January 2023 - Page 58 of 60 - Lokmarg

Jaishankar Takes A Dig At Pak: Terror Epicentre Close To India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the epicenter of terrorism is located close to India.

Speaking at a joint press briefing with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Jaishankar said he spoke with Austrian leaders about threats to international peace posed by terrorism.

Jaishankar said, “We spoke at length on the threats to international peace and security that are posed by terrorism, including its cross-border practices, violent extremism, radicalization, and fundamentalism.”

He added, “Their effects cannot be contained within a region especially so when they are deeply connected to narcotics and illegal weapons trade, and other forms of international crime. Since the epicenter is located so close to India, naturally our experiences and insights are useful to others.”

On the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Jaishankar said India is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Ukraine. Echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refrain that today’s era is not of war, the EAM called for resolving the differences on the negotiating table.

Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Modi has remained in contact with leaders of Russia and Ukraine and has been pressing India’s viewpoint.

“With regard to the Ukraine conflict, let me underline that India remains deeply concerned we sincerely believe that this is not the era of war. Differences must be settled on the negotiating table. It is imperative that there is a return to dialogue and diplomacy. Prolonged conflict will not serve the interests of any party,” Jaishankar said.

“My Prime Minister has been in contact with the leaders of both nations pressing our point of view in that regard. We are increasingly anxious about knock-on effects of the conflict in terms of accessibility and affordability of fuel, food, and fertilizers this is a growing concern for the global south,” he added.

Jaishankar embarked on a two-nation visit to Cyprus and Austria on December 29. His ongoing visit to Austria will conclude on January 3.

In the joint press briefing with Schallenberg, Jaishankar further said India considers Austria a “serious and consequential partner” when it comes to bilateral cooperation.

“We view Austria as a serious and consequential partner when it comes to bilateral cooperation. You have experiences and capabilities that are relevant to India’s modernization and progress. These are guided by government policies but ultimately implemented through business transactions,” Jaishankar said.

“Our commitment today is to take both aspects forward in tandem and I look forward to concrete initiatives in that regard,” the EAM added.

On the agreements between India and Austria, Jaishankar said, “We have concluded a number of agreements. I think a particularly noteworthy one is the initializing of the Comprehensive Migration & Mobility Partnership Agreement because it will enable demands for skills and talents to be synchronized with their availability.” (ANI)

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Ukraine Claims It Killed 400 Russian Troops In Makiivka, Russia Says 66

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

Ukraine has claimed that 400 Russian soldiers were killed and 300 others injured after Ukrainian armed forces struck a Russian military base in the Makiivka region of Donetsk, The Kyiv Independent reported citing the Strategic Communications Department of Ukraine’s military post on Telegram.

According to the Ukraine-based news publication The Kyiv Independent, Russian soldiers were stationed in a local school building. Ukrainian General Staff has not reported on the strike in Makiivka. However, in its daily update, Ukraine’s General Staff said that 760 Russian troops were killed on December 30.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukraine’s strike has killed 63 soldiers of Russia through US-manufactured HIMARS, TASS reported. Speaking to reporters, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukrainian forces hit six rockets HIMARS at the temporary deployment point of one of the units of Russian armed forces in the Makiivka region of Donetsk. It further announced that Russian air defence systems shot down two HIMARS rockets.

“The Kyiv regime struck with six rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system at the temporary deployment point of one of the units of the Russian armed forces in the area of the settlement of Makeevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” TASS quoted the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.

“As a result of the destruction of four missiles with a high-explosive warhead of the temporary deployment point, 63 Russian servicemen were killed,” it further said.

The Russian Defence Ministry in its daily report on January 2 said that its air defence facilities shot down 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Shipilovka, Liman, Kremennaya, Ploshchanka, Chervonaya Dibrova, Petrovskoye, Novognatovka, Nikolayevka, Skelki, Ocheretovatoye, Rubanovka and Lopatki.

Furthermore, the Russian Defence Ministry in its statement released on the website said that Moscow intercepted three rocket-propelled projectiles launched by Olkha and Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) near Krasnaya Gora, Podgornoye and Radensk.

In the statement, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Russia destroyed two US-manufactured M-777 artillery systems at their firing positions near Chasiv Yar and Minkovka. It further claimed that one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled howitzer has been destroyed near Antonivka and four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers have been destroyed at their firing positions near Serebryanka. (ANI)

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Delhi Traffic Police Advisory As Bharat Jodo Yatra Resumes

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

As the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is all set to resume from Delhi tomorrow, Delhi Traffic Police on Monday issued an advisory considering the heavy traffic expected.

In an advisory issued, the Delhi Traffic Police informed about the complete route of the yatra which is expected to resume at around 1000 hours from Marghat wale Baba, Hanuman Mandir, near Red Fort, and will reach the Loni Border at about 1200 hours.

As per the advisory, the yatra will proceed via Iron Bridge (left turn), Shastri Park Metro Station, Old GT Road, Furniture Market, Y Point Dharampura (GT Road right turn), Ansari Road, Slip Road (left turn), 66 Futa Road, Maujpur, Gokalpuri, T Point (right turn), Wazirabad Road, Gokalpuri Police Station, Loni Round About (left turn towards Loni Border)

Traffic is expected to remain heavy from Chhata Rail Chowk, Red Fort, SPM Marg, Old Iron Bridge, Pusta Road, Ansari Road, on G.T. Road from Yudhishtir Setu to Seelampur T-Point, from Shahdra Flyover to Loni Gol Chakkar on Wazirabad Road & Loni Road.

A large number of pedestrians and vehicles are expected to join the yatra at various points along the route.

Delhi Traffic Police requested the commuters to cooperate by avoiding/bypassing the affected roads, if possible, and make maximum use of public transport to ensure a pleasant journey.

There will be graded and dynamic diversions to ensure smooth traffic management and facilitate commuters while ensuring the safety of pedestrians on roads.

“We appreciate your understanding and your cooperation towards the alleviation of traffic congestion during the above-mentioned period. People who are going towards ISBT/Railway Stations/Airports are advised to carefully plan their travel with sufficient time at hand,” Delhi Traffic Police said.

The ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ rolled into the national capital on December 24. The yatra, which is currently on a nine-day winter break, will resume tomorrow. (ANI)

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Is Tamannah Dating Vijay Verma? Rumours Rife

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

Netizens are convinced that Tamannah and Vijay Varma are dating. Reportedly, the two were together in Goa for new year’s eve celebrations and what has added more fuel to the fire is a recent video that has gone viral.

In the video, the two could be seen cozying up and hugging each other at a popular restaurant in Goa. Although their faces aren’t visible, netizens are sure it’s them after comparing their outfit to pictures posted at the same restaurant earlier.

The video that has now gone viral on the social media platform Reddit has taken people by surprise. The post caption read, “This is it. Tamannaah and Vijay Varma hugging and kissing each other. I am crying.”

A Reddit user commented on the post, “Honestly such a positive note to start the year. Hope it continues,” while another one wrote, “Now this is a love story I am rooting for. Rooting for you girl- Tamannaah!”

Although the two haven’t spoken about their link-up, on the work front, the two are reportedly working together on ‘Lust Stories 2’.

Tamannah was last seen in the Netflix film ‘Plan A Plan B’ opposite Riteish Deshmukh. She was also recently seen in Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Babli Bouncer’.

Vijay Varma delivered a spectacular performance in ‘Darlings’ and will also be seen alongside Kareena Kapoor in Sujoy Ghosh’s next. (ANI)

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Supreme Court Upholds Govt’s 2016 Demonetization Decision

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the decision of the Central government taken in 2016 to demonetize the currency notes of ₹500 and ₹1,000 denominations.

A five-judge Constitution bench dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetize Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes and said the decision, being the Executive’s economic policy, cannot be reversed.

Supreme Court bench said: “There was consultation between the Centre and the RBI before demonetization. There was a reasonable nexus to bring such a measure, and we hold that the doctrine of proportionality did not hit demonetization.”

The apex court had reserved its judgments on the batch of 58 petitions on December 7.

Earlier, it had asked the Centre and Reserve Bank of India to place before it the records pertaining to the 2016 demonetization decision in a sealed envelope.

It had said that it has the power to examine the manner in which the decision for demonetization was taken adding that “the judiciary cannot fold its hands and sit just because it is an economic policy decision”.

The top court’s remarks came when the Reserve Bank of India counsel made the submission that judicial review cannot apply to economic policy decisions.

The RBI had told the apex court about the objective of the demonetization policy to curb black money and fake currencies.

Attorney General R Venkatramani had said that the economic policy of demonetization was connected to a social policy where three evils are attempted to be addressed. (ANI)

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‘Body Dragged For 1.5 Hrs…’ Eyewitness Recounts Kanjhawala Horror

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

An eyewitness of the Kanjhawala incident in Delhi where a 20-year-old girl was killed after her scooty was allegedly hit by a car and dragged for a few kilometres on Sunday, narrated the horrific ordeal.

Deepak Dahiya runs a confectionery shop on Kanjhawala Road in Ladpur village. He said that the accused kept dragging the body of the girl which got entangled to their vehicle for 18 to 20 kilometres and it

lasted for about one and a half hours.
“It was 3:20 am…I was standing outside the shop when I heard a loud noise from a vehicle about 100 meters away. Earlier I thought it was a tire burst. As soon as the car moved, I saw a body being dragged. I informed the police immediately,” Dahiya told ANI.

After some time, he said around 3:30 am, the car took a u-turn and the dead body of the woman was still stuck under the vehicle. Dahiya said the accused drove repeatedly on the road of about 4-5 kilometres by taking u-turns.

“I tried to stop them many times but they did not stop the vehicle. For about one and a half hours they carried the girl’s body for about 20 km,’ he said.

Dahiya said he also chased the car with his bike and was in contact with the police.

After about one and a half hours, the body fell from the car near Jyoti village on Kanjhawala Road, after which the accused fled, he said.

“It could not be just an accident,” Dahiya stressed.

Speaking to ANI, Harendra Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer Delhi said that at the time of the incident, the girl fell off the scooty and was dragged under the car for a long distance. Police apprehended the accused on the basis of the registered car number.

“The accused told police that the windows of the vehicle were closed and the music was playing on loud volume so they did not get to know…When they came to know they fled from the spot,” DCP said.

A 20-year-old girl was killed after she was hit by a car and then dragged for a few kilometres on the road, being entangled in the wheels, the police informed on Sunday.

The police said that the condition of the girl after the incident was so bad, that after being dragged on, her clothes and even the back side of her body got ripped off.

Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal also took cognisance of the matter and issued notice to the Delhi police.

“The naked body of a girl was found in Delhi’s Kanjhawala, it is being told that some boys in an inebriated state hit her scooty with a car and dragged her for several kilometres. This matter is very dangerous, I am issuing an appearance summons to Delhi Police. The whole truth should come out,” she said in a tweet.

Speaking to ANI, she also alleged that the five men on the vehicle were drunk.

“A very disturbing incident has come out. A girl was hit by a car and then dragged on the road. The car was driven by five people who were badly drunk. I have summoned Delhi Police to ask how will justice be provided to the girl. Secondly, I want to ask, despite the girl being dragged for kilometres, no check post was able to catch anything. No one stopped those drunk people. This is a very scary and shocking incident,” she said.

A PCR call was received at Kanjhwala police station on early Sunday morning that a car was noticed with a body being dragged along with it. Another PCR call was received at 4:11 am, about the body of the girl lying on the road.

After that, the police alerted the officers deployed at pickets, and a search operation for the vehicle was launched.

The body of the girl was sent to the SGM hospital, Mangolpuri, where she was declared brought dead. The body was kept further at the mortuary of the hospital.

Meanwhile, the suspected car was also traced down and the five occupants were apprehended from their houses. (ANI)

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Rishabh Pant Shifted From ICU To Suite Amid Infection Scare

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

By Vipul Kashyap

India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant “is doing well and has been shifted to a private suite due to fear of infection”, revealed Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam Sharma on Monday.

“Due to fear of infection, we have told his family and hospital administration to shift him to a private suite. He is doing better and will recover soon,” said Sharma to ANI.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that the state government will provide all help for the 25-year-old’s treatment, who was seriously injured in a road accident near Roorkee on December 30 while on his way to surprise his mother.

Pant was alone in the car and reportedly fell asleep at the wheel when the accident happened. According to a statement by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) in coordination with the Max Hospital Dehradun where he has been admitted, the cricketer has suffered two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee along with injuries on his right wrist, ankle, toe, and back.

Sharma on Saturday flagged concerns over visitors flocking to the hospital to catch a glimpse of the cricketer, Rishabh Pant, who is under treatment.

“Those who are going to meet Pant should avoid, as there are chances of infection. There should be no VIP movement to meet Pant, and people visiting him should avoid it as there are chances of infection for Pant,” Sharma told ANI over the phone.

Shyam Sharma on Saturday arrived at Max Hospital in Dehradun to meet Pant. Sharma said: “He is stable and recovering well. Our BCCI doctors are in touch with the doctors here. Jay Shah is monitoring it. As of now, he’ll remain admitted here. He told me that he tried to save (his car) from a pothole (when the accident occurred).”

Pant escaped the near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgeries and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with the accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India also issued a statement on Friday saying, “Pant has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment, as per the BCCI statement shared with the media.” (ANI)

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New Chinese Foreign Min Qin Seeks Improved Ties With India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in an op-ed piece for US-based magazine, The National Interest, has indicated that Beijing seeks to improve ties with New Delhi.

Days before replacing Wang Yi, Qin in an article titled “How China Sees the World”, referred to India-China border issues and said, “both sides are willing to ease the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders.”

The Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake in the west of the LAC, have hosted flashpoints in recent years. In the east in Tawang, the site of the latest scuffle, there are discussions about Buddhist holy sites whose control can have implications for China’s authority over Tibet and its next spiritual leader according to a report in Newsweek.

Recently, India and China held the 17th Round of Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20 and agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector.

“In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The MEA statement said the two sides agreed to stay in close contact, maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

Qin, meanwhile also blamed the US for challenging the status quo on Taiwan, and Japan for altering the status quo in the South China Sea.

“China’s development means a stronger force for peace, not a growing power poised to ‘break the status quo’, as some call it. The tension across the Taiwan Strait was not created by the Chinese mainland breaking the status quo, but by ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and external forces continually challenging the status quo of ‘one China’,” Qin wrote.

“In the case of the East China Sea, it was Japan who attempted to ‘nationalize’ Diaoyu Dao ten years ago, altering the “status quo” between China and Japan by agreeing to put aside differences. In the South China Sea, the status quo is that regional countries are consulting on a code of conduct that will lead to meaningful and effective rules for the region,” he wrote.

Earlier, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Qin, discussed the Washington-Beijing ties and keeping the lines of communication open.

Taking to Twitter, Blinken said, “Spoke by phone this morning with incoming People’s Republic of China Foreign Minister Qin Gang as he departs Washington for his new role. We discussed the US-PRC relationship and maintaining open lines of communication.”

Qin, who was China’s ambassador to the United States, was appointed as the country’s new foreign minister on Friday.

This decision was made by the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Global Times reported.

Qin, 56, replaced Wang, who is now a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councillor, the report added.

On Thursday, the Chinese ambassador had warned Washington that it could face “military conflict” with Beijing over the future status of Taiwan.

“If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely will involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict,” Qin told US-based publication NPR in his first one-on-one interview since assuming his post in Washington, last July.

Qin, who arrived in Washington last year at a time of bipartisan discontent with China, told NPR that any idea of “changing China” was always “an illusion”. (ANI)

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Pak Govt Raises Prices Of Flour, Ghee, Sugar In Utility Stores

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

The Pakistan government has increased the prices of wheat flour, sugar, and ghee by 25 to 62 percent for sale through the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) with immediate effect to reduce the impact of untargeted subsidies, reported The Dawn.

The Dawn report said, “The beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would be exempt from the price increase, while the limit for subsidized purchases from the USC has also been curtailed.”

The USC notified the new rates on Saturday, New Year’s Eve after the country’s federal cabinet approved Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s recommendation to clear a hybrid model of subsidies involving targeted and untargeted elements of the prime minister’s relief package.

The price of sugar under the new rates has increased to Rs89 per kg from Rs70 per kg, an increase of 27 percent. The price of ghee has increased to Rs375 per kg from Rs75 per kg. The Wheat flour price has increased to Rs64.8 per kg from Rs40 per kg, a 62 percent increase.

Special, targeted subsidies will, however, be available to the poor populations registered in the BISP’s scorecard and below PMT-32 (Proxy Means Test to describe people below the poverty line), the USC said.

They would get wheat flour at Rs400 per 10 kg bag, ghee at Rs300 per kg, and sugar at Rs70 per kg. A discount of Rs15-20 per kg on pulses and rice will be available to them.

“However, their monthly purchasing limits have been capped to avoid the misuse of subsidies. Therefore, BISP beneficiaries under PMT-32 would be allowed to purchase a maximum of 40kg of wheat flour, 5kg of sugar, and 5kg of ghee per month,” reported The Dawn.

The Dawn report said: “All other USC customers would now be provided wheat flour at Rs648 per 10kg bag, and ghee and sugar at Rs375 and Rs89 per kg, respectively.”

There will be a limit on the monthly purchase of these customers. They would not be allowed to avail more than 20kg of flour and Rs3kg each for sugar and ghee per month.

Earlier, they were eligible for 40kg of flour and 5 kg each of ghee and sugar.

The people of this category were earlier eligible for 40kg of flour and 5kg each for ghee and sugar.

The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the USC, will be provided wheat flour at Rs400 per 10kg bag through designated sales points and mobile utility stores.

USC customers before visiting the store will be required to secure their monthly purchase eligibility through an SMS on 5566. They will then be provided with a one-time password and national identity confirmation to avail of the subsidy. (ANI)

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Delhi Records 11 New Covid Cases In 24 Hours

By LokMarg 1st January 2023

Delhi recorded 11 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, with a case positivity rate of 0.31 per cent, stated a bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department on Sunday.

With the fresh infections, the active cases in the city stand at 42. According to the bulletin, 8 Covid patients recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 19,80,670.

However, with no death from Covid reported over the last 24 hours, the overall toll in the national capital remained at 26,521.

As part of the country’s ongoing vaccination drive, 1,151 Covid vaccine shots were administered in the city in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 3,73,60,532.

As many as 2,449 Covid samples were tested in the last 24 hours taking the total number of samples tested in the national capital to 4,06,07,340.

The bulletin further informed that the national capital has, so far, not reported any cases of Omicron BF.7 sub-variant, the new Covid strain blamed for the explosion in cases in neighbouring China, Japan and several other countries.

It added that the Centre had instructed the Delhi government to ensure genome sequencing of every reported case.

Earlier this month, Dr Suresh, MD, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital said the hospital authorities are awake to the global Covid surge and arrangements are being made to augment infrastructure, including more ICU beds.

“BF.7 cases have gone up exponentially in some countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and the US, over the last week. Four cases of BF.7 were detected in India — in Odisha and Gujarat in the previous month. However, no such case has been reported here so far. We are, nonetheless, vigilant. The Centre has instructed us to conduct genome sequencing of every case,” Dr Suresh told ANI.

Detailing the preparedness of the hospital in anticipation of a surge in cases, he said the hospital has got its own genome sequencing lab and a separate labour room for infected mothers as well. (ANI)

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