LIVE
Fri, 10 February 2023
NDRF pulls out 8-year-old girl from rubble in Turkiye
Timeline Refresh
23:50 SC stays Kerala HC's condition on screening 'Kantara' movie
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Kerala high court's condition directing the producer and director of the Kannada superhit movie Kantara to not exhibit the film with the song Varaharoopam till a final order in the copyright infringement case.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala also issued notice to the Kerala government and sought its reply in two weeks.
The bench modified one of the conditions of the high court and directed that producer Vijay Kirgandur and director Rishab Shetty be released on bail immediately if arrested.
The top court took note of the submissions of senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Kirgandur and Shetty, challenging some conditions in the high court order and passed an interim order.
On February 8, the high court granted anticipatory bail to the director and producer in the case registered in a Kozhikode police station alleging plagiarism in the song.
The allegation was that Varaharoopam was an unauthorised copy of the song Navarasam shown on the Malayalam music channel Kappa TV owned by Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd.
The high court laid out five conditions and asked Kirgandur and Shetty to surrender before the investigating officer for two days on February 12 and 13 between 10 am and 1 pm for interrogation. -- PTI
NDRF team in co-ordination with Turkish Army rescues an 8-year-old girl/Twitter
23:33 NDRF pulls out 8-year-old girl from rubble in Turkiye
National Disaster Response Force personnel rescued an 8-year-old girl from a collapsed structure in earthquake-hit Turkiye, an official spokesperson said on Friday.
The operation was undertaken in Nurdagi town of Gaziantep province along with Turkish army personnel, the NDRF spokesperson said.
NDRF personnel had rescued a 6-year-old girl from the same area on Thursday.
"Rescuers have saved two lives and retrieved 13 bodies from the debris till now. The rescue operation of the force is continuing since February 7 in the affected areas of Turkiye," the spokesperson said.
India launched "Operation Dost" to extend assistance to Turkiye as well as Syria following Monday's devastating quake that has killed more than 22,000 people in the two countries so far.
Three NDRF teams comprising 152 personnel are deployed in Turkiye for undertaking relief and rescue operations. -- PTI
Ektaa R Kapoor
22:57 Ektaa R Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor step down as heads of Alt Balaji
Streaming service Alt Balaji on Friday announced that Bollywood producer Ektaa R Kapoor and her mother Shobha Kapoor have stepped down as the head of the platform.
In a press release, the streamer said that Vivek Koka has been appointed as the new chief business officer of Alt Balaji.
"We are thrilled to welcome Vivek Koka to the Alt Balaji family. His expertise and vision for the future of digital entertainment make him the perfect choice to lead Alt Balaji into its next phase of growth and success," Ektaa R Kapoor said in a statement.
The streamer said it now has a new team to manage the day-to-day operations at the company.
"This decision is a strategic one to focus on their other ventures," it added.
Though Ektaa R Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor have stepped down from the management of Alt Balaji, Balaji telefilms, the holding company, will still hold shares in the platform. -- PTI
File image
22:35 IndiGo fliers face nightmare on Delhi-Leh flight
Passengers of an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Leh had a tough time on Friday as the flight was first delayed, then took off, returned back to the national capital and was cancelled later.
According to passengers who were in the flight 6E 291, the departure was scheduled at around 8.20 am but was delayed and took off at 1.30 pm.
The plane, which had around 180 people onboard, flew over Leh for sometime but couldn't land, and returned to the Delhi airport, as per the passengers.
Amresh Kumar, one of the passengers, told PTI that at first, the pilot told the passengers that the flight would land at Chandigarh but later it came back to the Delhi airport.
He also said that IndiGo officials have informed that the next flight to Leh is available only after February 18.
Passengers also staged a protest at Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport.
"IndiGo flight 6E 291 from Delhi to Leh was delayed due to bad weather conditions. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers," an IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson did not mention about the cancellation of the flight. -- PTI
File image
21:49 Sena MP demands Thane halt for new Vande Bharat Express
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Bal Thackeray MP Rajan Vichare on Friday demanded that the Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express should have a halt at Thane station.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two new Vande Bharat Express trains -- Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi.
Vichare, the MP from Thane, said in a press release that he has written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and general manager of Central Railway Naresh Lalwani that the train should have a halt at the Thane railway station.
More than seven lakh commuters use the station daily, he pointed out. -- PTI
Filmmaker SS Rajamouli with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and music director MM Keeravani/Twitter
21:25 Your movie was outstanding: Steven Spielberg to SS Rajamouli on 'RRR'
Steven Spielberg finally saw SS Rajamouli's RRR and came out impressed with the Indian director's "visual style".
The Hollywood legend called the Telugu film "outstanding" during a conversation with Rajamouli over The Fabelmans, Spielberg's Oscar-nominated semi-autobiographical drama.
Produced by Amblin Entertainment & Reliance Entertainment, The Fabelmans, which is nominated for seven Oscars, released in Indian theatres on Friday.
"Well I have to tell you, I thought your movie was outstanding. I hadn't seen it when we met, but I saw it last week and it was just amazing. I couldn't believe my eyes. For me, it was like eye candy," the filmmaker told an elated Rajamouli.
He praised the cast of RRR that include Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt as well as Alison Doody, who also featured in Spielberg's 1989 movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
"... a beautiful visual style and I just thought it was extraordinary to look at and experience. So congratulations for RRR," Spielberg, 76, said about the blockbuster movie, which is nominated in the Best Song category at the Oscars for its track Naatu Naatu.
RRR is a pre-Independence fictional story focusing on two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s -- Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. -- PTI
Shweta Bhatt/PTI
21:06 HC rejects ex-cop Sanjiv Bhatt's wife's plea
The Gujarat high court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's wife Shweta Bhatt who had sought to know the reasons for the withdrawal of the family's police protection.
Rejecting her plea in "larger public interest", Justice Nirzar Desai said if the government was asked to produce such documents, the confidentiality of the methodology of providing and withdrawing police protection will be breached.
Protection had been granted to Bhatt and his family in the past because he was a witness in a case involving the then chief minister (Narendra Modi), and "that does not stand now because you (Sanjiv Bhatt) are in jail", the court said.
Sanjiv Bhatt, who was dismissed from service in 2015, has been behind bars since his arrest in September 2018 in a case of alleged planting of drugs to frame a man.
At present, he is serving life sentence in a 1990 case of custodial death.
His and his family's security was withdrawn in July 2018 after a committee, headed by additional chief secretary, home, reviewed the threat perception.
In 2019, Shweta Bhatt knocked on the doors of the high court to get back the security cover for the family citing some incidents such as an accident involving her vehicle.
Senior advocate Anand Yagnik, appearing for Bhatt, said the petition was limited to seeking the communication which contained the reasons for which the committee recommended withdrawal. -- PTI
PM at the inauguration of new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in Mumbai/ANI Photo
20:39 Here as family member, not as PM: Modi at Bohra community event
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday recalled the decades-old bond he shared with the Dawoodi Bohra community.
"l am here as a family member, not as prime minister," Modi said after inaugurating the fourth campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy, premier educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Modi said visiting the campus is like visiting his own family, and spoke about his bond with the community.
The Bohra community has stood the test of transforming with the times, he said. -- PTI
Representational image/Mukesh Gupta/Reuters
20:10 Declare circumcision of kids illegal: Plea in HC
A plea was filed in the Kerala high court on Friday seeking to declare the practice of non-therapeutic circumcision on children as illegal and a non-bailable offence.
The plea, filed by an organisation called Non-Religious Citizens, also seeks a directive to the Union government to consider legislation prohibiting practice of male circumcision.
It alleged that the practice of circumcision is a human rights violation against children.
The petitioners, claiming to be social activists in Kerala, contended before the court that circumcision leads to several health problems including trauma besides other risks.
The plea said the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the UN to which India is a member and signatory, by virtue of its provisions emphasise that all children have the right to live in a secure, loving environment, free from any form of harm, assaults, abuse and discrimination.
"Each member of the covenant is duty-bound to ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms recognised in the covenant is violated has an effective remedy," it said.
The practice of circumcision is compelled to be done on the children, not as their choice but they are being compelled to be followed only because of the unilateral decision taken by the parents, wherein the child is having no option, the plea said.
"This is a clear violation of the provisions of the international treaties...," the plea said. -- PTI
19:57 Man held for mowing down scribe in Maha was accused of similar attack on anti-refinery activist
A land dealer accused of mowing down a journalist in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district also faces four more criminal cases, including one in which he allegedly tried to run over an anti-refinery activist, a police official said on Friday.
Local activists who are protesting against a proposed refinery near Rajapur in the coastal Ratnagiri district claimed that had the police acted sternly in the earlier cases, the latest incident could have been avoided.
Journalist Shashikant Warishe (48) was seriously injured on Monday when an SUV allegedly driven by Pandharinath Amberkar hit his two-wheeler near a petrol pump at Rajapur, some 440 km from Mumbai.
Warishe died in hospital the next day.
An article written by Warishe against Amberkar had appeared in a local Marathi newspaper on the morning of the incident.
It has been alleged that Amberkar, now arrested and booked for murder, used to threaten any person who opposed land acquisition for a proposed refinery in the area.
In April 2020, Warishe's SUV had allegedly hit the two-wheeler of activist Manoj Mayekar in Nate area of the district. Mayekar spent two weeks in hospital due to the injuries, said a police official.
Mayekar was among activists opposed to Barsu refinery project. -- PTI
Karnataka PCC chief DK Shivakuamar/PTI Photo
19:20 HC stays CBI probe against Shivakumar till Feb 24
The Karnataka high court on Friday stayed the Central Bureau of Investigation's proceedings in a corruption case against Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakuamar till February 24.
The HC has also directed the premier agency to submit an action taken report before February 22 in the case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Enforcement Directorate had issued summons to Shivakumar while his daughter was issued a notice by the CBI, the Congress leader had revealed on February 8.
He had been asked to appear before ED on February 22, which he had alleged to be political vendetta.
Appearing for the Congress state president before Justice K Natarajan on Friday, senior counsel C H Jadhav argued that it was an attempt by the CBI and ED to impose mental pressure on his counsel ahead of the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.
The agencies were repeatedly issuing notices to Shivakumar and his family, the court was told.
The HC pointed out that the cases were from 2020.
The court also questioned the CBI on the progress of the investigation over the last two years.
The court asked the agency when it would file the final report.
It stayed the proceedings till the next date of hearing and adjourned the case. -- PTI
File image/ANI
19:13 Probe ordered as MP police station blames rats for missing viscera samples
The Indore police in Madhya Pradesh on Friday ordered a probe after a few viscera samples went missing from a police station, with its staff claiming that the internal organs were eaten away by rats, an official said.
Viscera comprises body parts like the lungs, heart, and the organs of the digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems.
Viscera samples are preserved in many murder and unnatural death cases where autopsy findings might not be conclusive.
"We got information that a few viscera samples kept at Vijay Nagar police station have gone missing. We were told (by the staff) that they have been eaten away by rats," deputy commissioner of police Sampat Upadhyay told PTI.
An additional commissioner of police has been asked to probe the missing viscera case, said the DCP.
The samples had been preserved in a salt solution in plastic containers, he said.
"So it is possible for the rats to damage it (containers). However, a conclusion will be drawn only after a thorough probe,' said the official. -- PTI
18:42 Farah Khan Ali, DJ Aqeel are now 'officially divorced'
Jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali and DJ Aqeel are now legally separated.
On Friday, Farah, daughter of veteran actor Sanjay Khan, took to Instagram and confirmed that she and Aqeel have finalised their divorce.
"We have been declared officially divorced and are happy about it. We wish each other lots of love, happiness and luck in our onward journeys," Farah wrote, adding a couple of happy selfies with Aqeel.arah stated that she and Aqeel will "always remain parents to our beautiful children Azaan and Fizaa and nothing will change."
"Grateful for the journey we had together," she added.
It was in March 2021 when Farah announced her separation from Aqeel.
Describing their relationship status as "happily separated", Farah wrote, "Sometimes two people grow apart. Sometimes they outgrow each other. It has been 9 years since my relationship with my husband Aqeel changed its status as a couple to just friends and to term it simply would be to state that we are 'Happily Separated'. We will always be best friends to each other and parents to our wonderful children Azaan and Fizaa who love us both equally yet accept that we cannot be a couple any longer."
The couple ended their marriage on a mutual note.
"This was a mutual decision we took together involving two adults and there wasn't any third person involved. The reason we are announcing it publicly now, is so that the ones who know us accept our situation gracefully and always wish well for both of us especially because we hold no animosity of any kind towards one another and will always be there for each other. Aqeel is and will always be my family as I will be his," the note said.
"We hope that all our well-wishers will accept our decision maturely and not judge us for it. It's important to be happy and we all, Aqeel and I including our children and families, most definitely are. That's all that matters. Grateful and happy for everything in my life," the note concluded. -- ANI
RS chairman Ashok Dhankhar
18:16 Congress MP suspended for filming RS proceeding
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday suspended Congress MP Rajani Patil for the remainder of the Budget session for filming House proceedings.
'In the public domain yesterday, on Twitter, there was dissemination of a video relating to proceedings of this House. I took a serious view of it and did all that was required. As a matter of principle and to keep the sanctity of Parliament, no outside agency's involvement could be sought,' the RS chairman announced on Friday.
'Rajani Ashokrao Patil engaged in this unwholesome activity and what has been seen is a matter that must engage our attention,' Dhankhar added.
'The entire matter will be probed by the Privileges Committee and till we have the benefit of the recommendation of the Privileges Committee for consideration of this august House, Dr Rajani Ashokrao Patil is suspended for the current session.'
18:01 Amit Shah cancels Mangaluru rally over security
A roadshow of Union Home Minister Amit Shah which was planned in Mangaluru on Saturday has been cancelled due to security reasons, according to the local Bharatiya Janata Party unit.
Shah, who is scheduled to participate in functions in Puttur taluk during the day, is likely to reach Mangaluru in the evening.
The BJP Dakshina Kannada district unit had considered holding a roadshow in the city.
However, it has been cancelled due to security reasons, party district president Sudarshan Moodbidri said in a statement here on Friday.
Shah will participate in a BJP core committee meeting to be held at Sridevi College at Kenjaru in Mangaluru.
The senior BJP leader is scheduled to inaugurate the CAMPCO Golden Jubilee celebrations in Puttur in the evening.
He will also inaugurate Bharat Mata Mandir, built by Dharmashree Pratishtana and will visit Hanumagiri temple. -- PTI
17:48 BJP's Tsering Lhamu wins Lumla bypoll in Arunachal without contest
BJP candidate Tsering Lhamu was on Friday declared elected the MLA of Lumla constituency in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district without a contest.
Tsering Lhamu, the wife of former MLA Jambey Tashi, was the only candidate who filed her nomination for the by-election to the seat.
The by-election was necessitated due to the death of her husband in November last year.
Returning officer Rinchin Dorjee Thungon declared the result at 3 pm after the deadline for the withdrawal of candidature was over, Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu said. Lhamu was handed the election certificate, he said.
Though People's Party of Arunachal named former 'gaon burha' or village headman Leki Norbu as its candidate for the by-election, he withdrew from the race.
Tashi, who represented the constituency for three consecutive terms since 2009, died at a hospital in Guwahati at the age of 48.
Assembly elections in the northeastern state will be due next year, and are likely to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.
With this win, the ruling BJP's tally in the 60-member House remained at 49.
The opposition Congress and National Peoples' Party have four MLAs each, while there are three Independent MLAs. -- PTI
17:11 Animal Welfare Board withdraws 'Cow Hug Day' plea
Animal Welfare Board of India withdraws appeal to celebrate February 14 as 'Cow Hug Day'.
Aiming to celebrate the 'Vedic tradition' and the immense benefits a cow possesses, the Animal Welfare Board of India had urged people to celebrate 'Cow Hug Day' on February 14 which is celebrated as Valentine's Day.
"We all know that the cow is the backbone of Indian culture and rural economy, sustains our life, and represents cattle wealth and biodiversity. It is known as "Kamdhenu" and "Gaumata" because of its nourishing nature like mother, the giver of all providing riches to humanity," the Animal Welfare Board informed in a statement.
The body said that the Vedic traditions are on the verge of "extinction" due to the progress of "West culture".
"The dazzle of western civilization has made our physical culture and heritage almost forgotten," the Board stated.
As per the Animal Welfare Board, owing to its immense benefits, hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase "individual and collective happiness".
Pic: KBK Graphics
16:51 The big losers at the markets today
Equity benchmark Sensex declined 123 points on Friday due to selling pressure in metal and energy stocks amid a bearish trend in global equity markets.
Rising crude prices and continued selling by foreign investors also weighed on market sentiment, traders said. Snapping its two-day gaining streak, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 123.52 points or 0.20 per cent lower at 60,682.70. During the session, the index touched a high of 60,774.14 and a low of 60,501.74. The broader NSE Nifty slipped 36.95 points or 0.21 per cent to finish at 17,856.50.
16:49 SC seeks Centre, SEBI's views on Hindenburg report
The Supreme Court Friday said there should be a robust mechanism to ensure that the interests of Indian investors are protected in the stock market and sought views of the Centre and market regulator SEBI on PILs alleging exploitation of innocent investors and "artificial crashing" of the Adani Group's stock value.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud sought inputs from the Finance Ministry and others on various issues, including on making the regulatory mechanism robust to protect the interests of investors in the market where capital flow is seamless in modern times.
The bench, also comprising justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, suggested forming a committee of domain experts and others, besides putting in place "robust practices to protect investors".
The Solicitor General, appearing for the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), said the market regulator and other statutory bodies were doing the needful.
The court said it was just thinking aloud and not making any observation on the merits of the case as the stock markets usually run on sentiments.
It then listed the two PILs, seeking various reliefs including a probe into the Hindenburg report, for hearing on February 13. One of the PILs, filed by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, has sought a direction to the Centre to constitute a committee monitored by a retired apex court judge to inquire and investigate into the Hindenburg Research report which has made a slew of allegations against the business conglomerate led by industrialist Gautam Adani. -- PTI
16:43 MPs crazy about Vande Bharat trains: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat trains in Mumbai, saying that they exemplify the speed and scale of India's progress.Prime Minister Modi flagged off the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express and Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express on Friday, taking the total number of such trains in the country to 10.
Speaking on the occasion, he said these trains will benefit students and office-goers while also facilitating devotees and farmers.
"For the first time, two Vande Bharat trains have been flagged off at once. They'll connect financial centres such as Mumbai and Pune to centres of religious significance. They will benefit college and office-goers, farmers and devotees. It will also boost tourism and pilgrimage," PM Modi said.
He further informed that as on date, Vande Bharat trains connect as many as 108 districts of 17 states.
"Vande Bharat train is a magnificent picture of today's modern India. It is a reflection of the speed and scale of India's growth. You can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande Bharat trains. Ten such trains are now operating in the country. A total of 108 districts across 17 states have been connected by the Vande Bharat Express," he said.
PM Modi said the MPs are now demanding the Vande Bharat trains in their cities.
"Earlier there was a time when the MPs would write to us, requesting us to add halts of express trains in their constituencies. But now, when the MPs visit me, they ask me to ensure that Vande Bharat trains connect their cities or constituencies. Such is the craze for Vande Bharat trains today," he said. -- PTI
Representational image
16:34 Army starts process of posting 108 women officers in rank of Colonel
The Army is in the process of posting 108 women officers in the rank of Colonel following a selection process, the government said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The women officers, currently serving in the rank of Lt Colonel, were shortlisted for the promotion by a special selection board.
"Special Number 3 Selection Board for Women officers for promotion from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel was conducted with effect from January 9 to 21," Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said.
He was replying to a question on the issue. "A total of 244 women officers were considered by the Special Number 3 Selection Board and a total of 108 women officers have been empanelled. The process of posting of empanelled women officers is underway. "The women officers are being granted all consequential benefits as per directions of the Supreme Court including career progression opportunities," he said.
To a separate question, the minister said the Indian Navy has opened all branches to women at graduate level entries. He said the branches for graduate-level entries for women are executive, engineering, electrical and education. PTI
16:20 Moody's cuts rating outlook on 4 Adani companies
Moody's Investor Service on Friday revised downwards the rating outlook on four Adani Group companies to negative from stable after a significant and rapid decline in market value following a report by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research.
In a statement, Moody's said the rating outlook for Adani Green Energy Ltd, Adani Green Energy Restricted Group, Adani Transmission Step-One Ltd and Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd has been changed to negative from stable.
"These rating actions follow the significant and rapid decline in the market equity values of the Adani Group companies following the recent release of a report from a short-seller highlighting governance concerns in the Group," it said. PTI
15:59 PM flags off Mum-Solapur Vande Bharat Express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags-off Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis present at the occasion.
15:40 $25 trn India economy target achievable says...
Industry leaders Mukesh Ambani, N Chandrasekaran and Kumar Mangalam Birla on Friday asserted that India is on a very strong growth path, emerging as truly global champion in many sectors and the target of becoming a USD 25 trillion economy when it celebrates 100th year of Independence is achievable.
They credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for guiding the country with a vision and laser-sharp focus on execution towards a bold 'New India', while lauding that Union Budget 2023-24 lays the foundation for the country to emerge as a developed nation.
"I am confident that India is on a very strong growth path," Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries said while speaking at the UP Global Investors Summit.
He cited Indians' embracing of technology "at a rate unseen even in the developed world", youth population and farsighted leadership of Modi which has brought about a fundamental change in the mindset of the nation, as the four main reasons for his conviction about India's fast growth.
"There is unprecedented hope and optimism among the people. Nobody in the world can question the fundamentals of the Indian economy. They are robust. Now is the time for all our enterprises to step up on the accelerator," Ambani asserted.
Similarly, Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons said,"India under the strong visionary leadership of...Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has achieved a position where we are going to see India being the fastest growing economy, not only in the current year, I'm pretty sure in the coming years of the decade."
He further said from an economic point of view India's dream of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy, then USD 10 trillion and USD 25 trillion when the country marks 100th year of Independence "is very much achievable".
"We have started the Amrit Kaal with the first Budget, which I would say lays a very strong foundation because we've seen a tremendous investment towards infrastructure development," Chandrasekaran added. -- PTI
File pic
15:11 Malnutrition in Pakistan: Over 42% children stunted
Over 42 per cent of children in Pakistan are victims of stunted growth amid rising food insecurity in the South Asian country, The Express Tribune reported on Friday citing statistics released by UNICEF officials.
Similarly, 9.4 per cent of boys and 9 per cent of girls are suffering from obesity while 20.5 per cent of young boys and 20.7 per cent of young girls were overweight respectively, according to the statistics provided by UNICEF officials.
"12.6% of young boys and 12.1% of girls suffer from diabetes," they said. The parliamentary task force examined the SDGs' goal of achieving zero hunger during a meeting that was presided over by chairperson Romina Khurshid Alam. The officials presented to the task team the health situation of children in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.
Wheat is given additional iron, zinc, and vitamins in the country. Soda, energy drinks, and junk food are prohibited around educational facilities only in Punjab, they said, as per The Express Tribune.
15:06 I am sorry: Gehlot on reading old Budget
House proceedings resumed in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Friday after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot apologised for reading the old Budget.
CM Ashok Gehlot presented budget 2023 after he said, "I feel sorry, what happened was by mistake."
The opposition alleged that CM read the old budget at the start of the budget presentation.
Gehlot further stated, "You (Opposition) can point out only if there's a difference between what's written in the budget in my hand and its copies were given to the House members. If a page was added to my budget copy by mistake, how does the matter of leaking of budget arise?"
Meanwhile, BJP leader Vasundhara Raje said, "It seems to have happened first in history. I read and checked the budget two, or three times. How can a person miss to cross check such a important document?"
Taking to Twitter, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh said, "Gehlot ji remains very careless, campaigned for this year's budget and started reading the old budget! The public was thinking of a light of relief in the darkness spread by misrule, here the Chief Minister's light went off. Don't know, laugh or cry!"
14:47 SC on BBC docu ban: Do you want us to put complete censorship?
Update: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to impose a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India in wake of a controversial documentary regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots, terming it "entirely misconceived" and "absolutely meritless".
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and M M Sundresh passed the order while hearing a plea filed by Vishnu Gupta, president of the Hindu Sena, and Beerendra Kumar Singh, a farmer.
"The writ petition is entirely misconceived and has no merit and is accordingly dismissed," the bench said.
At the outset, Justice Khanna observed, "It is completely misconceived, absolutely meritless. How can you even argue this. I feel it is absolutely misconceived".
Senior advocate Pinky Anand, appearing for the petitioners, urged the apex court to see the background when the documentary came out and said today, there is a position when you have an Indian as the prime minister of the United Kingdom. She said India is rising as an economic power and there is ascendency in it as India is the fifth largest economy in the world.
"Do you think the documentary will make a difference to that," the bench observed, adding, "What is this? Do you want us to put a complete censorship?"
Anand argued that same thing had happened in the Nirbhaya case, Kashmir issue and during the Mumbai riots also.
"Let us not waste any more time," the bench said while dismissing the plea. Alleging that the BBC has been biased against India and the Indian government, the plea alleged that its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "result of deep conspiracy against global rise of India and its prime minister".
"The documentary film by BBC relating to Gujarat violence 2002 implicating Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi cold propaganda broadcast to tarnish his image alone but this is anti-Hinduism propaganda by the BBC to destroy the social fabric of India," the plea had alleged.
It had also sought a direction to initiate investigation against the alleged "anti-India and anti-Indian Government reporting/documentary films/short films including its employee journalist in India and to submit inquiry report before this court and also to prosecute them if they are found guilty of offences under the IPC and Information Technology Act, 2000".
On February 3, the apex court had sought responses from the Centre and others on the separate petitions challenging its decision to block the documentary.
The pleas, on which notice was issued by the top court, have been filed by veteran journalist N Ram, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan and lawyer M L Sharma.
The top court had on February 3 also directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary. On January 21, the government had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary. -- PTI
14:21 Mumbai: Construction work underway at bullet train project at Vikhroli
Construction work is underway at the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project at Vikhroli.
"We will build six platforms around 24 meters below ground level. Stations have three levels including station facilities, passenger amenities and platforms on each level," said Project Manager UP Singh.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court green-lighted the bullet train project and refused to set aside the acquisition of Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd's plot at Vikhroli.
A division bench of Justices RD Dhanuka and MM Sathaye observed, "There are no irregularities in the acquisition...Project is of paramount importance...Public interest would prevail over private interest". The court has also refused to stay the project. -- ANI
14:07 Adani hires US law firm to fight Hindenburg
Gautam Adani-led Adani Group has hired US-based law firm Wachtell to fight against allegations recently leveled against the conglomerate by short-seller Hindenburg Research, Financial Times reported.
According to the British daily news report, the Adani Group has tapped senior lawyers at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to advise it on how to deal with the crisis facing the conglomerate.
The New York-based legal firm specializes in corporate law, regularly handling large and complex transactions.
Over the past week, share prices of companies in the Adani Group have dropped significantly, following the report, which alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate.
The Adani Group has attacked Hindenburg as "an unethical short seller" and stated that the report by the New York-based entity was "nothing but a lie".
The continued sell-offs in the group's stocks have led its flagship firm, Adani Enterprises Limited, to cancel a fully subscribed Rs 20,000 crore follow-on public offer.
Adani Group on January 29, in a long 413-page report, said the recent report by Hindenburg Research was not an attack on any specific company but a "calculated attack" on India, its growth story, and ambitions.
"This is not merely an unwarranted attack on any specific company but a "calculated attack on India, the independence, integrity and quality of Indian institutions, and the growth story and ambition of India," it said. A short seller in the securities market books gains from the subsequent reduction in the prices of shares. -- ANI
13:38 Alibaba exits India, sells entire stake in Paytm
In a block deal, 3.4 per cent equity ( or2.1 crore shares) of Paytm's parent company One97 Communications Ltd (OCL) have changed hands on Friday. Sources in the know of the development say that Chinese multinational Alibaba has sold its entire stake in Paytm in today's block deal. With this sale, Alibaba is no longer a stakeholder in Paytm.
The company had sold around 3.1 per cent of 6.26 per cent equity in Paytm in January. This latest deal almost completes Alibaba's exit from India since it had earlier sold its stakes in Zomato and BigBasket.
The news will bring cheer to the market as it ends the Chinese stake holding in the homegrown Paytm.
Paytm's shares have been rallying in the last few days since it announced operating profitability in its Q3FY23 results with EBITDA before ESOP cost at Rs 31 crore, significantly ahead of its guidance of September 2023. The fintech giant revenue from operations increased to Rs 2,062 crore (no UPI incentive recorded this quarter), a growth of 42 per cent on a yearly basis.
This was followed by Paytm's robust operating update of January 2023 that it filed with the stock exchange on February 8. -- ANI
13:31 Pumps run out of petrol in Pakistan
Amid a severe economic crisis, most of the petrol pumps in the Punjab region of Pakistan ran out of petrol disrupting the routine life of people. In distant places where there have been no supplies for the pumps for more than a month, the situation is terrible, Dawn reported.
The lack of petrol in Punjab remains despite assurances that there are an adequate supply and government threats to take harsh action against hoarders.
On the other side, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has blamed all Oil marketing companies (OMCs) for failing to ensure appropriate supplies in response to demand, leaving the pumps empty and forcing drivers to go for gas in urban areas, according to Dawn.
The OMC Association of Pakistan (OMAP), which rejected the claim, stated that some gas stations were participating in stockpiling gasoline and creating fake shortages in order to increase earnings in light of the anticipated hike in gasoline prices.
Amid severe fuel shortages due to the poor economy, several petrol pumps in major and small cities of Punjab have been closed, Dawn reported. -- ANI
13:19 SC junks plea seeking to ban BBC in India
The Supreme Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and BBC India from operating in Indian territory, in wake of airing the documentary titled, India: The Modi Question that was about the 2002 Gujarat riots.
More details awaited. -- ANI
RS chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar
13:01 Dhankar disallows expunged remarks, Cong walks out
The Congress and some other opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha staged a walkout on Friday after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to speak in the House.
Kharge wanted to raise the issue of some of his observations being expunged by the chair, but he was not allowed on the plea that he cannot read the same remarks which have already been expunged.
Opposition members protested in support of the Leader of Opposition who wanted to raise his point, but the chair did not accede to their demand. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had allowed the Leader of Opposition earlier but he cannot be allowed to raise the same points which have already been expunged.
Kharge then said that Congress members and some opposition MPs, including those from the RJD, were staging a walkout in protest.
Earlier, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said Kharge should first apologise on behalf of the entire opposition, which created uproar during the prime minister's speech in reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. PTI
12:50 Shiv Shastri Balboa Review: What A Pleasant Surprise!
Shiv Shastri Balboa is a sweet dramedy that makes a case for letting seniors live with dignity, observes Deepa Gahlot. Read the review on Rediff.com here.
12:37 Kharge: PM's arrogance showed when he said...
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that the speeches given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Houses of Parliament were normal speeches and said that the government did not answer questions raised of the opposition.
Congress President termed the Prime Minister's speech in both Houses of Parliament as an everyday speech and said that the government is arrogant and is not answering important questions like inflation, unemployment or those posed on the Adani row.
He said that the value of the Rupee is continuously falling, 71,000 primary schools are being closed and the number of private educational institutions are increasing all over the country and the Prime Minister is not giving any answers.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said that arrogance of the Prime Minister is reflected in the statement that only he can save the country.
Yesterday in the Upper House of Parliament PM Modi took a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family over many schemes named after its members and asked why they were "scared of keeping the Nehru surname".
Replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President's address, PM Modi targeted Congress leaders who accused the government of trying to obliterate the significance of the work done by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The opposition parties have been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row.
PM Modi said he had read somewhere that more than 600 government schemes were named after the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"Some had problems with the names of schemes of govt and Sanskrit words in the names. I read in a report that 600 government schemes were in the Gandhi-Nehru family's name...I don't understand why people from their generation don't keep Nehru as their surname, what's the fear and shame?"
PM Modi said.
"If such a big personality is not acceptable to you, you ask an account from us," he asked.
The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of toppling state governments during its rule. -- ANI
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
12:28 Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll crosses 22,000
The death toll in the deadly Turkkey-Syri earthquakes has crossed 22,000 CNN reported citing authorities on Friday.
Over 17,674 people have died and 72,879 people have been injured in Turkey, according to Vice President Fuat Oktay on Thursday.
In the contrast, according to the White Helmets civil rescue organization, in Syria at least 3,377 individuals were killed, including 2,030 in rebel-held areas in the northwest and 1,347 in government-controlled areas, as reported by Syrian state media.
A three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in Turkey's earthquake-hit provinces came into effect on Thursday after the approval of lawmakers, Anadolu Agency reported.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the three-month state of emergency to speed up search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit provinces, as per the news report.
Earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6, centred in the province of Kahramanmaras, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, as per the news report. Turkey's neighbouring countries, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the tremors.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday said that 75 nations and 16 international organizations have pledged aid to Turkey after the earthquakes jolted the nation, CNN reported.
He said that 6,479 rescue personnel from 56 countries are in the field. He stated that teams from 19 nations will be in the United States within 24 hours.
"Teams from 19 more countries will be in our country within 24 hours," CNN quoted Cavusoglu as saying.
11:59 Gehlot goofs-up, reads excerpts of earlier budget
In a major goof-up, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday read out excerpts of the previous budget instead of Budget 2023-24.
As soon as the chief minister made the first two announcements, which featured in Budget 2022-23, the Opposition began creating a ruckus and stormed into the well of the House.
Speaker C P Joshi asked them to maintain order but the Opposition continued its uproar, leading to the House being adjourned for half-an-hour. After the adjournment, BJP MLAs staged a sit-in inside the well of the House. PTI
11:46 For those in need there are always Sikhs
Sikh organisation Khalsa Aid sets up food camps in earthquake-hit Turkey. Doing what they do best -- helping people in need.
11:36 Adani Enterprises falls 10 per cent
Most of the Adani Group companies fell in the morning trade on Friday and flagship Adani Enterprises tumbled 10 per cent after index provider MSCI decided to reduce the weightage of four firms in its indices following a review.
Amid volatile trading in the market, seven Adani Group firms were in the negative territory while three others were in the green.
Adani Enterprises plunged 10 per cent to Rs 1,734.60 per share, its lower price band on the BSE, and the company's market valuation dropped to Rs 2.14 lakh crore. In the morning session, Adani Power fell 5 per cent to Rs 164.30 and touched its lower price band.
Similarly, Adani Transmission dropped to Rs 1,186.15, Adani Green Energy to Rs 723.90 and Adani Total Gas to Rs 1,258.25.
All these scrips declined 5 per cent each.
The scrip of NDTV declined 2.56 per cent to Rs 211 and ACC fell 0.84 per cent to Rs 1,900.35 on the bourse.
However, three other Adani group firms were trading in the green territory. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone soared 1.98 per cent to Rs 593.60, Ambuja Cements jumped 1.09 per cent to Rs 361.90 and Adani Wilmar gained 1.10 per cent to Rs 445.15. -- PTI
11:24 Reliance to invest Rs 75,000 cr in UP in 4 years
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Friday announced Rs 75,000 crore investment over the next four years in expanding the telecom network, including roll out of 5G services, retail and new energy business in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking at the UP Investor Summit, he said his group's telecom arm Jio will roll out 5G services across the state by December 2023. Also, the oil-to-telecom conglomerate will set up 10 GW of renewable capacity and start a bio-energy business in the state, he added. PTI
File pic
10:59 Mumbai's Vande Bharat train fares around Rs 1000
Ahead of the flagging off of the Vande Bharat Express services on the Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi routes in Maharashtra on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Central Railway announced the fare structure.
The one-way fare without catering service on the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat train will be Rs 1,000 for chair car and Rs 2,015 for executive chair car, while the fares for the two classes with catering will be Rs 1,300 and Rs 2,365, respectively, a CR official said.
The one-way journey ticket without catering service for CSMT to Sainagar Shirdi will be Rs 840 and Rs 1670 for chair car and executive chair car, respectively, while the ticket prices with catering service will be Rs 975 and Rs 1840, respectively, he added.
The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover the 455 kilometre distance between the country's commercial capital and the premier textile city in 6 hours and 30 minutes.
It will improve connectivity between the two cities and also facilitate travel to important pilgrimage centres like Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi in Pune district.
The Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will take 5 hours and 25 minutes to cover the 343 kilometre journey to one of the India's most patronised temple towns and other pilgrimage centres in Nashik, Trimbakeshwar and Shani Singanapur, reducing the current time by around two hours.
While existing superfast trains take 7 hours 55 minutes to cover the Mumbai-Solapur route, the Vande Bharat service will complete it in 6-and-half hours, with halts at Dadar, Kalyan, Pune and Kurduwadi stations.
The CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will depart from CSMT at 4.05 pm and reach Solapur at 10.40 pm, while it will depart from Solapur it at 6.05 am and reach CSMT at 12.35 pm.
It won't run on Wednesday from CSMT and on Thursday from Solapur. The CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi service, which will be the 10th Vande Bharat train in the country, will run six days a week except Tuesday, CR officials said. --- PTI
10:40 AI Express delayed by 13 hrs, no hotel for pax
As many as 170 passengers of an Air India Express flight to Dubai had a tough time at the airport here as the flight was delayed by 13 hours due to a technical snag.
The flight, which was scheduled to take off for Dubai at 3 pm on Thursday, finally left at 4 am on Friday.
In a statement, Tata Group-owned Air India Express said it provided assistance to some 50 passengers, who had special requirements, including the lounge facility.
However, the remaining 120 passengers were kept at the airport terminal building, an airline source said. A total of 170 passengers were booked for the flight.
Significantly, Tata Group operates at least four luxury hotels in the city with one in the domestic airport terminal premises itself. "Air India Express flight IX 247 on Mumbai-Dubai route on February 9, 2023 had a progressive delay due to a technical snag, which was beyond the control of the airline," the airline said.
"We made all possible efforts to minimise the difficulties of our guests, dinner was given to all guests, followed by continuous refreshments. Airport lounge facilities were provided to 50 guests who required special assistance and support," the statement said.
According to the source, there was an engineering related issue with the aircraft and the maintenance team said the aircraft will be airworthy by 7 pm. So, accordingly the airline announced the revised schedule of 7 pm but later, it was identified that it was a progressive delay as the aircraft had to be replaced, the source added. Since there were no spare aircraft available in Mumbai, the airline had to wait for the arrival of plane operating Jeddah-Mumbai flight. PTI
10:36 Two HC judges elevated to Supreme Court
Two high court chief justices were on Friday elevated to the Supreme Court, bringing the total strength of the apex court to its maximum of 34 judges.
"As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President of India has appointed the following Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court. My best to them: Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad HC and Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, Gujarat HC," Law Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted.
Once they take oath, the top court will achieve its full strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. Their names were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium last month. Last week, five judges were appointed to the Supreme Court. PTI
10:20 The strange coincidence of ISRO's rocket launch
ISRO on Friday tasted maiden success in the small satellite launch vehicle segment, with its SSLV D2 rocket injecting three satellites into an intended circular orbit, months after the maiden mission failed to bring in the desired results.
The satellites included ISRO's earth observation satellite EOS-07. ISRO's first mission in 2023 and SSLV's sequel saw a strange coincidence -- it was launched at 9.18 am, the same time its predecessor lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here on August 7, 2022 but could not deliver due to orbit anomaly and flight path deviation.
With the earlier SSLV not living up to the expectations, 'corrective measures' were put in its successor. A visibly relieved Chairman of the Indian Space Research Oragnisation, S Somanath said SSLV in its second flight put the three satellites in the intended orbit with precision.
10:05 BSF shoots down Pak drone carrying heroin, pistol
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a drone attempting intrusion into Indian territory from the Pakistan side, said BSF official on Friday.
BSF recovered 3 kg heroin, one China-made pistol, cartridges and a magazine from the drone, added the BSF. The drone was deployed along the international boundary with Pakistan in AOR of BOP MW Uttar, Sector Ferozepur in Punjab, added the BSF. Counter-drone measures were initiated and the drone was fired upon, added the BSF.
"During a subsequent search by BSF troops, a packet of consignment dropped by the intruding drone containing approximately 3 kg heroin, one China-made pistol, cartridges and a magazine were recovered," said a statement by the BSF.
Modi flags off a Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat train
09:53 PM to flag off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two new Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus today.
The new and upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express will run between Mumbai and Solapur and Mumbai and Sainagar Shirdi.
Mumbai-Solapur train, the ninth Vande Bharat train to be launched in the country will connect the country's commercial capital to the City of Textiles and Hutatmas in Maharashtra and ensure faster connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune. According to Railways, the existing superfast train takes 7 hours 55 minutes while Vande Bharat will complete the same journey in 6 hours 30 minutes, thus saving 1 hour 30 minutes of travel time. It will also connect pilgrimage centres, textile hub, tourist sites and the education hub of Pune.
The 10th Vande Bharat Train in the country, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will boost connectivity to important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra's Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Sainagar Shirdi, and Shani Singapur.
The Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured, Semi-High Speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing a much faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience for railway passengers. -- ANI
09:36 ISRO launches SSLV-D2 with US satellite, 2 others
Indian Space Research Organisation's LV D2 carrying EOS-07 satellite and two co-passenger payloads lifted off from the spaceport in Sriharikota on Friday.
In its second developmental flight, LV D2 carried EOS-07, an earth observation satellite as its main payload and two others--Janus-1 built by US-based Antaris and Chennai-headquartered Space Kidz India's AzaadiSAT-2.
This was ISRO's maiden mission this year.
At the end of a six and a half hour countdown, the 34-metre tall rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, even as ISRO has pinned hopes on it to lead the space agency to success in tapping the small satellite launch vehicle market.
The maiden flight of LV on August 7, 2022 was a partial failure due to an orbit anomaly and deviation in the flight path of the rocket.
LV caters to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to low earth orbits on 'launch-on-demand' basis. It provides low-cost access to space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, and demands minimal launch infrastructure.
EOS-07 is a 156.3 kg satellite which has been designed, developed and realised by ISRO.
New experiments include mm-Wave Humidity Sounder and Spectrum Monitoring Payload.
While, Janus-1 is a 10.2 kg satellite, the 8.7 kg AzaadiSAT-2 is a combined effort of about 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.
The mission objective is to inject these satellites in a 450-km circular orbit. -- PTI
09:21 UK review warns against anti-India rhetoric over Kashmir
A review into the United Kingdom government's scheme set up to prevent terrorism has made recommendations for improvements to tackle Islamist extremism as the 'primary threat' to the country and also flagged other areas of growing concern, including the radicalisation of UK Muslims over Kashmir and 'potentially toxic' pro-Khalistan extremism.
The review into the government's counter-terrorism early intervention Prevent strategy published this week warned that rhetoric from Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to 'inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir'.
It also warns against a false narrative being disseminated by a tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK.
'There is an element of crossover between those who seek to impose limits around blasphemy with those who voice incendiary rhetoric on Kashmir.
'I have seen evidence of UK extremist groups, as well as a Pakistani cleric with a UK following, calling for the use of violence in Kashmir. I have also seen evidence demonstrating that flashpoints related to Kashmir lead to a significant surge in interest from UK Islamists,' reads the review.
It noted that there is no reason to believe this issue will disappear as a grievance that Islamists will seek to exploit in years to come.
'This has potential relevance to Prevent, as there are examples of those convicted of terrorism offences in the UK who had first fought in Kashmir. This includes those who subsequently joined Al Qaeda.'
On the issue of pro-Khalistan extremism, the report adds, 'Prevent should also be mindful of pro-Khalistan extremism emerging from the UK's Sikh communities. A false narrative is disseminated by the tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK that the government is colluding with its counterpart in India to persecute Sikhs.'
'Such groups' narratives glorify violence carried out by the pro-Khalistan movement in India. While the current threat is low, praise for violence overseas and a simultaneous belief in a state-led campaign of repression domestically is a potentially toxic combination for the future.'
It comes as the review found that Islamist extremism represents the 'primary terrorist threat' to the UK -- 'consistently accounting for the majority of terrorist attack plots both carried out and thwarted by the intelligence services'.
It noted that at present, 80 per cent of the Counter-Terrorism Police network's live investigations are Islamist while 10 per cent are Extreme Right-Wing. UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the House of Commons on Wednesday that she intends to 'swiftly implement' all of the recommendations from the review into the Prevent strategy, a UK-wide system set up as an early warning system against terrorist threats.
The review is unflinching. Prevent needs major reform. It needs to better understand the threats that we face and the ideology underpinning them, the Indian-origin minister told MPs.
"The truth is that there is nothing anti-Muslim about tackling Islamism, and we must continue to work closely with Muslim communities if we are to do so effectively," she said.
"While obscuring the Islamist threat, Prevent has defined the extreme right-wing too broadly, encompassing the respectable right and centre-right. The threat from the extreme right-wing must not be minimised. It is serious and it is growing; it must be robustly addressed. But it is not the same, either in nature or in scale, as the threat from Islamism," Braverman added. -- PTI
08:59 Turkey-Syria earthquake toll stands at 20,783
The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to 20,783, CNN reported citing authorities.
The total number of injured people in Syria and Turkey has reached 75,592.
The death toll in Turkey has risen to at least 17,406.
A total of 70,347 people have been injured due to the earthquake, CNN cited Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
The total number of deaths in Syria rose to at least 3,377, including 2,030 in rebel-held areas and 1,347 in government-controlled regions of Syria, CNN reported, citing the figures from the White Helmets and Syrian state media.
The total number of injured people in Syria has reached 5,245, with 2,295 in government-controlled and 2,950 in rebel-held regions.
A three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in Turkey's earthquake-hit provinces came into effect on Thursday after the approval of lawmakers, Anadolu Agency reported.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the three-month state of emergency to speed up search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit provinces, as per the news report.
Earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6, centred in the province of Kahramanmaras, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, as per the news report.
Turkey's neighbouring countries, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the tremors.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday said that 75 nations and 16 international organisations have pledged aid to Turkey after the earthquakes jolted the nation, CNN reported.
He said that 6,479 rescue personnel from 56 countries are in the field. He stated that teams from 19 nations will be in the United States within 24 hours.
"Teams from 19 more countries will be in our country within 24 hours," CNN quoted Cavusoglu as saying.Global aid has been pouring into Turkey after Monday's disaster, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people and injured over 70,000 more in the country and neighbouring Syria.
India is also providing assistance to Turkey in the rescue operation through the ongoing crisis after earthquakes jolted the country.
The Indian Army has deployed disaster relief teams and set up a field hospital to help victims of the recent earthquakes that hit the country.
India's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) on Thursday tweeted an image of a female Indian Army officer hugging a Turkish woman in the earthquake-affected areas of Turkey.
The tweet read: '#OperationDost We Care. #IndianArmy #Turkiye.' -- ANI
IMAGE: The body of a victim is carried out by rescuers in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey on February 9, 2023. Photograph: Umit Bektas/Reuters
01:12 Man held with explosives ahead of Modi's Rajasthan visit
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Rajasthan, the local police on Thursday arrested a man with 10 quintals of explosives.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team stopped a pickup van on Khan Bhakri road and found 40 sacks of detonators, connecting wires and other items inside it.
The driver, Rajesh Meena, had no permit for transporting the explosives, the police said, adding that they were seized and Meena was arrested.
SP (Dausa) Sanjeev Nain said the explosives were supposed to be used for illegal mining.
Modi is proposed to inaugurate Sohna-Dausa part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Dausa on February 12. -- PTI
00:54 Traffic to be diverted from some roads in south Mumbai, Marol due to Modi's visit
Traffic would be diverted from certain roads on account of security arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mumbai on Friday, police said.
Traffic will be "regulated and controlled" on the Eastern Freeway and nearby roads in South Mumbai as well as in Marol and Andheri areas of western suburbs, they said.
Modi is set to flag off two new Vande Bharat trains from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai, and inaugurate, among other things, a new educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Marol.
Traffic on the Eastern Freeway, P D'Mello Road, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg and roads leading to these roads will be regulated from 2.45 pm to 4.15 pm.
Traffic on Aljamea-Tas-Saifiyah road in Marol would be regulated between 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. -- PTI
File image
00:17 IndiGo leaves behind 37 bags of flyers in Hyderabad
IndiGo on Thursday said it inadvertently left behind 37 bags of passengers who took a flight from Hyderabad to Vishakhapatnam.
In a statement, the airline said it ensuring that all bags are delivered safely to the customers' addresses in Visakhapatnam and regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers.
"We confirm that 37 bags were inadvertently left behind for flight 6E 409 departing from Hyderabad to Vishakhapatnam," it said. -- PTI
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances