The Indian Panorama

Year: 2022

  • The Kapil Sharma Show promotions doesn’t translate to ticket sales: John Abraham

    The Kapil Sharma Show promotions doesn’t translate to ticket sales: John Abraham

    John Abraham is all set for the release of e action thriller film Attack. Directed by Lakshya Raj Anand, this film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Rakul Preet Singh, will be hitting theatres on April 1, 2022, and the Dhoom actor is all out promoting it now. During one such promotional interview, John opened up about several things including giving new talent the chance to perform, the industry (him included) belting out not so impressive movies and promoting the upcoming on platforms including the much-loved The Kapil Sharma show. Read on to know all he said.

    A while ago, John Abraham, Attack director Lakshya Raj Anand and music director Shashwat Sachdev were interviewed for a video by Tried & Refused Productions YouTube channel. While there, the Garam Masala got candid about belting out not so great films. The Desi Boys actor said, “I had a franchise that worked, and I belted out something that was just the opposite for the second part. Why did I do it? Because I succumbed to the diktats of commercialism. And because it was a part two, I said, ‘Hey, listen…’ And if you see all the part twos that are releasing now, it’s like…”

    John Abraham continued, “I’m not trying to hard-sell this film. I have no qualms about being ripped apart for something I’ve done badly… The fact of the matter is, if you don’t call a spade a spade, you’re going to be stuck.” In the same conversation, John also said that he doesn’t believe in item numbers in his films, and sometimes, it shows on his face even on screen.

    In the same conversation, John Abraham also spoke about promoting the film on different platforms. While stating that Attack director Lakshya Raj Anand gets hyper about the film’s marketing, John added that promoting a film on The Kapil Sharma Show doesn’t translate into ticket sales. Citing Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files became a success without traditional marketing, he said, “He (Anand) took me to Kapil Sharma, saying ‘I want you to be on Kapil Sharma’. I like Kapil, he’s a nice boy, but it doesn’t translate to ticket sales.”

  • Urvashi Rautela collaborates with ‘Talk dirty to me’ hitmaker Jason Derulo

    Urvashi Rautela collaborates with ‘Talk dirty to me’ hitmaker Jason Derulo

    Actress Urvashi Rautela has announced collaboration with popular singer Jason Derulo, known for belting out hits such as ‘Talk dirty to me’, ‘Wiggle wiggle’, ‘Swalla’ and ‘Trumpets’ among many others, for their upcoming music single. Urvashi had shared a glimpse of it on her social media and has made it official on her collaboration for the song. Jason Derulo, on working with Urvashi, said: “It was a pleasure working with Urvashi Rautela in ‘Jaanu’. She’s a shining example of raw Indian beauty, and more importantly, Urvashi Rautela is not just the first, but also the second most beautiful woman in the world.

    “She is an excellent and outstanding actor and performer. She is the ultimate global icon. The only Bollywood film person I know of after Shah Rukh Khan is Urvashi Rautela. She is very famous. I cannot comment on the industry, but I like the emotions and dance that Indian movies involve.”         Source: IANS

  • Ileana D’Cruz’s New Dance Track ‘Ooo Ooo’ Is Out

    Ileana D’Cruz’s New Dance Track ‘Ooo Ooo’ Is Out

    The groovy dance track ‘Ooo Ooo’ featuring Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz and singer-composer Qaran, was released on Wednesday, April 6. The track, which has flavours of urban and contemporary music, has been composed and sung by Qaran with lyrics by Qaran and Siddhesh Patole. The song has been conceptualised and created by Vidit Chitroda and directed by Avinash Jai Singh. It features reggaeton inflections powered by guitars and an infectious groove. Talking about the song, Ileana D’Cruz said, “When I heard ‘Ooo Ooo’ I couldn’t stop grooving to the track, it was right up my alley. Qaran and I had a blast filming the song and I can’t wait for everyone to listen to it.”

    Sharing the idea behind the song, Qaran said, “‘Ooo Ooo’ is a song that I’ve always wanted to make. Something which puts a smile on peoples faces and gives them a feeling of positivity and happiness. In my opinion, this song and the energy it brings is the perfect way to usher the world back into a state of a relative normalcy after 2 years of uncertainty.”       Source: IANS

  • Top Gun Maverick: Tom Cruise zooms in a fighter jet to May 27 release

    Top Gun Maverick: Tom Cruise zooms in a fighter jet to May 27 release

    A new trailer for Hollywood star Tom Cruise’s much-anticipated movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has been unveiled on Tuesday and it shows the actor reviving his iconic role of Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, now a high-flying test pilot and instructor. The film is a sequel to the 1986 hit movie Top Gun and has all the elements — thrill, drama and action to keep the moviegoers glued to the screens.

    The sequel is set decades after the 1986 movie and features actor Miles Teller as the son of Anthony Edwards’ pilot Goose, who is killed during a training exercise in the first movie.

    The trailer is loaded with scenes of thrill, drama, suspense and action. It shows plenty of shots of Maverick jetting across barren landscapes and over mountain ridges. It also features some spectacular action shots.

    Top Gun: Maverick also stars Jennifer Connelly, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Bashir Salahuddin, Danny Ramirez and Monica Barbaro.

    Joe Kosinski has directed the film, from a script by Peter Craig, Justin Marks and Eric Warren Singer.

    Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the first movie with the late Don Simpson, also produced the upcoming film with Cruise and Skydance CEO David Ellison. Top Gun: Maverick arrives in theatres on May 27.

              Source: ANI

  • Robert Downey Jr partners with HBO Max to produce 2 Sherlock Holmes Spin-Offs

    Robert Downey Jr partners with HBO Max to produce 2 Sherlock Holmes Spin-Offs

    Before Benedict Cumberbatch made his name synonymous with Sherlock Holmes, just a year before that (2009), it was Robert Downey Jr who played the character and was highly loved for it. The actor played the iconic British spy based on the books and his version of him did bring footfalls to the theatres. The biggest mystery around the franchise has been the future and possibility of the third movie. But looks like, while RDJ is moving slowly with the threequel, he is also expanding the Holmes universe.

    For the unversed, RDJ known for his role as Iron Man aka Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe played the iconic detective in 2 movies. Sherlock Holmes (2009) and A Game Of Shadow (2011). Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, the movies went on to earn $524 Million and $544 Million respectively. A third Holmes movie featuring Robert and to be directed by Dexter Fletcher is in development. But while that awaits on the back burner to be resurrected, Robert Downey Jr has joined hand with HBO Max to make two spinoff shows to Sherlock Holmes, expanding the Detective universe further. Read on to know everything you should about it at the same time.

  • Kim Kardashian opens up on how serious she’s with Pete Davidson

    Kim Kardashian speaks about her relationship with Pete Davidson, revealing how serious things are between the two. Their romance is one of the least expected ones people have seen. What started as rumours after Kim appeared on SNL became true when the two were spotted hanging out on several occasions.

    The SKIMS founder split with Kanye West, who were married for seven years, in 2021. When things became more and more serious between her and Pete, West started to rant about the comedian, thus starting their infamous online feud. Things have seemed to die down ever since Ye’s Instagram was suspended.

    But who knows what happens behind the closed curtains. Meanwhile, amid all the drama between Kanye West and Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian has opened up about her relationship with the comedian. Kim will be appearing on Good Morning America, of which a snippet has been released.

    Kim Kardashian was asked by the interviewer about how “serious” things are with Pete Davidson. “I mean, I am a relationship kind of girl, for sure,” the KUWTK star said. “And I wouldn’t be with someone if I didn’t plan on spending a lot of my time with them,” she continued. “Obviously, I wanna take my time, but I’m very happy and very content, and it’s such a good feeling just to be at peace,” Kim further said.

    To be honest she actually seems happier now. Recently, the make-up mogul landed on the Forbes’ annual world’s billionaire list. As per the reports, she ranked #1,729 with a net worth of $1.8 billion. Other than her, Kanye West also made it to the list, who is worth $2 billion.

    However, it is being said that Ye has claimed his worth is being underestimated. Meanwhile, it’s not just Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson whose relationship is going well. Recently, Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian married her beau Travis Barker at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.         Source: Koimoi

  • China hackers targeted power grids near Ladakh, says report

    China hackers targeted power grids near Ladakh, says report

    New Delhi (TIP)- Chinese hackers targeted power grids in north India over the last several months including in March this year, a US-based private cybersecurity firm has claimed. It said the seven targeted State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) were “in proximity to the disputed India-China border in Ladakh”. Using a family of malware called ShadowPad, these hackers targeted SLDCs in north Indian states, according to a report released by Recorded Future, a Massachusetts-based cyber security firm that describes itself as specialising in the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of threat intelligence.

    The hackers are backed by Chinese state entities, the report said, linking the use of the trojan ShadowPad and hacking groups to the People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

    It said the company had informed the Indian authorities before publication of the report.

    “In recent months, we observed likely network intrusions targeting at least 7 Indian State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispatch within these respective states. Notably, this targeting has been geographically concentrated, with the identified SLDCs located in North India, in proximity to the disputed India-China border in Ladakh,” the report said.

    The report said the hackers, named by the firm as Threat Activity Group (TAG) 38, also targeted an emergency response force, and an Indian subsidiary of a multinational logistics company.

    Although the report did not identify the targets, a blank map in the report pinpoints the locations of the attacks in the areas of Jammu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana-Rajasthan.

    Speaking on the sidelines of a clean energy ministerial meet in the national capital, Power Minister R K Singh acknowledged attempts were made by China, but added India’s defences against such intrusions were strong.

    “Our defence against cyber attack is strong. These were probing attacks in December, January and February. They did not succeed. But we are aware,” he said. He also said action was taken way back in 2018 against suspected cyber attacks on the country’s power supply system. “We had put protocols in place. Those protocols are working and we are strengthening those protocols every day. So, our cyber defence against cyber attack is strong. We are confident about that,” Singh asserted.

    Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have seen the reports. There is a mechanism in place so that our critical infrastructure remains resilient in such cases… We have systems in place to safeguard critical infrastructure… I don’t have any information that we have raised the issue with China.”

  • India-US 2+2 talks on April 11

    New Delhi (TIP)- India on Thursday said its 2+2 dialogue with the US next week will provide an opportunity to exchange views on important regional and global developments and how both sides can work together to address common interests and concerns. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold the talks with US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on April 11 in Washington. The unfolding situation in Ukraine is expected to be discussed. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “The dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security.”

  • Why India abstained from UN resolution suspending Russia from rights body

    New Delhi (TIP)- India on Thursday, April 7,  abstained from voting on the resolution at the United Nations General Assembly seeking Russia’s suspension from the human rights council “for reasons of both substance and process,” said TS Tirumurti, permanent representative to the United Nations. “We firmly believe that all decisions should be taken fully respecting due process, as all our democratic polity and structures enjoin us to do. This applies to international organisations as well, particularly the United Nations,” he said on Thursday as the UNGA made a rare move to suspend Russia from the rights body. This is only the second time in the history of the intergovernmental organisation that it has taken such an action against a country after Libya was suspended in 2011.

    “We do so for both reasons of substance and process. Since the inception of the Ukrainian conflict, India has stood for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of lives. If India has chosen any side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” Tirumurti said at the UNGA. “We continue to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation and reiterate our call for an end to all hostilities. When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option,” he added. The envoy also stressed that India condemns the killings in Bucha. “We support the call for an independent investigation. The impact of the conflict can be felt with the increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. It is in our interest – both inside the UN and outside – seeking an early end to the conflict.

    The resolution received a two-thirds majority of those voting, minus abstentions, in the 193-member assembly, with 93 nations voting in favour and 24 against. Those abstaining, included India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. “This is not the first time that a Member State has had its membership of the Human Rights Council suspended. Libya lost its seat in 2011, following repression of protests by ruler Muammar Gaddafi, who was later overthrown,” the UN said in a statement.

    Source: HT

  • RBI maintains status quo; leaves benchmark lending rate unchanged at 4%

    Mumbai (TIP)- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday, April 8,  kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent and decided to continue with its accommodative stance despite rising inflation. This is the 11th time in a row that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has maintained the status quo. RBI had last revised its policy repo rate or the short-term lending rate on May 22, 2020 in an off-policy cycle to perk up demand by cutting the interest rate to a historic low. MPC has decided to keep benchmark repurchase (repo) rate at 4 per cent, Das said while announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy review. Consequently, the reverse repo rate will continue to earn 3.35 per cent interest for banks for their deposits kept with RBI. This is the first MPC meeting of the current financial year.

    Source: PTI

  • Over 100 more military items face import ban

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, March 7,  released the third list of more than 101 military systems and weapons that will come under an import ban over the next five years and be developed indigenously, in a fresh impetus to the Indian armament industry. The list includes naval utility helicopters, lightweight tanks, submarine-launched cruise missiles, naval anti-drone systems, battlefield surveillance radars and artillery gun systems.

    “Today, it gives me great pleasure to release the third positive indigenisation list of 101 defence equipment and platforms to the nation. The release of this list shows the fast pace of our self-reliance in the defence sector,” he said.

    The third list also comprised next generation offshore patrol vessels, MF Star radars for ships, medium-range anti-ship missiles, advanced lightweight torpedos, high endurance autonomous underwater vehicles, medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions.

    The first “positive indigenisation” list of 101 items that included towed artillery guns, short-range surface-to-air missiles, cruise missiles and offshore patrol vessels was issued in August 2020.   Source: PTI

  • MP police arrest journalists, force them to get naked for covering BJP MLA story

    MP police arrest journalists, force them to get naked for covering BJP MLA story

    A group of video journalists were arrested and stripped down by Madhya Pradesh police for covering stories of BJP MLA. They alleged that they were abused, beaten up and asked to strip by some police personnel when they went to cover a protest against a local BJP MLA. The incident was reported on April 2.

    As per reports, the journalists went to cover the arrest of Neeraj Kunder who was arrested for making indecent remarks about BJP MLA Kedarnath Shukla for using a fake ID.

    These journalists were detained by the police after a complaint was registered by Shukla. Shukla alleged that they were running fake news against him. Photographs of the eight journalists have gone viral on social media, where they could be seen standing inside a police station in semi-naked condition. One of the journalists, Kanishka Tiwari runs a YouTube channel in local language Bagheli and has more than one lakh followers.   Source: TNS

  • Seer issues ‘rape threat’ to a ‘community’ if any Hindu girl is teased in UP’s Khairabad

    Sitapur (TIP)- A video of a saffron-clad seer allegedly delivering a hate speech against a community and issuing a “rape threat” surfaced on social media on Thursday, April 7, prompting police to initiate a probe into the matter.

    The two-minute video containing the hate speech is said to have been recorded on April 2 when the seer identified as Bajrang Muni Das, the mahant of Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram in Khairabad town, was taking out a procession on the occasion of Navratri and Hindu New Year.

    Bajrang Das Muni can be heard saying in the video that if any Hindu girl is teased by a man belonging to a particular community, he would himself rape a woman of that community. He also made some more objectionable comments.

    It is alleged that when his procession reached near a mosque, he started giving the hate speech on a loudspeaker.

    “I am telling this to you with all the love that if a single Hindu girl is teased by you in Khairabad, I will openly bring your daughter and daughter-in-law out of your home and rape her,” he is heard saying in the video. After the video surfaced on social media, the Sitapur police initiated a probe under Additional Superintendent of Police North Rajiv Dikshit. Legal action will be ensured as per rules on the basis of the facts and evidences that surface in the probe, police said.   Source: PTI

  • Budget Session 2022: Parliament adjourned sine die; 11 Bills passed by both houses

    Budget Session 2022: Parliament adjourned sine die; 11 Bills passed by both houses

    New Delhi (TIP)- The Budget Session, 2022 of Parliament, which commenced on, 31 January 2022, has been adjourned sine die today i.e. Thursday, 07 April 2022. Speaking about the Budget Session,  Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi stated that during the entire Budget Session, 2022 there were 27 sittings of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The Minister underlined that the Session, which was originally scheduled to have sittings till 8 April, 2022, was curtailed due to demand of Leaders of various political parties. The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Culture  Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & External Affairs  V. Muraleedharan were also present in the press conference. The Budget Session, 2022 of Parliament which commenced on Monday, 31st January, 2022 has been adjourned sine die today i.e. Thursday, the 7th April, 2022. In between Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha adjourned for recess on Friday, the 11th February, 2022 to reassemble on Monday, the 14th March, 2022 to enable Departmentally related Standing Committees to examine and report on the Demands for Grants relating to various Ministries/Departments.

    The first part of the Budget Session yielded a total of 10 sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.  In the second part of the Session, there were 17 sittings of both Houses. During the first part of the Session, keeping in mind Covid situation Lok Sabha has used Lok Sabha Chamber, Lok Sabha Public Gallery, Rajya Sabha Chamber and Rajya Sabha Public Gallery for its sittings while Rajya Sabha has used Rajya Sabha Chamber, Rajya Sabha Public Gallery and Lok Sabha Chamber for its sittings. Lok Sabha sat from 4 pm to 9 pm (with extended time, whenever required) daily except on 31.01.2022 and 1.02.2022 when they sat first. Rajya Sabha had its meetings from 9 am to 3 pm (with extended time, whenever required) daily except on 31.01.2022 and 1.02.2022 when they sat second. In the second part of the Session, the timing of the Houses was reverted back to the normal hours ie. from 11am to 6 pm (with extended time, whenever required) following all protocols.

    This being the first Session of the year, the President addressed both Houses of Parliament assembled together in terms of Article 87(1) of the Constitution, on 31st January, 2022. Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha was moved by Harish Dwivedi and seconded by Shri Kamlesh Paswan.  This item engaged the Lok Sabha for 15 Hours 13 minutes against allotted 12 Hours. In Rajya Sabha it was moved by Shrimati Geeta alias Chandraprabha and seconded by Shri Shwait Malik. This item engaged the Rajya Sabha for 12 Hours 56 minutes against allotted 12 Hours. The Motions of Thanks were discussed and adopted after reply from the Hon’ble Prime Minister by the two Houses during the first part of the Session.

    The Union Budget for 2022- 23 was presented on Tuesday, the 1st of February, 2022. General Discussion on the Union Budget was held in both Houses in the first part of the Session.  This engaged the Lok Sabha for 15 Hours 35 minutes against allotted 12 Hours and Rajya Sabha for 11 Hours 01 minute against allotted 11 Hours.

    In the Rajya Sabha the working of the Ministries of Development of North Eastern Region, Tribal Affairs, Railways and Labour and Employment were discussed.  The discussion of the working of Ministry of Labour and Employment, however, remained inconclusive. During this Session a total of 13 Bills (12 in Lok Sabha and 01 in Rajya Sabha) were introduced. 13 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 11 Bills were passed by Rajya Sabha. Total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament is 11. Some of the major Bills passed by both Houses during the Session are as under :

    The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, to authorise for taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters and to preserve records and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

    The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to (i) unify the three municipal corporations into a single, integrated and well equipped entity; (ii) ensure a robust mechanism for synergised and strategic planning and optimal utilisation of resources; (iii) bring about greater transparency, improved governance and more efficient delivery of civic service for the people of Delhi.

    The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to amend Part XV.—Tripura of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 to insert “Darlong” community as a sub-tribe of “Kuki” after sub-tribe “(iii) Chhalya” in entry 9 in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

    The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to omit Bhogta community from the list of Scheduled Castes in relation to the State of Jharkhand and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 for inclusion of certain communities in the lists of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Jharkhand. Further, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was also passed by Lok Sabha which seeks to— (a) prohibit financing of any activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems; (b) empower the Central Government to— (i) freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing; (ii) prohibit making available funds, financial assets or economic resources for any prohibited activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

    The productivity of Lok Sabha during the Budget Session, 2022 was approx. 129% and that of Rajya Sabha was 98%.

  • PM Imran Khan to address nation today, calls Cabinet meeting

    PM Imran Khan to address nation today, calls Cabinet meeting

    Islamabad (TIP): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 7 announced that he would address the nation on April 8 evening after his government suffered a setback following the Supreme Court’s decision.

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday restored the National Assembly after it declared the government’s decision to dissolve the assembly and NA Deputy Speaker QasimSuri’s ruling against the Constitution.

    Khan said a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentary committee would also be convened on April 8 and he would “continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball”.

    This sets the stage for a fresh no-confidence vote in the National Assembly on April 9 at a time when the political power base of the Punjab Assembly is poised on a razor’s edge. In a meeting held at a private hotel in Lahore, the Opposition claimed that 199 legislators had “elected” Shahbaz Sharif’s son HamzaShahbaz Sharif as the Chief Minister. During the hearing itself, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial noted that the Deputy Speaker’s ruling is, prima facie, a violation of Article 95. “The real question at hand is what happens next. We have to look at national interests,” he had said. Pakistan began undergoing a political upheaval after the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly blocked a no-confidence motion against Khan. Subsequently, Pakistan President ArifAlvi dissolved the House and endorsed Khan’s recommendation to hold fresh elections in 90 days. (TNS)

  • Lankan fuel pumps may go dry by April end; India’s USD 500 million credit line exhausting rapidly

    Colombo (TIP): Sri Lanka may run out of diesel by the end of this month with the USD 500 million line of credit extended by India for fuel purchase exhausting fast amidst the unprecedented shortage of foreign reserves.

    According to officials, fuel shipments to Sri Lanka started coming in late March due to the urgency of the situation although they were scheduled to start from April 1. Three more Indian shipments are due on April 15, 18 and 23 and the facility would be fully exhausted by then unless the Sri Lankan government sought for a further extension from India, they said. Diesel is widely used for public transport and thermal power generation in the country.

    Closure of a few thermal power plants due to lack of diesel has already caused power cuts lasting over 10 hours daily.

    The country’s only refinery had to be shut down twice in November 2021, since it was unable to pay for imports.

    Enraged people got into the streets for endless agitations against the government, calling for its resignation for the incompetence. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) has warned President Rajapaksa about the shortage of even the most essential medicines in the island nation due to the forex related economic crisis.

    The SLMA says medicine, equipment and reagents are in short supply in the health sector.

    They have stopped routine surgery in order to reserve the available facilities for life threatening emergencies. Separately, garment export industry association, Sri Lanka Joint Apparel Association Forum, has also written to Rajapaksa urging short-term solutions to the current crisis.

    Garment exports, mainly to the US and the European Union markets, accounts for about 6 per cent of the GDP.

    On Thursday night, a group of protesters tried to break barricades opposite the Temple Trees in Colombo, the prime minister’s office cum residence.

    Despite the declaration of a state of emergency and a weekend curfew, people joined the protests calling for the resignation of Rajapaksa. Protesters even blocked the access roads to the Parliament.

    India had in February extended a USD 500 million credit line to Sri Lanka to fund the country’s fuel purchases, as the island nation struggled to overcome its worst financial and energy crisis in decades.

    Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948. (PTI)

  • Prime Minister Deuba seeks mechanism to resolve India-Nepal border dispute

    Kathmandu (TIP): India and Nepal on April 6 discussed the Kalapani border dispute, said Prime Minister SherBahadurDeuba in New Delhi. Addressing the media after holding bilateral talks, the visiting Prime Minister jointly with Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated the first cross border rail link between India and Nepal. Nepal also became the 105th member country to sign on to the Framework Agreement of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

    “We discussed the boundary issue and I urged Modiji to resolve it through the establishment of a bilateral mechanism,” said MrDeuba. The visit of the Nepalese leader is the first since the Kalapani boundary issue erupted in November 2019 after the revised political map of India depicted the triangular area of Kalapani-Lipulek-Limpiyadhura within the territory of Uttarakhand. In a tit-for-tat move, Kathmandu responded by placing a revised political map of the country in the national insignia of Nepal. Both sides were expected to address the issue under an existing mechanism led by the Foreign Secretaries but that meeting is yet to be announced. Nepal had earlier written to New Delhi seeking the meeting of the Foreign Secretary-level mechanism to discuss the border dispute at Kalapani.

    India also urged Nepal to avoid “politicisation” of the boundary dispute. Foreign Secretary Harsh VardhanShringla briefing the media after the talks said, “There was a general understanding that both sides needed to address this in a responsible manner through discussion and dialogue. In the spirit of our close and friendly relations, politicisation of such issues should be avoided.” India’s position on avoiding politicisation of the Kalapani issue appears to be aimed at the upcoming election season in the Himalayan country when emotive issues like the border dispute are expected to be raised during political campaigns by both the opposition led by former PM K P Sharma Oli and some sections of the ruling coalition of Nepali Congress and CPN – Maoist Center.

    The two leaders inaugurated the broad gauge Jaynagar-Kurtha rail link that will establish rail connectivity to Janakpur in Nepal. India also launched the RuPay card facility in Nepal during the formal ceremony held at the Hyderabad House. “This would open new vistas for cooperation in financial connectivity, and is expected to facilitate bilateral tourist flows as well as further strengthen people to people linkages between India and Nepal,” declared an official statement that was issued at the end of official discussion here.

    The two sides came out with a Joint Vision Statement on Power Sector cooperation between India and Nepal recognising “unprecedented opportunities”. Prime Minister Modi and PM Deuba jointly inaugurated the 90 km long 132 KVDC Solu Corridor Transmission line and substation that were built through the Line of Credit extended by India.

    Addressing the meeting, MrModi said, “The close friendship between India and Nepal has no comparison anywhere in the world.” He welcomed the Nepalese leader’s decision to visit Varanasi on Sunday where MrDeuba is expected to visit the Vishwanath temple. Both the leaders welcomed the February 28 Nepal-India agreement to enable long term supply of fertilizers from India to Nepal, a key demand of Kathmandu to deal with the fertilizer crisis in the country. For the past few years, Nepal’s agriculture sector has been suffering from a shortage of urea and chemical fertilizers. Under the G-2-G agreement, Kathmandu can import around 210,000 metric tonnes of chemical fertilizer from India annually. India and Nepal have been working on building a tourism circuit that connects the pilgrimage sites located in the two countries.  (The Hindu)

  • Shanghai becomes new Covid-19 epicentre with record cases for sixth consecutive day

    Shanghai becomes new Covid-19 epicentre with record cases for sixth consecutive day

    Beijing (TIP): Shanghai, the global financial hub and China’s biggest city, has become the epicentre of Covid-19 cases in the country as it set a record of six-straight days of logging around 20,000 cases, as the city ramped up mass testing to tackle the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

    The Chinese mainland reported 1,284 new locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases, including 322 in Shanghai, on Wednesday, China’s National Health Commission reported on April 7. April 5 also saw 21,784 new asymptomatic cases, including 19,660 in Shanghai, it said. Shanghai with a population of about 26 million, which remained under lockdown for several days, has already conducted three rounds of mass testing.

    Shanghai’s latest caseloads have established it as China’s new epicentre for the latest outbreak, pushing the national caseload to 22,995, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

    The outbreak in Shanghai, caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19, is becoming so serious that the city’s ruling Communist Party sent an open letter to rally members to help front-line health workers in their quest to find and snuff out the disease, the report said.

    It was the second letter since March 24 by cadres in the city where the party was established a century ago.

    China has already rushed thousands of personnel from various medical services of the military to Shanghai in a similar move to contain the coronavirus in Wuhan, where Covid-19 first emerged in 2019, December.

    Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, a member of the party’s Politburo, has been in Shanghai since Saturday to oversee the city’s anti-pandemic work. Shanghai has reported 114,000 cases since the latest wave of outbreaks started on March 1, recording more cases in a month than the previous two years combined.

    Wednesday’s new infection numbers surpassed the 13,436 cases recorded on February 12, 2000 in Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported, the Post report said.

    The city was under lockdown to enable health authorities to carry out a fresh round of mass tests since Sunday to spot every infection and break the transmission chain. The city had already undergone three rounds of tests involving every single resident, from April 3 to 6.

    Meanwhile, chaos had broken out in sporadic areas since Shanghai’s lockdown. People jostled and fought for food at the Nanhui quarantine centre on Wednesday before authorities brought the mayhem under control, the Post quoted blog posts on social media.

    “Trust in the local government has been eroded over the past few weeks since their pledge to protect people and ensure adequate food supply proved to be empty promises,” said Gordon Zhu, a Shanghai-based software developer.

    “Many people are starving amid the shutdown and they are desperate for meat, vegetables and rice,” he said, the Post reported. The coronavirus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, 2019. The deadly disease has killed at least 6,167,500 people across the world, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid-19 tracker. The world has also reported over 495,218,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, it says. (PTI)

  • Turkish court halts Khashoggi trial, transfers it to Saudi Arabia

    ISTANBUL (TIP): A Turkish court on April 7 halted the trial of Saudi suspects over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and transferred it to Saudi Arabia, a ruling that drew condemnation from rights groups and comes as Ankara mends ties with Riyadh. The decision was expected after the prosecutor called last week for the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects to be transferred from Istanbul to Riyadh. The justice minister later endorsed the request, which was initially sought by Riyadh. Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago raised a global outcry and put pressure on Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Turkish officials said they believe Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the crown prince, was killed and his body dismembered in an operation which President TayyipErdogan said had been ordered at the “highest levels” of the Saudi Government. HaticeCengiz, Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancee who was waiting outside the consulate on October 2, 2018, when he entered to retrieve documents for their upcoming marriage, said she was surprised and saddened by the “political” decision. “Saudi Arabia is a country where we know there is no justice. No one expects a just decision there,” she said . — Reuters

  • 210 children in over 5,000 people killed in Ukraine’s Mariupol since Russian invasion, claims Mayor

    210 children in over 5,000 people killed in Ukraine’s Mariupol since Russian invasion, claims Mayor

    Andriivka (Ukraine) (TIP): The mayor of the besieged port city of Mariupol put the number of civilians killed there at more than 5,000 on April 6, as Ukraine collected evidence of Russian atrocities on the ruined outskirts of Kyiv and braced for what could become a climactic battle for control of the country’s industrial east. Ukrainian authorities continued gathering up the dead in shattered towns outside the capital amid telltale signs Moscow’s troops killed civilians indiscriminately before retreating over the past several days. In other developments, the US and its Western allies moved to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin over what they branded war crimes.

    And Russia completed the pullout of all of its estimated 24,000 or more troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in the north, sending them into Belarus or Russia to resupply and reorganize, probably to return to the fight in the east, a US defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said.

    In his nightly address, Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyy warned that the Russian military continues to build up its forces in preparation for the new offensive in the east, where the Kremlin has said its goal is to “liberate” the Donbas, Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland. He said Ukraine, too, was preparing for battle.

    “We will fight and we will not retreat,” he said.

    “We will seek all possible options to defend ourselves until Russia begins to seriously seek peace. This is our land. This is our future. And we won’t give them up.” Ukrainian authorities urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate now, ahead of an impending Russian offensive, while there is still time.

    “Later, people will come under fire,” Deputy Prime Minister IrynaVereshchuk said, “and we won’t be able to do anything to help them.”  A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence estimates, said it will take Russia’s battle-damaged forces as much as a month to regroup for a major push on eastern Ukraine. Mariupol Mayor VadymBoichenko said that of the more than 5,000 civilians killed during weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting, 210 were children. He said Russian forces bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death. Boichenko said more than 90 per cent of the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed. The attacks on the strategic southern city on the Sea of Azov have cut off food, water, fuel and medicine and pulverized homes and businesses. British defence officials said 160,000 people remained trapped in the city, which had a pre-war population of 430,000. A humanitarian relief convoy accompanied by the Red Cross has been trying for days without success to get into the city. (AP)

  • Germany has satellite image indication of Russian involvement in Bucha killings: Security source

    Germany has satellite image indication of Russian involvement in Bucha killings: Security source

    Berlin (TIP): The German government has indications that Russia was involved in the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha based on satellite images, a security source said on April 7. German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the intelligence agency had intercepted radio messages from Russian military sources discussing the killing of civilians in Bucha.

    “It’s true that the federal government has indications of Russian perpetration in Bucha,” said the source. “However, these findings on Bucha refer to satellite images. The radio transmissions cannot be clearly assigned to Bucha.” The source did not elaborate. He said there was no indication of an order from the Russian armed forces’ general staff regarding Bucha.

    Bucha, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian troops for more than a month following their Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Local officials say more than 300 people were killed by Russian forces in Bucha alone, and around 50 of them were executed. Moscow denies the accusations.

    Spiegel said the German intelligence office had intercepted the radio messages and presented the findings in parliament on Wednesday, without giving a source for the information.

    Spiegel also said there were additional sound recordings whose physical origin was harder to pinpoint, which it said suggested similar events had occurred in other Ukrainian cities. The BND foreign intelligence office declined to comment on the matter. A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the Spiegel report. Ukraine has accused Russia of genocide and war crimes. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Western allegations Russian forces executed civilians in Bucha are a “monstrous forgery” meant to discredit the Russian army and justify new Western sanctions. Russia casts the evidence of civilian executions as a cynical ploy by Ukraine and its Western backers, who Moscow says are gripped by discriminatory anti-Russian paranoia.  Reuters

  • Ukraine urges NATO to provide more weapons

     Kyiv (TIP): Ukraine told residents of its industrial heartland to leave while they still can and urged Western nations to send “weapons, weapons, weapons” on April 7 after Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup for an offensive in the country’s east.

    Russia’s six-week-old invasion failed to take Ukraine’s capital quickly and achieve what Western countries say was President Vladimir Putin’s initial aim to oust the Ukrainian Government. Russia’s focus is now on the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine.

    In Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister DmytroKuleba urged NATO to provide more weapons for his country to help prevent further atrocities. — AP

  • Hold Russia accountable: Zelenskyy at UN

    Kyiv (TIP): Ukraine President VolodymyrZelenskyy told the United Nations Security Council that “accountability must be inevitable” for Russia as he accused Russian troops of committing “the most terrible war crimes” since World War II. Zelenskyy showed a short video of burned, bloodied and mutilated bodies, including children, in Irpin, Dymerka, Mariupol and Bucha.

    He questioned the value of the 15-member UN Security Council, which has been unable to take any action over Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine because Moscow is a veto power, along with the United States, France, Britain and China.

    “We are dealing with a state that turns its veto at the UN Security Council into the right to (cause) death,” Zelenskyy said in a live video address, urging reform of the world body.

    “Russia wants to turn Ukraine into silent slaves,” he said. Russia’s UN ambassador VassilyNebenzia told the council: “We’ve heard once again a huge amount of lies about Russian soldiers and military.” The United Nations said some 11 million Ukrainians — more than a quarter of the population — have fled their homes. More than 4 million of those people have left Ukraine. Zelenskyy told the UN that the atrocities committed by Russian troops are no different from terrorists like the Islamic State extremists as he demanded immediate action to bring the Kremlin’s forces to justice for “war crimes”. “Yesterday I returned from our city of Bucha, recently liberated from Russian troops not far from Kiev. There is not a single crime that they would not commit there. The Russian military searched for and purposefully killed anyone who served our country,” Zelenskyy said. — Agencies

  • Indian American producer Joseph Patel is the first Patel to ever win an Oscar

    Indian American producer Joseph Patel is the first Patel to ever win an Oscar

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): “Summer of Soul” producer Joseph Patel, an Indian American, said he became the 10th South Asian to ever win an Academy award after the film bagged the Oscar in the best documentary feature category.

    Patel, who produced the film with director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein, also acknowledged fellow South Asian Riz Ahmed’s win in his backstage Q and A session with journalists.

    Ahmed and director Aneil Karia won the live-action short Oscar for their film “The Long Goodbye”.

    “I’m in a room full of journalists so I have to say this because I would be remiss not to. Riz Ahmed earlier tonight became the ninth South Asian to ever win an Academy Award. I became the 10th. Tonight, two South Asians won an Academy Award. Also, this will please my mother I’m the first Patel ever to win an Oscar. So, I am very proud of that,” Patel said during the backstage interview post his win on Sunday night.

    Roots front man Thompson, best known by his stage name Questlove, arranged the never-seen-before archival footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity, attended by 300,000 people in the summer of 1969.

    “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” was nominated alongside India’s “Writing with Fire”, “Ascension”, “Flee” and “Attica”. Sadly, the documentary’s moment of glory was eclipsed due to the slap gate that happened just before its win was announced. In a moment that shocked everyone, actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock for cracking a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s health condition. Rock was on the stage to announce the best documentary feature winner. Thompson declined to talk about the incident and instead shared his happiness for the documentary’s win. In his acceptance speech on the stage, Thompson said the win for the movie was about “the marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain”. “It’s not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old,” Thompson added.

  • Indian American political scientist Vipin Narang takes up key Pentagon job

    Indian American political scientist Vipin Narang takes up key Pentagon job

    NEW YORK (TIP):Vipin Narang, an Indian American political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), known for his research on nuclear weapons, conflict and proliferation has taken a key job at the Pentagon.

    Son of parents of Indian descent, Narang has been sworn in as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy at the Department of Defense, an office that looks after Pentagon’s space war-fighting policy.

    Narang announced Tuesday that he is “taking a public service leave” from the MIT to take up the high-level civilian post with work involving “nuclear, cyber, and missile defense policy”. “Some professional news: I am taking a public service leave from MIT,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Today, I was honored to be sworn in as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, which now includes nuclear, cyber, and missile defense policy. Very excited and humbled to work at OSD/P.” Born in the San Francisco Bay area, Narang is the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science and member of the Security Studies Program at the MIT.

    His first book Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era (Princeton University Press, 2014) on the deterrence strategies of regional nuclear powers won the 2015 ISA International Security Studies Section Best Book Award, according to his official bio. His second book Seeking the Bomb: Strategies of Nuclear Proliferation was published with Princeton University Press in 2022. His work has appeared in a variety of outlets including International Security, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Washington Quarterly, International Organization, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

    He was the recipient of the 2020 ISSS Emerging Scholar Award from the International Studies Association awarded to the scholar who “had made the most significant contribution to the field of security studies.”

    He received his PhD from the Department of Government, Harvard University in 2010. He holds a BS and MS in chemical engineering with distinction from Stanford University and an M Phil with Distinction in international relations from Balliol College, Oxford University, where he studied on a Marshall Scholarship. He has been a fellow at Harvard University’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, a predoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and a Stanton junior faculty fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. His research interests include nuclear proliferation and strategy, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, South Asian security, and general security studies.