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Archives for February 2021

BKU official complains against fake Facebook profile of Rakesh Tikait

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BKU official complains against fake Facebook profile of Rakesh Tikait

Ghaziabad (UP): A Bharatiya Kisan Union official here lodged a complaint on Thursday alleging that some miscreants had opened a fake Facebook page of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and posted obnoxious photos on it.

A complaint along with screenshots of the page were sent to Kaushambi police station officials, BKU press cell in-charge Shamsher Rana told PTI adding that an acquaintance had informed him about the fake ID.

Superintendent of Police (City 2) Gyanendra Singh said action would be initiated as and when police would receive the complaint in writing.

Rana had received a friend request from the fake ID and got alerted as he was already connected with Tikait on the social networking site, the complaint stated.

Going through the fake ID, Rana saw that the BKU leader’s photo was affixed as the profile picture and some images of adult film actors were also seen on the page.

The IP address mentioned on the ID originates from Ludhiana district in Punjab, Rana alleged in the complaint.

US will take on challenges posed by China directly: Joe Biden

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US will take on challenges posed by China directly: Joe Biden

Washington: The United States will take on the challenges being posed by China directly, but will not hesitate to work with Beijing when it is in America’s interest to do so, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

“We will confront China’s economic abuses, counter its aggressive, coercive action to push back on China’s attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance,” Biden said in his address to State Department employees at its Foggy Bottom headquarters here.

“But we are ready to work with Beijing when it is in America’s interest to do so. We will compete from a position of strength by building back better at home, working with our allies and partners, renewing our role in international institutions, and reclaiming our credibility and moral authority, much of which has been lost,” he said, giving the glimpse of his administration’s policies on China.

“That is why we have moved quickly to begin restoring American engagement internationally and earn back our leadership position to catalyse global action on shared challenges,” Biden said.

Earlier in the day, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that their priority is not to get access for Goldman Sachs in China. “Our priority is to make sure that we are dealing with China’s trade abuses that are harming American jobs and American workers in the United States,” he said.

The Biden administration believes that once the US establishes its position of strength, it will be able to compete more effectively with its competitors across the board and especially with China in every domain, including economic, diplomatic, technological and security.

“We will be able to counter Russia more effectively and we will be better equipped to address threats from climate change, to pandemics, to nuclear proliferation. We will also be able to more effectively pursue a foreign policy for the middle class. This is not just a tagline, it is an organising principle for the work that we will do,” Biden said.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Senator Rick Scott underscored that the threat of communist China must be a top priority for Pentagon.

“As the United States faces increasingly frequent and dangerous threats from adversaries across the globe — namely communist China, Iran, Russia and North Korea — there has never been a more important time to ensure that our men and women in uniform have every resource they need to stand strong and combat threats to our freedoms and interests,” he said.

“Communist China is undoubtedly our greatest enemy and must be treated as such. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) policy of genocide against the Uyghurs, theft of American technology and dangerous actions to build its military presence and threaten the security of the United States and its allies cannot be tolerated,” Scott wrote to Austin.

Encouraged by the defense secretary’s candour regarding the threat communist China poses to nations around the world, Scott urged Austin to take the strongest possible position to ensure that the Biden administration places accountability and strength at the top of its policy agenda.

“We cannot forget, when the reckless actions of communist China adversely impact our allies, especially those in the Indo-Pacific region including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, India or Taiwan, they also threaten the safety and security of the United States,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congressman Brad Wenstrup led 45 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sullivan regarding the CCP’s coercive population control efforts and grave human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“There is little doubt that China poses one of the most significant challenges to the United States going forward. As part of the administration’s effort to confront this challenge, we urge you to prioritise holding the Chinese government accountable for the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang and stand up for the rights to life, human dignity and religious freedom for all people,” the members wrote.

Damage to India’s image by govt’s ‘obduracy’ can’t be remedied by cricketer’s tweets: Tharoor

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Damage to India's image by govt's 'obduracy' can't be remedied by cricketer's tweets: Tharoor

New Delhi: As several Bollywood and cricketing stars rallied around the government in its pushback to the global celebrities expressing support for farmers’ movement, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the damage done to India’s global image by the government’s “obduracy and undemocratic behaviour” can’t be remedied by a cricketer’s tweets.

India hit out at global celebrities such as singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg for their support of the farmers’ protests. Several Bollywood and cricket stars as well as top ministers also rallied around the government in its pushback.

“For GoI (government of India) to get Indian celebrities to react to Western ones is embarrassing. The damage done to India’s global image by GoI’s obduracy & undemocratic behaviour can’t be remedied by a cricketer’s tweets,” tweeted Tharoor, who served as the minister of state for external affairs from May 2009-April 2010 during the UPA II government.

Tharoor’s tweet came after cricketing stars Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri used the twin hashtags — #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda — to amplify the pushback to the global celebrities.

“Withdraw the farm laws & discuss solutions with farmers & you’ll get #IndiaTogether,” tweeted the former UN under secretary general.

Another senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it is good that Rihanna and Greta Thunberg can wake up the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

“Come on MEA, when will you realize that people concerned with issues of human rights and livelihoods do not recognize national boundaries? Why did MEA comment on the military coup in Myanmar? Why is it ‘deeply concerning’ to the MEA?” he said in a series of tweets.

Why does MEA regularly comment on issues that are “internal” to Sri Lanka and Nepal, the former Union minister asked.

“Why did the PM of India comment on the assault on the Capitol building in Washington by the Trump storm troopers? It is sad that someone erudite and worldly wise like Mr S Jaishankar should allow such puerile reactions by the MEA,” Chidambaram said.

Earlier, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, at a press conference, refused to comment on the tweets by the international celebrities extending support to the farmers’ protest, saying “this is our internal matter”.

Adding to the voices of Rihanna and Thunberg were American actor Amanda Cerni, US Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris, ‘Serendipity’ star John Cusack, who retweeted a post by Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate reading, “Let us talk about what is happening in India right now #FarmersProtest”, and former adult star Mia Khalifa who asked, “What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest.”

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs earlier slammed the remarks made by Rihanna and other celebrities and activists on farmer protests, saying the facts on the issue must be ascertained before rushing to comment on it, and asserted that the “temptation” of sensationalist social media hashtags and views is “neither accurate nor responsible”.

Sushant Singh coverage: Mumbai DCP files defamation complaint against Arnab Goswami

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Sushant Singh coverage: Mumbai DCP files defamation complaint against Arnab Goswami

Mumbai: A deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in Mumbai on Wednesday filed a criminal defamation complaint against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami for certain claims made during the coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

Goswami’s lawyers claimed that the tweets referred to in the complaint filed by DCP Abhishek Trimukhe were from a fake Twitter account as their client “is not on social media”.

Trimukhe’s complaint, filed before the sessions court here, also named ARG Outlier Media Private Limited which owns Republic Media Network, and Goswami’s wife, as she is one of its directors.

“There were some tweets which misrepresented Trimukhe.

He had written about it to the Maharashtra government. The state home department gave its sanction (to file a complaint),” a senior police official said.

The complaint has been filed under Indian Penal Code sections 499, 500 (defamation) and 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory).

Goswami made “grossly false”, “malicious” and defamatory statements during the coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide last year, it claimed.

These defamatory statements were telecast on the channel Republic Bharat during a discussion about phone records of actor Rhea Chakraborty, Rajput’s girlfriend, it said.

“The said defamatory attacks have been made with a singular view of assassinating his (Trimukhe’s) official character and thereby…maliciously and deliberately causing undue humiliation of the Mumbai Police Department,” the complaint said.

Goswami also tweeted the contents of the telecast to a larger audience, the complaint said.

A statement from Goswami’s legal team said that “he is not on social media” and the tweets to which the complaint referred was a fake Twitter handle impersonating the journalist.

“On the other parts, the Republic Media Network will respond legally as per due process,” it said.

Govt may allow private air traffic controllers to manage drones in lower airspace

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Govt may allow private air traffic controllers to manage drones in lower airspace

Bengaluru The government is considering allowing air traffic controllers, operated by private entities, to manage drone operations in the Indian airspace below 1,000 feet, said a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official on Wednesday.

“The drone ATC (air traffic controller) will be called UTM (unmanned traffic management) and it will collaborate with the manned traffic management, which is being handled currently as a sovereign function by the Airports Authority of India (AAI),” said Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The AAI, which works under the ministry, manages all manned aircraft operations in the Indian airspace. A passenger aircraft generally flies at a height of around 30,000 feet.

“The airspace below 1,000 feet is lower airspace and it would be the main playground of drones. For that, we may have a system of private ATCs, which would be managed by private operators,” Dubey said at a session organised by industry body FICCI at Aero India 2021.

“It could be a government agency or a private agency, it is something that would evolve,” he added.

The AAI cannot handle drones because they would be flying at 5 feet to take care of crops to about 1,000 feet in the airspace, Dubey mentioned.

Drone technology is moving way faster than the regulations so we have decided that we need to start a parallel activity, he said.

Kangana Ranaut attacks Rihanna for farmers tweet, calls them “terrorists”

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Kangana Ranaut attacks Rihanna for farmers tweet, calls them "terrorists"

New Delhi: Actor Kangana Ranaut on Tuesday held little back in taking on international pop star Rihanna for coming out in support of the farmers protesting on the outskirts of Delhi since November against the centre’s agricultural laws.

Calling the demonstrators “terrorists”, Ms Ranaut, who has 3 million Twitter followers versus Rihanna’s over 100 million, said they were trying to divide India and called the singer a “fool”.

Saudi Arabia suspends entry from 20 countries from Feb 3

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it was suspending entry to the Kingdom from 20 countries, except for citizens, diplomats, health workers and their families, to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Interior said it would bar entry of people arriving from the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Japan.

The ministry said the suspension would be implemented from 9 p.m. on Wednesday and includes travelers who transited through the aforementioned countries within the 14 days prior to their planned journey to the Kingdom.

The ministry said the decision was based on recommendations by Saudi health authorities.

Pop star Rihanna supports farm protest. Asks, ‘Why aren’t we talking about this?’

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Pop star Rihanna supports farm protest. Asks, 'Why aren't we talking about this?'

Mumbai, Feb 2: International pop star Rihanna on Tuesday extended her support to the ongoing farmers agitation while criticising the Internet shutdown at the protest site.

The 32-year-old singer became the first global star to voice her support to the protest.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November end, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

The tweet by Rihanna, who has 100 million followers on the microblogging site, garned thousands of retweets and likes within an hour.

Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker lauded the “Diamond” hitmaker’s remarks, while Kangana Ranaut criticised her statement.

Farmer unions on Monday announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the Internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.

Sites of the farmer protest at Delhi’s borders have turned into fortresses with the police beefing up security and putting up multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles. Barbed wire has also been put up to keep off people on foot.

The strengthened security measures at the agitation sites across the Delhi borders come after the violence during the Republic day tractor parade by protesting farmers in which 394 security personnel were injured.

Veteran pacer Ashoke Dinda announces retirement from all forms of cricket

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Veteran pacer Ashoke Dinda announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Kolkata Veteran India and Bengal pacer Ashoke Dinda on Tuesday announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, bringing the curtains down on a career spanning one and a half decade.

The 36-year-old, who had featured in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is for India, had moved to Goa at the start of this season after facing disciplinary action after playing only one Ranji Trophy match in 2019-20.

For Goa, he played three three Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches before realising that his body was not supporting him anymore.

“Today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket. I have sent the mails to BCCI and GCA to this effect,” Dinda said during a media interaction at Eden Gardens.

Dinda thanked BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly for going out of his way and giving him a debut against Maharashtra at Pune in the 2005-06 season.

Dinda also represented Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors, Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

In 78 IPL games, Dinda picked up 68 wickets at a strike rate of 22.20 and an economy rate of 8.22, with his best figures being 4/18.

“There have been several people who have helped me throughout my career whom I would like to thank beginning with my parents.

“Then it’s Dada (Sourav Ganguly). It was because of him that I got to play for Bengal. I was not in the squad but he included me as a 16th member and handed me a debut,” Dinda remembered.

One of the most consistent pacers in Indian domestic cricket in the recent past, Dinda, who has 420 wickets from 116 first-class matches, is the second leading wicket-taker for Bengal after former left-arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee.

He was presented with a silver plaque and a bouquet and was thanked for his contribution by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya, secretary Snehashis Ganguly and joint secretary Debabrata Das.

“The contribution of Dinda is enormous. He is one of the best fast bowlers we have produced. He will be remembered for his ability to take wickets and win matches, bowl long spells and his never-say-die spirit,” Dalmiya said.

Decision to organise Aero India was not easy amid COVID: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

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Decision to organise Aero India was not easy amid COVID: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Bengaluru The country’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition, Aero India 2021 takes off here on Wednesday amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with buzz around “AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan” and “Make in India” push.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the decision to organise Aero India amid COVID pandemic and security challenges along northern borders was “not easy”, as the event, dubbed as Asia’s largest military aviation exhibition, will kickstart in the city on February 3.

Crediting the country’s soldiers unrelenting spirit along the borders for stabilisation of the situation, he said, India thereby showed its resolve to defend its sovereignty and integrity.

“The decision to organise Aero India in these testing times forced by the twin challenges of the COVID pandemic and also the security challenges thrust up on us along the northern borders was not easy,” Singh said.

Speaking at the curtain raiser event of Aero India, he said he has no hesitation in saying that the country’s robust stand, immediate and celebrated response and unrelenting spirit of the soldiers on the borders led to stabilisation of the situation.

“We showed our resolve to defend the sovereignty and integrity of our country,” he said, adding that the resolve of the government led by the Prime Minister to put the country back on the path of revival combined with hard work of officials and other stakeholders besids Karnataka government’s support has made it possible to organise Aero India 2021.

The three-day long event commences here on Wednesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic with buzz around “AatmaNirbhar Bharat” and “Make in India” push.

With a combination of both physical and virtual exhibition, the 13th edition of the biennial international event at Air Force Station Yelahanka will be the world’s first hybrid aerospace show, according to sources.

The Defence Minister said Aero India this time, unlike many in the past, will witness the new initiatives of the new India that have begun to change “potential into reality”.

He said the President of India has consented to attend the valedictory function.

“Aero India would spark a renewed sense of pride in India’s defence manufacturing and take defence cooperation to the next level,” he added.

Further noting that since 2014, the government of India has relentlessly pushed policy reforms to boost indigenous manufacturing, Singh said the world has now started to recognise India as a trusted defence investment destination.

He said conclave of Defence Ministers of Indian Ocean region, conclave of Chiefs of Air Staff of various countries, India Russia military industrial conference, Startup Manthan are some of the highlights of the Aero India event.

“More than 200 MoU partnership agreements are likely to be signed during the Bandhan event,” he said, as he mentioned that the conclave of Defence Ministers of Indian Ocean region would reinforce the relevance of the region and its continued importance for stakeholders for trade, security and freedom of navigation.

Over 600 exhibitors, including 80 foreign companies, are expected to showcase their defence manufacturing prowess during the event.

Aero India will help forge enormous global engagement with Indian defence industry in the form of partnership and investment paving the path for transformation of the world’s largest democracy into the world’s most powerful defence economy, Singh added.

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