New Delhi,: In a fresh advisory, the Indian embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday asked all Indians there to leave the country immediately in view of increasing hostilities.
The new advisory came less than a week after a similar advisory was issued following the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine.
“In continuation of the advisory issued by the embassy on October 19, all Indian citizens in Ukraine are advised to immediately leave Ukraine by available means,” the embassy said.
It said some Indian nationals have already left Ukraine pursuant to the earlier advisory.
The embassy has asked the Indian nationals to contact it for any guidance or assistance to travel to the Ukrainian border for exiting the country.
There has been an intensification of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine with Moscow carrying out retaliatory missile strikes targeting various Ukrainian cities in response to a huge blast in Crimea around three weeks back.
Moscow blamed Kyiv for the blast.
India has been pressing for a resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue.
Archives for October 2022
Himachal Polls: Two BJP leaders quit party, file papers as independents from Dharamshala
Dharamshala: Two senior BJP leaders here resigned from the party and filed nomination papers as independent candidates for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls.
Vipin Naihariya, the party’s ST Morcha vice president, and BJP district chief Anil Choudhry were ticket aspirants but the party chose OBC leader Rakesh Chaudhary over them and sitting MLA Vishal Naihariya.
Meanwhile, the sitting MLA said he is with the party and expressed confidence in Rakesh Chaudhary.
Vipin Naihariya, a Gaddi community leader, claimed that all office-bearers of the BJP’s Dharamshala Mandal have put in their papers in protest against party ticket to Chaudhary.
Tuesday was the last day for the filing of nominations, which can withdrawn till October 29.
The voting will take place on November 12 and the results will be declared on December 8.
Notice by Pune court asks women lawyers not to fix their hair in court withdrawn later
Pune: A notice purportedly put up in the Pune district court asked women advocates not to “arrange” hair in the open court as it `disturbs the functioning of the court’.
While senior lawyer Indira Jaising flagged it on Twitter and later informed that it had been removed, the court registrar refused to comment on the issue.
The notice, dated October 20, is purportedly singed by the registrar.
“It is repeatedly noticed that women advocates are arranging their hair in open court which is disturbing the functioning of court. Hence, women advocates are hereby notified to refrain from such act,” read the text, as seen in the pictures of the notice which went viral on social media.
On Tuesday, Jaising informed on Twitter that the notice had been withdrawn, describing it as “success at last”.
Advocate Pandurang Thorve, president of the Pune Bar Association, said the association was not given any intimation about the notice.
Diwali holidays started on October 21 and the courts would resume on October 28, he said.
“After the notice went viral on social media, I went to the court today to verify it, but it wasn’t there,” Thorve said.
Coimbatore blast: Five arrested, UAPA invoked
Emergency services personnel at the site after an LPG cylinder exploded inside a car in Coimbatore
Coimbatore: The stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been invoked in the case relating to a car explosion in the city that killed one person, while five others have been arrested over the incident and police have intensified the probe covering all aspects including terror angle.
The arrested were identified by the police as Muhammad Talka, Muhammed Azharuddin, Muhammed Riyaz, Firoze Ismail and Muhammed Nawaz Ismail, all in their 20s.
With some of them being enquired by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019, the police were also probing their activities after that, City Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan said.
Hours after the Tamil Nadu BJP questioned why the police had not specified the reasons for the arrest of the five and the sections under which they have been detained, Balakrishnan said that besides the UAPA, other IPC sections like conspiracy have also been included in the case.
Police are also probing if the man killed in the gas cylinder explosion in the car on Sunday, Jemisha Mubeen had any links with Mohammed Azharuddin, an accused in the Easter Sunday bomb blasts in a Sri Lankan Church in 2019, which killed over 250 people.
The Kerala visits of the some of the arrested are also being investigated.
Further, 75 kg of potassium nitrate, charcoal and aluminium powder have been recovered from Mubeen’s house, Balakrishnan added. These chemicals are used in making country bombs, police had said earlier.
“UAPA has been invoked since there has been an explosion,” Balakrishnan told reporters here.
Three of the arrested were seen in a CCTV footage, along with Mubeen earlier, carrying two LPG cylinders and two small drums, the content of which has been sent for forensic examination, the Commissioner said.
While the three had helped Mubeen carry the items “with knowledge,” another person was apprehended for coordination. One man was arrested for providing the car, Balakrishnan added.
Asked if the police were probing a possible terror angle, Balakrishnan reiterated that the UAPA has been invoked since there was an explosion..”all angles are being probed,” he said.
Soon after the explosion on Sunday, the police took all steps to maintain law and order and this ensured Deepavali was celebrated peacefully on Monday, he said.
The number of checkposts in the city have been increased and pickets erected wherever required.
Meanwhile, theopposition BJP targeted the ruling DMK over the matter and said it exposed “intelligence failure.”
“How long will it take for the Chief Minister to accept the Intelligence has failed…bring professionals back to the force…the Home department had solid professionals, with those good in counter-terrorism, prior to 2021,” TN BJP president K Annamalai said, addressing a press conference in Chennai.
The DMK came to power winning the 2021 elections and chief minister M K Stalin holds the Home portfolio. After the DMK came to power, the priorities have changed, he indicated.
Annamalai expressed apprehensions if the Sunday explosion was some kind of a “suicide attack,” and claimed the western region of the state, comprising the industrial city of Coimbatore among others, was in the radar of “the ISIS.”
Without divulging details, he said he has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the explosion.
In an apparent response to Annamalai, state Minister V Senthil Balaji said following the incident, steps were taken to ensure peaceful Deepavali celebrations in the city.
“On the directions of the CM, the DGP visited the spot after the incident. Arrests were made and the police and the government acted diligently (following which), there was no flutter among people, he said in a tweet.
The Electricity Minister alleged some people wanted to gain “political mileage” over possible “communal riots” but that would not happen in Tamil Nadu.
Play Store policies: CCI slaps Rs 936.44 cr fine on google for abusing dominance
New Delhi: In its second ruling against Google in less than a week, the Competition Commission on Tuesday slapped a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on the internet major for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.
The regulator has also directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices as well as carry out various measures to address the anti-competitive issues within a defined timeline, according to an order.
This is the second major CCI ruling against Google in less than a week. On October 20, the watchdog imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices and ordered the internet major to cease and desist from various unfair business practices.
In a release on Tuesday, the Competition Commission of India (Commission) said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies. The penalty amount translates to 7 per cent of the company’s average relevant turnover.
Google’s Play Store constitutes the main distribution channel for app developers in the Android mobile ecosystem, which allows its owners to capitalise on the apps brought to market.
The regulator noted that making access to the Play Store for app developers dependent on mandatory usage of GPBS (Google Play’s Billing System) for paid apps and in-app purchases constitutes an imposition of an unfair condition on app developers.
Apart from the penalty, CCI said Google should not restrict app developers from using any third-party billing/ payment processing services for purchasing apps.
There was no immediate comment from Google on the latest CCI order. On October 21, the internet major said it will review the order with respect to the Android devices matter.
Through the two orders passed in less than a week, the watchdog has imposed “provisional” penalties” totalling Rs 2,274.2 crore on Google. The latest ruling related to Google Play Store came on the last day of the tenure of CCI Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta.
In February 2018, the regulator imposed a fine of Rs 136 crore on Google for unfair business practices in the Indian market for the online search.
Currently, the regulator is probing Google in cases of alleged anti-competitive practices by Google with respect to news content and smart TV.
In the 199-page order on Tuesday, CCI flagged the issue of “glaring inconsistencies and wide disclaimers in presenting various data points by Google”.
“The Commission is constrained to observe that despite commanding enormous resources, Google has failed to provide the data in the manner sought by the Commission despite the grant of sufficient time, as sought by it.
“Be that as it may, in the interest of justice and with an intent of ensuring necessary market correction at the earliest, the Commission decides to proceed to quantify the provisional monetary penalties on the basis of the data presented by Google,” the order said.
Google has been directed to provide the requisite financial data within 30 days of receiving the order.
Similar observations were also made in the CCI’s ruling against Google in the Android matter.
According to the release on Tuesday, Google has been asked to implement various measures, including allowing and not restricting app developers from using any third-party billing/ payment processing services, either for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps.
“Google shall also not discriminate or otherwise take any adverse measures against such apps using third-party billing/ payment processing services, in any manner,” the release said.
Further, the internet major has been asked not to impose any anti-steering provisions on app developers as well as not restrict them from communicating with their users to promote their apps and offerings, in any manner.
Google should not restrict end users, in any manner, to access and use within apps, the features and services offered by app developers, the release said.
According to CCI, the company should set out a clear and transparent policy on data that is collected on its platform, the use of such data by the platform and also the potential and actual sharing of such data with app developers or other entities, including related entities.
Among other directions, the regulator has told Google that the competitively relevant transaction/consumer data of apps generated and acquired through GPBS should not be leveraged by the company to further its competitive advantage.
“Google shall also provide access to the app developer of the data that has been generated through the concerned app, subject to adequate safeguards, as highlighted in this order,” the release said.
Also, CCI has asked the internet major not to impose any condition on app developers, which is unfair, unreasonable, discriminatory or disproportionate to the services provided to the app developers.
As per the regulator, Google should ensure complete transparency in communicating to app developers, services provided, and the corresponding fee charged. Google shall also publish in an unambiguous manner the payment policy and criteria for the applicability of the fee.
“Google shall not discriminate against other apps facilitating payment through UPI in India vis-a-vis its own UPI app, in any manner,” it added.
Meanwhile, the watchdog said that recently Google has allowed rival UPI apps to be integrated with the intent flow.
Earlier in the day before CCI issued its order related to Google’s Play Store matter, the CCI Chairperson said the regulator has been pragmatic in levying and quantifying penalties as the enforcement actions are not divorced from business and economic realities.
Bande Mutt seer allegedly ended life over blackmail, says police
Ramanagara: The seer of Kunchagal Bande Mutt here, who was found hanging on Monday morning, allegedly killed himself over “blackmail”, police said.
Police have found a couple of pages of a purported death note by the seer in which he is said to have blamed some people of “harassing and blackmailing” him.
Sri Basavalingeshwara Swami, the head of the Math in Kempupura of Magadi taluk here, which has a history of more than 400 years, was found hanging from a window grill of the puja house at the math’s premises.
The seer, who had taken over the reins of the math in 1997, had celebrated the silver jubilee as the chief priest, a few months ago.
According to sources, alarmed at the puja house door remaining shut till six in the morning, which was unusual as the seer used to be awake by 4 AM for puja and kept the doors open, and him not responding to knocks or phone calls, mutt’s staff checked from the rear and found him hanging. They subsequently informed the police.
Police said they have registered a case of abetment to suicide and investigation is on.
According to police sources, a couple of pages of death note was found in which he has accused some people of harassing and blackmailing him by assassinating his character and has even named them.
Police, however, refused to divulge details and names citing that the investigations are on.
Officials said they will be questioning those named and those who were in close contact with the seer at the mutt and over phone.
The seer’s last rites were performed on Monday evening, after completing due procedures and post-mortem.
In December last year, the head of Chilume Mutt, Basavalinga Swamy, was also found hanging in a similar fashion. He reportedly had died upset over his deteriorating health, and was said to be depressed.
Stoinis smashes record fifty in Australia’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka
Perth:Marcus Stoinis destroyed the Sri Lankan attack en route to scoring the fastest fifty by an Australian as the hosts got their T20 World Cup campaign back on track with a seven-wicket victory here on Tuesday.
Charith Asalanka’s 38 not out off 25 balls helped Sri Lanka put up a fighting 157 for six after Australia put them in.
Sri Lanka fought hard before they were blown away by the brute force of Stoinis who remained on 59 off 18 balls as Australia romped home in 16.3 overs. The all-rounder raced to a record half-century in 17 balls. His memorable knock included half a dozen sixes and four boundaries.
Despite losing fast bowler Binura Fernando to injury in the first over, Sri Lanka kept themselves in the game for a major part of Australia’s chase.
The dangerous David Warner perished cheaply and skipper Aaron Finch was unable to break the shackles, increasing the pressure on the hosts. Finch struggled to 24 off his first 35 balls and ended up with 31 off 42 balls.
Mitchell Marsh scored a run-a-ball 17 before Glenn Maxwell came up with a couple of sixes and fours in his 12-ball 23 to release some pressure. During his short stay, Maxwell suffered a nasty blow on the right side of helmet grill while trying to pull a rising delivery from Lahiru Kumara.
The all-rounder fell attempting another big hit but substitute Ashen Bandara took a brilliant catch very close to the deep midwicket boundary to leave Sri Lanka at 89 for three in the 13th over.
While Finch struggled at the other end, Stoinis came in and produced a barrage of sixes and fours to effectively shut the door on Sri Lanka.
Stoinis, and the rest of the batters, targeted star Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who had a day to forget, leaking 53 runs in three overs.
Earlier, defending champions Australia produced a disciplined bowling effort for the majority of the innings before Asalanka propped up the total on a quick pitch.
The last four overs yielded 46 runs for Sri Lanka including a 20-run final over from Pat Cummins.
The left-handed Asalanka launched into Cummins in the 20th over, hitting a sublime straight six besides a pull for a boundary. Chamika Karunaratne gave Asalanka good support with an unbeaten 14 off seven balls.
Early on, the Sri Lankan innings could never get the momentum after Australia put them into bat.
After Kusal Mendis fell cheaply, Pathum Nissanka (40 off 45 balls) and Dhananjaya de Silva (26 off 23) shared a steady 69-run stand off 58 balls before regular fall of wickets derailed the Sri Lankan innings.
De Silva fell to a brilliant running catch in the deep from David Warner, who was a livewire on the field, leaving Sri Lanka at 75 for two in the 12th over.
Nissanka attempted a suicidal single to throw away his wicket and it was followed by a flurry of wickets to leave the Asia Cup winners struggling at 120 for six.
All the Australian frontline pacers — Josh Hazlewood, Cummins and Mitchell Starc — picked up a wicket each. Cummins’ final over effort spoilt his overall figures, though.
Yatnal loves Pakistan, speaks of it in every speech, says Owaisi
Vijayapura: AIMIM president and Parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi has said that BJP Vijayapura legislator Basangouda Patil Yatnal’s repeated reference to Pakistan in his speeches merely reflected his love for Pakistan.
Addressing reporters after campaigning for his party ahead of the Municipal Corporation election, Owaisi said that while nobody in AIMIM even mentions the name of Pakistan, Yatnal keeps speaking of our neighbor.
“I have no idea why Yatnal loves Pakistan to such an extent. He is probably following the orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeatedly mention Pakistan every time he speaks,” said Owaisi.
The MP also accused the BJP of getting commission in the matter of Halal. “There are videos of the BJP members receiving commission,” Owaisi charged.
Targeted killings trigger fear, Kashmiri Pandits leave Valley
SRINAGAR: At least nine non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit families on Monday relocated from Shopian district in the Valley to Jammu after a Pandit farmer was killed by militants in the district on October 15, a Kashmiri Pandit group said.
The group added that at least 17 Pandit families have left Kashmir in the last few months due to fear and targeted killings by militants. Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) president Sanjay Tickoo told TNIE that nine non-migrant Pandit families living in Chowdari Gund area of Shopian in south Kashmir left for Jammu on Monday.
He pointed out the families left for Jammu even as their apple yield is still lying unpackaged and unsold on their farms. Tickoo said the nine families who left for Jammu had not migrated from the Valley when members of the community migrated en-masse after the eruption of militancy in 1989.
Now, the targeted killings this year have again sent across a wave of fear in the Valley. On October 15, Puran Krishan Bhat was shot dead by militants near his residence in Chowdari Gund area. Tickoo said that in the last few months, 17 non-migrant Pandit families have fled from their homes to Jammu, leaving behind everything, including their property.
Over 800 Pandit families had not migrated from the Valley in 1990, choosing to stay back with the majority community. Of them, 600 families live in the four districts of Shopian, Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama in south Kashmir, while 200 families live in central Kashmir and about 25 families are presently residing in north Kashmir, which comprises the three districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. Asked whether members of his community are seeking his counsel, Tickoo said, “Yes, I am receiving calls from them.
I suggest that they take the decision as per individual circumstances.”
Although security forces are deployed in the areas where the Pandits live, Bhat was killed inside the premises of his house. “The killing has caused further fear among the Pandit community,” Tickoo said. Bhat’s killing was the third targeted murder of a Pandit by militants in the Valley in the last five months.
On August 16, militants shot dead Sunil Kumar Bhat and injured his cousin Pitambar Nath Bath in village Chontipora in Shopian. On May 12, Rahul Bhat was shot dead by militants inside the tehsilar’s office in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. About 5,000 Pandit employees given jobs in the Valley under the PM package have not attended their official duties since Rahul was killed.
Islamic State member jailed over drone plot against Barcelona-Madrid match
MADRID: A man who received orders from the jihadist Islamic State group to carry out a drone attack against a Barcelona-Real Madrid football match was sentenced Monday by a Spanish court to three years in jail
Mohammed Yassi Amrani, a former bar worker, became “a member of Daesh during a fast process” of radicalisation in 2020, according to his indictment, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
After he called for “jihad” in a Facebook post in March 2020, he was contacted online by an Islamic State recruiter who asked to communicate with Amrani through Telegram, a popular encrypted messaging app.
Via Telegram the recruiter ordered Amrani to carry out an attack to “purify his life and assure a place in paradise” and make up for having drunk alcohol in the past and shunned religion.
His Islamic State contact instructed him to fly a drone packed with explosives over Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium during a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid and then blow it up.
Matches between Spain’s two powerhouse teams — dubbed “El Clasico” — are among the most watched matches in the world.
No date for the planned attack was given. At the time Spain was under a severe Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and matches were suspended.
Police arrested Amrani in May 2020 and searched his home. He reportedly lived in Barcelona at the time.
Spain’s National Court, which deals with terrorism cases, on Monday sentenced him to three years in jail for planning an attack “following an agreement from all sides,” a court spokesman did.
Barcelona’s 99,000-seat Camp Nou stadium was on a list of potential targets drawn up by the jihadist cell behind the twin vehicle attacks in August 2017 which killed 16 people in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils further south.
Also on the list of targets was Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia church and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
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