Author: LokMarg

Gorakhpur-Bandra Humsafar Express (19092) witnessed a commotion Tuesday night after it received a hoax bomb call on Twitter, informed Upendra Srivastava, Inspector-in-Charge, GRP police station.

Railway administration and security force personnel, along with the bomb squad, searched the coaches and halted the train late in the night.

Nothing incriminating was found on the train after a thorough investigation, added Srivastava.

The train was delayed in the process by three and a half hours and left around one o’clock in the night.

The person, who made the hoax call, has been identified as Milan Rajak, said Upendra Srivastava.

The Railway Ministry and Piyush Goyal got information from Milan Rajak’s Twitter account that a bomb was planted inside the Gorakhpur-Bandra Humsafar Express and terrorists will blow up the train. He asked the Railways to cancel the train for one week.

As per sources, Milan Rajak tweeted alert messages on May 11 and 12 also. But with no Gorakhpur-Bandra Humsafar Express scheduled on that day, the action was not initiated. (ANI)

Led by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur as part of the official Indian delegation, Rajasthani singer Mame Khan on Tuesday made history by becoming the first folk artist to open Red Carpet for India at the Cannes Film Festival.

Khan, who has been a playback singer for several Bollywood films such as ‘Luck By Chance’, ‘No One Killed Jessica’, and ‘Sonchiriya’ among others and has also been featured on Coke Studio along with Amit Trivedi, at the red carpet could be seen dressed in a traditional Rajasthani ensemble that included a vibrant pink Kurta underneath an ethnic embroidered coat.
The glamorous red carpet contingent which comprised of Indian film celebrities had put the diversity and uniqueness of Indian cinema on display.

Ambassadors from different regional cinemas were part of the delegation which along with Khan and Thakur included Shekhar Kapur, Pooja Hegde, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tamannah Bhatia, R Madhavan, AR Rahman, Prasoon Joshi, Vani Tripathi, Ricky Kej.

The India Pavilion at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival will be inaugurated today by Anurag Thakur and the universal theme for this year is India the content hub of the world. (ANI)

After the Centre imposed a wheat export ban, a large number of trucks laden with wheat were seen stuck at the Kandla port in Gujarat’s Kutch district on Tuesday.

Speaking to ANI, the Secretary and Media-Incharge of Gandhidham Goods Transport Association, Satbir Singh said that the ban was abrupt, and has left 5,000 trucks stranded for the last 10-15 days

“It is incurring losses to transporters and businessmen. Government must provide facilities to unload them,” he added.

Adding to it, a truck driver said that thousands of trucks have been parked outside the Kandla Port and the truck owners are suffering huge losses.

“We (truck drivers) are stuck here for days now. Wheat is not being unloaded from our trucks after the government’s ban on wheat exports,” he said.

Earlier today, the Centre announced relaxation in its earlier order restricting wheat exports and decided that wherever wheat consignments have been handed over to Customs for examination and registered into their systems on or prior to May 13, such consignments would be allowed for export.

The government also allowed a wheat consignment headed for Egypt, which was already under loading at the Kandla port.

This followed a request by the Egyptian government to permit the wheat cargo to be loaded at the Kandla port.

M/s Mera International India Pvt. Ltd, the company engaged for the export of the wheat to Egypt, had also given a representation for completion of loading of 61,500 MT of wheat of which 44,340 MT of wheat had already been loaded and only 17,160 MT was left to be loaded.

The government decided to permit the full consignment of 61,500 MT and allowed it to sail from Kandla to Egypt.

The Government of India had earlier restricted wheat exports to manage the overall food security situation in India and to support the needs of neighbouring and vulnerable countries that are adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat and are unable to access adequate wheat supplies.

According to this order, this restriction would not apply in cases where prior commitments have been made by private trade through a Letter of Credit as well as in situations where permission is granted by the Government of India to other countries to meet their food security needs and on the requests of their governments.

The order served three main purposes to ensure India’s food security and check inflation, it helps other countries facing food deficit, and it maintains India’s reliability as a supplier. The order also aimed to provide a clear direction to the wheat market to prevent hoarding of wheat supplies, the Commerce and industry Ministry said. (ANI)

They say that ‘You can take an Indian out of India but you can’t take India out of an Indian.’ That’s exactly the case with our Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone, who is currently creating waves at Cannes Film Festival as a jury member.

She just attend the red carpet ceremony for the 75th annual Cannes film festival, wearing a saree designed by none other than Sabyasachi.

Taking to Instagram, Deepika dropped a string of images of her glamourous look.

In the images, she is seen exuding retro vibes with her golden-black shimmery saree. The ‘Piku’ star opted for bold make-up. Her dramatic winger eyeliner served as the major highlight of her look.

Speaking of her hair, she chose to tie them in a bun immaculately and accessorised it with a golden hairband.

Sabyasachi, too, shared the pictures of Deepika’s retro look on social media.

“Jury member Deepika Padukone on the red carpet at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival in Sabyasachi clothing and high jewellery. Featuring the Bengal Tiger couture sari conceptualised by Sabyasachi as part of the iconic Aakash Tara collection that celebrates heritage Indian crafts and techniques through a modern lens. The stripes have been block printed and hand embroidered by some of India’s finest craftspeople at the Sabyasachi atelier. The look is paired with statement pieces from Sabyasachi Jewellery’s Bengal Royale Collection. The headband pays homage to the traditional Indian matha patti headpiece with Art Nouveau detailing, while the chandelier earrings updates a classic with an Art Deco gaze,” Sabyasachi wrote.

Deepika hit the red carpet along with other jury members such as Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace, Jasmine Trinca, Asghar Farhadi, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols and Joachim Trier. (ANI)

Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday denied a shortage of fertilisers in the country and said that India will soon become self-reliant in the sector and by 2025, the country with have self-sufficient urea production.

Speaking to ANI, Mandaviya said that around 3.25-3.50 lakh metric tons of urea consumption is estimated in the country annually and in the Kharif season, an estimate of 1.80 lakh metric tons of urea is expected to be required.
“1.50 lakh metric ton of urea will be produced for the Kharif season. The remaining 30 lakh metric ton of urea has already been arranged from different countries. I want to tell the farmers that there is no shortage of urea, DAP, and other fertilisers in India, despite the unprecedented global shortage of fertilisers,” the Union Minister said.

He further added that the Centre is promoting organic farming, the direct benefit of which would reduce 20 lakh metric tons of fertiliser consumption in the country.

An official of the Chemical and Fertilizer Ministry inform ANI that recently, a high-level delegation led by Mandaviya visited Jordan from May 13-15 for enhancing cooperation in the fertilizer sector.

This important visit came in the backdrop of the ongoing global fertilizer crisis, with a clear objective of securing fertilizers and raw materials both for the short and long term.

In the meeting held at Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) headquarters, India and JPMC signed memorandums of understanding for supplies of 30 lakh metric tons of rock phosphate, 2.50 lakh metric tons DAP, 1 lakh metric tons phosphoric acid for the current year, and the next five years with the Indian public cooperative and private sector companies.

“The discussions were held with the Minister of Investment Jordan, Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) as well as Arab Potash Company (APC) for enhancing the cooperation in the fertilizer sector. The Minister during these meetings mentioned that Jordan is India’s preferred partner for fertilizer sector,” a Ministry said in a press release.

During the meeting, Mandaviya emphasized the need to increase supplies from Jordan to India, keeping in view the long-standing ties in the sector.

The thrust was to secure additional quantities for the Indian market and the Jordanian side was requested to consider additional production capacities in Jordan with India as a target prime market.

The Ministry said that there were important discussions to convince Jordan to take the lead in announcing India-specific terms for the supply of fertilizers.

It was discussed by both sides that the two countries have a long history of trade relationships and people-to-people contact. The Minister highlighted the need to strengthen the association, especially during these challenging times for the fertilizer sector.

“The Jordanian side appreciated that India being the largest buyers of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers, preferential treatment would be given. Both sides agreed to work on this aspect and draw a clear roadmap through Joint Committee in a time-bound manner. Both the sides agreed to constitute a Joint Committee to look into secured short/long term fertilizer supplies, fresh investments, new JVs etc,” the Ministry said in a press release.

The first of its kind visit by an Indian delegation led by Mansukh Mandaviya proved to be path-breaking in terms of ensuring the supply of Phosphatic and Potassic fertilisers to India, a better understanding of each other’s needs/concerns and further strengthening the bilateral relations.

“The talks initiated during this visit laid a very strong foundation for further firming up the future plans regarding investment opportunities towards mutual benefits of trusted partners– India and Jordan,” the release read. (ANI)

The Varanasi civil court on Tuesday removed the Advocate-Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra from the panel formed to survey Gyanvapi mosque.

The court-appointed special Commission has also received two-more days to submit the survey report.
“Court has granted two days time to submit the report. He (Advocate-Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra) was not cooperating,” Assistant Court Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh told ANI.

The Commission had sought two-days time to submit the survey report.

“We had sought two days’ time from the court. The Court has granted us two days’ time for submission of the report,” Advocate Vishal Singh, the Court-appointed special assistant commissioner said.

The survey lasted for three days from May 14-16. According to Ajay Pratap Singh, only 50 per cent of the report was complete by Tuesday morning.

The three-day-long court-monitored videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday.

The Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya on Monday claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex. Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found “conclusive evidence”.

The Supreme Court heard the plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi today and observed that till the next date of hearing, they will issue a direction that DM Varanasi will ensure that the Shivling area will be protected but it will not impede access of Muslims to the mosque for prayers.

Meanwhile, the President of the Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta on Tuesday filed an intervention application seeking directions for dismissal of the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Management Committee challenging the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, which is adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, “to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place.”

In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area. (ANI)

The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games organising committee (HAPGOC) and the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) on Tuesday announced the postponement of the 2022 Asian Para Games, originally scheduled to take place from October 9-15.

The announcement follows the decision taken by the Olympic Council of Asia and the HAGOC, the games organising committee, to postpone the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games due to the size of the Games and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A taskforce comprising of the APC, the Chinese Paralympic Committee and HAPGOC will now work on rescheduling the Games to take place in 2023.

APC President Majid Rashed in a statement said: “The Games preparations have been going very well and HAPGOC was ready to deliver an outstanding games. This was not an easy decision to make but we have taken it now to give a level of certainty to the IFs, NPCs and athletes who were planning to attend the Games. We will now work with the organising committee on securing a new date that works for the para-sport calendar.”

A further announcement on this is expected in the near future. The emblem, slogan and year of the Games will remain unchanged. (ANI)

Ahead of the presence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur-led Indian delegation at Cannes 2022 Red Carpet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi penned a mesasage expressing his immense pride.

PM Modi’s message stated, “I am delighted to learn about India’s participation as a Country of Honour at the Marche du Film – festival de Cannes. As India celebrates its 75th year of independence, the 75th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, as well as 75 years of Indo-French diplomatic ties enhance the pride and joy associated with the momentous milestones.”
The note further said, “Films and society are mirror images of each other. Cinema showcases human emotions and expressions in an artistic manner, binding the world together with a common strand of entertainment. India is the largest film producing country in the world. With films in many languages from different regions, the multifariousness of our film sector is remarkable. Rich heritage and cultural diversity are India’s strengths. We have a lot of stories to be explored. India truly possesses immense potential to become the content hub of the world. Government of India remains steadfast in its efforts towards furthering ease of doing business in the film sector.”

“From facilitating international film co-productions, to ensuring single window clearance mechanism for permissions for filming across the country, India offers seamless possibilities to filmmakers of the world. Our spellbinding locations, technological prowess in film making and the talent of young men and women provide a perfect backdrop for film makers,” PM Modi assured those who want to make India their content hub.

“It is heartening to note that a film by one of India’s most renowned filmmakers, Shri Satyajit Ray, has been restored for screening at the Cannes Classics section, when India is celebrating the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker. This edition of Cannes Film Festival is special in many ways. Many Start-ups from India will showcase their strengths to the cinema world. The India pavilion will display facets of Indian cinema and promote international partnerships and learnings,” PM Modi said.

The PM signed off, extending best wishes for the “resounding success of the Festival.”

The India pavilion will be inaugurated by Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Wednesday at Cannes and the universal theme for this year is India the content hub of the world. (ANI)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday said that he will proceed with his USD 44 billion take over of Twitter only if the microblogging giant is able to prove that less than 5 per cent of its users are bots.

“20 pc fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be much higher. My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5 pc. This deal cannot move forward until he does,” Musk tweeted.
His tweet came in response to a Twitter user who wrote that the Billionaire entrepreneur may be looking for a better deal as the previously quoted amount of USD 44 billion seems too high with 20 per cent users being fake or spam accounts.

This comes a day after Twitter CEO Parag Agarwal issued a series of tweets amid the debate surrounding the spam controversy between the company and Musk.

Agarwal on Monday emphasised that the company strongly incentivized to detect and remove as much spam as we possibly can, every single day.

“Next, spam isn’t just ‘binary’ (human/not human). The most advanced spam campaigns use combinations of coordinated humans + automation. They also compromise real accounts, and then use them to advance their campaign. So – they are sophisticated and hard to catch,” he tweeted.

The Twitter head said the company suspends over half a million spam accounts every day, usually before any of you even see them on Twitter.

“The hard challenge is that many accounts which look fake superficially – are actually real people. And some of the spam accounts which are actually the most dangerous – and cause the most harm to our users – can look totally legitimate on the surface,” he added.

Musk last week said that the deal to buy the social media platform Twitter is put on hold due to the calculation of fake accounts in it.

Twitter shares fell by 20 per cent in early trading after this announcement. (ANI)