Month: August 2022

Former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Saturday elected as India’s new Vice President. He got 528 votes against opposition candidate Margaret Alva who got 182 votes.

Dhankar reached Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi’s residence at 11 Akbar Road before the announcement of the results for the Vice Presidential Election.

Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh, who was the presiding officer for the 16th Vice Presidential election, said that of the 780 MPs eligible to cast votes, 725 MPs cast their vote. Fifteen votes were found invalid and 710 votes were valid.

The polling to elect the new vice president began at 10 am today and concluded at 5 pm. The counting of votes began after 6 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was amongst the first leaders to cast his vote. Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP president JP Nadda also cast their votes. Dr Manmohan Singh arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also cast his vote besides other MPs.

The next Vice-President of the country will take the oath of office on August 11, a day after the term of the incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends.

Janata Dal (United), YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK had announced support for Dhankhar. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) extended support to Alva. The Trinamool Congress abstained from the vote.

Dhankhar was appointed as the Governor of West Bengal in 2019. He resigned from the post of West Bengal Governor on July 17 after his name was announced as the vice Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The Vice President of India, which is the second-highest constitutional post in the country, is elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

The Vice President of India is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)

Sri Lanka on Friday asked China to defer the visit of the spy ship Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka requested China to defer the arrival date of the satellite tracker military ship Yuan Wang 5 until further consultations are made on this issue.

“The Ministry wishes to request that the arrival date of the vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota be deferred until further consultations are made on this matter,” read the MoFA letter referred to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China of Sri Lanka.

The Chinese vessel Yuan Wang 5 was scheduled to dock at Chinese leased Hambantota port on August 11 for refuelling and leave on August 17.

“The Chinese scientific research vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ will enter Hambantota port on August 11 for a week. It is expected to leave on August 17 after replenishment. It could conduct satellite control and research tracking in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean region,” said Y Ranaraja, Director, Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL).

Designated as a research stroke survey vessel, Yuan Wang 5 was built in 2007 and has a carrying capacity of 11,000 tonnes. The survey vessel departed from Jiangyin, China on July 13 and is currently sailing close to Taiwan where China is conducting live-fire drills as an aggressive posture against Taipei for allowing US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit the self-ruled island.

During this significant visit to the key Sri Lankan port, it could conduct satellite research in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean region, prompting security concerns for India.

Hambantota port, located around 250 km from Colombo was built with high-interest Chinese loans. The Sri Lankan government struggled to repay the debt they had taken from China following which the port was handed over to the Chinese on a 99-year lease.

Notably, India had expressed its security concerns over the docking of the vessel at Hambantota as it was shown as a research vessel while the spy ship can map the ocean bed which is critical to anti-submarine operations of the Chinese Navy.

Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka has experienced an escalating economic crisis and the government has defaulted on its foreign loans. The United Nations warned that 5.7 million people “require immediate humanitarian assistance.”

With many Sri Lankans experiencing extreme shortages of essentials including food and fuel, peaceful protests began in March. The protests led then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign on May 9, and his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to flee the country on July 13 and resign the following day.

Wickremasinghe became acting president, and parliament elected him as the new president on July 20 with the support of the Rajapaksas’ political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.

Meanwhile, India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, has always come forward to help the debt-ridden island country. Recently, India has extended 8 Lines of Credit (LOCs) to Sri Lanka amounting to USD 1,850.64 million in the past 10 years.

“Government of India has extended 8 Lines of Credit (LOCs) to Sri Lanka amounting to USD 1,850.64 million in sectors including railways, infrastructure, defence, renewable energy, petroleum and fertilizers in the past 10 years,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a written reply to question put by DMK Lok Sabha MP S Ramalingam.

“In January 2022, India extended a USD 400 million currency swap to Sri Lanka under the SAARC Framework and deferred successive Asian Clearing Union (A.C.U.) settlements till July 6, 2022. A Line of Credit of USD 500 million was extended to Sri Lanka for importing fuel from India,” the minister added.

More than 25 tons of drugs and medical supplies which were donated by the government and people of India during the last two months are valued at close to SLR 370 million. This is in addition to the economic assistance of around USD 3.5 billion and supply of other humanitarian supplies such as rice, milk powder, and kerosene.

These humanitarian supplies are in continuation of the government of India’s ongoing support to the people of Sri Lanka in multiple forms such as financial assistance, forex support, material supply, and many more. These efforts prove that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy which places people-to-people engagement is still active.

India is becoming a stronger and more mutually beneficial partner to Sri Lanka. Apart from assistance during the pandemic and fertilizer chaos, India is also donating basic products to the island nation. (ANI)

Aiming to improve communication and high-speed data network to support operational requirements of field formations, the Indian Army is looking to establish 5G network along borders.

China has already begun establishing the 5G network along the Line Of Actual Control (LAC) for better communication.
Sources in the Defence establishment said that the Indian Army has been endeavouring to exploit 5G for supporting operations in the tactical battlefield area.

“The high bandwidth low latency connectivity promised by 5G is envisaged to be better suited for mission-critical communication for troops conducting operations at forwarding edge of the battlefield,” said a source.

Towards this end, a detailed Joint Services Study was carried out on the implementation of 5G in Defence Services under the aegis of the Corps of Signals. The study has deliberated upon and recommended a roadmap for the induction of 5G into the Defence Forces.

Also, a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of 5G Testbed has been signed between the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering and IIT Madras. The test bed will facilitate validation of military use cases of 5G for a field army. Some of the use cases being examined include smart surveillance, telemedicine, drone control, and, real-time augmented and virtual reality for training and operations.

Meanwhile, the fifth generation (5G) telecom services are likely to be launched in India by October this year as the government on Monday successfully completed the spectrum auction mopping up over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in bids by four companies including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks.

Addressing a media briefing after the end of the bidding for the 5G spectrum, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said out of the total 72,098 MHz of spectrum on offer, 51,236 MHz or around 71 per cent has been sold in the auction.

Talking to ANI, Vaishnaw said the allocation of the spectrum to the successful bidders would be done by August 10 and the 5G services are likely to be launched in the country by October this year.

Vaishnaw said that better availability of spectrum will improve the quality of telecom services in the country. (ANI)

Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen made it into the final of the women’s 50kg light flyweight category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Saturday.

The Indian outclassed Savannah Stubley of England 5-0 in the semi-finals by unanimous decision.

Depending on a series of combinations, jabs and punctual left hooks, Nikhat Zareen took command of the bout right from the start. Although Stubley tried to counter, she failed to connect as the Indian escaped her punches comfortably.

In the final round, Zareen relaxed up and opted for defensive tactics, keeping her guard up against Stubley. The Indian countered when the Stubley attacked and remained light on her feet to avoid any punches flying her way.

Nikhat Zareen will now lock horns with Northern Ireland’s Carly McNaul in the final on Sunday. (ANI)

Life has no meaning without friends. From giving us a shoulder to lean on during tough times to teaching us beautiful lessons, friends add more value to our life with their presence. A person with friends knows how the journey of life becomes more beautiful when you have people in life who act nothing less than a pillar of strength. Bollywood is no exception.

There are several celebrities who have proved that friendship exists in the industry which is known for cut-throat competition! This Friendship Day let’s have a look at the ‘real’ best friends of Bollywood whose bond has stood the test of time.

1. Kareena Kapoor Khan- Amrita Arora Kareena Kapoor Khan and Amrita Arora’s friendship is not hidden from anyone. The two divas have been friends for over two decades now. They have always stood up straight like a pillar for each other. Recently, Kareena came out in support of Amrita after the latter faced trolling from several social media users for her.
2. Karan Johar – Kajol Kajol and Karan’s friendship goes back to the time when they were simply film industry kids. However, their friendship soured in 2016 during the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma and Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay. Both the films clashed at the box office. But, Kajol and Karan could not stay angry for long with each other. They reunited and rekindled their friendship.
3. Arjun Kapoor- Ranveer Singh Arjun and Ranveer have been friends for a long time and starred in Gunday together. They are famous for flaunting their “bromance” on social media. They address each other as “baba.” In one of the interviews, Arjun said that he feels he is Deepika Padukone’s ‘soutan’.
4. Helen-Waheeda Rehman-Asha Parekh Some friends are destined to grow old together. And veteran actresses Helen, Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parekh have beautifully proven that enduring friendships are beyond age or competition. Despite wrinkles and grey hair, the yesteryear actresses do not leave any chance to hang out together. Last year, they became the talk of the town with their Andaman vacation, showing how to cherish life-long friendships. 5.Suhana-Ananaya-Shanaya Star kids Suhana Khan, Ananya Panday and Shanaya Kapoor are childhood besties. Suhana is Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s daughter, while Ananya is Chunky Pandey’s firstborn and Shanaya is Sanjay Kapoor’s daughter. While Ananya has already carved her niche in the acting field, Shanaya and Suhana are all set to make their debut soon with ‘Bedhadak’ and ‘The Archies’ respectively.
5. Janhvi Kapoor-Sara Ali Khan Janhvi and Sara are the newest best friends in B-Town. According to the duo, their friendship started in Goa. On Koffee With Karan 7 show, Janhvi said, “We were neighbours in Goa and we had a common friend. Then one day we started talking. We ended up talking till 8 AM in the morning.” Their friendship became stronger when they went to Kedarnath Temple together last year.
6. Farahn Akhtar-Ritesh Sidhwani Farhan and Ritesh have known each other since their school days at Maneckji Cooper. Their friendship grew when they went on to graduate from South Mumbai’s HR College. The two are even business partners and helm Excel Entertainment together. (ANI)

Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital on Saturday.

Apart from the aforesaid Chief Ministers, the Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangubhai Patel, Governor of Himachal Pradesh Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Karnataka Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi, Governor of Goa PS Sreedharan Pillai also called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
This comes amid the ongoing round of voting for electing the next Vice President of the country, wherein National Democratic Alliance’s nominee Jagdeep Dhankhar and joint Opposition candidate Margaret Alva have locked their horns directly to win the second highest constitutional post of India. (ANI)

Amid tension between the US and China over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a top official who led the missile development team of the self-governed island country was found dead in a hotel room, media reported on Saturday.

The official, Ou Yang Li-hsing, the deputy head of Taiwan defence ministry’s research and development unit was found dead on Saturday morning in a hotel room, The Jerusalem Post reported citing the Central News Agency.

The 57-year-old deputy chief of the military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) was on a business trip to Pingtung in Southern Taiwan in of Pingtung, according to CNA, which said the cause of his death is being investigated.

According to the Jerusalem Post, authorities are currently saying the official likely died of a heart attack and the hotel room showed no sign of any “intrusion”. His family said he had a history of heart disease and had a cardiac stent.

The state-run NCSIST that develops and manufactures weapons in Taiwan, is currently conducting a series of live-fire missile tests at Jiupeng military base in the south of the country, according to CNA as cited by the Jerusalem Post.

Earlier this week, US House or Representatives Speaker visited Taiwan sparking several debates across the globe as China strongly opposed military cooperation between Washington and Taipei and warned of longstanding, grave consequences for not just the self-governed island but for other countries as well.

Since her tour in the island nation, China has been conducting the largest-ever military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including launching live missiles it claims as part of its sovereign territory.

China has continued to carry out military drills and exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan for a second day, following the visit of US politician Nancy Pelosi to the islands.

More recent, multiple Chinese planes and ships were detected around Taiwan Strait, simulating an attack on its main island, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday adding that some of them have crossed the median line.

China on Friday said it would sanction Pelosi in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” actions in visiting Taiwan.

“If they really worry about the regional peace and stability, why didn’t they stand out earlier to prevent Pelosi from paying the provocative visit to Taiwan? Why didn’t they take a different move at the beginning? On issues regarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, China’s countermeasures are justified, necessary, appropriate and not at all excessive,” said the spokeswoman.

Back in April, Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. (ANI)

Sources of Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said that neither Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, party MP Rahul Gandhi nor other Congress leaders who were questioned in the National Herald case submitted any documents to substantiate the claims that financial decisions were taken by the party’s former treasurer Motilal Vora.

ED sources said that both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had named the Congress party’s longest-serving treasurer as having taken the decision of share transfer of Associate Journal Private Limited (AJL) to Young Indian Private Limited (YIL).
Motilal Vora had passed away at the age of 93 on 21 December 2020.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday sealed the premises of Young Indian office at the National Herald House building in the national capital as part of its investigation with the National Herald case in which top Congress leaders are accused of violating norms.

The National Herald case pertains to the alleged financial irregularities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

The petitioner had approached the court alleging that the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper, were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), in which Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi owned 38 per cent shares each.

Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.

“Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had deflected the blame on Motilal Vora during questioning,” ED sources said.

However, according to sources, his name was not on YIL files or AJL documents to prove that Vora had taking any policy decisions or attended any meetings or taking calls on behalf of YIL or AJL which could prove any decision to transfer the shares was taken by him.

The said investigations are related with the National Herald case which pertains to the alleged financial irregularities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

The petitioner had approached the court alleging that the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper, were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), in which Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi owned 38 per cent shares each.

Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.

The investigative agency had questioned Congress interim-president Sonia Gandhi for nearly three hours on July 27. It was the third round of questioning of the senior leader in the case.

Sonia Gandhi was questioned by ED on July 26 also, where she reached accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Officials said on that day, the party president’s response was sought to around 30 questions regarding her involvement with the National Herald newspaper and Young Indian Pvt Ltd.

During her questioning, the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli was asked about the functioning and running of the newspaper, the role of its various office bearers. Prior to that, she was also questioned by ED on July 21.

Meanwhile, in June, the ED questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days. Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for over 27 hours for three straight days from June 13 to June 15 and was again summoned on June 20. On June 20, he was questioned for around 14 hours.

The Congress leader had deposed before the ED investigators in the case for the first time on June 13.

He initially sought an exemption from appearance on June 16, following which he was called on June 17. But the senior Congress leader wrote to the ED to postpone his questioning citing the illness of his mother Sonia Gandhi. The ED then allowed him to join the probe on June 20 at his request.

Leader of the Opposition of Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday was quizzed for around eight hours by the ED office in the national capital in connection with the money laundering case involving the National Herald newspaper. (ANI)

A Delhi Court on Saturday adjourned the hearing on a plea (suit) against Leena Manimekalai over the controversial poster of her documentary ‘Kaali’.

The court on July 11 had issued summons to Canada-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai and others on a suit seeking an interim injunction to restrain the defendants from depicting goddess Kaali as a smoker in the way they have depicted in a poster and video.
On Saturday, the matter got adjourned for August 29, 2022, as the concerned Civil Judge of Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court was on leave. The court in an order passed on July 8, 2022, had issued summons of the suit and notice of the injunction application under Order 39 Rule 1 and 2 CPC to the defendants – Leena Manimekalai and Touring Talkies Media Private Limited.

Plaintiff, Raj Gaurav practising advocate on Saturday also moved an application to place “additional documents which are tweets that are directly related to the case of the plaintiff and which may affect the merits of plaintiffs case.”

Earlier, the concerned civil judge had said the relief of interim injunction is discretionary relief. Further, as held by Supreme Court in a number of cases, the ex-parte ad-interim injunction has to be granted in exceptional circumstances. The judge said that the defendant needs to be heard before passing any order.

Advocate Raj Gaurav filed the suit seeking a permanent and mandatory injunction against the defendants. He stated that the defendants have depicted the Hindu Goddess Kali in a very uncalled way in posters and promo videos for their upcoming movie “Kaali”.

The poster of the film depicts Hindu Goddess Kali smoking cigarettes which not only hurts the religious sentiments of common Hindus but is also against the basics of morality and decency, he added.

The plea said that the poster was tweeted by Leena Manimekalai from her Twitter handle.

The plaintiff sought an interim injunction to restrain the defendants temporarily from depicting Goddess Kaali in the way they have depicted her in the poster and video and tweet.

The Delhi Police have filed a case against Leena Manimekalai in connection with the controversial poster of her documentary. The Indian High Commission in Canada had urged authorities to withdraw the “disrespectful depiction of Hindu Gods” showcased at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto. The appeal came in the wake of a social media uproar over the controversial poster of the documentary film. (ANI)