Tag: thesamikhsya

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday visited Rangapahar Military Station to review operational preparedness of Army Formations in the region.

Eastern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lieutenant General MM Naravane received the army chief.

General Officer Commanding Spear Corps Lieutenant General Rajeev Sirohi briefed him on his arrival on a two-day visit.

The Spear Corps, besides undertaking extensive Counter Insurgency operations in North Eastern states is also responsible for operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Army Chief expressed satisfaction with the operational preparedness along the LAC and appreciated the conduct of people friendly Counter Insurgency operations by the Spear Corps, a defence PRO said.

He complimented the troops for ensuring peace and tranquility in the region by their dedicated hard work in difficult terrain and operational conditions.

He interacted with the officers and troops of Spear Corps and asked them to work tirelessly and in a professional manner to accomplish their task.

The Army Chief is also scheduled to visit Kohima and Itanagar.(UNI)

Thirtieth National Road Safety Week will be inaugurated on Monday which

will include a motorcar rally, among several other events, which would be flagged off to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari, and Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L Mandaviya will inaugurate the Week, here.

The event, which will take place at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan, Rajghat, will be attended by a host of school children, NGOs, and stakeholders in road safety from Government and industry.

Various programmes will be held during the Road Safety Week, including seminars and workshops on Emerging Trends in Safety, Road Safety Engineering, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Emergency care (Protection of Good Samaritan & First Responder Training), Role of Youth, and Industry/ Corporate Conclave on Role of Corporate in Road Safety.

These will be attended by representatives of OEMs, ACMA, test agencies, road engineers, auditors and road construction companies, corporates, NGOs, insurance companies, medical staff, and college students. School Bus Driver Refresher Training session will also be held at IDTR, Sarai Kale Khan, where bus drivers from private schools will be imparted training on road safety.

A car rally will also be flagged off on the occasion to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

It will travel through places historically associated with Gandhiji, both in India, as well as in Bangladesh and Myanmar. It will connect the places of significance in Gandhiji’s life, and simultaneously take up advocacy on Road Safety concerns, an official statement said here.

The rally will pass through Sabarmati, Porbandar, Dandi, Yerwada, Sewagram, Jabalpur, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Chauri Chaura, Champaran, Shantiniketan and Kolkata in India before travelling to Dhaka in Bangladesh. It will conclude at Yangon in Myanmar on February 24.

It will cover around 7,250 km to reach Yangon. This is part of the year-long celebrations to commemorate the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi in India and across the globe, initiated by the Union Government on October 2 last year.(UNI)

In an apparent jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the appointment of Rishi Kumar Shukla as the New director of the Central bureau of Investigation, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday compared it with choice of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as the offset partner in the Rafale deal.
”Merit according to Modi,” Rahul said in a tweet in which he posted a news report which said that the Rafale deal is a lifeline to Reliance group which is now promised a massive infusion of funds through defence holdings.
It is seen as a reference to the appointment of Shukla as the New CBI director by the Appointments committee of the cabinet, from the panel of names recommended by the three member selection committee, comprising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The tweet by Rahul came after Congress leader and leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge recorded his dissent on the appointment of Shukla as the CBI director, contending that an officer without any experience in the field of anti-corruption should not be appointed for the post.
In his dissent note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Kharge said that Mr Shukla, who had been appointed for the post had no experience of investigation in anti-corruption cases, as laid down by the Supreme Court observation in the Vineet Narain judgement.
In his dissent note, Mr Kharge alleged that the PM-led committee diluted the required criteria for the selection of the CBI director, thus violating the spirit of the Delhi special police establishment act and the Supreme court guidelines.(UNI)

India on Saturday issued a ‘demarche’ to the US Embassy here on the ‘detention’ of Indian students in America in the “pay-and-stay” university visa scam.

The government of India also sought immediate consular access to them, an MEA statement said here.

“A demarche was made to the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi by the Ministry of External Affairs. Our concern over the dignity and well-being of the detained students and the need for immediate consular access for Indian officials to the detainees was reiterated,” the statement said.

The government also insisted that “….students, who may have been duped into enrolling in the ‘University’ should be treated differently from those recruiters who have duped them”.

“We have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the Government, to release them from detention at the earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will,” the statement said.

The Government of India continues to closely monitor and take proactive measures to address the situation arising out of the detention of several Indian students in connection with their enrollment in a fraudulent university in the United States, the foreign ministry said.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made the arrests on Wednesday.

The India mission and consulates have visited several detention centres throughout the US to extend consular assistance to the detained students, the MEA said.

“So far, about 30 Indian students have been contacted by our consular officers. Efforts to contact the remaining Indian students are continuing,” the statement said.

The ministry said a 24/7 helpline has been established in the Indian Embassy in Washington for assistance and queries related to the detention of Indian students.

The university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose ‘immigration fraud’, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.

The Helpline numbers 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590 would be manned by senior embassy officials round the clock, sources said.(UNI)

Former Univarta journalist and editor Banarasi Singh passed away here on Saturday.

He was 85.

Singh was ill since past one week and was admitted to Yashoda Hospital, Ghaziabad, where he breathed his last. He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Banarasi was born on July 9, 1933 in a family of farmers in Gogavan Jalalpur village of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. His acquired his primary education in Nijibabad, Bijnor and MA degree from Moradabad.

He took the journalism plunge with “Veer Arjun” newspaper in 1960 and wrote independently during the Emergency.

Later in 1982, he joined Univarta and retired as news editor in August 1993.

While in Univarta, his weekly feature ‘Paas Pados’ ,based on the politics of neighbouring countries became very popular.

Singh had also penned many books. As many as ten of his books have been published, among which ‘San sattavan ke bhoole shaheed’ and ‘London mein goli’ are primary.

India were today ousted from Davis Cup after 1-3 loss to Italy in the 5-match

Qualifiers tie at South Club here on Sunday.

Indian duo Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan won the only doubles in the fixture but their mates Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan lost their singles to Italian rivals and thus went out from the tournament.

Andreas Seppi won the opening singles against Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-4, 6-2 and debutante Matteo Berrettini beat Prajneseh Gunneswaran 6-4,6-3 in the other singles on opening Friday. But Indian duo Bopanna and Sharan had revived some hopes for the countrymen after they defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and Simone Bolelli 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first match of the day.

But in the reverse singles of the day Andreas Seppi beat Gunneswaran 6-1,6-4 to win the rubbers in the 5-match tie and move for the Madrid finals to be held in

Demanding opening of all routes, including Kargil-Skardu, with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said such initiatives will not only open up Jammu and Kashmir to the world, but also serve the cause of peace beyond boundaries.
Meanwhile, after Ms Mufti and National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah, chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Omar Farooq also supported the demand of people of Kargil in Ladakh region, to open road to Skardu in PoK.
Ms Mufti, who resigned as Chief Minister in June last year after BJP pulled out from the coalition government, said opening of all routes with PoK was one of the points envisaged in the ‘Self Rule’ document of PDP.
Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, she said ”PDP envisaged through #SelfRule not only opening of #KargilSkardu, but other routes too, to let people explore & increase contacts across borders. Such initiatives will not only open up jk to the world around us, but also serve the cause of peace beyond boundaries @jkpdp.”
In a similar tweet, chairman of moderate HC Mirwaiz said ”Support People’s march in #Kargil demanding reopening of old Kargil-Skardu route which is just 120 kms apart ! All natural routes of divided state of J&K should be opened and people allowed to connect to their loved ones, have access to essentials in harsh weather conditions.
Former CM Omar Abdullah also supported the people of Kargil, who took to streets on Friday, demanding opening of the road to Skardu.
Presently, people of Jammu and Kashmir are crossing over to the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) at two places- Srinagar-Muzaffarabad, PoK capital and Poonch in Jammu region-Rawlakote.
Both the routes have helped thousand of families divided due to partition in 1947, to meet each.(UNI)

Family members of a 22-year-old youth who has reportedly joined Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit, has appealed him to return home.
Danish Haneef Wani, a commerce graduate, resident of Natipora, Srinagar, went missing on December 30 when he left home for prayers in a nearby mosque.
However, his family lodged a missing report at police station Sadder on the next day without making any breakthrough.
However, on Saturday a picture of Danish, alias Abu Duhjahna, holding a gun in his hand surfaced on social media.
According to the picture,he joined LeT militant group on January 8.

Police said they were verifying the authenticity of the photograph.
Meanwhile, in a message on social media, mother of Danish made a passionate appeal to him to return home since entire family is very disturbed and are in a state of shock.(UNI)

Professor Surya Sethi, UNESCO Chair and Professor for Climate Science & Policy, TERI School of Advanced Studies, has said the message of the Interim Budget 2019-20 is that “Ache Din” are still on the horizon.

Reacting to the Interim Budget on Friday, Prof Sethi said, ‘And even though there is no evidence to show that on-account budgets affect election outcomes, the tone of the budget does raise the odds on continuation of Modi and his policies.’

“Projecting such stability in the policy landscape is a positive development for the markets,” he added.

A support scheme for farmers to supplement their income and a major tax bonanza for the middle class and unveiling of the Developmental agenda for the years to come, formed the highlights of the Interim Budget 2019-20, presented in Parliament on Friday by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal.

Besides the farmers’ income support scheme aimed at benefitting 12 crore small and marginal farmers

with direct income support, a path breaking pension initiative for 10 crore unorganised sector workers and exempting income up to Rs 5 lakh from Income Tax, are some of the major highlights of the Budget.

Among the other features of the Budget are reforms in stamp duty, highest ever budgetary allocation of Rs 3 lakh crore for Defence, record allocation of funds at Rs 58,166 crore for North Eastern Areas, a new AIIMS for Haryana and single window clearance for Indian film makers at par with foreigners and higher budgetary allocations for Education, Health, Infrastructure and for the welfare of weaker sections, including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.(UNI)

Staying ahead of others the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee(OPCC) has put its cards on the mats.The OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik has issued orders to district party presidents to suggest three names taking the clues from the zonal presidents taking care of each candidate’s   winning prospects. After which the names shall be sent to the party’s national president Rahul Gnadhi, Patnaik said talking to the media today.

Amid possibilities of a huge crowd thronging the Kumbh fair on the pious occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ which is also the day of the second ‘shahi snan’ on February 4, important directions regarding the efficient arrangement of crowd and traffic control were given to officials from various departments by the district administration.
Holding a meeting with the Kumbh fair administration, railway officials, roadways officers and other concerned officials in the ICCC auditorium of Prayagraj Mela Authority, Commissioner Dr Ashish Kumar Goyal on Friday gave important directions to maintain better traffic system for the safe return of pilgrims and devotees after taking a holy dip on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya.’
The departments concerned were given directions for putting up more signages at various places for the ease of passengers.
Stressing on the significance of ease of travel, the Commissioner directed that continuous announcements related to the operation of trains should be made to ensure that the pilgrims are aware of the directions from where they have to leave for reaching their destinations.
Dr Goyal instructed the senior officials of the departments concerned to conduct a ground inspection compulsorily on Saturday, while ensuring all the important facilities related to their department.
The Commissioner also stressed on the deployment of experienced and knowledgeable officials in the control room so that they provide the people with precise information about the operations of trains, buses and other related matters.
Focusing on other aspects, the Commissioner asked the officials of the railway department to remain persistently active in regard to railway hospital, adding that enough ambulance facilities should be present at hospitals and other allotted places.
Dr Goyal also said the ambulance drivers should be informed about alternate routes to other hospitals in the city, while adding that enough security forces should be present at stations and other sites.
On this occasion, NCR Railway General Manager Rajiv Chaudhary gave detailed information about train operations and the ways of managing crowd on railway stations.(UNI)

Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam apologised after his 1984 medical yearbook page emerged, showing a photo featuring men in racist costumes.

Ralph Northam confirmed that he was in a racist yearbook photo showing one person dressed in blackface and another in the KKK’s signature white hood and robes, and apologised for ‘the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”

Black politicians in Virginia called the image “disgusting” and Republicans urged the Democrat to resign, a report in BBC said.

The picture showed a man in blackface and another man in Ku Klux Klan robes.

It appeared on a page with other photos of Mr Northam as well as personal details about him.

He did not elaborate on which costume he was wearing, but said he appeared in a photograph that was “clearly racist and offensive”.

“This behaviour is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment,” the governor said in a statement after the image was made public.

He further said “I recognise that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their governor.”(UNI)

(UNI) At least 21 people have died in one of the worst cold snaps to hit the US Midwest in decades.

The temperature reached -17C (0F).

Some 250 million Americans overall have experienced the “polar vortex” conditions, a report in BBC said.

Hospitals have been treating patients reporting frostbite as parts of the country ground to a halt.

Temperatures are expected to swing to above average over the weekend.

The polar vortex descended on the United States on Tuesday, freezing much of the Midwest and New England region and affecting over 50 million people.

“The majority want peace, the country wants stability,” said Luis Gonzalez, a student at the Central University of Venezuela.

Venezuela has been mired in difficult economic and political situations after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and was recognized by the United States and some other countries, arousing fear of foreign military intervention.

Gonzalez said he hoped that foreign military intervention would not happen. “You take history as an example, the consequences are not usually positive for the people of the invaded country,” he said.

His attitude reflects that of many local residents from different walks of life. Facing political strife and an unfavorable economic situation in Venezuela, many stand firm that they reject foreign intervention.

“It would be like being in my own home and some person came and gave orders, that’s something no citizen will allow, not here or in any country in the world. We have to ensure respect for our home,” said Alexis Ramon Maiz, a vendor in the crowded Plaza Bolivar in Caracas.

“We want peace,” he told Xinhua, hoping all Venezuelans can live peacefully like brothers.

At the entrance of a popular Caracas market, retired attorney Milagros Rodriguez said she was worried about the country’s economic policies but still opposed the idea of an armed conflict.

She said she has cousins and nephews in the army who might be involved if an armed invasion takes place. “It will be a terrible conflict, I can’t even imagine it.”

For his part, Kilian Cairo, a 62-year-old retired government supporter, said he doesn’t believe an armed foreign intervention would happen. “If it happens, we are ready to resist,” he said.

“Since we have defeated the Spanish by losing half the population for independence, we are ready for anything for the second independence,” he noted.

On Friday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) here, calling for strengthening intelligence and preventive work. The visit was part of preparation for the large military exercises scheduled for Feb. 10-15.

While Maduro has announced willingness to talk with the opposition, the opposition leader’s biggest supporter the United States has refused the offers from Mexico, Uruguay and the Vatican to mediate.

Venezuela is “a country of warriors, of fighters,” a woman who works as a tour guide in the central part of Caracas said to Xinhua on condition of anonymity. “We can resolve our economic and political problems.”

“The situation will be resolved and we can move forward,” she said, smiling.(UNI)

Renowned YouTuber and TV host Sahil Khattar is all set to reprise the role of former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani in Kabir Khan’s ’83.

After, announcing the other two actors, Punjabi star Ammy Virk and South star Jiiva, Sahil Khattar is the latest addition to the cast of the film ’83.

Syed Kirmani was a well-known wicket keeper who played for the Indian cricketer team who’s also awarded as the best wicket keeper for his stellar performance at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

The former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani was a lower order batsman, the team India would rely upon. Sir Kirmani’s unbroken 126 partnership for the ninth wicket with Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup contributing 26 was one of the critical moments in the history of cricket.

Tracing the historic victory of 1983 world cup, Kabir Khan’s upcoming directorial will star Ranveer Singh as the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team Kapil Dev. The film ’83 would be Ranveer Singh’s first trilingual film to be made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

There has been immense excitement amongst the audience to witness the magnificent event to be recreated on the silver screen.

Earlier, the makers hosted an event to announce the film along with the entire former team that lifted the world cup in 83.

Directed by Kabir Khan, the sports film will bring to light one of the most important event in Indian cricket history. The film will be shot at real locations and will be going on floors early next year.

Shouldered by the then captain Kapil Dev, who led the Indian cricket team to it’s maiden World Cup win, 1983’s World Cup stays to be one of the most etched events in the minds of the cricket fans.

While Ranveer Singh will play the lead, the film will be backed by a powerful support cast. The casting of the other cricket players will be announced soon.(UNI)

Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon aces the cover of Grazia’s February issue and she is effortlessly sporting a chic look.

Wearing a printed shirt, cropped jeans, stone ring and a metal bracelet, Kriti looks strikingly attractive in the cover picture.

Kriti as an actor always been grounded and doing things comfortably. Her beauty regime is simple yet, extremely effective. Regarding her busy schedule, Kriti has got the busiest time of 2019.

Kriti has a hectic schedule ahead with her four films releasing this year along with multiple brand shoots on which the actress is working on simultaneously.

Recently, Kriti clocked 17 million followers on Instagram and the actress thanked her fans and followers for their love and support.

Only four films old, Kriti has an exciting film line up to look forward to with projects like ‘Housefull 4’, ‘Luka Chuppi’, ‘Panipat’ and ‘Arjun Patiala’.

The young actress is leaving no stone unturned to treat her fans with her versatile performances in varied genres of films.(UNI)

Two leading fact-checking agencies have ended their partnerships with Facebook, striking a significant blow to the network’s efforts to fight fake news.

The social network had paid the Associated Press and Snopes to combat its misinformation crisis but both firms confirmed they stopped checking articles at the end of 2018, and will not renew their contracts, a report in BBC said.

Facebook said it was committed to fight fake news and said it would expand its efforts in 2019.

“Fighting misinformation takes a multi-pronged approach from across the industry,” a Facebook spokeswoman told the BBC.

“We are committed to fighting this through many tactics, and the work that third-party fact-checkers do is a valued and important piece of this effort,” she added.

Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijay Sardesai on Saturday said that he had never said that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was a Jesus and alleged that Congress was attempting to twist a metaphor into a weapon of hate.

In a statement,   Sardesai, who is also President of Goa Forward Party (GFP), a coalition partner of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, said, ‘I never said Parrikar is Jesus! Congress is attempting to twist a beautiful metaphor into a weapon of hate !If V say V should build bridges and not walls,r V equating ourselves to Jesus?But if anyone is hurt because of the deliberate spin given by Congress, I seek pardon for them.’

On Friday Congress had alleged that   Sardesai had equated   Parrikar to Jesus Christ while speaking on a congratulatory motion moved by BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar for the Chief Minister for constructing a new bridge ‘Atal Setu’ across River Mandovi near the city.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Chief Spokesperson Sunil Kawathanker had claimed that the statement made by   Sardesai had hurt sentiments of the people of the state and demanded apology from the minister.(UNI)

Tripoli, Feb 2 (Xinhua) Libyan security forces on Thursday arrested a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in the city of Sirte, said an official on conditions of anonymity on Friday.
Khalifa Barq was taken from his home by a special security force, the official of Sirte security department told Xinhua.
“The operation was based on intelligence information about presence of Barq in central Sirte. Immediately, the security forces moved, as he is a dangerous person and one of the founders of IS in Sirte who is wanted by the Attorney General,” the official said.
Sirte, located some 450 km east of Tripoli, had witnessed months of fighting between forces allied with the UN-backed government and IS militants, which ended in December 2016 with the government forces taking over the city.
The government said that IS remains a threat to national security, despite its defeat in Sirte.

Imphal, Feb 2 (UNI) Manipur police and activists managed to rescue about 101 trafficked girls and detained six suspected human traffickers in a day long operation on Friday.
Police were still continuing to check movement of people in the border areas .
Manipur police, alerted by the activists from Nepal and the state, found16 girls at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) Moreh border.
Hotels in the border town were raided and about 40 girls in Moreh alone were rescued.
The operation continued the whole day and another 61 girls were rescued from Hotel Junction located at Imphal.
The suspected traffickers were found in different hotels at Imphal and Moreh.
Police suspected that all were to be used for illegal activities in the neighbouring countries.
One Rajiv Sharma, Sunauli town, Nepal was suspected of sending them, according to Tengnoupal police.
Montu Ahanthem, convener of Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) who was involved in the operation, said activist from Manipur now in Delhi alerted about the matter.
The activists in Manipur were in touch with Maiti Nepal, a Nepal-based NGO.
All the girls were kept at Ujjwala Home and they will be deported after the procedure.