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The 'Beating the Retreat ceremony this year will be graced by the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in the national capital on January 29.

Beating Retreat: 3,500 Drones To Illuminate The Sky

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Indian tunes based on Indian Classical Ragas will be the flavour of the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony this year which will be graced by President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in the national capital on January 29.

According to the Ministry of Defence, 29 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes will be played by the music bands of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also be present at the ceremony. The event will witness the country’s biggest Drone Show, comprising 3,500 indigenous drones. The drone show will light up the evening sky over the Raisina hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures/events through smooth synchronisation. It will depict the success of the startup ecosystem, and the technological prowess of the country’s youth and pave the way for future path-breaking trends. The drone show will be organised by Botlabs Dynamics.

For the first time, a 3D anamorphic projection will be organised during Beating Retreat Ceremony on the facade of the North and South Block.

The ceremony will begin with the massed band’s ‘Agniveer’ tune which will be followed by enthralling tunes like ‘Almora’, ‘Kedar Nath, ‘Sangam Dur’, ‘Queen of Satpura’, ‘Bhagirathi’, ‘Konkan Sundari’ by Pipes and Drums band, said the Defence Ministry statement.

Indian Air Force’s band will play ‘Aprajey Arjun’, ‘Charkha’, ‘Vayu Shakti’, ‘Swadeshi’, while ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, ‘Hum Taiyyar Hai’, and ‘Jai Bharati’ will be played by the band of Indian Navy.

The Indian Army’s band will play ‘Shankhnaad’, ‘Sher-e-Jawan’, ‘Bhupal’, ‘Agranee Bharat’, ‘Young India’, ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, ‘Drummers Call’, and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’.

The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.

The principal conductor of the ceremony will be Flight Lieutenant Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh. While the Army Band will be led by Sub Maj Diggar Singh, the Naval and Air Force band commanders will be M Anthoni Raj and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Asstt Sub Inspector Prem Singh, said the official statement.

The Buglers will perform under the leadership of Naib Subedar Santosh Kumar Pandey, and pipes and drums band will play under the instructions of Subedar Major Baswaraj Vagge.

The ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29 every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. It has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.

The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. It marks a centuries-old military tradition when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sound of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags are lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by. (ANI)

Two IAF Fighter Jets Crash Over Morena In MP

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft crashed in Morena in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The aircraft- a Sukhoi-30 was carrying two pilots and the Mirage 2000 was carrying one pilot during the time of the crash. Initial reports suggest the two pilots are safe while an IAF team is reaching the spot soon in a chopper to ascertain the condition of the third pilot, according to Defence sources.
An IAF court of inquiry will establish whether the accident happened due to a mid-air collision or not.

“The two aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior air base where an exercise was going on,” Defence sources said.

Sources further added that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in touch with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari to gather details on the crash.

Further information is awaited.

Earlier reports confirmed that a charter plane fell down in Bharatpur in Rajasthan, however more details were awaited as officials at the spot were unsure if the plane was a military or a civilian craft. (ANI)

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China Compelling Doctors To Hide COVID Mortalities

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

To keep China’s COVID death figures low, the Chinese government has besides censorship, implemented a change in rules and procedures to compel doctors to hide COVID-related mortalities or delay updating them on death certificates, Voices Against Autocracy (VAA) reported.

Authorities in China have also stopped adding to the official count, COVID deaths that have occurred outside hospitals.
China amid growing global pressure, revealed that around 60,000 COVID-related deaths were reported between early December and mid-December, 2022. The number is big considering that China maintained a death toll of around 5,000 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to VAA, many felt the actual number was much higher and accused Beijing of underreporting. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged China for “more detailed” data as it expressed concerns over the under-representing of the severity of the viral outbreaks in the country.

COVID infections in China began to surge towards December end and hospitals began to fill up. Many patients did not find beds and were seen sleeping on floors. Even, funeral homes and crematoriums were completely filled, and bodies were seen in the queue for days.

The Chinese government, however, remained silent on the rising number of COVID patients.

The government stopped issuing routine health bulletins, leading to confusion over the COVID situation. A social media post by an eminent Chinese scientist and government official Wu Zunyou, however, revealed that over 80 per cent of China’s population was COVID-infected.

According to VAA, the Chinese government has issued notices and circulars to instruct doctors to not mention COVID as a reason for death. “On the death certificate, we fill in one main cause of death, and two to three sub-causes of death, so we basically leave out COVID,” a doctor in a Shanghai-based hospital said.

A doctor from Liaoning Province, Liu Chen (pseudonym), said that the government rules bar them from counting the death of COVID patients due to aggravation of underlying diseases as COVID deaths. “T stanhat is thedard we all have to follow. So, from the top to the bottom, no one knows the exact mortality rate of COVID,” he said, as quoted by VAA.

According to complaints received from people, deaths following COVID in China are being labelled as “heart diseases”, “pneumonia” or “underlying disease”.

According to Song Guo-cheng, a researcher at National Chengchi University, the latest death figures announced by Beijing are still suspicious. “The information obtained from various sources and online reports is in sharp contrast with the COVID figures disclosed by the Chinese Communist Party. This underscores that the CCP is still playing with the data, covering up the true scale of the outbreak,” Song said. (ANI)

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Pakistan's Economic Crisis Going From Bad To Worse

2023 Pakistan’s Economy: Analysts Warn Of Bankruptcy

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

The New Year, 2023, has brought more miseries to Pakistan’s already dwindling economy. Analysts are now warning that the country may go bankrupt, Islam Khabar reported.

Amid this Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has agreed to meet all conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the early resumption of the next review.
Sharif on January 24 said that Pakistan’s ruling PDM alliance is ready to sacrifice its “political career for the sake of the country” by accepting IMF’s “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme.

Reports reveal that over 9,000 containers are stuck at different Pakistani seaports, threatening to disrupt the supply chains of essential goods. Inflation in the country has risen to almost 30 per cent. The country’s funds are running low and food prices are increasing.

According to Islam Khabar, importers are unable to clear containers due to a shortage of dollars, while shipping companies are threatening to suspend Pakistan’s operations over the country’s failure to make timely payments. This will negatively impact both imports and exports.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has only USD 4.4 billion in forex reserves, barely enough for three weeks of imports, while the estimated needs to clear the containers and pending requests for opening more letters of credit is in the range of USD 1.5 billion to USD 2 billion, according to the Islam Khabar report.

Businesses in Pakistan are at risk of closure due to a breakdown of supply chains as domestically manufactured goods rely on imported raw materials. The textile industry in Pakistan is also in a critical position as it is losing credibility and market share among international buyers.

Hospitals in the country are running short of medicines, and there may soon be shortages of goods such as wheat, fertilizers, and gasoline.

Prime Minister Sharif has thus asked people to conserve resources such as water, gas, and electricity to assist the government in reducing its import bill, which has risen significantly in recent years.

Former Pakistan Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar recently said that Pakistan has become “politically and morally bankrupt”, according to a news report.

“We have become politically and morally bankrupt. Even today, people are not being told the truth, which the country needs,” Khokhar said while addressing the second session of the national dialogue in Quetta.

During the conference, the former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that communication between Pakistan’s people and political parties is broken. He said there is a need to address people’s issues rather than being engaged in irrelevant political discourses such as the Panama Papers and the Toshakhana case.

“There were discussions on (Panama papers) and Toshakhana (case), but where were the issues of people? The situation has gotten to a point where if one doesn’t leave the country, they are going to the mountains,” he said, as quoted by The News International Newspaper. (ANI)

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the January 27 "security lapse" incident

Kharge Writes To Shah, Seeking Adequate Security For Bharat Jodo Yatra

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the January 27 “security lapse” incident of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and sought his personal intervention in ensuring adequate security to the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kharge’s letter comes after the Congress’ footmarch was suspended for the day with the party claiming that it was done on the advice of the officials in charge of the security of Rahul Gandhi.
“We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on January 30 at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders and leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination functions to be held on January 30,” said Kharge in his letter.

“I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra and the function on the 30th January at Srinagar,” the Congress president said in his letter to Shah.

He also appreciated the statement of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which said that they will continue to provide complete security till the culmination of the yatra.

Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a press conference on Friday said that the security arrangement had “completely collapsed” during the Yatra on Friday morning.

“This morning during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, unfortunately, the police arrangement completely collapsed and the police who were supposed to manage the crowd were nowhere to be seen. My security people were very uncomfortable with me walking further on the yatra so I had to cancel my walk. Other yatris did the walk,” said Rahul Gandhi while addressing a press conference.

Further speaking on security issues, Gandhi said, “I think it is important the police manages the crowd so that we can do the yatra. It’s very difficult for me to go against what my security people are recommending.” (ANI)

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US Under Secretary Of State To Visit India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Qatar

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will embark on an official visit to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar from January 28 to February 3.

During her visit to India, Nuland will lead the US-India annual Foreign Office Consultations which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and will also meet with young tech leaders, the US Department of State said in an official statement.
In Nepal, the top US official will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Kathmandu.

The Under Secretary, on reaching Sri Lanka will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations and offer continued US support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation, the official release added.

Finally, the Under Secretary will discuss global issues in Qatar as part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.

“She will also meet with counterparts to discuss Qatar’s critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US, as well as our bilateral agreement to protect US interests in Afghanistan,” the US State Department press release added. (ANI)

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8 Killed, 10 Injured In Jerusalem Terror Attack

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

At least 8 people have been killed in a deadly terror attack in a synagogue in Jerusalem on Friday, Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the official statement, 10 people have been injured in the gun attack that occurred around 8:15 pm (local time), near a synagogue on Neve Yaakov Street. The paramedics reached the incident site right after the attack took place.
“8 killed, 10 injured in synagogue in #Jerusalem terror attack Paramedics have arrived onto the scene and began providing treatment to those injured,” the official Twitter handle of Israel’s foreign ministry tweeted.

The alleged shooter was also later killed by police forces, according to police.

The incident followed the deadly clashes in the refugee camp of Jenin on Thursday in which nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed by Israeli forces.

The raid that took place in the West Bank city took the overall toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to 29 this year, according to CNN.

Moreover, Israel also launched a series of bombing raids in the central Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks from Gazan terrorists and said that the raids will lead to “significant harm to Hamas efforts” in building up its arms, The Times of Israel reported on Friday.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said that they targeted Bottom of Form, an underground facility where rockets are manufactured in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

“The attack will lead to significant harm to Hamas’ efforts to build up its arms,” the IDF said in a statement, according to The Times of Israel.

Footage published on social media showed several large explosions from the airstrikes in Gaza.

Separately on Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian man was killed in clashes with Israeli troops in the town of a-Ram, north of Jerusalem, the PA Health Ministry said. (ANI)

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Khanjawala Rerun: Motorist Rams Scooter, Drags Biker, Pillion Rider Dies

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

In a near rerun of the Khanjawala hit-and-drag incident, a motorist allegedly rammed his car into a scooter and dragged the rider on its roof for about 350 metres in the Keshav Puram area of the national capital on Friday.

According to the FIR registered at the Keshav Puram police station, such was the impact of the collision that the scooter rider was thrown off the pilot seat of his two-wheeler and landed on the vehicle’s roof, while the pillion rider died on the spot.
The biker was then allegedly dragged for 350 metres, the police said, adding the five persons were arrested in connection with the incident.

The biker was rushed to a nearby hospital, the police informed further.

There were two people riding the scooty, one of them died in the accident while the other one is hospitalised.

In a similar incident at Khanjawala on New Year’s night, 20-year-old Anjali Singh, who was driving a scooter, was allegedly rammed by a car and dragged for several kilometres as she held on to the vehicle in Outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala area.

The woman was found dead in the middle of the road, with her clothes tattered and torn.

A total of seven persons, including the five occupants of the car, were arrested in connection with the incident. (ANI)

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Protests could erupt in cities across the United States after horrifying video footage was released on Friday of US police beating Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month, leading to injuries from which he later died.

Videos Of Fatal Police Beating Up Man In US Released

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Protests could erupt in cities across the United States after horrifying video footage was released on Friday of US police beating Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month, leading to injuries from which he later died.

The city of Memphis on Friday (local time) released four videos that show police officers kicking and beating Nichols, a 29-year-old, Black man, The New York Times reported.
Memphis civic leaders and the family of Nichols have asked people to protest peacefully, as per The New York Times report. US President Joe Biden joined their call in a statement on Thursday afternoon. The police department in New York City in a statement said that officials were preparing for the possibility of protests.

Calling for “justice” for her son, RowVaughn Wells, Mr. Nichols’s mother, said Friday that the five officers had “disgraced” their families, but that she would also pray for them, the New York Times reported.

Nichols, who was pulled out of his car by officers, can be heard saying, “I’m just trying to go home,” and at one point he repeatedly screams, “Mom, Mom, Mom.”

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized after the arrest on January 7 and died three days due to injuries, according to police.

Five officers have been charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, according to The New York Times.

Video taken from a remotely controlled camera mounted on a utility pole in the area shows Memphis police officers hitting Nichols at least nine times without visible provocation, as per CNN. An officer is shown shoving Nichols hard to the pavement with a knee or leg when the camera turns towards the incident site.

According to CNN, Nichols is pulled by his shoulders and then kicked in the face. He was then pulled into a sitting position. The video shows Nichols being hit in the back with what seems to be a baton. After being pulled to his knees, Nichols was again beaten.

After being pulled to his feet, the officers hit Nichols in the face multiple times while his hands were kept behind his body after which he falls to his knees, according to CNN. In the video, an officer then appears to kick Nichols. More than three minutes after the encounter is seen on camera, officers let go of Nichols, and he rolls onto his back.

After one minute, Nichols was dragged along the pavement and propped up in a sitting position against the side of a car. After ten minutes, a person who seems to be a paramedic finally attends to Nichols. According to the video released by the city of Memphis, Tyre Nichols during his initial confrontation with police was heard telling officers that he is “just trying to go home,” as per the news report.

The video released by Shelby County District Attorney’s office showed the medical response to Tyre Nichols moments after he was beaten. About two minutes after paramedics started attending to Nichols, he is seen falling over to the side and seeming to hit his head against a piece of equipment. As per the CNN report, no one appears to help Nichols as he tries to sit up. After a minute, officers were seen crowding around Nichols.

The pole camera showed that 23 minutes pass from the time Nichols appears to be subdued and on his back on the ground before a stretcher arrived at the site, as per the news report. After two minutes, an ambulance arrived at the site of the incident. (ANI)

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Mulayam Should Have Got Bharat Ratna: Swami Prasad Maurya

By LokMarg 27th January 2023

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday targeted the BJP-led central government, saying the Padma Vibhushan award doesn’t do justice to the persona and standing of the late party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav as he deserved the Bharat Ratna.

Annoucing this year’s picks for the coveted Padma awards on the eve of the 74th Republic Day, on Wednesday, the Centre named the former Defence Minister and Uttar Pradesh chief minister for Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour in the country after Bharat Ratna.
The late SP stalwart, a long-time Parliamentarian, passed away last year afrer prolonged illness.

Speaking to mediapersons in Lucknow on Friday, the SP leader, who was formerly with the BJP, said, “Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav should a ‘Bharat Ratna’. The ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is not beffting of his stature and personality. The government still has time to honour him with a Bharat Ratna.”

On his recent remark, demanding deleting of certain “insulting comments and sarcasm” in Ramcharitmanas, a poem on the epic Ramayana, Maurya said, “I respect all religions. I merely objected to certain verses in Ramcharitmanas which hurts the sentiments of 97 per cent Hindus. Those verses reflect poorly on our own religion. They also advocate killing women and the Shudras. This is nothing but an abuse and no religion should stand for such abuse and insult.”

“I just sought the deletion of a few lines that are disrespectful of women, Adivasis and the Dalits. All communities are being disrespected in the state since the SP was voted out of power. After the BJP came to power, 5, Kalidas Marg (the CM’s official residence in Lucknow) was cleansed with Gangajal (water from River Ganga),” added Maurya.

However, he was quick to clarify that his remarks on the holy verses were his own and does not reflect his party’s position.

Coming down heavily on self-styled godman Dhirendra Krishna Shastri alias Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, the SP leader said no religion should have place for such ‘pretence’ and ‘hypocrisy’.

The godman claimed that he would make India a ‘Hindu rashtra’ if he gathers enough public support to the cause and also exhorted people to practise ‘Sanatan Dharma’.

Earlier, an FIR was filed against Maurya at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station over his statement on Ramcharitmanas. (ANI)

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