With over 500 of its tanks and infantry combat vehicles deployed in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army has created a record of sorts by setting up two of world’s highest tank repair facilities in that area to support its operations there.
The Indian Army has set up two armoured vehicle maintenance and repair facilities near the China border in Nyoma and the DBO Sector in that region to at altitudes of over 14,500 feet in the area, which is the world’s highest battlefield for tanks and infantry combat vehicles along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
A large number of tanks and BMP combat vehicles, along with Indian-made armoured vehicles like the Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicles, have been deployed in Eastern Ladakh after the stand-off between India and China started in April-May 2020, post-Chinese aggression there.
“The tanks and infantry combat vehicles have been deployed in these super-high-altitude areas, where it is very difficult even to get them back for maintenance and repair,” Indian Army officials told ANI.
“To help sustain the armoured vehicle operations in the region, we have set up these Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facilities at Nyoma and near KM-148 on the DS-DBO Road in the DBO sector. These are the two main areas where tank and ICV operations are focussed in the eastern Ladakh sector,” they added.
The Indian Army has been creating infrastructure in a big way for housing its tanks, including the T-90 and T-72, the BMPs and the K-9Vajra self-propelled Howitzers, in the high-altitude areas where temperatures are extremely low in winter.
Recently, Army Chief General Manoj Pande visited the Medium Maintenance (Reset) Facility for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), where he saw the unique maintenance facility. Army officials said the new facilities promote enhanced serviceability and mission reliability of tanks and infantry combat vehicles.
The facilities also keep the combat fleet operationally ready even in rugged terrain and challenging weather with temperatures dipping down to minus 40 degrees, the officials said. Staging forward of specialist technical support infrastructure for the AFVs has resulted in higher standards of operational efficiency and battle readiness.
India and China have been engaged in a standoff in the eastern Ladakh region for the past four years and have deployed around 50,000 troops each near the borders in the region.
At the time of aggression, China had brought in a large number of infantry, combat vehicles and tanks to unilaterally change the status along the line of actual control there.
The Indian Army responded in a very swift manner and within no time, heavy armoured elements were brought in from the deserts and planes in C-17 transport aircraft to counter the adversary. (ANI)
Bollywood’s beloved power couple, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, are currently basking in the joys of their babymoon, enjoying a luxurious retreat in anticipation of their forthcoming parenthood.
Amidst the serenity of their vacation, Deepika recently shared a heartwarming post on social media, playfully affirming her ‘desi’ identity.
The post in question came from none other than chef Kunal Kapur, who humorously highlighted the significance of a spoon with a fancy handle, cheekily suggesting it as “the national spoon of India.”
Inquiring, “Are you even desi if you don’t have this spoon?” Kapur’s jest struck a chord with Deepika, who reposted the message on her Instagram stories with a sticker boldly proclaiming ‘Truth.’
Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika will next be seen in ‘Singham Again,’ the third instalment of Rohit Shetty’s cop universe.
Deepika steps into the role of Lady Singham alongside a stellar ensemble cast.
Joining her are industry stalwarts including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Arjun Kapoor.
But that’s not all on her plate. Deepika Padukone is set to dazzle audiences in the sci-fi epic ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ sharing the screen with Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, and Disha Patani.
Additionally, she’s gearing up for ‘The Intern,’ a promising project where she will star alongside the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. (ANI)
Give Flowers to the Rebels who Failed! – Wall writing, Sorbonne. France. May, 1968, students’ uprising
It’s just that, now, the rebels have not failed! Instead, they are flying on the wings of justice, painting the walls with the water melon colours of the Palestine flag. And they are all dancing the ‘Dabke’ dance on the same liberating song from Palestine, hands holding hands, wearing the black and white keiffyah, going round and round in circles, their young faces flush with all the luminescent colours of youthful rebellion and freedom!
Perhaps they know. Perhaps they don’t. April 30, 2024 marked the ‘Liberation Day’ in Vietnam. A tiny country with no military power defeated the world’s mightiest military and financial empire. The war started in 1955. After 19 years of mass murders of innocents, relentless bombing, burnt out villages, the guerilla forces of Vietnam, using the dense forests, defeated the Americans. Legendary communist revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh, led the guerillas, and, finally, became victorious in 1975. Most American soldiers who came back alive suffered all their lives – with guilt, remorse, nightmares of what they did and what they saw, and ‘mass psychological trauma’.
Remember Apocalypse Now, the movie, by Francis Ford Copolla, with Marlon Brando in an epical role, as a brilliant American soldier (tipped to be a future general), who turned a rebel leader in Cambodia: The film begins with a famous song by Jim Morrison of ‘The Doors’:
This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend, the end…
The My Lai massacre shocked the world. More than 500 unarmed people of a South Vietnam village were killed by what was called a ‘search and destroy’ mission, on March 16, 1968. And who can ever forget that stunningly horrific picture – naked Vietnamese children running, screaming, scared out of their minds, as they were ‘napalmed’– genocide by bombs which spread like a raging fire burning all that is around, including human flesh.
In Satyajit Ray’s Pratidwandi (1970), an educated young man looking for a job is asked by an interview board, as to what was the most significant event in the 20th century? He says, it was the victory of the Vietnamese people against the US. They said, why not the landing on the moon? He said, cryptically, that with the progress of science, this was waiting to happen – hence, it was predictable. However, who could have ever imagined that a little country would defeat the mightiest military empire in the world? They ask, cynically: Are you a communist? He says that one does not have to be a communist to accept this truth!
Now Vietnam has resurrected yet again, as yet another dead-end called Gaza, with the mass protests of the 1960s stalking the campuses and the American conscience. One thousand flowers are now blooming in almost every campus. This magical ‘flower- power’ has spread across to other countries: Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico. In Amsterdam, where the cops are almost always invisible, they have suddenly turned brutal. Hundreds have been arrested in the US, including faculty members. At UCLA, the cops allowed Right-wing Zionists to enter the campus and attack the students with rods and chemical spray. At Columbia, where it all started, they have broken the ‘Free Palestine’ encampments, while the students have resurrected them again and again.
The faculty wrote in a letter on May 3, 2024: “We, faculty members of the History Department of Columbia University, condemn the use of police force against students, as well as the ongoing presence of the NYPD on our campus. We insist upon the rights of students and scholars to engage in non-violent protest or public speech, and we deplore the arbitrary disciplining of students, faculty, or staff for doing so. We are also dismayed that the use of public force resulted from a decision-making process, from which faculty were excluded. We disagree about many of the issues being debated on campus this year, but we agree that history shows how deeply damaging it is for a university to meet students’ protests with violence and criminalization. Since the last time the police were called on this campus in large numbers, in 1968, Columbia has worked hard to restore community, build shared governance, deal peacefully with protest, and maintain a culture of respectful debate. We must hold on to this legacy.”
So who is Hind Rajab?
She was a six-year-old beautiful girl in Gaza who was murdered by the Israeli army. So the students in Columbia captured the Hamilton Hall, with it etched memories of the 1960s, and renamed it ‘Hind’s Hall’!
Hind Rajab
Since her murder, Hind’s mother had withdrawn into a silence of infinite suffering. On hearing this news, she said: “I started crying, because I wanted all these movements and support to come while Hind was still alive! Wake up now! Why are others like Hind still going through this?”
Writes Keenga Yamahtta Taylor in The New Yorker, (May 8, 2024): “Students who engage in civil disobedience do so with the expectation of some reprisal. That is, after all, the moral imperative at the heart of this particular form of activism: self-sacrifice in the name of a higher political goal. But many of the student activists had not anticipated being arrested; they were shocked when set upon by police aggressively seeking to clear an area or simply to forbid public demonstration… Whatever the cause of arrests, the punishments pursued by school administrations have been excessive and cruel. Students and faculty members who have participated in the protests have been suspended and banned from campuses, and evicted from university housing, before disciplinary proceedings have begun. Some have been expelled; others have been banned from graduation ceremonies, have faced uncertainty about their legal records, and have generally been treated as pariahs. The level of repression has been shocking.” (Taylor is the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, among other acclaimed books.)
Despite the State repression, with a shaky, discredited, Joe Biden at the helm, the ‘counter-narrative’ as ‘counter culture’ is now etched on the walls. In Canadian campuses, streets are being renamed with Gaza landmarks. In Naples, Italian artist Eduardo Castaldo turned his photographs into street murals as a form of ‘creative resistance’. He has visually documented life under Israeli occupation as a photojournalist. ‘Bella Ciao’ is being sung, with the sublime strings of guitars. Frida Kahlo is now a Palestinian. And so is Jesus Christ on the cross.
The ‘Caitlin Newsletter’ quoted Secretary of State Anthony Blinken: “Now, of course, we are on an intravenous feed of information with new impulses, inputs every millisecond. And, of course, the way this has played out on social media has dominated the narrative. And you have a social media ecosystem environment in which context, history, facts get lost, and the emotion, the impact of images dominates. And we can’t – we can’t discount that, but I think it also has a very, very, very challenging effect on the narrative.”
The newsletter says: “Notice how he said the word “narrative” three times? That’s how empire managers talk to each other, because that’s how they think about everything. This is because empire managers are always acutely aware of something that normal human beings are not: that real power comes from manipulating the stories – narratives – that people tell themselves about their reality. They understand that humans are storytelling animals whose inner lives are typically dominated by mental narratives about what’s happening, so if you can control those narratives, you can control the humans. They understand that power is controlling what happens, but true power is controlling what people ‘think’ about what happens.… That’s what’s going on with all the mass media propaganda, Silicon Valley algorithm manipulation, plutocrat-funded think tanks, and mainstream culture manufacturing in New York and Hollywood. A few clever manipulators understand that you can control a society by controlling its dominant narratives…”
It’s just that the counter-narrative has come to stay. And it is spreading far and wide. This time, even in Sorbonne, the rebels have not failed! They are, instead, winning an impossible war. In solidarity with the trapped people of Gaza and Rafaa. While the slogan resounds in collective chorus – Say no to Genocide! Ceasefire Now! Free Free Palestine!
Actor Jackie Shroff has approached the Delhi High Court to seek protection of his personality and publicity rights. The suit has been filed against various entities using his name, photographs, voice and word “Bhidu” without his consent.
Through this suit, actor Jackie Shroff seeks direction to protect the Plaintiff’s name, voice, image, likeness, and all other elements of the Plaintiff’s persona which are distinctive and the unauthorized use by third parties is likely to create confusion and deception amongst the public.
The bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula on Tuesday issued a summons on the actor’s suit and said it will consider the case tomorrow on the interim injunction application.
The actor seeks a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from infringing the Plaintiff’s personality rights and publicity rights by the use of the Plaintiff’s name ‘Jackie Shroff”, “Jackie’, ‘Jaggu Dada’, ‘Bhidu’ voice, image and any other attribute which is exclusively identifiable with him for any commercial or personal gain.
The plea asks the court to pass a decree of permanent injunction restraining Defendant Bhidu Shawarma restaurant and its associates, servants, agents, affiliates, holding companies, and representatives, from infringing the Plaintiff’s registered trademark by using the same as part of its trade name ‘Bhidu Shawarma & Restaurant’ or any other trade name/trade mark which is deceptively similar to the Plaintiff’s registered trademark numbers.
The suit also pertains to the violation of the Plaintiff’s moral rights in his performances conferred upon him by virtue of section 38B of the Copyright Act, 1957. The Plaintiff, as an actor has acted in many cinematographic films and thus enjoys moral rights in his performances in such films and is entitled to restrain any third party from distorting, mutilating or making other modifications to his performance that are prejudicial to his reputation.
In the context of the claims in the present proceedings, the Defendants are extracting clips of movies or other cinematographic works which contain performances of the Plaintiff, for the purpose of creation, communication of graphic/ interchange formats (GIFs), etc.
The suit states that Plaintiff has not been informed prior to the creation and dissemination of such GIFs, nor has his consent been sought or secured. The Defendants, by reproducing clips containing the Plaintiff’s performance, and that too in a manner which brings disrepute to the Plaintiff and makes him the subject of unsavoury humour, are violating his moral rights in his performances.
The misappropriation of any attribute of the Plaintiff’s persona without his express permission for a commercial purpose is liable to be restrained not only on the basis of the traditional conception of publicity rights namely the exclusive right to commercially exploit one’s persona but also on the basis of the tort of dilution, more particularly tarnishment.
Recently, the Delhi High Court also restrained the unauthorised use of actor Anil Kapoor’s personality or name for commercial purposes. In the year 2022, Amitabh Bachchan had also moved the Delhi HC against the illegal use of his voice and image. (ANI)
Actor Alia Bhatt marked a stylish appearance at the Gucci Cruise Show in London.
Several pictures of Alia from the event have been doing the rounds on social media in which the ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ star can be seen serving style goals in a strapless dress. She paired her sleek tied tresses with dewy glam that was elevated with a red lip look.
Her images with international stars Demi Moore, Debbie Harry and Park Gyu-young from the event also went viral.
In the images, Demi can be seen donning a grey and black outfit under a black coat.
Fans got excited to see Alia bonding with Demi and others at the Gucci event.
“Wow…proud to be her fan,” a social media user wrote on X.
“Alia is now a global artiste,” another one commented.
Alia, the first Indian Global brand ambassador for Gucci, was present at Gucci’s show in South Korea last year as well.
Alia has been on a roll. She has taken her career graph to a global stage with her work.
In March 2024, Alia hosted her first charity gala in London. The actress organised the “Hope Gala” to raise funds for underprivileged adolescents in India through the Salaam Bombay Foundation.
The event was attended by many renowned personalities. Musician Harshdeep Kaur, comedian Rohan Joshi and director Gurinder Chadha were also present there.
On hosting her first charity gala, Alia said, “Hosting my inaugural charity gala in collaboration with the Salaam Bombay Foundation and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has been an incredible experience. I’ve long admired Padmini Sekhsaria’s unwavering dedication to uplifting at-risk youth in India’s slums, offering them hope and opportunity. I’m happy to have played a small part in helping these children reshape their narratives. Furthermore, holding the Hope Gala at such a prestigious venue is a genuine privilege, as I’ve always been a fan of Mandarin Oriental’s exceptional hospitality. Today marks just the beginning of our efforts, and with the support of our generous contributors, I’m confident we’ll make significant strides in empowering future generations.”
Recently, she was also featured on Time’s 100 Most Influential list. Director of ‘Heart of Stone’, Tom Harper, who collaborated with Alia on her first Hollywood movie, wrote an article in the magazine praising her as a “truly international star”.
“There is a grace to the way she goes about her work: focused, open to ideas, and willing to take creative risks. One of my favourite moments in the film came from an improvisation at the end of a take where she took the emotional thread and ran with it,” Tom wrote. And now on May 6, Alia made heads turn with her ethereal presence in Sabyasachi saree. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of “spreading lies” regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act, and assured the people of ‘Matua’ community that they would get citizenship under CAA.
Amit Shah was campaigning for BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur who has been fielded against AITMC’s Biswajit Das, from Bangaon.
“Mamata Banerjee is spreading lies about CAA. But I guarantee you that no one will face any inconvenience or difficulty. Support us, and you will get both citizenship and respect in the country,” Shah said while addressing a public rally in Bangaon.
He said that no power in the world can stop the people of the ‘Matua’ community from becoming citizens of India.
“Mamata Banerjee is lying that anyone who applies for citizenship under CAA will face problems. I have come to assure the people of the Matua community that no one will face any trouble. You will get citizenship and will be able to live with respect in the country. No power in the world can stop my refugee brothers from becoming citizens of India, this is the promise of PM Narendra Modi ji,” the Home Minister said.
“Mamata Banerjee must remember that citizenship falls under the exclusive authority of the central government, not the state governments,” he added.
Hitting out at the Mamata banerjeet, Shah said that all those who are involved in scams will not be spared.
“From ‘cut money’ culture to infiltration, from bomb blasts to Bhatija’s goons harassing people, from ‘Syndicate Raj’ to utter lawlessness, the situations in West Bengal are unfortunate on all fronts. It’s only Narendra Modi Ji, who can save the state of West Bengal from deterioration,” Shah said.
“Those involved in the chit fund scam, teacher recruitment scam, municipal recruitment scam, ration scam, cow and coal smugglers and those who question for money should prepare to go to jail. No one will be spared,” he said while attacking the Mamata government for the corruption.
He further promised that the Matua community would be able to avail rights under the CAA if the BJP comes to power.
“Four phases of polling have been completed. Elections for 380 seats have been completed. Elections for 18 seats in Bengal have been completed. Today I tell you that out of 380, PM Modi has achieved absolute majority by winning 270 seats. The fight ahead is to cross 400,” Shah said.
“Ensure that we get 400+ seats this time. Ensure that we get 30+ seats in West Bengal. Make the BJP win, and we’ll make the Matua community avail rights under the CAA,” the Home Minister added.
Elections in West Bengal will be conducted in all 7 even phases. The result of the elections will come on June 4th, 2024. (ANI)
Amid the alleged assault incident of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence, Swati Maliwal’s ex-husband, Naveen Jaihind on Tuesday claimed that the life of the former chief of Delhi Commission for Women is under threat, adding that AAP leader Sanjay Singh should stop doing drama in front of the cameras as he is “aware of everything”.
Hours before, Sanjay Singh in a press briefing stated that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken cognizance of Maliwal’s assault incident at the Chief Minister’s residence and had directed strict action in the incident. “We are with Swati Maliwal,” Singh said.
Naveen Jaihind said that whatever happened with Maliwal was already “planned” and urged her to speak for herself.
In a video message on X, Naveen Jaihind said, “I am Naveen Jaihind. Since yesterday, I have been getting a lot of calls from journalists regarding what happened with Swati Maliwal at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence. First, I want to say that I am divorced and have not been in contact with her for the last four years. Second, I want to tell you that whatever has happened with Swati was planned and now she has been threatened and anything can happen to her.”
Maliwal’s ex-husband further stated that the alleged assault on her happened at the “instructions of someone”.
“The man who has assaulted Swati does not have the guts to even raise his voice but he did that on the instructions of someone. I was just listening to Sanjay Singh’s press conference and wanted to tell him that he should stop acting, as he knows everything. Swati should stand up and speak for herself. What are you afraid of? Speak up, we are all with you. Her life is under threat,” said Naveen Jaihind.
According to Delhi Police, Swati Maliwal has not yet contacted them to register her complaint. The police said that it would wait for some more time for the complaint and if no complaint is still received from Swati Maliwal, then Delhi Police might contact her.
According to Delhi Police sources, a PCR call means asking for police help in an emergency and not filing any complaint.”The complaint is registered only when the complainant registers his complaint in writing in the police station, in this case also by Swati Maliwal. Unless a written complaint is lodged, Delhi Police can neither register any complaint nor any FIR.”
Earlier today, while addressing a press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “Yesterday, an incident took place. At the residence of Arvind Kejriwal, an incident of misbehaviour took place with Swati Maliwal by Bibhav Kumar (Arvind Kejriwal’s PA). Swati Maliwal has informed about this incident to Delhi Police. This is a condemnable incident. Arvind Kejriwal has taken cognizance of the incident and has directed strict action in the incident. We are with Swati Maliwal.”
The proceedings of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned on Tuesday without any discussion following a ruckus by councillors of the BJP over the issue of the alleged assault of Aam Admi Party MP Swati Maliwal and the demands for the appointment of a ‘Dalit’ Mayor. Holding placards, the councillors of the BJP also raised slogans against the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brought a censure motion at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi House over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal’s allegations of assault by Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant at the Chief Minister’s residence.
In the censure motion brought by Leader of Opposition in the Corporation Raja Iqbal Singh and Councillor Yogesh Verma, they said, “If the Aam Aadmi Party members and Rajya Sabha MPs are not safe in the Chief Minister’s residence, then what will be the guarantee for the safety of the women of Delhi. It is worth thinking about.”
Delhi Police said on Monday that no complaint has been received in connection with the alleged assault against Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s residence.
“At around 9.34 am, we received a PCR call wherein the caller said that she had been assaulted inside the CM residence. Accordingly, local police responded to the call and SHO and the local police reached the spot. After some time, MP Swati Maliwal came to the police station, Civil Lines. She left the police station without giving any complaints. In this matter till now, no complaints have been received,” DCP Manoj Kumar Meena said.
This comes nearly just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the National Capital and following the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from jail. The Supreme Court has granted him interim bail till June 1. All seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will vote on May 25. The Aam Admi Party and Congress are jointly fighting the elections. As per the arrangement, AAP will be contesting 4 seats and Congress on 3. (ANI)
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said that this is the first time that the Lok Sabha elections are being fought to safeguard the Constitution, without which people from various sections of the society will lose their rights.
Rahul Gandhi addressed a joint rally with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi where both leaders attacked PM Modi for neglecting the interests of the farmers.
“For the first time, this fight, this election is to save the Constitution. Whatever you have got, whether you are poor, farmers, labourers, backward, Dalits, adivasis, minorities, poor general caste has been given by this book (Constitution). Without this (Constitution) the poor people of India won’t belong anywhere,” Rahul Gandhi said speaking at a joint campaign at Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi with INDIA bloc partner, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress party along with Akhilesh Yadav is trying to protect the Constitution.
Both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), members of the opposition INDIA bloc addressed a joint rally in support of Pradeep Jain, the Congress candidate from Jhansi, and Ajendra Rajput, the SP candidate from the adjacent constituency of Hamirpur.
“The day this (Constitution) is gone, your land rights, reservation, public sector everything will be gone. INDIA alliance, Akhilesh Yadav, Kharge and I are protecting this Constitution, framed by Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Lohia,” the Congress MP said.
Rahul Gandhi challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that no power in the world will be able to destroy the Constitution.
“The BJP, RSS, Narendra Modi want to destroy, tear up and throw away this book (Constitution). I would like to challenge them from Jhansi, from Rani Laxmibai’s place, that no power in this world can finish off this Constitution, let alone Narendra Modi or the RSS,” he said.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi said that when there was a shortage of ventilators and oxygen during the pandemic, PM Modi allegedly asked countrymen to “bang thalis” and switch on the lights of mobile phones.
“During Covid, all of you bore the brunt, you lost someone from your family, your relatives. There were heaps of dead bodies in the Ganga, there were no ventilators or oxygen. And PM Modi asked you to bang thalis. The media applauded him. People were celebrating amid Covid. When that did not work, PM Modi asked you to switch on the lights of your mobile phones,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the BJP government confiscates land from people giving excuses of the Defence Corridor to divert their attention.
“When it comes to confiscating your land, they give excuses of Defence Corridor and other things to divert your mind and take away your land in minutes,” he said.
Hitting out at the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said that the government has put up “umbrellas” in the name of “smart cities.”
“When I was coming I saw umbrellas on the way. On asking, they said that this is a smart city. If smart cities are constructed like this, the INDIA bloc will set up umbrellas everywhere and there will be no problem. They said they will set up 100 smart cities. Instead, they have put up umbrellas. This is the wonder of the BJP,” he said.
The Lok Sabha election 2024 in Uttar Pradesh has been scheduled in seven phases. Votes polled in the seven phases of the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024 will be counted on June 4.
In the 2019 elections, turning the arithmetic of the SP-BSP ‘Mahagatbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh upside down, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The partners in the alliance, Akhilesh Yadav’s SP and Mayawati’s BSP could only muster 15 seats.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden has directed his Trade Representative to increase tariffs on USD 18 billion of imports from China, including semiconductors, solar cells, batteries, and critical minerals to ‘protect’ American workers and businesses, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
The White House said that the decision has come in response to China’s ‘unfair trade practices’ and to counteract the resulting harms.
“China’s unfair trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are threatening American businesses and workers. China is also flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports. In response to China’s unfair trade practices and to counteract the resulting harms, today, President Biden is directing his Trade Representative to increase tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on USD 18 billion of imports from China to protect American workers and businesses,” the White House statement read.
The statement on hiked tariffs on imports from China also noted that the Chinese government has used unfair and non-market practices for too long now.
“China’s forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft have contributed to its control of 70, 80, and even 90 percent of global production for the critical inputs necessary for our technologies, infrastructure, energy, and health care–creating unacceptable risks to America’s supply chains and economic security,” the White House said.
“Furthermore, these same non-market policies and practices contribute to China’s growing overcapacity and export surges that threaten to significantly harm American workers, businesses, and communities,” it added.
The US and the European Union have often expressed their concern over “industrial overcapacity” in China that is impacting their domestic companies.
US Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen met with the Economic Working Group (EWG) and Financial Working Group (FWG) between the US and China in April this year following her trip to Beijing and Guangzhou. “The US delegation continued to express concerns about China’s non-market practices and industrial overcapacity,” the US Treasury Department had said after the meeting.
“Both sides agreed to further discuss these issues,” according to a readout on the meeting.
In a meeting between Xi Jinping and President Emmanuel Macron of France, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, urged the visiting Chinese President to address “the wave of subsidized exports flowing from his nation’s factories into Western countries,” NYT reported.
“These subsidized products — such as the electric vehicles or, for example, steel — are flooding the European market,” von der Leyen said. “The world cannot absorb China’s surplus production,” von der Leyen was cited in the US daily. (ANI)
BJP candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Kangana Ranaut, on Tuesday credited the people of Mandi for her electoral debut as she filed her nominations for the Lok Sabha seat. She was accompanied by her mother and sister.
Kangana said that it was the love of the people of Mandi that had brought her back to her home state, she said she hoped to make a mark for herself in politics just like she had done in film.
“The people of Mandi and their love for me have brought me here. Women in our country are making a mark in every field but incidents of feticide in Mandi were high a few years ago. Today, the women from Mandi are in the Army, the field of education and politics,” said Kangana
When asked about Congress, she said “The anti-national mentality of the Congress party is a matter of concern for the country…”
Kangana’s mother Asha Ranaut who accompanied her said, “The public have come here to support Kangana. We will definitely win. She has done a lot of work for the people and will do so in future too…”
Her sister Rangoli Ranaut who was also present while Kangan filed her nomination said, “I extend my best wishes on this new journey of her. You can witness how the people support her in the crowd…”
After filing her nomination Kangana said “Today I have filed nomination from Mandi LS seat. It is a matter of pride for me to have the opportunity to contest from Mandi…I have been successful in Bollywood and I am hopeful that I will get success in the field of politics as well.”
The decision to field Kangana from Mandi, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling Congress in the state, adds a layer of intrigue to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In her maiden bid for membership of the Lower House, she faces a formidable challenge in the form of Congress heavyweight and the son of late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh.
Polling in Himachal, which is scheduled for June 1, will not only pit candidates vying for Lok Sabha membership from four seats but also elect members for six assembly seats that fell vacant following the resignation and switchover of dissident Congress lawmakers.
The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time.
The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress, as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family. The seat is currently held by Pratibha Devi Singh, the late leader’s widow. She wrested the seat for the Congress in the bye-election that was held following the demise of then-BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. (ANI)
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In order to use this website we use the following technically required cookies
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These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customize. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymized and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
Cookie associated with sites using CloudFlare, used to speed up page load times. According to CloudFlare it is used to override any security restrictions based on the IP address the visitor is coming from. It does not contain any user identification information.
Cookie associated with sites using CloudFlare, used to identify trusted web traffic.
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These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works.
This cookie name is associated with Google Universal Analytics - which is a significant update to Google's more commonly used analytics service. This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports. By default it is set to expire after 2 years, although this is customisable by website owners.
This cookie name is associated with Google Universal Analytics, according to documentation it is used to throttle the request rate - limiting the collection of data on high traffic sites. It expires after 10 minutes.
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visited in an anonymous form.
These cookies are used by Youtube, Google, Twitter, and Facebook to deliver adverts that are relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
This cookie is usually associated with the ShareThis social sharing widget placed in a site to enable sharing of content across various social networks. It counts clicks and shares of a page.
