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Five Rafale jets to land in Ambala today, security tightened around air base

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Five Rafale jets to land in Ambala today, security tightened around air base

Ambala: The first batch of five Rafale jets are scheduled to land at the Ambala air base here on Wednesday afternoon with police tightening the security around the air force station.

The squadron of Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala air base in Haryana.

The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday and will arrive here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates.

The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft. Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders near the Ambala Air Force Station, banning shooting of videos and photography.

The Ambala district administration has also prohibited people from flying private drones within the three-km radius of the air base, officials said earlier.

Section 144, which prohibits assembly of four or more people, has been imposed in the villages adjoining the air base, including Dhulkot, Baldev Nagar, Garnala and Panjkhora.

Ambala deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said shooting of videos or taking photographs of the boundary wall of the air base and its adjoining areas will remain strictly prohibited during the imposition of the prohibitory orders.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police has set up several check barricades and police officers were seen patrolling residential localities near the air base, making announcements over loudspeakers warning people not to stand on the rooftop of their houses to click pictures or shoot videos.

Violators would face punishment as per the law, they warned.

At many places here, hoardings have been erected to welcome the arrival of the fighter jets with some of these mentioning that their induction will further boost IAF’s capabilities.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the people of Ambala are very enthusiastic about the arrival of the jets.

This is a very proud and a historic moment for us that the Rafale jets will be stationed in Ambala Cantonment area. Rafales are IAF’s ‘Sikandar’, which will significantly boost our combat capabilities, he said.

He said had there not been the threat of coronavirus pandemic, thousands would have gathered in the streets to welcome the jets.

Nearly four years ago, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF’s combat capabilities.

The five Rafales are scheduled to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday, though a formal induction ceremony would be held later.

The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the ‘Golden Arrows’. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons.

European missile maker MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron.

Built in 1948, the air base is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights.

The air base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 ‘Bison’. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base.

The Mirage fighters that were used for the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from here.

Indian-origin brothers succumb to COVID-19 in South Africa

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Indian-origin brothers succumb to COVID-19 in South Africa

Johannesburg: Two Indian-origin brothers and founding members of a renowned organisation that offers community services in the sprawling Indian township of Lenasia in South Africa have succumbed to coronavirus.

Abbas Sayed and Osman Sayed, the Chairman and President of the Saaberie Chishty Society, died on Friday and Saturday respectively and were buried side-by-side, as condolences continued to pour in from all over the world, including India, where the idea of the humanitarian work was sparked by a visit to Ajmer when Abbas was a teenager.

After their return from Ajmer, a small religious commemoration at their home in Lenasia soon transformed into a variety of charity and welfare projects for all communities in the apartheid era.

The brothers were among the six siblings who continued and expanded the work of the society started by their father, uncles and aunts to include feeding schemes, building mosques and madrassahs, and a free ambulance service when there were no such facilities from government in Lenasia where they lived.

“Like their forefathers, they worked tirelessly throughout their lives to serve the community with dedication. Tears flow as we remember their smiles and our insightful conversations with them,” said a message from religious leaders from Lucknow.

“They were men of dignity, honesty, truthfulness and simplicity,” said another message from Panipat in Haryana, where in 2009 the organisation helped restore an ancient mosque 30 years after it had been closed down by raising funds in South Africa.

The novel coronavirus that first surfaced in China’s Wuhan city in December last year has claimed 7,257 lives and infected 459,761 people in South Africa.

Here’s How Maanyata And Trishala Wished Sanjay Dutt On His Birthday

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Maanyata, who is away from Sanjay Dutt on his birthday, sent an adorable greeting on social media

Here's How Maanyata And Trishala Wished Sanjay Dutt On His Birthday

On Sanjay Dutt’s 61st birthday, the actor’s wife Maanyata and his daughter Trishala wished him in the best way possible. Maanyata, who is currently staying in Dubai (going by her recent Instagram posts) with her 9-year-old twins Shahraan and Iqra, shared an adorable picture with her husband on her Instagram profile on Wednesday morning. In the picture, the couple can be seen twinning in black outfits. She wrote in the caption: “Happy birthday love …..Love you.” She accompanied her post with the hashtags #missingyou #godbless, #love, #positivity, #birthdaymonth and #beautifullife. As of now, Sanjay Dutt, who is currently in Mumbai, hasn’t responded to Maanyata’s post but we would love to see his reaction.

Meanwhile, Trishala (Sanjay Dutt’s daughter with his first wife Richa Sharma), who stays with her grandparents in the US, shared a throwback picture of the actor from his young days and she wrote in the greeting: “Happy Birthday Papa Dukes. May God bless you with a long, happy and healthy life. I love you so much. To infinity and beyond, always and forever. Cheers Pops! FaceTime you in a bit! LOL – Have a beautiful day! #birthdayboy #leo #lionking #loveyou.”

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Screenshot of Trishala Dutt’s Instagram post.

Sanjay Dutt was last seen in Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama Panipat, co-starring Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. The actor’s impressive line-up of films includes KGF Chapter 2, Torbaaz, Sadak 2 and Bhuj: The Pride Of India. The actor will also be seen in Shamshera, co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor. He has also signed Prithviraj, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar.

Maanyata Dutt produced Sanjay Dutt’s 2019 film Prassthanam, which also featured Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Ali Fazal, Chunky Panday, Amyra Dastur and Satyajeet Dubey.

Chapter On Tipu Sultan Dropped From Class 7 Textbook In Karnataka: Report

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Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

Chapter On Tipu Sultan Dropped From Class 7 Textbook In Karnataka: Report

Chapter on Tipu Sultan dropped from class 7 social science textbook to reduce syllabus this year

The chapter on controversial 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali are among those that have been dropped from the class 7 social science textbook, following the Karnataka government’s decision to reduce the 2020-21 syllabi due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the chapters on Tipu Sultan have been retained in the class 6 and 10 books, official sources told news agency Press Trust of India.

According to Nasheman news the revised syllabus uploaded on the Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) website shows that in class 7, social science text, chapter 5 that deals with Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Historical places of Mysore, and Administration of Commissioners have been dropped.

The Department of Public Instructions decided to reduce the syllabus for the year 2020-21 in view of the pandemic and disruption in the academic calendar for the year, that has been brought down to 120 working days.

Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

A couple of months ago, amid the growing clamour from some BJP leaders to remove a chapter in the textbook glorifying Tipu Sultan, the government had constituted an expert committee to look into it.

The committee however had recommended that the ruler cannot be ignored from the school syllabus.

Commenting on the development, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar said that the BJP government was taking such decisions with a political agenda in mind.

Pointing out that Tipu Sultan was a historical figure, Mr Shivakumar had said “History is history…you cannot change history. We will not accept it. Congress will take it seriously by setting up a committee to look into it.”

Soon after coming to power, the BJP government in Karnataka had scrapped the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, an annual government event the party had been opposing since 2015 when it was launched during the Congress rule, led by Siddaramaiah.

The BJP and some other organisations have been strongly opposing Tipu Sultan, calling the erstwhile Mysore king a “religious bigot”.

Tipu Sultan was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatnam against the British forces.

Tipu Sultan, however, is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believe that thousands of their men and women were held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.

He was also accused of execution of Mandyam Iyengars at the temple town of Melkote in Mandya district on the day of Deepawali as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.

However, the scale of such suppression is disputed by several historians, as they see Tipu Sultan as a ruler who took on the might of the British.

While BJP and some other organisations see Tipu Sultan as a “religious bigot” and a “brutal killer”, a few Kannada outfits call him “anti-Kannada”, saying he had promoted Persian at the cost of the local language.

Weddings, Funerals Increasing COVID-19 Cases Load In Kerala

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Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Weddings, Funerals Increasing COVID-19 Cases Load In Kerala

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

With weddings and funerals turning out to be COVID-19 spreaders in some places, the Kerala government on Tuesday said a maximum of 20 people would only be allowed to participate in these events.

Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Hereafter, only 20 people can participate in marriages and funerals, he told reporters.

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

In Chekkiad panchayat in Kozhikode, more than 30 people who had participated in a wedding of a doctor onJuly9 tested positive later, Mr Vijayan said.

The groom was among those who had tested positive. Vadakara MP, K Muraleedharan, had also attended the previous day’s functionand was asked by the Kozhikode Collector to go on quarantine.

In Wayanad’s Thavinhal panchayat, eight members of a family, who had participated in a funeral, were found positive for the virus on July 19.

Following this, authorities tested 210 other people who came in contact with them and totally 43 were found infected, the chief minister said.

The tests are continuing and would be held on Wednesday also, district health department sources

The panchayat has been declared as a containment zone. Mr Vijayan also said three health workers of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital tested positive following which it has been decided to test all workers.

Noting that 12 migrant workers who had returned to the state were found infected in Kozhikode district, he said those coming back should give their details to the district labour officer. Instructions had been issued in this regard, he added.

Rajasthan Governor Cancels Independence Day Event Over Covid, Hint For Ashok Gehlot

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The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

Rajasthan Governor Cancels Independence Day Event Over Covid, Hint For Ashok Gehlot

Governor Kalraj Mishra had blocked two previous proposals for the assembly over various reasons 

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, in a statement today cancelling the annual Independence Day “at-home” event over what he called a spurt in coronavirus cases, delivered a message that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will not like to hear.

The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

“When the assembly session was cancelled on March 13, then there were two cases. At the time the session was cancelled to fight the spread of the global pandemic,” said Mr Mishra.

“There were 3381 cases on July 1. Now it is more than 10,000. The unrelenting virus spread is a cause for concern and the state has to take serious steps to save people from this worldwide pandemic.”

The statement comes a day after Chief Minister Gehlot submitted his third proposal for an assembly session from Friday. It is seen as a hint that if the Governor nixes it again, coronavirus could be a legit reason.

Mr Gehlot, who is fighting rebellion by his sacked deputy Sachin Pilot, is seen to be pursuing an assembly session for the singular goal of proving his majority on the floor of the house. He believes he has just about the numbers to win a trust vote at this time and accuses the Governor of stalling a session under pressure from the BJP.

The Governor blocked two previous proposals raising questions including one on coronavirus precautions.

On the last request, Mr Mishra had asked how social distancing and other virus protocol would be maintained during a session.

Yesterday, Mr Gehlot met with his cabinet to discuss the Governor’s questions and sent a revised proposal for a special session citing coronavirus as an agenda

To the Governor’s point on COVID-19 precautions, the Gehlot cabinet said it was up to the Speaker to ensure that all checks were in place. It also pointed out that Goa, Manipur and Puducherry had held sessions in the middle of the virus battle.

Mr Gehlot’s request to the Governor does not mention a trust vote. “We have a majority. We will prove it if required,” said a minister on Tuesday.

Shashi Tharoor Says Lockdown Didn’t Slow Covid At His Constituency

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Kerala reported 702 new COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours. The national capital, which had been struggling with massive daily spike, reported just 613.

Shashi Tharoor Says Lockdown Didn't Slow Covid At His Constituency

We need to let people go back to work, Shashi Tharoor said

The lockdown could not stem the rapid growth of coronavirus cases in Thiruvananthapuram; thus, people should be allowed to return to work, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted on Monday.

“Spoke to Kerala Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta to convey my concerns about reports of extended lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram. Many constituents point out that 3 wks lockdown have not slowed the spread of COVID-19. We need to let people go back to work to balance lives and livelihoods,” he tweeted.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said a committee will explore any scope of relaxing the lockdown rules.

“Due to serious conditions, there is a lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram. A committee led by Chief Secretary will look into the guidelines and issues on giving relaxations” he said.

The number of COVID-19 clusters in the corporation area of the city has also seen an increase, health officials say.

Kerala reported 702 new COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours. The doubling rate for COVID-19 in the state is around 13 days compared to 24 days in the beginning of the month.

Kerala’s total of cases touched 19,727, including 63 deaths. As many as 9611 people are presently under treatment, 10,049 patients have recovered and over 1.55 lakh people are under observation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

Of the total positive cases today in Kerala, 483 were infected through contact while the source of infection of 35 people are not yet known.

Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, reported the highest number of cases – 161. The city is under a strict lockdown till July 28.

Earlier this month, Mr Vijayan had said some areas of Thiruvananthapuram were experiencing community transmission

“The situation is very serious in some parts of coastal Thiruvananthapuram, where the spread has been fast. Community spread is happening in areas like Pullivula, Poonthura,” he had said.

India on Monday reported nearly 50,000 coronavirus cases, which took the total of those infected past 14 lakh.

50 People Allowed In Mosques On Eid, No Mass Prayers In Eidgah: Karnataka

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People visiting mosques for the prayers have to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, Minority Welfare and Wakf Department Secretary AB Ibrahim said in an order.

50 People Allowed In Mosques On Eid, No Mass Prayers In Eidgah: Karnataka

Eid-ul- Azha, also known as Bakrid, would be celebrated on July 31 and August 1.  

The Karnataka government has allowed Eid-ul-Azha prayers only in mosques with a maximum of 50 people at a time and said mass prayers at Eidgah and other places are prohibited in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

People visiting mosques for the prayers have to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, Minority Welfare and Wakf Department Secretary AB Ibrahim said in an order.

It said the Hilal committee has decided that the Eid-ul- Azha, also known as Bakrid, would be celebrated on July 31 in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts while it would be on August 1 in the rest of the state.

Noting that mass prayers were one of the important rituals Muslims perform during Bakrid, the order said in view of the COVID-19 pandemic such events at Eidgah and other places were prohibited.

However, prayers would be allowed in mosques with the restriction that not more than 50 people should take part. If there were more people, the prayers should be performed in batches, the department said in the order.

Mass prayers should not be performed in any other places such as halls, community buildings and “Shadi Mahal”, the order added.

Karnataka allowed temples, mosques and other places of worship to be open for devotees from June 8 with all COVID-19 preventive measures in place.

Tamil Nadu Reports Nearly 7,000 COVID-19 Cases For 3rd Consecutive Day

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As many as 63,250 samples were tested, taking the total specimens screened to 24,14,713 so far.

Tamil Nadu Reports Nearly 7,000 COVID-19 Cases For 3rd Consecutive Day

Chennai accounted for 95,857 cases out of the state’s tally of 2,20,716.

Tamil Nadu on Monday reported 6,993 fresh COVID cases, the highest single day spike, taking the tally to 2,20,716 while 77 deaths propelled the count to 3,571.

As many as 63,250 samples were tested, taking the total specimens screened to 24,14,713 so far.

Of the new infections, Chennai and its nearby three districts of Chengelpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur accounted for 2,422 cases and the remainder was spread across other districts, a health department bulletin said.

Sixty-nine people who died to the virus had comorbidities and eight none, taking the count to 3,571 with Chennai’s count alone rising to 2,032.

The dead included two men aged 95 and 26.

Monday is the third successive day the state has logged nearly 7,000 cases after 6,986 and 6988 on Sunday and Saturday respectively.

“I Was Too Fat”, Says Boris Johnson As He Launches Anti-Obesity Campaign

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The campaign began with newspaper editorials and a social media blitz that included a video showing Johnson walking in slow-motion — in a white button-down shirt and blue slacks — accompanied by inspirational string music and his dog, Dilyn.

'I Was Too Fat', Says Boris Johnson As He Launches Anti-Obesity Campaign

Boris Johnson tried to assure Brits on Monday that he wasn’t trying to force anything on them.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested a link between his weight and his susceptibility to covid-19, as he launched a new government anti-obesity program on Monday that will see junk food advertising limited and restaurants and pubs required to post calories for food and drink.

The campaign began with newspaper editorials and a social media blitz that included a video showing Johnson walking in slow-motion — in a white button-down shirt and blue slacks — accompanied by inspirational string music and his dog, Dilyn.

“I was too fat,” Johnson says in the video, about his physique back in April when he was sick with covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and rushed to a hospital to be saved by supplemental oxygen.

He says he’d struggled with his weight for ages. But since recovering from the coronavirus, he has begun to focus more on exercise, starting his days with “quite a gentle run.” He notes that he has lost more than 14 pounds. And he encourages Brits to join him in his effort.

Embracing the role of weight watcher in chief is a bold move for a 56-year-old leader who has boasted his favorite meal is a plate of English sausages, plural and a good Tignanello red from Tuscany.

It is also a somewhat unusual stance for Johnson, as a longtime critic of the so-called “nanny state.”

He tried to assure Brits on Monday that he wasn’t trying to force anything on them.

The point of the new anti-obesity campaign is “just trying to help people a little bit to bring their weight down – not in an excessively bossy or nannying way, I hope,” the prime minister said.

He added, “We want this one to be really sympathetic to people, to understand the difficulties that people face with their weight, the struggles that many, many people face to lose weight, and just to be helpful.”

The British newspapers, though, didn’t seem to buy any nuance in Johnson’s approach.

“Boris Johnson orders GPs to be brutally honest with patients about their weight,” the Sun headline read, about general practitioners. The Daily Mail went with: “Boris Johnson orders obese people to get on their bikes and lose weight.”

Some on social media appreciated Johnson’s effort – and promised to accompany him on his “weight journey.” Others were dismissive, even cruel, posting fat-shaming memes and videos of the prime minister huffing and puffing in his rumpled running outfits.

During Monday’s press briefing, political reporters tried to drill down on precisely how much the prime minister weighed. Johnson has, in effect, invited the Westminster press pack to forever keep close tabs on his waist size.

Government officials were evasive.

“I don’t have anything for you on that I’m afraid,” a 10 Downing Street spokesman said in response to a call from The Washington Post.

Johnson is sending the country to the scale at a stressful time, when Britons have been hunkering in place for months, jawing on comfort food. Britain has reopened its pubs – but not the gyms.

England is the second “fattest country” (their words, not ours) in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — a 37-member club for mostly well-off democracies. The first is the United States – and, according to projections, the proportion of people overweight is growing.

The British government’s new strategy includes a ban on junk food advertisements on television before 9 p.m. — so children are not bombarded by ads for fatty snacks. Other promotions, such as “buy one get one free,” are banned, as is displaying candy bars in prominent positions in stores.

The government hopes this saves lives. Almost 8% of critically ill patients with covid-19 in intensive care units are morbidly obese. About 3% of the British population is morbidly obese.

“This deadly virus has given us a wake-up call about the need to tackle the stark inequalities in our nation’s health, and obesity is an urgent example of this,” said Heath Secretary Matt Hancock.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Hancock said that if everyone who is overweight lost five pounds, the national health service could save more than $130 million over the next five years.

Some businesses said the new regulations would have little effect beyond hurting companies that are already trying to recover from the economic effects of the lockdown.

Sue Eustace, director of public affairs at the Advertising Association, told the BBC that the U.K. already had some of the “strictest” advertising rules in the world.

“Children’s exposure to high fat, salt, and sugar adverts on TV has fallen by 70 percent over the last 15 years or so, but there’s been no change to obesity, so we don’t think these measures are going to work.”

Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, noted that the measures announced Monday were largely focused on marketing.

“I wouldn’t see it as a major revolution to beat obesity, but it’s certainly a positive step,” he said.

He added that this campaign was likely to have less impact than efforts by previous British governments, including salt reduction targets and a “sugar tax” that resulted in manufactures reducing the sugar in soft drinks.

“These are very clever maneuvers,” MacGregor said, “because people go on buying the same rubbish, but it’s got less of the sugar or less salt or less fat. And, if it’s done slowly, they don’t actually realize.”

Johnson has opposed those types of interventions in the past.

In his leadership race last year, he vowed to review “sin taxes” on unhealthy food and alcohol. He recently told the Times Radio that “in the great anthology of embarrassing former articles that people always drag up . . . you will find I have taken a sort of very libertarian stance on obesity.”

That stance seemed to shift somewhat on Monday. Though Johnson might need to work a bit more on his sales pitch.

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