Actor Karthi thanks director Ameer as ‘Paruthiveeran’ completes 15 years

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Actor Karthi thanks director Ameer as ‘Paruthiveeran’ completes 15 years

Actor Karthi, who also happens to be the younger brother of actor Suriya, on Wednesday thanked Ameer, director of his first film ‘Paruthiveeran’, on the occasion of the film completing 15 years.

The actor, who has gone on to emerge as one of the bankable stars in the Tamil film industry in the last 15 years, posted a note of gratitude on his Twitter timeline.

In the post, the actor said, “Fifteen golden years since ‘Paruthiveeran’. I feel blessed to have started my acting career with that film. Every move of mine was designed and tutored by Ameer sir and all the credit goes to him.

“Of the many lessons learned, I still treasure the way he taught me to immerse myself and enjoy the work that I do. Thanks to Ameer sir, Gnanavel , anna, my dear fans, and the media for ushering me into this beautiful path.”

The film, which went on to become a roaring success at the box office, also won two National Awards, one each for actress Priyamani and editor Raja Mohammad.

Consumer court vacancies: SC imposes fine on state govts

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Consumer court vacancies: SC imposes fine on state govts

The Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed a fine on various state governments for non-compliance with its order to fill up vacancies in the district and state consumer commissions.

Sending a strong message to the state governments, a bench comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and M.M. Sundresh said the states have to pay a fine for non-compliance of its order and also delay in filing the affidavit. The bench said this is the only language the state governments will understand, as it imposed a fine on states, which did not comply with its order to fill up vacancies in the district and state consumer commissions.

In November last year, the top court said it is not inclined to waste judicial time over parties defaulting in the matter and warned the state governments that it would impose a cost of Rs one to two lakh for recovery from the officers concerned.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, amicus curiae in the matter, had then contended before the bench that a number of state governments — Goa, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Punjab have not submitted information for staff and Bihar has submitted a status report for infrastructure.

The top court said: “This results in a considerable time period of courts being spent. We will impose exemplary costs on defaulting states for wastage of judicial time for recovery against officers.” The top court told the state governments that filling up vacancies and providing adequate infrastructure was their job.

“So, what is the judicial intervention required to ask the states to perform their obligation under the Statute. Please appreciate the scope of the Consumer Protection Act”, said the bench, adding that it is to redress the small aspect of the daily lives of the consumers.

During the hearing, emphasizing respect for time schedules, it noted, “unfortunately it throws the hearing out of gear for the simple reason that we don’t seem to discipline ourselves with any sense of time.”

The top court was hearing a suo motu matter related to vacancies and infrastructure in consumer courts across the country.

China denies claims its rocket debris set to crash into Moon

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China denies claims its rocket debris set to crash into Moon

China has rejected reports that claimed rocket debris from its Chang’e 5-T1 lunar mission is set to collide with the Moon on March 4.

The doomed space debris was first reported by Bill Gray, an astronomer running Project Pluto. In his blogpost, Gray first claimed that the debris is from billionaire Elon Musk owned SpaceX rocket.

But later Gray predicted that the object is a leftover piece of a Chinese rocket, specifically a Long March 3C that launched China’s Chang’e 5-T1 mission to the Moon.

But China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the claim, Space News reported.

“According to China’s monitoring, the upper stage of the rocket related to the Chang’e-5 mission entered into Earth’s atmosphere and completely burned up,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying during a press conference.

But the rocket that Gray and others are claiming is from the Chang’e 5-T1 mission, which is a separate flight. Chang’e 5-T1 was a precursor mission to Chang’e-5, which did not launch until 2020.

Most evidence point the debris to be from Chang’e 5-T1 mission.

“We now have good evidence that it is actually 2014-065B, the booster for the Chang’e 5-T1 lunar mission. It will, however, still hit the moon within a few kilometers of the predicted spot on March 4, 2022, at 12:25 UTC, within a few seconds of the predicted time,” Gray wrote in a new blog post, last week.

Change 5-T1 lunar mission tested out the technology needed to bring samples back from the Moon in 2014.

Gray’s conclusion that the object is a Chinese rocket has also been backed up by analysis from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and by a team at the University of Arizona, The Verge reported.

However, Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron – responsible for tracking space debris – says on its tracking website that it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere in October of 2015.

Gray noted that apparently, the 18SPCS only provided one update on the rocket’s trajectory shortly after the mission launched and then never again. That means the “conclusion” that the rocket burned up is likely a prediction based on that one update, he said.

Gray said he also wondered if there was another object causing all of the fuss.

“It would be really surprised if there were two objects as large as the one we’re tracking and the upper stage [of the Chinese rocket],” Gray was quoted as saying to The Verge. “So anybody who says that this is not the upper stage has a pretty good-sized mountain of evidence at this point to overcome.”

Exciting times for women’s cricket with CWG and T20 World Cup round the corner: Sophie Devine

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Exciting times for women’s cricket with CWG and T20 World Cup round the corner: Sophie Devine

New Zealand women’s cricket team skipper Sophie Devine has said that these are exciting times for women’s cricket with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this year and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023, adding that her team will hope to emulate the 2000 title-winning feat when the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup begins in her country on March 4.

The Women’s World Cup will be played across six venues in New Zealand with the hosts set to take on the West Indies on an opening day.

“The coming year is huge for women’s cricket as it makes its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July-August and with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled for early next year in South Africa. It is super exciting to kick-off a huge period for women’s cricket and we want to put performances out there that both ourselves and the country can be proud of,” said Devine in her column for the ICC on Wednesday.

“I’ve been fortunate to have played across a number of World Cups… and playing in New Zealand is massive for us as a team. Looking back, it was an incredible achievement from the 2000 White Ferns to win the World Cup at home. It certainly inspired several players in our current team, and we hope we can also inspire a new generation of cricketers both at home and around the world,” added Devine.

The 32-year-old Devine, a veteran of 120 WODIs, added that all the competing teams had made huge sacrifices in the COVID world to come and be a part of the showpiece event in New Zealand.

“We are very grateful to all the teams for making sacrifices to join us for what will hopefully be an exciting and hard-fought tournament. It has been a tough time for everyone over the past couple of years and this World Cup is a chance for us to put a smile on people’s faces.

“This tournament will break new ground for women’s cricket; firstly as Bangladesh becomes the 12th team to compete in an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup,” added Devine, whose team is in the middle of an entertaining five-match ODI series against India.

The White Ferns are leading the series against the Mithali Raj-led side 4-0.

“I am looking forward to coming up against (Bangladesh’s) Nigar Sultana and her team. We were really impressed when we played them for the first time at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 and I am sure they will put up just as much of a fight in the 50-over format.

“Bangladesh and Thailand show how the women’s game is continuing to grow and the importance of the ICC Women’s Championship which I am happy to see expand to 10 teams. I see us playing an important role in ensuring that we grow the game. Having stronger teams and more competitive cricket can only be a positive thing for the women’s game,” she added.

Battle for UP: 9.10% voter turnout till 9 am in phase 4

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Battle for UP: 9.10% voter turnout till 9 am in phase 4

The voter turnout at 9 a.m. for the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls was 9.10 per cent, according to the data released by the Election Commission on Wednesday.

The Election Commission said the 9.10 percent voter turnout figure was an approximate trend as data from some polling stations takes time.

Banda registered 8.79 percent, Fatehpur 9.69 percent, Hardoi 8.09 percent, Kheri 10.45 percent, Lucknow 8.19 percent, Pilibhit 10.62 percent, Rae Bareli 8.00 percent, Sitapur 9.52 percent while Unnao registered 9.23 percent by 9 a.m.

Voters in phase-4 of polling will vote to select their MLAs from 59 seats across nine districts from amongst 624 candidates. There are a total of 2.13 crore voters, of which 1.14 crore are male, 99.3 lakh female, and 966 are transgender voters.

There are 24,643 polling booths and 13,817 polling stations with a maximum of 1,250 voters per booth, the Election Commission said.

Pucovski wants to continue playing and I will help him: Coach Rogers

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Pucovski wants to continue playing and I will help him: Coach Rogers

Former Australian Test cricketer Chris Rogers, who is currently the Victorian state team coach, has said that young opening batter Will Pucovski “wants to continue playing cricket” despite recently suffering the 11th concussion.

The 24-year-old Pucovski, who made his Test debut against India with a polished 62 last year at home, suffered another concussion while playing volleyball in the warm-up just before the final day of a Sheffield Shield match against South Australia on February 12. He started showing symptoms of a concussion while fielding and was substituted immediately.

Pucovski was playing his maiden comeback first-class game in over 12 months since he made his Test debut against India in January 2021.

Rogers, who played 25 Tests and is currently the Victorian state coach, told SEN’s Whateley on Wednesday that he will speak with Pucovski on Thursday to chalk out the player’s roadmap to playing professional cricket again following the latest bout of concussion.

“There are conversations that are happening in the background. Will (Pucovski) has indicated that he wants to keep playing. We just have to weigh up everything that’s happening at the moment. He’s been in and around the Junction Oval a few times over the four days of the Shield game and he’s coming in tomorrow (Thursday). I’ll have a chat with him then to see how he’s going,” said Rogers.

“I think he’s pretty hopeful, we just need to have those conversations and make sure that everything is OK. I’m sure that will play out,” added Rogers.

Earlier this month, an optimistic Rogers had said that Pucovski could emerge from the setbacks but it will take time.

“The brain can repair, but it needs time — it’s not 30 days. This needs to be very expertly handled. Support through this by cricket, sure, but no pressure whatsoever.” Rogers had said amid talks that the youngster should retire from playing professional cricket.

Pucovski had emerged as a bright batting prospect for Australia with the opener scoring 1,870 runs at an average of 53.42 in 25 first-class games.

Google adding 5 Stadia Pro games for March 2022

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Google adding 5 Stadia Pro games for March 2022

Google is expanding the library of Stadia games by adding five Stadia Pro games for March 2022.

Most of the games seem to be smaller indie titles, there is however one AAA title, reports AndroidHeadlines.

The brand is adding Darksiders Genesis, Race With Ryan: Road Trip Deluxe Edition, Adam Wolfe, Dawn Of The Monsters, and Darkwood to the Stadia Pro list for March.

Google officially committed to adding at least 100 new games to Stadia by the end of the year.

The search engine giant expanded the library of Stadia games by adding four Stadia Pro games for February 2022.

‘Life Is Strange Remastered’, ‘Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Remastered’, ‘Cosmic Star Heroine’, ‘Merek’s Market’, ‘Nanotale – Typing Chronicles’, ‘One Hand Clapping’, and ‘PHOGS’ are now available for Stadia Pro subscribers.

To recall, Google added 100 plus games to Stadia during the calendar year 2021, officially meeting its promise of adding at least 100 games to the platform.

Google has been gradually adding features to Stadia over the past two years since its launch, including a new 30-minute game trial for Hello Engineer recently.

The tech giant is also allowing Stadia players to join multiplayer games without needing an invite.

Tension in Hyderabad’s Karmanghat over transportation of cattle

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Tension in Hyderabad’s Karmanghat over transportation of cattle

Tension prevailed in the Karmanghat area after some people tried to stop the transportation of cattle, leading to a clash between two groups.

Police sent additional forces to the area and brought the situation under control on Tuesday night.

Rumours of an attack on a place of worship spread through social media which heightened the tension. Senior police officers rushed to the area and dispersed the mob, which had gathered after receiving messages about an attack.

The incident occurred when a group of youth claiming to be gau rakshaks tried to chase a truck carrying the cattle here on Tuesday. The youth who were in a car alleged that the truck deliberately hit their vehicle. Occupants of both the vehicles clashed leading to a tense situation.

Gau rakshaks alleged that they were attacked by the people transporting the cattle. They staged a protest demanding action against the attackers.

Some miscreants spread rumors of an attack on a place of worship. Senior police officers rushed to the area and pacified the mob which had gathered there. Police said the situation was immediately brought under control and no untoward incident was reported.

Villarreal hold Juventus in Champions League

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Villarreal hold Juventus in Champions League

Villarreal and Juventus drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday night.

Dusan Vlahovic put the visitors ahead after just 30 seconds, controlling a ball on his chest before turning and firing home a shot at the left-hand post.

The goal left the atmosphere in the Estadio de la Ceramica cold. But Villarreal suddenly caused Juventus problems as Giovani Lo Celso brought the home side to life with an effort that bounced back off the woodwork.

Samuel Chukwueze proved to be a threat for the Juventus defense down the right-wing, while Etienne Capoue, who had been passed fit to play before kick-off, fired just over the bar. With Dani Parejo and Lo Celso controlling the midfield, Villarreal pressed for an equalizer.

Juventus made a change at half-time with Leonardo Bonucci replacing Alex Sandro in defense, and the visitors had the first chance of the second half with Alvaro Morata firing just wide of the far post, Xinhua reports.

Villarreal played with slightly more patience than the first half, and Lo Celso forced a save from Wojciech Szczesny in the 56th minute.

Parejo equalized for the home side 10 minutes later, as he ghosted into space between Juventus’ three central defenders to collect a pass from Capoue before scoring with a left-footed shot.

Tensions increased with the game well-balanced, as both Villarreal keeper Geronimo Rulli and Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot were shown yellow cards after the French midfielder tackled over the ball.

Either side could have won the game in the closing minutes with Rulli saving well from Vlahovic at one end before Bonucci did well to clear ahead of Lo Celso and Yeremi Pino at the other to leave everything to be decided in the second leg in Turin.

Biden imposes sanctions as Russia begins ‘invasion of Ukraine’

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Biden imposes sanctions as Russia begins ‘invasion of Ukraine’

In response to Russia declaring the two rebel regions of Ukraine as independent states, US President Joe Biden has imposed tough new sanctions on Moscow in the wake of what he called “the beginning of a Russian invasion” of Kiev.

Addressing reporters in the White House on Tuesday, Biden said the first tranche of sanctions to impose costs on Russia are “far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014”.

“And if Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as – with sanction… These (sanctions) have been closely coordinated with our allies and partners, and we’ll continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates,” he added.

The sanctions have been imposed on two large Russian financial institutions: V.E.B. and their military bank, as well as on Russian sovereign debt, which according to Biden is to “cut off Russia’s government from Western financing”.

Russia “can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either”, the President said.

Biden said that his administration “will also impose sanctions on Russia’s elites and their family members. They share in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well”.

“And because of Russia’s actions, we’ve worked with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 will not – as I promised – will not move forward,” he noted.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is expected to transport 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. The 1,234-km pipeline, however, has been lying idle, pending a go-ahead from Germany and the European Union.

The President called his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin’s declaration a “flagrant violation of international law”, which “demands a firm response from the international community” and warned that Moscow “will pay an even steeper price if it continues its aggression, including additional sanctions”.

In response to Russia’s stance on not withdrawing its forces from Belarus, Biden also authorized additional movements of American forces and equipment already stationed in Europe to “strengthen our Baltic Allies — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania”.

“There are still well over 150,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine… Russian forces remain positioned in Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north, including warplanes and offensive missile systems,” the President claimed.

“Russia has moved troops closer to Ukraine’s border… Russia’s naval vessels are maneuvering in the Black Sea to Ukraine’s south, including amphibious assault ships, missile cruisers, and submarines.

“Russia has moved supplies of blood and medical equipment into position on their border. You don’t need blood unless you plan on starting a war,” he further said.

Biden however, reiterated that the sanctions were “totally defensive moves on our part. We have no intention of fighting Russia”.

“We want to send an unmistakable message, though, that the US, together with our allies, will defend every inch of NATO territory and abide by the commitments we made to NATO.

“We’re united in our support of Ukraine. We’re united in our opposition to Russian aggression. And we’re united in our resolve to defend our NATO Alliance. And we’re united in our understanding of the urgency and seriousness of the threat Russia is making to global peace and stability,” he added.

Apple Car to feature autopilot tech from S.Korean company: Report

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Apple Car to feature autopilot tech from S.Korean company: Report

Apple is working on a self-driving electric car that could launch in a few years and now a new report has claimed that the iPhone maker has partnered with a South Korean company to develop the autopilot chip for its car.

According to a report by TheElec, Apple has partnered with a South Korean outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) company to develop its car’s autopilot technology.

The project is led by Apple’s South Korean offices. It was initiated in 2021 and is expected to last till next year.

Apple is reportedly taking a similar route to Tesla. The Elon Musk-owned EV firm while developing its autopilot chip, used Samsung memory and gave assembly work to JCET STATSChipPAC Korea.

Apple Car is also expected to use LED screens all over the vehicle to inform other drivers what the self-driving system is doing.

The display would show braking information, the speed of the car, and other messages in the form of graphics as well as video.

For drivers parking the vehicle, the displays could show a goodbye message, or welcome the user on arrival to the vehicle itself, the report added.

The upcoming Appel Car is expected to use a “C1” chip based on the A12 Bionic processor with in-cabin AI capabilities such as eye-tracking.

Amazon files lawsuits against fake review brokers

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Amazon files lawsuits against fake review brokers

Amazon has announced that it has filed lawsuits against fake review brokers who orchestrate the posting of incentivized and misleading product reviews, in exchange for money or free products.

The lawsuits aim to shut down two major fake review brokers, AppSally and Rebatest, which helped mislead shoppers by having their members try to post fake reviews in stores such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Etsy, the announcement said on Tuesday.

Amazon’s legal action comes after an investigation into these review brokers, which claim to have more than 900,000 members willing to write fake reviews, Xinhua news agency reported.

The legal action is part of Amazon’s comprehensive and proactive efforts to ensure a safe and trustworthy shopping experience for its customers and extensive opportunities to create thriving businesses, according to the announcement.

“Fake review brokers attempt to profit by deceiving unknowing consumers and creating an unfair competitive advantage that harms our selling partners,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President of Worldwide Customer Trust & Partner Support at Amazon.

“We know how valuable trustworthy reviews are to our customers. That is why we are holding these review fraudsters accountable.”

Indiabulls Real Estate shares up 10% after clarification on ED searches

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Indiabulls Real Estate shares up 10% after clarification on ED searches

Shares of Indiabulls Real Estate jumped over 10 percent on Tuesday after the company clarified that the recent searches by the Enforcement Directorate were about a client and had nothing to do with the company as such.

As reported by an interview, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted raids at the offices of Indiabulls Finance Centre in Mumbai and Delhi in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case lodged against the company and its promoter Sameer Gehlaut in April 2021.

“… we wish to clarify that ED has sought some information from Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IHFL) regarding certain of their clients and it is understood that the necessary data has been provided to ED by IHFL and its officials,” the company said in a regulatory filing on Monday after market hours.

“The said ED investigation did not pertain to Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd (the ‘Company’) and has no bearing on the business and operations of the Company,” it read.

On Tuesday, the shares of the company settled at Rs 113.80, up 10.4 percent from the previous close.

UK PM announces sanctions against five Russian banks

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UK PM announces sanctions against five Russian banks

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced sanctions against five Russian banks — Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank, and the Black Sea Bank.

He called it “the first barrage of what we are prepared to do”. Sanctions have also been announced against three individuals, BBC reported.

The UK government has published details of the sanctions it plans to impose on Russia. It will freeze the assets of three individuals — Gennadiy Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg, and Igor Rotenberg.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey welcomed the UK PM’s statement but urged him to go further on sanctions.

He called for the UK to freeze and begin seizing the assets of Putin’s ‘cronies’ and expel these ‘oligarchs’ from the country.

Davey also asked if Johnson will push for the UEFA Champions League final to be moved from St. Petersburg.

In response, the PM said that he thinks it “inconceivable” that major international football tournaments can take place after the Russian invasion of a sovereign country (Ukraine).

On Russian money, he said the UK is cracking down on “ill-gotten gains in London” and the “cronies” of Putin.

A number of UK MPs have raised concerns that the sanctions announced on Tuesday do not go far enough.

Some are calling for most Russian banks to be blacklisted along with more individuals, BBC reported.

There is a suggestion that what has been announced on Tuesday afternoon is not enough of a deterrent.

The UK Prime Minister said this is the first barrage of sanctions, with more ready if Russian actions escalate.

73% voter turnout in fourth phase of panchayat poll in Odisha

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73% voter turnout in fourth phase of panchayat poll in Odisha

The fourth phase of voting for election to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Odisha completed smoothly on Tuesday with 73 percent polling, an official said.

As per preliminary reports, 73 percent of 51.31 lakh voters have exercised their franchise in the fourth phase of the poll. The polling figure may be changed after the final figure to be released on Wednesday, State Election Commissioner A.P. Padhi said.

The election was being held for 163 Zilla Parishad seats at 17,089 booths in 1,254 Gram Panchayats under 64 blocks in 27 districts of Odisha.

The booth attached to remote Nagada village in Sukinda block of Jajpur district has recorded 83 percent polling, Padhi said, adding, “For past many years, voters of Nagada village were not able to participate in a larger way in the elections due to lack of road communication.”

Similarly, 80 percent of voting was recorded at Maoist affected Trilochanpur village located at the Niyamagiri foothills in Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. The Panchayat election was disrupted in the village during the past 20 years as it is a Maoist-affected area, he said.

Padhi further said that the voting was disrupted at four to five places due to various reasons. The Commission will examine it after getting detailed reports from the concerned districts and will take a decision accordingly, he added.

With the completion of the fourth phase, polling has been completed in 266 out of 314 blocks of Odisha. The ballot boxes have been sealed in strong rooms with 24/7 CCTV surveillance and power supply, the commissioner said.

The district collectors have been asked to make arrangements for power backup facilities in the strong rooms and not to open the strong room in any circumstances before counting. Wherever re-polling was conducted, the ballot boxes will be stored in another room, he said.

On counting days, he added, all persons will be scanned thoroughly before entering into the counting hall so that no electronics devices like mobile phones and cameras, seals and stamp pads, etc will be allowed into the hall.

Secretary to SEC, R.N. Sahu said all preparations have been made for the re-polling at 45 booths to be held tomorrow (February 23). Voting in these booths was disturbed during the first two phases, he said.

Meanwhile, the Commission has received proposals from district collectors for re-polling at 30 booths, where an election was disrupted due to violence and error in ballot papers during the third phase. These booths will go for re-polling on February 25, the Secretary added.

Terrorists in J&K might be using arms & ammo left by US forces in Af: Intel

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Terrorists in J&K might be using arms & ammo left by US forces in Af: Intel

Security agencies are suspecting that parts of sophisticated arms and ammunition left behind by the US forces in Afghanistan might have been transported to Jammu and Kashmir, which may become a security challenge for the forces deployed in the Valley.

Recently, intelligence inputs revealed that eight Iridium satellite phones were activated in the Kashmir Valley, which was earlier used by the US forces in Afghanistan.

The intelligence inputs also suggested that these satellite phones are being used by Pakistan-backed terrorists active in J&K, who are possibly possessing the weaponry left behind in Afghanistan by the US forces in August 2021.

The sources in the intelligence grid said that these are the same Iridium satellite phones that the US Army used, and they got activated again for the first on February 13 when eight communication systems were activated simultaneously, a day ahead of the third anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack of February 14, 2019.

The sources also said that these communication sets were seen active once in Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara, and Pulwama, while in Baramulla, it was seen active twice. They were together active from 10.30 am to 3 pm on the same day.

The sources in the security setup also confirmed that these communication sets were active in Bandipora, Baramulla and one in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) just opposite to Uri sector on February 14.

“Indian security forces are capable and well-equipped to deal with the terrorists even if they possess US-made weapons,” said a senior security person deployed in the operational zone in the Valley.

“We are aware of the weaponry left behind by the US forces in Afghanistan and have an idea that part of these might have been handed over to the terror outfits in PoK and later it would be transferred to the ultras active in Kashmir valley, the officials said.

The government agencies such as the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) are quite capable of tracking these iridium satellite systems, the officer further said.

US likely to regulate cryptocurrency this week: Report

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US likely to regulate cryptocurrency this week: Report

US President Joe Biden is likely to move executive order to regulate cryptocurrency this week, as per media reports.

As per a memorandum by the US National Security Council (NSC) memorandum, government agencies, including the Departments of the Treasury, State, Justice, and Homeland Security, will be asked to assess the risks and opportunities that crypto poses, and delve into the details of a central bank digital currency, Bloomberg news cited an administration official as saying last month.

The agencies will also review the impact of digital assets on financial stability, and normalize regulations for crypto with other countries.

The Biden administration had in September last year, released recommendations proposing that only banks be allowed to issue stable coins.

The administration’s intervention is “symbolically significant as the White House would be acknowledging that crypto is becoming economically important”, Jaret Seiberg, an analyst at Cowen — a financial services company – was quoted as saying by Yahoo Finance.

Seiberg added that it reinforces the idea that crypto is here to stay.

“The White House would not issue such an order if it was not convinced that crypto will continue to grow and spread throughout the economy,” he added.

The executive order could also offer the White House the opportunity to weigh in on a digital dollar, the report said.

PM makes false claims, did not touch Manipur’s basic issues: Congress

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PM makes false claims, did not touch Manipur’s basic issues: Congress

The Congress slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Tuesday speech in the poll-bound Manipur, saying that he “gave erroneous information, and false claims” and did not mention the state’s fundamental issues including the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act.

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Gaikhangam Gangmei said Modi, on earlier occasions, had made so many commitments but did not fulfill any of them so far.

Ramesh asked why was the PM completely silent on fundamental issues of Manipur — AFSPA, MSP for crops and irrigation for farmers, rising unemployment among youth, price rise of essential commodities – much above the national average, and rising illegal drug trade from across the border.

Noting that the PM made tall claims on bringing railways to Manipur, he, in a series of tweets, said: “Truth is that the Congress government completed 70 percent of the railway project in Manipur.

“PM claimed poor performance in the power sector under the Congress government while the truth is his own Central government gave a national award to the Congress government in 2015-16 for power sector reforms. The PM has claimed Palm Oil plantations will benefit Manipur’s farmers while the truth is it is the transfer of profits and farmlands to 2-3 big palm oil companies.”

Ramesh said that PM claimed full coverage when Manipur is among the worst in the country on Covid vaccination rates, with only 47.6 per cent of the eligible population has got a double dose of the Covid vaccine.

He said that the PM claimed balanced development in Manipur and took the administration to the doorstep. “The truth is BJP government has effectively shut the doors of the Tribal Autonomous District Councils by not holding elections in the last 5 years. This is the murder of democracy in the hills and the grassroots. The truth is the people of Manipur are fed up with the double-engine haijinbi government of BJP in Delhi and Imphal. The mood of Manipur is clear. Come 10th March, it will be Bye-Bye, BJP !”, he added.

Gangmei, while talking to the media, said that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Manipur has no impact as the people of the state do not trust him due to his false promises.

Earlier in the day, Modi while addressing an election rally in Imphal lambasted the Congress alleging that during the Congress regime only blockade, bandh, and violent culture were prevailing and no development had taken place.

BJP’s prestigious Ayodhya seat being given special attention

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BJP’s prestigious Ayodhya seat being given special attention

The incumbent BJP MLA from the prestigious seat of Ayodhya which goes to the polls in the fifth phase is facing a rebellion within the party. Sources say that the BJP is working hard to fix the problem before polling. Senior leaders have taken cognizance of the matter and have dispatched a team to resolve the issue.

Sources say that Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay was seeking a ticket from the party but was denied it as BJP opted for the sitting MLA. The party is apprehensive about the supporters of the Mayor who are said to be upset. The seat has a large number of Brahmin votes, and the SP candidate Tej Narain Pandey, an ex-MLA, is from the community so the BJP fears a backlash from the community. However, no BJP leader is willing to speak on the record on the issue but say that ultimately the party workers will support the party as the battle is ideological.

The Brahmin leaders of the party have been asked to campaign for the seat. Ved Prakash Gupta is the BJP MLA who won in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election defeating Tej Narayan Pandey by a margin of 50,440 votes.

The party leaders say that there is no worry as Ayodhya has been the stronghold of the party in the past except on a few occasions. Party Awadh in charge Satya Kumar said, “the seat is prestigious and the BJP will win comfortably.”

Political analyst Anil Singh feels that the displacement of locals due to state government projects is a big issue that the SP wants to capitalize upon. The SP had won this seat in 2012, but from 1991 to 2007 Laloo Singh from the BJP was the MLA. In 1989 the Janata Dal candidate was elected the MLA. Before that, in 1980 and 1984 the Congress candidate won the seat but since 1989 the Congress could not open its account though it won the 2009 parliamentary seat.

Delhi riots: HC displeased at police report on youth’s death

TB Team
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Delhi riots: HC displeased at police report on youth’s death

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday expressed itys displeasure over the status report filed by the Delhi Police on the incident in which a 23-year-old youth was forced to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ and the national anthem during the 2020 Delhi riots.

The youth had later succumbed to the injuries sustained during the violence.

The video of the incident, showing the injured youth, identified as Faizan, lying on the ground as some uniformed men forced him to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ and the national anthem, had gone viral during the riots.

The report filed in a sealed cover was submitted by the Delhi Police counsel, saying it is an ongoing investigation and people are being identified.

However, the single-judge bench of Justice Mukta Gupta said the report is “neither here nor there”.

Coming down heavily on the delay of the Delhi Police, she said: “You have done your level best? These were five children who were assaulted. One has died and four are surviving. It is an offense of murder, right? In this case, you have not taken the help of eyewitnesses but gone around the world.”

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for petitioner Kismatun, the mother of the deceased youth, seeking an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team, argued that there was no court direction to file the status report on a sealed cover.

In the last hearing in January also, the same bench had pulled up the Delhi Police over the nearly two years delay in the investigation of the incident.

Kismatun’s plea contended that the police had illegally detained her son and denied him critical health care, due to which he succumbed to his injuries. The court had also questioned the delay in tracing the video which went viral during the riots.

The riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 after clashes between anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn. The mayhem, which coincided with then US President Donald Trump’s maiden trip to India, saw over 50 people lose their lives.

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