India News – Dec 1-15 2022, Vol 3 Issue 9

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Australian parliament approves free trade agreement with India

New Delhi, Nov 22 In its 2020 review of India’s trade policies, the WTO stated: India continues to rely on trade ipolicy instruments such as the tariff, export taxes, minimum import prices, import and export restrictions, and licensing.

These are used to, inter alia, manage domestic demand and supply requirements, protect the economy from wide domestic price fluctuations, and ensure conservation and proper utilisation of natural resources. As a result, frequent changes are made to tariff rates and other trade policy instruments, which creates uncertainty for traders. Recently, the Albanese Government revised its Tariff rates for certain Indian commodities. In a report released by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) it recommends the Australian Government to take actions and implement the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade

Agreement. (AI ECTA)

The Agreement proposes to eliminate tariffs on more than 90 per cent of Australian goods exported to India. The report also states that Australia has obtained some tariff reductions in key export commodities whereas India's high tariffs on agriculture, such as sheep meat, wool, cotton, seafood, macadamia nuts and avocados will be removed.

Moreover, India will further reduce its 150 per cent tariff on bottled wine that are above $US5 and has guaranteed deeper access to Australia to the onboarding free trade agreement partners.

The agreement promises that about 85 per cent tariffs will be eliminated from the day ECTA goes into effect.

ECTA presents immense opportunities for Australian service providers as well as professionals accessing the Indian market. India has guaranteed Australian service providers in thirty-one sectors and sub sectors the best and affordable

treatment to its future trade agreement partners. This will benefit suppliers of adult as well as higher education, business services, research and development sector, communications, construction and engineering services, insurance, banking, health services and hospitals, audiovisual, tourism and travel industries.

One definitely must note that the value of a trade and investment agreement is not entirely dependant on market access and investment rules. Trade agreements operate as broader instruments of bilateral engagement. India is a strategic partner having a greater potential in the Indo-Pacific region. The two countries are committed towards the rule of law, open markets, and stability. Strengthening these ties into strong relationships is a key element of Australia’s foreign policy.

Wanted Indian nurse, who killed woman in Australia in 2018, held by Delhi Police

arrested by Delhi Police on Friday.

Recently, the Australian police had declared a one million dollar reward for any information leading to his arrest.

The accused, identified as Rajwinder Singh from Buttar Kalan, Punjab, used to work as a nurse in Innisfail, Queensland.

three children in Australia.

As per Australian police, the day after Cordingley was murdered, Singh departed Cairns on October 22, and then flew from Sydney to India on the October 23. His arrival in India was confirmed by the authorities.

India, Australia joint military exercise begins

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) The bilateral military training exercise between the contingents of the Indian Army and the Australian Army has started from Monday at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges Rajasthan.

A special brigade of the Australian

Army has arrived in India to take part in the military exercise. This is the first exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with the participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies. The joint military exercise by the Indian and Australian

Australia clears FTA with India

Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) needs ratification by that country's parliament before its implementation.

The pact will enable duty-free access for Australian products in India in sectors like textiles, leather goods, jewellery etc.

New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS)

Australia on Tuesday cleared the free trade agreement (FTA) with India as its Parliament has approved the pact.

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) A 38-year-old man, who had been absconding since 2018 after allegedly killing an Australian woman in Queensland, was

On October 21, 2018, the 24 yearold Toyah Cordingley was walking her dog on Wangetti Beach, 40 km north of Cairns in Queensland, when Singh killed her.

Singh had fled the country two days after Cordingley was killed, leaving behind his job, wife and

In March 2021, the Australian government had requested India to extradite Singh. The request was approved this November.

On November 2, the Queensland police had declared a reward of one million Australian dollars, the largest ever offered by the department.

Taking to Twitter, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "BREAKING: Our Free Trade Agreement with India has passed through Parliament."

The pact is likely to be implemented on a mutually agreeable date.

According to Australian law, the India-Australia

Union Commerce and Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal reacted to the development by tweeting: "Delighted that India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement has been passed by Australian Parliament. A result of our deep friendship, it sets the stage for us to unleash the full potential of our trade ties and spur massive economic growth."

Australia on its part would offer zero duty access to Indian products, which currently attract customs duty to the tune of 4 to 5 per cent in that country.

EDITORIAL TEAM

Dr Ram Mohan, Chairman

Dr Ashutosh Misra, Editor-in-Chief

Ms Priyadarshini Rana, Bureau Chief, Victoria

EDITORIAL BOARD

Amrita Deshpande, Community News Editor

Paras Sharma, Assistant Editor

Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha, Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, India

Mr Shaun Star, Director, Centre for Australia India Studies, Jindal Global University, India

INDIA NEWS TV

Mr Karthik Pratap Singh, News Director

Mr. Agastya Yeturi, Cinematographer

Mr Nishit Chandan, Special Correspondent

WRITERS

Mr Rabindra Mukherji

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS Institute for Australia India Engagement Australia India Business Council

WEBSITE DESIGN & MANAGEMENT Cosmos Media www.cosmosmedia.info

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Australian parliament approves free trade agreement with India

Further, Australia and India's close knit, people-to-people links will be strengthened through ECTA.

These novel mobility outcomes support trade and business as well as it contributes to cultural exchange. India's mobility commitments to Australia are consistent with the best of its existing free trade agreements.

The Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator Hon. Don Farrell says that, “Closer economic ties with India are a critical component of the Government's trade diversification strategy.” “The quality of this Agreement, in terms of market access and opportunity for Australian businesses, demonstrates India's

commitment to our bilateral economic partnership.”

The Australia India -ECTA has established a framework through which Australia can pursue future liberalisation, market access, investment opportunities, and the shared pursuit of principled regulation in areas that require global cooperation, like environmental protection, and labour rights and standards.

Minister Don Farrell further acknowledges that, “I have had a number of positive meetings with my counterpart, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal, and continue to engage with him, providing updates on our progress and

the expectation we will both be in a position to implement the agreement before the end of the year.”

“This agreement is India's first free trade agreement with a major developed country in over ten years and provides Australian exporters a valuable advantage in the world's fastest growing large economy.”

Definitely for India as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, this agreement liberates the 1.4 billion consumers in India, and paves the paths for South Australian exporters in all industry sectors. It is a major step for both India as well as Australia to build the bilateral relationship and improve the trade policies for both countries.

India, Australia joint military exercise begins from November 28

Continued from Page 1 armed forces will start from November 28 and it will last up to December 11, a defence ministry official informed this on Sunday.

The Ministry of Defence said that the Australian Army contingent comprising soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division has arrived at the exercise location.

The Indian Army is represented by troops from the DOGRA Regiment. Exercise "AUSTRA HIND" will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and Australia. "The aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain operations in semi deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate. This joint exercise will enable

the two armies to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting tactical operations at the Company and Platoon level for neutralising hostile threats," the defence ministry official added. Training on new generation equipment and specialist weapons, including snipers, surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness apart from casualty management, casualty evacuation and planning logistics at Battalion, Company level are also planned, the official added. According to the ministry of defence, during the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of tasks ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, sharing basics of special arms skills and raiding a hostile target.

Sunak’s idea of restricting foreign students to UK could meet resistance

could also raise objections, as the contemplated cut-down would increase state funding of universities, who otherwise benefit from high fee-paying international students.

The chairman of Whitehall's Migration Advisory Committee, Brian Bell, said in an interview to BBC that the idea said to be in Sunak's in-tray could "send many universities over the edge".

in a single year. Among additional, the steps Sunak is believed to be considering is a clamp down on visas for dependents of overseas students.

London, Nov 27 (IANS) British

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak's reported plan to restrict foreign students to premier universities in the UK could meet resistance from his chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.

Hunt told media immigration was required to boost growth, adding there had to be "a long-term plan if we're going to bring down migration in a way that doesn't harm the economy".

Besides, the British government's department of education

"Most universities for most courses lose money on teaching British students and offset that loss by charging more for international students," Bell emphasised.

Indians constitute the largest contingent of foreign students in the UK at present. If the restriction being mulled over by Sunak becomes policy, they are likely to be the worst sufferers. New figures disclosed net migration had exceeded half a million - an increase of 300,000

Sunak's hard line Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, previously expressed concern about foreign students "bringing in family members who can piggyback onto their student visa". According to her, they undertake "substandard courses in inadequate institutions".

Earlier, in an interview to The Spectator magazine, she accused Indians of being the biggest illegal over-stayers in the UK.

Braverman is in fact opposed to freer movement of people from India to the UK, which is one of the Indian government's demands in the current negotiations over a free trade agreement with the UK. However, the right-wing, inward looking Conservative party are happy about their

42-year-old new Prime Minister contemplating curbing the intake of foreign students to reduce immigration. At the same time, some of his MPs are already beginning to give up on him. One such lawmaker who won from a constituency that was formerly an opposition Labour party stronghold in the north of England, commented to the pro-Conservative Daily Mail newspaper: "Rishi would be a decent project manager. Or senior civil servant. But he's not a natural Prime Minister. He's just not the sort of guy you want to follow out of the trenches." Meanwhile, the UK's National Grid issued its first emergency warning about a winter blackout. And inflation is soaring. "But", the Daily Mail, highly influential among Conservatives, said: "The Prime Minister was absent. Or, if not exactly absent, busy elsewhere."

Sunak recently visited Kiev to pledge 125 anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. As economic hardship bites, a majority Britons are seemingly beginning to tire of the war, which wasn’t the case in the summer.

In the Mail’s opinion: “After the unrelenting bombast of the Boris Johnson years, and the frenetic mayhem that was the month of Truss, such reflective disengagement may be welcome... But the country is experiencing a growing sense of crisis. And what it needs isn’t a manager, but a leader.”

It headlined elsewhere: “Dire warning for ‘tainted’ Tories (Conservatives) as bombshell polling reveals Sir Keir Starmer (Labour leader) is ahead of Rishi Sunak on 11 out of 12 key issues - including cost of living, NHS (National Health Service), immigration and Brexit.”

Ramneek Dosanjh wins Miss Punjaban, brings trophy home to Qld

Queensland brings the trophy home to Brisbane in 2022! Miss Ramneek Dosanjh (QLD) has won the Miss Punjaban (Aust) title, with Mrs Mandeep Kaur winning the runner up for Mrs Punjaban (Aust).

Neeru Virk, renowned businesswoman and socialite from Brisbane organised Miss and Mrs Punjaban Queensland 2022 at Unidus Community Centre. Aventia Institute and Grow Money sponsored this event. It is an annual event hosted across Australia where winners in the Miss and Mrs categories from each state went to the finals where they competed with other state finalists in Melbourne on 27th November.

The Queensland team comprising Mrs. Virk, Mr. Virk, Kritika Bansal, Taran Kaur, Harpargat Singh along with Prerna Pahwa accompanied the Brisbane contestants to Melbourne to motivate and support the ladies throughout. Prerna Pahwa is a well-recognized and decorated

community leader who runs the not-for-profit organisation Simply Human Inc - Superheroes Without Capes which helps cancer patients and their families. Prerna is also one of the directors of Poppin Papadums, all womenled business. She wanted to set an example for other aspiring business women through starting up an all women-led Indian restaurant. Her aim is to encourage and empower women to work towards their dreams.

“We would like to congratulate Miss Ramneek Dosanjh for winning Miss Punjaban Australia 2022 and Mrs Mandeep Kaur who won Runner Up title for Mrs Punjaban. They all were seamless, graceful, beautiful, glamorous, confident and a tough competition for other participants. They flew to Melbourne a few days in advance and practiced day in day out with other national participants. We applaud their commitment to this pageant and focusing on their skills to compete; it is only possible when you have the most supporting family and friends. This is an excellent success story for others to follow. They are surely creating benchmarks.” said Mrs Virk.

Mrs Virk also extended a special thanks to Shama Bhangu for

supporting them to run this pageant in Queensland. Events like these require thorough planning, organising, time, financial support, practice sessions, endless dancing workshops, preparing the attires, coordination, nutritional diet plans, motivation, ensuring the props and minute. The girls had immense support from Mrs Virk when it came to personal grooming, the art of ramp walking, perfecting their giddha skills, glamming up, public speaking skills, personality development and selection of dresses. It truly illustrates her passion and commitment to the pageants. Being a full-fledged businesswoman, it was not easy to balance personal and professional life, but her dedication towards empowering the participants was matchless.

Mrs. Virk curated the format of Queensland Pageant 2022 event

to involve young kids by adding Junior and Teens titles; with a vision to preserve our culture and pass it onto the next generations. She also ensured the event was fair to all and introduced judges in Queensland who were not just fair but very professional in their skills.

This event also created a selfawareness and confidence in the ladies who participated in this competition. One of the participants said, “ I never thought I would be able to participate in such pageants after being a mum.” Another participant said: “ I am glad that this event is not just about being 5’5” or fair or slim. This event has assessed us on our overall personality which showed me that beauty is beyond the stereotypes created in our society.”

One of the past winners Mrs. Anu Samra from Queensland was the showstopper at the event. It’s great to see Queensland winners maintaining the legacy.

Judge Miss Loena Kaur flew from Sydney to judge the pageant along with other members of the carefully selected judging panel. In between the event, the star judge performed a few of her songs live for the audience.

The heart and soul of the event

Neeru Virk is enthusiastic about women’s upliftment in the society, boosting their morale, confidence and motivating them. She said that there are several women in the community who have suffered from domestic violence, abuse, etc. and are not aware of their rights and actions. She has been helping these women on a personal level to assist them as much as possible over many years. Her vision is to bring women out of their comfort zone and shine to reach for the positions they deserve. This is just the beginning for Brisbane to witness her vision, because next year she is planning to take the event to higher level with more impact, creating more significance for the audience and participants.

The team has started planning for the next year’s event already. Registration will open on 1st January, 2023. Visit https:// missandmrspunjabanaustralia. com.au/ for more details.

India Australia Society hosts ‘MOOD 2022’, Diwali-Christmas event

The India Australia Society (IAS) organised the Diwali and Christmas event ‘MOOD 2022’ on 19th November, 2022 at Coorparoo Secondary College. Members of wider Queensland communities joined this event which was filled with dance, music and food.

The Master of Ceremony for the event was Mr. Zain Chamadia who was exceptional in managing the event all through the evening. Distinguished dignitaries, community and business leaders were present to celebrate the event.

The celebration began with the lighting of lamps by the distinguished dignitaries and followed by the singing of the Australian and Indian national anthems by the students of the Sargam Music Academy. After the welcome address by Dr Preethi Suraj, president IAS stated the objectives of IAS are to promote social, cultural and recreational activities to its members, families and friends.

Speeches were delivered by Mrs. Archana Singh, Mr Jim Varghese and Mr Anoop Nannaru. The messages from all of the distinguished guests were in summary to celebrate the Unity in Diversity and multicultural Australia for the betterment and community prosperity and harmony.

The celebration also involved spectacular cultural performances from the various

states of India. The event concluded with the vote of thanks by the vice-president of IAS, Mr. Vinod Sharma. The celebration this year was well supported by sponsors – George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals, Century 21, The leadership company, Red Rocket realty, Loan house lending solution, Vastra, E-Bike Rentals and Dosa Hut Gold Coast.

The event was a grand success with IAS and its executive team working together with enthusiasm in bringing oneness, unity, peace and harmony.

Delicious and scrumptious Indian dinner by Dosa Hut Restaurant Gold Coast was served to all present in the event.

“IAS as a whole, led by the current President Dr Preethi Suraj takes immense pride and thanks to everyone, for the support to celebrate this event with uniting mainly all the senior citizens in variouscommunities year after year,” said a statement by the organisation.

The India Australia Society (IAS) of Queensland is a non-profit and non-political organisation established in Brisbane in 1977.

The primary objectives of the IAS are to enhance friendly relationships, understanding and goodwill between Indians and Australians. India has always been synonymous with the ‘Unity in Diversity’ throughout the ages.

The diversity and variety of India is rich and extensive.

MACKAY TAKES OFF AS IT JOINS BRAVUS’ FIFO NETWORK

the talented operators and tradespeople who live here, and create more value for the local coffee shops, real estate agents, car dealers and other businesses that indirectly benefit from mining.”

Mr Crowe said new roles out of Mackay with Carmichael’s mining services contractor MacKellar Group were available now.

"Anyone interested in joining the team at Carmichael should jump online and apply through the Carmichael Jobs portal,” he said.

“Like every mining operation the positions are well-paid, and there’s no question that flying with us is a whole lot better for your fatigue management and your R&R than a four-hour drive.

About Bravus Mining & Resources

• The Carmichael mine is producing high quality coal for export to nations around the world that want to lift their people out of energy poverty.

Bravus Mining and Resources is excited to announce Mackay is joining its regional Queensland fly-in, fly-out network for the Carmichael mine.

Available from December, two return flights a week will see Mackay-based workers get to and from the 10 million tonnes per annum operation in the North Galilee Basin in just over an hour’s flying time.

This schedule will be added to as needed, and services out of Mackay will complement, not take away from, Townsville and Rockhampton which are the destinations the majority of Carmichael flights service.

We also have workers who live nearby and can drive to site from the Isaac Region.

Bravus Mining and Resources Chief Operating Officer Mick Crowe said the business was delighted to make it easier for Mackay’s highly skilled mining workforce to work at Carmichael.

“The people of Mackay have been huge supporters of our project and the region’s world-class mining equipment, technology, and services businesses have been instrumental to the construction and now operation of the Carmichael mine,” Mr Crowe said.

“So we’re really pleased to be able to offer direct flights from the city to provide new opportunities for

“But a real point of difference is we believe Australia’s export coal sector will be a vital part of the global energy mix for decades to come, and that means a secure job and a secure future for your family.”

Resources Industry Network General Manager Dean Kirkwood applauded the decision as great news for both mining workers and the community at large.

“These flights create a whole range of direct and flow-on benefits for our city,” he said.

“They give optionality to Mackay’s experienced mining workforce, and they open doors for locals who want to gain employment in the resources sector but still call our slice of paradise home.”

• The mine continues to safely and efficiently ramp up to its constructed level of production which is in the order of 10 million tonnes per annum.

• Townsville and Rockhampton remain the primary employment hubs for the Carmichael mine and we will continue to recruit workers who can drive to site from the Isaac Region.

• More than 2,600 people were employed and more than A$1 billion paid to regional Queensland contractors and businesses since construction began on the Carmichael project in 2019.

• Although the primary construction phase is finished, Carmichael still has more than 750 people on site at any time while another third are on days off.

• Carmichael coal is high quality 5,000-5,400 kcal/kg coal with low sulphur, low trace elements and low ash which will meet the import requirements of many international markets, including those in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Carmichael coal is sold into the international seaborne export market and its ultimate destination depends on market demand.

Contact: media@bravus.com.au +61 438031780

Operations at Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael mine which is now offering direct flights for workers out of Mackay

India’s pvt sector rocket makes successful beginning with Skyroot’s Vikram-S

The rocket reached an altitude of 89.5 km and then safely splashed down in the Bay of Bengal.

In about 300 seconds, a new space history was made in India.

The mission will help validate the technologies that will be used in the subsequent Vikram-1 orbital vehicle of Skyroot Aerospace that is planned for launch next year.

89.5 km and a range of 121.2 km. Goenka said all the systems had worked as planned and congratulated the Skyroot Aerospace team.

Meghalaya: Militant-turnedBJP leader to contest 2023 Assembly polls

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 18 (IANS) India's rocket startup Skyroot Aerospace on Friday successfully began its space journey with its rocket Vikram-S and wrote a new chapter in the country's space history pages.

Weighing 545 kg, the six-metrelong rocket on a sub-orbital mission carried three payloads from Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia, and N-Space Tech India. The rocket was made with carbon fibre and four 3D printed engines and its single stage was powered by solid fuel.

At about 11.30 a.m., Vikram-S flew away from ISRO's sounding rocket launch pad at ISRO's rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Union Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh who witnessed the launch here said it is indeed a new beginning, a new dawn, a new 'Prarambh' in Indian space programme.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to open up the space sector for private participation, Singh said: "It is a turning point in the Indian startup movement."

He also congratulated Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for adding one more feather in its cap.

The Chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) Pawan Goenka said the rocket mission was successful.

The rocket reached an altitude of

Skyroot Aerospace's CEO and CoFounder Pawan Kumar Chandana said the mission's objectives have been achieved and dedicated the mission to the late Vikram Sarabhai, father of the Indian space sector.

With this a new chapter in the annals of Indian space history has begun and also the end of ISRO monopoly in the satellite launch segment.

Incidentally, it is ISRO that is actively assisting the private players in ending its own monopoly offering its facilities for testing as well as for launching the rockets and satellites.

The fee charged by ISRO for the rocket launch and tracking services is reasonable, Chandana said.

He said the ISRO provides integration facility, launchpad, range communications and tracking support before and during our rocket launch.

Drugs worth Rs 50 cr seized in Assam, 5 held

the international market value of seized tablets is around Rs 50 crore. The accused were identified as Abdul Saeed, Ibazur Rahman and Sameer Alam, all residents of the Cachar district.

Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahato said, "These three were smuggling tablets in a lorry. The drugs were being smuggled in a secret chamber built in the vehicle's carrier. Based on a specific information, three people were arrested after searching the vehicle and tablets were seized."

Shillong, Nov 17 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it would field Bernard N. Marak, an extremist leader-turned-politician, against Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma in the next Assembly polls, expected to be held in February 2023.

The relationship between BJP and Sangma's National People's Party (NPP), which is dominating the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) coalition government, soured since the saffron party's state vice-president Marak was arrested on July 25 for allegedly running a 'brothel'.

Marak, currently a district council member, was released on bail on Wednesday after over threeand-a-half months' jail custody, on Thursday said that his arrest would have a huge impact in the upcoming Assembly elections to facilitate the people to vote for change to topple the ruling NPPled MDA government.

BJP's Meghalaya unit president,

Ernest Mawrie earlier on Thursday said Marak would contest the South Tura seat that has been a stronghold of the Sangma family.

The Lok Sabha member of NPP, Agatha Sangma had won the seat in 2018 before resigning to make way for brother Conrad K. Sangma. While talking to the media in Tura, Marak termed his arrest as "illegal and concocted by the NPP", and said that the police action would be an advantage for him in the elections.

"It is going to be very interesting as in the 2018 elections, people voted for leaders with high expectations of bringing change to the society. In the 2023 polls, it is going to be very different as people are keen to change the NPP leadership," Marak said.

Marak was arrested from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh four days after the Meghalaya police raided his farmhouse close to midnight on July 22 and arrested a large number of people including women. Claiming to be innocent in the case, the BJP leader said that as a "vendetta politics", multiple cases were filed against him in order to ensure the Chief Minister's easy win in the 2023 Assembly polls.

The Meghalaya BJP has been vocal about corruption in the autonomous district councils, the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited, the Saubhagya scheme and illegal mining of coal and its transportation.

Guwahati, Nov 21 (IANS) In two separate incidents, Assam Police have seized narcotic substances worth several crores from Cachar and Karbi Anglong districts, officials said on Monday. Five persons, who were allegedly

involved in drug peddling, were apprehended by the police.

In Cachar, three people were arrested with 1.80 lakh tablets used for intoxication on Sunday in the Lakhipur area in the district. Police informed that

The police officer further informed that as per the initial investigation, Abdul Saeed had brought the tablets from the Churachandpur district of neighbouring Manipur state. The purpose was to smuggle them to foreign countries.

This Rajasthan sarpanch donates her salary for girls’ welfare

Says Gautam from her village, "We were surprised to see this village sarpanch going door to door in search of talent in sports.

She not only counselled these girl students but also ensured that she forms a great hockey team."

Jaipur, Nov 25 (IANS) Setting aside her personal comfort, this woman sarpanch in Rajasthan is working on a mission to empower girls by helping them excel in studies and sports for which she generously donates her salary. Ever since Neeu Yadav became a sarpanch in October 2020, she has been donating her salary for the cause of girl child and building schools and playgrounds. She has been going door to door and spreading awareness among girls to get skilled and earn jobs.

When asked, Neeru said, "I come from Haryana and have seen girls playing different sports from a very young age. Hence, I want girls in Rajasthan also to make a mark and excel."

Recently, she got hockey kits for this girl team by donating her salary of two years, arranged a private vehicle to ferry them to a sports ground which was a little far and also deputed a private coach for their training."

The result was amazing. These girls who never came out of

their village outshone their competitors from surrounding villages and played at district level for the first time. Now they aspire to play at state and national level too. Another villager, Sanjay Kumar said, "We have seen Neeru standing under the scorching Sun while watching roads being built to school. If she saw any issue, she was the first one to fight with officials concerned."

Speaking to IANS, Neeru said, "Sarpanch is the only post which transfers the benefits of the central government or the state government schemes directly to the public. I am simply trying to justify my position. It is very important for a sarpanch to get the benefits of the government's schemes to the public to make an impact at the grassroots."

New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) A total of 10 projects of critical importance to the city that include construction of roads aimed at easing traffic and facilitating public transport, arterial roads, road under and over bridges, National Highway and ambitious redevelopment plans for residential accommodations, are yet pending with the Environment Department of the Delhi government, said an official source on Thursday, adding that some of them are pending since as long as 2019.

"This is despite the fact that L-G V.K. Saxena took up the matter in various discussions with the Chief Minister in their weekly meetings and wrote to the CM on two different occasions on August

17 and September 30 and repeated flagging on files that come to LG for approval," the source said.

The official further added that the delay and inaction on part of Delhi government and its Environment Minister Gopal Rai to give permission for tree translocation, felling subject to afforestation is indeed baffling especially in light of the fact that all pre-requisites including money as compensation and land for compensatory afforestation by DDA, have already been put in place. While talking about the pending 10 projects, the official said it includes as important as residential quarters for Central Industrial Security Force at Saket, construction of Dwarka Expressway Package-II, among others. "In an approval accorded recently, with regards to construction of new engineering block and mini academic block at IIT-Delhi, the L-G had come down heavily on the environment department for such unjustified and inordinate delays.

‘Despite all environmental requirements, 10 infra projects in Delhi pending’

India receives wide praise at UNSC for counterterror leadership, guiding ‘Delhi Declaration’

CTC "was outstanding in terms of organisation".

She said the array of experts at the meeting succeeded "in providing support to tackle the multifaceted tasks on the agenda of the committee and the council as a whole in counter-terrorism".

Six booked for religious conversion in Bareilly

Bhagwan Das, Prena Singh, Sunita, Sita, Pawan Kumar, and Janki Prasad.

United Nations, Nov 24 (IANS)

India has received wide praise for its leadership of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and for guiding the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on fighting terrorists using emerging technologies at its special meeting in New Delhi. "We welcome the adoption of the forward-looking Delhi Declaration and appreciate that it will serve as a non-binding benchmark for countering the new narratives of terrorists," Security Council President Harold Adlai Agyeman said on Wednesday. "We thank the chair of the Committee and the government of India for hosting the committee's special meeting in October with a focus on countering new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes." The sentiment was echoed by representatives of several countries across the geographic and diplomatic spectrum, who spoke after the CTC chair, India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj, briefed the council on the committee's work.

The CTC held a special two-day meeting in Mumbai and New Delhi -- a rare session away from the UN headquarters -- where the

Delhi Declaration was adopted. Held on the theme of fighting terrorists' use of new and emerging technologies, the session focused on drones, financing and information and communications technologies, and the declaration set out measures countries should take to counter these developments.

China's Deputy Permanent Representative Geng Shuang said" "India as the chair of CTC hosted a special session this October and adopted the Delhi Declaration, thereby giving impetus to member states' efforts in better tackling the new counterterrorism challenges."

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Deputy Permanent Representative Mohamed Abushahab said the Delhi Declaration "is a crucial contribution to our collective response to the threats discussed during the special meeting, including terrorists' deployment of unmanned aerial systems".

The UAE expresses "sincere gratitude" to India "for ensuring the committee's engagement on a wide range of regional and thematic issues, including evolving threats", he said.

Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva said the New Delhi meeting of the

A delegate representing France said that through the special CTC session in New Delhi India "provided an opportunity to reflect on the evolutions of the terrorist threat".

Thanking India for hosting the meeting, he added: "We were able to collectively reflect on the new ways in which terrorism is being financed (and) this is a priority for France." A British delegate said that at the CTC meeting in New Delhi, the members "benefited from a wide range of briefers for our work to be effective".

"The perspectives of technical experts, civil society, human rights defenders, the private sector, and academia are invaluable," she added.

Britain "appreciates the focus of the CT committee on emerging technologies", she said.

"The final declaration adopted in New Delhi on October 29 allowed us to flag the recent dangers represented by this threat from emerging technologies being used by terrorists," a delegate from Gabon said. She thanked Kamboj for her leadership of the CTC.

A Brazil delegate congratulated "India for the successful organization of the CTC special session, a special meeting on the pressing topic of the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes".

Delhi lawyer files complaint against Richa Chadha over her tweet on ‘Galwan’

the Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi's statement that the Indian Army is ready to execute orders like taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), went viral on social media.

Sharing a post on the statement by Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Richa took to her Twitter handle and wrote, "Galwan says hi." However, later, she deleted the tweet.

weapons, and managed to push them back, to mock them. She is mocking the sacrifice of our soldiers at Galwan valley which is shameful and disgraceful," the complaint read.

Bareilly, Nov 21 (IANS) Six persons have been booked for alleged forced religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rahul Bhati said the action was taken after the police got information that religious conversion was going on at the Vanshi Nagar locality in Bareilly where 60-70 people were present.

Later, an FIR was lodged against six persons under provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Act, 2021, said Bhati.

Those named in the FIR lodged by activist Himanshu Patel included

Patel alleged that religious conversion by Christian missionaries was allegedly being done at the residence of Bhagwan Das by luring, misleading, and also giving life threat to the people to accept their religion.

He also alleged in the FIR that indecent comments were made against Hindu gods and goddesses in the gathering.

However, Bhagwan Das said prayers were held in his fields for the past 22 years and allegations of religious conversion was made against him earlier too.

The allegations against him and others were found incorrect in the police probe and insisted that no religious conversion was done at his place.

Das has also given an application to lodge an FIR against Patel and others alleging that they entered his place, misbehaved with him and give life threats.

India to send helicopter unit to UN peacekeeping mission in Mali

but 18 Indians worked with it as of September. Haq added, "The UN continues to discuss with member states the deployment of new assets and plans to fill longer-standing gaps in addition to those resulting from recent announcements" of withdrawals.

MINUSMA, set up in 2013, has 17,622 personnel.

United Nations, Nov 24 (IANS)

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) A Delhi-based lawyer on Thursday filed a complaint with Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora against Bollywood actor Richa Chadha after her 'Galwan' tweet, in which she reacted to

In his complaint, Advocate Vineet Jindal stated that on November 23, Chadha has mocked the Army and its sacrifice.

"Richa Chadha used the incident, where Indian soldiers fought with the Chinese army without any

"The statement by Richa Chadha is provocative in nature and intends to conduct public mischief and shows her disrespect for the Army. She has committed offences under section 126, 505 of the IPC, which are cognisable and serious in nature.

I request you to lodge an FIR against her and take strict legal action and arrest her," Jindal wrote in his complaint.

India will send a helicopter unit to the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali, which is facing with a crisis as several countries have withdrawn or announced plans to withdraw from it, according to a UN spokesperson. SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres's Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday that the utility helicopter unit from India that is to be deployed in March will "provide much-needed support to our forces and are critical for early warning and rapid response to protect civilians".

Bangladesh and Pakistan will each be sending an armed helicopter unit to the operation known as Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). India does not have troops deployed with MINUSMA,

Several countries have pulled out of or announced plans to withdraw from the operations in Mali, where the government is battling Islamist terrorists.

MINUSMA is one of the deadliest operations having claimed the lives of 292 peacekeepers.

France completed its withdrawal earlier this year and it was followed by Egypt in August.

Germany said that it was withdrawing its personnel, who numbered 595 in the latest UN roster, from MINUSMA by May next year. Britain is also pulling out its 249 personnel. Ivory Coast also said that it would discontinue the participation of its personnel, who numbered 898, in MINUSMA when the current deployment ends because of a separate dispute with the Mali government over the arrest of its soldiers who went there on a mission unconnected to the UN.

Germany relaxes Schengen visa rules for Indians

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS)

Bringing a cheer to Indians, Germany has relaxed its Schengen visa appointment rules with the country centralizing its short-term visa processing at its center in Mumbai. "As a result of

centralisation of Schengen visa (short term visa) processing in German Visa Centre Mumbai, we are pleased to inform you about... relaxation regarding appointment bookings," the German embassy said in a statement. A short-stay

Schengen visa allows one to visit Germany and other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. This visa is issued in the form of a sticker affixed to the passport of the traveler.

"Appointments can be booked and Schengen visa applications can be submitted in all Visa Application Centres run by VFS Global all over India, regardless of your place of residence," the Mission statement read."

1.2 mn Kerala students in 2,000 schools to benefit from 9,000 robotic labs

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 26 (IANS) For the first time in India, Kerala Infrastructure & Technology for Education (KITE), the Edtech arm of the state government, is setting up robotic labs in 2000 High Schools from December 2022, which will benefit 1.2 million school children.

V. Sivankutty, Minister for General Education, on Saturday said this will facilitate innovative ways for increasing the knowledge skills of students through fun learning and the inauguration of 9000 Robotic Labs through Little KITEs-the largest ICT Network of students in India,

would be done by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 8, here. "Robotics is an important training component under the Little KITES programme, through which students in public schools would get an opportunity to get hands-on training in the latest technologies areas such as robotics, IoT, artificial intelligence. Moreover, the programming training as part of this would help in the enhancement of creative thinking and problem-solving ability of students, which would help them in the learning of all subjects", added the student leader turned Minister. K. Anvar Sadath, Chief Executive Officer of KITE said each Robotic Kit deployed to school comprises of Arduino Uno Rev3, LEDs, SG90 Mini Servo Motor, LDR Light Sensor Module, IR Sensor Module, Active Buzzer Module,

Push Button, Bread Button, Jumper wires and Resistors. "KITE will provide further support to schools to source additional spares, if required, from the local market by using the funds provided for Little KITEs units", said Sadath. In addition to the deployment of Robotic Kits in schools, 4000 KITE Masters would also be trained using a specific training module on how to use this equipment in schools. Using these KITE Masters, KITE is imparting training directly to 60,000 students. The Little KITES members thus trained, would in turn train other students which would directly benefit over 12 lakh students through this initiative. Students will also be trained in various activities, including development of Traffic Signal, Automatic Street light activated through light sensing, Electronic Dios, Automatic Door, AlarM.

Placements make IIT-Delhi top favourite of JEE Advanced top 100

Bihar school students manage bank to imbibe saving habit

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS)

Students across the country seeking admission in various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are waiting for the complete Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) schedule to be released.

According to the National Testing Agency, the schedule for JEE, the entrance exam for seeking admission in engineering courses, will be released by next week.

Looking at the admissions done on the basis of JEE Advanced last year, institutes like IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IIT Madras continue to be the top preferred choice of students. The data shows that IIT Delhi is the favourite choice of one-third of the top 100 toppers clearing the JEE Advanced.

IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee told IANS that among the top 100 students selected on the basis of JEE Mains result, 28 students took admission in IIT Delhi. Among the top 500 students across the whole country, of these 127 students chose IIT Delhi for higher education. According to Professor Banerjee, out of top 1,000 students across the country, 211 students have taken admission in IIT Delhi. This

time, IIT Delhi will approve admission of more than 1,200 undergraduate, 800 postgraduate and 600 PhD students. Like Delhi, IIT Madras also remains a top choice. The reason for this increasing attraction of students towards both IIT Delhi and IIT Madras is also the robust campus placements available here. An IIT Madras representative told IANS that their students have done exceptionally well in preplacements this academic year.

In 2022-23, students from IIT Madras have received a large number of placement offers. The institute has organised summer internships in offline mode.

Till the second week of November, 333 pre-placement offers (PPOs) have been given to IIT Madras students. This is much more than the 231 placement offers received during the last entire year i.e., from 2021-22. Honeywell, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Texas Instruments, Oracle are the top five companies which gave pre-placement job offers to IIT Madras students. According to IIT Madras, PPOs will continue to be available from December 1, 2022 till the first phase of assured campus placements begins.

Students of IIT Madras said that a lot of credit for the excellent performance in PPOs goes to the institute's strong internship programme. This gives students the opportunity to work as an intern in companies and desired results in PPOs. The steady growth of PPOs is a result of the excellent performance of the students of the institute taking up internships. Explaining the reasons for the huge increase in PPOs this year, Professor Sathyan, Advisor (Placement), IIT Madras, said: "We are happy to see a huge increase in PPOs this year. We encourage more and more companies for internships as it involves long interviews which makes it easy to evaluate students and then awarding PPOs profitably. Awarding and accepting a PPO increases the likelihood of a strong relationship between a student and the company." One of the major reasons for the growing interest of students towards IIT Delhi is its excellent campus placement record. This year IIT Delhi has also done exceptionally well in campus placements. Companies offering hefty pay packages to IIT Delhi students include reputed companies from countries like the U.S., England, Australia, Korea, Japan. An IIT Delhi representative said that it is also helping its current batch of students set up startups with the help of its alumni. Apart from this, IIT Delhi can soon become the knowledge partner of the Indian Parliament. Under this initiative, the experts of IIT Delhi will regularly provide important information to Indian MPs on 5G technology, communication technology, pollution, climate change, including many topics related to common people.

Gaya (Bihar), Nov 27 (IANS)

A unique, and rather unconventional bank -- "Children Bank of Nawadih" -- wholly managed by students, functions at a school in Gaya district of Bihar with an aim of inculcating the habit of saving among students.

The bank provides 'loan' to the children to buy articles such as pencil, books, notebooks, etc.

Located about 3 km from Banke Bazar Block headquarters, the bank has been set up by the Headmaster for the students of Nawadih Middle school.

Only students' accounts are opened in the bank and loans are given to the students belonging to underprivileged families for items pertaining to their education. All 'staff' of the bank including 'cashier', and also the 'customers' are students. Headmaster

Jitendra Kumar told IANS that the school has a total of 420 students studying in Class 1-8. He added the bank was opened in August with an aim to provide financial assistance to the students hailing from economically weaker families and facing difficulties in

buying essentials for the school. Kumar said the students deposited the pocket money received from their parents in the Children bank instead of spending them elsewhere following which they are allowed to withdraw it as per their needs. He said that loans up to Rs 1,000 are provided by the bank.

He apprised that the students operated the bank in their lunch break and used deposit and withdrawal slips that are used while conducting the transactions. The supplies can be bought at wholesale prices from the stalls set up by students in school. Kumar added the students who leave the school after Class 8th can get their accounts closed.

The students are reportedly happy with the bank and said that they get access to study materials on time without facing any difficulties. Block Education Officer, Banke Bazar, Dev Dayal Rekha appreciated the initiative and said that along with the habit of saving, it would develop responsibility, social skills and discipline among the students.

TN traces students who skipped higher education, imparts skill knowledge

A senior officer of the Department said that students are mostly quitting studies due to poverty at home.

Chennai, Nov 25 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has traced students who have dropped out and stopped learning after passing their plus two courses.

According to sources in the School Education Department of the state, more than 4,000 students have stopped studying further and instead, have joined some jobs.

Some students were traced to brick kilns in Karnataka and Andhra and some were doing odd jobs to support their families.

The school education department has entered into a tie up with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation for imparting skill to these youths.

An official with the Department told IANS that several girls who have competed plus two courses are married off. Abject poverty, peer pressure and other issues leads to several students skipping higher education and joining odd jobs.

Sources in the Skill Development Corporation told IANS that the certificate students get after their skill training has immense value.

MAKE IN INDIA

As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others. India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destinations in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

INDIA - KNITTING THE FUTURE

from $52.7 bn in 2019.

> The textiles industry (including dyed and printed) attracted FDI worth $ 4.03 bn from April 2000June 2022

> India’s exports of textiles and apparel are expected to reach $100 bn in the next 5 years, growing at a CAGR of 11%

> To double the Indian textile and apparel industry size to $190 bn by 2025-26, 7 mega textile parks have been planned

> The Indian technical textiles market was estimated at $17.6 bn in 2020-21 and grew at a CAGR of 10% since 2015-16

Wipro 3D launches industrial grade ‘make in India’ 3D printer

India is among the world's largest producers of Textiles and Apparel

The domestic apparel & textile industry in India contributes approx. 2% to the country’s GDP, 7% of industry output in value terms. The share of textile, apparel and handicrafts in India’s total exports was 11.4% in 2020-21. India holds 4% share of the global trade in textiles and apparel.

India is one of the largest producers of cotton and jute in the world. India is also the 2nd largest producer of silk in the world and 95% of the world’s hand-woven fabric comes from

India. The Indian technical textiles segment is estimated at $16 bn, approximately 6% of the global market.

> The textiles and apparel industry in India is the 2nd largest employer in the country providing direct employment to 45 mn people and 100 mn people in allied industries.

> India has also become the second-largest manufacturer of PPE in the world. More than 600 companies in India are certified to produce PPEs today, whose global market worth is expected to be over $92.5 bn by 2025, up

> The domestic technical textile market for synthetic polymer was valued at $7.1 bn in 2020 and is projected to reach $11.6 bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.2%, while the technical textile market for wovens is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% to $15.7 bn by 2027, up from $9.5 bn in 2020

> India has a share of 5% of the global trade in textiles and apparel

> The export of cotton Textiles was $ 17.2 bn with 39% share registering a growth of 54% and 67% during 2021-22 over FY 202021 and FY 2019-20, respectively

INDIAN AVIATION, FLYING HIGH

airlines have placed large orders for aircraft. The nation’s airplane fleet is projected to quadruple in size to approximately 2500 airplanes by 2038.

A rising proportion of middleincome households, healthy competition amongst Low-Cost Carriers, infrastructure buildup at leading airports and supportive policy framework has given a positive push to the aviation sector

In 2010, 79 mn people traveled to/from/or within India. By 2017 that doubled to 158 mn, and this number is expected to reach 520 mn by 2037. With the air passenger traffic projected to increase, the Indian aviation industry is on a high-growth path. To satisfy the current and projected rise in demand for commercial air travel, Indian

Currently, the country has 131 operational airports including 29 international, 92 domestic, and 10 custom airports. To meet the growing demand for air travel in India, it has become imperative to increase the capacity of airport infrastructure. In last 8 years, the number of airports has gone up from 74 to 141 (including helipads and waterdromes) and the number is likely to cross 200 in next 4-5 years. The government of India expects to invest $1.83 bn in the development of airport infrastructure by 2026. The sector has huge impact with economic multiplier of 3.1 and employment multiplier of 6.

The Indian Civil Aviation MRO market, at present, stands at around $900 mn and is anticipated to grow to $4.33 bn

by 2025 increasing at a CAGR of about 14-15%. The Indian drone industry will have a total turnover of up to $1.8 bn by 2026.

There are 42 Aviation IT startups in India.

Up to 100% FDI is permitted in Non-scheduled air transport services, Helicopter services and seaplanes under the automatic route.

Up to 100% FDI is permitted in MRO for maintenance and repair organizations; flying training institutes; and technical training institutes under the automatic route.

Up to 100% FDI is permitted in Ground Handling Services subject to sectoral regulations & security clearance under the automatic route.

100% FDI under automatic route has been allowed in Brownfield Airport projects.

Source: Invest India

Bengaluru, Nov 25 (IANS) Wipro 3D, a part of Wipro's strategic initiative into the future of manufacturing, on Friday launched its first indigenouslydeveloped, industrial grade 3D printer.

The 3D printer is designed to cater to educational institutes, industries, engineering and R&D centres, the company said in a statement.

"In the last 10 years, Wipro 3D has enabled customer success through expertise in metal additive manufacturing and are now foraying in the Industrial grade Polymer 3D printing through our newly launched line of printers," said Pratik Kumar, CEO, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN).

The 'Wipro 3D F300-2' has features like automatic platform levelling, magnetic print bed, self-cleaning nozzle and dual filtration to ensure user safety and high-quality 3D prints.

It is IoT-enabled and allows remote monitoring and control capabilities over the internet through any computer or any smartphone, according to the

company.

The humidity monitored warm filament storage bay in the 3D printer ensures that the filament quality does not deteriorate. The printer also has the ability to print a wide range of materials as per the needs of the user.

"We are happy to share that all of our 3D printers will be designed and 'Made in India," said Kumar.

The 3D printer has the capability of printing multiple industrialgrade materials.

"Further through IoT-enabled features like remote visual monitoring and critical parameter monitoring and control, engineers and researchers can manage print jobs remotely through their smart devices," said Yathiraj Kasal, General Manager and business head for Wipro 3D.

Ramesh Natarajan, CEO, Redington Ltd, said that they are excited to join hands with Wipro 3D for the distribution of the 3D printer across the country.

"We will support Wipro 3D's foray into indigenous design and development of 3D printers," he added.

New Delhi, 22 November. Press Information Bureau: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal said that duties on 100 percent tariff lines would be eliminated by Australia under the landmark India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA). He was addressing a press conference on the ECTA following the approval of the Agreement by the Australian Parliament today.

Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and said that the ECTA was made possible because of the bond that he had built with the leadership in Australia cutting across party lines.

Shri Goyal said that the ECTA would give a big boost to several sectors of the economy, especially textiles, gems and jewellery and pharmaceuticals. It may be noted that 10 lakh jobs are estimated to be created as the result of the ECTA. He noted that the Agreement would also open new opportunities for the service sector in India and would immensely benefit students by offering them an opportunity to work in Australia. Annual Visa quota of 1800 is to be instituted

for India Yoga teachers and Chefs. The Minister underscored that the Agreement was finalized after extensive and exhaustive stakeholder consultations and pointed out that it was unanimously accepted and supported by all quarters.

Shri Goyal observed that the Agreement reflected the confidence and trust between the two countries, and India’s growing stature in the world. He said that ECTA would further deepen India’s relationship with Australia, a vibrant democracy which shared several of India’s interests.

IndAus ECTA which was signed on 2 April 2022, is now ready for ratification for its early implementation, with the IndAus ECTA Bill and the DTAA amendment bill being passed by the Australian Parliament today and is being placed before Executive Council to get Royal Assent. The Agreement will enter into force shortly, on a mutually convenient date once both the sides have completed their domestic processes.

Australia is an important strategic partner of India and both the democracies are part of the four nation QUAD, Trilateral Supply Chain Initiative and the IndoPacific Economic Forum (IPEF).

The trade relationship facilitated through ECTA will open a new chapter on India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership between two vibrant economies with shared interest and trade complementarities. This agreement initiated by the Hon’ble Prime Ministers of both the sides, is the cornerstone of our multi-faceted bilateral relations. ECTA is the first trade agreement of India with a developed country after more than a decade. The Agreement encompasses cooperation across the entire gamut of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two friendly countries. This will also connect with more than seven lakhs of Australia’s Indian diaspora, second highest taxpaying diaspora, which makes a significant contribution to Australia’s society and economy.

ECTA provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries. For the first time, decisions completely based on extensive stakeholder consultations with every industry, Ministries, trade associations etc unlike the previous FTAs was undertaken. It is expected that with this agreement, the total bilateral trade will cross US$

45-50 bn in 5 years from existing US$ 31 bn. India’s Merchandise Exports is likely to increase by 10 billion by 2026-27. Moreover, since the labour-intensive sectors will be benefitted, it is expected to create an additional employment of atleast 10 lakhs jobs in India, create ample opportunities for investment, promotion of startups. Similarly, it would provide enhanced job opportunities for Indians in Australia and increased remittance flows to India.

Around 96% of Australia’s exports are raw materials and intermediate products which will allow many Indian industries to get cheaper raw materials and make them competitive. Investments will help increasing presence of higher value products of advanced technology, thereby promoting vertical Movement in the value chain (Engineering, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals & Medical devices). Another major gain is in Pharmaceuticals sector, where Drugs approved in other developed jurisdiction will get fast track approval for patented, generic and biosimilar medicines.

As regards trade in services, Australia has offered wide ranging commitments in around 135 sub sectors. which cover key areas of India’s interest like IT, ITES, Business services, Health,

Education, and Audio visual. Some of the key offers from Australia in the services space include: Quota for chefs and yoga teachers; Post study work visa of 2-4 years for Indian students on reciprocal basis; mutual recognition of Professional Services and Other licensed/ regulated Occupations; and Work & Holiday visa arrangement for young professionals. Moreover, the long pending issue under Double taxation related to IT/ ITES has been resolved under this Agreement which will provide a financial savings of more than US$ 200 million per year as per the estimates received from the Industry Associations.

As part of the commitments under ECTA, for the Comprehensive Ind-Aus ECTA, Chief Negotiators from both the sides will have a meeting shortly to finalise the Scoping document.

In a nutshell, the India-Australia ECTA will further cement the already deep, close and strategic relations between the two countries and will significantly enhance bilateral trade in goods and services, create new employment opportunities, raise living standards, and improve the general welfare of the peoples of the two countries.

ECTA to enhance people to people contact leading to generation of additional businesses, significant increase in exports, investment and employment for more than one million

Australia overturns Novak Djokovic visa ban ahead of Australian Open

It comes about 10 months after the Serbian was detained in Melbourne on the eve of the Grand Slam for attempting to enter the country without being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Following a legal battle, Djokovic was deported and automatically banned from entering Australia for three years.

have been removed, including the requirement to provide evidence of COVID-19 vaccination status to enter Australia."

Prior to being deported Djokovic was aiming for a fourth straight men's singles title at Melbourne Park.

Canberra, Nov 17 (IANS) The Australian government has overturned a ban on tennis star Novak Djokovic entering the country, clearing his way to compete in the Australian Open. Andrew Giles, the Minister for Immigration, on Thursday confirmed that Djokovic has been granted a temporary visa to enter the country, Xinhua reports.

Giles' decision overturns that ban.

In a statement, he said strict border restrictions that banned unvaccinated non-citizens from entering the country have been lifted. "Since the cancellation of Mr Djokovic's visa in January 2022, all COVID-19-related Australian border restrictions under the Biosecurity Act 2015

Speaking in Turin at the ATP Finals, Djokovic said he was "very happy" to be returning to Australia.

"I could not receive better news for sure - during this tournament as well. The Australian Open has been my most successful grand slam. I made some of the best memories there," he said.

The 2023 Australian Open will run from January 16-29.

Indian-origin paediatrician is Victoria’s Australian of the Year

on topics from mental health to Covid-19 vaccinations.

"It is an honour, and privilege at the same time it brings a lot of responsibility to me to work harder to cater for the needs of Australian multicultural communities," Khillan told The Australia Today.

AC, Governor of Victoria, tweeted. Having being associated with the Royal Darwin Hospital in 2004 as a paediatrician, Khillan, also known as 'Dr Raj', has tirelessly worked for the remote Aboriginal communities.

Canberra, Nov 19 (IANS)

Australia's Immigration Minister Andrew Giles on Saturday announced a major change that will allow refugees to travel overseas and return to the country.

exacerbating mental health issues and imposing great and enduring uncertainty on their lives," Giles said in a statement.

Melbourne, Nov 16 (IANS)

Indian-origin paediatrician Angraj Khillan from Victoria state has been honoured with 2023 Australian of the Year award for delivering key healthcare and health education to several Australian communities.

Khillan, 56, is the co-founder of Health Awareness Society of Australia (HASA), which dispels myths, taboos and misinformation about health through forums in a range of languages.

HASA delivers forums and virtual sessions in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Arabic

As a student in India, he sold offerings outside a temple to fund his medical education.

After moving to Melbourne in 2010, Khillan worked to raise awareness of domestic violence and dowry abuse.

He has played a pivotal role in delivering key healthcare and health education to culturally diverse communities in Victoria, a government release note stated.

"Congratulations to paediatrician Dr Angraj Khillan, 2023 Victorian Australian of the Year. Dr Khillan has changed lives by delivering healthcare and health education to culturally diverse communities across Australia," Linda Dessau

He has also been raising funds for philanthropy in India, East Timor, Australia, apart from being a member of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and founder of Doctors Against Domestic Violence Group .

He has several awards to his credit, including the 2019 Small Business Champion Awards, 2019 India Australia Business and Community Awards, 2017 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence and 2019 Wyndham Business Awards, among others.

Apart from Khillan, there were three other recipients of the award from Victoria, who will come together with awardees from other states for the national awards ceremony in Canberra on January 25, 2023.

Australia nears peak of current Covid wave

increase than in early and midNovember. On average there were 2,242 Australians with coronavirus being treated in hospital over the last seven days -- up from 1,973 of the previous week - and there were more than 100 deaths.

Giles flagged that the federal government will amend a direction making people who arrived in Australia by boat before July 2013 the lowest priority applicants for family reunion visas, reports Xinhua news agency. It means that more than 19,000 refugees who have lived in the country since before 2013 on temporary protection visas (TPVs) and safe-haven enterprise visas (SHEVs) will be converted to permanent protection visas, delivering on a government election promise.

"The government is improving the family reunion pathways for these permanent visa holders, many of whom have been separated from family for over a decade,

"Under these changes, TPV and SHEV holders will still be required to request permission to travel to a third country, and still can not travel to the country by reference to which they were found to engage protection obligations.

"However, the new policy will broaden the circumstances in which they are able to travel to a third country," he added.

Refugees and asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat after July 19, 2013, the date former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared nobody who arrived by boat would ever settle in the country again, will be locked out of the changes.

The government is exploring settlement options in New Zealand, Canada and the US for those refugees.

Canberra, Nov 25 (IANS)

Australia has reported a small uptick in active Covid-19 cases as the country nears the peak of its fourth wave of infections, the Department of Health said on Friday. According to the

Department data, there were an average of 11,953 new cases recorded daily in the week to Friday, reports Xinhua news agency. It represents an increase of 10 per cent from the previous week -- a significantly smaller

In South Australia (SA), chief health officer Nicola Spurrier said she believes SA is approaching the peak of the current wave after cases increased by 3 per cent in the last week. "We are getting towards the peak. Until we see those case numbers come down I can't officially tell you we're at the peak, but we're certainly at that top-end plateau," she told reporters. "We are very hopeful that we will be on the other side of that wave well before Christmas, so we can all enjoy a healthy Christmas."

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS)

Legendary Australia cricketer Steve Waugh has stated his disappointment with the hectic cricketing schedule in the country this year, adding that it has become very hard for a spectator to keep up with the matches.

Cricket Australia (CA) has been heavily criticised for scheduling the matches of the men’s team in the country over the summer months, especially after poor crowds in the 3-0 ODI series over England, which began just three days after Men’s T20 World Cup ended.

In the T20 World Cup too,

Australia, despite being the hosts and defending champions, recorded an average attendance of 37,565 across its five Super 12 matches, including the abandoned fixture against England at the MCG.

Though CA CEO Nick Hockley pointed to rescheduling of fixtures after the Covid-19 pandemic as a reason behind the packed schedule, Waugh has aired his concerns over how it is becoming tough for people to follow the matches.

Australia to grant thousands of refugees right to travel overseas

As a spectator, it’s very hard to keep up with it:

WBBL: Dottin’s all-round show leads

Adelaide Strikers to maiden title

Peterson continued her knack of taking a big wicket, with the South African caught at gully chasing a wider delivery.

Mack finished an over later in unusual circumstances, stepping on her own stumps and moving back to the spin of Sophie Ecclestone (2-19).

Australian state on alert for Japanese encephalitis

Saunders said the disease won't pose a food safety risk, but it could cause reproductive failures in pigs, with 50-70 percent losses reported in previously affected populations.

Sydney, Nov 26 (IANS) West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin starred with bat and ball, leading Adelaide Strikers to their maiden WBBL title with a hard-fought 10run win over Sydney Sixers in the final at North Sydney Oval, here on Saturday.

Dottin hit an unbeaten 52 off 37 balls to carry Strikers to 148/7 before taking the key wickets of Suzie Bates and Ashleigh Gardneras Sixers were bowled out for 138 on the final ball of the innings. Chasing a modest total, Sixers' batters never got going.

The power-packed lineup saw early exits of Suzie Bates (10), Alyssa Healy (1), Gardner (0) and Erin Burns (1) as Aussie pacer Darcie Brown (2-15) combined with Dottin (2-30) to leave the Sixers top-order in tatters at 16-4 after 5.5 overs.

Ellyse Perry (33) was joined by Nicole Bolton (32) and the pair steadied the innings, taking the Sixers to 43/4 at the midway mark

of the innings, still, 105 runs shy of their target. Bolton showed her class in her final professional match, finding the boundary three times in a 60-run stand with her skipper before McGrath rattled her stumps in the 14th over. The Sixers' hopes rested on Perry, playing at her favourite venue, with the required rate edging over 12 an over. She found the boundary off Brown's next over, but when she got bowled a ball later, it was left to the Sixers' tail to pull off a miracle, with 66 runs still needed off 31 balls.

Maitlan Brown cleared the rope in her return from a back injury, but her highly entertaining 34 off 16, while lifting the spirits of the home crowd, was not enough as wickets kept tumbling at the other end and Sixers were eventually bowled out for 137 in 20 overs.

Earlier, Strikers' openers Katie Mack (31 off 26) and Laura Wolvaardt (15 off 16) put on 51 in the first six overs before Kate

Dottin was handed a life on one when Nicole Bolton put down a difficult chance at backward point, and then was twice caught off no balls on five and eight; the first off Peterson was signalled immediately, the second off Perry came after a third umpire review, with the Sixers' celebrations abruptly cut short.

McGrath dispatched the second free hit into the hill for six, but her promising start ended on 24 off 21 when she was caught trying to clear the mid-on boundary, giving Nicole Bolton a wicket in her final game.

The Power Surge was comprehensively won by the Sixers, who removed the heroes from Thursday's Challenger final, Patterson (7) and Penna (0) and leaked just seven runs. But Dottin upped the ante to add 34 runs from the final three overs, including a massive six into the hill and brought up her halfcentury with a scoop off the final ball of the innings.

Brief scores: Adelaide Strikers 147/5 in 20 overs (Deandra Dottin 52 not out, Sophie Ecclestone 2-19) beat Sydney Sixers 137 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 33, Darcie Brown 2-15) by 10 runs.

with stadium attendances

across its five Super 12 matches, including the abandoned fixture against England at the MCG. India, despite crashing out of the tournament in the semifinal stage, averaged crowds of 56,656 throughout their matches. These figures have seen many former cricketers point towards a supposed lack of support for the Australia men's team and of viewer fatigue due to tons of cricket matches being scheduled in the international calendar.

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley has defended the crowd numbers in cricket matches in Australia, saying he was 'generally pleased' with the attendance in stadiums till now. Hockley's comments come after Australia-England's third ODI at the MCG last week saw just 10,406 fans turn up as the hosts completed a 3-0 sweep over the reigning World Cup winners. Throughout the series against England which came just three days after the Men's T20 World Cup ended in Australia, there were low attendances for all matches. In the T20 World Cup too, Australia recorded an average attendance of 37,565

"We (Australia) have played 14 white-ball games in Australia, would you believe, before the start of the Test series. But overall, I think we've been really thrilled with crowds across the World Cup. Before a ball in the Test series is bowled, over a million people have bought tickets for cricket in Australia across the World Cup and the white-ball series." "So we've been generally pleased with the crowds so far there have been some exceptional circumstances and a real rework of the schedule to catch up after the pandemic," Hockley was quoted as saying by ABC's Summer Grandstand

radio show on Sunday. Australia was originally scheduled to host the event in 2020, before it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was re-scheduled for October 16-November 13 this year, which was won by England. It was the first time Australia hosted the Men's T20 World Cup after hosting a record-breaking Women's T20 World Cup, which was held in February-March 2020 and won by the hosts. Though England became double T20 World Cup winners, Jos Buttlerled playing an ODI series against Australia just 72 hours after winning the trophy was criticised by many fans and experts of the game. But Hockley believes the ODIs were "important" for Australia to get ODI World Cup Super League points, which will determine automatic qualifications for the ODI World Cup in India next year.

"I think it was suboptimal they came so quickly off the back of the T20 World Cup, but they are a really important part of our build-up for the 50-over World Cup next year in India.

Sydney, Nov 23 (IANS) Authorities of Australia's New South Wales (NSW) on Wednesday warned its residents to be alert for Japanese encephalitis as the state is experiencing an extended period of wet weather. The government urged livestock owners to watch for signs of this infectious disease as routine surveillance indicated the virus remains present in parts of regional NSW, reports Xinhua news agency. The state's Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Dugald Saunders said mosquito numbers are expected to rise in the coming weeks, given the extended periods of wet weather across the state.

"As we recover from high rainfall and head into warmer temperatures, the conditions are ideal for Japanese encephalitis to spread," he said.

Japanese encephalitis is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It is spread through mosquito bites and is more common in areas of increased mosquito activity.

"We're encouraging farmers to be on high alert for ill livestock, with clinical signs of infection including a high temperature, jaundice, lethargy, anorexia and neurological signs including incoordination and impaired vision," he added.

Japanese encephalitis infections in humans are most commonly asymptomatic, but on rare occasions, they can result in severe disease and even death.

NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard also warned residents who live or frequently work in areas identified as having the disease to take precautions such as vaccines and wearing long-sleeved clothing to prevent mosquito bites.

The state is providing free JEV vaccines to those aged 2 months or older who live or routinely work in areas of high JEV concern or at higher risk of exposure to mosquitoes.

Since it was first detected in Australia in 1995, human cases of JEV acquired in Australia have been very rare, but in 2022, the number has increased, with human cases identified across several states.

As of October 19 this year, 42 cases of JEV infections have been notified in Australia since January 1, 2021.

Australia facing more heat, droughts: Climate report

the maximum temperature in Australia exceeded 39 degrees Celsius, more than the previous 59 years combined.

The eight years between 2013 and 2020 all rank in Australia's 10 warmest years on record.

Canberra, Nov 23 (IANS) Extreme weather events are becoming more severe and more common in Australia, a landmark climate report published on Wednesday warned.

The national science agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) published their biennial State of the Climate report, revealing the continent has warmed by 1.47 degrees Celsius since 1910, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the report, sea levels around Australia's coast are rising at an accelerating rate, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and bushfire season is growing longer. There were 33 days in 2019 when

Sea surface temperatures in the Australian region have increased by an average of 1.05 degrees Celsius since 1900.

In the Gulf of Carpentaria and around Sydney, sea levels are rising by 7-8 mm every year.

Snow depth, snow cover and the number of snow days in alpine regions have decreased since the 1950s.

A decrease in cool season rainfall across southern and eastern Australia is projected to lead to more time in drought.

Tanya Plibersek, minister for the Environment and Water, said it reinforces the need for action.

"This report is sobering reading. Australia is experiencing climate change now, with impacts being felt by many communities, ecosystems and industry sectors," she added.

Nick Hockley defends crowd numbers in Australia, says ‘generally pleased’

Pelosi ends historic term as first woman US speaker FBI concerned over Chinalinked ‘police stations’ in US

reports of such centres across the country.

"We are aware of the existence of these stations. To me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop, you know, in New York, let's say, without proper coordination.

provide administrative services to Chinese nationals abroad, such as renewing drivers' licences abroad and other consular services.

However, Safeguard Defenders said they also serve a "more sinister goal", by contributing to "cracking down on all kinds of illegal and criminal activities involving overseas Chinese".

Washington, Nov 18 (IANS) The FBI is "concerned" over reports that secret "police stations" linked to China have been set up across the US, a report said.

A September report issued by the NGO Safeguard Defenders revealed that Chinese public security bureaus established the "overseas police service stations" in several continents, including two in London and one in Glasgow, the BBC reported.

In North America, it found stations in Toronto and in New York. FBI Drector Christopher Wray, told senior politicians that the agency was monitoring

"It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes," he was quoted as saying

Asked if the stations violated US law, Wray said the FBI was "looking into the legal parameters", reports the BBC.

The senior intelligence official was speaking at a US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, where he was grilled by senior lawmakers.

According to the NGO, the units were reportedly created to tackle transnational crime and to

China has however, denied running the overseas stations, the BBC reported.

Wray further said the US had opened a number of charges related to the Chinese government harassing, stalking, monitoring and blackmailing people in the US who had been critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"It's a real problem and something that we're talking with our foreign partners about, as well, because we're not the only country where this has occurred," he added.

Washington, Nov 18 (IANS) Nancy Pelosi, the first and so far only woman to be Speaker of the US House of Representatives, ended her historic term Thursday and announced she will stay on as just a member.

officially called the minority leader.

Pelosi counts Mahatma Gandhi as a major influence in her life. "Mahatma Gandhi made all the difference in the world and our country," she said at a Gandhi anniversary event in 2019, adding, referring to Martin Luther King Jr being inspired by Gandhi's concept of of satyagraha and nonviolent struggle that he brought back from a visit to India in 1959.

"That is a debt we owe to India," Pelosi had added.

The Speaker visited India several times and being a well-known China-critic, she visited Dalai Lama in Dharamshala in 2008 and 2007, angering Beijing. But she was never deterred by China's tantrums about visits - she travelled to Taiwan earlier this year, despite Chinese threats of military retaliation.

Peshawar, Nov 17 (IANS) Weapons and other military equipment left behind by US forces when exiting Afghanistan last year are now being used by militants in attacks against law enforcement and security forces in Pakistan, the media reported.

This was claimed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah

Ansari while talking to the media on Thursday, Samaa TV reported.

His comments came a day after militants carried out a deadly attack in the Lakki Marwat area that left six police personnel dead, Samaa TV reported.

Ansari said that after Afghan Taliban took over in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, many militants in Afghan jails were set free.

"These militants picked up the sophisticated weaponry left by the Americans and waged a war against KP police," he said, Samaa TV reported.

However, he rejected that the KP police had gone on a full fledged offensive against terrorism or that

the situation was returning to the height of militancy as was seen during the 2010s.

"It is a low-intensity conflict, which is the consequence of the earlier war on terrorism," he said.

He however, assured the public that the KP police was well staffed and well equipped to tackle the rising wave of terrorism.

Earlier, on Wednesday, terrorists had targeted a police patrol vehicle in Lakki Marwat, killing six personnel including four constables, an ASI and the vehicle's driver.

The incident took place when the police were conducting a routine patrol in the area.

Xi angrily rebukes Trudeau at G20 summit

about a previous conversation between the two leaders to have been shared with media, suggesting Trudeau lacked "sincerity" in his approach, the Guarian reported.

"Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi says to Trudeau through a translator.

"In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have," Trudeau said, interrupting Xi's translator.

"We will continue to look to work constructively together but there will be things we will disagree on."

Pelosi, who is often referred to as the most powerful woman in US politics, was widely expected to step down in the new Congress elected in the midterm polls, but her announcement drove many lawmakers of her party to tears, drew banner headlines on news sites and carpet coverage on TV news media.

"For me, the hour's come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect," Speaker Pelosi said in a much anticipated speech on the House floor. She added, "And I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility."

She will not seek re-election as the head of the Democratic caucus in the House that will be sworn in January 2023, and stay on as just a member and be available to the party leadership for advice, which will be much sought after as she is known to be a master strategist. Democrats lost control of the House in the midterm to the Republican party and Pelosi's successor will be

At home, Pelosi treated former President Donald Trump with similar disdain. Images of Pelosi tearing up a copy of Trump's State of the Union speech in 2020 even as he was delivering it just an arm's length from her in the House will be a part of American history, as will be the picture of her wagging a finger at Trump at a White House meeting that went badly.

Pelosi picked up politics from her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., a former House member and threeterm Mayor of Baltimore. She was first elected to the House in 1987, and rose through the party ranks to become minority whip in 2001. And made history in 2007 as the first woman Speaker. She served two terms as Speaker and the Republicans took the House for the next eight years.

Pelosi returned as Speaker in 2019, in the first midterm election of Trump's one-term presidency. Her relations with Trump ranged between bad and terrible, marked by very public blowouts. The former President hit back, as he is known to, with childish putdowns as "Crazy Nancy".

Biden renews call to ban assault weapons

Bali, Nov 17 (IANS) Chinese

President Xi Jinping has angrily rebuked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after officials in the latter's country shared details of a previous meeting, highlighting the frosty relationship between the two leaders.

In a clip recorded by the media pool at the now-concluded G20 summit in Bali, a visibly frustrated Xi pulls the Canadian Prime Minister aside and says it was "not appropriate" for details

"And that's not the way the conversation was conducted," he added.

The testy exchange came a day after government sources briefed that during a previous conversation on the margins of the summit, Trudeau had raised "serious concerns" with Xi over China's increasingly aggressive "interference activities".

Xi's irritation on Wednesday was a rare break with his normally carefully scripted public appearances.

Gesturing with his hands, Xi told Trudeau the two must "create the conditions first", the Guardian reported.

The pair ended their conversation by shaking hands and leaving in opposite directions, with the Canadian Prime Minister looking chastened from the encounter.

The uncomfortable exchange, and the previous conversation, followed repeated warnings from Trudeau and other officials that China had attempted to undermine Canada's democracy, said the Guardian report.

Washington, Nov 25 (IANS)

US President Joe Biden has renewed his call to ban assault weapons. "I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons," Biden told reporters during a visit to firefighters in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Thursday

The remarks came on the heels of a pair of high-profile mass shootings in just a few days, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the shooting at a Colorado Springs nightclub over the weekend, a gunman wielded an AR-15 style rifle, killing five people while injuring 19 others.

"I'm sick and tired of these shootings," the President said on Thursday.

"We should have much stricter gun laws."

However, the chance of a ban on assault weapons passing through the US Congress is all but impossible in the near future. Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives next term and is likely to oppose legislation to curb gun rights.

‘Weapons left by US in Afghanistan being used by militants against Pak security forces’

The first permanent gallery in UK dedicated to South Asian diaspora

British Asian culture including women and queer communities. A powerful contemporary painting by female painter Azraa Motala, will explore what it means to be British Asian today, whilst Taslima Ahmad, a Collective member will discuss garment manufacture and South Asian working lives in Manchester.

New Malaysian PM to prioritise cost of living, stability

discussions and immediate action to reduce the impact of the cost of living. I have asked the relevant agencies to meet as soon as this weekend or the coming Monday (November 28)," he said.

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANSlife)

Following a significant capital redevelopment, the University of Manchester's Manchester Museum will reopen to the public on February 18, 2023. This new multilingual gallery will explore the relationship between South Asia and Britain's legacy of Empire and offer new perspectives on British Asian and South Asian culture and creativity.

The South Asia Gallery Collective, a group of 30 remarkable people that includes community leaders, educators, artists, historians, journalists, and musicians, has co-curated the gallery in a unique way. The exhibition will present a variety of human stories that provide visitors a window into South Asia by showcasing over 140 antique artifacts from the collections of the Manchester Museum and British Museum, coupled with new modern commissions and personal objects contributed by the Collective. Through the use of six main themes-Past & Present, Lived Environments, Innovation & Language, Sound, Music & Dance, British Asian, and Movement & Empire-the gallery's story-led design will represent various voices

In Past & Present, the general public will examine the historic Indus Valley Civilization through a modern lens and share perspectives that go beyond those of archaeologists. It will also highlight influential female figures from the Mughal Empire, like Nur Jahan, to encourage discussion about the place of women in history. Through the relationship between Manchester's cotton industry and the Indian independence

movement, it will demonstrate the significance of Gandhi's 1931 visit to the Lancashire cotton mill town of Darwen.

Lived Environments will use objects including postcards from tea estates, 18th-century tea tokens, an opium pipe, and a movie on floating gardens in Bangladesh to highlight the value of conservation in South Asian culture and the environmental effects of the British Empire.

Innovation & Language will examine South Asian innovation through the work of three legendary figures who are frequently disregarded, including Satyendra Nath Bose, one of the key figures in the development of contemporary quantum science. Fal Sarker, a member of the collective and the grandson of Bose, will discuss Bose's influence on the scientific community and the correspondence he had with Albert Einstein as "a labour of love to my famous ancestry and his impact on quantum physics."

Another anthology, Sound, Music & Dance, will feature various forms of musical expression from ancient instruments such as the hakgediya, a Sri-Lankan conch shell, to the secret South Asian Daytimers raves of the 80s and 90s. A listening station will play work by Aziz Ibrahim, a musician in the Collective, recognised for playing with the Stone Roses and Simply Red, as well as developing South Asian blues which mixes English and Punjabi, whose album describes a family journey from Lahore to Manchester.

British Asian explores identity through a range of expressions from pop music to art, and celebrating stories not usually represented by mainstream

Finally Movement & Empire will look at South Asian identity in relation to voluntary and involuntary migration, including as a result of war and the trauma of Partition, which was one of the largest migrations in human history. An NHS display will celebrate the importance of the South Asian community to UK medicine, from the 1950s movement of medics to the UK to the significant contribution of the community during the Covid pandemic.

New commissions will populate the space, celebrating contemporary South Asian creativity and innovation, including a rickshaw imported from Bangladesh and decorated by communities in Manchester and a 17 metre long newly commissioned mural from British artists, The Singh Twins, illustrating an emotional map of South Asian diaspora experience.

A series of events, performance and public programme will launch, with a dedicated performance space at the centre of the gallery, which will be shaped by ideas and contributions from the Collective and programmed in collaboration with both local and international artists and performers.

Nusrat Ahmed, South Asia Gallery Curator at Manchester Museum, says: "As a first-generation British-born South Asian person, it is really exciting to be part of such a groundbreaking project.

The co-curated South Asia Gallery envisages a collaborative, iterative space that will generate new perspectives and connections. We hope to engage further diaspora communities on its opening and support its continual evolution.

This personalised approach humanises the gallery, telling stories about real people and their objects."

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 25 (IANS)

Newly-elected Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday that his government will prioritise dealing with the cost of living to ease the burden on the people.

In his first press conference after clocking in for the job, Anwar said he has asked the relevant government agencies to conduct detailed discussions and take immediate action to ease the burden of rising prices on the people, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I have asked for more detailed

On the stability of the government, Anwar said the group of parties from the northern Borneo state of Sabah have officially joined with his unity government and this has pushed the total number of members of parliament in his government to two-thirds.

He also said he would reduce the size of his government's cabinet to improve efficiency and as a sign of solidarity with the people, he has asked that they will accept lower pay.

"This is still under discussion and I hope to resolve it as soon as possible," Ibrahim said, adding that he would also hold discussions with the various components of his coalition on deciding the candidates to be appointed ministers.

India to take over UNSC presidency at time of acute crisis

United Nations, Nov 30 (IANS) India will take over the presidency of the Security Council on Thursday at a time of an acute international crisis that will call upon its diplomatic skills in the UN’s highest decision-making body paralysed in the face of an invasion by a permanent member of a neighbour.

Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj will step in as President of a deeply polarised Council where the West is ranged against Moscow and Beijing in a situation exacerbated by vetowielding Russia’s devastating war against Ukraine.

India will use its presidency to continue to put a spotlight on terrorism, an imminent threat.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to personally preside over a special high-level meeting of the Council on December 15 on the global danger from terrorism.

He tweeted: “We will organise a briefing on aThreats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism -- Challenges and Way Forward’.”

Convening such sessions known as “Signature Events” is a prerogative of the nation holding the presidency to draw attention to its priorities.

The session will follow up a special meeting India convened in Mumbai and New Delhi last month as the chair of the Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Preparing for the presidency, Kamboj met Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday and she tweeted they “discussed the priorities and programme of work ahead”.

Ukraine will come up repeatedly in the Council next month as Moscow’s attacks heighten the security threats in Europe and the humanitarian crisis worsens.

Although Kamboj will have the benefit of India’s tightrope walk between the adversaries, keeping its lines of diplomatic communications open to all sides at the highest levels, a breakthrough will be impossible.

Pulled by both sides, New Delhi, which has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, has expressed its mild disapproval of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but without naming Moscow, but at the same time abstained on votes in both the Council and General Assembly condemning Russia.

The Council is also forced into inaction by veto-wielding China on North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests in defiance of the UN, a threat that directly affects India and Indo-Pacific nations.

While it may be impossible for the Council president to arrive get compromises on issues like Ukraine or North Korea, there are other routine matters like peacekeeping operations on which a compromise can be hammered out.

Short of a resolution, the President can also work on developing consensus declarations known as press statements that can express concern on matters like attacks on peacekeepers or deteriorating conditions, or applaud positive developments like Israel and Lebanon agreeing recently on a maritime boundary.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @ arulouis)

WORLD THIS WEEK

Contributed by In Association with National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru Compiled by Rashmi Ramesh, Akriti Sharma, Avishka Ashok, Abigail Miriam Fernandes, Apoorva Sudhakar, Joel Jacob, Anu Maria, Sethuraman Nadarajan, Farhan Hussain and Vignesh Ram

Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim appointed by the King as the Prime Minister

government on their own, King Sultan Abdullah, after consulting with the Pakistan Harappan (to which Anwar Ibrahim belong to), and the Perikatan National (to which the former PM Muhyiddin Yassin come from), decided to announce Anwar as the Prime Minister.

What does it mean?

What happened?

On 25 November, Malaysia’s long time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was appointed as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia. As none of the parties have the necessary majority to form the

ALSO IN NEWS

East and Southeast Asia This Week

China: UN Committee calls for release of Xinjiang detainees, recommends remedies

On 25 November, a United Nations Committee urged China to release people in Xinjiang’s detention centre and recommended providing relief and compensation to affected victims. The statement released by the committee adds pressure on China and calls for the country to implement the recommendations from the UNHRC’s report released by the former Chief Michelle Bachelet. The committee said the lack of improvement in the human rights situation in Xinjiang prompted the recommendations. The committee added that China must perform a complete review of the legal framework regulating national security, counterterrorism and minority rights to ensure compliance with the convention. China’s spokesperson at the diplomatic mission in Geneva, Liu Yuyin, said that the country denies any human rights violations. Liu said that China firmly opposes the UN commission’s decision and accused it of slandering China’s human rights record and basing it on distorted facts provided by the West and other anti-China separatist forces.

Pacific Island Countries: China holds dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation.

On 22 November, a first minister-

Anwar’s appointment signifies a victory for the reform movement in Malaysia, which is indicated through the return of the mandate to the PH as the largest party. The shifting trends displayed in the recent elections predict a future trajectory of politics that a polarized mandates and a further erosion of established actors popular in Malaysian politics may challenge.

five days in Pyongyang. The conference had discussions on developing the Worker’s Party and strengthening its security body. The speeches revolved around promoting the Socialist Party and removing anti-socialist and nonsocialist activities and thoughts from North Korea. North Korea’s Premier Kim Jong-un did not attend the conference. However, he wrote a letter to the security officers, which was used to rally internal loyalty.

Australia and New Zealand: Six refugees from Australian detention camps arrive in New Zealand

rank of General with immediate effect and appointed him as Chief of Army Staff with effect from 29th November 2022 and promoted Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza HI(M) to the rank of General with immediate effect and appointed him as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee with effect from 27th November 2022.” Both Generals were given immediate promotions to four-star ranks as Lt General Munir was to retire on 27 November. Additionally, this was the first time in decades that the principle of seniority has been followed in appointing the COAS.

mission to investigate the human rights abuses in Iran’s crackdown against anti-government protests.

Of the 47 members, 25 countries voted in favour and 16 abstained. Armenia, China, Pakistan, Eritrea, Venezuela, and Cuba voted against the resolution. UNHRC chief called on the authorities to “immediately stop using violence and harassment against peaceful protestors and to release all those arrested for peacefully protesting… and a moratorium on the death penalty.”

The UK: Supreme Court rules against Scotland's referendum plea

level dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation was held via video between China and some South Pacific countries. The dialogue was chaired by China’s Wang Xiaohang, a member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Secretariat and Minister of Public Security, and Anthony Veke, minister of police, national security and correctional services of the Solomon Islands. In the beginning of the dialogue, Wang first extended his condolences to the Solomon Islands over the earthquake. Wang went on to express his hope and desire to establish a more friendly cooperative relationship with some of the South Pacific countries and form a more efficient mode of cooperation along with enhancing professional law enforcement capacity through such minister-level dialogue mechanisms. Wang said: “China stands ready to work with other parties to jointly foster this mechanism to create a security environment for the prosperity, stability and development of all countries in the region.” The dialogue was also attended by heads of the police departments of Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga and Papua New Guinea who also made statements.

North Korea: Security Officers Conference discusses driving out anti-socialistic elements

On 25 November, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on the fifth Conference of Security Officers that lasted

On 22 November, New Zealand received the first set of refugees arriving from offshore Australian detention camps. In accordance to an agreement between Australia and New Zealand that was agreed on March 2022, 150 refugees would be resettled in New Zealand each year for three years. The refugees from offshore Australian detention camps in Nauru or other places would be screened to meet New Zealand’s Refugee Quota Programme requirements. The first six from Nauru arrived in New Zealand under the agreement.

New Zealand: Court rules in favour of changing voting age to 16

On 21 November, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said that the government would draft a bill to lower the voting age to 16 in the country following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the existing age of 18 being discriminatory and violating young people’s rights. She said: “It is our view that this is an issue best placed to parliament for everyone to have their say.”

The two-year case, which came to conclusion on 21 November, enables the future generation to vote on climate change, which would affect them as the time passes. Although many parties in the parliament are for the change, Act Party has been opposing it. The ‘Make It 16’ started with climate change protest in schools across New Zealand, where children were becoming conscious about their environment.

Pakistan: President approves top military appointment

On 24 November, President Dr Arif Alvi signed off on the nominations for the next army chief and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). The press release said: “The president has promoted Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir HI (M) to the

Afghanistan: Taliban’s treatment of women could amount to a crime against humanity, says UN On 25 November, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett and other Uniter Nation experts stated that the Taliban’s targeting of women and girls deepens “flagrant violations of their human rights and freedoms that are already the most draconian globally and may amount to gender persecution — a crime against humanity.”

They said, “In recent months, violations of women and girls’ fundamental rights and freedoms in Afghanistan, already the most severe and unacceptable in the world, have sharply increased,” adding, “confining women to their homes is tantamount to imprisonment and is likely leading to increased levels of domestic violence and mental health challenges.”

Iran: Tehran boosts uranium enrichment

On 22 November, Iran increased its uranium enrichment and use of advanced centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear plant as a response to the new IAEA resolution that calls for inspection in undeclared sites in the country. The enrichment level now stands at 60 percent. In 2021, it had increased the enrichment levels to 60 percent in its Natanz nuclear plant following an attack on the facility that it blames Israel for.

Iran: UNHRC resolution on Iran crackdown on protests

On 24 November, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted for setting up a fact-finding

On 23 November, the UK Supreme Court ruled out the Scotland government’s possibility of holding a referendum on 19 October 2023 without the consent of the UK parliament in Westminster. The court President, Lord Reed, said that the 1999 Scottish devolution law points out that Scotland does not have the power over constitutional changes, including its union with England. Only the UK government holds the power to let Scotland hold an independence referendum.

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that she respects the Supreme court’s decision. However, Sturgeon wants to use the 2025 general election to hold a de-facto referendum reflecting the Scottish people’s will for the separation. She wants to hold the democracy movement for Scotland's separation lawfully and constitutionally. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak respected the court ruling. Along with Scotland’s Secretary of State, Alister Jack, Sunak wants both governments to work together in solving the common issues faced by the UK and Scotland.

About the Authors

Rashmi Ramesh and Akriti Sharma are PhD Scholars in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Avishka Ashok, Abigail Miriam Fernandes, Apoorva Sudhakar, Joel Jacob and Anu Maria are Research Associates at NIAS. Sethuraman Nadarajan and Farhan Hussain are Research Interns at NIAS.

Grand Final opens new AFLW Arena

transformative impact upon our club’s ability to stage AFL women’s and VFL matches in a manner expected by our Queensland supporters,” said Mr Swann.

2022 Safer Schoolies Queensland wraps-up

Brisbane, 27 November: The new $82 million Brighton Homes Arena at Springfield is the first AFLW facility in Australia to open to spectators with a Grand Final.

Brisbane Lions, in their fourth AFLW Grand Final appearance, will play the Melbourne Demons at 1:40pm at their new Springfield home base.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said all three levels of government, the Lions, the AFL and private partners were involved in bringing this facility to life.

“This is a fantastic investment in women’s professional sport and the local community,” the Premier said.

“When the Brisbane Lions finished on top of the AFLW ladder to win Grand Final hosting rights, we pulled out all stops to make sure the ground was ready for today’s decider.

“I’m excited Queenslanders get to be part of history with the Lions chasing an AFLW Premiership for the opening game of Australia’s first purpose-built stadium for a professional female team.

“Earmarked as potential host for modern pentathlon, the ground is also the first completed Olympic venue since the Brisbane 2032 announcement.”

Queensland Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Brighton Homes Arena led a new generation of Australian sporting infrastructure.

“The Arena kicks goals as a multipurpose training facility for elite female and male athletes that can also be used by the community,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“It includes a 50-metre indoor training field and kick room for training in all weather conditions, plus a gym, float tanks and recovery pools.

“All that’s missing is the silverware and we’re backing the Lions’ AFLW team to bring that home today.” Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells said Brighton Homes Arena set the benchmark for women’s sporting venues in this country.

“For elite female athletes to use the same state of the art facilities as a men’s team is a gamechanger for sport.

“The venue is nation-leading and will be a beacon for young girls who aspire to be Lions players and helping to boost participation for women in sport.”

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said the stadium will be a great asset for the community, for footy and for the state of Queensland.

“The AFL is very much looking forward to hosting the AFLW Grand Final at the brand new and best purpose-built facility in Queensland - Brighton Homes Arena,” said Mr McLachlan.

“After touring the facility last month, the playing, training and admin base is quite simply elite on every level, benefiting not only the Brisbane Lions, but more broadly women’s football and the pathways for junior footballers from across southern Queensland.”

Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann said all the facilities can be used by the entire Springfield community, adding valuable new revenue streams for the Lions.

“This project will have a

“Brighton Homes Arena brings together the Brisbane Lions, Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy in an environment dedicated to elite athletic preparation and performance, mixed with unprecedented levels of interaction and engagement with sponsors, members, fans and community groups.

“Thank you to the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments, Ipswich City Council and the AFL for their strong support of the Brisbane Lions and AFL in Queensland.”

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the opening of Brighton Homes Arena was another significant achievement in the city’s rich sporting history.

“The completion of the Brisbane Lions’ new home at Brighton Homes Arena has been the culmination of years of effort and a commitment of more than $20 million from the City of Ipswich,” said Ms Harding.

“This state-of-the-art facility will not only serve as a fitting home for the Brisbane Lions but also give the Ipswich community access to world-class sporting infrastructure in our own backyard.

“It is an incredible honour to be hosting the 2022 NAB AFLW Grand Final in Ipswich and marking the official opening of Brighton Homes Arena with a sell-out crowd to cheer on the Brisbane Lions.”

Brighton Homes Arena was designed by local architects Populous and built by Hutchinson Builders, supporting more than 260 jobs during construction.

The AFLW game-day and elite training ground was funded by the Queensland Government ($18 million), Federal Government, AFL and Brisbane Lions, Ipswich City Council (including developer contribution and in-kind fit-forpurpose bulk earthworks), and commercial partners Gym JV.

Don’t steal a tree this Christmas, support good jobs instead

Brisbane, 26 November: The Queensland Government has urged people to resist the temptation to pinch a fresh Christmas tree this year, and to support good jobs in Queensland’s plant and nursery industry instead.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said there were stories every year about people trying to cut down and steal a free Christmas tree, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

“It is a breach of the Forestry Act 1959 (Qld) to remove trees/timber from State forest areas, including

State plantation areas, without authorisation,” Mr Furner said.

“On most designated plantation areas, particularly those in the Sunshine Coast region, the right to remove trees or timber lies exclusively with the plantation licensee, HQPlantations.

Mr Furner said the fines for illegally removing trees from a plantation area were significant, and could put a nasty hole in a family’s Christmas or holiday budget.

“Under the Forestry Act, the maximum penalty for the unlawful removal of trees from a plantation area is a fine of $14,375 for a first offence and then up to

$28,700 for a subsequent offence,” he said.

“Far better so support the wonderful business people and hard workers supporting our plant and nursery industry by buying a suitable live plant or tree to be the centre of your festive activities.

“Queensland’s nursery industry is a key part of the state’s horticulture industry with a $1billion contribution to the economy and supporting up to 6000 good jobs.

“Let’s all have a merry Christmas and support these great businesses while we’re at it.”

Brisbane, 26 November: Queensland’s Safer Schoolies response has wrapped up for 2022 with volunteers and first responders working more than 53,000 combined hours over the last week to help 26,000 school leavers take part in annual celebrations.

Youth Affairs Minister Meaghan Scanlon today thanked all involved in bringing together this year’s Schoolies response, including school leavers, volunteers, nine Queensland Government agencies, council and seven community partners.

“Many months of planning went into this year’s safety response to ensure legitimate schoolies had a good time, and a safe experience,” Minister Scanlon said.

“With official celebrations back on at Airlie Beach, we saw 11,000 more school leavers collect a wristband this year.

“And reports from our agencies and volunteers is that this year’s cohort has been among the most well-behaved.

This year’s response featured:

> The Schoolies Hub on Surfers Paradise Beach

> Wristbands to identify legitimate school leavers

> An integrated health and wellbeing space

> Chill Out and recharge zones

> Our own Schoolies Support Team (SST) volunteers

“Not only did graduates engage in the hub and chill out zones, we saw many Schoolies supporting local businesses in Surfers Paradise, and they have overall been very polite and respectful towards locals, authorities,

volunteers and each other.

“They watched out for their mates and didn’t hesitate to ask the volunteers for help when needed - clearly, our education is cutting through.

Minister Scanlon said through the Safer Schoolies Gold Coast response, every effort was concentrated on keeping young people and the community safe - from ever improving in-school education programs to better and earlier communications, to every on-the-ground effort.

“The Tuesday silent disco and live band were outstanding successes. Through the Gold Coast Hub we saw more than 100,000 movements, with a peak of more than 6,400 Schoolies attending the Hub on the Sunday night.

“The volunteer brigade did an exceptional job being our eyes and ears and friendly smiles on the ground, and the Schoolies Hub once again stood up as a dedicated and safe space for Year 12s to celebrate with their peers.

Minister Scanlon said compared to when the tradition started in 1980, when a bunch of students ran down the beach, dove into the water while wearing their school uniforms and then visited the Broadbeach Hotel, the Schoolies Response had evolved into a wellmanaged response with graduates injecting millions of dollars into the local economy.

“This year’s graduates had a very different schooling experience compared to many dealing with COVID on top of their normal exam and school pressures –and I’m glad that we were able to support them to have a safe celebration.”

CCI order in Google case may have financial implications for local developers

the next steps.

In a statement, Google said that the Indian developers have benefited from the technology, security, consumer protections, and unrivaled choice and flexibility that Android and Google Play provide.

Markets welcome Adani group gaining substantial stake in NDTV

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) The recent order by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in the Google case may appear developer friendly but in practice, it may have a practical and financial impact on the developers, especially the startups, legal experts said on Monday.

The CCI fined Google Rs 936.44 crore on October 25 for abusing its dominant position with regards to its Play Store Billing and payment policy, a few days after the regulator slapped a fine of Rs 1,338 crore for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets with its Android mobile operating system (OS).

According to Gowree Gokhale, Partner, Nishith Desai Associates, from the order, at least, it does not appear that there was enough evidence on the effects of Google's practices on end consumers and the Android ecosystem.

"In the absence of anti-

fragmentation obligations, if multiple incompatible Android OS versions are developed by OEMs, then the developers may have to customise their apps for each version. This may delay market entry and enhance the cost," Gokhale told IANS.

This, in turn, may further lead to the disparity of opportunity between small and large developers.

"The overall value of the Android ecosystem as a whole may get eroded. It seems highly improbable that baseline compatibility standards across such fragmented ecosystems would emerge, based solely on market forces," said Gokhale.

Google has been given a time of 30 days to provide the requisite financial details and supporting documents in the CCI order.

Hit by two back-to-back fines by the CCI, Google said it was reviewing the decision to evaluate

"And, by keeping costs low, our model has powered India's digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians. We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps," a Google spokesperson said.

According to Gokhale, one of the benefits of anti-fragmentation obligations on the OEMs by Google is standardising security implementation within the overall Android ecosystem, across all devices.

"In the absence of this obligation, OEM may develop an OS version that is not secure or interoperable with other versions. Consumers may not be well aware of the differences in the OS versions and may simply rely on the Android brand," she emphasised.

She said that since the personal data of users get collected across various apps, it is very important that all devices have equal security standards. That also helps consumers to have a wider choice of devices.

"The CCI does not seem to have considered this aspect in detail at all," Gokhale told IANS.

Elon Musk still firing coders at Twitter amid Thanksgiving feasts

highly-respected senior software engineer who helped lead the push to expand tweets to 280 characters," tweeted Casey Newton of Platformer.

"Ihara fought relentlessly for 280 in the face of strong scepticism from top executives. He coauthored the blog post explaining the value of 280 characters when it launched," Newton said.

Tech writer Gergely Orosz said that the night before Thanksgiving, Twitter fired more software engineers effective immediately because their "code is not satisfactory" following the recent code review.

"I was called back shortly after that because they think I am 'critical talent' and was asked to do documentation and provide 'code samples'. Last night, I was abruptly fired without any reason and was offered 4 weeks' severance for signing release of claims agreement. Any employment lawyers, please DM me if you can help. I am on H1B and only have 60 days to find a new job during the holidays," the employee posted on Twitter.

Chennai, Nov 29 (IANS) The stock market was upbeat on Tuesday after the Adani group acquired 99.5 per cent holding in RRPR Holding Private Ltd, the promoter group vehicle of news media company New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV).

Accordingly, NDTV’s scrip opened at Rs 420 and touched a high of Rs 426.40 intra-day before closing at Rs 426.40 on Tuesday.

RRPR Holding is the investment company of NDTV promoters -- Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy -- that holds 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV, which has three national television channels.

In a regulatory filing on Monday, NDTV had said that it was informed by RRPR Holding that

the latter has issued equity shares on 28.11.2022 constituting 99.5 per cent of its equity share capital to Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Ltd (VCPL), which is a part of Adani group.

The shares have been issued in consonance with the conversion notice dated August 23, following the expiry of the two-year restraint period imposed by the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in the matter of dealing in securities, on November 26.

According to NDTV, SEBI has not responded to a specific letter dated August 28 on behalf of RRPR Holding seeking clarification.

Kerala-born CEO’s firm to develop tyres for US Army

The 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill will spend $782 billion on national defence spending, which includes $5 million in developing next-generation technologies like the carbon fibre pressure zero tire technology.

The new technology tyres dissipate heat and have the flexibility and strength to support the heavy military pick-up weight while providing a relatively smooth ride, it noted.

New York, Nov 25 (IANS) Keralaborn Abraham Pannikottu's American Engineering Group (AEG) has received funding from the US Department of Defence to develop and manufacture zero pressure tyres for the US Army.

The US military vehicle tyres are now equipped with runflat inserts, but the defence department wants to upgrade them to a zero-pressure tire that is better at carrying heavier loads and can quickly move soldiers out of harm.

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) Elon Musk is still in the firing mode at Twitter amid the Thanksgiving festivities, as several coders who were brought back after a massive lay off as part of "knowledge transition", are being shown the door again in the name of "code review".

Ikuhiro Ihara, a highly-respected Twitter coder who made the transition from 140-character to 280-character happen, has been fired unceremoniously.

"One of the people fired Musk's latest purge was Ikuhiro Ihara, a

"Dozens of other developers for performance warnings in their inboxes," Orosz tweeted.

"The stories get wilder. I cannot emphasise how these are real people in tech. And yet, Musk and management at Twitter treat them like cattle. Why fire someone, call them back telling them they are 'critical' then fire them again a few weeks later?" he posted.

A Twitter employee said that he was laid off from Twitter in early November and was told "I will receive 3 months of pay as severance."

After sacking about 50 per cent of its workforce, Musk also fired employees who criticised his actions either on Twitter or on internal messaging platform Slack and some were sacked just for retweeting posts slamming the new Twitter CEO.

The Ohio-based firm specialises in carbon fibre pressure zero tyre technology, which ensures that the tyres will continue running even after being shredded by roadside bombs or gunfire.

"...the first pressure "Zero" tyre will be delivered in 2023. Bringing this military tyre from concept to reality has been a long, twodecade journey for AEG," said Pannikottu, a polymer researcher and businessman, who also serves as the firm's CEO.

The development of this manufacturing technology replaces current run-flat inserts inside military tyres for both manned and unmannedautonomous vehicles, a company statement stated.

"Defence vehicle weight requirements are increased so much that the current tyres cannot support the load and DOD (Department of Defence) wants to create a tire that extends the mobility of the vehicle as well as the survivability and maintainability. That is where AEG's new zero pressure tire comes to rescue," said AEG President Thomas Abraham.

Based on phase-1 results, the new AEG Zero Pressure Tyre withstood a minimum of 50 mph speed for 300 miles after being hit with a high-velocity rifle several times.

According to the company's engineers, the durability characteristics of this design will be studied further in phase-2 on four different tyre sizes from four different Department of Defence's special operations vehicles.

ISRO to orbit Indo-French satellite, eight others on Saturday

(OCM-3), Sea Surface Temperature Monitor (SSTM), Ku-Band Scatterometer (SCAT-3) and ARGOS - a French payload.

Chennai, Nov 25 (IANS) The Indian space agency is gearing up to orbit Earth Observation Satellite-6 (EOS-6) with a French payload, a third generation satellite in the Oceansat series, and eight other nano satellites on Saturday morning.

Out of the nine satellites that will be carried by the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C54), EOS-6 will be the primary passenger while the others are piggybacks.

The piggybacks include satellites from two Indian startupsSyzygy Space Technologies Pvt Ltd, commonly known as Pixxel (Anand-16.51 kg), and Dhruvaspace's two Thybolt satellites - 1.45 kg, Spaceflight USA's Astrosat (four numbers 17.92 kg) and ISRO's INS-2B (18.28 kg).

Other than EOS-6 and INS-2B, all other satellites will be carried for a fee. The commercial transaction was structured by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a senior ISRO official told IANS.

According to ISRO, the EOS-6/ Oceansat will provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload capabilities and application areas.

The 1,117 kg EOS-6 payloads include Ocean Color Monitor

According to France, ARGOS will reinforce the existing fleet of Indo-French satellites working on weather surveillance that are already in orbit (MEGHATROPIQUES and SARAL-ALTIKA), thus enhancing contributions related to the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The ISRO said the satellite will ensure data continuity of ocean colour and wind vector data to sustain the operational applications. It will also improve the applications, some additional datasets such as Sea Surface Temperature and more bands in Optical region for fluorescence and in Infrared region for atmospheric corrections are accommodated.

The satellite will also develop/ improve related algorithms and data products to serve in well established application areas and to enhance the mission utility.

The INS-2B is ISRO's second nano satellite for Bhutan with two payloads viz., NanoMx and APRSDigipeater. According to ISRO, NanoMx is a multispectral optical imaging payload developed by its Space Applications Centre (SAC).

The APRS-Digipeater payload is jointly developed by DITTBhutan and ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).

The Anand nano satellite is a technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial applications of miniaturized earth-observation camera for earth observation using a microsatellite in Low Earth Orbit. This is a three-axis

stabilised satellite consisting of a satbus, accommodating all subsystems like telemetry, tele-command, electrical power system, Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), onboard computers and others and a payload unit, ISRO said.

The Thybolt has a communication payload to enable rapid technology demonstration and constellation development for multiple users. It also demonstrates Store-and-Forward functionality for authorised users in the amateur frequency band.

The satellites shall be deployed by using Dhruva Space Orbital Deployer to perform the specific mission operations for a minimum lifetime of one year.

Astrocast, a 3U spacecraft, is a technology demonstrator satellite for the Internet of Things (IoT) as the payload.

The Indian space agency will use its XL variant of its four staged PSLV rocket that stands 44.4 metre tall and weighs 321 tonne.

The rocket will fly away from the first launch pad in the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh.

According to ISRO, the PSLV-C54 will orbit the EOS-6 and the eight small satellites in two different sun synchronous polar orbits (SSPO).

The rocket is expected to lift off at 11.56 a.m. on Saturday.

About 17 minutes into the flight the rocket will first eject EOS-6. Then the orbit will be changed by using two Orbit Change Thrusters introduced in the rocket's propulsion bay ring. The piggyback passengers will be separated in Orbit-2.

EU heads for December agreement on gas price cap

prices, Sikela said.

The package of measures agreed includes new rules for joint gas purchases, solidarity in case of disruptions in gas supplies, and speeding up the authorization of new renewable energy projects.

Energy ministers also agreed on a temporary framework, which will allow the acceleration of the deployment of renewable energy by simplifying the permitting procedures for renewable energy projects.

Govt amends natural gas tariff, authorisation and capacity regulations

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has amended its three regulations, namely natural gas pipeline tariff, authorisation and capacity regulations.

These amendments will enable implementation of unified tariff regulations which will be effective from April 1, 2023 across the country.

To address the settlement issues for implementation of unified tariff, an industry committee has been constituted.

The objective of these changes is to provide natural gas access in far-flung areas at competitive and affordable rates, to achieve the objective of one nation one grid

and one tariff, official sources said.

To simplify the implementation of unified tariff, entity level

Integrated natural gas pipeline tariff has been introduced in the aforementioned regulations, which will act as a building block for unified tariff at national level.

Further to protect the overall interest of consumers in different regions the number of unified tariff zones have been increased from two to three.

In addition to this, other amendments like allowing unaccounted gas, moratorium period and ramping up capacity have been incorporated, sources said.

Canada to sign agreement on supply chains of key minerals

Brussels, Nov 25 (IANS) Any agreement on the European Commission's proposal to cap the price of imported gas will be postponed until the middle of December, said Jozef Sikela, the Czech minister of industry and trade, and chair of the extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers.

Energy ministers of European Union (EU) member states will reconvene to seek a common ground on the currently controversial draft measures, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying on Thursday.

EU member states reached a political agreement on a package of measures that will allow households and businesses to buy enough energy at affordable

These measures, designed to lessen the EU's energy dependence and protect vulnerable households and businesses from the effects of sky-high energy prices, were proposed in mid-October by the Commission, the executive arm of the EU.

By pooling most of the EU's gas demand into a joint gas purchasing scheme, the member states hope to achieve better prices for imported gas.

Default energy solidarity rules between EU member states will apply in case of supply disruption when there is no bilateral agreement in place.

There are currently only six such bilateral agreements between EU member states under the security of supply rules.

The new measures also include a new benchmark for liquified natural gas (LNG), which will better reflect the reality of the current gas market than the existing Title Transfer Facility (TTF) price index.

The next step will be to forge an agreement on the proposed gas price cap, Sikela said.

“Tomorrow we will all get back to work and start negotiating an agreement on measures to cap gas prices,” he tweeted.

On Tuesday, the European Commission proposed a price cap of 275 euros per megawatt hour (MWh).

“Beyond that price, transactions will not be able to take place,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said.

Seoul, Nov 25 (IANS) South Korea and Canada agreed on Friday to expedite their push for signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on key minerals in a move to enhance cooperation on supply chains of secondary cells, electric vehicles and broader industry fields, Seoul's industry ministry said. The consensus was made during a meeting between South Korea's Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and FrancoisPhilippe Champagne, Canada's minister for innovation and economic development, held in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Yonhap news agency reported.

The two sides vowed to actively push for cooperation throughout their industry value chains from minerals and materials to secondary cells and to EVs. For that, they will sign an MOU "swiftly" to expand the scope of their minerals trade to various kinds, including nickel and cobalt Currently, major cooperation items are confined to soft coal and iron ore, the ministry said, adding that their business circles

signed an MOU on minerals in September this year. "The cooperation with Canada is expected to help us better manage external trade circumstances in a stable manner, including tax incentives under the United States' Inflation Reduction Act," the ministry said in a statement. The IRA, signed into law by US President Joe Biden in August, gives up to US$7,500 in tax credits to buyers of EVs assembled only in North America, sparking concerns over its impacts on sales of major South Korean carmakers. The law also affects Korean battery makers, as it will require EV batteries to be made with a certain portion of minerals mined or processed in the U.S. or countries or regions that have free trade agreements (FTA) with Washington. The required portion of the components will grow to 80 per cent in 2027 from 40 per cent in 2023. The two ministers also decided to push for holding an inaugural meeting of their highlevel economic security dialogue involving their industry and foreign ministers next year.

S.Korea,

From the editor's desk India in the G-world order

By Uttam Kumar Sinha

G20 and India

With India becoming the world’s fifth-largest economy in 2022, it is adequately poised to spearhead one of the world’s most important multilateral groupings, the G20. In terms of growth rate, the prognosis of various indicators augurs well for India. India’s clout among the big economies of the world has grown by leaps and bounds. Owing to India’s concentration in the technology and energy sectors, the next decade will witness India outshining the massively advanced economies of Germany and Japan. India is still one of those mixed economies where the government plays a vital role in the execution of economic success. With economic giants such as Singapore and Japan embracing the role of the Indian government in leading business and economic success, Australia is now taking cognizance of the role of the Indian government in pioneering public-private led economic strategy and imbibing it in its own business culture.

Australia is awakening to a new dawn where India’s economic force is something to reckon with and the bilateral relations between the two countries need to be thoroughly reimagined. Australia (one of the wealthiest nations of the world comprising a high GDP and per capita income), recognizing the inevitability of partnering with India, has

consolidated India’s stature in the contemporary world.

Symbolically, the images of Narendra Modi flanked by world leaders, spoke volumes of the imperativeness of the G20 forum and of the paramount role of India within the group.

It was indeed historic when the President of Indonesia handed over the gravel of the presidency of G20, an institution that aims to secure global economic growth and prosperity to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, a leader known for refurbishing India from a land of petty electoral politics to the politics of development. The recent deployment of India as the president of the United Nations Security Council at a time when the West witnesses itself at odds with Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine and China caught among a plethora of protests, both internally and externally, raising concerns about its leadership, India, through its age-old pacifist predisposition, is serving as a torchbearer for the rest of the world, in these times of unprecedented crisis. Sinha’s projection of the rising power of the Global South vis-à-vis the fading era of the primacy of the West seems remarkable and compelling. Come next year, New Delhi will showcase to the world its leadership prowess under the auspices of its tallest leader.

Come December, India will inherit the leadership of the G20 countries. Collectively, this consensus-based informal forum of 19 countries and the European Union, brings a diverse and compelling mix of advanced and emerging economies that represent two-thirds of the world population, 73% of the global GDP, and 80% of the world’s carbon emissions.

The inception of the G20 in 1999 came on the back of the economic crisis that swept across most of the tiger economies of Southeast Asia and the insufficiency of the G7 countries (Russia joined the group in 1998 but was expelled in 2014) to deal with it.

The G7’s declining economic weight vis-a-vis the rapid growth of the emerging economies, especially in Asia, was an indicator of the broader trends in the global economy and the tectonic shifts in economic clout. The G20 has since eclipsed the G7 as the principal forum for financial diplomacy, reflecting a new economic reality. In the aftermath of the global economic crisis (2008-2009), the G20 was effective in not only stabilising the global financial markets but also infusing an economic stimulus, thereby averting a possibility of an economic depression. Thereon, the G20 leaders’ summit, though technically a meeting on ‘financial markets and the world economy’, has not been bereft of the increasingly complex and fraught multipolar order. Dealing with noneconomic risks such as geopolitical tensions, climate crises, international migration and terrorism has become central to the efficacy of the G20 in maintaining global economic stability.

The crisis-solving reputation that the G20 acquired, is now at stake. The ruptured strategic landscape, from the pandemic to the conflict in Ukraine, from hardening geopolitics to trade imbroglios and energy crises, poses a challenge. The competition and rivalry between the US and China reveals how power dynamics can weaken the cohesiveness of the G20 and impede its objectives of coordinating monetary and fiscal policies.

More than short-term crisis

management, the G20 needs to set the long-term agenda. The G20 still remains the most broadbased representation of the current international balance of power. The Economist observed, ‘the G20 is a big improvement over the G7 because it takes emerging economies seriously. But do the emerging economies themselves take the G20 seriously?’ India’s presidency of the G20 offers a unique opportunity and ‘unwavering commitment’ to deal with delivery plans for economic development and a pro-poor, proclimateoriented growth models. It does not need reminding that the G20, like the G7, has often been critiqued as perpetuating the uneven characteristics of globalisation that exploit less developed economies.

India has to enhance the legitimacy of the G20 that is not reflective of elite priorities and the machination of great power, but more people-focused and inclusive. The world outlook is frightening and uncertain with the human tragedy of war, supply-chain disruption and higher-than-expected inflation that is exacerbating the cost of living crisis. If ever there was an opportune time of overcoming the logic of anarchy and power play through the process of institutions and interaction, it is now, through the G20 with India at the helm.

While the global economic growth outlook, as per the IMF report, is ‘gloomier’, India’s GDP growth forecast is the ‘fastest’ as compared to the US, China and the EU. This gives enormous credence for India to be the voice of the Global South that includes countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Shared prosperity without peace is untenable.India’s active acclamation of a ‘polycentric world’ based on dialogue and diplomacy, ushers in a leadership trust that can add momentum to the recently concluded Bali G20 summit theme ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger.’

Ensuring the effectiveness of multilateral cooperation will crucially hinge on whether the fissures in the G20 narrow or expand to a breaking point, especially with USChina relations at an all-time low and Russia’s unabashed neo-nationalism. As the conflict in Ukraine continues unabated, critical global governance issues and solutions for inclusive economic recovery will be greatly undermined. China continues to send ambiguous signals of a new fondness for Russia. The US while putting an aggressive posture towards China cannot but deny that China’s influence has grown stronger on the world stage. It is not surprising that the US president Biden, when coming faceto-face with the Chinese president Xi Jinping at the just concluded Bali G20 Summit, expressed ‘We are going to compete vigorously but we are not looking for conflict.’

The G20 ‘Troika’ of the past, present and forthcoming leadership (Indonesia, India and Brazil) marks not only the rediscovery but the re-energising of the Global South. India’s G20 presidency can potentially become a watershed moment in global governance.

Originally published in Blitz India (The writer works at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses is the Managing Editor of Strategic Analysis)

Leckie match winner takes Australia into knockouts, eliminates Denmark and Tunisia

19:00 GMT, they will play one of Argentina, Poland or Saudi Arabia depending on Wednesday night’s Group C results, in a continuation of a World Cup brimming with upsets and implosions.

France will take on Group C runners up with Wednesday two other matches between Argentina - Poland and Mexico- Saudi Arabia deciding on the top team from the group.

but were caught out on the break when Australia scored the winner on the hour mark. So it was as a counter-attack which ended Australia’s agony and Denmark’s World Cup campaign.

Denmark lost the ball in the Australian box and Mathew Leckie finished a brilliant counter attack with a low shot past Kasper Schmeichel.

FIFA slaps fine on Germany

fixture.

A statement issued by FIFA on Tuesday noted that the German team has been slapped with a fine of 10,000 Swiss Francs.

Doha (Qatar), Dec 1 (IANS) A second half goal from Mathew Leckie helped Australia pull off a shocking 1-0 win over Denmark and its entry to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years.

At the Janoub Stadium on Wednesday, Australia defended their 1-0 goal with some lastditch defending to finish with six points from three matches for one loss and two wins, the same number of wins and points as France.

The defending champions however finished as group leaders ahead of Australia on account of a better goal difference, incidentally Australia had lost to France 4-1 in their opening group match.

Australia joins already qualified teams France, Portugal, Brazil, Senegal and The Netherlands.

Graham Arnold’s side thus made it into the round of 16 for the first time since 2006. On Saturday

Australia manager Graham Arnold said the players were ready for the challenge ahead of the game: “[I’m] just so proud of the effort by the boys. Short turnaround but their effort was incredible.

[It took] a lot of belief, a lot of hard work. These boys come in with a great mindset. We’ve been working on this for four and a half years. We have the belief, the energy and the focus. I could see in their eyes that they were ready tonight.”

Goal scorer Leckie said they were confident ahead of the match and knew that they could do it.

“That last 15-20 minutes we battled until the end and it didn’t matter what they threw at us, we weren’t conceding. We’ll make the most of it tonight but then it’s all about recovery because we’ve got another game coming up, he added.

The Danes, needing victory to progress, dominated possession

The Danes’ best chance came through Mathias Jensen in the first half, who forced Australia captain Mat Ryan into an impressive acrobatic save after being played through by a Braithwaite flick.

Denmark came into the World Cup tipped by many fans and pundits as ‘dark horses’ after their impressive run to the semifinals of Euro 2020 and a strong Uefa Nations League campaign in which they beat France home and away.

In the end it was Denmark’s second-half impotence that ended their tournament prematurely, their early brightness dissipating in the face of a Socceroos’ side which left it late but rallied when it had to and once again displayed a level of quality.

Denmark on the other hand failed to impress in Qatar and go home having scored only once in three Group D games.

Hackers selling fake permit documents, digital coins for FIFA World Cup

has partnered with Christiano Ronaldo to promote soccerthemed non-fungible tokens (NFTs), threat actors are piggybacking on this hype to sell fake 'World Cup Coin' and 'World Cup Token' by promoting them as limited edition cryptocurrency," the researchers said.

However, most of these purported coins don't exist.

Also, to exploit the gap between the supply and demand of tickets, scammers have set up websites that sell fake tickets.

"The gap between the supply and demand of FIFA world cup game tickets, flight tickets, hotels, souvenirs, etc., has been co-opted by cybercriminals, to defraud fans and enthusiasts," said a CloudSEK researcher.

Doha, Nov 30 (IANS) In yet another controversy during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the world soccer body has fined the German team for refusing to send a player to their pre-match press conference against Spain in the second round of the Group E

Germany coach Hansi Flick had refused to send a player to the press conference, saying he wanted them to focus on the match against Spain.

Germany is preparing for a match against Costa Rica in the last round of Group E matches.

The atmosphere in Qatar is fantastic, says Brazil legend

sure everything will get even more exciting as the tournament continues,” he was quoted as saying by ‘qatar2022.qa’.

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) As the FIFA World Cup is currently underway in Qatar, cybersecurity researchers on Monday warned that threat actors are selling fake Hayya cards, which is essentially a permit document, to fans who are willing to pay any amount to get one.

To attend the FIFA World Cup, one needs to have a Hayya card which must be presented along with the original ticket in order to enter the stadium.

According to researchers from AI-driven cyber-security firm

CloudSEK, several Telegram channels were found selling Hayya cards for prices ranging from $50-$150.

"To create Hayya cards, the threat actors claim to require the buyer's valid IDs like passports. And payment is only accepted in Bitcoin," they informed.

Threat actors are also sharing hacking techniques that purportedly allow one to register for a Hayya card without a valid FIFA ticket number, for free.

"Given that Crypto.com is an official FIFA sponsor and Binance

Despite the attractive offers and lures, users should restrict their purchases to official websites and mobile apps.

"Companies that are FIFA sponsors should bolster their security mechanisms and stay up to date on threat actors' tactics and techniques," the CloudSEK researcher emphasised.

Buy FIFA tickets and Hayya cards only from the official website and don't avail FIFA-related services from Telegram or social media, the researchers advised.

Doha, Nov 29 (IANS) Brazil legend Cafu is enjoying the festive atmosphere in Qatar during the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

A two-time FIFA World Cup winner and the only man to play in three consecutive finals, Cafu was full of praise for the host country.

“It’s fantastic. It’s a wonderful atmosphere. The atmosphere at the matches and the FIFA Fan Festival has been especially fantastic. I’ve been following the progress of things here for many years and it’s great to see everything come together. I am

“I’ve been to many fan festivals over the years and I want to say congratulations to Qatar for staging a such a fun event. I’ve been a few times already and watched some matches there. I would highly recommend it and encourage everyone to visit,” he added.

On Monday, a goal seven minutes from the end helped Brazil register a 1-0 win over Switzerland and qualify for the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.

The five-time champions join defending champions France into the knockout stage after registering their second successive win in Group G encounter.

Brazil will play its final group match against Cameroon on December 3.

China censors World Cup matches to remove shots of maskless crowd

London, Nov 28 (IANS) Chinese state television has censored FIFA World Cup matches to remove shots of maskless crowd after the sight of joyous fans celebrating in packed stadia stoked anger back home, where hundreds of millions remain under strict pandemic restrictions, according to a media report.

A well-attended opening ceremony in Doha � with no social distancing � led to users of Chinese social media platforms complaining that it contrasted with the severe isolation they felt under President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy, The Guardian reported.

Chinese netizens said it was “weird” to see hundreds of thousands of people gathering in a carnival-like atmosphere while they were still forced to live under a draconian system that most other countries have long abandoned, the report said.

Mark Dreyer, who runs the China

Sports Insider blog, noticed that games broadcast on the state-owned channel, China Central Television (CCTV), were being edited to avoid live shots of cheering crowd and instead show closeu-ps of the players and coaches.

“Of course, there are going to be times when you still see crowd shots � wider shots, after some goals when a cutaway shot would be too jarring etc. But there is clear reduction,” Dreyer wrote on Twitter.

Broadcasters at sporting tournaments are typically given the option by organisers to choose their own camera angles, and can set a delay so that the game can be edited quickly before the public sees it.

Dreyer, the author of ‘Sporting Superpower: An Insider’s View on China’s Quest to Be the Best’, said such “pre-emptive censorship” was not a new policy for Beijing.

Vaccinated people now make majority of Covid deaths in US: Report

treatable illnesses because of new emerging variants.

"My message, and my final message, maybe the final message I give you from this podium, is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated Covid-19 shot as soon as you're eligible to protect yourself, your family and your community," Fauci said.

"I urge you to visit vaccine.gov to find a location where you can easily get an updated vaccine, and please do it as soon as possible."

Australia reports 38% spike in new Covid cases

New York, Nov 24 (IANS) In a startling revelation, a Washington Post analysis has found that more vaccinated people are now dying of the Covid disease and 58 per cent of coronavirus deaths in August in the US "were people who were vaccinated or boosted".

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, a majority of Americans dying from Covid were at least partially vaccinated, according to the new analysis of federal and state data.

"In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 per cent of coronavirus fatalities. In January and February this year, it was up to 42 per cent," the report mentioned.

The death among vaccinated people is increasing due to waning efficacy of Covid

vaccines and "increasingly contagious strains of the virus being spread to elderly and immunocompromised people" among those who have taken at least one vaccine dose.

"We can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Kaiser Family Foundation vice president Cynthia Cox, who conducted the analysis on behalf of the Washington Post.

Outgoing White House Chief Medical Adviser, Anthony Fauci has emphasised the safety and efficacy of the approved Covid vaccines in preventing severe illness and deaths, encouraging people to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

He said that coronavirus vaccine effectiveness wanes over time and the disease shouldn't be compared to other vaccine-

Older people were always especially vulnerable and now make up a higher proportion of Covid fatalities than ever before in the pandemic, reports Scientific American.

Today in the US, about 335 people will die from Covid -- a disease for which there are highly effective vaccines, treatments and precautions, it added.

"Covid deaths among people age 65 and older more than doubled between April and July this year, rising by 125 per cent," according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The World Health Organization reported a nearly 90 per cent drop in recent Covid-19 deaths globally compared to nine months ago, but still urged vigilance against the pandemic as new variants continue to rise.

Overall, the WHO has reported 629 million cases and 6.5 million deaths linked to the pandemic.

EU regulator warns of Covid spike in winter

expected to translate into poor clinical efficacy".

Vaccine booster uptake in the last few months has been "rather disappointing", with the European average rate at only 29 per cent in people at highest risk, including those aged above 60 with chronic conditions and immunocompromised, he said.

It is of concern that those most at risk of hospitalization or severe Covid-19 are not adequately protected, he said, calling for more efforts to increase the revaccination rate of vulnerable groups to avoid rising hospitalization in the coming months.

Canberra, Nov 18 (IANS) Australia has reported a 38 per cent increase in new Covid-19 cases amid a fourth nationwide wave of the pandemic, government data revealed on Friday.

According to the data published by the Department of Health, an average of 10,799 new infections were reported nationally every day in the week to Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

It represented an increase of 38.2 per cent from the previous week (7,809 per day on average) and a 103 per cent increase from 5,300 cases per day in the first week of November.

On average, 1,973 patients were being treated in hospitals every day, up from the previous figure of 1,553, and more than 110 deaths were recorded across the country.

In response to the increase,

Australia's largest state New South Wales (NSW) has reimposed restrictions, making face masks mandatory in all areas of public hospitals and health facilities.

The president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Steve Robson, has warned the hospital system could be placed under immense pressure if cases continue to rise into the "high risk" Christmas period.

"Most of the protections have been lifted, and the message the community has is that maybe you shouldn't worry as much as you did in the past," Steve told local media.

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where cases rose 20 per cent, residents are being urged to take personal responsibility to avoid the new Omicron subvariant.

Brussels, Nov 25 (IANS) The European Union's (EU) medicines regulator urged Europe to prepare for a new wave of the Covid pandemic as "cold winter months" arrive.

"Over the last weeks we have not seen a major increase in Covid-19 case rates in the EU as a result of rising immunity following vaccinations and natural infections," Marco Cavaleri, head of Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), told a press briefing.

"However, this could change

rapidly as we are getting into the cold winter months," Cavaleri said.

"This virus is maintaining a fast pace in its evolution and new subvariants of Omicron such as BQ.1.1 and its offsprings are on the rise and replacing Omicron BA.5."

These strains show "an increased propensity for immune evasion and growth advantage", he noted, expressing concern that new subvariants like BQ.1.1 are "escaping neutralisation by the currently available monoclonal antibody products, which is

"The risk of severe Covid increases exponentially with age above 60. The older you are, the more you are at risk and vaccines can save your life," he added.

EMA Chief Medical Officer Steffen Thirstrup told the press briefing that there are still "a lot of circulating viruses out there", and their potential to spread, especially among unvaccinated vulnerable people, is still large.

"So I will still consider the pandemic being on," said Thirstrup, stressing the importance of vaccination and revaccination, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Toronto, Nov 25 (IANS) A new, large-scale study of more than 20,000 older adults has found that approximately 1 in 8 older adults developed depression for the first time during the pandemic. For those who had experienced depression in the past, the numbers were even worse. By the autumn of 2020, almost half (45 per cent) of this group reported being depressed, according to the study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. "The high rate of first-onset depression in 2020 highlights the substantial mental health toll that the pandemic caused in a formerly mentally healthy group of older adults," said Andie MacNeil from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and the Institute for Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto. While the surge in prevalence of depression among older adults during the pandemic is well known, few studies prior to this

have identified the percentage of people who experienced it for the first time or the percentage of people with a history of the disorder who experienced a relapse. "The devastation of the pandemic which upended so many aspects of daily life hit those with a history of depression particularly hard," said study co-author Sapriya Birk, currently a medical student at McMaster University in Canada. The researchers identified several factors that were associated with depression among older adults during the pandemic, including inadequate income and savings, loneliness, chronic pain, trouble accessing healthcare, a history of adverse childhood experiences, and family conflict. Individuals who experienced various dimensions of loneliness, such as feeling left out, feeling isolated, and lacking companionship had approximately 4 to 5 times higher risk of both incident and recurrent depression.

"Social connections and social support are essential for wellbeing and mental health. Better support and outreach are needed for those who are isolated," said co-author Ying Jiang, Senior Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

1 in 8 older adults experienced depression for 1st time during pandemic

Indo-Canadian appointed Principal, V-C of McGill University

depth of leadership experience, from Dalhousie, several other research-intensive universities in Canada and abroad," Maryse Bertrand, Chair of McGill's Board of Governors, said.

Indian-origin academic H. Deep Saini has been appointed as Montreal-based McGill University's 18th Principal and Vice-Chancellor, and will begin his five-year, renewable term in April next year.

Toronto, Nov 19 (IANS) Indianorigin academic H. Deep Saini has been appointed as Montrealbased McGill University's 18th Principal and Vice-Chancellor, and will begin his five-year, renewable term from April next year.

Saini, who grew up in Punjab, is currently President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

"Prof Saini brings to McGill an exceptional breadth and

"He exemplifies the rare mix of strong academic leadership with a wide-ranging and international perspective. He is the perfect choice for McGill as it embarks on its third century," Bertrand added.

A university statement described Saini as a "trusted and respected leader" who has worked at four of the top 15 research-intensive universities of the country.

Saini, who has a keen understanding of Quebec culture, having lived close to two decades in Montreal, said he is "humbled and honoured" to be chosen for the post.

"Already a leader on the national and international stage, McGill is entering its third century poised to take its global impact even further. I am looking forward with great anticipation to returning to Montreal, joining this illustrious community, and making a bold contribution to the University's

most promising future," Saini, who was chosen by a unanimous vote of the University's Board of Governors, said.

Saini's distinguished career has earned him several awards and recognitions, including honours from the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, Nanjing University, the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Punjab Academy of Sciences, and the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. He is also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, in recognition of his service to education and Canada.

Saini completed his Master of Science (Honours) in Botany from Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. Thereafter, he moved to Australia to earn a PhD in Plant Physiology from the University of Adelaide. He also served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra in Australia. He is fluent in four languages, including English and French, and has also held national and international governance and advisory roles.

In a first, Himachal ‘Naati’ performed in Canada’s Parliament Hill

Indian-American named president of Tufts University

and has focused on increasing interdisciplinary research and education, enhancing the student experience, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

New York, Nov 18 (IANS) IndianAmerican academician Sunil Kumar has been appointed the next president of Massachusettsbased Tufts University -- the first person of colour to occupy the position. Kumar, Provost and Senior Vice President for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University, succeeds President Anthony P. Monaco on July 1, 2023.

"Sunil Kumar brings to Tufts a lifelong commitment to excellence in higher education and an exceptionally strong record as a leader, teacher, and colleague," said Peter Dolan, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the presidential search committee.

"He will be an outstanding successor to President Monaco, who has strengthened Tufts in so many ways in the past 11 years.

Sunil's commitment to research and learning, along with civic engagement and innovation, will help bolster Tufts' mission to improve the world," Dolan said in a university statement, which was released on Thursday.

At Johns Hopkins, Kumar oversees the academic mission of the university's nine schools,

"It would not have been possible for me as a son of a police officer to do anything else. And therefore, affordability is not a theoretical concept for me. I hope I represent an example of somebody who benefited from an institution opening its doors wide," Kumar said in a video posted on the Tufts website. "And I would like even more people to have the same opportunity.

Diversity and inclusion are indispensable values," he added. His academic career began by teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was later the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Operations, Information and Technology.

He was named dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2016, he became provost and senior vice president at Johns Hopkins.

Kumar, whose father was a police officer, was born and raised in India, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor's in engineering from Mangalore University. He received a master's degree in 1992 in computer science and automation from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. While there, he was recruited for a doctoral programme in electrical engineering. Kumar received his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1996.

Govt may seek more details on NRIs’ foreign remittances

Shimla, Nov 21 (IANS) First time in history 'Naati' of Himachal Pradesh was performed in Canada at Parliament Hill in Ottawa by Himachali Pravasi Global Association (HPGA) during celebration of Hindu Heritage Month, organisers said on Monday.

High Commissioner of India to Canada, Sanjay Verma, attended the event that was facilitated by Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya on Sunday.

Naati, the folk dance, was performed by Shivani Rathod, Shikha Verma, Neha Sharma,

Simran Singh, Priti Kalia, Vasundhra Bhardwaj, Punam Guleria, Ashish Guleria and Jatin Kalia.

Himachal-origin Bhagya Chander, Arun Chauhan, Vivek Nazar and Sunil Sharma conveyed thanks to Arya for organising the event.

Chandra, who is associated with the HPGA, Canada, told IANS over phone that the number of Indian students coming to Canada is increasing every year owing to excellent salary packages with several work opportunities after course completion.

"After pursuing a course, it will be easy for them to work in multinational companies. This will make it easier for them to become global citizens," he added.

The HPGA is a non-profit organisation with an aim to help the Himachal-based immigrants and students to understand the culture of the new country which they choose as the new home.

Also, it aims to promote, inculcate Himachali and Indian culture and contribute to the development and growth of all socio-economic domains in diaspora.

New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) The Income Tax Department may make it compulsory for NRIs to share details of foreign remittances received from India and also divide it into taxable and non-taxable income in the next fiscal, according to reports. In addition to this, NRIs may also be directed to disclose their Indian business connections and could be further asked to elaborate on the nature and even the whereabouts of such

businesses, reports quoting sources said.

The Income Tax Department may also seek details in case of a person who received capital assets from the previous owner, and who was exempted from capital gains, the reports said.

In such a case, the person who received the capital asset may be asked to report the previous owner's details on the sale of capital assets, the reports, citing sources, said.

Spirit of Service at Christmas time

“This life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive”, said Swami Vivekananda (saint and philosopher from India – 1863 to 1902). An interesting incident happened in the life of Swami Vivekananda. As a young man, he was interested in being absorbed in meditation and immerse himself in the realization of his true identity. He approached his spiritual guru (teacher) Sri Ramakrishna with the intent of requesting him to guide him. In retort, his teacher said to him ‘my boy, I was thinking that you would be like a huge banyan (fig) tree under whose shade many people would take shelter from the scorching sun and the birds would build their nests. But I see that you are only interested in your own happiness and salvation. Fie upon you! No, you should serve all beings looking upon them as embodiments of the Divine. That is a higher ideal than seeking your personal salvation’. Indeed, the spirit of Christmas is that of caring and sharing – not mere going to the Church or having a ‘good’ time by shopping, feasting and family reunion. Jesus

the Christ himself served the poor and downtrodden, giving them solace through thought, word and deed. Even today the tradition is maintained by the Vatican when the Holy Father (the Pope) washes the feet of the poor with great reverence, in whom he sees the embodiment of Christ. Indeed, we should see the real Christ in the hearts of everyone, more so in those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

When you are generous to the poor, you are enriched with blessings in return. Proverbs 22:9 May the Christmas season bring joy and happiness to everyone and enrich our lives with peace and prosperity. A Christmas service will be held at the Vedanta Centre, Springfield Lakes on Saturday 24th (Christmas Eve) from 6.30pm. All are welcome. The Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes is an intercultural faith and community hub engaged in benevolent activities like food assistance, educational workshops, activities for children and youth, classes on Vedanta and volunteer opportunities. The Centre has a Café, Soup Kitchen, community garden and reading library. All are welcome.

Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association News:

Gold Coast GCHCA’s new precinct is coming up in Arundel, Gold Coast, a prime location which is less than 2 minutes drive from Harbor Town and a stones throw away from Gold Coast Hospital.

On the 6th November 2022, Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association (GCHCA) conducted a Ganesha pooja in the community square as well as a guided tour of the GCHCA precinct. The guided tour gave exclusive insights into how the precinct is developing.

The super structure Multi Purpose Hall where place of worship going to be built is expected to be completed by June 2023. The central theme of the precinct is to integrate the century old temple designs and modern construction techniques.

In September 2022, the association’s Annual General Meeting was held with founder and life members voting to elect a new committee. Following this, a Skanda Shasti pooja was conducted which was well attended by the community.

In 2023, GCHCA is planning to conduct a pongal event on 15th January (Sunday). More details about this event and activities will be available on our website http://culture.goldcoasthindu.org

Life memberships are currently available and if you are interested in knowing more about the precinct or joining

as a life member or would like to make contributions to our building project which is fully tax deductible then please contact us via gchcan@gmail.com for further details.

This is a perfect time to make further contributions and donations that would benefit the current and future generations! Every dollar you donate will certainly enable the project to progress.

Once in a lifetime opportunity exist for:

• Donating for a Holy Floor Area or a Brick

• Sponsoring a Deity or Shrine or Kalasam

• Becoming a Member for life

• Joining as a Thousand Families for Murugan

• Making one off contribution for a special occasion or in memory of loved ones

• Giving $1 a day - GiveNow. com.au/gchcan

Donating to the GCHCA Building Donation Account - BSB: 064-474

A/C: 1048 8900 ($2 or more Tax Deductible - please include your email to send the receipt).

We sincerely appreciate your continued support!

Compilation by: Swami Atmeshananda, Vedanta Centre Springfield Lakes

Indian-origin woman’s kin pleads guilty to fatal abuse of maid in S’pore

May 28, 2015, but weighed a mere 24 kg when she died on July 26, 2016.

In the last 12 days of her life, she was tied to the window grille at night while she slept on the floor in the same room as Prema, who slept on the bed.

Naraynasamy had her own flat but stayed over with Murugayan about three times a week. When she stayed over, she would sleep in the same room as Piang, Channel News Asia reported.

She did not look up as footage of the abuse was played in the open court.

India, Fiji in talks to set up language lab to promote Hindi

The mother of an Indian-origin woman in Singapore, who assaulted her domestic help until she died of a brain injury earlier this month, pleaded guilty on Monday to multiple charges for her involvement in the crime.

Singapore, Nov 22 (IANS) The mother of an Indian-origin woman in Singapore, who assaulted her domestic help until she died of a brain injury earlier this month, pleaded guilty on Monday to multiple charges for her involvement in the crime.

Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, pleaded guilty to 47 charges of voluntarily causing hurt to the the victim, and one charge of attempting to voluntarily cause hurt, The Straits Times reported.

Naraynasamy's daughter Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 41, was sentenced on June 22, 2021 to 30 years in prison -- the longest jail term meted out in a domestic worker abuse case in Singapore.

After 14 months of repeated torture, Piang Ngaih Don, a 24-year-old from Myanmar, died of brain injury with severe blunt trauma to her neck on July 26,

2016.

Naraynasamy's acts of abuse included, pouring water on the victim; kicking, punching and slapping her; grabbing her by the neck; pulling her up by her hair; and "spinning" her head violently.

She also hit the victim with a spatula, a towel and a detergent bottle, and watched as the maid used the toilet.

In one of the clips, taken from cameras installed in their three-bedroom flat in Bishan, and played in court on Monday, Naraynasamy was seen beating the domestic help with a bamboo pole that was used to hang clothes.

In another, she had grabbed Piang by the hair, dragging her to the ground before lifting her up by her hair again.

Piang weighed 39 kg when she started working for the family on

Murugayan, wife of a police officer, admitted in February last year to starving, torturing and killing Piang.

In sentencing Murugayan, High Court judge See Kee Oon described the case as "among the worst cases of culpable homicide".

He said: "Words cannot adequately describe the abject cruelty of the accused's appalling conduct."

Narayanasamy had originally also faced a murder charge, but was later given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Her case has been adjourned for mitigation and sentencing and is expected to be heard again on January 9, 2023, The Straits Times said.

The paper added that for each charge of voluntarily causing hurt, she can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

Murugayan's appeal for her sentence to be halved has been dismissed by the Apex Court.

Indian expat foils robbery bid in Dubai, wins hearts

Chavada has been working at the shop for more than 12 years.

"I ran towards the man and grabbed him. He was nearly my size, so it wasn't easy to overpower him. I hit him on the chest, pushed him to the ground and held him tightly until others came to help," Chavada told The National.

He snatched the bag and gave it back to the owners.

Suva, Nov 22 (IANS) In a bid to promote Hindi, officials from India and Fiji are in talks to set up a modern language laboratory in the South Pacific nation, Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Palaniswamy Karthigeyan has said.

Hindi is one of the three official languages spoken in the country, the other two being Fijian and English.

"The government of India is also thinking of doing something to promote the (Hindi) language here," Karthigeyan said, addressing the media recently.

"So as part of this, there is a proposal to kind of gift a modern language laboratory to Fiji and this will obviously focus on Hindi and we intend to do that in cooperation with the Government of Fiji," he added.

The move comes ahead of the 12th World Hindi Conference next year from February 15-17, 2023, which will be hosted by Fiji, making it the first country in the Pacific to host the prestigious event.

Over a thousand delegates are expected to be part of the inaugural event, which will include Hindi-speaking scholars, language academics, and other officials.

can be an institution of higher learning like universities or even some well recognised schools. The discussions have been initialised but we are hopeful that we are able to finalise this," the High Commissioner said.

Fiji Hindi, also known as 'Fijian Baat' or 'Fijian Hindustani', is the language spoken by Indo-Fijians, and is derived mainly from the Awadhi and Bhojpuri varieties of Hindi, IANS reported earlier.

The language developed during the peak of the British Indentured labour system, where Indians, brought to the island between 1879 and 1916, were recruited as labourers to work on the sugarcane and cotton plantations.

Fiji Hindi is enshrined in the country's Constitution as one of the official languages. The language is also taught in the country's primary and secondary schools.

While it is compulsory for students of Indian origin in primary schools, it is an optional subject in secondary schools, and is also taught in Fiji's universities.

Dubai, Nov 25 (IANS) An Indian expat has won a certificate of appreciation from the Dubai Police for stopping a thief from fleeing with Dh 2.7 million ($735,190) in cash.

Keshur Kara Chavada Karu Ghela, 32, who works in a shop at Dubai's Naif district, was "surprised" when senior police officials visited him at his workplace earlier this week, according to a Dubai Police statement.

According to Major General Tariq Tahlak, Director of Naif police station, the incident occured when two Asian men were in

the Naif area carrying two bags containing Dh 4,250,000 in cash of different currencies.

The thief intercepted the Asians and snatched one of the two bags containing AED 2,757,158, a statement released by Dubai Police said.

"As the two Asian men shouted for help, Keshur saw the robber running with the stolen bag toward him, so he bravely tackled him, started wrestling with him, and pinned him to the ground until the police patrols arrived and made the arrest," Tahlak was quoted as saying in the statement.

Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commandant-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said that Chavada's behaviour reflects his genuine commitment to the community and his wit in dealing with emergencies.

He added that honouring Chavada in his workplace, among his colleagues and neighbours reflects Dubai Police's keenness on strengthening the concept of community partnership and reinforcing the sense of responsibility among individuals.

"We are discussing with them the logistics of this and to locate the format of those things but the entire software and hardware for this language laboratory will be gifted by the government of India but the location and things are being discussed," The Fiji Times quoted Karthigeyan as saying.

The three-day conference would be held in the Fijian city of Nadi -- home to Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami temple, the largest Hindu shrine in the Pacific.

"Space will be provided by the local stakeholders, it can be a government institution or it

"With a significant portion of our population having Indian heritage, we have worked together to ensure the protection and promotion of our languages, traditions, and culture. We are proud to say that Fijian scholars have made a contribution towards developing Hindi not just in Fiji but across the world via the Fijian diaspora," Anjeela Jokhan, Permanent Secretary for Fijian Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, had said last month.

A Regional Hindi Conference was held in Suva in 2002.

Indians make around 38 percent of the Fiji population. As of 2021, there are 3.20 lakh Indians approximately in the country, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs data.

In a bid to promote Hindi, officials from India and Fiji are in talks to set up a modern language laboratory in the South Pacific nation, Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Palaniswamy Karthigeyan has said. Courtesy: Fijian GovernmentTimes

International sourcing expo held in Melbourne

Consul General Dr. Sushil Kumar inaugurated the India Pavillion of the International Sourcing Expo being held at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 15-17 November 2022.

Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) supported by Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) and Council for Leather Export (CLE) are participating at the Expo with over 140 Indian exhibitors / companies in the areas of apparels, handlooms, textiles, and leather products.

The enthusiasm of Indian exhibitors and more importantly from the serious buyers from Australia is clearly an indication of ever growing trade ties between the two countries.

There is tremendous scope for increasing trade in areas of Engineering, Electronics, Auto components, Pharma, Gems & Jewellery, Apparel, Leather, Handloom and handicrafts.On the sidelines, Consulate organized an interaction of the AEPC with the Australian buyers.

Source: Press Release

Sitar Sahana Stuns Sunnybank

- by Shen Flindell and Mohit Lal

On Saturday 19th November 2022

Qld Sangeet Mela Association (QSMA) presented an evening of Indian classical music at the Sunnybank Church of Christ Hall, featuring sitar maestro Smt Sahana Banerjee (Kolkata).

The evening was opened by young rising vocalist Rugved Pawar, accompanied on tabla by Pankaj Navlekar and on harmonium by his father Raghunath Pawar. Rugved presented a sensational performance of a Bada Khayaal in Raag Charukeshi, followed by a Chota Khayaal in Raag Ahir Bhairav. Rugved's vocals mesmerised the audience and he was the star of the samosa break conversations.

Then came the Queen of Sitar, Sahana Banerjee, who took us on a sonic journey. She scientifically explained why she would be playing a particular Raag and played it so authentically according to her lineage, the Senia-Rampur Gharana. She performed Raga Behag - alaap, jor, jhala, gats in vilambit and drut teentaal, followed by Hemant, Thumri in Manj Khammaj, and Bhairavi, all with beautiful accompaniment by Shen Flindell on tabla.

The hall was well suited to the event, filled to capacity with an intimate atmosphere, with plenty of other spaces for restless kids to play without disturbing others. The front carpeted area was filled with young tabla students and other music lovers, all enthralled by the music, counting the taals and following the compositions keenly, and discussing the music in between items.

After several years of international isolation due to

Slain Indian-origin teen’s father regrets moving to Canada

Toronto, Nov 25 (IANS) The father of 18 year-old Mehakpreet Sethi, who was stabbed to death at a parking lot of a school in Surrey, has told a news channel that he regrets moving to Canada along with his children.

Sethi died in the hospital after being attacked with a knife by a 17 year-old student of Tamanawis Secondary School in the Newton area, on Tuesday.

"When I went to the hospital, the doctors told me that the weapon directly pierced his heart, which is why he died," Harshpreet Sethi, Mehakpreet's father, told Omni Punjabi.

The family moved from Dubai to Canada eight years back. They hail from Punjab's Faridkot district, the channel reported.

"I came to Canada with the hope that my children will have a better future, they will be safe... Now I am regretting why I came to this country along with my children," Harshpreet said.

Fighting back his tears, Harshpreet told the local TV channel that the attacker could have slapped him, hit his arm or legs, instead of taking his son's life. Police said that a fight broke out between Sethi and a 17-yearold boy that ended with the teen being stabbed.

The suspect has been taken into custody after being identified by the witnesses.

"What kind of upbringing his

parents have given him (suspect)?" Harpreet asked, adding that it is not easy to bring up children for 18 years, and then lose them in an incident like this.

Mehakpreet was not a member of the school community, according to a statement released by the acting principal of Tamanawis Secondary School.

He had gone there to pick up his younger brother Bhavpreet, who studies in the eighth grade.

Mehakpreet's sister told Omni Punjabi that he had planned to buy new clothes for Bhavpreet as his birthday was afoot, which is why he went to pick him up during lunch break.

In a statement, Sgt Timothy Pierotti of Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has requested the witnesses to come forward and share information.

Covid, Sahana Banerjee was an absolute tonic for the soul. We at QSMA are very happy with the response to this concert and look forward to many more successful events in 2023.

Community Champion Mithun Mahajan shares

Blood Donation Initiative

I am Mithun Mahajan and I am sharing my journey and experience of successfully organising and running a Blood donation camp in Brisbane.

This year on the occasion of my birthday, I wanted to do something for our community, our people, something to give back to society. I was very much aware of the ongoing issue of blood shortage and there are thousands & hundreds of people across the globe desperately in need of blood at this very moment. This cause inspired me so much that I have finally organised a blood donation camp in association with Australian Red Cross under the name ‘Mithun’s Blood Donation Camp’ to donate blood for the ones who need it the most and to spread awareness & knowledge to people regarding blood donations.

I worked hard on this campaign for more than three months, I initially began by just talking to my friends, family & neighbours about my vision and started collecting the names of the ones who were interested in donating. Then I started expanding my knowledge regarding the blood donation & it’s procedures, to be able to answer all the questions & queries from people whom I will speak to or encourage to join my campaign.

I contacted over 500 people in person & probably made over 800 phone calls to create awareness and encouraged people by

emphasizing on the positive sides of blood donation.

What I experienced was that the majority of people were unaware of this ongoing issue of blood shortage or they never did any blood donation before due to lack of knowledge. Most interestingly about the MYTH that donating blood is not good for health makes you feel low or weak & takes longer to recover. It indeed is a MYTH!

I would like to spread the message globally that blood donation has some benefits too that is:

*Centre does perform health checks

*Haemoglobin checks, Blood pressure checks , iron level checks .

*Good for heart and cardiovascular diseases.

*quick recovery time

This event has created immense positivity & awareness among the community which will last for a long time and this makes me feel so proud and grateful that I could at-least bring some change in people's perspective.

I have received numerous phone calls, messages & blessings from hundreds of donors who have successfully donated and also from the ones who couldn’t or were not eligible to donate for health concerns.

I am very proud to initiate this cause and can’t thank all the donors who came and supported the event.

Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland - Women’s and Men’s Well-being session

The Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland hosted a Women’s and Men’s Well-being session in Brisbane on 12th November 2022.

The event focused on a genderbased approach to mental health. The guest speakers included Dr. Abha Chikarsal, General Practitioner, who presented on women’s health and emphasized the importance of monitoring women’s health through means such as regular cervical screening; Dr. Dev Kawol, General Practitioner, talked about mental health and men’s health issues along with a captivating presentation, and Emeritus Professor David Kavanagh, shared his knowledge of general mental health and well-being.

The event was well-received, with active participation by the attendees. FICQ aims to host more well-being sessions next year.

ECCQ Board gets two new Directors and Elijah Boul is appointed to the chair of the board position.

The 46th Annual General Meeting of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland unfolded on Thursday 24 November 2022. Four Board positions were declared vacant prior to the AGM: one Chairperson position, one Deputy Chairperson position, and two Director positions.

The Chairperson position was filled by one of the two Deputy Chairpersons, Elijah Buol

The Deputy Chairperson position was filled by Michael Yau and Michael was returned to that position.

The two Director positions were contested by three candidates: Shyam Das, Michael Po Saw, and Surendra Prasad. A ballot process was undertaken at the AGM in accordance with the ECCQ Constitution.

As a result of that ballot process, Surendra Prasad and Michael Po

Saw were successful in filling the two Director vacancies.

Congratulations to Elijah Buol, Michael Yau, Surendra Prasad, Michael Po Saw, and also Shyam Das for nominating - ECCQ Board positions are voluntary and very demanding of time and effort. Thank you, Shyam Das.

ECCQ looks forward to an exciting two-year term under the leadership of the new Chairperson, Elijah Buol. There will be continuing challenges for him and the Board in the next two years and beyond, particularly the opening of the state-of-the-art Berlasco Aged Care facility and new governance regulations for Boards.

Finally, thank you to all the ECCQ staff who assisted with the organization of the AGM, your assistance did not go unnoticed and was greatly appreciated.

Queensland Cricket’s Summer of Cricket Lunch held at the Gabba

The much-awaited annual Summer of Cricket Lunch was hosted by Queensland Cricket at the Gabba on 18 November 2022. The event featured Matthew Hayden, Ryan Harris, Usman Khawaja, Michael Kasprovicz, Kirsten Pike and Carl Rackemann among other cricket greats.

Queensland Cricket CEOTerry Svenson, General Manager Geoff Teys, Adam Dale, Pete Lock, Ashutosh Misra and professional Staff including Lucy Hirst and Harry Mostert among others were present. Matthew Hayden shared his insights from the World Cup as Pakistan’s mentor and Usman Khwaja recalled his journey into

the Australian team and while Ryan Harris reminisced his experience in the Baggy Green on the occasion anchored by Pat Welsh and Kate Brown. The Australia India Business Council led by Qld President Nik Senapati, IAIE Sport and Wellness Program Director Dr Amol Wagholikar, IAIE legal advisor Varun Gupta, Holistic Home Care CEO Ashwini Soni and associate Navjyot, and Kirti Vyas from India and Kush Ghai from Brisbane Champions League attended the event as well. This summer West Indies and South Africa are playing test matches in Australia.

Vijay Hazare Trophy: Ruturaj Gaikwad smashes seven sixes in an over, enters record books

Gaikwad, who is captaining Maharashtra in the match, achieved this feat in the 49th over of the innings. The over was bowled by Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm spinner Shiva Singh, operating from around the wicket. Gaikwad smashed sixes over deep mid-wicket, straight down the ground, and deep square leg.

the last two overs.

Shiva, who was at the receiving end of Gaikwad’s assault, finished with 0/88 from nine overs.

Maharashtra’s innings was an out-and-out one-man show from Gaikwad as the rest of the batters combined to make just 96 runs off 142 balls.

USA Cricket to co-host ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 with West Indies

Ahmedabad, Nov 28 (IANS)

Right-handed opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on Monday hit a mindboggling seven sixes in an over, the first time it’s happened in List A cricket, while on the way to smashing 220 not out for Maharashtra in a Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinal match against Uttar Pradesh at the Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground in Ahmedabad.

Shiva then went in with a change in the trajectory, but the result was the same as Gaikwad smashed consecutive sixes over the long-off fence. A no-ball was signalled and Gaikwad smacked the ball from Shiva over long-on for another six, also getting the right-handed batter his maiden double century in List A cricket in 153 balls.

For the last ball, Shiva went for over the wicket angle, but it made no difference as Gaikwad sent it soaring over deep mid-wicket to take 43 runs. Gaikwad eventually finished on 220 not out off 159 balls, with ten fours and 16 sixes, as Maharashtra made 330/5 in their 50 overs, as 58 runs came off

Gaikwad taking 43 runs from that over off Shiva made it to the record books as the most expensive over in List A cricket, equalling the combined effort of Brett Hampton and Joe Carter, off Willem Ludick, for Northern Districts against Central Districts in a Ford Trophy game in New Zealand in 2018.

He also became the first Indian batter to make 43 runs off an over in List-A cricket.

Gaikwad, 25, also became the second batter in the ongoing edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to reach the double-century mark after Tamil Nadu’s Narayan Jagadeesan smacked 277 against Arunachal Pradesh in Bengaluru.

New York, Nov 30 (IANS) USA Cricket is all set to co-host the premier cricketing extravaganza -- the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup -- in 2024.

The tournament will be historic in two ways. The USA is not only co-hosting a global event but also has qualified as a participant for the first time. The 2024 edition of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will see more than a dozen teams taking part, including the USA.

ICC’s decision to hold the tournament in the USA aims to promote the gentlemen’s game in the continent and inspire the next generation to play cricket. USA became an Associate member of ICC in 1965 and since then the game has been slowly growing and it has made rapid advances in the last 10 years. Acquiring status as an ODI playing nation, in 2019, was a major landmark.

Interim CEO, Vinay Bhimjiani, welcoming the ICC decision, said, “I am absolutely thrilled with this announcement. USA cricket is committed to making this event an unparalleled experience. The exhibition of the world’s best cricketing talent on US soil will act like a springboard for future growth of this game in this country. The arrival of the world’s second most watched sport to the world’s largest media market provides unprecedented value and exposure.”

Chairman, Dr Atul Rai, said that the association is extremely delighted with the ICC’s decision. “The event will not only promote cricket in the United States but also boost our strategic partnership with the ICC to open new avenues to host future events. The tournament will take cricket towards mainstream status.”

Conducting the World Cup of Cricket in the USA and West Indies will further enhance prospects for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Rain forces match to be called off, New Zealand win series 1-0

IND v NZ, 3rd ODI:

Christchurch, Nov 30 (IANS) Finn Allen and Devon Conway had a 97-run opening stand to get New Zealand’s chase of 220 against India start on a bright note. Pacer Umran Malik broke it by taking out Allen, but rain forced the third and final ODI between India and New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Wednesday to be called off.

When rain arrived, New Zealand were at 104/1 in 18 overs and DLS calculations showed that they were ahead by 50 runs. But to constitute a full match, 20 overs were needed to be completed in the second innings. But with rain washing out the prospect of playing out the remaining two overs for a result, New Zealand clinched the series 1-0 ahead.

In this tour, three out of six matches were washed out due to rain, and one ended in a tie because of rain. Only two matches were played in full, one in T20Is and other one being ODI series opener. India won the T20I series

by the same scoreline as New Zealand clinched the ODI series.

In chasing 220, Allen and Conway started cautiously, adding only 34 in the first eight overs as Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh kept them in check. Allen, though, was more aggressive of the two, getting some boundaries as Conway took time to find his groove.

Conway then single-handedly upped the ante in the 10th over when he struck four boundaries off Chahar -- with a straight drive being the pick of the shots. Allen also teed off when he used Umran Malik’s pace in the next over to hit back-to-back boundaries.

Allen got his fifty when he hit a flat-batted six over long-off off Washington Sundar. After pulling Malik through fine leg in the 17th over, Allen tried to reach out to a short ball, but toe-ended the cut to cover, ending the 97-run opening partnership as he fell for 57.

Conway then pulled Arshdeep through deep mid-wicket before rain put a pause on the proceedings, not for the first time in this series. Earlier, all-rounder Sundar slammed his maiden ODI fifty to carry India to a modest 219 in 47.3 overs. If not for his fifty, India would have ended up at a much lower score.

On a pitch, where there was a lot of grass and lateral movement, and with overcast conditions, India’s innings never really got going, till Sundar stood up and applied himself to hit five fours and a six in a 64-ball knock to take the visitors past 200-mark. Apart from him, Shreyas Iyer also played a handy knock of 49 as rest of the batters struggled and perished to a disciplined bowling show by New Zealand. For the hosts, Daryl Mitchell being used as the fifth bowler was a masterstroke, picking 3/25 in his seven overs.

Adam Milne, coming in for spinner Michael Bracewell, got three wickets for 57 runs in his ten overs. Tim Southee picked two scalps while Matt Henry, despite being wicketless, gave away just 29 runs in his very effective ten overs.

Brief Scores: India 219 all out in 47.3 overs (Washington Sundar 51, Shreyas Iyer 49; Daryl Mitchell 3/25, Adam Milne 3/57) against New Zealand 104/1 in 18 overs (Finn Allen 57, Devon Conway 38 not out; Umran Malik 1/31), match abandoned due to rain.

Christchurch, Nov 30 (IANS)

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri felt off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar had grabbed the opportunities in the recentlyconcluded ODI series against New Zealand, while noting that the left-handed batter showed “great maturity” while making a gritty 51 in the washed out third ODI at Christchurch.

At Hagley Oval, Sundar slammed his maiden ODI fifty to carry India to a modest 219 in 47.3 overs after being put in to bat first by New Zealand on a green pitch and under overcast conditions. India’s innings never really got going, till Sundar stood up to hit five crisp fours and a six, which took him to his fifty, in a 64-ball knock to take the visitors’ past 200-mark.

In the ODI series opener at Auckland, Sundar had hit an unbeaten 16-ball 37, hitting three fours and as many sixes, to put finishing touches in India’s total of 307/6. Though Sundar didn’t pick any wicket in the series, he was at his economical best, as seen from an economy rate of 4.46.

“He grabbed the opportunity with both hands. And today I think he showed great maturity with the bat. Tough conditions, the top order struggled, and the ball was beating the bat but right from the outset in 5-7 minutes you knew this guy was composed.”

“He looked organized, he left the ball well and the balance was fabulous and his footwork very positive. When he hit a couple of boundaries you knew he was on his way. So this innings will

do him a world of good. Proper batter in tough conditions to get a half-century. I think he should take that,” said Shastri to broadcasters Prime Video after the series ended.

Though India lost the ODI series 1-0, Shastri feels that there are many positive points for India to take away from New Zealand in a series where two matches were rained out. “I think a lot of positives came from this oneday series. Shreyas Iyer getting runs in a couple of matches. Willing to stay there and willing to go through the tough period. Suryakumar of course has the potential, has the talent, and he will deliver.”

“Washington Sundar I thought was very good. And even Umran Malik, I like the way he bowled. There’s potential there. If he can persevere, it will be very good. All around, there was very positive Shubman Gill at the start of the innings.”

Shastri remarked that playing in conditions different from what is found at home will help young players immensely in future.

“These conditions are tough, you don’t get these conditions often, and you don’t travel to New Zealand that often. So I think for young cricketers to come here and get this kind of exposure is excellent. The weather and the ground dimensions need to be taken into account.”

India’s next international assignment will be a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, starting from December 4.

IND v NZ, 3rd ODI: Washington Sundar grabbed the opportunity with both hands, says Ravi Shastri

India XI vs Bangladesh XI exclusive community cup

The twice deferred match due to weather was finally played at the Valley’s Cricket ground in Ashgrove between Indian and Bangladesh communities team on 20 November 2022. The Federation on Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) along with Bangladesh Association in Brisbane, assisted in conducting this Community Cup Cricket Match. The objective was to create harmony between the Indian and Bangladeshi community through cricket. The event was conducted with the help of Sathish Rajenderan from Brisbane Super Kings Cricket Club Inc. John Butterworth and Ashutosh Misra from Queensland Cricket and Sheikh Bashar, Jishu Das, Reza from Bangladeshi Association of Brisbane Inc. (BAB). Councilor Angela Owen Taylor was the chief guest and gave away the trophy and medals.

Adelaide, Nov 30 (IANS) The Indian men’s hockey team broke its 12-match winless streak against world No. 1 Australia with a 4-3 victory in the third game to stay alive in the five-match Test series at the Mate Stadium, here on Wednesday.

This was India’s 13th win over Australia in 65 hockey matches and their first since 2016.

It was Mandeep Singh who set up Akashdeep Singh to score the winner for India while other goals were scored by Harmanpreet Singh (12’), Abhishek (47’) and Shamsher Singh (57’). For Australia, Jack Welch (25), Aran Zalewski (32’) and Nathan Ephraums (59’) scored.

After emphasizing on strong defensive structure on the eve of the match, India captain Harmanpreet Singh ensured his team followed it with perfection as they impressed with their oneon-one defence to contain the Australian forwardline who have shown rampaging form so far in this five-match series.

India got off the blocks swiftly, pushing Australia on the backfoot when they converted from a penalty corner in the 12th minute. It was Hardik Singh who gave the breakthrough when he created the PC via an aerial ball into the circle, which was poorly intercepted by the Australian defender leading to a dangerous

play foul in the D. Harmanpreet Singh, who has been in great form, was on target with a powerful drag flick that went past Johan Durst at lightning speed. This was Harmanpreet’s fourth goal of the tour.

Australia had a chance to level the score early in the second quarter when they were awarded a PC after India’s foot-foul in the circle. But experienced India goalie PR Sreejesh was on-point with his saves. He first blocked Jeremy Hayward’s drag flick and then stopped two more shots on goal along with his wingman Surender supporting him.

However, Australia didn’t let go of the opportunity when they won their second PC in the 25th minute.

Australia furthered their scoreline at the start of the third quarter through a well-executed PC scored by Aran Zalewski in the 32nd minute. However, India remained calm in their pursuit and continued to hold on to the momentum - taking the match down to the wire as has been the trend in the previous two matches.

The final few minutes were intense, with Australia scoring off a PC in the 59th minute. But a fine coordination between Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh ensured India finished well.

Hockey: India beat Australia 4-3, end 12-match winless streak to keep Test series alive

A Coffee lovers guide to the best coffee plantations in India

freshly ground coffee. Guided tours of the coffee estate are also available.

Wayanad, Kerala

Apart from the beautiful coffee plantations, Wayanad also provides multiple other activities to do that will make your visit worthwhile. If you travel in November or December, you may gather berries, go bird watching, hike up to the Edakkal caves, which have inscriptions that date back 8,000 years, or go rafting on the Kuruva Dweep river.

Nothing gets the day off to a better start than a cup of freshly brewed coffee! The top travel company, Booking.com, has put together a list of coffee estates in India where visitors may participate in the selection of coffee beans, have tastings, and get a much-needed caffeine boost on this International Coffee Day. These coffee plantations, which span for miles, are primarily located in the mountainous regions of South India in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. If you enjoy coffee, mark these locations on your calendar for a guaranteed caffeine surge!

Coorg, Karnataka

Surrounded by numerous lakes, lush green hills, rich flora and fauna, Coorg, is known for its Arabica and Robusta brews. Almost 40 percent of India's coffee is grown in Coorg, and it plays a significant role in the local economy. November is the best time to visit this hill station as coffee lovers will be able to witness berry picking during this time. Some of the places that you could visit during your stay at

Coorg include Abbey Falls, mini Tibet of Bylakuppe, Virajpet and Mandalpatti.

Chikmagalur, Karnataka

Known as the ‘Coffee Land of Karnataka’ Chikmagalur is a must visit for coffee enthusiasts.

When the British Raj introduced coffee to India, it all began at Chikmagalur. Additionally, it is from here that the bulk of the nation's coffee is produced. You can hire a tour guide to show you around this lush, mountainous region and explain how coffee is made, or you can hike through it to learn more about the plantations or just back and simply enjoy a warm cup of coffee. In Chikmagalur, you may discover a lot of resorts surrounded by coffee plantations. You don't have to travel far to look for or smell fresh coffee beans.

Palani Hills, TamilNadu

The Palani Hills, a continuation of the Western Ghats, are home to elegant mansions on coffee estates. Along with coffee, the area is renowned for its avocado, pepper, and lime plantations. The Rajakkad Estate has a hotel that dates back to the 18th century, which takes pride in serving

Don't forget to visit a handful of the country's biggest waterfalls, which can be found in Wayanad.

Chikhaldara, Maharashtra

One of the only coffee plantations in Maharashtra, Chikhaldara is about 600kms from Pune. Pretty lakes, waterfalls, and the hilly terrains of Amravati. It is a bird watcher’s paradise with several old forts to keep the history nerds engaged. As it is still relatively unknown on the tourist map, this plantation should be on your itinerary for a peaceful holiday away from the hustle bustle. Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh Araku Valley is a beautiful hill station in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Located along the Eastern Ghats, the area is home to numerous tribes, all of whom are involved in the cultivation of coffee. The local tribes have their own brand of brilliant organic coffee called Araku Emerald claimed to be the first organic coffee by a tribe in India. Visitors can buy from them and enjoy the local taste of this famous coffee. Other regions in Andhra Pradesh that produce some great coffee are Chintapalli, Paderu and Maredumilli.

Purr-fect Stays

listings as of June 2022, a 95 percent rise from the same time period in 2019. Additionally, the top 10 pet-friendly tourism destinations in India as of Q2 2022 are:

Bangalore, Karnataka

Taiwan. To inspire fur moms and dads planning to bring their pet friends on their next getaways, here are a few pet-friendly Airbnbs in India : Forestvalley Tree House - Coorg, Karnataka

Digital travel company Agoda has noticed a 26 percent increase in searches for stays in Dubai and a 20 percent increase across the wider region (Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Manama) as Indian fans choose easily accessible neighbouring states to base themselves for the sporting spectacle later this year (20 November – 19 December).

“Football is a craze the world over, and Indians and Asians are keen to catch the mega event that’s taking place this year right in their backyard. But what’s more, they are taking advantage of Dubai’s proximity to Qatar to have a bit of extra time visiting the wider region. Our Champion Deals will leave a little extra in the pockets of Indian travellers to spend exploring the culinary, shopping, and action-packed adventures that this region has to offer,” said Krishna Rathi, Country Director - India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Agoda.

For off-pitch action, check out these ideas from Agoda while visiting the region: Al Ain near Dubai

A 90-minute drive from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, located in the east of the UAE, Al Ain is a garden city filled with picturesque locations surrounded by fruit trees and date palms. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site and attracts visitors to admire this marvel with its 4,000year history. Al Ain is home to more than 147,000 trees and an ancient irrigation system that continues to deliver water to them.

Properties to stay at while you visit Al Ain: Royal M Hotel & Resort Abu Dhabi

Corniche Hotel Abu Dhabi

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia

Iridium 70 Hotel

Nizwa near Muscat

Not too far from the main city of Muscat stands the ancient city of Nizwa – known to be the capital of Islamic culture. This city dates back to the 17th century and was once a key trade route within the region. Packed with history, forts, souks, and deserts – Nizwa provides a picturesque view of Oman. While in the city one can enjoy the famous Nizwa fort, which is well-known for its 40m tall round tower.

Check out these relaxing Agoda stays as you set out to discover Oman’s own ancient marvel

Levatio Hotel

Sama Hotel

City Seasons Hotel

Ski Dubai in Dubai

For more sporting adventures that you certainly wouldn’t expect in the desert, check out Ski Dubai.

With more than 22,000 square miles of indoor ski areas, Ski Dubai is the coolest destination to get awayfrom the hot sun, heat waves, and the busiest crowd in Dubai during the football tournament. Part of the Mall of Emirates, this is the largest ski center on the planet and has the world's first indoor black diamond ski run. It alsofeatures an ice tower, climbing caves, penguin encounters, and a children’s snow park play area.

Plan a luxurious stay at Al Barsha as you plan to Ski in Dubai: Kempinski Mall Of The Emirates Hotel

Elite Byblos Hotel

Novotel Suites Dubai Mall of the Emirates

SkyDiving in Dubai

If the football isn’t enough to get your heart pumping, why not try a little SkyDive? Visitors can choose premium spots such as the Palm Dropzone or the Desert Dropzone for the dive. The Skydive Dubai team offers experiences along with coaching courses to learn this breathtaking sport.

Post this adventure, visitors can taste the luxury and culture at La Coco Dubai - a Californiainspired eatery located in Andaz Dubai The Palm which offers the best grilled stuffed peppers, vegan tostadas, marinated baby chicken and fresh fruity sweets.

Want to travel, but have a pet to think about?

Thousands of visitors and their cherished pets have been received by Airbnb Hosts all over the world. Pet-friendly Indian hosts made more than INR 1 billion in 2021.

As the pet boom persists, visitors are increasingly looking for accommodations that let them bring their fourlegged companions along and provide lots of outside room for them to roam. Pet-friendly accommodations account for nearly one-third of all Indian

New Delhi, Delhi Goa

Lonavala, Maharashtra

Hyderabad, Telangana

Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Mumbai, Maharashtra Pune, Maharashtra

Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Pondicherry

When it comes to pet-friendly Airbnb stays, owners are looking for space, frequently in areas outside of capital cities, according to Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and

Two Bedroom Farmstay with Pool & Lawn - New Delhi, Delhi

Woodnest - Goa

Jumbo farms, Heaven on earthLonavala, Maharashtra Rendezvous in the hillsDehradun, Uttarakhand Casa Tranquilla with pool by Pawana River- Shirgaon, Maharashtra

Cheerful 4BR Cottage - Manali, Himachal Pradesh

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New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) The Satyam scam, which had rocked the country's corporate world 13 years back in 2009, forcing the government to constitute a six-member board to look after its affairs, was revisited by some of the eminent names from the world of governance, finance and technology on Wednesday.

The occasion was the release of a book on the subject, titled "The Tech Phoenix: Satyam's 100-Day Turnaround", co-authored by T.N. Manoharan and V. Pattabhi Ram.

The book focuses on how the newly constituted board managed to shore up the company's fortunes and find a promoter for it within 100 days.

Some of the members of the Satyam Computer Services' erstwhile board, which was constituted by the government, were present on the occasion. These included former NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik, HDFC Ltd Chairman Deepak Parekh, industry body CII's former Director General Tarun Das and co-author of the book and the Institute of the Chartered Accountants of India's (ICAI) former chief Manoharan.

Apart from this, former Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission Montek

During the course of a panel discussion which centered around the Satyam scam, all the dignitaries shared their experiences while answering questions being posed by senior journalist Sandeep Bamzai, who is the Managing Director, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of news agency IANS, and who moderated the discussion.

Ahluwalia reminisced how in the aftermath of the Satyam scam, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directed that a new board should be set up to shore up the company and look for a new promoter.

He recalled that he had recommended the names of Parekh, Karnik and Das for the new board to the Prime Minister.

Parekh said that they got all cooperation from the government and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as well as the acting Prime Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

He added that amid multiple trips to Hyderabad, the only focus of the new board was to find a promoter for the troubled company and move out as soon as

possible.

It was due to the complete support of the government that the board could achieve its aim in a short period of time, he said.

Shroff said that whatever the board managed to achieve was unprecedented, as this rarely happens in government action.

As the board had specialists, his work as a lawyer became easier, he added.

Manoharan said that the scam was triggered by the global financial crisis and it was the confession (by Satyam's former Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju) which led to the investigation.

However, he added that it was the goodwill of the board members which helped in tiding over the crisis. Also motivating the employees was a major challenge, who ultimately gave their full support and cooperation.

Karnik said that with the kind of developments in the whole episode, it was good that a book has been written on it, however it could even be made into a film.

Parekh said that the collusion of some of the staff and auditors led to the scam. It was also the failure of the chartered accountants who had audited Satyam's books, the veteran banker noted. Greed also led to the whole thing, he added.

Das described it as an amazing example of teamwork by the board and also raised a point about the role of independent directors.

While Parekh said that independent directors should have a fixed tenure, Karnik noted that if a director remains on a board of a company for too long, then his or her's independence comes under question.

Vikram Sampath’s ‘Brave Hearts of Bharat, Vignettes from Indian History’ launched

commendable balance."

Addressing the audience, Sachidanand Joshi, stressed that he was privileged to see youngsters at the event and that history has its importance and there is a need to revisit and reinvent it.

Sampath said that his dilemma was choosing the heroes --who to choose for the book.

Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on Dec 3-4

Chandigarh, Nov 23 (IANS) The Sixth Military Literature Festival (MLF) in Chandigarh, organised in partnership among the Punjab government, the Chandigarh administration and the Indian Army's Western Command, will be held on December 3 and 4, it was announced on Wednesday. The event will be inaugurated by Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Banwarilal Purohit, on December 3. This will be followed by panel discussions on topics of national, international interest and strategic affairs and conversations between authors and discussants, said Military Literature Festival Association Chairman Lt. Gen. T.S. Shergill.

A few new books will also be released. There will be book stalls, martial dances will be staged, weapons and military equipment displayed on the banks of Chandigarh's scenic Sukhna Lake.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will bring the curtain down on the festival at the closing ceremony on December 4.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence and the services of the armed forces in preserving the freedom, the MLF's theme this year is 'The

Armed Forces: Serving Free India for 75 Years'.

After two years of a pandemicinduced online format, this time the fest is reverting to the physical event at its venue, the Lake Club.

The MLF was started in 2017 by Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore and Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, a known army historian.

Over the years, it has grown into a premier international gathering of military historians, thinkers, strategic analysts and writers to discuss and talk about warfare, history and intellectual pursuits. In addition, to spread the festival's message of physical fitness, sports, saying no to drugs, national security, paying homage to martyrs and giving a direction to youth a number of events like a motorcycle rally, horse show, polo match, shotgun and archery competitions, golf tournament, etc., are held.

In a side event, Bravehearts' Ride, featuring over 600 motorcycle riders, will be held on November 27. This year, the event is dedicated to the memory of and in homage to the martyrs of the 1962 war whose 60th anniversary has just ended.

magazines

Kolkata, Nov 26 (IANS) The Bengali little magazine segment, which is considered as the breeding ground for several literary icons from West Bengal, finally got its first organised showcase-cum-marketing platform on Friday.

New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) 'Brave Hearts of Bharat, Vignettes from Indian History' by Vikram Sampath (Penguin), an anthology of 15 stories of men and women and their indomitable spirit of freedom and courage, was launched in the national capital on Friday.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Minister for State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology, was the chief guest on the occasion, and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, ICCR President, Government of India, and

Rajya Sabha MP was the guest of honour. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest said our learning of our history was bereft of heroes other than Gandhi and Nehru. Adding that a nation is judged by various narratives, and also marked by a pantheon of heroes, he said, "This book is about reclaiming our history, one hero at a time."

Sahasrabuddhe, said, "It is truly an unputdownable book and provokes one to think about the past. The author has written a scholarly and popular work, which makes it a book of

Stressing the narrative of a defeatist nation needed to be challenged, something he had attempted through his work, he said, "This book has been written to occupy the mind space and bring the subaltern heroes to the mainstream.

A panel discussion between Meenakshi Jain (historian), Sanjeev Sanyal (Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister), Anand Ranganathan (scientist, author and columnist), Sachidanand Joshi ( Member Secretary, IGNCA ) also took place during the launch.

The city's iconic Oxford ookstores inaugurated its 'Bengali Little Magazine Corner' on Friday, where publishers of little magazines will be able to showcase their works and also be able to market and sell their products online.

The little magazine corner was inaugurated by noted educationist and linguist Pabitra Sarkar, on the inaugural day of the eighth edition of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU), the country's first Bengali literature festival.

According to the CEO of Oxford Bookstores, Swagat Sengupta, who is also the ABSU director, although there approximately 2,000 little magazines are published in Bengali throughout India, there was no organised

platform for showcasing them. "Despite producing excellent literary work, Bengali little magazines have struggled to reach out to a wider audience. This special Bengali Little Magazine Corner, which will be free of cost for the publishers, will fill up that gap to a great extent. Our online store is also considering selling these little magazines online in order to reach a wider audience against a modest revenue-sharing model," Sengupta added.

Speaking at the inauguration function, Sarkar said that some stalls on the streets of Kolkata selling little magazines have become extinct now.

"Undoubtedly this is a fantastic initiative. Little magazines have a dedicated readership; the literature they publish is distinctive and not typically found in popular culture. This initiative will do this little magazine community, its authors, and its readers a world of good," Sarkar said.

Bengali little

get their first organised platform

Book on Satyam’s turnaround released, former board members reminisce company’s rescue effort

Singh Ahluwalia, eminent lawyer Shardul Shroff, co-author Pattabhi Ram, a chartered accountant, were also present on the occasion.

Guru Randhawa wishes to sing for Amitabh Bachchan

Talking about Guru, she shared: "I am a big fan of his even though I have not done anything crazy for him. I have listened to all of his songs and since the beginning of his music career, when he was still gaining a foothold in the industry, I have been an ardent fan of his and have listened to his songs."

After listening to her, Big B gave her a surprise by sharing a video message from the singer for her.

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS) Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa expressed his wish to sing for megastar and host of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 14' Amitabh Bachchan.

In a video message, the pop singer shared for his fan Sonu Bharti Nagda from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, he said: "It means a lot to me that someone who loves me and is my fan is on your show.

The entire world adores you, and we wish you well and happiness. I wish I could sing for you one day."

In a conversation with the host, the 'KBC 14' contestant told him how big a fan she is of the Punjabi pop musician and singer Guru Randhawa. When the host asked about her favourite singers, Sonu said that she is fond of Arijit Singh and Guru Randhawa.

Guru said in the video message: "Hello Sonu Bharti, this is Guru Randhawa. I thank you that you love my music and listen to my songs. Here wishing you all the best for your KBC episode and I hope that you win a big amount. Thank you once again."

'KBC 14' airs on Sony Entertainment Television.

‘3 to 4 Drishyams’ are the tonic Bollywood needs, says Ajay Devgn

2022 and 'Drishyam 2' serves as a tonic to revive it.

"To talk about tonic, I feel it needs three or four Drishyams -- that is what is required, I hope this is the beginning," Devgn told 'Variety' in an exclusive interview.

"The bottomline is all about entertainment. Also, when I watch a film, I really need to enjoy it, whatever the kinds of emotion it has."

Warrior', which was the biggest Indian box-office hit of 2020. 'Variety' reports Devgn is now planning on taking the franchise forward with films and series based on the concept of the unsung warrior.

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS) As Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan celebrates his birthday on Tuesday, the makers of his upcoming theatrical release 'Shehzada' released the film's first look.

The special video, which is just under a minute in length, features bright colours, soft imagery, and Kartik in the action hero avatar beating the goons and sending them flying like a true blue Bollywood star.

The comedy action drama musical also stars Kriti Sanon, Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal, Ronit Roy and Sachin Khedekar.

on

Los Angeles, Nov 22 (IANS)

'Drishyam 2', headlined by Ajay Devgn has brought some muchneeded cheer to the beleaguered Bollywood box office with a strong opening worldwide weekend gross of Rs 89 crore, reports 'Variety'.

The suspense thriller, which also stars Tabu and Akshaye Khanna, is a sequel to the 2015 hit 'Drishyam'. The Hindilanguage films are remakes of the Malayalam-language 'Drishyam' films (2013 and 2021) headlined by Mohanlal. Bollywood has been undergoing a box-office slump in

He added: "I feel it is not very easy to make entertaining films -- you have to keep the audiences engaged for two and a half hours. And audiences have become very smart, so you can't just give them bullshit. Even when you talk about entertainment in commercial cinema, you have to give them something new."

Looking into his future, Devgn said: "I want to pick up characters who have done great things and made great sacrifices, and people don't know much about them. So, we have two or three scripts that we're working on."

He was referencing his period drama, 'Tanhaji: The Unsung

"An unsung warrior for me does not mean sacrifices from that era, it could be in today's society. There are a lot of people who amaze you by the kind of work they're doing and making sacrifices," he said.

Next up for Devgn is 'Bholaa', a remake of the 2019 Tamillanguage Lokesh Kanagaraj hit 'Kaithi' (Prisoner), which he is also directing. The film is in post production and due for a March 2023 release, 'Variety' reports.

Also ready for theatrical release is 'Maidaan', a period biographical soccer film based on the life of the legendary Indian coach Syed Abdul Rahim. The film, which has Priyamani, Rudranil Ghosh and Gajraj Rao in other lead roles, and the music of A.R. Rahman, is scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023.

Kartik Aaryan shares birthday pics with family

Kiki." In the pictures, Kartik can be seen with his parents and pet dog Katori. Kartik's 'Luka Chuppi' co-star Kriti Sanon took to the comments section and wrote: "Happiesttt Birthday Buntoooo i have the besttt gift for u.. stay tuned!" Filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari wrote: "Lots of love and brightness".

Commenting on the occasion, Producer Aman Gill said: "Kartik is a dream to work with, we all had a blast shooting this film, his personality is infectious so we thought this would be a sweet

little thing for his birthday to celebrate Shehzada's birthday with the first look of our film."

Kartik has had quite the year with 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' becoming one of the biggest blockbusters of the year so far.

Producer Bhushan Kumar, who has produced both 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' and 'Shehzada', said: "Kartik is such a brilliant and nuanced actor and what better way to celebrate our very own Shehzada than this! The first look is a treat for his fans."

'Shehzada' is directed by Varun Dhawan's brother, Rohit Dhawan, and features music by Pritam.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Allu Arvind, S. Radha Krishna and Aman Gill, the film is set to arrive in cinemas on February 10, 2023.

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS)

Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan, who has had quite a successful run at the box-office, is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday. The actor took to his social media to share happy

pictures with his family.

Sharing a set of two pictures on his Instagram, Kartik wrote in the caption: "In every birth I would like to be born as your koki. Thank you for the sweet birthday surprise mummy- papa, Katori n

On the work front, Kartik is gearing up for the release of his streaming movie 'Freddy'. The teaser of his film 'Shehzada' in which he stars opposite Kriti Sanon was also released on the occasion of his birthday.

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS) Bhumi Pednekar is reaping praises for her incredible acting and dialogue delivery in her upcoming film 'Govinda Naam Mera', a comic thriller. She said that with her character, she is trying to do something "disruptive" again.

Bhumi said: "I'm actually thrilled that film-makers can feel that I can really work hard and try

and pull off any role that they offer me. That to me is the biggest validation for my work and my skill set as an artiste. My character in 'Govinda Naam Mera' is me trying to do something disruptive again, trying to change it up again with each film and hopefully wowing people with my performance."

She added: "I hate to be put into a mould and I constantly look to challenge the status quo and do something subversive. I'm delighted that audiences are loving my character in the trailer. It's just a tease of what to expect in the film. She is a firecracker of a woman, she is grey and I love her because she is just hilariously entertaining."

The film is slated to release on Disney+ Hotstar.

Directed by Shashank Khaitan, 'Govinda Naam Mera', is about a charming Govinda Waghmare who juggles his time and love between his wife and his girlfriend in this dose of chaos, confusion, and laughter.

On the work front, Bhumi has an interesting line up of films'Afwaah', 'Bheed', 'Lady Killer' and 'Mere Husband Ki Biwi'.

‘Trying to do something disruptive again,’ says Bhumi on her ‘Govinda Naam Mera’ character

Kartik Aaryan exhibits his action hero prowess in ‘Shehzada’ first look

B’day

Ayushmann Khurrana joins global icon David Beckham for raising child rights awareness

our girls are making our country proud in every field, they are shattering glass ceilings. So, let's provide them with everything that they need to excel and in turn, change the narrative."

He added futher: "The prevalence of violence against children is widely recognised. We need to raise awareness about this problem by bringing the issue of violence against children into the open."

Kashmir and Bollywood - A never ending love story

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS)

Ayushmann Khurrana has joined hands with global icons like David Beckham, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Ramos, Andriy Shevchenko and Cafu to raise awareness about child rights across the world.

"We must all make sure that discrimination based on gender becomes a thing of the past and that every girl is treated with

the same value and worth by her family and community as any boy. We can begin by disrupting gender stereotypes in our own lives. Small changes add up over time to make things better," he said.

"We must ensure that we look at boys and girls in the same light and provide equal access to everything for the girls. Today,

"As the face of UNICEF's global campaign, EVAC - ending violence against children - I have been working for the past two years to raise awareness on child rights. It is amazing to see these huge global icons join this initiative to bring to light how gender discrimination must be put an end to have a better society across countries," he concluded.

On the work front, Ayushmann has impressed everyone with his action avatar in the trailer of his upcoming thriller 'An Action Hero'. It releases on December 2.

‘HIT: The Second Case’ trailer has eerie similarities with recent Delhi horror

a gruesome murder that has shaken the entire city. KD's life, love, job, and everything else are all intertwined in this, with the stakes getting sky-high. Will KD be able to solve the case, for example? Will he be able to track down the true perpetrator of this heinous crime?

Srinagar, Nov 22 (IANS) The love story between Kashmir and Bollywood began way back in 1949 when Raj Kapoor shot parts of his film 'Barsaat' in the Valley, taking its beauty to a wider audience. Ever since, the Kashmir Valley became the focus area of many film producers. In the 60s and 70s, several Bollywood films, including 'Kashmir Ki Kali' (1964), 'Jab Jab Phool Khile' (1965) and 'Bobby' (1973), among many others, were shot in Kashmir. The songs of these films remained favourites for generations to come. Not only this, there are many places in Kashmir which are known by movie names or characters, like the landmark 'Bobby Hut' in Gulmarg, where the song of the super hit movie 'Bobby' -- 'Hum tum ek kamray main...' -- was filmed, or the 'Betab Valley' in Pahalgam where the Sunny Deol-Amrita Singh

starrer 'Betaab' was shot. This beautiful relationship between Kashmir and Bollywood lasted until Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Khamosh' in 1985, after which the unfortunate circumstances that ensued due to terrorism in the region brought a temporary end to this love story. Bollywood made a comeback to the Valley post 2000, when films like 'Mission Kashmir' and 'Haider' were shot in Kashmir. This relationship is also unique because this time the subject of these films was not the beauty of the Valley, but Kashmir itself. During the last few years, many popular Bollywood films and web series have been shot in Kashmir, while many local actors also rose to prominence. Notable among them are Mir Sarwar, who acted in films like "Qaisari" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", and Zaira Wasim, who acted in Aamir Khan's "Dangal" and "Secret Superstar", among others. Film screening also got a boost in the region this year with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating cinema halls in Srinagar, Shopian and Pulwama districts. Also, a new film policy has been implemented in Kashmir, besides the announcement by Sinha about opening cinema halls in every district of the UT.

IFFI jury head terms ‘The Kashmir Files’ as ‘vulgar’, ‘propaganda’ film

Hyderabad, Nov 23 (IANS) In what seems like a case of life imitating art, the trailer of Adivi Sesh starrer 'HIT: The Second Case' reminds one of the horrific Shraddha Walkar murder case in Delhi. In an eerie similarity, the latest trailer of 'Major' fame, Adivi Sesh's upcoming movie depicts the exact same crime.

The coincidence of a film that was written a year ago releasing within a week of such a gruesome real life tragedy, is surreal.

The mention of the name "Shraddha" in the trailer sends

further chills down the spine.

'HIT 2' is the second instalment from Dr Sailesh Kolanu's 'HIT'Verse. The film directed by Sailesh Kolanu is all set to hit the screens on December 2, 2022. As the release date fast closes in, the makers delighted movie lovers with the thrilling trailer on Wednesday. The trailer gives a sneak-peek into the journey of a cool cop, Krishna Dev (KD) who comes across a terrifying case. In the trailer, KD mocks criminals as "bird-brained" and then he finds himself solving

Adivi Sesh made his Hindi film debut with 'Major'. Apart from being critically acclaimed and tasting box office success, the film has been selected by 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) as a Hindi language film. In response to netizens' requests, the makers of 'HIT2: The Second Case' are strongly considering a release for a Hindi version by the end of December.

The movie has Meenakshii Chaudhary in the female lead role while Rao Ramesh, Srikanth Maganti, Komalee Prasad will be seen in key roles. Prashanti Tipirneni is bankrolling the film while Natural Star Nani is the presenter under Wall Poster Cinema.

Aditi Bhagat all set to enter ‘Pushpa Impossible’

and ambitious.

The actress talks about being part of the show and says: "'Pushpa Impossible' is one of my and the viewer's most loved shows considering Pushpa's (played by Karuna Pandey Vaidya) approaches to every challenge that comes her way."

(played by Naveen Pandita) boss. Ashwin in the daily soap is shown as Pushpa's son.

Panaji, Nov 29 (IANS) Nadav Lapid, IFFI’s

Mumbai, Nov 24 (IANS) 'Spy Bahu' actress Aditi Bhagat is all set to enter the show 'Pushpa Impossible'. She will be seen portraying a young intelligent businesswoman who is stubborn

In the show, she will be seen portraying the character of Mansi, who is born and raised in Canada and owns a number of motels in United States and Canada. She is playing Ashwin's

"While the show's narrative is engaging and compelling, Mansi's role is equally ambitious and engaging. I'm beyond excited to play Ashwin's boss in the show, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the character progresses as an authoritative boss."

'Pushpa Impossible' airs on Sony SAB.

the festival, termed the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ as ‘vulgar’ and ‘inappropriate’,

concluding

said that the spirit of the festival can surely accept a critical discussion as well, which is essential for art and life.

Earlier on Monday, Lapid said that the IFFI was disturbed about this film.

Sharing the experience of the jury, he said that 14 out of them (international films) had cinematic quality.

“All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film ‘The Kashmir Files’. That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival,” Lapid added.

“I feel totally comfortable to openly share these feelings here with you on this stage. Since, the

spirit of the festival can surely also accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life,” he said.

On November 23, Anupam Kher, lead actor in this movie, speaking about the ‘The Kashmir files’ had said that it helped people all over the world to be aware of the tragedy that happened to Kashmiri Pandits community in 1990s.

“It is a film based on true incidents. Film Director Vivek Agnihotri interviewed around 500 people all around the world for the movie. On the night of January 19, 1990, five lakh Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their homes and memories in the Kashmir Valley following rising violence. As a Kashmiri Hindu, I lived with the tragedy. But nobody was recognising the tragedy. World was trying to hide this tragedy. The film started a healing process by documenting the tragedy,” Kher had added.

jury head, during the

ceremony of

and