Month: May 2022

African leaders met on Friday in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, to address the continent’s current humanitarian challenges.

The African Union (AU) Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference was held to address the current humanitarian challenges facing Africa, which have been exacerbated by the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters, according to the AU.
The meeting on Friday was convened under the framework of the AU Extraordinary Summit running from Wednesday to Saturday.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, also the current chairperson of the AU, said at the high-level meeting that recurrent humanitarian emergencies are linked to climate change, natural disasters and terrorist attacks as well as armed conflicts.

The fate of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons calls for inclusive development, following the principles of social justice, Sall said, adding that the African continent should be proactive in dealing with humanitarian catastrophes.

Sall called for launching an appeal in support of the mobilization campaign for the reinforcement of the resources of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) so that it can even better respond to the emergencies caused by natural disasters.

The ARC, a specialized agency of the AU, is established to help African governments improve their capacities to better plan, prepare, and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission, emphasized the need to collectively act against humanitarian emergencies in Africa.

“Humanitarian emergencies in Africa, numerous, diverse and geographically dispersed, are a permanent source of concern,” Mahamat said at the meeting.

Mahamat said that in the 15 most-affected AU member countries, some 113 million people are waiting for emergency assistance in 2022.

“The picture is not bright,” said Mahamat. “It is further bleaked by two factors: on the one hand, the annihilation of refugee empowerment efforts by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the other hand, the pressure exerted on the planet earth in the name of the quest for economic growth and whose effects are reflected in climate change manifested through prolonged drought and uncontrollable floods.”

By hosting the humanitarian summit, the AU demonstrates its firm determination to continue its efforts to reduce the suffering of refugees, internally displaced persons and other affected people on the continent, Mahamat said. (ANI/Xinhua)

Another plea challenging the Constitutional validity of certain sections of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 was filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday stating that the said Act violates the principles of secularism.

The plea, filed by a religious guru based in Mathura, Devkinandan Thakur
,
has challenged the constitutional validity of Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991, stating that it offends Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29 of the Indian constitution and violates the principles of secularism and the rule of law, which is an integral part of the Preamble and basic structure of the Constitution.
“Hindus are fighting for the restoration of the birthplace of Lord Krishna for hundreds of years with peaceful public agitation, but by enacting the Act, the Centre has excluded the birthplace of Lord Ram at Ayodhya but not the birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura, though both are the incarnations of Lord Vishnu- the creator,” the petitioner said.

Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, Rudra Vikram, residents of Varanasi, and Swami Jeetendranand Saraswati, a religious leader, among others have already filed a plea in the apex court against the Act.

The pleas read that Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Act have taken away the right to approach the Court and thus the Right to Judicial Remedy has been closed.

Section 3 of the Act bars the conversion of places of worship, by stating “No person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any section thereof.”

Section 4 bars filing of any suit or initiating any other legal proceeding for the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship, as existing on August 15, 1947.

“The Places of Worship Act 1991 is void and unconstitutional for many reasons,” the plea said, adding that it offends the right of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to pray, profess, practice and prorogate religion (Article 25).

“The Act infringes on the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to manage, maintain and administer the places of worship and pilgrimage (Article 26),” it added.

Adding further, it read that the Act deprives Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs from owning/acquiring religious properties belonging to the deity (misappropriated by other communities). “It also takes away the right of judicial remedy of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs to take back their places of worship and pilgrimage and the property which belongs to the deity,” it read.

According to the plea, the Act further deprives Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to take back their places of worship and pilgrimage connected with their cultural heritage (Article 29) and also restricts Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs to restore their possession of places of worship and pilgrimage but allows Muslims to claim under the Section 107, Waqf Act.

“The Act legalizes barbarian acts of invaders. It violates the doctrine of Hindu law that ‘Temple property is never lost even if enjoyed by strangers for years and even the king cannot take away property as the deity is the embodiment of God and is juristic person, represents ‘Infinite the timeless’ and cannot be confined by the shackles of time,” one of the petitions read.

“It is respectfully submitted that the Central Government by making impugned provision (Places of Worship Act 1991) in the year of 1991 has created arbitrary irrational retrospective cutoff date and declared that the character of places of worship and pilgrimage shall be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947, and no suit or proceeding shall lie in the court in respect of the dispute against encroachment done by barbaric fundamentalist invaders and such proceeding shall stand abated,” the PILs stated.

The pleas sought direction to declare that Section 2, 3 and 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 “void and unconstitutional” for being violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29 of the Constitution of India in so far as it legalises ‘the ancient historical and puranic places of worship and pilgrimage’, illegally occupied by foreign invaders. (ANI)

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually interact with all the Chief Ministers of the states on May 31 from Himachal Pradesh on the occasion of the completion of eight years of the BJP-led Central government.

The Chief Minister today inspected the arrangements at Ridge Maidan in Shimla ahead of PM Modi’s visit.
Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, “The people of Himachal Pradesh are very excited and it is a matter of pride that the Prime Minister is coming to the state on the completion of eight years of the Central government. Ridge Maidan in Shimla is a very dear place for him. He will connect virtually with all the CMs. Besides, he will also virtually connect with all district headquarters of the BJP.”

Thakur said that PM Modi’s tenure of eight years has been very good.

“I can say that India has succeeded in not only one but many parameters in making an identity and leaving behind the big powers of the world,” he added

“Today, it is a matter of happiness for us that despite Himachal being a small state, he expressed his desire that he wants to come to the state and we also invited him,” said the Chief Minister.

When asked if there are any chances of the roadshow, he said, “While the roads of Shimla are pretty small, still people want to welcome the Prime Minister as this is the first time that he will address the people from Ridge Maidan,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government will complete eight years at the Centre on May 30, which the party plans to celebrate from May 30 to June 14 at a grand level across the country by holding various events. (ANI)

After the Islamabad march “chaos” where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI ) supporters and police clashed, 11 more cases have been registered against the PTI leaders including party chairman Imran Khan.

This comes after Pakistani police fired tear gas and clashed with PTI supporters in the wee hours of Thursday as former Prime Minister Imran Khan started reaching Islamabad to demand fresh elections.
Cases against scores of activists under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) have been registered, police said on Friday, the Dawn reported.

The Hassan Abdal police registered a case against Pakistan Occupied Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed Khan, his chief security officer and around 4,000 other participants of the PTI long march for rioting and disturbing public order besides violating Section 144.

CM Khurshid and his security team shouted slogans against the government and administration and kept firing on police personnel.

The Loi Bher police registered a case against the PTI chairman and other leaders, including Ali Nawaz, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Asad Umer, and activists under sections 427, 148, 149, 109, 353, 186, 341 and 188 of the PPC, the police said.

According to the FIR, a gathering of 150 persons led by Loi Bher Union Council Chairman appeared at Korang Bridge holding PTI flags and batons in violation of Section 144.

They blocked the road, pelted the police with stones and damaged roadside trees on the directives of the PTI chairman and leaders Ali Nawaz, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Asad Umer, as per the FIR, the media outlet reported.

Besides, they also damaged official vehicles, and trees and interfered in the official work of the police, the FIR said, adding that they escaped from the spot when police tried to arrest them.

According to the FIR, the PTI activists armed with batons, iron rods and holding PTI flags appeared at D-Chowk and tried to enter Red Zone. (ANI)

The call of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to lift the Taliban’s strict measures on Afghan women has been dismissed by the Taliban forces who have termed it as “unfounded.”

Reaffirming the Taliban’s commitment to Afghan women’s rights, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the concerns of the UNSC on Friday regarding the restriction of human and fundamental rights imposed upon Afghan women, reported Khaaama Press.
“Since the people of Afghanistan are predominantly Muslim, the Afghan government considers the observance of Islamic hijab to be in line with the religious and cultural practices of society,” stated Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson of the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Ministry.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Security Council called on the Taliban to “swiftly reverse” the policies restricting the human rights and fundamental rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

UNSC, in a joint statement, expressed deep concerns over the situation of Afghan women and girls following the Taliban’s restrictions on education, employment, freedom of movement, and the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in public life.

The UN Security Council also called on the Taliban to reopen the schools for all female students without further delay, reported Khaama Press.

The Taliban’s statement comes at a time when the United Nations(UN) Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennet recently commented that the measures such as the suspension of girls’ secondary education, enforcing a strict form of Hijab, and no opportunities to participate in political and public life, among others, fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation and are aimed at making women invisible in society.

Concluding his 11-day visit to Afghanistan to assess the condition of human rights in Afghanistan, Bennet said, “I expressed serious concern about the deterioration of human rights across the country, and the erasure of women from public life is especially concerning,”

Unrecognized by most of the international community, the Taliban-led government has committed to disrespecting the human rights of women. (ANI)

Belarus plans to create militias to increase the number of defenders for the country, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday.

At an annual assembly for national security and defence training, the minister said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had given the order to create militias, according to the Belarus 1 TV channel.
Vladimir Karanik, chairman of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee, said militias can defend important objects, freeing the army from these functions and allowing the army to carry out combat missions.

The annual assembly of Military Security and State Defense was held Friday, with participants such as chairmen of executive committees and regional military commissars of the country.

According to the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, samples of weapons and special equipment in service with Belarusian troops were demonstrated at the assembly, which was held to make participants know better about military operations in modern armed conflicts. (ANI/Xinhua)

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda in New Delhi and discussed the way forward to cope with the economic crisis in the island nation.

Taking to Twitter, the Sri Lankan Embassy in India wrote, “Following his meeting in mid-April, High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda again met with the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman today (27) to evaluate the status of ongoing economic cooperation and to discuss the way forward.”
The 37th Board Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation was also held on Friday in New Delhi under the co-chairmanship of Moragoda and the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay.

Sri Lanka is now facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It left the country unable to buy enough fuel, with people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, fuel, and gas.

In February, New Delhi provided a short-term loan of USD 500 million to Colombo for the purchase of petroleum products through the Ministry of Energy and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.

India in November 2021 gave 100 tonnes of nano nitrogen liquid fertilisers to Sri Lanka as their government stopped the import of chemical fertilisers.

The total fuel delivered to the people of Sri Lanka, over the last 50 days, amounts to nearly 200,000 MT, including a consignment of 40,000 MT, by Indian Oil Corporation, outside the line of credit facility, in February 2022. Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge thanked the Government of India for the fuel consignments.

India announced another USD 1 billion as a credit line to Sri Lanka to help shore up the sinking economy of the island nation. New Delhi also provided the stock of 11,000 MT of rice to Colombo. (ANI)

Congress is likely to finalize nominees for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections in its meeting today, with the former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who’s in London, linking through video conference, while a number of veterans are vying to re-enter the Upper House.

Congress is expected to win eight Rajya Sabha seats, largely from Rajasthan and Chattishgarh.
The party veterans P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Vivek Tankha, Ajay Maken, Rajeev Shukla, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari are stated to be in the contention even while the party is mulling to prop up local leaders and minority faces following the deliberations at its Chintan Shivir, which was held in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

The meeting will be chaired by Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi and attended by the general secretaries. Sources said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is in London, is likely to attend the meeting through video conferencing.

Congress has decided to contest three Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan while the party may fall short of numbers for one seat for which it will bank on the support of non-BJP MLAs.

Notably, a three-point formula has also been adopted in Rajasthan under which no MLA will be considered for the Rajya Sabha nominations while giving preferences for minority and local faces.

In Chattisgarh, Congress is confident to bag two seats in Rajya Sabha. Further, the party is expecting one seat each from Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Congress is also expecting one seat from Jharkhand where it is in alliance with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Sources said JMM Chief and CM Hemant Soren has called a meeting of his party MLAs in Ranchi today, but he’s said to be unwilling to give the seat to Congress.

Congress is likely to finalize its Rajya sabha nominees by Saturday evening.

Senior leader P Chidambaram whose Rajya Sabha tenure is ending from Maharashtra is under consideration from Tamil Nadu as Congress is all set to get the support of alliance partner DMK.

The G-23 leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Vivek Tankha, are also said to be in contention.

Meanwhile, names of leaders from team Rahul Gandhi like Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala are also under consideration.

Rajeev Shukla, Mukul Wasnik, Pramod Tiwari and Dr Ajoy Kumar are also hoping to bag the nominations. A tribal leader from Rajasthan and one from the scheduled caste from Chattisgarh are likely to find Congress’ approval in the Saturday meeting.

Several members of the Rajya Sabha will retire between June 21 and August 1. Elections to 57 Rajya Sabha seats spread across 15 states will take place on June 10. While 11 seats will fall vacant in Uttar Pradesh, six members each will retire from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, five from Bihar and four each from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka.

The BJP currently has 95 MPs and Congress has 29 members in the 245-member house. (ANI)

Hinting that Tesla will not put a manufacturing plant in India the carmaker’s chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk said on Friday tweeted that until the company is first allowed to sell and service imported cars in the South Asian country there will be no setting up of the bases.

Responding to an individual on Twitter, who questioned Musk vis-a-vis Tesla’s plans to put up a manufacturing plant in India, the billionaire responded, “Tesla will not put a manufacturing plant in any location where we are not allowed first to sell and service cars.”
These comments suggest that the standstill between India and Telsa in regards to setting up the manufacturing plant in the country continues.

Earlier in April, highlighting the conducive environment for automobile manufacturing in India, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Elon Musk is welcome to manufacture e-vehicles in India, but in case the Tesla owner desires to build in China and sell here, it cannot be a “good proposition”.

Gadkari made the remarks while speaking at a private event in Delhi answering a question on Tesla’s concerns on “high duties” in India.

“It is a very easy alternative; if Elon Musk is ready to manufacture a Tesla in India, there is no problem. We have got all competencies, the vendors are available. We have got all types of technology and because of that, he can reduce the cost,” Gadkari said.

Inviting Tesla to start manufacturing in India, the Union Minister highlighted that India is a huge market, and infrastructure like ports are available to enable exports.

“He is welcome in India. We don’t have any problem, but, suppose, he wants to manufacture in China and sell in India, it cannot be a good proposition for India. Our request to him is, come to India and manufacture here,” Gadkari said.

Citing the tremendous growth in the e-vehicles sector in India over the last few years, Gadkari further said that “my suggestion to Elon Musk is, in India, he will get a good market and Indian market is very huge. It is a win-win situation for both.”

He added that India has all the quality vendors and automobile spare parts that are available in China and that “it can be easier for him to make here in India and sell in India. He will get good profits from that, and good economics is there. I will request him to come to India and start manufacturing here.”

Echoing similar sentiments, the Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar earlier in February told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that there cannot be a situation where the market is in India but jobs are created in China.

In 2020, Musk announced plans to open the production of Tesla electric vehicles in India. A subsidiary of Tesla, India Motors And Energy Private Limited was established in Bengaluru in southwest India. Musk said he was ready to build a Tesla factory in India if the country reduces the cost of importing electric vehicles.

Elon Musk, an American entrepreneur and the founder of Tesla, said that the electric vehicle company continues to face “a lot of challenges” with the Indian government regarding the setting up of car production in India.

Earlier in January, a Twitter user posted a tweet asking Musk whether there was any further update on Tesla’s manufacturing launch in India and saying the vehicles “deserve to be in every corner of the world.”

“Still working through a lot of challenges with the government, ” Musk answered on Twitter. (ANI)