary wall of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Dharamshala on Sunday morning.

Soon after the incident came to light, a police official informed that the flags were removed from the gates and walls.

Superintendent of Police, Kangra, Khushal Sharma said, “It might have happened late night or early morning today. We have removed the Khalistan flags from the Vidhan Sabha gate. It could be an act of some tourists from Punjab.” (ANI)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids at over a dozen locations in Mumbai against associates of Pakistan-based gangster Dawood Ibrahim and a few hawala operators.

The raids are being conducted in Nagpada, Goregaon, Borivali, Santacruz, Mumbra, Bhendi Bazar, and other places.

The probe agency said that it had registered a case against hawala operators and drug peddlers who were associated with Dawood in February. However, the raids began today.

Further information is awaited. (ANI)

Bihar Lok Seva Aayog on Sunday announced that the 67th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination of Bihar Public Service Commission will be cancelled in view of the ‘question paper leak’ and the matter is under investigation.

“Exam to be cancelled after a 3-member committee submitted a report in connection with 67th Combined Competition Exam. DGP Bihar has been requested to get the ‘question paper leak’ matter probed by Cyber Cell”, Bihar Lok Seva Aayog.

An investigation has been ordered by the Bihar Public Service Commission after reports that question papers were being sent via messaging services WhatsApp and Telegram and later came out on social media platforms.

According to the commission, questions were leaked from an examination centre just before the exam was scheduled to start at 12 noon.

Meanwhile, a ruckus broke out at Arrah’s Kunwar Singh College with students alleging the use of phones by a section of students during Bihar Public Service Commission on Sunday.

“They (college officials) told us that our exam will be delayed but made some students give exams in two separate rooms with doors shut,” said a protesting student.

“There was some issue in the exam for Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). Candidates having an issue can file a written complaint, we will compile it and send it to BPSC. The final decision will be taken accordingly, but no exact info on the issue”, said Bhojpur DM Roshan Kushwaha.

Over six lakh candidates were to sit for the Bihar Public Service Commission on Sunday. (ANI)

Around 250 km from Pune, a village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, has become a model village for the society after banning all the ill practices of widowhood.

Breaking social reforms, the Herwad village in Shirol Tahseel of Kolhapur district has eliminated all the ill practices of widowhood like wiping the kumkum (Sindoor) from the forehead, breaking the bangles, and breaking of mangalsutra etc.

This historic decision was taken in a Gram Panchayat meeting held on May 4. In the meeting, a resolution was moved to abolish all the practices which are being done after the death of the husband. After the meeting, the resolution was unanimously passed by members of Herwad Grampanchayat.

In the resolution, it was stated, “In our society after the death of husband during last rites there is a practice of wiping of sindoor, breaking of bangles, removing of Bichiya, etc. Widows are also not allowed to attend any type of social and religious events in the village.

“As per the law, every citizen has the equal right to live with freedom however these practice has taken away the rights of the women which is actually against the law and the constitution. Every widow of this village and the country has the right to live respectfully, therefore, all the practices related to widows are being demolished with immediate effect. Simultaneously, an awareness campaign should also be carried out in the village to make people aware of this resolution,” said the resolution.

Sarpanch of Herwad village, Surgonda Patil said, “The purpose to bring this resolution was to empower widows of our villages, who were facing various issues because of these practices. During COVID time in our village alone, 12-13 men between the age group of 30-50 lost their life. The wives of these men had to go through all these ill practices. It was painful to see those women who were already in pain after losing their husbands. So we have together decided to end all these ill practices. For this, we also had the support of a social activist Pramod Zinjade who encouraged us to ban these practices for good.”

“We have set an example before the country, to come forward and vanish these ill practices. We want to appeal to the government also to make a law against it. Meanwhile, our efforts are to make an awareness campaign about this resolution in the nearby villages and try to ban widowhood practices from its root,” he added. (ANI)

Condemning Russia’s “unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal military aggression” against Ukraine and the “indiscriminate attacks” against civilians and civilian infrastructure, the G7 countries on Sunday pledged to continue imposing severe and immediate economic costs on President Putin’s regime for the “unjustifiable war”.

The strong statement came after a virtual meeting of the G7 leaders, who were joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The leaders commemorated the end of World War 2 in Europe, which happened on this day in 1945, following the surrender of the German forces to the allied powers.

“Seventy-seven years later, President Putin and his regime now chose to invade Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country. His actions bring shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people,” the statement read.

Accusing Russia of violating the international rules-based order, particularly the UN Charter, the statement called on all “partners to join our (G7’s) support for the Ukrainian people and for refugees, and to help Ukraine to rebuild its future.”

“We reiterate our condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal military aggression against Ukraine and the indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, which has resulted in terrible humanitarian catastrophe in the heart of Europe,” the statement read.

“We are appalled by the large-scale loss of human life, assault on human rights, and destruction that Russia’s actions have inflicted on Ukraine,” the statement added.

The statement also highlighted the “unprecedented package of coordinated sanctions” that “has already significantly hindered Russia’s war of aggression by limiting access to financial channels and ability to pursue their objectives.”

“We will continue to impose severe and immediate economic costs on President Putin’s regime for this unjustifiable war,” the statement said, before announcing the G7’s commitment to a list of five measures.

“We commit to phase out our dependency on Russian energy, including by phasing out or banning the import of Russian oil. We will ensure that we do so in a timely and orderly fashion, and in ways that provide time for the world to secure alternative supplies,” the statement said.

It added that the G7 would work with partner countries to ensure stable and sustainable global energy supplies and affordable prices for consumers as the transition from Russian energy and fossil fuels takes place.

Other measures included prohibiting or preventing “the provision of key services on which Russia depends” to isolate Russia’s economy, “action against Russian banks connected to the global economy and systemically critical to the Russian financial system” and imposing “sanctions on additional individuals” who support President Putin in his war effort.

The G7 countries also pledged to continue their efforts “to fight off the Russian regime’s attempts to spread its propaganda.”

Talking about the economic disruption caused by the war, especially the food crisis, the G7 statement said, “we will address the causes and consequences of the global food crisis through a Global Alliance for Food Security, as our joint initiative to ensure momentum and coordination, and other efforts.”

The G7 and Ukraine stand united in this difficult time and in their quest to ensure Ukraine’s democratic, prosperous future. We remain united in our resolve that President Putin must not win his war against Ukraine, the statement said.

Speaking at the conference, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy “underlined the strong resolve of Ukraine to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said.

“He stated that Ukraine’s ultimate aim is to ensure full withdrawal of Russia’s military forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and to secure its ability to protect itself in the future and thanked G7 members for their support,” the G7 statement informed.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, three days after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent republics”. The Russian Ministry of Defense maintains that the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. In response, Western nations imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia. (ANI)

US first lady Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to Uzhhorod in western Ukraine on Sunday and met the nation’s first lady, Olena Zelenska.

Biden met with Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska at a converted school that now serves as temporary housing for displaced citizens.
Notably, Olena Zelenska was not seen in the public space since the war started in Ukraine on February 24.

While sharing the video of their meeting, Michael LaRosa, Press Secretary to the US First Lady and Special Assistant to the President tweeted, “The moment First Ladies Jill Biden of US and Olena Zelenska of Ukraine met today in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.”

Russia has intensified its military operations in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine.

The first lady is the latest high profile American to visit the war-torn country in recent weeks.

“I wanted to come on Mother’s Day,” said Biden to her Ukrainian counterpart, the two women seated at a small table in a classroom, CNN reported.

“We thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people this war has to stop. And this war has been brutal.” Biden added, “The people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.”

Biden’s visit comes after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine and with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Zelenska, who early on in the Russian invasion sent a letter to Biden, has exchanged correspondence in recent weeks, US officials tell CNN.

Notably, Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unwarranted war. As a result of this, the western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (ANI)

Bharatiya Janata Party has been ruling Gujarat for nearly three decades and on Sunday BJP received a huge boost ahead of the Assembly polls as about 500 doctors joined the party.

ABout 500 doctors joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and party state chief CR Paatil in Gandhinagar.
Assembly polls in Gujarat are slated to be held later this year.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while gearing up for Gujarat Assembly polls has asked party workers to continuously work for the next six months after May 4 without a break.

After poll victory in four out of five states in the recently concluded Assembly polls, the BJP workers have been asked to prepare for next the big elections in Gujarat.

“We want our party cadre to be energised and that is one of the reasons we have decided that May 1 being a public holiday we have decided not to hold any programs from May 1 to 4. This will be the only break that the party workers will get ahead of the poll battle for Gujarat,” Paatil told ANI.

“Be geared up to work non-stop for the next six months because we need to give our best, and that’s the message conveyed to the party workers,” Patil added.

The state has already gotten into an election mode with Prime Minister Narendra Modi already having blown the poll bugle in the state, making two visits in the last two months and many more to follow in the forthcoming months.

Gujarat has had a slew of visitors not only politicians from within the state and Centre but also from foreign countries, including Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and PM of and Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth respectively.

Apart from the visits by PM Modi, there have been visits to the state by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also an elected member of Parliament from Gandhinagar.

Gujarat has been a BJP bastion with the party now seeking its sixth term.

PM Narendra Modi has been the longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat for a total of 21 years. In September last year, the BJP adopted a complete makeover strategy and Bhupendra Patel replaced Vijay Rupani as the Chief Minister along with a complete makeover of the state Cabinet.

In the last election to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the BJP won 99 seats with 49 per cent votes and the Congress 77 seats with 41.4 per cent votes. However, in the last four-and-a-half years, more than a dozen MLAs have left Congress. (ANI)

Turkey currently hosts 4,082,693 refugees, 3,762,686 of whom are Syrians, Turkish deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli was quoted by daily Hurriyet as saying on Sunday.

As many as 323,859 irregular migrants have been deported during the last 5 years, he said. In 2022, a total of 21,087 people from 113 different nationalities were deported, topped by Afghanistan with 9,654 people, and Pakistan ranks second with 4,206, he added.
The number of Syrians that voluntarily returned to the “secure” areas in northern Syria is 497,926, Catakli said.

“Turkey is the only country that can manage its immigration policy in line with the law and humanitarian values,” he noted.

The Turkish government has made an effort to stop migration at its source, and the number of Syrians in Turkey has not increased over the last 5 years, he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that the government plans the voluntary return of 1 million Syrians to their homeland as the public hostility to their presence in the country is escalating. The government is building homes and public facilities in northern parts of Syria held by Turkish-backed forces.

Turkey hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees in the world, in addition to several hundred other nationalities, mainly from neighbouring countries. They have been increasingly blamed for many of Turkey’s social and economic ills. (ANI/Xinhua)