News Archives - Page 605 of 1972 - Lokmarg

United States Number One Priority, US Visa Officials

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

United States President Joe Biden, on Tuesday, said that last year while the whole world was bracing for the fall of Ukraine after Russia started its special military operation, Ukraine stood proud, tall and free.

While addressing thousands of people gathered outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Biden said, “One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I have just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report: Kyiv stands strong! Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most important, it stands free.”
“When Russia invaded, it wasn’t just Ukraine being tested. The whole world faced a test for the ages. Europe was being tested. America was being tested. NATO was being tested. All democracies were being tested. And the questions we faced were as simple as they were profound,” he added.

He also stated that when Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, the whole world were don’t know how to respond to such a situation but still, Ukraine stood strong.

“One year later, we know the answer. We did respond. We would be strong. We would be united. And the world would not look the other way,” he added.

Talking about his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden said that he is honoured to stand with Kyiv to declare that the US will keep standing up for these same things no matter what.

He also said that when Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered his tanks to roll into Ukraine, “he thought we would roll over. He was wrong. The Ukrainian people are too brave. America, Europe, and a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We were too unified. Democracy was too strong.”

Biden stated that Putin predicted and perceived that he will win the war easily but the result was different. He also said that Putin thought that he would get the “Finlandization” of NATO. Instead, he got the “NATOization” of Finland and Sweden.

He thought NATO would fracture and divide. Instead, NATO is more united and more unified than ever — than ever before, US President added.

Biden further said that Putin thought he could weaponize energy to crack your resolve Europe’s resolve. Instead, the US and its NATO allies are working together to end Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

“And then, he met the iron will of America and the nations everywhere that refused to accept a world governed by fear and force. He found himself at war with a nation led by a man whose courage would be forged in fire and steel: President Zelenskyy,” Biden said while addressing here.

“President Putin is confronted with something today that he didn’t think was possible a year ago. The democracies of the world have grown stronger, not weaker. But the autocrats of the world have grown weaker, not stronger,” he added.

“Because in moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, knowing what you stand for is most important, and knowing who stands with you makes all the difference. The people of Poland know that. You know that. In fact, you know — you know it better than anyone here in Poland. Because that’s what solidarity means,” Biden said. (ANI)

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India Number One Priority, Have Reduced Wait Time For Visa: US

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

India is the United States’ number one priority, US Visa officials said while adding that after the COVID pandemic, there has been a rise of around 36 per cent in visa processing across the country.

While addressing a media interaction organised by Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies on Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs Julie Stufft said, “India is the number one priority that we are facing right now. We are absolutely committed to getting out of this situation. Anyone in India seeking a visa appointment or visa have to wait for that’s not certainly our ideal.”
She further stated, “So far this year, we have issued 36 per cent more visas than we did before the COVID pandemic in India. And that is a huge percentage of progress.”

Stufft also announced that come fall, the US will start the Visa stamping program domestically within the US for visa renewals, including H-1 and L-1. Visa. The Department of State representative told reporters that initiatives are in place to speed up domestic visa revalidation in certain categories on a pilot basis.

“This fall will be the first that we’ll be able to put out a call for applications. The pilot is this summer..and we’re gonna be doing it for people in worker status. So that would be H’s and L and, and I’s,” the official added.

Acknowledging that the difficulties are still being experienced, the officials said the department was also expanding its interview waiver process for some temporary workers, students and academic exchange visitors.

“All the non-visitor time or student-visa have very very low wait times and that’s really key. Our H-1B and F student’s wait time were just as high almost six months ago and so we brought down the wait time,” she added.

The H-1B visa, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Talking about the India-US relationship, Deputy Assistant Secretary for India, Nancy Jackson said that people-to-people is the most important relationship between US and India.

“As I look at the relationship it strikes me that people-to-people ties between our two nations are really the bedrock of what is one of the most consequential relationships in the world and that is the India-US relationship. And we can’t underscore that enough and so addressing the view wait time that we were facing is critical. Not only to maintain these people-to-people ties but also to expand in that space. So because of that, this issue remains a top priority,” she added.

The officials said Indian applicants who happen to be travelling for business to another country can go and apply for a US visa. Citing the example of countries like Thailand and Germany Sufft noted, “We’ve also opened up other missions and this is actually unprecedented. We’ve asked other US embassies to take on India visa applicants specifically if they choose to travel there.”

On January 21, the US Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants. The US Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews.

The US Mission will continue to open additional slots for appointments to take place on select Saturdays, according to the statement released by US Embassy in India. These additional interview days are among the measures that have been taken to address the backlog in visa processing caused by COVID-19.

The US Department of State has implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous US visas. According to the statement, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase processing capacity in January-March. (ANI)

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Gulab Chand Kataria To Be Sworn In As Assam Governor Today

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

Former Rajasthan Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gulab Chand Kataria will be sworn in as Assam Governor on Wednesday.

Raj Bhavan, Guwahati on Tuesday, accorded a warm and traditional welcome to Assam Governor designate Gulab Chand Kataria on his arrival at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
Along with him, his wife Anita Kataria was also accorded a warm welcome by the officers and staff of Raj Bhavan.

Gulab Chand Kataria will take the oath of office at a solemn programme at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra.

He will be the 31st Governor of the state of Assam and succeeds Professor Jagdish Mukhi as the Governor who demitted office on completing his term.

Gulab Chand Kataria hails from Udaipur, Rajasthan, and is the former Home Minister of Rajasthan and a leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly prior to his appointment as the Governor. (ANI)

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Delhi Likely To Get Its New Mayor Today

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

After three failed attempts by the municipal body to hold the election to the top post, Delhi Mayoral elections will be held on Wednesday in which the city is expected to get its new Mayor following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.

The polling will take place at 11 am after the Supreme Court stepped in and ruled that the election to the Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shall be conducted first. The court also said that the aldermen (nominated persons) would have no right to vote.
The last three attempts to elect the Mayor failed due to the political bickering between the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party. The civic centre met for the first time on January 6, second on January 24 and last on February 6.

Aam Aadmi Party, which won the MCD polls, with 134 seats has fielded Shelly Oberoi for the mayor’s post while Rekha Gupta, a three-term councillor from Shalimar Bagh, is the BJP’s nominee.

In the last meeting, Presiding officer Satya Sharma of the BJP administered oath to the aldermen, the members nominated by Lt Governor Vinai Saxena before administering the oath to the elected councillors.

A plea was thereafter filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi LG’s decision to permit the nominated members to vote, after which the top court on February 8 issued a notice to the LG.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also had sent a proposal to the LG to conduct elections on February 22 which was approved on February 18.

As per the order issued by the Lieutenant Governor, elections for the mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee will be held on February 22.

“As recommended by Chief Minister, GNCTD, I approve the proposal to convene the adjourned first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 11 am for the election of Mayor, Dy. Mayor and six members to the Standing Committee,” the order said earlier.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also directed the concerned authority to issue notice for the election of mayor.

According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Municipal House has to meet within a month after the conclusion of the civic polls and elect the mayor. However, the election has been stalled thrice over the dispute over the voting rights of nominated members.

The House was stalled thrice due to ruckus following differences between AAP and BJP members.

The municipal elections in Delhi were held on December 4 and the results were announced on December 7. Aam Aadmi Party won 134 seats out of 250. (ANI)

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Indian Plate Moving 5 CM Every Year, Raising Possibility Of Earthquakes: NGRI

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

A leading weather scientist and geological expert has warned that the Indian tectonic plate is moving about 5 cm every year, leading to accumulation of stress along the Himalayas and increasing the possibility of major seismic events — earthquakes — in the coming days.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Dr N Purnachandra Rao, the chief scientist and seismologist at the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), said, “The Earth’s surface comprises various plates that are constantly in motion. The Indian plate is moving about 5 cm every year, resulting in the accumulation of stress along the Himalayas and raising the possibility of major earthquakes.”
“We have a strong network of 18 seismograph stations in Uttarakhand. The region, referred to as the seismic gap between Himachal and the western part of Nepal, including Uttarakhand, is prone to earthquakes that might occur any time,” the chief scientist added.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred 56 kms north of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, at 10.38 pm on Monday, the National Centre for Seismology stated.

The epicentre was at a depth of 10 kms beneath the earth’s surface, the agency said.

“An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred 56km north of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh at around 10:38 pm, yesterday. The depth of the earthquake was 10 km below the ground,” the NCS said in a statement.

On February 19, an earthquake struck the town of Nandigama in Andhra Pradesh’s NTR district. No loss of lives was reported in the incident. (ANI)

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Dulquer Expresses Gratitude After Winning Dadasaheb Phalke Award

By LokMarg 21st February 2023

Dulquer Salmaan on Tuesday expressed gratitude after receiving his first-ever award for the Hindi film ‘Chup: Revenge of the Artist’.

Taking to Instagram, Dulquer dropped pictures of himself with Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Sharing the picture, he penned a long note, “This one felt special! My first ever award for Hindi. And my first ever for Best Actor in a negative role. Many thanks to the jury of @dpiff_official for this honour and @abhialmish for being such a kind host. For some reason my old friend, my nerves got the better of me on stage and I blanked out like a first timer.”

He thanked ‘Chup’ director R Balki for the opportunity and for showing trust on him.

“So the one person I truly need to thank for this is Balki sir. I dont know how he saw me as Danny but he did. And the conviction he had in me, his guidance and vision was everything for me. Thank you sir and all my wonderful costars, the best crew and everyone at @hopeprodn for giving me the best experience on #Chup. This one is for all of you,” he added.

R Balki also received Best Director Dadasaheb Phalke Award for ‘Chup’.

Apart from Dulquer, the film also stars Sunny Deol, Pooja Bhatt, and Shreya Dhanwanthary in lead roles.

The film is touted as a romantic psychopath thriller. It is said that the film is a homage to master filmmaker Guru Dutt and his 1959 classic ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’. Shreya Dhanwanthary is also a part of the film.

The screenplay and dialogues of ‘Chup: Revenge of Artist’ have been co-written by Balki and critic-turned-writer Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani. With music by composer Amit Trivedi and Vishal Sinha credited as the film’s director of photography (DOP), ‘Chup: Revenge of Artist’ is co-produced by Pranab Kapadia and Anirudh Sharma.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Dulquer will be next seen in the action thriller ‘King of Kotha’. Helmed by Abhilash Joshiy, the Pan India film will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The official release date of the film is slate during Onam. (ANI))

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Alia Calls Out Media For Invasion Of Privacy

By LokMarg 21st February 2023

Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt on Tuesday called out the media and tagged the Mumbai Police for ‘invasion of privacy’ after her photos were clicked by photographers while she was hanging out inside her house.

The ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ actor took to her Instagram handle and penned a long note in her Story.
She wrote, “Are you kidding me? I was at my house having a perfectly normal afternoon sitting in my living room when I felt something watching me…. I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of my neighbouring building with a camera right at me! In what world is this okay and allowed?”

Tagging the Mumbai police, she added, “This is a gross invasion of someone’s privacy and it’s safe to say all lines were crossed dat. @mumbaipolice.”

In the pictures, it seemed like the actor was sitting on the balcony of her apartment when she was clicked without her consent.

After Alia shared the post on social media, her sister Shaheen Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor came out in her support.

Arjun reshared Alia’s Instagram Story and wrote, “Absolutely shameless. This is crossing all limits if a woman isn’t feeling. Safe in her own home forget if she is a public. Figure or not for a second…”

“Any sane person who takes photographs of public figures for a living needs to know that this is pathetic conduct & these are people in the media we have trusted and shown implicit faith in believing they are here to do a job not to make women feel unsafe or invade one’s privacy. This is nothing short of stalking. @mumbaipolice,” he continued, while also tagging Mumbai police.

Shaheen showed her support by writing in her Story, “So it’s totally cool to point zoom lenses into people’s homes while hiding in neighbouring buildings for “content” now? Grown men. With cameras. Hiding across the road. Taking surreptitious photos of an UNAWARE woman. Without her CONSENT. In her HOME.”

“The fact that the person in the photo is a celebrity does not somehow make this okay. If this was any other situation, with any other person – this would be considered harassment and a complete assault on privacy. Which is what it is. The lack of basic human decency is honestly terrifying,” she added.

This isn’t the first time celebrities have discussed the breach of privacy. Earlier, Ranbir and Alia had requested the paparazzi for privacy and asked them not to click pictures of their newborn daughter Raha.

Meanwhile, on the work front, on Monday, Alia was seen attending the Dadasaheb International Film Festival Award where she won the Best Actress honour for her performance in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’.

Film-wise, she will next be seen in Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’, co-starring Ranveer Singh, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Alia also has Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ in her kitty. (ANI)

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Prithvi Shaw Hit Me, Touched My Private Parts: Sapna Gill

By LokMarg 21st February 2023

Social media influencer Sapna Gill, who was arrested for allegedly attacking Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw’s car and manhandling him, on Tuesday broke her silence and alleged that the cricketer molested her in a public place and she said they didn’t ask for any selfies, nor did they ask for money.

Speaking to ANI, Sapna Gill denied the allegations, “We didn’t beat anyone, nor did we ask for money. They put the wrong allegations about us. I didn’t ask for any selfies. We were enjoying ourselves, so my friend tried to make a video.”
“I saw that they were beating my friend,” Gill alleged.

Sapna was arrested on Thursday for allegedly attacking Shaw after the batsman reportedly refused to take a selfie with them for the second time.

In an application filed by Sapna’s advocate Kaashif Ali Khan on Monday, she alleged that the cricketer molested her in a public place, outraging her modesty, and physically assaulting her with a deadly weapon.

“I went there and stopped them. My friend tried to make a video to show the proof. They beat me with a baseball after I tried to save my friend. One or two people hit me and touched my private parts, and even slapped me,” Sapna Gill alleged.

Shaw was allegedly manhandled and his car was attacked with a baseball bat outside a hotel in the Santacruz area of Mumbai, following an argument with the influencer and her friend Shobit Thakur after the cricketer refused to click more selfies with them.

The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday.

“We tried to stop them at the airport. Prithvi and his friend called the crowd and tried to run. They were aggressive and drunk. They apologized to us,” Sapna Gill alleged.

On February 16, Gill said, she got to know that an FIR has been filed against her. “So I also submitted a complaint on February 20,” she said.

Advocate Ali Kaashif Deshmukh told ANI, “We have filed a criminal complaint against Prithvi Sahw and his friends.”

“A criminal complaint has been registered against Prithvi Shaw, Ashish Surendra Yadav, Brijesh and others (not known to complainant) for illegal acts of molesting and outraging the modesty of Sapna Gill under sections 34, 120b, 144, 146, 148, 149, 323, 324, 351, 354 & 509 of IPC, “Advocate Ali Kaashif Deshmukh told ANI.

A complaint was filed by Shaw’s friend Ashish Yadav, who has been his flatmate over the last three years and runs a cafe.

The Oshiwara police arrested Gill on Thursday while seven others were booked for allegedly trying to intimidate the cricketer by damaging his car and threatening to implicate him in a fake case. (ANI)

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Sisodia Pretending To Protect Religious Structures From Demolition: Delhi L-G

By LokMarg 21st February 2023

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday alleged that Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is pretending to protect the unauthorised religious structures from demolition.

“The doublespeak and hypocrisy of Dy CM Manish Sisodia has once against been called out, this time over the issue of demolition of unauthorised religious structures. The unauthorised religious structures that Sisodia is pretending to “protect from demolition”, were actually recommended to be demolished by Sisodia himself which was further approved by CM Arvind Kejriwal and sent to the LG for his nod,” an official note from the Raj Bhavan said.
On Monday, Deputy CM Sisodia appealed to the Delhi L-G to prevent the demolition of temples, mazars, and gurudwaras for infrastructure development projects in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference here at Delhi Secretariat, Sisodia said that these religious structures are visited by lakhs of devotees and have strong emotional connections with people, and their demolition could trigger a law and order situation in the capital.

Sisodia’s appeal came after the Delhi Police released reports regarding the religious structures, recommending that the demolition can cause a riot situation but if it is still necessary, they [Delhi Police] would have to deploy a security force. However, the L-G had claimed that the Delhi government was holding back files related to the demolition of temples, mazars, and gurudwaras, which he claimed was affecting various development projects. A total of 67 temples, six mazars, and one gurudwara have been identified for demolition in 19 files.

While addressing a press conference at Delhi Secretariat
,
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia proposed that modifications could be made to the designs of the infrastructure development projects to avoid demolishing these religious structures.

He argued that in an era when modern architecture and technology have advanced, it is possible to modify designs to meet the requirements of the environment, and the same can be done in this case to save the temples, mazars, and gurudwaras. He emphasised that development is essential, but it should not hurt people’s religious sentiments.

The proposed infrastructure projects that identified the religious structures for demolition include the construction of several flyovers, roads, and housing projects by the central government. Structures marked for demolition in Delhi include Sarva Mangal Siddha Peeth, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Dham, and Shyam Math Temple. In addition, 49 temples and one mazar have been identified for demolition under General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) projects of the Central Government in Kasturba Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Srinivaspuri, and Thyagaraj Nagar.

Manish Sisodia urged the Lieutenant Governor to make design changes in the infrastructure projects to avoid the demolition of the religious structures. He emphasised that development is necessary, but it should not be at the cost of hurting people’s religious beliefs.

49 temples and 1 mazar has been marked for demolition in Kasturba Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Srinivaspuri, and Thyagaraj Nagar under GPRA projects of the Central Government. (ANI)

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Karisma To Malaika Shower Birthday Wishes On Jeh

By LokMarg 21st February 2023

As Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan’s son Jehangir Ali Khan turned two on Tuesday, several Bollywood celebs took to their social media accounts and extended heartfelt wishes to Jeh.

Marking the special occasion, Karisma Kapoor took to Instagram to wish her nephew. She dropped an adorable picture with him along with a caption, “All tied up #herecomes2 . Happy birthday to my J baba love you moistest.”

Sharing the picture where Malaika Arora is seen giving a peck on Jeh’s cheek and both are dressed in white outfits.

She captioned the picture, “It’s our cutieee patooties jeh babas bday.”

Amrita Arora shared a smiling picture of Kareena and Jeh baba and wrote, “Happy birthday our doll Jeh baba.”

Soha Ali Khan dropped a cute picture of Jeh, who can be seen lying on the couch with cushion over him. The cushion that read, ” its my Birthday.”

Saif’s sister Saba Pataudi dropped a series of pictures of baby Jeh.

Sharing the pictures, she penned a sweet birthday wish, “Rule the world…My darling Jeh! May luck love n blessing. Pave your path, Forever! Love You my Munchkin! Happy 2nd Birthday.”

Riddhima Kapoor Sahni posted a cute picture in which Randhir and Jeh could be seen looking at each other and making cute pout faces in front of a dining table. She wrote, Happy happiest bday to this cutie.”

Neetu Kapoor wrote, “Happy birthday Jeh the cuteness.”

Kunal Kemmu took to Insta story and uploaded a funny picture of himself with little one. Alongwith the photo, he wrote, “Happy Birthday Jeh baba!! Love you lil lion.”

Neha Dhupia also wished Jeh and wrote, Happy happy jeh baba to having “two” much fun two-gether.”

Earlier today, Kareena Kapoor shared two throwback pictures of Jeh from the sets of her HansalMehta film in London, which show him in a grumpy mood as he refuses to leave her lap.

Describing the particular moment, Kareena wrote, “Doesn’t want to leave my lap… this situation will soon reverse. I love you with all my heart and soul, my Jeh baba! Happy Birthday son. Thank you, @khamkhaphotoartist, for capturing this precious moment on our TBM set in London, 2022. Forever and more.”

Kareena and Saif tied the knot in October 2012 in a private ceremony in Mumbai. The couple was blessed with Taimur in 2016 and later in 2021 they became parents to Jeh. (ANI)

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