Month: May 2022

Indian Coast Guard chief VS Pathania on Wednesday commissioned the second made in India ALH Mk III Squadron at Coast Guard Air Enclave (CGAE) in Kochi, the ICG officials said.

The second squadron of these choppers will further boost the security of the western seaboard and enhance India’s search and rescue capability, Pathania said.
The commissioning of the Squadron by Director General VS Pathania, PTM, TM, Director General Indian Coast Guard at Kochi has provided a major boost to the maritime security and safety on the Western Seaboard. The commissioning ceremony was graced by various civil and military dignitaries also.

The commissioning of this squadron earmarked a considerable leap towards self-reliance in the field of helicopter-mounted SAR and long-range maritime surveillance, in line with the government’s push towards “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. (ANI)

Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrell on Wednesday called on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and divulged his keen interest to forge collaboration, especially in the field of Agriculture and Skill Development with Punjab on the pattern of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Responding to O’Farrell’s proposal, Mann assured him of all cooperation and support in this regard so as to propel Punjab in the high growth trajectory by concretizing these plans of mutual interest.
In a bid to boost the bilateral trade, a three-member Australian delegation led by O’Farrell including Member of Parliament Gurmesh Singh and Second Secretary Political Jack Taylor called on the Chief Minister here at his official residence on Wednesday this afternoon.

O’Farrell apprised Mann of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA). He said, “IndAus ECTA is India’s first bilateral trade agreement with a large, developed economy in 10 years, which aims to double two-way trade.”

He also mentioned that Australia’s goal is to lift India into their top three export markets by 2035 and make it 3rd largest outward investment destination in Asia.

O’Farrell further said that Punjab could be immensely benefitted by forging collaboration with Australia, especially in the field of agriculture and agro-industry as its progressive farmers have a proven track record of vast experience and expertise in food production.

Taking part in the deliberations, Bhagwant Mann said that Punjabis due to their enterprising and resilient nature have fairly contributed to the overall socio-economic development of all the major countries across the globe including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, USA, Italy etc.

The chief minister said that Punjab has several franchises in the different parts of the world viz. “There is a big Punjab in Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland besides a mini Punjab in the UK.”

The Chief Minister asked the visiting delegation to be in touch with his team of officers headed by his Additional Chief Secretary, A. Venu Prasad, who was also present in the meeting, to fructify these proposals of mutual interest between both sides on the ground.

O’Farrell expressed his gratitude to the CM and emphasized the much-needed synergy to boost bilateral ties for the promotion of trade and business with Punjab.

He assured Bhagwant Mann that their team would also proactively engage with Punjab to further strengthen their economic cooperation. (ANI)

Enthralling admirers with her new summer appearance, Bollywood actor Fatima Sana Shaikh on Wednesday posted a couple of photos on her social media handle.

The ‘Dangal’ actor dropped images on her Instagram account, in which she was seen donning an off-shoulder lilac-coloured little dress, paired with small golden hooped earrings.

Requesting her fans to suggest some caption for the post, Fatima wrote, “Now help me again with a caption.”

Fans bombarded the post’s comment section with heart and fire emoticons. They were so fascinated and bewitched by her beauty that one of the users commented, “I am damn sure, You can beat any actress in beauty.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Fatima will be seen starring alongside the father-son duo of Harshvardhan Kapoor and Anil Kapoor in the upcoming film ‘Thar’, which will be directly released on Netflix on May 6, 2022. (ANI)

Some of the terrorists in the Kashmir valley used American armour piercing bullets in encounters with Indian security forces and were successful in breaching the bulletproof jackets of soldiers.

The bullets are part of the American weaponry leftover in Afghanistan by the US forces who had to leave earlier than planned due to capturing of all important provinces and cities by the Taliban.
“The terrorists used armour piercing bullets against security forces and were able to breach the bulletproof jackets worn by some of the troops. The terrorists have also been found using advanced Made in Canada night sights which again is the leftover stock of the NATO troops there,” Government sources told ANI.

The matter was discussed by the top army brass during the Army Commanders’ Conference held in April, they said.

Armour-Piercing bullets or steel core bullets can breach protection provided against bullets by a certain level of jackets and create issues for troops carrying out operations.

The Indian Army has also started taking remedial measures to counter the threat from these bullets.

“The terrorists have used these bullets during the encounters and they breached the jackets in a few cases. We were using level 3 jackets till now and from now on, we would soon be getting the level 4 jackets which provide protection against these bullets,” the top officer from the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps told ANI.

It was estimated that the American leftover weaponry would be used by these terrorist groups to do violence in India.

According to reports, the American forces have leftover weapons and equipment worth around USD 7-8 billion including helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, communication equipment and other weaponry.

The majority of it has been taken over by the Taliban while small Islamist terrorist organisations have also gotten hold of this weaponry and are using them.

In the past also, the American origin M-16 assault rifles along with M-4A carbines have been found with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. It is estimated that the American troops have left behind over 6.5 of these types of rifles in Afghanistan during their hasty exit. (ANI)

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Wednesday met Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan and discussed further strengthening ties between both countries.

Karzai said that both of them discussed the current situation and the need to strengthen bilateral ties, TOLOnews reported.
The meeting comes amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised to help Ukraine with military aid to fight Russia.

Earlier, Hamid Karzai had raised concerns over the closure of schools for girls, above grade 6, by the Taliban regime, stating that the people of Afghanistan want their girls to return to schools.

“There is no way… that the country can live without our girls going to school. It can’t be. The Afghan people will not allow that and I am sure the schools for girls will reopen because that is what the Afghan people want and want clearly,” Karzai said as cited by Tolo News.

The Taliban has received constant backlash from other countries as well owing to its decision to shut schools for girls from grades 7 to 12 and it has been several months since Afghan girls have been barred from going to school.

Several Afghan clerics, notable politicians and members of the civil society have urged the Taliban to consider the reopening of schools for the female students and grant them access to education, reported Tolo News.

Meanwhile, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has also worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power in August last year.

Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated. (ANI)

Maharashtra has been put on a high alert on Wednesday as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s ultimatum for loudspeakers ends today.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said that as many as 2,500 security personnel have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order.
He also informed that following Supreme Court orders, several mosques did not play the morning Azaan on the loudspeaker “voluntarily”.

Addressing a press conference, Gupta said, “Situation is under control. Many Mosques did not play morning Azaan on loudspeaker voluntarily, following Supreme Court guidelines. A total of 2,500 security personnel are deployed across the city to maintain law and order.”

As per the Maharashtra Home Department, in Mumbai, of the total of 1,140 Mosques, 135 used loudspeakers before 6 am today.

“Appropriate action should be taken against these 135 mosques that went against the orders of the Supreme Court of India,” Maharashtra Home Department said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday had ordered the police to take all measures to maintain law and order and not wait for anyone’s order. Uddhav Thackeray also held a telephonic conversation with the Maharashtra DGP Rajnish Seth.

Earlier on Tuesday, Maharashtra Police registered a case against Thackeray over his speech at a rally held in Aurangabad on May 1. Police registered the case after seeing the viral videos of his public rally. Following this heavy police deployment was made outside the MNS chief’s Shivaji Park residence.

Undeterred despite being booked by the state police, Raj Thackeray persisted with his anti-loudspeaker campaign, as he shared a video of the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on Wednesday in which he is seen speaking against the use of loudspeakers and Muslims offering prayers on the roads.

Raj Thackeray had recently posed in Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s trademark attire in a social media post. Raj Thackeray is incidentally attempting an image makeover to revive his political fortunes in the state by embarking on hard Hindutva.

In the video, shared by Raj Thackeray, Bal Thackeray is heard saying that the Shiv Sena will not rest until it is successful in preventing people from offering namaz on roads when it comes to power in the state.

The loudspeakers row started when the MNS chief on April 12 gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which, he warned, MNS workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers.

A case was filed against Raj Thackeray on Tuesday when he appealed to people to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in the areas where loudspeakers are used for ‘Aazan’ from today.

He also announced that he will hold more rallies in Marathwada, Vidarbha and other cities as well.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Police seized loudspeakers from the MNS office and detained the party’s Chandivali unit chief Mahendra Bhanushali and others on Tuesday. (ANI)

Hyderabad-based pharma company Bharat Biotech has sought permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct trials of Covaxin as COVID-19 vaccine booster dose in the 2-18 age group, sources said.
The company has applied for permission a week ago. It has already conducted trials in the age group of 2-18 for two doses of Covaxin.

Recently, Bharat Biotech has also received an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) approval for 6-12 years old children for two doses.

Bharat Biotech has also applied for the EUA for the 2-5 years old but Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has asked for more data.

Bharat Biotech is the first company in India who had applied for permission from DCGI to conduct trials of a booster dose in the 2-18 age group.

Currently, the Covaxin is under the national COVID vaccination programme for the above 15-18 age group for two doses and above 18 years old for a precaution dose.

The trials for Bharat Biotech’s intranasal booster on a heterologous group are under trial, according to the sources data collection process is over for the age group above 18 years. (ANI)

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that culprits involved in riots will not be spared while the government will ensure that no incidents of violence take place in the state.

Speaking to the media, Gehlot said, “To ensure no violence takes place in the state, action will be taken against the culprit. No one has the right to take law and order in their hands.”
He also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “bulldozing” houses of the poor and alleged that it is the “homework” from the party’s high command to defame the Congress-led state government.

“They (BJP) bulldoze the houses of the poor. Their high command has instructed them to defame our government and to create instability. Those who have become Chief Minister candidate…there’s competition (among them), and have been given homework, which is why they are stretching everything.”

Notably, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked for a detailed report from the Rajasthan government over communal tension in the state’s Jodhpur region, sources said on Wednesday.

As per the sources, the Ministry is also “watching the situation closely” and getting inputs from the state’s administrative and police authorities.

Tension gripped Gehlot’s hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police station areas of the city.

There was agitation over putting up religious flags on the Jalori gate circle in Jodhpur, which led to stone-pelting in which five policemen were injured.

The state Chief Minister has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Following the incident, Jodhpur Police issued orders imposing a curfew till May 4 midnight besides suspending mobile internet services to check the spread of rumours.

The situation was brought under control in the early hours of Tuesday with heavy deployment of police but tension escalated again in the morning after prayers at an Eidgah. Shops, vehicles and houses were pelted with stones near the Jalori gate area.

Members of the minority community were installing Eid flags and they put up a flag on a roundabout alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa. This led to a confrontation as members of the other community alleged that a saffron flag, which they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, had gone missing.

The issue snowballed into stone-pelting and clashes, officials said.

The police rushed to the spot to control the situation during which five policemen were injured, the police said.

The police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Mobile internet services were suspended in the area to check the spread of rumours, the officials said. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the second India-Nordic summit in Denmark, before departing for Paris to meet the newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron on the final day of his 3-day Europe visit on Wednesday.

The second India-Nordic summit will see the participation of the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway, and will follow up from the first summit that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018.
“The Summit will focus on subjects like post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovation and technology, renewable energy, the evolving global security scenario and India-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic region,” PM Modi had said in his departure statement before embarking on the three-day visit on Sunday.

“On the side-lines of the Summit, I will also meet the leaders of the other four Nordic countries and review the progress in India’s bilateral relations with them,” PM Modi had said.

Following the summit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to make a brief stopover in Paris for a meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the newly re-elected President of France.

During his ongoing visit, PM Modi has held bilateral engagements with the leadership of Germany and Denmark, as well as addressed Indian diaspora events in both Berlin and Copenhagen.

PM Modi also held interactions with the business leaders in both Germany and Denmark during the course of his visit.

PM Modi arrived in Berlin on Monday where he held bilateral discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before participating in the sixth India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.

The Prime Minister said the Inter-Governmental Consultations were productive.

A total of nine agreements were signed between India and Germany, including a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Green and Sustainable Development Partnership under which Germany agreed to make an advance commitment of 10 billion euros of new and additional developmental assistance to India until 2030.

The Indian Prime Minister also addressed the Indian community in Berlin where he talked about the achievements of his government, especially in the area of integrating technology with governance.

On the second day of his visit, the Indian Prime Minister arrived in Copenhagen, holding talks with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen and discussing bilateral issues including trade between the two countries and cooperation on environmental action.

The two leaders also held delegation-level talks in Copenhagen to review progress in the Green Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

PM Modi and his counterpart also discussed Ukraine, with the former reiterating India’s stand of early cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic resolution of the ongoing conflict.

The two leaders went on to address a joint press conference, where a number of agreements were formally signed between the two countries including a Declaration of Intent (DoI) on Migration and Mobility, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of skill development, Vocational Education and Entrepreneurship and the launch of energy policy dialogue at ministerial level between the two countries.

A total of nine agreements were exchanged between the two countries.

In the evening, PM Modi also addressed the members of the Indian diaspora in Copenhagen with the Danish PM also accompanying him.

More than 1000 members of the Indian community in Denmark consisting of students, researchers, professionals and business persons, participated in the event according to an MEA statement.

PM Modi also attended a dinner hosted by the Queen of the Kingdom of Denmark, Margrethe II at the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen which was the last item on the agenda of PM Modi on the second day of his visit. (ANI)