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The District Unit of Shiv Sena on Friday held demonstration at Kranthi Chowk here to condemn Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad,in which 37 CRPF jawans were martyred.

Led by the District Chief Ambadas Danve,the agitators raised anti-Pakistan slogans while burning the map of the neighbouring nation.

Similar protests have also been reported from the district of Parbhani,where the Shiv Sena party activists burned the national flag of Pakistan to express deep anguish over the killings of jawans.

Talking to mediapersons,Mr Danve said when the BJP-led NDA swept power in 2014,we thought that the attacks on the Armed Forces will be brought to a grinding halt.

He further said during the past four years such attacks,which are sponsored by Pakistan,have continued to claim the lives of our jawans.

The government must give a befitting reply to Pakistan by launching another surgical strike,added Mr Danve.

In a bid to promote women’s volleyball in India, RuPay Pro Volleyball League organizers on Friday announced an All-Star Women Volleyball match to be played on the day of the finals i e February 22 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here.

The match will serve as a platform to showcase the Indian women volleyball talent on national television and will be played between Team Blue and Team Yellow. Alexa Chitra Strange, a presenter for the league, will represent Team Blue.

She plays as a Universal and is also a professional beach volleyball player playing on the Association of Volleyball Professionals League (AVP). Slovenia’s Marina Cvetanova, an attacker, will be playing for the Team Yellow.

The match will be played in best-of-three sets format with 15 points each. The rules will remain the same as the league with Super Point and Super Serve being valid during the match.

Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, Pro Volleyball League, said, “Though, it is an exhibition match, in the longer run we want to have a full-fledged women’s volleyball league in place. It is going to be really entertaining for the television audience.”

Ramavtar Singh Jakhar, former India International player and current Secretary General, Volleyball Federation of India welcomed this development and said, “The league has given a platform to the men to display their talent and is helping them trace the journey from players to becoming stars. We wish to do the same for the women in the game, as it is very crucial for both to grow the sport overall.”

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Friday sent out a clear message that the force will not forget the heinous, cowardly terrorist attack and their soldiers’ sacrifice in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir and not forgive those who are behind it.

The CRPF said that they will for sure avenge the terror attack and not forget the sacrifice of their 37 bravehearts.

Taking to microblogging site twitter, the CRPF said: “WE WILL NOT FORGET, WE WILL NOT FORGIVE:We salute our martyrs of Pulwama attack and stand with the families of our martyr brothers. This heinous attack will be avenged.’

The Central Reserve Police Force on Friday observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to its personnel, who were martyred in the terror attack in Pulwama. It paid homage to martyrs across all formations.

The CRPF flag will fly at half mast today in every CRPF establishments throughout the country.

The mortal remains of the martyred soldiers are being brought to Delhi by Air Force transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster after the wreath-laying ceremony at Srinagar.

So far, the Force has released the 36 names of the martyrs who have been identified : Constable (CT) Rathod Nitin Shivaji, Ct/Gd Virendra singh , HC/RO Awadhesh Kumar Yadav, Ct/Gd Ratan KumarThakur, Ct/Dvr Pankaj Kumar Tripathi, Ct/Gd Jeet Ram, Ct/Wm Amit kumar , Ct/Bug Vijay kr Mourya, Ct/Gd Kulwinder Singh , HC/Gd Maneswar Basumatari, HC/GD Sanjay Kumar Sinha, HC/Gd Ram Vakeel, HC/GD Naseer Ahmad, HC/DV R Jaimal Singh, CT/GD Sukhjinder Singh, CT/Bug Tilak Raj, CT/GD Rohitash Lamba, HC/GD Vijay Soreng, Ct/GD Vasantha Kumar V.V., Ct/GD Subramanian, Ct/GD Guru H, Ct/Gd Manoj Kr Behra, HC/Crypto Narayan Lal Gurjar, CT/GD Pradeep Kumar, HC/GD HemrajMeena, CT/GD, Ramesh Yadav, HC/GD Sanjay Rajput, Ct/Cook Koushal Kumar Rawat, Ct/GD Pradeep Singh, Ct/GD ShyamBabu, Ct/GD Ajit Kumar Azad, CT/WC Maninder Singh Attri, Ct/GD Ashvni Kumar Kaochi, Ct/Gd Sudip Biswas and Ct/Gd Sivachandran C.

E-Cigarettes are effective at helping smokers quit and are almost twice as successful as products like patches or gum for smoking cessation, according to a study.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently, found that e-cigarettes were nearly twice as effective as conventional nicotine replacement products, like patches and gum, for quitting smoking.

The success rate was still low — 18 per cent among the e-cigarette group, compared to 9.9 per cent among those using traditional nicotine replacement therapy — but many researchers who study tobacco and nicotine said it gave them the clear evidence they had been looking for.

The study was conducted in Britain and funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Cancer Research UK. For a year, it followed 886 smokers assigned randomly to use either e-cigarettes or traditional nicotine replacement therapies. Both groups also participated in at least four weekly counseling sessions, an element regarded as critical for success.

Tobacco use causes nearly 6 million deaths worldwide each year, including 480,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If tobacco use trends continue, the global death tally is projected to reach 8 million deaths annually by 2030.

E-cigarettes provide the nicotine smokers crave without the toxic tar and carcinogens that come from inhaling burning tobacco. But regulators in the United States, Britain and elsewhere have not approved them to be marketed as smoking cessation tools.

Vande Bharat Express, India’s first semi-high speed indigenous train is eagerly gazed at by the onlookers on the tracks and crossings as it proceeds on its maiden inaugural run on Friday to Varanasi via Kanpur and Allahabad.

Onlookers looked eager, excited to have the first look of the Train-18, from the production house of Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory.

All of them want to record its video on their personal phone, thanks to the technology. Onlookers hold their smart phones high in their hands, recording the running train, which is plush white from outside with soothing interiors inside.

Children or elderly, most of them residing nearby the railway tracks, wave in excitement.

These onlookers must be watching trains every hour, but as Vande Bharat crossed by, their faces said it was something different.

Just about 10-15 minutes distance away from Kanpur, somewhere in between the route, the ‘josh’ of waving and smiling onlookers remained high throughout.

Earlier, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, ‘It is an engineering marvel’, adding that more such trains are scheduled for future.

As of now, a total of 100 such trains are planned for production, of which tenders for 30 have been invited, he stated.

Sushil Chandra on Friday assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner of India and joined the Commission with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa.

Born on May 15, 1957, Mr Chandra is a 1980 batch Indian Revenue Service Officer. In the IRS service, he has rendered his service in various states — Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Acquiring his academic proficiency from Roorkee University and LLB from DAV College, Dehradun, Mr Chandra has worked extensively in the areas of International Taxation and Investigation at various places.

He brings rich experience from his position of Director of Investigation, Mumbai and Director General (Investigation), Gujarat. Besides this, he has undergone various training programmes at Singapore, IIM Bangalore and Wharton.

Prior to joining the Commission, Mr Chandra held the office of chairman in Central Board of Direct Taxes, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, and Government of India and was also Member (Investigation), CBDT.

After gaining massive appreciation at the Berlin Film Festival, the makers of ‘Photograph’ have decided to release the film on March 15.

Starring Nawazuddin Siddique and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles, the makers took to their social media sharing a poster along with the new release date.

The makers tweeted the new poster and wrote, “Two worlds met with the help of a #PhotographMovie

Releases in India on 15th March.@riteshbatra @Nawazuddin_S @sanyamalhotra07”.

‘Photograph’ was earlier premiered at the Sundance Film Festival along with one of the most prestigious international film festivals – Berlin Film Festival, where it received great reviews and was appreciated by the critics a lot.

The film will be the reunion of the director Ritesh Batra and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui after their successful collaboration in ‘The Lunchbox’.

The backdrop of the film is set in Dharavi, Mumbai, where Nawaz is essaying the character of photographer and Sanya Malhotra will be seen playing the role of an introverted college girl who tops in her studies, who was last seen in the blockbuster ‘Badhaai Ho’.

The award-winning director’s next film had a premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and also screened at the Berlin Film Festival recently.

Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, ‘Photograph’ is presented by Amazon Studious in association with ‘The Match Factory’ .(UNI)

History TV18 is all set to premiere ‘Battle Factory’, a 14 part series every weekend from February 16.

Each episode is a story in itself, which will excite the viewer for its very format of never-before-seen factories that are secretive and kept hush-hush.

It gives audience a preview of the engineering mastery that goes into making the bullet-proof helmets, fuel bladders and Zippo lighters. Every item’s manufacturing process is shot using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques for a look and feel that really brings the machines and process to life.

‘Battle Factory’ gives unprecedented access and reveals how these items are manufactured right before the viewers’ eyes.

The programme also tells the viewers how there is no room for errors when lives are at stake along with intricate details on how these factories manufacture some of the ultra-modern vital gear armies around the world.

‘Battle Factory’ will premiere from February 16 every Saturday and Sunday at 2130 hrs.

National Geographic is all set to premiere brand new season of it’s funny and highly informative show ‘Science of Stupid’ from February 18.

The new season will once again witness popular host Maniesh Paul, explaining to viewers the science behind misadventures of people – from motorbike crashes and trampoline mishaps to unexpected explosions and novice lumber jacking.

The idea is to bring science in an interesting, quirky and easy to understand manner.

The show will take its viewers a step closer to all the scientific facts hidden in common and not-so-common experiences, and decode the science behind our everyday activities.

Launched back in 2014, ‘Science of Stupid’ – a popular series designed especially for younger audiences – strives to make complex principles of science fun and easy to comprehend.

With new and exciting set of videos, Maniesh Paul will be seen guiding viewers through viral videos, offering them a crash-course in everything from gravitational potential energy to optimum trajectory with the assistance of custom-made animations and super slow motion cinematography.

By revealing the science theories at play behind the peoples’ misguided adventurers, the show promises to be an extremely entertaining and educating treat for viewers.

Commenting on the new season, Pawan Soni, Head – Programming & Marketing said,’Science of Stupid has been one of the most popular franchises of National Geographic, appealing to both children and adults. The unique aspect of the show is that it gives viewers an in-depth comprehension of scientific concepts, while also entertaining them through humour. It also provokes viewers to be curious and ask more questions – so the viewers do not experience common misadventures themselves due to ignorance’.

‘Additionally, having Maniesh Paul’s wit and humour to explain science-based facts makes the show even more fun and engaging. The show is definitely a must watch for children and families who are inquisitive to learn new things every day,’ Mr Soni said.

Commenting on the new season, Maniesh said, “I am thrilled to bring to viewers yet another series of Science of Stupid. I obviously promise you a lot of jokes and laughter. But also a heavy dose of fun science theories and concepts. ‘Thoda aur smart banoge yeh show dekh kar’!’

‘I believe each season of the show comes with more excitement and context, making it bigger and better than the previous one. The show has received much appreciation from its viewers and a brand new season is a reiteration of its popularity,’ Maniesh said.

The new season of ‘Science of Stupid’ will premiere on National Geographic on February 18 and will air every Monday to Friday at 1930 hrs.

The series will be available on Hotstar as well.(UNI)

Versatile actor Jim Sarbh who has been a delight to watch on big screen in movies such as ‘Sanju’, ‘Neerja’ and ‘Padmavat’ is soon going to make his debut on television with Discovery Channel’s new series ‘Planet Healers’.

Jim Sarbh will host the thought provoking, first of its kind series featuring eight start-ups, who are working tirelessly to find innovative solutions to environmental hazards that we face today.

Jim will give the audience a deep dive into how these start-ups are focusing on complex and the same time extremely important issues like unplanned urbanization, electronic waste management, air pollution, fuel recycling et al.

He will also be seen playing an integral role in educating viewers about the current environmental concerns and will give a reality check on how these hazards are impacting our planet.

‘I don’t believe in the separation between mankind and nature. Mankind is nature. It is only natural, that nature would find a way to heal itself, through mankind. I am excited by this Discovery’s new series ‘Planet Healers’ and the startups on it. Hope more people stretch their imaginations in the direction of conservation and preservation of our large, wonderful, home,’ Jim said.

‘Planet healers’ will premiere from March 8, every Friday at 2000 hrs on Discovery Channel.

Zoya Akhtar’s directorial ‘Gully Boy’ has opened up on a big note, as the film rakes in Rs 18.70 crore on day one at the box office.

‘Gully Boy’ was released on Thursday on the occasion of Valentine’s Day and is expected to witness an upward trend over the weekend.

The film is being screened in the five big metros, especially Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with the big multiplexes giving a huge ratio of the collections.

‘Gully Boy’ is a story inspired by slum rappers of Dharavi in Mumbai, the movie has gone ahead to create immense buzz amongst the masses.

The trailer, the music and now the early reviews post its screening at the Berlin Film Festival has created a lot of anticipation for the movie.

Zoya Akhtar, who has been ahead of her times with films ‘Luck By Chance’, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, is now all set to rule the box office with ‘Gully Boy’ which is making all right noise across quarters.

Starring Ranveer Singh as the street rapper, ‘Gully Boy’ stars Alia Bhatt as his love interest bringing to the screen the fresh chemistry of the duo.

The film also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Kalki Koechlin in pivotal roles.

The movie was released on February 14.

Hours after Cabinet Committee on Security presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi empowered the Ministry of External Affairs to take steps to isolate Pakistan due to its involvement in Pulwama attack, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Friday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood.
Mr Mahmood was summed to the Ministry of External Affairs at 1400 hours and issued a “very strong demarche” in connection with the terrorist attack on Thursday.
“He (Foreign Secretary) conveyed that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against the JeM and that it must immediately stop any groups or individuals associated with terrorism operating from its territories,” sources said.
Foreign Secretary also rejected the statement made by the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan on the incident on Thursday.
In its statement the Pakistan Foreign ministry went onto claim – “We have always condemned acts of violence anywhere in the world”.
“We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian media and government that seek to link the attack to Pakistan without investigations,” it had said.(UNI)

The Central Reserve Police Force on Friday observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the CRPF personnel, who were martyred in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.
It paid homage to martyrs across all formations.
The CRPF flag will remain half mast today in every CRPF establishments throughout the country.
The mortal remains of the martyred soldiers are being brought to Delhi by Air Force transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster after the wreath-laying ceremony at Srinagar.
So far, the Force has released the 36 names of the martyrs.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s alleged sympathy for a “semi-Brexit” is the likely cause behind continued divisions in her ruling Conservative Party, with yet another defeat in the parliament on Thursday set to hamper efforts at achieving unity over the withdrawal process, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain Robert Griffiths told Sputnik.
UK lawmakers voted on Thursday to reject May’s motion asking the legislature to reaffirm support for her efforts to seek changes to the divorce agreement after the original deal was voted down on January 15th. May also once again failed to heal divisions within her own party, with Conservative lawmakers affiliated to the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) refusing to support the motion.
“I know May said Brexit means Brexit but I suspect a lot of people didn’t really believe she was prepared to negotiate hard and the EU knew for a fact she wasn’t going to negotiate hard. They knew she was in basically in sympathy with staying in the EU or at the very least having a semi-Brexit,” Griffiths said.
According to the politician, May’s approach prevents her from achieving any sort of unity among pro- and anti-Brexit hardliners.
“I think all along the hard core of the ERG, like the European Commission, have known that all her talk of Brexit was a lot of hot air. Now she’s engaged in a reckless gamble to get this semi-Brexit through. So it seems to me that the hardliners on the Brexit side and on the Remain side seem to have gone back into their camps,” Griffiths stressed.
The Communist Party leader also noted the prime minister could be thinking that she might be able to call the Brexit off but May believes that it would come at an enormous cost for her party.
“May’s assessment appears to be that she honestly isn’t sure whether the whole [Brexit] thing can be reversed or not, not without great cost to the Tory party, so she’s opting for a sort of semi-exit. She’s doing what her business advisory council would want, which is if you can’t reverse it altogether, then try and keep us as closely aligned to the single market … as possible,” Griffiths argued.
The politician added that the only certainty at the moment was that unless the process of London’s withdrawal from the European Union is extended or revoked altogether, the United Kingdom would leave the bloc as scheduled, on March 29.
May is likely to face another showdown in the House of Commons on February 27, where lawmakers are expected to discuss and vote on further amendments to the withdrawal agreement in a bid to rush through a fully approved Brexit deal in time for the departure date. (UNI)

The UN-brokered agreement between Athens and Skopje to formally recognize the “Republic of North Macedonia”, is a welcome, “historical” step that should be supported by regional and international Member States, António Guterres has announced.
In a statement following on from the entry into force of the Prespa Agreement between the two countries on Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General confirmed that he had received official notification of the development, which settles a near 30-year dispute between the two neighbours.
Mr Guterres congratulated the two sides and Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras, of Greece, and Zoran Zaev, of North Macedonia, “on their determination in creating a forward-looking vision for relations between the two countries and reconciliation in the Balkan region and beyond”.
He added that he was “deeply grateful” to the UN’s longest serving envoy Matthew Nimetz of the United States, for his “unwavering commitment and dedication” in pursuing the deal.
On Thursday afternoon, the UN Protocol and Liaison Service announced the official switch over within the UN, from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to the new name of North Macedonia. The official long version of the name will be Republic of North Macedonia.
The Prespa Agreement was signed by both countries on 17 June last year and ratified by their parliaments last month. It demonstrates that “even seemingly intractable issues can be resolved through dialogue and political will”, Mr Guterres insisted.
Negotiations on the name dispute began in 1993 and have been led by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Mr Nimetz since 1999.

Pakistan foreign office late night on Thursday condemned the devastating terror attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit at Awantipora in south Kashmir district of Pulwama in which 44 CRPF personnel’s have been martyred.

The attack had drawn international condemnation and the US, France, Russia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives were among the first to slam the attack while Pakistan said that the terror attack is a matter of grave concern.

“We have always condemned heightened acts of violence in the Valley. We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian government and media circles that seek to link the attack to the State of Pakistan without investigations.” Pakistan said in a statement.

Earlier Ministry of external affairs had condemned the cowardly terrorist attack on brave security forces in Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir and said this has been done by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation proscribed by the United Nations and other countries.

“This terror group is led by the international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by Government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan,” an MEA statement said.

The Indian government has also “strongly reiterated” its appeal to all members of the international community to support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM Chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.

A number of neighbouring countries and the UN have condemned the terror attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir and underlined the need for closer cooperation in fight against the ‘common enemy’.

“The Govt of Afghanistan expresses its condolences and sympathy with the people and the government of the friendly country of India due to the loss of 40 personnel and once again stresses the need for solidarity and closer cooperation of countries in the fight against this common enemy,” spokesperson and Director General of Communication – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Afghanistan Sibghatullah Ahmadi said.

Bhutan Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the dastardly terrorist attack in Kashmir, which has resulted in the loss of precious human lives.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack and express our solidarity with the families of the victims, and the people and Government of India. Hope the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” he tweeted.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also tweeted saying – “I strongly condemn the brutal terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama district — the worst ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989. I express my condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the families of police officers who lost their lives”.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi and said: “Bangladesh remains steadfast in its commitment against terrorism of all forms and maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of terrorist activities. We would continue to work and cooperate with international community including India to eradicate menace of terrorism”.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid also took to the micro blogging site and wrote –

“Strongly condemn the suicide terrorist attack on the convoy carrying Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. I extend my prayers and condolences to the bereaved families of the dead and injured”.

The UN chief spokesperson expressed his solidarity with India and wished recovery for all the injured.

“We strongly condemn today’s attack in Jammu and Kashmir in Pulwama district and express our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and Indian government and people of India. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured and call for those behind the attack to be brought to justice,” the spokesperson said.

Paying homage to martyred soldiers in Pulwama’s terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that every such conspiracy of the neighbouring country will be rebutted by 130 crore people of India.

‘Our neighbouring country, which is undergoing through bad phase of economy, thinks that it can create havoc by such terror activities. Such ambitions of theirs will never be fulfilled,’ Mr Modi said on the occasion of flagging off country’s first semi-high speed trainset Train 18, titled the Vande Bharat Express, from New Delhi Railway station.

Every such conspiracy will be rebutted by 130-crore people of India, he said, adding that the powers and the people behind this terror attack will definitely be punished.

‘I want to tell the terror organisations that they have committed a mistake. I assure the country that powers and people responsible for this terror attack will definitely be punished,’ he said.

After the Pulwama attack, the situation and the atmosphere — both are full of grief and indignation, the country will fight back such dastardly acts of terror, he stressed.

‘Our neighbouring country has been alienated all over the world. If it thinks that the way it is carrying out such misdeeds, it will be successful in creating instability in India, then it is making a big mistake,’ Mr Modi said.

The message should go to the world that the country is ‘one’ (united) in fighting against such attacks, he emphasised.

Reiterating his confidence in the bravery of forces of the country, Mr Modi said ‘Our security forces have been given full independence.’

More than 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were martyred in a fidayeen attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit at Awantipora in south Kashmir district of Pulwama on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Thursday.

A number of neighbouring countries and the UN have condemned the terror attack and underlined the need for closer cooperation in fight against the ‘common enemy’.

A European Parliament delegation will travel to Venezuela on Sunday to meet with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself the country’s interim president amid political turmoil, media have reported.
The delegation would include six parliamentarians who would stay in Caracas through Tuesday, the EFE news agency reported on Thursday. It added that the lawmakers would also meet with ambassadors of EU member states in Venezuela.
It is not clear if the delegation will meet with President Nicolas Maduro.
In late January, the European Parliament recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s acting president in a non-binding vote and advised EU member states to follow suit.
A number of EU member states have individually recognized Guaido after the Venezuelan authorities failed to organize a new presidential election in the country within an eight-day period set by the EU states. EU countries were also expected to issue a joint statement recognizing Guaido, however, Italy vetoed the motion.
Guaido was also supported by the United States and a number of Latin American countries, while Maduro was backed by China and Russia, among other states, as Venezuela’s only president.(UNI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security in wake of the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that claimed 37 lives.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attended the over one-hour-long meeting, held at the Lok Kalyan Marg, residence of the Prime Minister.

Sources said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also attended the CCS meeting.

The sources said the CCS reviewed the security situation after the worst-ever attack on the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

They said that at the meeting, the NSA briefed the CCS on the situation in the valley.

The CCS is highest decision-making body in the country for security-related issues.

Apart from Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs and Finance Minister are members of CCS.

The Cuban government on Thursday criticized the recent US troop movements in the Caribbean, saying that Washington is preparing for a military intervention in crisis-hit Venezuela.
In a statement, Havana said that between Feb 6 and 10, there were flights of military transport aircraft to the airport in Puerto Rico, the San Isidro Air Base in the Dominican Republic, and to “strategically located” Caribbean islands.
It said the flights originated from US military installations where its Special Forces units and Marines operate and these forces are often used in “covert actions, including against leaders of other countries.”
The statement also described possible US military actions in Venezuela as “a military adventure disguised as humanitarian intervention.”
Venezuela is currently troubled by a political crisis. Opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Jan 23 and was recognized by the United States and some other countries.
Guaido’s declaration came about two weeks after President Nicolas Maduro, who won the 2018 presidential vote, was inaugurated for a second term on Jan 10.
Havana in its statement also accused Washington of seeking a “coup d’etat in Venezuela through the illegal self-proclamation of a president.”
In addition, it said US-led humanitarian aid to Venezuela, if any really, is far from making up for the damage made by Washington’s economic blockade against Caracas.
In the statement, the Cuban government called on people and governments around the world to “defend peace and unite, over political or ideological differences,” to prevent a new military intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean.(UNI)