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Australia cannot hold back from reopening Many Indians return from when majority of adults fully vaccinated: PM Afghanistan leaving behind their ancestors' assets Canberra, August 23 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on August 23 that the country "cannot hold back" from reopening when a majority of adults are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
He warned the state and territory leaders that they cannot be afraid of coronavirus case numbers rising after 70 percent of adults have received two vaccine doses, reports Xinhua news agency. The National Cabinet, which is made up of the Prime Minister
and state and territory leaders, in July, signed off on a four-phase pathway out of the pandemic that will see lockdowns used more sparingly when 70 per cent of adults are inoculated.
"Once you get to 70 per cent of your country that is eligible for the vaccine and 80 percent, the plan sets out that we have to move forward, we cannot hold back," he told reporters in Canberra. "We must adjust our mindset. Cases will not be the issue. Dealing with serious illness,
hospitalisation, ICU capabilities, our ability to respond in those circumstances, that will be our goal."
IANS
He also said that the lockdowns "are taking an extremely heavy toll", in both the aspects of the mental and physical health of Australians and on economic success. Australia on August 23 morning reported 905 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19, the second highest since the onset of the pandemic. Continued on Page 3
Want to connect diaspora to Indian researchers: Indian Science and Tech Ministry
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Gurbachan Singh (55) was a relieved man after he welcomed his three sons at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here.
IANS
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Stressing the important role that the Indian diaspora could play in connecting with Indian academia and Industry, a top official said the government is determined to connect them with Indian researchers.
are also doing substantial work," Science and Technology Secretary, Professor Ashutosh Sharma, said during his recent interaction with several Indian origin presidents of USuniversities.
Queensland's first hydrogen cars hit the road
Student Visas I SkilledTheVisas I Tourist Brisbane, August 21: The rubber Science and Technology Visas "Given the constraints and Ministry is determined to connect has literally hit the road in Queensland’s push to become a Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration cultural differences in research the Indian diaspora with Indian hydrogen superpower. ambience of two countries, researchers, and the Department Family stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas Minister for Energy, Renewables we can work through mutual of Science and Technology (DST) and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni collaborations with the help of has had several dialogues with Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT has taken the covers off the government initiatives such as the National Science representation Foundation VAJRA, SPARC etc. particularly in futuristic technologies like cyber-physical system, quantum, hydrogen, electric mobility, in which several Indian scientists
and the US Department of Energy on the development of bilateral scientific cooperation, he said, as per an official release.
first hydrogen vehicles to hit Queensland roads, five Hyundai Nexos that join QFleet from Monday, with distinctive, Indigenous-inspired designer
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Prof Ashutosh Sharma Secretary, Department of Science and Technology
Continued on Page 3
They were among the 78 AfghanIndians who were evacuated from Kabul to Tajikistan on August 23 and to Delhi on August 24 afternoon. Continued on Page 3
decals.
They join a landmark 100 electric vehicle now in the State Government fleet and will be available to frontline health staff, educators and community workers. Support for Queensland's hydrogen industry is a key part of the Palaszczuk Government's plan for recovery from COVID-19.
Continued on Page 3
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
COVER STORIES
Queensland's first Australia cannot hold back from reopening when majority of adults hydrogen cars hit the road fully vaccinated: PM IANS
IANS
Continued from Page 1
As many as 818 of the new cases were in New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city. Victoria, the second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, reported a further 71 new cases and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded another 16 where the nation's capital Canberra had entered its second week of lockdown. So far, about half the Australian population in NSW, Victoria, and
ACT was still in lockdown.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr on August 23 announced a plan to fast-track vaccinations in Canberra, inviting Canberrans aged 16-29 to register for vaccinations. "This is a race, and we do need more people to come forward," he said.
Continued from Page 1
With the latest increases, Australia has so far reported 44,028 confirmed cases of Covid-19, while the death toll stood at 918.
Many Indians return from Afghanistan leaving behind their ancestors' assets Continued from Page 1
Gurbachan said he spent over 50 years in Afghanistan where he was looking after two-three shops that were set up by his grandfather and then his father. He left Afghanistan after a suicide bomb incident at Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul on March 25 last year and since then he has been living in Delhi's Tilak Nagar area. Like many others who received their relatives or family members who evacuated from Afghanistan, he was eager to see his three sons along with their wives and children. At the same time he was worried that he had lost the shops established by his grandfather over a hundred years ago in Kabul. "Last year when I left Afghanistan, I was hopeful to some extent that my sons are here and they will carry forward our traditional business in Kabul, but the current situation is completely horrible. I have a lot of good and bad memories of Kabul. The situation in Kabul was always fearful as militants would attack time and again, but not as bad as today's situation," Gurbachan said.
Whenever there was any problem faced by Indians or AfghanIndians, the Indian Embassy had always stood by in support, Gurbachan told IANS. Chhabul Singh, another Afghan citizen who returned to India last year, said that after the bomb blast at the Gurdwara last year the situation for the people from the Sikh and Hindu communities was not as favourable as it used to be. There was fear among the Sikhs and Hindus and that is why thousands of people left Afghanistan and shifted to other countries including India. "My forefathers had established a shop in the main market in Kabul around 150 years ago and I too had decided to spend my life there, but all has been ruined now. We are relieved that we could leave Afghanistan," Singh said. On August 24, as many as 78 people, including 25 Indian nationals arrived in New Delhi from Tajikistan's Dushanbe on a special Air India flight. They were flown out of Taliban-controlled Kabul to Dushanbe in an aircraft
of the Indian Air Force a day earlier. Himmat Singh, an Indian national, who was among those 78 people brought to the IGI airport on August 24, said that around 170-180 Indian nationals are still stranded at Kabul airport. "On Monday, we were taken to Tajikistan from Kabul airport and then from Tajikistan to India. We are happy that the Indian government took immediate action and started the evacuation. The last few weeks were really bad for all of us but in the end we were allowed to board a flight." He said there had been daily news of fighting between Afghan soldiers and Taliban militants but the situation in Kabul was different in comparison to other provinces. "However, our hopes were shattered on August 15 night when there was firing all around in Kabul and leaders including former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled from Afghanistan. We cannot forget the kind of situation we or the people in Afghanistan have faced," Himmat Singh added.
Want to connect diaspora to Indian researchers: Indian Science and Tech Ministry Continued from Page 1
Sharma has been periodically interacting with Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Mathematics (STEMM). On August 20, 2021, he, along with University Grants Commission Chairman, Professor D.P. Singh had interacted with 11 Presidents/Chancellors of US Universities in which India's Ambassador in the United States Taranjeet Singh Sandhu had also participated. DST's Head, International Cooperation, S.K. Varshney pointed out that in STEMM areas, the first significant step was taken by organising the Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) summit in 2020, and now an online portal, Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific
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Sampark (PRABHASS) has also been launched to connect Indian diaspora with Indian academic and research institutes. Prof Singh shared his insights on the new National Educational Policy. During the interaction, Indian diaspora suggested that frequent actions need to be taken on collaborations along with a set timelines and defined focus areas. They proposed upgrading the healthcare system and promotion of medical sciences along with technical education so as to develop cooperation in certain focus areas like health care, artificial intelligence, machine learning, agriculture, and so on, the release added. The meeting was attended by
Prof Satish K Tripathi of the State University of New York, Buffalo, Prof Pradeep Khosla of the University of California, San Diego, Prof Michael Rao of the Virginia Commonwealth University, Prof Kumble Subbaswamy of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Prof Ashish Vaidya of the Northern Kentucky University, Prof Renu Khator of University of Houston, Prof Neeli Bendapudi of the University of Louisville, Kentucky, Prof Venkat Reddy of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Prof Mauli Agrawal of University of Missouri, Kansas City, Prof Mantosh Dewan of the Upstate Medical University, SUNY, and Prof Mahesh Daas of the Boston Architectural College, Boston.
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They were a huge hit with the Brisbane Lions 2021 AFLW premiership-winning players on hand prior to the finalround AFL clash at the Gabba, supporting both their clubmates and Queensland-led hydrogen revolution. “These head-turning vehicles will be fuelled with home-grown Queensland hydrogen as they are tested in on-road conditions over the next three years,” Mr de Brenni said. “Leasing them as part of our trial of fuel cell electric vehicle technology highlights the fact that QFleet – the government’s fleet manager – continues to drive Queensland’s renewable transport options,” he said. “This trial aims to accelerate the uptake of hydrogen technology and support Queensland’s push to position itself as a global hydrogen superpower. “It will demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of hydrogen for passenger vehicles and possibly lead the way for hydrogen’s roll-out to trucks, trains and marine applications. “This, in turn, helps grow our local hydrogen supply chain and that means more jobs for Queenslanders in this emerging sector. “It means jobs sourcing raw materials for renewable hydrogen production and manufacturing state-of-the-art technology, right through to exporting this renewable energy to an increasingly hydrogen-hungry world market.” Mr de Brenni said while the transport sector is currently Queensland’s second largest source of greenhouse emissions, ironically, it could be the vehicle for dealing with climate change. “The Queensland Government has set a target of zero nett emissions by 2050 and the transition to low and zero-emission electric vehicles will be a significant driver of this target being met,” he said. “QFleet now has over 100 electric vehicles in its stable and is well on track to hit its target of 144 electric vehicles by the end of 2021, and 288 by the end of 2022. “The striking decal design – featuring a hydrogen nucleus and the Brisbane River (Maiwar) – was created by Brisbane-based Indigenous-owned creative company Iscariot Media, and features community connection
in Brisbane and across Queensland. “It’s sure to help inspire Queenslanders to think about how we can play a part in the evolution of clean, renewable transport.” Jun Heo, Hyundai Motor Company Australia CEO, said Hyundai is proud to see the deployment of its cutting-edge hydrogen vehicle into the Queensland Government fleet. “The safe, practical and zeroemissions NEXO is a cornerstone in the Hyundai portfolio, complementing our hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, IONIQ and Kona Electric,” he said. “We congratulate the Queensland Government for its vision and advanced policy as the state moves toward a zero-emissions future with hydrogen as a key component. Meanwhile, Hyundai continues its long-term drive towards leadership in ecofriendly vehicles.” Iscariot Media managing director Leesa Watego said the company was excited about the opportunity to work with the Queensland Government to create a design to help showcase a new technology that could power Queensland. “While Maiwar (the Brisbane River) is featured on the vehicle as this is the home of the vehicles, the design demonstrates the interconnectedness of communities across Queensland and Australia,” Ms Watego said. Mr de Brenni said QFleet – serving Queensland for 30 years – today manages a fleet of over 10,000 passenger and light commercial vehicles and its environmental credentials – whether it be through trialling new fuels or new technology – are second-to-none. “The team plays an essential role in ensuring frontline workers such as health professionals, educators, community workers, park rangers, building and emergency services can deliver the community services Queenslanders expect and need,” he said. “It also helps ensure our first responders to natural disasters are where they need to be as soon as possible to quickly put us on the road to recovery. “It’s definitely been an incredible journey for QFleet over the past 30 years … and we can only imagine where we will be in another 30.”
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Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle
Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty. With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
ADVERTORIAL
Bravus continues regional investment with multimillion dollar contract to Rockhampton's SMW Group B
ravus Mining & Resources has awarded contracts worth more than $3 million to Rockhampton based SMW Group for a series of new Ultrahaul mine truck trays and a bore field maintenance program. Bravus Mining & Resources CEO David Boshoff said Bravus was keen to capitalise on SMW Group’s 20 years of experience servicing central Queensland’s coal fields. “There’s an extensive mining services knowledge base in our region, and it has always been our intention to use this and work with businesses based in central Queensland wherever possible,” Mr Boshoff said. “The Ultrahaul tray is a classleading product for mine haul trucks that SMW Group has developed specifically for the central Queensland coal industry. The trays are tailored for our fleet of CAT796AC haul trucks and will help to maximise production and improve operational efficiency. “We have been impressed by SMW Group’s willingness to work with us to get the product right for our operations and look forward to seeing the results of this relationship over time.” SMW Group Chief Operating Officer Frank Humphreys said that the contract was a great result for the company and central Queensland manufacturing. “Securing a contract to supply Ultrahaul trays to the Carmichael Project is a great outcome for SMW Group and is
a vote of confidence for central Queensland’s mining services industry,” Mr Humphreys said. “We are excited to be involved with a high-profile operation like the Carmichael Project.” Mr Boshoff said the contract would have direct benefits for Mackay and Rockhampton, bolstering the local economies against the impacts of COVID restrictions. “Having this level of manufacturing capacity in our region is a huge boost, because we can continue to grow our fleet and ramp up operations with minimal impact from COVID induced restrictions and border closures,” Mr Boshoff said. “We are proud to have made good on our promises to Queensland, and especially regional Queensland. We have created more than 2,600 jobs and signed more than $2.2 billion in contracts. “More than 88% of our contracts are being delivered in Queensland. This work has been spread across all corners of the state to give as many regions as possible the opportunity to benefit from our project, while also enabling us to tap into the highly-skilled construction and resources industry workforce that Queensland possesses. “We are ramping up our mining fleet and construction on the Coal Handling and Processing Plant is well underway. We are excited to be so close to delivering on our promise to ship first coal this year.”
Bravus investing in Townsville youth with YWAM Campbell said.
YWAM Townsville CEO Ken Mulligan said that Bravus’ support helped bring the development closer to reality, servicing a need that has been clearly identified in the community. “The cry to respond to the needs of our youth is louder than ever,” Mr Mulligan said. “Answering that cry takes the combined efforts of a community, from corporate investment to collaboration with police, the youth justice system, schools and other youth organisations.
B
ravus Mining & Resources is proud to announce a $10,000 contribution to Youth With A Mission (YWAM)’s Youth Precinct development in Townsville as a part of our 2021 Community Partnership Program. The Youth Precinct will use adventure-based learning programs including a highropes course, a multi-purpose youth space and transitional
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accommodation facilities to engage with youth, help prevent homelessness, and provide employment and training opportunities for otherwise atrisk young people in Townsville. Bravus Mining & Resources Head of Communications and Community Kate Campbell said that an investment into youth services in Townsville was an investment into the future of the
city. “When we committed to establishing our project headquarters in Townsville, we knew that we would be investing in more than just the mine and rail operations that provide jobs and economic stimulus to the region,” Ms Campbell said. “The Youth Precinct is an opportunity for us to invest in
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the well-being and social fabric of the community, opening pathways for young people that might otherwise be missed by mainstream education and training programs. “YWAM have a track record delivering real outcomes for disengaged or at-risk youth, and we are proud to be a partner in this project with them,” Ms
“It’s reassuring to know that our corporate citizens like Bravus recognise the deep need for our work and can bring investment that bring us closer to changing the lives for these young people. Since construction has commenced on the Carmichael Project, Bravus has donated and partnered with nearly 100 community organisations across north and central Queensland, contributing more than $1.5 million dollars to date.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
Caste census necessary in the country, says Bihar CM IANS
after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 10 leaders of different political parties, on August 23 to the demand. "The Prime Minister listened to each and every delegation member on August 23. All political parties have one view to conduct caste based census in the country. I am hopeful that the Prime Minister will consider our point of view," he said.
Patna, August 24 (IANS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 24 said that the caste census is necessary but the decision has to be taken by the Central government. "The earlier caste-based census
was conducted 90 years ago in 1931 during the British period and we have been following the same since then. This is not right. We should have to conduct a fresh caste census," said Nitish Kumar, who returned in the afternoon
The Bihar government had written to the Prime Minister on August 4, requesting him to give time so that an all-party delegation can meet him and put their point of view on this issue, a day after Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav suggested this course to Nitish Kumar.
'Slap slur' case: Raigad court grants bail to Narayan Rane IANS
bail to arrest Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane in a case pertaining to his 'slap slur' against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The development came around 8 hours after Rane's dramatic arrest by a police posse from his camp in Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, from where he was whisked off to a Raigad court late in the evening.
MSME Minister Narayan Rane
Mumbai, August 24 (IANS): In a big relief, a Raigad Magistrate late on August 24, granted
The Central minister was nabbed - a first ever for the state - after multiple cases were filed against him in various districts for his 'slap slur' targeting Thackeray.
Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar and other leaders welcomed the verdict and said it was on expected lines as Rane's arrest was illegal and it was a politically motivated case. BJP ex-minister Sudhir Mungantiwar termed it as a victory of democracy and a defeat of the 'Talibani mentality' of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. "The state government will have to pay a price for insulting the constitutional tenets of B.R. Ambedkar," Mungantiwar said.
NEP to provide greater freedom to academic institutions: Karnataka minister Kalaburgi (Karnataka), August 24 (IANS): The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) implemented by the state government will pave the way for administrative decentralisation in addition to providing greater autonomy to the educational institutions, state Minister for Higher Education, C.N. Ashwath Narayan, said on August 24. During his one-day visit to Kalaburgi to participate in a seminar on NEP-2020 organised by the Gulbarga University on
August 24, the minister said the purpose of autonomy and decentralisation is to prepare students to become globally competitive.
"The NEP was drafted after wide consultations for a period that spanned nearly six years and after considering more than three lakh suggestions. The policy aspires that students should become globally competitive while retaining their own identity.” "The policy will not pose a threat to any of our national languages,
including Kannada. Studying Kannada for two years at the degree level has been made mandatory and measures will be taken to teach courses of higher education in Kannada," Narayan said.
The policy will also increase the learning opportunities for the students, he said, adding that it also provides scope for the faculty to enhance their abilities. NEP-2020 will make the management of institutions more dynamic, the minister said.
More than 100 militants killed in 2021 so far: J&K Police
Srinagar, August 24 (IANS): After killing three militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town on August 24, Jammu and Kashmir Police said more than 100 militants have been killed in the Valley this year so far.
by the collective efforts of @ JmuKmrPolice, @ChinarcorpsIA, @crpfindia and people of Kashmir have led to neutralisation of more than 100 militants in the year of 2021 so far in Kashmir division: IGP Kashmir".
Kashmir Zone Police wrote on its official Twitter handle, "Today,
Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir) said so far this year, 102 militants have
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been killed by the security forces in the Valley. Three militants were killed on August 24 by the security forces in Peth Seer area of Sopore town. The operation was carried out after specific information about the presence of militants in the area, police said.
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NEWS FROM INDIA
Gang of thieves arrested in J&K looted houses wearing combat uniforms Srinagar, August 24 (IANS): The gang of 10 thieves arrested from Srinagar on August 24 used to don combat uniforms and display dummy weapons to loot houses during cordon and search operations by the security forces. The police said on August 24 that they had received complaints from the residents of Srinagar that their houses were looted during cordon and search operations by men donning army uniforms. The police said these reports were received at the Parimpora police station in Srinagar from Zainakote and Maloora areas on the outskirts of the city.
With the help of technical data, a special investigating team (SIT) of the police arrested some suspects during multiple raids. "The gang used to target those houses where marriage ceremonies were taking place or where marriages had already been solemnised. They would loot cash and gold from such houses," Perbeet Singh, SP (West), Srinagar, told reporters. Four dummy AK-47 rifles, 4 dummy pistols, combat uniforms and a Maruti car were recovered from the gang. Gold worth Rs 20 lakh and cash to the tune of Rs 3 lakh were also recovered from their possession.
Facebook-supported programme to counter Covid misinformation in India New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Logically and NewsMobile on August 24 announced their collaboration on a Facebooksupported programme -- a series of media literacy workshops -- targeting Covid-19 misinformation in India.
The multi-lingual programme, called Covishaala, aims to educate and inform people across India on the facts about Covid-19 and vaccinations in an effort to reduce vaccine hesitancy and limit the spread of the disease. The initiative forms part of Facebook's global efforts to tackle Covid-19 misinformation on and off its platform. By investing in programmes such as Covishaala, the social media giant aims to improve media literacy skills among the general public and encourage take-up of the Covid-19 vaccine. "This partnership is the latest step in our ongoing efforts
to support fact-checkers and connect them with resources to stop the spread of Covid-19 and health misinformation," Facebook India Director and Head of Partnerships, Manish Chopra, said in a statement. Covishaala deploys a 'Train the Trainer' model, empowering influential professionals from various fields including medicine, education, and journalism with the tools and information they need to address the Covid-19 misinformation impacting their communities. The workshops, delivered by experts at Logically and NewsMobile along with local journalists and the medical fraternity, includes guidance in various languages on how to spot misinformation, build media literacy skills, and identify trustworthy sources of information.
Punjab's sugarcane farmers withdraw stir as CM hikes price Chandigarh, August 24 (IANS): Punjab's sugarcane farmers on August 24 withdrew their agitation in response to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's announcement of a Rs 35 per quintal hike in the state agreed price (SAP) for cane crushing season 2021-22, taking the price to Rs 360 per quintal, Rs 2 higher than in neighbouring Haryana.
The matter was resolved during a meeting of farmers union leaders with the Chief Minister here, during which Amarinder Singh, while agreeing to the SAP hike, said the state's fiscal situation had prevented adequate increase in the SAP for the past three-four years. The farmers union leaders had earlier pointed out that Punjab had failed to hike sugarcane SAP
in proportion to Haryana over this period, causing fiscal losses to them.
The Chief Minister said the farmers were not to blame for the problem, which was caused by Punjab's poor finances. While he was always with the farmers and wanted to do his best for their welfare, the state's fiscal crisis had prevented him from increasing SAP earlier, he said, adding balancing the needs of the farmers with those of the cooperative and private sugar mill owners was tough, given the prevailing fiscal situation. Rana Gurjit Singh, who is himself a sugar mill owner besides being Congress MLA in Punjab, supported the farmers' demand for increase in SAP.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
NEWS FROM INDIA
Govt committed to protect people PAGD adopts resolution to and their religious scriptures: BJP restore J&K special status IANS
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing back the ‘Swaroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib' from Afghanistan, the BJP said on August 24 that the initiative has sent a strong message to the Sikhs across the globe that the government of India is committed to protect people as well as their religious scriptures. Amid the ongoing chaos and unrest in Afghanistan, the Indian
and V. Muraleedharan, told IANS that Sikhs are thankful to Prime Minister Modi for bringing back the Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan.
government is continuously engaged in evacuating Indian as well as Afghan nationals from the war-torn nation. Accordingly, a special Air India flight from Kabul landed at the IGI airport here on August 24 carrying 44 Afghan Sikhs, who brought three copies of Guru Granth Sahib with them. BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh, who received the holy scriptures at the IGI airport along with Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri
"Guru Granth Sahib is the holiest book for Sikhs and Prime Minister Modi ensured that it was safely brought back from Kabul. The initiative shows that while evacuating people, the Modi government is also taking care of their religious scriptures," Singh said. Singh also pointed out that nothing is safe in Afghanistan, which includes people, religious places and books and lauded the efforts of Sikhs who safely brought back the holy scriptures with them. "The initiative also boosts the morale of Sikhs and other people of Indian origin who are still in Afghanistan that the government of India will safely evacuate them in the coming days," Singh said.
121 cases pending against political leaders in CBI courts New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): The Supreme Court has been informed that a total of 121 cases are pending trial against sitting and former MPs/MLAs in special CBI courts across the country, and as many as 58 of them are punishable with life imprisonment. However, in over a third of the cases, the trial is moving at snail's pace - charges have not been framed, though offences were committed several years back.
Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae in a 2016 petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to fast-tracking of criminal trials against sitting and former MPs/MLAs, has filed the
report in the top court. He has been assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita in the matter.
Earlier, it was reported that there were a total of 151 cases, but that was caused by a typo in the report, which was subsequently corrected. The fourteenth report, in the matter, said: "It may be noted that out of 121 cases pending trial before the Special Courts, CBI, as many as 58 cases are punishable with life imprisonment. In 45 cases, even the charges have not been framed, though the offences alleged to have been committed several years back." The CBI has furnished a status report dated August 19, to the amicus mentioning the details
of the cases pending trial before different CBI courts and those under investigation. The CBI cases pending investigation against MPs/MLAs are 37.
The oldest pending case is in Patna, where the accused was charge-sheeted on June 12, 2000. The report highlighted inordinate delay in several cases pending trial before CBI courts in different parts of the country. As per details of the cases pending trial before different CBI courts, total number of MPs involved is 56, of which sitting MPs are 14, former MPs are 37, and expired MPs are five. Total number of MLAs involved in 121, including 34 sitting, 78 former and nine expired.
Punjab ministers, MLA demand action against Sidhu's aides Chandigarh, August 24 (IANS): Taking strong exception to the patently anti-national and proPak comments of two of Navjot Singh Sidhu's aides, a group of Punjab Congress ministers and MLA on August 24 called for strong action under the law against Malwinder Mali and Pyare Lal Garg.
The statements of both these newly appointed advisors of Punjab Congress president Sidhu were clearly against India's interests, and detrimental to national security, said ministers Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka.
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Besides stringent legal action against them, they also urged the Congress national leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party as well as the country.
The Congress leaders also questioned Sidhu's failure to put his foot down on such an antinational and pro-Pak diatribe by his close aides, despite the uproar it has triggered across party lines. They said Sidhu's omission in this regard had given ammunition to the Opposition parties, who were quick to recall the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president's own bonhomie with the Pakistan Prime Minister and Army chief, warning against the damage this
could cause to the Congress in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, which are due in less than six months.
In a statement, the Congress leaders termed Mali's statement on Kashmir a dangerous and unacceptable deviation from India's stated position on Jammu and Kashmir. By questioning the unanimous 1994 resolution of the Parliament of India declaring Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India (which was reiterated in 2012), Mali had blatantly toed the line of Pakistan, which had been trying to stake claim to the region and was in illegal occupation of certain areas, such as PoK, they added.
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Srinagar, August 24 (IANS): The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) adopted a resolution on August 24 for restoration of the pre-August 5, 2019 constitutional position of J&K and for full statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of PAGD leaders, the spokesperson of the alliance and senior CPI-M leader Mohammad Yusuf Taragami said the conglomerate has passed a resolution for return of the preAugust 5, 2019 position for J&K.
"We have adopted a resolution that the constitutional position of J&K as on August 4, Article 370, Article 35 A, statehood for J&K must be restored, the constitution of J&K must be restored as well," he said. He said PAGD has decided to reach out to the people of the country, civil Society and media.
"We want to appeal to the media and civil society of the country that we want our rights, we don't want to live a life of humiliation," he said. "The humiliation is not acceptable to PAGD." He said that the government's promises about development and employment in Jammu and Kashmir stand exposed.
"The domicile law and claims of investment and development are before the people to see," he said. He said the PAGD constituencies will continue to strive for the rights of the people given in the constitution. He said many people are in jails and the issue of confidence building measures was raised in the All Parties Meeting called by the Prime Minister. "How many people have been released since that meeting, we want to know," he said.
Mortal remains of Kalyan Singh consigned to flames Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), August 23 (IANS): The mortal remains of former Chief Minister late Kalyan Singh, were consigned to flames at Narora Ghat on the banks of the Ganga River on August 23 afternoon, with full state honours. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh and former Union Minister Uma Bharti were among those who
paid tributes to the departed leader on his last journey.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had remained with the mortal remains of the leader since these were brought from Lucknow on August 22. Several UP ministers were also present on the occasion, apart from thousands of supporters and followers. The final rites were done by the departed leader's son and MP Rajvir Singh, who was accompanied by his son Sandeep Singh, a minister in the state government.
Keralites among those evacuated from Afghanistan, breathe sigh of relief Thiruvananthapuram, August 22 (IANS): Around 45 Keralites were among the latest batch of Indians airlifted from Afghanistan and reaching New Delhi on August 22 and shared tales of the ordeals they had gone through.
A person from north Kerala who was in Afghanistan for the past few years told IANS, on the condition of anonymity, that: "It has been a nightmare and I don't know how to express it. There are several check-posts erected by Taliban and getting up to the airport was a herculean task and I thank the Government of India and the Government of Kerala for having helped all of us back to India. All the Keralites are back in the country." Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, told media persons that the government has brought in a group of Indians in which Keralites are also there. "According to our information,
around 500 Indians are still stranded in various areas of Afghanistan and we will be airlifting them as well," he said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Keralites back to the country from Afghanistan. Vijayan, in a tweet, called upon anyone who is still stranded back in Afghanistan to contact the NORKA Roots website or the helpline of the External Affairs Ministry which is working 24X7. Former Indian diplomat Venu Rajamony told the media that there is however no exact data on the number of Indians and Keralites working in Afghanistan as several people who reach that country from the UAE and other countries do not register with the embassy. However, he said that the Indian embassy has operational contacts with the Taliban as was evident by the evacuation.
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Australia to continue advocacy of women's rights in Afghanistan IANS
New sculptures to honour first women and indigenous Australian elected to parliament “The National Capital Authority will work closely with their descendants and family members in developing each sculpture and I hope we can see them completed in 2022.
evacuating more in coming days. Calling the situation in Afghanistan as "evolving rapidly and highly volatile and dangerous," the spokesperson said the flights would be subject to operational conditions.
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Even as the Taliban captured Afghanistan, hundreds of Afghan citizens continue to live an uncertain life here in Delhi and have been crowding outside various embassies for visas. The Australian High Commission in the national capital has expressed deep concern over the reports of "a rapid roll-back on women and girls' rights in Afghanistan." "Empowering women and girls has been a focus of Australia's development assistance to Afghanistan since 2001 and our Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, has joined international calls to protect the rights of women and girls," a spokesperson for
the Australian High Commission exclusively told IANS on August 23. "We will continue to promote the protection of women's rights through ongoing multilateral political advocacy, and support the immediate needs of conflictaffected women and girls through our ongoing humanitarian assistance," he said. Meanwhile, the High Commission of Australia here is busy coordinating evacuation of Australian nationals from Afghanistan. Since August 18, Australia has facilitated evacuation of 554 people from Kabul through eight flights and is further in the process of
"We are working closely with like minded partners on the ground. The Australian Defence Force has deployed more than 250 personnel and up to five aircrafts to support the evacuation operation. Our officials are working round the clock to help Australians, Permanent Residents, and family members, who are seeking to leave Afghanistan," the spokesperson said in an exclusive e-mail interview with IANS. "The Australian Government's highest priority is the safe and orderly departure of Australian citizens and visa holders, including former locally engaged Afghan employees," he added. In fact, not just Australians, the High Commission officials are in contact with "many New Zealanders registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and will continue to provide information on departure options," he said.
General perceptions of sexual orientation may be influenced, claims recent study Free Press Journal
showed that sexual orientation can change overtime, thus can be fluid. All participants self-identified as straight before the study began. Compared to a control group, after reading the first article, participants were 28 per cent more likely to identify as nonexclusively heterosexual, and 19 per cent indicated they would be more likely to be willing to engage in same-sex sexual activities.
Sydney, August 22 (IANS): Do you think you're exclusively straight? You may or may not be right. According to a new study, people's reported sexual orientation can change after reading about the nature of sexual orientation. The study, published in peerreviewed journal Scientific Reports, found that a significant number of heterosexual people report being less exclusive in their sexual orientation as well as more willing to have same-sex experiences after reading one of two 1-page informational articles. "Did we change people's sexual orientation via our interventions? Surely not. I think our study may have changed how people interpreted their underlying sexual feelings. This means two people with identical sexual
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orientations could describe their sexual orientation quite differently, depending on whether they have been exposed to fluid or continuous ways of understanding sexuality," said lead author Dr James Morandini from the University of Sydney. A national Australian sample of 460 individuals (232 women, 228 men) who identified as straight prior to the study took part in an online panel study. One informational article read by participants suggested that scientific research has found that there are many gradations of sexual attraction towards men and women, and people can fall anywhere along the continuum, from exclusive attraction to men to exclusive attraction to women. Another informational article
Overall, the rate of "non-exclusive heterosexuality" more than quadrupled after this activity. Similar, albeit weaker, effects were found when people read that sexual orientation is better characterised as fluid rather than stable throughout life. "This is not that surprising given that 'non-exclusive heterosexuals' (as opposed to bisexual, gay or lesbian individuals), although being the biggest same-sex attracted group, are not well captured in our society's representations and even vernacular," said Ilan DarNimrod, Associate Professor at the varsity's School of Psychology. "Given the social value that our society attaches to these labels, however, such a shift may have far-reaching implications. It also suggests that certain level of same-sex sexual attraction may be much more common than previously estimated," he added.
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NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
Canberra, August 24: Three Australian Parliamentary trailblazers are set to be honoured by the Morrison Government in two new sculptures. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the first two women elected to federal Parliament and the first Indigenous Australian to take his place in Parliament will be honoured within Canberra’s National Triangle near Old Parliament House. “Enid Lyons, Dorothy Tangney and Neville Bonner laid the path for those who have followed and they rightly deserve our recognition,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s important we never forget those who shaped our history so that ours and future generations are always reminded of the sacrifices they made and the courage they showed.” Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories Nola Marino said the Morrison Government had set aside $1.25 million for the two new sculptures. “These statues will join those of other prominent Australians in the National Triangle as we honour their important legacy,” Assistant Minister Marino said.
“The contributions of these three remarkable individuals will be immortalised for everyone to see.” Enid Lyons, born in 1897 in Smithton, Tasmania, was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in the Federal Cabinet. Prior to her own political career, she was best known as the wife of Joseph Lyons, who was Prime Minister of Australia (1932– 1939) and Premier of Tasmania (1923–1928). Enid Lyons and Senator Dorothy Tangney became the first two women elected to Federal Parliament. Dorothy Tangney was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1907 and served as the first woman elected to the Senate for Western Australia from 1943 to 1968. She was the first woman elected to the Senate and one of the first two women elected to Federal Parliament, along with Enid Lyons. Neville Bonner was an elder of the Jagera people born in 1922 in northern NSW. He was appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of Queensland in the Senate, and later became the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to the parliament by popular vote.
Australians cautioned of Covid disaster payment scams Canberra, August 23 (IANS): The Australian government on August 23 warned of scams targeting people relying on Covid-19 disaster payments.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently revealed that along with major banks, it has identified a slew of scams related to coronavirus support payments, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the ACCC, 69 scams have been reported and in four cases more than A$37,000 ($26,401) were stolen. Linda Reynolds, the Minister for Government Services, described scammers targeting vulnerable Australians amid widespread outbreaks of Covid-19 as a "low act". "The agency is acutely aware of the unfortunate risk of scams and provides secure ways of claiming online," she was quoted as saying by The Canberra Times on August 23. "Services Australia will never contact customers about a new claim for payment if they have not applied first online, over the
phone or in a service centre."
The federal Covid-19 disaster payment is worth about A$750 per week for full-time employees who are unable to work due to lockdowns. Some of the reported scams involved criminals purporting to be from the government and asking for a victim's financial details. Recently, about half the Australian population in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory(ACT) are in lockdown as the country continues to battle the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Ben Young, head of fraud at Westpac bank, said isolation made people more prone to scams. "Being separated from others while in lockdown, experiencing changes to your employment and spending more time transacting online can make us more vulnerable to scammers," he said. "Our research shows that in the last year, self-employed Australians and those who were looking for work were twice as likely to have been scammed."
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PM Morrison backs reopening plan IANS
when 70 per cent of their adult populations are fully vaccinated. The National Cabinet, which is made up of the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders, in July signed off on a four-phase pathway out of the pandemic that will see lockdowns used more sparingly when 70 per cent of adults are inoculated.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Canberra, August 22 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison on August 22 urged state and territory governments to stick with the pathway out of the coronavirus pandemic amid record case numbers. The country reported a record 914 new locally-acquired cases a second day in a row with a new record number, reports Xinhua news agency. Despite widespread outbreaks of the virus, Morrison on August 22 pushed the states and territories to start easing restrictions
"The point is that we need to suppress the virus as best as we can in phase A of the national plan," Morrison told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "The national plan then transfers our focus from case numbers to issues of hospitalisation, serious illness, ICU and things of that nature. "At 70 per cent vaccination rates and 80 percent vaccination rates, then Australia is able to move out of what is really an unsustainable situation," he said. As many as 830 of the new cases on August 22 were in New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city.
Victoria, the second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, reported a further 65 new cases, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded another 19, taking the number of active cases in the ACT to 121 linked to an outbreak in Canberra as the nation's capital entered its second week of lockdown.
Australia recorded 711 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on August 20 morning, a second day in a row to report more than 700 new cases, reports Xinhua news agency. Addressing the media in Canberra at Parliament House, Morrison issued a reminder to state and territory leaders that restrictions should be eased when 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated under the four-stage plan out of the pandemic. As of August 20, approximately 28 per cent of Australian adults were fully vaccinated but Morrison said the rollout was ramping up with more than 300,000 jabs
administered on two consecutive days for the first time. "That is really hitting the marks that we need to hit for us to achieve the objectives of our national plan," he said.
"We've said you've, you've been persevering the lockdowns. You're taking the instructions. You're making the sacrifices. And the national plan is a deal with Australians, which says when we achieve those marks of 70 per cent and 80 per cent, there'll be changes. And I'm committed to that plan." About half the Australian population in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was still in lockdown on August 20. A vast majority of the new cases were on August 20 in NSW, Australia's most populous state, with Sydney as the capital city, and 55 in Victoria, where Melbourne is the capital city of
The ACT government on August 21 announced that the Floriade and Nightfest, the territory's biggest springtime event and one of its major tourism draw-cards, has been cancelled for the second straight year due to the outbreak. "Operating large-scale events in any capacity in these circumstances is just not safe," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a statement. "There will be bulbs in bloom in Commonwealth Park through spring but the government is discouraging large scale gatherings at this time."
the state.
NSW, the epicentre of the country's current Covid outbreak, announced on August 20 to extend the lockdown on Greater Sydney until the end of September and to impose a curfew on some areas of concern. Twelve of the new cases were in the ACT, taking the total number of cases linked to an outbreak in Canberra to 94 as the nation's capital entered its second week of lockdown. "It's gone from one case to nearly 100 in a week," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said on August 20. "If there was no lockdown and we just let it rip, it wouldn't be 100 cases, it would be possibly in the low thousands and we would have a serious problem, a Sydney-scale problem." The Northern Territory (NT) on August 20 recorded zero new cases for the consecutive days and lifted its lockdown.
Australia evacuates 300 people from Kabul: PM Canberra, August 22 (IANS): Australia has evacuated more than 300 people from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on August 22. Morrison said that the Australian Defense Force (ADF) evacuated the people on four flights overnight, reports Xinhua news agency. Passengers on board the flights included Australian citizens and Afghan visa holders for Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Morrison said the ADF was trying
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to get as many people out as possible but could not promise every Australian citizen would be evacuated.
"We continue to get as many people through as we possibly can in the time we have available, as safely as we can," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I can't guarantee the situation in Afghanistan. Australia is not in that situation. The US is in a very different situation to Australia. We have to work in the environment as we know it and we have to do
Australia struggles under rising pressure of Delta strain IANS
About half the Australian population in NSW, Victoria and ACT was still in lockdown on Sunday.
Morrison encourages Australians to persevere through lockdowns Canberra, August 20 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on August 20 encouraged citizens to persevere through lockdowns as the country continues to battle a third wave of Covid-19 infections and the vaccine rollout accelerates.
NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
the best we possibly can."
Australia joined the US in withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in June this year after 20 years in the country. Morrison said there had been "many discussions" with the US about the conflict, but would not say if he agreed with the decision to withdraw. "Australia's presence in Afghanistan is entirely conditional on the US presence in Afghanistan, that's just a realistic fact," he said.
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Canberra, August 19 (IANS): Australia's two most populous states are desperately struggling in their uphill battle against the Delta variant of Covid-19 with both New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria facing ever-increasing rises in the number of cases. New South Wales (NSW), where the outbreak began with a single case in its capital city of Sydney in mid-June, remains the epicentre of the rapidly escalating national crisis, and as of August 19, the total locally acquired cases in the latest outbreak have reached 9,950, reports Xinhua news agency. Among the other grim daily statistics were that 511 of the cases were under investigation. Fifty-nine cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 459 cases remains unknown. To date, 474 Covid-19 patients have been hospitalized in NSW, with 82 in intensive care, 25 of whom require ventilation. NSW authorities announced that the lockdown on the state's regional areas would be extended until August 28, the same date that the lockdown on Greater Sydney and surrounding areas is scheduled to end, as 25 among the new cases were detected in the state's western region. NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale told the press conference on August 19 that the situation is "deeply concerning" and she urged residents in the areas to keep vigilant for symptoms and go for testing. Along with the increasing local transmission, came the more willingness of residents to get vaccinated, as vaccination figures steadily rise. As of August 19, more than 5.47 million doses had been administered throughout NSW. Earlier in August, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian had expressed hopes that 6 million jabs would have been given by the end of August. "When we get to six million jabs, those who are vaccinated will have the opportunity to do something that they can't do now," Berejiklian said on August 19. "Once we get to mid-November we expect 80 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated. It gives enormous opportunities
for greater freedoms than we do today." Throughout Australia, there is increasing pressure on people in various industries to get vaccinated. The nation's national airline, Qantas, for instance, said on August 18 that it would be mandatory for all its 22,000 employees to get vaccinated. Frontline employees including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15 this year and the remainder of employees by March 31, 2022. Even though much of NSW has been in lockdown for almost two months, the virulent virus has managed to cross borders, triggering outbreaks in neighboring states, with Victoria being the hardest hit. On August 19, Victoria recorded 57 new locally acquired cases, almost double its previous peak of 29 cases on August 7. Aside from the dramatic rise in numbers, the origins of three of the new cases are unknown. Such mystery cases are of increasing alarm to health authorities as there is a cluster within the inner suburbs of the capital city Melbourne. The present lockdown on the Greater Melbourne region is due to be lifted on September 2, but citizens have become unfortunately familiar with lockdowns being extended again and again. Besides the lockdown, they are having to live with curfews meaning most people cannot leave their homes nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Sydney outbreak also spread to New Zealand, as the country's health authorities traced its current Delta variant outbreak to a person who returned from the city, and investigation is underway to figure out how the virus leaked from the hotel quarantine system. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which has also been plunged into a lockdown, recorded 16 new local cases on August 19. The state of Queensland which already lifted restrictions for some local government areas kept zero local case status on August 19.
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Centenary Bridge upgrade takes big strides forward residents to have their say.”
State Member for Mount Ommaney, Jess Pugh MP, said she was excited to hear from her constituents about what they want the new Centenary Bridge to look like. “This is an important part of the planning process and moves us a step closer to getting shovels in the ground,” Ms Pugh said.
Brisbane, August 23: A major upgrade of the Centenary Bridge at Jindalee has reached two new milestones, with four contractors shortlisted for the project and community consultation set to start.
Roads Minister, the Hon Mark Bailey MP, said there had been significant community interest and now was the opportunity to review the project.
The upgrade includes building a new, three-lane, northbound bridge and refurbishing the existing bridge to become a three-lane, southbound bridge.
“It is important to fix congestion and safety issues along the Centenary Motorway, so the feedback will help us to better understand the experiences and needs of the local community and road users,” Minister Bailey said.
Recognised as the first stage of the overall Centenary Motorway upgrade, the project will also include active transport provisions.
“The bridge and associated active transport connections will see the Palaszczuk Government delivering an overall $224 million project.
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the Centenary Bridge upgrade was one of many critical infrastructure projects being delivered by the Morrison Government across the region.
“This work is being delivered through the Palaszczuk Government’s record $27.5 billion, four-year roads and transport investment plan to support 24,000 jobs.
“The Morrison Government has committed $112 million for the upgrade of the Centenary Bridge, which provides a critical link for South East Queensland carrying more than 85,000 vehicles a day,” Minister Fletcher said. “Duplicating the Centenary Bridge will help to increase capacity, efficiency and traveltime reliability along the Centenary Motorway, as well as the active transport routes between Brisbane's central business district and western suburbs. “By alleviating congestion along critical sections of roads like this one, we’re helping people to get home to their families sooner and safer, we’re helping freight move more quickly between our cities, and we’re generating jobs across the country.” Queensland Transport and Main
“This project alone will support 240 jobs, helping to drive Queensland’s economic recovery from COVID-19. “I am also pleased to announce four contractors have been shortlisted for the upgrade’s stage two tender. “This is the first Transport and Main Roads project to have Best Practise Industry Conditions included in the tendering documents.” Federal Member for Ryan, Julian Simmonds MP, welcomed the milestone. “This project is part of my commitment to improve traffic flow for the Western Suburbs, it will have a big impact on our community” Mr Simmonds said. “The federal funding injected into the Centenary Motorway upgrade will mean less time sitting in traffic and more time at home with your family.
“Delivering a second Centenary Bridge was a commitment the Palaszczuk Government made during the 2020 election campaign, and now we are getting on with the job. “This work follows the recently completed $80 million upgrade of the Sumners Road Interchange on the Centenary Motorway, which we delivered six months ahead of schedule. "I encourage Centenary residents to get involved and provide their feedback on this important bridge upgrade. “I’ll also be running mobile offices around the electorate in a COVID-safe way between now and September 19, which will be the last chance for people to have their say before major works start next year.” “I look forward to talking to people around the area and hearing what they want from this exciting project.” The expression of interest process closed on 10 June 2021 and shortlisting was completed on 10 August 2021. The recommended four shortlisted contractors are (in alphabetical order) Bielby Hull Brady Joint Venture, BMD Georgiou Joint Venture, Fulton Hogan BESIX Watpac Joint Venture and John Holland. The shortlisted proponents will be invited to submit a tender for the works later this month. In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the Queensland Government has endorsed safety measures, including social distancing and limiting non-essential face-toface contact. Unfortunately, this means the planned information sessions are unable to take place. However, there are other ways to provide your feedback or ask any questions you may have about the proposed design.
“I’ll be encouraging Ryan
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Cross River Rail’s twin mega machines meet up at Roma Street Brisbane, August 23: Cross River Rail’s second Tunnel Boring Machine broke through at Roma Street on August 23, joining the project’s other mega machine in the future station’s huge underground cavern. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the breakthrough marked a major milestone in construction of Cross River Rail. The Premier said Cross River Rail was an important part of the state’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, injecting more than $4 million a day into the economy and employing more than 2900 workers, including more than 370 directly working on the twin tunnels. “Major infrastructure projects backed by my government are creating jobs and rebuilding Queensland’s economy,” the Premier said. “Both tunnel boring machines breaking ground at Roma Street is a major milestone. “Twin tunnels now connect the future Roma Street and Woolloongabba Cross River Rail stations, which were important selling points in our bid to secure the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “These machines have both excavated more than 2.5 kilometres of tunnel below the Brisbane River and CBD, passing under Albert Street and breaking through at Roma Street. “This is the same route people will travel in the future to get to where they need to be, including
between the athletics and swimming events at the 2032 Games.”
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said TBM Merle’s breakthrough into the 280-metre-long cavern at Roma Street followed TBM Else’s arrival earlier in August. “A breakthrough is a massive feat of engineering and a huge milestone in its own right for any tunnelling project,” he said. “But seeing both of these 1350-tonne mega machines together in the same underground cavern at the same time, is just awe inspiring. “It’s a really tangible reminder of just how big this project is and how transformational it will be for Queenslanders travelling to, from and through Brisbane in the future.” Mr Bailey said the TBMs would take about four weeks to traverse the Roma Street cavern on a skidding system and would then continue on to the project’s northern portal, where they would break through by the end of the year. “Work on this critical mega project is powering ahead, with additional safety measures in place to continue momentum during COVID-19 lockdowns and increased restrictions,” he said. “These include segregated work teams with work ‘zones’, only project critical face-to-face meetings occurring, strong social distancing measures, and all nonessential travel between or to site ceasing.”
NAPLAN results show continued improvement Brisbane, August 25: NAPLAN results out on August 25 show there have been no major impacts on student learning despite challenges brought about by COVID-19. Education Minister Grace congratulated 274,000 Queensland school students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, who completed the test in May, on their efforts. “I would like to also congratulate and thank all of the teachers, teacher aides, parents and carers who helped to prepare our students for NAPLAN tests earlier this year,” Minister Grace said. “It hasn’t been the easiest 12 months but our results show that quality learning continued throughout the COVID-19 disruptions, with student performance in the critical areas of literacy and numeracy holding up well. “I’m especially impressed with students’ results in Writing, which improved across all year levels, with our Year 3 students recording their highest results ever. “Over 95% of Queensland Year 3 students continue to meet National Minimum Standards (NMS) in Reading, Writing and
Numeracy.
“Queensland also continues to be one of the most improved states since NAPLAN was introduced in 2008. “This year saw the continued move towards online, with almost 180,000 students completing the assessments online across 1,148 Queensland schools - 748 state schools, 295 Catholic schools and 105 independent schools. “Of course, NAPLAN is only one of the tools used for monitoring students’ progress and assessing their areas of strength and development. “It is a point-in-time check, and is only one of many assessments students undertake to monitor and track their progress.” Queensland schools will be able to access student and school summary results through the QCAA’s secure site. Students will also start receiving individual student reports from today. The State government’s approach to NAPLAN reporting aligns with national principles and protocols for reporting on schooling in Australia, agreed to by all Education Ministers in 2009 and reaffirmed in June 2019 following the Review of NAPLAN Reporting.
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Land grant backs Central Queensland rural fire brigade parcel of land would serve as the Iona brigade’s first formal facility.
“Having this site available as we head into another summer season will make a real difference to all of our volunteer efforts,” Mr Somers said. Brisbane, August 25: The Iona Rural Fire Brigade will be better prepared to provide local emergency responses thanks to a land grant from Sunwater. Minister for Water Glenn Butcher said a parcel of land at Fairbairn Dam – near Emerald – has been made available to the brigade to assist with emergency response and has been backed by further support of $200,000 by Sunwater to develop facilities and infrastructure at the site, located on Selma Road. “The weather events experienced across the country last summer highlight the importance of emergency services volunteers to their local communities and the need for them to have access to the best possible facilities to do their jobs,” Mr Butcher said. “Residents who live near Fairbairn Dam rely on the Iona brigade to respond quickly to
fires, accidents and searches. “This donation from Sunwater will support the Iona Rural Fire Brigade to provide even greater support to their local community.” The activities were coordinated by Sunwater’s Major Projects group, which undertook the adjacent Fairbairn Dam Improvement Project that was completed in October 2020. Central Queensland vendors McCosker Contracting, Simon Contractors, Concrete Pumping Queensland, Form Direct, Hanson, Emerald Sheds and CCMT donated their time, materials and services. The upgrade involved clearing and surveying, underground services, construction of a driveway, concrete hardstand and erection of a new shed. Rural Fire Brigade Area Director Mark Somers said the one-acre
“It will allow us to store equipment, hold meetings and conduct training. “On behalf of everyone at the brigade, I would like to thank Sunwater for their contribution.” “The creation of the base for the Iona Brigade was a great demonstration of community awareness by SunWater and contractors during this major dam upgrade,” Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes said. “These are the win-win outcomes when consultation with the region is done well. “Iona Brigade covers a significant area to Fairbairn Dam and along the environs along the river downstream of the spillway and this facility will give them great operational capacity to respond to emergencies.” The site and facilities are now ready for use by the brigade.
Netflix lights shine on Far North Queensland GSMArena.com
for ANZ Que Minh Luu said Queensland would be an important element of the drama. “We were drawn to Irreverent by its warmth, optimism and celebration of community with a uniquely Australian sense of humour - like Northern Exposure in Far North Queensland,” Minh Luu said.
Brisbane, August 24: The Far North’s attraction as a screen production hotspot is ramping up with the latest ten-part drama series commissioned by streaming giant Netflix to be filmed in the region. Irreverent will be filmed in Mission Beach later this year with the beauty of the region featuring across US television screens. Netflix and NBCU will be cocommissioners on Irreverent, a series about an American crook hiding out in a small Australian reef community in Far North Queensland, posing as the new church Reverend. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Netflix’s commission of Irreverent, a new ten-part drama series produced by NBCUniversal International Studios’ Matchbox Pictures, is a great example of Queenslandfilmed content for the global market. “This is one of the three landmark Universal Studios Group productions lured by the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production
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Attraction Strategy in 2020,” the Premier said. “Securing these three productions is a critical part of Queensland’s economic recovery, contributing hundreds of millions to the local economy and importantly creating thousands of local jobs.” Far North Queensland Screen Champion, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt, welcomed the announcement and said Irreverent would commence filming at Mission Beach later in the year. “The Far North is an incredibly diverse backdrop for screen productions,” Mr Pitt said. “Having productions like Irreverent film here, not only boosts the local economy and creates local jobs, but it shows off our spectacular region. “The natural beauty of Queensland’s Far North will be streamed into living rooms across the world., affirming the region’s status not only as a production paradise but also as a bucket-list destination for future travel.” Netflix Director of Content
“We’re thrilled to work with NBCUniversal International Studios and Matchbox on bringing this premium drama series to life for our ANZ Netflix members.” Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that Far North Queensland is a unique production location, like nowhere else in the world and in high demand from both domestic and international productions. “The tropical north creates a tense and exotic atmosphere for drama, and the story of Irreverent, set in a small reef community, is a perfect fit for Mission Beach. “This production, together with other recent dramas including The Steve Jaggi Company’s Dive Club filmed in Port Douglas, underscores the region’s expansion as a screen hub, with the new Screen Queensland Cairns studio set to be operational by early 2022.” Irreverent will screen exclusively on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand, and on Peacock worldwide.
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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
Three new magistrates appointed in Queensland Brisbane, August 20: Cairns, Brisbane, Bundaberg and Southport saw new magistrates in their courts following the latest round of appointments announced by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman on August 20. Ms Janice Crawford, Mr John McInnes and Mr Bevan Hughes have taken up their positions on the Bench recently. “Our three new magistrates have impeccable credentials for the role, with proven court skills, integrity and character,” Minister Fentiman said. “They are a welcome addition to the outstanding group of magistrates who play such an important part in the justice system around Queensland.” Ms Crawford brings a wealth of life experience, holding degrees in nursing and law, with postgraduate qualifications in both fields. She has been a barrister for more than a decade, appearing in matters across the Magistrates, District, Supreme and Appeals Courts, plus Federal Court Judicial Review matters. Her added expertise in nursing and mental health matters saw her act as a Junior Counsel at the Barrett Adolescent Centre Commission of Inquiry in 2015, counsel assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Youth Detention and Young Prisoners in 2016, and the federal Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with
disabilities in 2019.
Mr McInnes has been a highlyrespected barrister with Legal Aid Queensland for the past 23 years. He was admitted to the Bar in 1995 and has been dedicated to providing legal assistance to financially disadvantaged members of society ever since. As a senior member of the Inhouse Counsel at Legal Aid, Mr McInnes has obtained vast experience as a criminal defence barrister, and regularly appears in District and Supreme Court trials, as well as in the Court of Appeal. Mr Hughes was admitted as a solicitor in 1994 and has worked as a senior practitioner in both Sydney and Brisbane. He has been a Member of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) for the last decade, starting as an adjudicator in 2011. During his time with QCAT, Mr Hughes has presided over more than 5000 matters across a range of jurisdictions including administrative and commercial law, domestic violence and tenancy, and human rights. “I know all three of the new appointees will be assets to the court and I wish them every success for the remainder of their judicial careers,” Minister Fentiman said. Ms Crawford will initially sit in Brisbane before transferring to Southport next April, when Mr McInnes moves from Southport to Bundaberg. Mr Hughes begins his tenure in Cairns.
Vaccine rollout ramps up in Queensland
Queensland’s vaccine rollout ramped up even further recently as Pfizer supply increased. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the first batch of the Pfizer supply sourced from Poland was set to arrive in Queensland.
The Premier said Queensland had been allocated 136,000 doses from this supply with the first batch of 69,000 doses set to arrive soon and the second batch due to arrive in the week commencing 6 September. “With the ongoing threat of the deadly Delta variant, it’s now more important than ever before for Queenslanders to get vaccinated,” the Premier said. “These doses will be administered throughout Queensland, with a focus on Brisbane’s south, Caboolture, the Gold Coast and Townsville. “We’ll also work hard to provide vaccines to airport workers and Queenslanders in border communities. “We are ready. We will continue to ramp up as long as the Federal Government delivers more vaccines.”
The Premier said the government was continually increasing capacity in the system by extending hours, offering more appointments, providing additional outreach clinics, and establishing new community vaccination locations. “We’ve intentionally selected community vaccination locations in venues that are scalable so they’re able to ramp up daily capacity as more supply becomes available,” the Premier said. “The vaccination centre at Caboolture will be ramping up to provide an additional 1000 doses per week so even more people can get the jab and we’ll also be holding special walk-in Saturdays for Indigenous families. “We’re responding to an increased demand in Townsville by providing an additional 3000 doses a week to the West End community vaccination location.” The Premier said in the past 24 hours, nearly 4200 doses had been administered at the South Bank Vaccination Location at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
FICQ Diwali 2021 celebrations launched
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Martin MP, Member for Stretton, to launch Diwali 2021.
The event was well attended by prominent dignitaries and guests. MP Laura Gerard represented Mr David Crisafulli, the Opposition leader; Mrs Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of India in Queensland represented the High Commissioner of India; Cr Kim Marx represented the Lord Mayor of Brisbane; along with Mr James
The flagship event of Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) showcasing Indian culture and music attracts thousands of Indians every year, to enjoy the music, dance programs, Indian food, and the overall Indian festivities. FICQ has been organising the Diwali festival in Brisbane since 2010, promoting harmony and multiculturalism. More than 15,000 people all over Brisbane and other parts of Queensland will attend the event, signifying the success of the festival over the years.
risbane City Hall & King George Square will reverberate again with the sounds of Bollywood and Indian dance and music on the night of 5 November as part of the Diwali celebrations. Representing the Premier of Qld Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk, Hon. Leanne Linard MP Minister of children and youth justice and Minister for Multicultural Queensland launched Diwali 2021 at the Parliament House on 30 August.
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Also present at the event were Dr Maha Sinnathamby, FICQ President Mr Shyam Das, India News Publisher Dr Ram Mohan, among other dignitaries.
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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
Multicultural Queensland Award winners announced
Zimra Hussain
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Pushing Barriers
15-year-old AFL player, a deeply committed volunteer organisation, and an Order of Australia Medal recipient are among this year’s winners of the Multicultural Queensland Awards.
in the community to break down barriers and encourage communication, participation and greater acceptance of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Multicultural Affairs Minister Leanne Linard today congratulated the four award winners for their outstanding contributions to creating an inclusive, harmonious and united Queensland.
“I was also very happy to give a Minister’s Highly Commended award to Trish Luckock, Thargomindah State School’s Principal, for her tremendous efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive local community.
“This year’s awards categories were refreshed in order to celebrate and recognise contributions from newly arrived Queenslanders, state champions of inclusion and belonging, and exceptional multicultural sector efforts that are innovative and intercultural,” Ms Linard said.
“All the winners, and the other 65 high-quality nominations we received for this year’s awards, should be so proud of their efforts – because of their practical actions and engagement they have no doubt helped thousands of new Queenslanders feel supported and welcomed, while contributing to Queensland’s culture and prosperity.”
The winners of the 2021 Multicultural Queensland Awards are: Outstanding Contribution from a New Queenslander:15-year-old Zimra Hussain who is on her way to becoming the first woman from a Muslim background to play for the Brisbane Lions AFLW team Multicultural Sector Outstanding Achiever: Habib Jamal, President of the Islamic Council of Queensland, Multicultural Ambassador for Mental Health Foundation Australia and trustee of the Gold Coast Mosque Diversity and Inclusion Champion: Pushing Barriers, a not-for-profit organisation linking refugees to sports opportunities, and Minister’s Multicultural Award: Beny Bol OAM, President of the Queensland African Communities Council. “Unfortunately, due to current COVID restrictions we were unable to come together to announce this year’s award winners, but I’m sure we will find a way to celebrate their outstanding efforts at an appropriate time,” Ms Linard said. “I was delighted to select Beny Bol for the work he has undertaken
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For more information about the 2021 Multicultural Queensland Awards winners visit www.qld. gov.au/mqa 2021 Multicultural Queensland Award winners: Minister’s Multicultural Award: Beny Bol OAM Beny Bol is President of the Queensland African Communities Council, an umbrella organisation representing more than 63,000 individuals and communities with African heritage across Queensland. Beny’s lead in the community response to ongoing conflicts on Brisbane’s northside in 2020 helped to save lives and reduce tensions by supporting young people to focus on their shared strengths and future opportunities. Minister’s Highly Commended Award: Trish Luckock, Thargomindah State School Trish Luckock is the principal at Thargomindah State School located in a tiny remote community of 250 in far south western Queensland. Led by Trish, the school has developed an informal program to assist community members with limited English to expand their skills and
Benny Bol
become productive and valued members of the community. Outstanding Contribution from a New Queenslander: Zimra Hussain Fifteen-year-old Zimra Hussain arrived in Queensland as a refugee from Afghanistan seven years ago, with her older sister and mother. Her love of AFL began when she settled in Toowoomba. Playing for the Wilston Grange Gorillas and state representative teams, Zimra now shares her unique experiences to inspire and motivate more young women to play sports. Zimra’s journey as a refugee and the hardships she has faced have shaped her into a strong, confident and resilient young woman who is very likely to fulfil her dream of becoming the first female from a Muslim background to play for the Brisbane Lions AFLW team. Multicultural Sector Outstanding Achiever: Habib Jamal Habib Jamal is the President of the Islamic Council of Queensland, which represents 23 organisations from across the state. Habib has led several innovative projects all designed to unify and support Queensland’s diverse Muslim communities, particularly throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Diversity and Inclusion Champion: Pushing Barriers Pushing Barriers is a not-forprofit association which aims to advance and improve the lives and welfare of refugee youth. Run by volunteers, Pushing Barriers links young people from refugee backgrounds, their families and wider community to local sporting clubs, organising transport to games, uniforms, equipment and registration fees. The organisation builds relationships with sports clubs and players so they can better understand the challenges faced by young refugees, learn about their experiences and become more welcoming and inclusive.
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Habib-Jamal
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Venue: Intech Institute Venue: Intech of Technology Institute of Technology 9, Mayne View 9, Street, Mayne Milton View Street, Milton Venue: Intech Institute Qld of Technology Brisbane, 4064 Brisbane, Qld 4064 9, Mayne View Street, Milton Brisbane, Qld 4064
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NEWS FROM VICTORIA
Join the Walk for Mental Health in-person or virtually
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s Australia navigates challenging times, Mental Health Foundation Australia has the health and safety of you, and the community front of mind. As we plan for National Mental Health Month 2021, we assure Australians that COVID-19 will not stop us from achieving this year’s campaign. Public health advice from each state and territory health departments guide us in our decision of the mode in which we run our events. With the current situation in hand, the MHFA brings you our Virtual National Walk for Mental Health! We encourage you to join us as
we walk for mental health, from anywhere around Australia, or even around the world. The plus side to walking virtually means that you can start your awareness raising journey whenever you would like! Why not start a 60-day walking challenge, for yourself, or form a team, to finally join individuals all over Australia in the MHFA’s Walk for Mental Health on the 17 October from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm at the City Botanic Gardens. Let’s all take a step towards #KeepingLifeLit, whether that is physically or virtually, or both, and let’s make each step count! Come join us in Brisbane!
Vaccine eligibility 8 new Multicultural Commissioners joining in Victoria expanding for anyone 16 and above Melbourne 25 August: Eight new appointees will join the Victorian Multicultural Commission, strengthening the Commission’s work advocating for the state’s multicultural communities through their diverse skills and lived experiences. The new commissioners are: Tarang Chawla, Jennifer Huppert, Nyangak (Lizzy) Kuoth, Mohamed Mohideen, Bill Papastergiadis, Silvia Renda, Abiola Akinbiyi (Community Representative Commissioner), Lunorphare (Luna) Folly (Youth Commissioner) Bwe Thay has also been reappointed Deputy Chairperson following an open recruitment process. The new appointees join serving Commissioners Sankaran (Shankar) Kasynathan, Dr Judy Tang and Chairperson Vivienne Nguyen. Minister for Multicultural
Affairs Ros Spence thanked outgoing Commissioners Walter Rapoport, Khayshie Tilak Ramesh, Mohammed Yassin, Tina Hosseini and Rosaria Zarro for their dedicated service throughout their terms with the Commission, as well as Commissioners David Vincent and Sisay Dinku, who resigned in the past year. The Victorian Multicultural Commission is an independent body that acts as a conduit between Victoria’s multicultural communities and Government. It has also been crucial in the response to the pandemic, ensuring tailored supports are provided where and how they’re needed most. Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence said: “The new commissioners bring valuable experience, and I look forward to working with them to ensure we are supporting multicultural
communities to the best of our ability.” “The Commissioners are a vital link between Victoria’s multicultural communities and Government – and those relationships have never been more important.”
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Victorian Multicultural Commission Chairperson Vivienne Nguyen said: “I am delighted by the appointment of our new Commissioners and welcome them to our dynamic and agile team. I also thank and recognise all the achievements of our outgoing Commissioners. “I am confident that together we can achieve the positive outcomes we are working towards in advocacy, leadership and elevating the community voice in promoting the social, cultural and economic benefits of diversity in our state.”
Melbourne, 24 August: Every Victorian aged 16 years and over will be eligible to access a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine at state-run vaccination centers from tomorrow, under an expansion of the state vaccine program that will further help Victoria reach its goal of one million doses over five weeks. The change means that from Wednesday, 25 August, anyone aged 18 to 59 will be eligible to receive either Pfizer or AstraZeneca – with people aged 16 to 17 able to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Those aged 60 and over will continue to receive AstraZeneca. Over the next four weeks, there will be over 830,000 appointments for COVID-19 vaccines at more than 55 staterun centers operating across Victoria – this includes 450,000 first dose appointments for the Pfizer vaccine.
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With this new expansion, the number of Victorians eligible to receive Pfizer has increased by 2 million. Approximately 1.7 million Victorians aged 16 to 59 have already been vaccinated across general practice, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, community pharmacy, and state vaccination centres. The expansion follows the supply of an additional 175,000 doses of Pfizer from the Commonwealth, recently received from overseas. Anyone aged 18 to 39 who has a current booking
for AstraZeneca from Wednesday, 25 August, who would prefer to receive Pfizer, will not need to cancel or change your booking – you will be offered Pfizer when you arrive for your appointment, unless you would prefer to receive AstraZeneca. The change in eligibility will not occur until tomorrow and the additional bookings will be available online from 7am tomorrow. However, with the number of Victorians aged 18 to 59 still far outweighing the Pfizer doses available from the Commonwealth, the AstraZeneca vaccine will still be available for those who choose to provide consent and discuss their vaccination with a medical professional. The best vaccine you can get is the one that you can get today. The state-run centers include three new drive-through vaccination sites, at the Former Ford Factory in Broadmeadows, at Sandown Racecourse in Springvale, and at the Eagle Stadium in Werribee. The new sites join the Melton drivethrough clinic at the former Bunnings warehouse site, which saw 1,200 doses delivered in its first week of operation. It’s important to remember Victorians can also book to get vaccinated with their local GP or selected pharmacists across the state.
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AFL Grand Final relocated in the interests of football Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne, 31 August: The Victorian Government has agreed to the relocation of the 2021 AFL Grand Final from the home of football, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, due to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. “We cannot risk the health of Victorians by rushing back to crowd at events before it is safe to do so,” said a statement by the govt. In enabling the Grand Final to be relocated, the Victorian Government has secured an arrangement that locks in the most celebrated Australian
Victorian venues over a three year-period starting with the upcoming AFLW season.
sporting event at the MCG for an extra year – until 2059. In addition, the MCG has been guaranteed an extra eight AFL premiership season matches over the next five AFL seasons, from 2022 - 2026 representing four games over and above the agreement from last year. These additional matches are on top of the underlying commitment from the AFL to schedule a minimum of 43 premiership matches per season at the MCG. Moreover, football will be taken to regional Victoria with a guaranteed four AFLW premiership season matches to be played at regional
The AFL will also extend Victoria’s hosting of the NAB AFL Draft to 2023 as the NAB AFL Draft in 2021 is expected to be held as a virtual event due to the impact of the pandemic. If the 2021 AFL Grand Final is not to be played in front of a crowd, then the MCG remains ready to host the game. The Victorian Government and the AFL are continuing to work together to reinforce Victoria’s position as the home of Australian football as part of the landmark agreement between the parties in 2018 that includes the $225 million Marvel Stadium upgrade. In addition to retaining the MCG as the home of Australian football, the long-term agreement between the Government and the AFL incorporates a partnership to develop multicultural, indigenous, women’s football and guarantees AFL matches for regional Victoria.
Victorian students top the class in NAPLAN News.com.au
Melbourne, 25 August: Despite the challenges of the pandemic, students in the Education State are excelling – with Victorian kids recording the nation’s highest NAPLAN results and huge improvements on previous years. Since 2015, the Andrews Labor Government has invested more than $22.2 billion in Education State reforms, giving every Victorian child the chance to succeed – and those investments are now paying profound dividends. Across all government, Catholic and independent schools, the extraordinary work of Victorian students and their teachers, support staff and families has seen the state improve its results in key areas since 2019 – responding with amazing resilience to months of remote learning. Victorian Year 3 students are top of the class in Reading, Numeracy, and Grammar and Punctuation, while Year 5s lead the nation in Reading, Numeracy, Writing, and
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Grammar and Punctuation. Year 7 students improved in Reading, Writing and Spelling compared to 2019 – achieving the highest scores of any jurisdiction for the skills of Reading and Numeracy. Meanwhile, Year 9s topped the nation in Spelling. Victorian students in Year 5 began Prep when the Labor Government started its Education State reforms, and are now seeing the benefits of six years of dedicated investment. The number of Year 5s achieving place in the top two bands for Reading has increased 36.9 per cent in 2015 to 45.5 per cent this year – a lift of almost 10 percentage points. That’s 13,000 more Year 3 and Year 5 students now working at the highest reading levels since 2015. The results also show the government’s work to increase equity and tackle disadvantage is working. Since 2015, the number of students in the bottom two bands for Reading has decreased by eight per cent at Year 5 and two per cent in Year 3 – that’s 8,100
more Victorian kids who now have the foundational literacy and numeracy skills to succeed in life. In secondary schools, more students are achieving the top two bands of Reading compared to 2019 and there are less students in the bottom two bands. For the first time, certificates will be awarded to Year 9 students who excel in NAPLAN or significantly improve their results, to recognize excellence and keep students engaged and motivated – with certificates going to almost 19,000 Year 9 students who are in the very top band of NAPLAN, or who significantly improved on their Year 7 results. The disruptions of the pandemic had a greater impact on students’ numeracy than literacy development, and the government will act to ensure maths skills continue to grow through increased support to school staff with professional guidance and resources. The Labor Government has made major investments to support student learning and wellbeing throughout the coronavirus pandemic, including $250 million to deploy more than 6,400 tutors across Victorian schools and a $28.5 million boost to ensure students receive the health and wellbeing support they need. The $200 million Schools Mental Health Fund will support Victorian kids to help them succeed at school and through life, guided by an evidencebased range of mental health and wellbeing programs to be released this year.
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NEWS FROM VICTORIA
Victoria supporting multicultural Victorians through the pandemic Melbourne, 26 August: The Victorian Government is helping Victorians from multicultural backgrounds to continue to put healthy and culturally appropriate food on the table as Victorians do their bit by staying at their respective homes.
supporting and providing communities with culturally appropriate food relief. The Khalsa Foundation is also being funded to continue its food delivery service providing groceries and essential items to Shepparton residents.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence today announced more than $1.4 million for 99 organisations to continue delivering immediate food relief services to Victoria’s multicultural communities. This will allow organisations to continue their important work, including providing food hampers, freshly cooked meals, groceries, and essential items to community members in need.
Almost $23 million has already been invested through the program, enabling support to more than 500,000 Victorians since it began in August 2020. Since the start of the pandemic, the government has funded more than 320 community organisations through the program to provide emergency relief, food support, and community outreach, as well as targeted communication through translated materials and community-led content. This builds on the $5 million, committed in June to the program, to ensure Victoria’s multicultural communities are well-supported to deal with the impacts of the pandemic.
Funded through the priority responses to Multicultural communities during the Coronavirus program, organisations including Fijian Community Association Victoria and the Ballarat African Association will continue
Ditching the “double drop-off” with kids on school sites
Mitshell Shire Council
Melbourne, 26 August: The Victorian Government is making kinder education more accessible for children and their families, investing more on the kindergartens school sites and helping parents ditch the dreaded “double drop-off.” Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt today announced that six new kindergartens will be built on site of primary schools across Victoria, creating almost 400 extra licensed kindergarten places for local children. The kindergartens will offer 66 places each when they open in 2023 at Lalor Primary School, Reservoir East Primary School, Rosewood Downs Primary School, Drouin West Primary School and Movelle Primary School, as well as the new Wollert West Primary School (interim name). For each site, funding will build two kindergarten rooms, administrative facilities
and outdoor play spaces – encouraging children to get active and enjoy nature. As part of the three-year-old kinder roll-out, the government is upgrading infrastructure through a $1.68 billion co-investment with the early childhood sector to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state, supporting local jobs in construction and across the supply chain in the process. Every new Victorian primary school set to open from 2021 will have a kindergarten on-site or next door, making kindergarten programs easier to access, drop-off time simpler and more convenient for parents – and ensuring the transition from kindergarten to school is smoother for children. In an Australian-first, the government is investing $5 billion this decade to deliver two years of funded kindergarten for all Victorian children.
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WORLD NEWS
Pakistan, India issue diplomatic visas Pak mullahs hail Taliban to each other following 28-month gap victory in Afghanistan IANS
have been on ice since 2019. Pakistan and India have issued a large number of assignment visas to each other's diplomatic staff recently, the Express Tribune reported.
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Islamabad and New Delhi have issued assignment visas to each other's diplomats after a gap of around 28 months as both sides are seeking to normalise ties that
Both countries have issued visas on all applications submitted by March 15 this year. Pakistan issued visas to 33 Indian officials, while seven Pakistani diplomats received assignment visas from India.
Sources said there was a possibility of an agreement between Pakistan and India to issue visas on assignment applications by June 15. The two countries are likely to issue more visas to each other's diplomats after that. In March this year, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on India and Pakistan to "bury the past" and move towards cooperation.
US President keeps Aug 31 deadline to complete Afghan evacuation Wikipedia
Washington, August 25 (IANS): US President Joe Biden on August 24 told Group of Seven (G7) leaders that the United States aimed at completing Afghan evacuation by August 31, while asking for contingency plans to adjust the timeline if necessary. Biden attended a virtual G7 summit over Afghanistan earlier in the day, during which he confirmed “we are currently on pace to finish by August 31st," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. The statement came as multiple U.S. news outlets reported that
Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns held a secret meeting with Taliban senior leader Abdul Ghani Baradar on August 23 in Kabul, which likely covered the August 31 deadline issue. Earlier on August 24, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that the US should withdraw all troops and contractors from the country before the deadline and no extension for the ongoing evacuation process would be possible. Biden is facing pressure from allies and lawmakers to extend the ongoing evacuation beyond August 31. According to media reports, Britain and France had expected Biden to leave US troops in Kabul for additional days for the evacuation. In an August 24 interview with FOX News, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the president to "forget about the August 31st deadline" and to continue the evacuation. Some congressional Democrats also questioned whether the evacuation could be completed in
days. Biden in April ordered all US troops to leave Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into its longest war. He then brought forward the deadline to August 31 in July. The US has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on August 15. The White House said on August 24 that around 21,600 people had been evacuated during a 24 hourperiod ending early August 24 morning. In total, approximately 58,700 people had left the country since August 14. The Pentagon said later in the day that "approximately 4,000 American passport holders plus their families" had been evacuated. The Biden administration thus far cannot provide a precise number of US citizens who remain in Afghanistan. US media estimated that the number is between 10,000 and 15,000.
Sikh holy book, 46 Indian passport holders arrive in India New Delhi, August 23 (IANS): Three Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book and 46 Afghan Hindus & Sikhs with Indian passport holders arrived in India on August 23 amid growing tension in Afghanistan. The source had confirmed that the stranded Indian nationals and 46 Afghan Hindus & Sikhs, with 3 Sri Guru Granth Sahib, previously inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport at Kabul would reach India on August 23. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management committee and SAD leader Manjinder S. Sirsa said, "3 Sri Guru Granth Sahib and 46 Indian passport holders will arrive in India on August 23. We thank the Government of India & PM Modi for helping Hindus-Sikhs in Afghanistan. We're in touch with
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minorities in Kabul who wish to be evacuated." In a separate development, one more private plane carrying Indian nationals landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on August 23 morning. However, out of a total of 30 persons who have been evacuated from Kabul via Qatar, two have tested positive for Covid-19. "Two persons out of 146 people who have returned to India from Afghanistan have tested positive for Covid-19", said Rajinder Kumar, Nodal Officer (Delhi govt) for Covid testing of Afghanistan returnees. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. Prime Minister
Modi has asked the foreign ministry to brief floor leaders of political parties on developments in Afghanistan. India is evacuating stranded Indian Citizens from Afghanistan and has been allowed two flights per day from Kabul. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar tweeted, "In view of developments in Afghanistan, PM Modi has instructed that MEA brief Floor Leaders of political parties. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi will be intimating further details." India on August 22 evacuated 168 passengers including 107 Indian nationals through Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft which landed at the Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad.
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Islamabad, August 24 (IANS): A close examination of the various religious organisations based in Pakistan indicates that there is a growing rhetoric among them favouring the Taliban victory in Afghanistan. Such a strong narrative can indeed be damaging to the interest of Pakistan and the region at large.
In addition, Maulana Haq has announced that on November 2 in commemoration of the death of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, major conferences will be held in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. In these conferences, the Taliban leaders will also be invited. On this occasion, rallies will be carried out across the nation.
Chief of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-lslam (S) and Difa-e-Pakistan Council, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani termed the victory of the Taliban as the victory of the ideology of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq and his thoughts and announced on 27 August they would observe 'Youm-e-Tashkkur', that is thanking Allah for the victory of the Taliban. Maulana Hamid said that the world shouldn't force its so-called democratic system on Afghanistan, as the Taliban had learnt a lot in the last 20 years. Maulana Hamid demanded that the world should immediately acknowledge the government of the Taliban and revive diplomatic ties. Maulana Hamid was addressing a gathering at the Lahore Press Club after a session of Shura of JUI.
Maulana said that they thanked Rabta Alami Islami for extending support to the Taliban. The borders of Pakistan will be secure now after the government of the Taliban has taken-over in Afghanistan. Haq said that they will try to form a religious alliance in Pakistan and if all religious forces unite then Pakistan can be like a state of Madina in the true sense of it. Prior to the press conference, Maulana Hamid had said in the Shura of the JUI that they will call a session of religious and political parties to discuss the Afghan issue and to extend support to the Taliban. In the session, problems and difficulties faced by the Taliban will be given attention.
The Maulana further thanked Allah for the latest development in Afghanistan and said that by announcing amnesty to all, the Taliban have won the hearts of Afghan people, the world forces were playing with blood and fear in Afghanistan for the last 40 years and there were pro-India and American governments in Kabul for 20 years. He mentioned that the Taliban have freed their country from the occupied forces and have entered Kabul peacefully. The people have welcomed them, if there would have been contradictions in saying and deeds of the Taliban, they would have not won this victory, he said.
Separately, Tahaffuz-e-Khatme-Nabuwat (TKN), an alliance of 13 major religious parties has issued a statement (Aug 22) and rejected a resolution of the European Union about ending Khatm-e-Nabuwat Laws or making it ineffective or releasing accused of blasphemy. The TKN mentioned that the EU resolution was an open interference in the laws of Pakistan and a violation of the international laws. The European Union resolution had hurt religious sentiments of 22 crore Pakistanis, the statement mentioned. They further demanded that the EU should apologize and withdraw the resolution and mentioned that any conspiracy on the Khatm-eNabuwat will be an attack on the faith of 2 billion Muslims.
CIA director conducts secret meeting with Taliban leader in Kabul Kabul, August 25 (IANS): Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns on August 23 held a secret meeting with Taliban senior leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, the US media reported on August 24.
Citing officials familiar with the matter, multiple media outlets said the meeting between Burns and Baradar was the highestlevel face-to-face engagement between the Biden administration and Taliban to date, Xinhua news agency reported. The Washington Post first reported the secret meeting, which likely covered the issue of an impending August 31 deadline for the US military to complete its evacuation operation in Afghanistan. The CIA declined to comment on the meeting, according to reports. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on August 23 that the
US is engaging with the Taliban "on a daily basis through both political and security channels".
US President Joe Biden is facing pressure at home and abroad to extend the ongoing evacuation beyond August 31, the date he previously set to end the US military mission in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear on August 24 at a press conference that the US should withdraw all troops and contractors before the August 31 deadline. The spokesman also said Afghan citizens would not be allowed to leave the country through the US evacuation process after the deadline. The US has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered the capital Kabul on August 15.
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WORLD THIS WEEK Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Compiled by Sukanya Bali, Avishka Ashok, Dincy Adlakha, Vaishnavi Iyer and Harsimran Singh Sondhi
China: Beijing’s economic interests in Afghanistan outweigh likely threats from the Taliban NPR
Russia: For Moscow, the Central Asian concerns are crucial in Taliban’s Afghanistan
Afghanistan: With the Taliban back, Pakistan feels victorious in Kabul
The Economic Times
The New York Times
What happened?
What happened? On 16 August 2021, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying held a regular press conference and stated: "China has maintained contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue." She demonstrated tacit support for the Taliban by adding: "We hope the Afghan Taliban can form solidarity with all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and build a broadbased and inclusive political structure suited to the national realities, to lay the foundation for achieving enduring peace in the country." The statement also read: "China respects the Afghan people's right to decide on their own future independently. We are ready to continue to develop good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction." With this, she confirmed that the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan is operating smoothly with its staff despite many Chinese nationals being brought back to China. What does it mean? First, China was apprehensive of the American presence in Afghanistan. However, now the withdrawal, too, causes another apprehension. The US will not have any liabilities in South Asia and would direct its resources towards China. Second, recognition from China would give legitimacy to the Taliban and open doors for integrated cooperation. There may be some distrust with the Taliban's promises, but Chinese economic interests in Afghanistan speak louder.
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What happened? On 17 August, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov praised the Taliban's conduct and described its approach as "good, positive and business-like." He said the Taliban had made Kabul safer than it was under the previous authorities. Dmitry Zhirnov, called the Taliban "reasonable guys" following a "positive and constructive meeting". He added that the Taliban guaranteed the Russian embassy's security. On 19 August, Sergey Lavrov said: "We see encouraging signs from the Taliban who say they would like to have a government that includes other political forces." On 20 August, Zhirnov described the situation in Afghanistan as one of cautious hope and said that "it should be better" calling for the Taliban to take socioeconomic measures to help boost development. What does it mean? First, the Russian government is confident about the intentions of the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, it has declared that it would not be making any unilateral decisions on giving the Taliban a dejure recognition. As per the 2003 status, the Taliban remains a terrorist group. Russia has assured that it will only change its status if the United Nations does. Second, Russia is now interested in filling the void created by the US exit, with its main focus on securing regional cooperation with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to secure Central Asian stability. Russia may have to adopt to new realities in Afghanistan and pursue its strategy accordingly.
On 17 August, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan declared that the Afghans had "broken the shackles of slavery" in a wartorn country. He believes that the withdrawal was a "logical solution." Roofi Hasan, who is the Prime Minister's special assistant, took to Twitter to state that Ashraf Ghani's "corrupt" government rule was a "virtually smooth shift" to the Taliban. Many retired and serving generals are thrilled that Pakistan will finally have "friends" in the driving seat in Kabul, and have expressed admiration openly for the Taliban. On 20 August, Pakistan's army and the Taliban held a "meet and greet" at the border areas. One of the Pakistani soldiers was also seen taking a selfie with one of the Taliban. The friendly act came after Islamabad released terrorist Mullah Mohammad Rasool, the leader of a splinter faction of the Taliban. He spent around five years in Pakistan prison and was freed days after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani administration. On the same day, Imran Khan urged his ministers to refrain from commenting on the Taliban takeover as it is a "sensitive matter." On 21 August, reports suggested, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is likely to visit Kabul on 22 August 2021. Pakistan is determined to play a "positive role" and their envoy in Afghanistan said in a statement, that he is also in touch with different Afghan personalities. What does it mean? The return of the Taliban can have both good and bad implications on Pakistan. Pakistan may feel better with the exit of the US and the likely decline in the Indian presence in Afghanistan. Pakistan may also feel better with a friendly regime in Kabul, which has been one of its primary interests in Afghanistan. However, there are dangers as well for Pakistan. What lessons will the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and other extremist groups in Pakistan learn from the success of the Taliban?
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WORLD THIS WEEK
ALSO IN NEWS
Daily Sabah
By Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok China: Tech scrutiny over unfair competition tightened On 17 August, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a draft regulation to ban unfair competition and restrict the use of user data, in the tech sector. The draft stated, operators "must not implement or assist in the implementation of unfair competition on the Internet, disrupt the order of market competition, affect fair transactions in the market." On the same day, Reuters reported: "the Chinese government has also taken ownership stakes in the domestic entities of social media giants ByteDance and Weibo," citing corporate filings. China: Astronauts complete second spacewalk On 20 August, two Chinese astronauts conducted a second spacewalk at the new space station. The astronauts installed a platform for extravehicular activity on the space station's robotic arm, a thermal control pumping set, and a bracket to the panoramic camera. According to CCTV news, astronauts returned back to the module one hour ahead of the time schedule. Three astronauts are expected to stay for three more months in the space station. Hong Kong: Pro-democracy activist found guilty; four arrested on suspicion of terrorism On 19 August, Andy Li, Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit collusion with the foreign country in a national security case. The court identified that Li, "was instructed by Jimmy Lai" to lobby countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. On 18 August, Hong Kong Police arrested, "four students on suspicion of advocating terrorism." Last month, their student union passed a motion for the mourning of the death of a 50-year-old who stabbed a policeman before killing himself. Secretary for Security Chris Tang had described it as a terrorist act by a "lone wolf." Australia: Police arrests antilockdown protestors On 21 August, Australian police arrested hundreds of anti-lockdown protestors in Melbourne and Sydney. On the same day, the country saw its highest single-day rise of COVID-19 cases. State Health Minister said, "We are in a very serious situation here in New South Wales." He further added, "There is no time now to be selfish, it's time to think of the broader community and your families." Police blocked private and public transport in order to reduce people gathering for the unauthorized protests. Pakistan: First MILGEM ship inaugurated; nation strengthens
relation with Turkey On 15 August, Pakistan's President, Dr Arif Alvi while addressing the inauguration of 1st MILGEM Ship, PNS Babur, appreciated Turkey's support. He said, "The relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was a force for regional peace and stability with their exemplary support towards co-existence and cooperative multilateralism." As per the agreement, four MILGEM will be constructed. President Alvi also congratulated the Turkish Defence Ministry for making progress under President Erdogan's leadership. Germany: Chancellor visits Russia and discusses evacuation of Afghans from Kabul On 20 August, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to pressure the Taliban in Afghanistan to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens who align themselves to the West. She said: "I have given information that we in Germany consider it most important to evacuate people who have worked for over 20 years for us. Those citizens of Afghanistan should receive a place to stay in Germany." Putin urged the world to prevent the further collapse of the country by accepting the reality where Taliban controls Afghanistan. The US: President Joe Biden's statements on developments in Afghanistan On 16 August, US President Joe Biden addressed the crisis in Afghanistan at a press conference. He used the opportunity to reiterate the US' objectives in Afghanistan and said: "We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us on 11 September 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again." He stated that the US objectives were never aimed at nation-building or creating a unified and centralized democracy. About the Authors Dincy Adlakha is a postgraduate scholar from Christ (Deemed-tobe-University). Vaishnavi Iyer and Harsimran Singh Sondhi are research interns in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok are Research Associates at NIAS. The report has been modified by India News due to space considerations.
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DFAT’s review of India strategy is timely and wellfounded
I
ndia Australia Comprehensive Partnership has gained momentum and intensity since its upgradation during the inaugural virtual summit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison on 4 June, 2020. The key objective was to recalibrate bilateral engagements in light of the rapidly altering regional geopolitics, international business and trade disruptions, and the opportunities that Covid-19 has presented for both sides. In this regard, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has launched a timely review of the India Economic Strategy to 2035 authored by Peter Varghese, largely in the preCovid context. Although, much of the recommendations of the report still hold ground, there is definitely a need to devise new strategies and action-plan as a way-forward. In the altered global context, it is imperative that Australia and India put together the following time-bound action plan to maximise returns at the bilateral level: 1. In the first year dialogues must be undertaken at the ministerial level in different sectors; 2. In a maximum six months, existing Working Groups need to be galvanised and new ones formed to take action upon the recommendations of the two reports. Sub-working group must be formed and tasked to dish-out the details of the consultations and recommendations; 3. All ministerial departments must act in unison and diligently until business relationship gains a momentum of its own; 4. Yearly review of these dialogues and consultations must be undertaken to identify progress, bottlenecks and future actionplan and ideally be shared with the apex leadership on both sides to enable an informed and productive discussion in summit meetings; 5. Sector specific dialogues and consultation must be held under the Free Trade Agreement talks to address the issues of Rules of Origin and trade barriers urgently; 6. Trade talks will be complex and challenging, and businesses on both sides need to become thick-skinned while structural impediments and bureaucratic delays are ironed out. There is also a need to spread risk and diversification in Australia’s business and trade ties by engaging with India; 7. Focusing on impact sectors — sports and education -- will help create a conducive and
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positive atmosphere on both sides and shape positive public opinion. Herein, bringing back 18,000 stranded Indian students to Australia, addressing the gaps and recommendations in India’s New Education Policy 2020, and promoting sporting exchanges and collaboration to strengthen India’s $400 million sports ecosystem must be considered seriously; and 8. More efforts are required to bolster India literacy amongst business and trade organisations in Australia, and vice versa. Domestically, there are a range of strategies which Australia may incorporate in its policy-making to bolster India strategy: 1. There is a need to open up, if not change, the mindset of the stakeholders in Australia for doing business with India; 2. Sharing success stories and India’s changed economic scenario with business is necessary to convince them why it is no more business as usual in India. Also, India’s business credentials have become stronger which needs to be shared with Australian stakeholders; 3. Collaborations and consultations must move beyond the track-I level, with non-government stakeholders inter alia, academic institutions, small businesses, community associations and policy institutes to gather wider and diverse inputs and suggestions and incorporate them in profiling India’s improved credentials on the one hand, and enriching Australia’s India strategy on the other; and 4. As FTA negotiations gather steam, there is a strong case for organising a high-level business conclave, something like the Raisina Dialogue, involving business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, legislators and diplomats to augment Australia’s awareness about India. While Covid-19 has battered the world economies, claimed millions of human lives and undermined international relations among major powers causing anxieties amongst their regional partners in the IndoPacific, it has also opened up a whole new vista of opportunities as well. Australia and India must make a virtue out of a necessity and not let this opportunity slip. That they have acted diligently and purposefully to sit on the drawing board to strategise how best to smother the impact of Covid-19 and their strained ties with China, is heartening. It is time to turn adversities into opportunities.
EDITORIAL
Afghanistan’s future By Asad Mirza
T
he Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has once again put a big question mark on its future, but it has also offered a glimmer of hope for the redevelopment of this warravaged country utilising its natural resources. The Taliban have once again captured power in Afghanistan. In one of the swiftest operations, the Taliban took control of all major cities including Kabul within a ten-day period. This feat has, however, put them in a tight bind on whether to continue with their old traits or try to portray a new picture of the Taliban, which has moved along with the world in the last 20 years and one which is more pragmatic and tolerant and most of all which is politically savvy not violence prone. A widely held belief is that the Taliban would like to be seen as a more pragmatic and inclusive force rather than the one, which brutally ruled Afghanistan earlier. Whatever be the case, it would be reckoned by the group's attitudes towards jihadis and other militants present in Afghanistan, ethnic and religious minorities, women and governance. Future Government It has been a while since the Taliban captured the national capital but they are yet to announce any government and its structure. This has led to speculations that intense political activities are going on behind the scenes and the world is waiting with bated breath to know the outcome. In the meantime, Taliban have tried to calm concerns about their rule by urging women to join a government that has yet to be formed, declaring an amnesty for people employed by the former government or US and other foreign forces. To assuage these feelings, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in May that the group, once in power, would write laws to ensure the participation of women in public life. However, reports from Kabul indicate that the former President Hamid Karzai and former Minister of External Affairs Abdullah Abdullah are still present in the city. This leads credence to the fact that any future government might be based on Islamic foundations but it might be an amalgamation of Islamic and liberal democratic principles. Karzai and Taliban's current supremo Haibatullah Akhundzade are relatives and belong to the Popalzai tribe, tracing their lineage to the Durrani clan. So in a possible scenario Haibatullah might lead the Islamic Council, wielding control and power, as in the past and Karzai might be named as the president or prime minister of the new government, in which Abdullah Abdullah might
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also be included. In addition, non-Taliban leaders like Hizbi-Islami's Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and former deputy president Karim Khalili might also be included in the new setup. Further, we also have to take into consideration the rise of young blood amongst the Taliban ranks. Figures such as Mulla Yaqoob, son of former Taliban supremo Mulla Umar now leads its military branch and is credited with the swift capture of power in the country with less bloodshed. This young generation is tech and media savvy, many Taliban leaders now announce the latest developments on Twitter. Coupled with this the Taliban delegation, which took part in the Doha talks, has experienced exposure to the liberal views and they might be more amenable to a not strictly Islamic form of government. As far as the role of Taliban is concerned, they were accepted as an important political force when the former American president invited them to the Doha Talks, lending credence to them as a group, which needs to be engaged with for any feasible solution of the on-going war. Afghanistan's mineral wealth The Taliban's resurgence has once again brought renewed focus on Afghanistan's vast untapped mineral wealth and resources that could transform its economic prospects if developed judiciously. Some conspiracy theories circulated earlier, which claimed that behind the on-going military campaign in Afghanistan, the American experts were also exploring the mineral deposits in Afghanistan. Lending credence to these theories, CNN on August 17 carried a story, which said that Afghanistan possesses mineral deposits worth nearly $1 trillion. Iron, copper and gold deposits are scattered across provinces. There are also rare earth minerals and, perhaps most importantly, what could be one of the world's biggest deposits of lithium — an essential but scarce component in rechargeable batteries and other technologies vital to tackling the climate crisis. Said Mirzad, former head of the Afghanistan Geological Survey, told Science magazine in 2010 that if Afghanistan has a few years of calm, allowing the development of its mineral resources, it could become one of the richest countries in the region within a decade. Three countries, which have been wooing the Taliban based on this assessment, are Iran, China and India. All of them could provide the expertise, infrastructure and labour force for the further prospecting, mining and processing of these minerals. Iran and China have been early starters in this regard. Iran has been hosting Taliban delegations to Tehran since last year and in
late July 2021, before the recent developments, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with a delegation led by the head of the Afghan Taliban political committee Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin. India on its part began engaging with the Taliban leaders in Doha in September 2020 when the intra-Afghan dialogue began even as New Delhi refused to spell out its policy clearly and said it continues to engage with "all stakeholders". Afghan Psyche Before commenting on the future of Afghanistan, we have to understand the geographic location, socio-cultural fabric and the internal forces, besides the Afghan psyche, all of which have always managed to play a key role in any political activity in the country. The tribal Pashtun population of Afghanistan, which is approximately 42 per cent, has always enjoyed political influence both at the local and national stage. The Pashtun by virtue of being the largest tribe in the south and east has always dominated the national politics of Afghanistan, since the time of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1722-72). Moreover, the central authority in Kabul has always governed the country through a loosely federal structure. Which means that the central law was more or less observed in major cities and some smaller cities, but at the district and village level the tribal writ was imposed with a heavy hand. Added to this is the overall Afghan psyche, which has always remained fiercely independent and loyal to its tribal and clan ties besides being devout Muslims. To control them through a loose federal system remains the only wise choice, so as to let the tribal and clan ties continue and dominate the rural population but the major decisions are taken by the powers in the big cities. This might be one of the reasons, which is forcing Taliban to evolve a government, which rules with an iron fist from the centre but at the village and district level the local tribes manage their affairs in their own style whilst participating in the development of the rural areas and the country as a whole. Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Time for a progressive law on online gaming-lessons from Tamil Nadu By Abhishek Ranjan
T
he Tamil Nadu government played to the gallery, when in November 2020, in the backdrop of the Assembly elections, it decided to pass an ordinance banning online games. In a single stroke of the pen, the ordinance banned all online games, even saying that "games of mere skill, if played for wager, bet, money or other stake" cannot be allowed in the state. Three billion people play online games across the world -- this is about 40 percent of the world population. They play all types of games -- racing, sports, action, puzzle, quiz, chess to card games. It is not possible to club lakhs of games that exist in the world under one category. Of the three billion people who play online games, there is a good percentage of people who pay entry fees to participate in online skill tournaments or enter tournaments to earn prizes, and these were the people being deprived by the Tamil Nadu law. The Madras High Court in its recent judgement rightfully held that the Tamil Nadu ordinance was excessive and disproportionate to the object sought to be achieved. It also held the law as violative of Article 19(1) (g) of the Constitution, which guarantees all citizens the right to practice any profession or carry on any occupation, trade or business. The Madras High Court thus
upheld what the Supreme Court and several high courts have affirmed in numerous judgments that games of skill, whether online or offline, is a perfectly legitimate activity.
Let's examine the rationale put behind by the Tamil Nadu government and also by the critics of online gaming. Some say in online games, players end up spending a lot of money for buyin and add-ons. Sure, compulsive shoppers end up overspending on Amazon and Flipkart, but that should not be a reason for banning them. Many responsible gaming apps have best practices that limit the amount of money one can use to play these games. Also, there are regular notifications to warn players if they are spending too much money. Regulation can be introduced to ensure all gaming apps follow this rule. The second argument that is put forth is that gamers spend too much time on the gaming platform. This could be true not just for skill gaming apps, but for any online game like Free Fire or Battlegrounds Mobile India, or streaming platforms like YouTube or Netflix. However, this is an issue that needs to be addressed and legitimate gaming apps have warning notifications if a person is spending too much time playing games and this should be a standard feature across all gaming platforms. The third argument is that
innocent people are being cheated. While this looks like a general statement, the issue really is of fair play. All reputed platforms usually obtain random number generators, and no-bots certificates from global firms, to ensure that a user is not playing against a computer and maintain fairness and transparency.
Social News XYZ
The specifics for each operator may vary, but all Indian operators should ensure that the platforms are safe, secure, and fair and they are constantly innovating on this end. Some critics say that these games are played by kids of all ages. This is a malicious and misleading argument as far as skill gaming platforms are concerned. There are several games that are meant for kids - games that are meant to aid their language, comprehension, maths etc. These are different from skill gaming apps. All legitimate gaming apps in India compulsorily mandate that only adults can play the games, and this is being done through KYC checks. It is important to distinguish between games of chance and games of skill. What are games of chance? These are games where luck is the most important factor for winning. These are pure luck games like instant win scratch cards, online bingo, online lottery, casino gaming, teen patti, etc. Games of skill on the other hand involve significant playing skill like strategy, mental or physical
skill. While the Madras High Court judgement makes it abundantly clear about the validity of online games of skill, it is an opportunity for various state governments to make progressive laws relating to online gaming. Not just the Tamil Nadu government, but Andhra and Telangana governments that have adopted blanket ban ordinances, must examine all aspects before framing a new law that considers the interest of all stakeholders -- gamers, industry, gaming tech sector and e-sports sector. More importantly, the law makers should not be misled by ill-informed activists and have detailed discussions with experts and industry bodies. What is important is that the law should
weed out all unscrupulous players and only promote and encourage skill gaming platforms that adhere to the highest standards of ethics and fair play. Countries like France and the United States are inviting game developers from across the world to set up operations in their countries. They want to develop their countries as the gaming hub of the world. India and states like Tamil Nadu can take a clue and work towards recognising gaming which is now the biggest social platform, the biggest pastime and one of the biggest sports disciplines in the world. (The writer is the Founder of Policy Matrix, a public policy think-tank based in New Delhi. The views expressed are personal)
eSports Players Welfare Association (EPWA) launches in India, aims to safeguard Indian Esports players rights and streamline policy Mumbai, Aug 23 (IANS): India's fast growing eSports movement has got a major boost with the announcement of the launch of eSports Players Welfare Association (EPWA). EPWA, a non-profit organisation, has been created solely to ensure that the professional, legal and contractual rights of eSports players in India are safeguarded thoroughly. Globally, eSports has an estimated audience of 474 million and is the fastest growing among all sports. eSports will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. India currently has 1,50,000 players and around 60,000 teams. According to EY, the number of esports players in India is expected to grow to 1.5 million players and 250,000 teams by 2025. eSports Players Welfare Association (EPWA) aims to be the guardian organisation when it comes to shielding the interests of eSports athletes across India.
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EPWA will be the first of its kind in India to offer assistance to athletes engaging in eSports. Amar Ratnam, an ex-pro gamer, has been appointed as a liaison between the players and the industry. Ritesh Nath, the CEO & Founder of EPWA comments, "The future of eSports in India is bright, especially due to the penetration of 4G and the subsequent surge in mobile gaming. Professional governance and structures are vital to the success of any sport; the absence of either in the eSports industry in India is one of the key drivers that led to the formation of eSports Players Welfare Association (EPWA). With the exponential increase in the number of eSports players (amateur and professional) and avenues for them to earn a living, EPWA will strive to ensure their rights are protected by defining industry norms, setting regulations, and assisting relevant stakeholders to form policies."
Shivani Jha, Director says, "eSports has been in the limelight lately with attention being drawn to it thanks to its inclusion as a medal event at the upcoming Asian Games in 2022 and potentially an Olympic nod as well. As wide as the gaming industry may be, absence of any regulations or stringent rules in eSports allows for exploitation of players. The top priority at EPWA will be to address player grievances regarding their legal obligations and contracts. EPWA will also work to bridge the awareness gap that exists in the country by educating the industry about the latest eSports rules and regulations from India and around the globe." Being established on the values of fairness, equality, transparency and accountability, EPWA endeavours to support enrolled eSports players, the most crucial part of the whole eSports ecosystem with the following services --
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Legal Advice: Professional and amateur eSports athletes alike are bound by contracts with their teams, sponsors and tournaments -- often biased in nature. EPWA proposes to offer sound legal advice with the objective of insulating the interest of the eSports players associated with it. Contracts: Contracts being the bedrock of any engagement need to be carefully accepted, as such EPWA proposes to review and flag off concerns in team contracts, tournament contracts and sponsorships/endorsements. Career Advice: Navigating a career in eSports can be challenging on most occasions. EPWA helps define the various professions in eSports and equip them with tools to achieve their goals. Dispute Resolution: Should any player be addressed with hostile situations vis-a-vis their contractual obligations, EPWA strives to guide them on a way forward themselves or through
third-party legal counsel. Community Building: EPWA aims to build a community of eSports players from across the country where they can exchange ideas, communicate and become a unified voice for eSports players in India. EPWA works on a membership format. A player or streamer must sign up on the website to become a member after which they will have access to the abovementioned services and much more.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
MAKE IN INDIA
Invest India T
he most awarded investment promotion agency in the world, Invest India is the advisor, guide, and facilitator to every investor looking to make a home in India. We are the first point of contact for global companies whom we handhold from the day they start exploring India as an investment destination and at every step of the way throughout their journey in the world's most liberal investment destination. Its multi-faceted activities include detailed India entry strategies and research, end-toend handholding, and investment aftercare. They work with every major country around the world, and across all Indian states. Their team, comprised of over 200 of the finest, most talented business professionals handpicked from India's and indeed the world's best universities and companies serve as investors' pro bono guide to developing the best India strategy. From assisting with land acquisition to highlighting infrastructure projects for investment, showcasing cuttingedge innovation and start-ups, and world-class research, the various teams at Invest India offer
each new investor the panoramic scope of the India opportunity and ways to navigate it. From supporting India's expanding start-up ecosystem to harnessing the power of innovation from India's laboratories and bringing them to the market or identifying, developing, and deploying technologies on-ground, Invest India's work covers the entire gamut of India's transformational business sector. Working with every department of the government of India, its expertise in providing advice and assistance is consistently rated best in the world. Most recently, we were awarded the Investment Promotion Award, 2020 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for our good practices during the pandemic. India's rapid development has opened a plethora of exciting opportunities for investors, which can be explored on our website. We are grateful for your interest in India and excited to become a part of your journey in our country.
ODOP spotlight on the royal WangkheiPhee By Bethamehi Joy Syiem and Sukriti Mishra
tagged WangkheiPhee features prominently.
mong the textile products selected under the ‘One District, One Product’ list, WangkheiPhee from Imphal East District in Manipur features as a delicate handloom, made with very fine white cotton yarn with a closely woven texture. While it may not be a name as familiar as other ODOP textiles such as the famous Kancheepuram or Pashmina, it is a product with a life of its own.
Today, the weavers are still weaving this special type of cloth at a wide scale across the state. It is also shown in Manipuri costume through ages (India, Bangladesh and Myanmar) published in 2011, p-123 by Mutua Bahadur. This “luxurious” cloth is a popular attire used by women during marriage ceremonies and festivals.
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A luxurious fabric This delicate fabric is known as “WangkheiPhee” because it was first developed by skilled weavers in the Wangkhei area within the Imphal East District of Manipur, for the royal family. Today, it has been donned by the likes of Bollywood A-listers like Sushmita Sen and Kangana Ranaut with designs from Manipur’s top designer, Robert Naorem. Among the handloom fabrics he uses, the Geographical Indication (GI)
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This piece of muslin cloth was originally made uniformly in white. Today, the cloth has its peculiar designs with different motifs and colours, such as khoi (hook), thambal (lotus), atargulap (rose), NamthangKhuthat, AngomNingthou (royal symbol), khongupmelei (a kind of orchid), thangjingtangkhai (half euryle ferox), numitchura (sunrise head gear), Jubakusum (floral), leaves, raining night, angoorcharong (grapes bunch). The design is used for luxurious items, such as, Inaphee (chaddar), Phanek
(sarong/ladies’ lungies), dhoti, saree, skirts and as a model design for school uniforms.
MAKE IN INDIA
The Economic Times
How it is produced The fibre used for making the yarn is derived from “lashing” (cotton ball) and “kabrang” (mulberry cocoon) and, also extracted from the bark of the “santhak” tree species. The fibre is spun into threads, and then dyed using extracts from plants, flowers, bark and leaves. The dyed yarn is subject to sizing through the application of rice-based starch, followed by stretching with a bamboo stick, and then wound onto bobbins and pirns. Fine cotton is the type of yarn in the fabric used. The weaving process based on use of shuttles involves two methods: fly shuttle loom and throw shuttle loom. In the former, it is made as a single piece complete fabric. In the latter, two pieces of fabric are made and then joined by stitching to make it a full fabric. Additional motifs are woven in by hand. The fabric is “porous, airy, see-through and thin”, making it suitable for luxury items such as chadors, saris, skirts and school uniforms. Three shuttles are used to produce WangkheiPhee. For the body weft thread, the conventional shuttle is used and for the extra weft, two smaller shuttles are used. When the fabric is woven with three shuttles on fly shuttle loom, two weavers are involved. However, if the fabric is woven on throw shuttle loom, only one weaver can weave since the width of the fabric is smaller. Looking ahead
Seven technologies were presented during the showcases reaffirming the capability of Indian innovations to tackle challenges faced by Indian villages: Dharashakti: An easy-to-use soil organic carbon detection and testing kit Tan 90: Portable cold storage units to plug the gaps in cold chain Krishakti: Smart and intelligent precision spraying drones for crops Avatar small wind turbine: Wind turbines deployed as decentralized and distributed renewable energy solutions for urban and rural India Saptkrishi: A low-cost, technological solution that extends the shelf life of perishable horticultural produce. Soil Saathi: A lightweight chemistry analyzer with the ability to test 22 parameters in soil and water and advise fertilizer requirements based on crop and agro-climatic conditions.
Robert Naorem is just one example of taking this local fabric beyond the state and to the world stage. With such unique and exquisite characteristics, Manipur’s WangkheiPhee is prime for the larger international market of luxury fabrics. With the ODOP initiative’s mandate to select, brand and promote chosen products with an aim to develop each district as a major export hub, WangkheiPhee’s turn to shine even further is just around the corner.
Thanos: A drone-based autonomous spraying platform that sprays an acre in a fraction of the time uniformly.
Innovations for rural India
Great places for manufacturing in India
The AGNIi Mission, in partnership with Common Service Center, successfully conducted a series of Digital Technology Showcases focused on innovations for rural India. On 12th and 13th August, two 90-minute showcases were held in Bihar, to address the following concerns: Drinking water issues due to contamination of water or lack of proper storage Soil testing technologies with less technical dependency to ensure more farmers can use them easily Storage technologies for vegetables and fruits Drones for spraying of pesticides as due to land distribution in all major districts it becomes difficult to take heavy machinery from one farm to the other
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A total of 150 rural entrepreneurs participated in both showcases and were keen to hold advance discussions with the startups on implementing these solutions in their respective geographies. The AGNIi Mission remains committed to introducing emerging technologies in rural India to address the complex and unique challenges it faces today.
As businesses worldwide gear up for the “new normal” post COVID-19, India has been steadfastly and proactively cementing its position as a resilient economy with swift action-oriented decision-making. It has emerged as a forerunner for business continuity plans, with its inventory of low risk and asset light models like readybuilt industrial infrastructure and build-to suit offering higher capex savings, new tax incentives offering increased profitability, and a domestic market comprising 18% of world population. A stable and predictable business environment India’s unprecedented rise in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings 2020 to
#63 (2019 - #77, 2014 - #142) is testament to its persistence, drive, and effort to become the world’s business destination of choice. Unparalleled legislative and procedural reforms have been implemented in the last 5 years. This will only gather further pace in the coming months as both central and state governments gear up to stimulate the economy and improve their attractiveness for investments across sectors. Most states have created single window mechanisms to grant permissions within stipulated time and have set service level agreements to grant permissions within 30 days, with provisions for deemed approval in cases of deviation. Information about industrial parks with plot-level details is being provided through GIS platforms. Dedicated relationship managers are being appointed to hand-hold investors through the entire project lifecycle. India has one of the most attractive corporate income tax rates for manufacturing and services investments. A special window for manufacturing investments is open till 31 March 2023 with an attractive corporate income tax rate of 17.16%, lowest among BRICS. Government of India has signed 300 Advance Pricing Agreements with MNCs to give them assurance on tax structure. India — the engine for global manufacturing Last five years accounted for over half of the FDI received by India since the liberalization era of early 90s, propelling India to top 3 greenfield FDI destinations. Interestingly, these investments came in diverse sectors ranging from highly sophisticated areas such as R&D centres and development centers for engineering, consumer internet, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals to resource intensive industries such as food processing, chemicals & petrochemicals. India also attracted large scale investments in labor intensive manufacturing processes of electronics, textiles, and footwear industries. Poised to become the world’s third-largest consumer market within the next decade, India can safely be categorized as a growth engine for the foreseeable future. For details please see “Great Places for Manufacturing in India World-class Destinations for Multinationals”, Volume 1, May 2020. Source: Invest India, Government of India
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
HEALTH
Covid vaccine slot can be booked Global Covid-19 caseload tops 213 million on WhatsApp now in India IANS
New Delhi, August 25 (IANS): The Indian Union Health Minister announced on August 24 that people can now book slots for Covid vaccination using the MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp. The messaging app has partnered
with the Health Ministry to provide the users vaccination appointment through its platform. The app will also help the users locate the nearest vaccination centre. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, "Paving a new era of citizen convenience. Now, book #COVID19 vaccine slots easily on your phone within minutes. Send 'Book Slot' to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp. Verify OTP and follow the steps." To contact the MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot, users need to send 'Book Slot' to the WhatsApp number 9013151515. This will generate a six-digit one-time password on the respective
mobile number. Users will then choose a preferred date and location, based on the pincode and vaccine type. The users can follow this sequence to get a confirmation of their centre and day of their vaccine appointment.
Washington, August 25 (IANS): The global coronavirus caseload has topped 213 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.45 million and vaccinations soared to over 4.99 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
Earlier on August 5, MyGov and WhatsApp had introduced the facility to download vaccine certificates from the messaging app and so far, over 32 lakh certificates have been downloaded by the users from across the country.
In its latest update on August 25 morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and vaccination tally stood at 213,098,413, 4,450,408 and 4,995,430,625, respectively.
The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare continues to extend slot booking and certificate download support on the Co-WIN portal, Aarogya Setu and Umang mobile app.
The US continues to be the worsthit country with the world's highest number of cases and
India's first mRNA vaccine phase-I clinical trial gets approval New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India's National Regulatory Authority, has approved Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited's work on the country's first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine for its clinical data of the phase-1 study. "Vaccine Subject Expert Committee (SEC) reviewed the interim phase-1 data and found that HGCO19 was safe, tolerable, and immunogenic in the participants of the study. The Director General (I), CDSCO, approved the proposal submitted for the phase 2 and 3 studies by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, a Pune-based biotechnology company,"
the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a release on August 24.
Gennova's study titled "A prospective, multicentre, randomized, active-controlled, observer-blind, phase-2 study seamlessly, followed by a Phase-3 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the candidate HGCO19 (Covid-19 vaccine) in healthy subjects'' and will be conducted in India at nearly 10-15 sites in phase-2 and 22-27 sites in phase-3. "Gennova plans to use the DBT-ICMR clinical trial network sites for this study," the release added. Gennova's mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine development programme
in the country's second national top level lockdown starting August 17 midnight. That brings the total number of community cases to seven. Under the lockdown, businesses and schools are closed except for essential ones such as supermarkets and service stations, Xinhua reported. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said genome sequencing results confirmed that it is the Delta variant that is linked to genome sequencing of cases in Australia's New South Wales outbreak.
Wellington, August 18 (IANS): New Zealand confirmed six new Delta cases of Covid-19 in the community on August 18, including one fully-vaccinated nurse from an Auckland hospital. All the six cases were linked to the first community case that resulted
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"Our case has originated in Australia," Ardern told a press conference. The trans-Tasman free quarantine travel started in April and was suspended in July due to the outbreak in Australia's several states. One of the six new cases is a 20-year-old workmate of the first case announced on August 17 who was a 58-year-old man
In terms of infections, India follows in second place with 32,474,773 cases. The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (20,614,866), Russia (6,690,633), France (6,734,077), the UK (6,586,181), Turkey (6,253,681), Argentina (5,148,085), Colombia (4,894,702), Spain (4,804,424), Iran (4,756,394), Italy (4,494,857), Indonesia (4,008,166), Germany (3,889,364) and Mexico (3,231,616), the CSSE figures showed. In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 575,742 fatalities.
India's Covid cases rise by 25,467, deaths by 354
DNA India
was partly funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in June 2020. Later, the DBT further supported the programme under the Mission Covid Suraksha -- the Indian Covid-19 Vaccine Development Mission -- implemented by BIRAC.
BIRAC is a not-for-profit public sector enterprise which stands for 'Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council' that has been set up by the DBT. It acts as an interface agency to enhance and encourage the evolving biotechnology industry to implement strategic research and development activities for the product development needs of the country.
NZ confirms 7 Delta cases in latest community outbreak Stuff.co.nz
deaths at 38,053,653 and 630,663, respectively, according to the CSSE.
in Auckland's North Shore. The other three are flatmates of this workmate, with the remaining two being friends with the four cases, said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield. One of the three flatmates is the fully vaccinated 21-year-old nurse who works at the Auckland City Hospital and had been working in recent days, Bloomfield said, adding that the hospital has taken some immediate actions to shut down any potential spread, including stopping unnecessary movements between wards and testing all staff and patients on the ward. Ardern said the nationwide lockdown was appropriate. "Our whole ambition here is: do it once, do it right. Short and sharp is better than light and long and I think we all agree," she told New Zealand local media during a morning interview.
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New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): India on August 24 registered a total of 25,467 fresh Covid cases across the country. A total of 354 deaths were also reported, pushing the death toll to 4,35,110, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend as less than 50,000 daily cases were reported for fifty-eight consecutive days. India's recovery rate from Covid infections has increased to 97.68 per cent, the highest since March 2020. High recoveries and a low number of new cases have subsided the active caseload to 3,19,551 which is at its lowest in 156 days. At 0.98 per cent, active cases
presently form less than 1 percent of the country's total positive cases. Active caseload is at its lowest since March 2020, as per the health ministry data. A total of 39,486 patients were discharged from the hospitals and health centres, taking the total number of cured to 3,17,20,112 to date in India. The weekly positivity rate remains below 3 percent and currently stands at 1.90 per cent. The daily positivity rate continues to remain below 3 per cent for 29 continuous days and currently stands at 1.55 per cent. India's Covid vaccination coverage has surpassed the cumulative figure of 58.89 crore and stands at 58,89,97,805 as per provisional reports on August 24 morning.
Covid spikes in Kerala with daily tally at over 24,000 Thiruvananthapuram, August 24 (IANS): After a lull in daily testing, Kerala again saw daily Covid case numbers rise high, with 24,296 people testing Covid positive after 1,34,706 samples were tested. The state leads in India in new daily cases, the number of active cases, and the number of daily Covid deaths. The daily test positivity rate has reached 18.04 per cent, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement. For the past few days, the daily positive cases had fallen after the
state celebrated Onam and fewer tests were being conducted. The day's figures were released shortly after a high level meeting of Vijayan and others to assess the situation decided that existing Covid protocols would not be tinkered with now, and that the already announced August 22 total lockdown in the state will continue. Vijayan's statement also said that 19,349 people turned negative, taking the total active cases to 1,59,335.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
BUSINESS & TRADE
Continued unlocking accelerates economic recovery in July: ICRA IANS
Indian Minister of State of Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel
New Delhi, August 23 (IANS): Continued unlocking across India has accelerated the improvement in various high frequency industrial and service sector indicators during July 2021, said
Investment and Credit Rating Agency (ICRA). According to Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA: "With the further easing of the state-wise restrictions, especially across the southern states, the roots of the economic recovery deepened in July 2021. Despite a normalising base, eight of the 15 high frequency indicators recorded an encouraging improvement in their year-on-year (YoY) growth in July 2021." "Moreover, 10 of the 13 nonfinancial indicators recorded a month-on-month (MoM) uptick in July 2021, although the pace
of the improvement expectedly eased from the levels seen in June 2021, when the state-wise unlocking had commenced." Besides, ICRA highlighted that the YoY performance of GST e-way bills, fuel consumption, electricity generation, output of Coal India Limited (CIL), vehicle registrations, domestic passenger traffic, amongst others improved in July 2021 compared to June 2021. Furthermore, the worsening in the YoY performance of some of the remaining indicators such as the output of passenger vehicles (PVs), scooters and motorcycles,
BrahMos Aerospace seeks 200-acre land in UP
IANS
missile. A delegation from BrahMos Aerospace also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 24.
Lucknow, August 24 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh may soon start manufacturing the next-gen state-of-the-art 'BrahMos missile'. The CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, Sudhir Kumar Mishra, wrote to UPEIDA CEO and Additional Chief Secretary (home), Avanish Awasthi, on August 24 seeking 200-acre land for its project at the Defence Corridor for making the BrahMos
The BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile is the only unique, precise and state-of-the-art cruise missile in the world. The missile has been designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of Defence Research and Development Organisation, Government of India and NPOM, Government of Russia. It is based on the technology of Russia's P-800 Oniks cruise missile. About 500 engineers and technical people will get direct employment in the BrahMos production centre which will
be built by investing Rs 300 crores on the land to be allotted for making missiles, said a government spokesman. Apart from this, about 5,000 people will get indirect employment and 10,000 people will get work through the production centre. The work of setting up the BrahMos production centre is likely to start soon. Research and development work will also be done in the centre. More than 100 BrahMos missiles are planned to be built in the next three years. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of a Defence Corridor in UP during an Investors' Summit in Jan 2018.
was primarily due to the unfavourable base effect. However, the sequential momentum of growth eased in July 2021, after having recorded a sharp uptick in June 2021. In contrast, ports’ cargo traffic, diesel consumption and rail freight displayed a decline in MoM terms in July 2021. "To gauge the strength of the recovery across sectors, we have compared the performance of indicators in July 2021 with the pre-Covid level of July 2019, as well as the levels in April 2021. The volumes of seven of the 13 nonfinancial indicators rose above
both their pre-Covid as well as April 2021 levels in July 2021," she said. "While three indicators, namely, the output of scooters and motorcycles, and vehicle registrations surpassed their April 2021 levels, they trailed the level of July 2019. In contrast, domestic passenger traffic, ports’ cargo traffic and diesel consumption reported lower volumes in July 2021, relative to both July 2019 and April 2021." In addition, the ratings agency cited that early data for August 2021 indicates a mixed trend across the available indicators.
India's exports to ASEAN slated as $46 bn in FY22: Minister
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): India is likely to record exports worth $46 billion to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, Minister of State of Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said on August 24.
Addressing the India-ASEAN Engineering Partnership Summit organised by EEPC India, she noted that as one of the largest destinations for Indian exports, the ASEAN will be an important region for India in meeting the global export target of $400 billion in financial year 2021-22. "ASEAN, with over 15 per cent
share in India's global engineering shipments, is likely to be a key region to focus on with a target of around $16 billion of exports for 2021-22," she said. India's engineering exports to the world during the first four months (April-July) of fiscal 202122 was recorded at $35.3 billion and is expected to achieve the target set for fiscal 2021-22 at $105 billion. The minister emphasised on the need for opening up new avenues of bilateral cooperation in order to enhance engineering trade and investments between India and the ASEAN.
Indian Minister assures policy certainty, urges industry to take more risks
Business Standard
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Assuring India Inc that the government is committed towards ensuring policy certainty, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked the industry to come forward and take more risks. During her interaction with industry leaders organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) at Mumbai on August 24, she noted that the regulators also had a key role in ensuring the same and the government is working with them as well on this important issue. Praising the risk-taking ability of the start-ups, Sitharaman urged industry to also come forward and take risks and assured industry captains of addressing issues related to competitiveness, including high power tariffs, and the issues related to cumbersome regulatory compliances. Expressing the government's keenness to facilitate trends and sectors that are the future of the Indian economy, she acknowledged that there are seminal changes happening in the financial sector, which the government policy should facilitate, said an official statement. The Finance Minister emphasised on the importance of government and industry working together to "create India's own equity capital".
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Sitharaman also emphasised on identifying how the sunrise sectors and start-ups can contribute to the future of India and how the government could facilitate them. She said that this government believes in listening, working, and responding and would extend all possible support. Earlier, while sharing the CII suggestions for a robust recovery, CII President T.V. Narendran said that for growth to take deep roots, sustained demand is critical, and the immediate source of demand has to be government expenditure. Welcoming the government's push to capital expenditure, he recommended frontloading of the committed capital expenditure, especially on infrastructure and added that the revenue buoyancy seen in the first quarter has created fiscal room for this.
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
Equity, climate justice should be touchstone of global climate response: India IANS
India's Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav
New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Equity and climate justice should be the touchstone of any global climate response, and only then can it be held that strategies that are just and "in reverence to Mother Earth" have been formulated, India's Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said on August 24. "There is a need for a sustainable lifestyle as matters of
consumerism are grave threats to the environment. Habit and attitude are a part of the solution. Equity and climate justice should be the touchstone of any global climate response. Only then we can say that we have formulated strategies that are just and in reverence for Mother Earth, our only planet. There is no planet B," he said at the 20th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture on the occasion of Seth's 100th birth anniversary organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). In the event held virtually, Yadav spoke about the multidimensional approach to all pillars of sustainable development. "We are on track to achieve and even exceed our targets (Nationally Determined Contributions) under the Paris Agreement to combat climate change," he said. Listing out how India leads in climate actions, the Minister highlighted the need for a more responsive multilateral approach
in which all countries take their fair share of the burden in responding to the global threat of climate change. "Science is very clear. The recent IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) report has sounded code red. The findings reaffirm that the historical emissions are a source of the current climate crisis. The equitable carbon and development space to achieve sustainable development requires new consideration of principles of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capability and polluters' pay," he said. Warning the rich nations, he said: "Climate change mitigation is necessary but not sufficient. Even if the world stops CNG emissions, hypothetically, still the accumulated greenhouse gases will lead to a climate impact requiring new considerations of climate change adaptation measures."
NTPC commissions biggest floating solar PV project in India
New Delhi, August 21 (IANS): State-run National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has commissioned the largest floating solar PV project in India of 25 MW on the reservoir of its Simhadri thermal station in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This is also the first solar project to be set up under the Flexibilisation Scheme, notified by the Government of India in 2018. The floating solar installation, which has a unique anchoring design, is spread over 75 acres in an RW reservoir. The project has the potential to generate electricity from more than 1 lakh
solar PV modules.
This would not only help light around 7,000 households, but also ensure that at least 46,000 tonnes of CO2e are kept at arm's length every year during the lifespan of this project. The project would also save 1,364 million litres of water per annum, which would be adequate to meet the yearly water requirement of 6,700 households. The 2000 MW coal-based Simhadri station is the first power project to implement an open sea intake from the Bay of Bengal, which has been functional for more than 20 years.
NTPC is also planning to set up a hydrogen-based microgrid system on a pilot basis at Simhadri.
With a total installed capacity of 66,900 MW, the NTPC group has 71 power stations, including 29 renewable projects. NTPC has set a target to install 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2032. It is also India's first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). The group has over 17 GW of capacity under construction, including 5 GW of renewable energy projects.
Tata Power Renewables commissions 150 MW solar PV project in Rajasthan New Delhi, August 24 (IANS): Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL), 100 percent subsidiary of Tata Power, had announced commissioning of a 150 MW Solar Power project in Village Loharki, Rajasthan. Spreading across 756 acre of land, this project has been completed by TPREL within the stipulated timelines. The plant is expected to generate more than 350 million units annually. Approximately 6,56,700 modules were used in the project and the installation is expected to reduce 3.34 lakh tons of carbon emission
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every year. For the smooth processing of the installation, 48 Inverters, 720 KM of DC cable and 550 manpower have been used in the project. Speaking on the achievement, Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power said, "The commissioning of the 150 MW project in Loharki, Rajasthan has further fortified our position as one of the leading renewable energy companies in the country with a strong presence in solar power generation. We will continue to seek potential for a sustainable growth of renewable power in
India."
Despite the various Covid-19 challenges faced by the industry, TPREL through Tata Power's EPC arm Tata Power Solar Systems Limited has completed the project within the project timelines. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) was signed between TPREL & TPC-D. With this addition of 150 MW, the total renewables installed capacity of Tata Power will be 2947 MW with 2015 MW of Solar and 932 MW of wind. It has another 1084 MW of renewable projects under implementation.
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ENERGY & RESOURCES
Global power sector emissions solar in 2021: Study New Delhi, August 25 (IANS): The rising global electricity demand in the first half of 2021 outpaced growth in clean electricity, which led to an increase in emissionsintensive coal power, energy think tank Ember said on August 25. As a result, the global power sector emissions increased beyond pre-pandemic levels. For India, the story was a little better as almost three-quarters (72 percent) of increase in demand was met by growth in solar (plus 47 percent) and wind (plus nine percent). However, the coal generation increased by four per cent, to fill the remaining gap in demand and also to fill reduced hydroelectricity generation. Continued impact of the pandemic in 2021 (H1-2021) kept electricity demand in India muted and coal rises minimal. Electricity demand in H1-2021 was only three per cent higher than H1-2019 levels. "Catapulting emissions in 2021 should send alarm bells across the world," said Ember's global lead Dave Jones. "We are not building back better, we are building back badly. A lightning-fast electricity transition this decade is critical to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees. The electricity transition is happening but not with the urgency required: emissions are going in the wrong direction." The mid-year update to the Global Electricity Review published by Ember analyses electricity data from 63 countries, representing 87 per cent of the electricity demand. It compares the first six months of 2021 (H1-2021) to the same period in 2019 (H1-2019), to show for the first time how the electricity transition has changed as the world rebounds from the impact of the pandemic in 2020. The report reveals that global power sector emissions rebounded in the first half of 2021, increasing from the lows seen in H1-2020, so that emissions are now five per cent above prepandemic levels of H1-2019. The global electricity demand also rose by five per cent in the first half of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels, which was mostly met by wind and solar power (57 per cent) but also an increase in emissions-intensive coal power (43 per cent). Gas was almost unchanged, while hydro and nuclear saw a slight fall.
generated over a tenth of global electricity and overtook nuclear generation.
Many countries have pledged to 'build back better' and propel their economies into a new green normal. However, the analysis shows that no country has yet achieved a truly 'green recovery' for their power sector, with structural change in both higher electricity demand and lower CO2 power sector emissions. Although Norway and Russia appear in the 'green recovery' quadrant, this is due to temporary factors -- mostly better rains giving higher hydro generation -- rather than a significant structural improvement in the electricity sector. Several countries including the US, EU, Japan and Korea achieved lower power sector CO2 emissions compared to pre-pandemic levels, with wind and solar replacing coal, but only in the context of suppressed electricity demand growth. Countries with rising electricity demand also saw higher emissions, as coal generation increased as well as wind and solar. These 'grey recovery' countries are mostly in Asia, including China, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Vietnam. These countries have yet to decouple emissions and electricity demand growth. The fastest electricity demand growth was in Mongolia, China and Bangladesh, which all saw coal meet a large amount of this rise. Bangladesh was the only country with no increase in clean electricity. Vietnam was the only 'grey recovery' country where solar and wind met all of the increase in electricity demand, but power sector CO2 emissions still rose four per cent because of a switch from gas to coal generation. "Developing Asia must focus its attention on meeting all demand growth with new zero-carbon electricity as a first initial step of the region's journey towards 100 per cent clean electricity before mid-century," said Ember's senior analyst Muyi Yang. "Developing Asia can leapfrog fossils and move straight to cheap, clean renewables. But this is contingent on whether the region can further accelerate its inexorable march of clean electricity while at the same time use electricity more efficiently."
For the first time, wind and solar
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
INDIA NEWS
Netherlands' Frederique becomes first pacer to take 7 wkts in T20 match IANS
Spain. Netherlands then cruised to a nine-wicket victory in 3.4 overs. Frederique had six bowled dismissals and one lbw in her four overs. Out of the four overs, two were maidens. It was the first time any bowler, male or female, had taken a seven-wicket haul in T20Is. Frederique went past the previous record held by Nepal's Anjali Chand, who scalped six wickets for zero runs against the Maldives in 2019.
Cartagena (Spain), Aug 27 (IANS): The Netherlands' pacer Frederique Overdijk became the first pacer ever to take seven wickets in a T20I match. On Thursday, Frederique bagged
seven wickets in her four overs and conceded just three runs to restrict France to 33 runs in 17.5 overs in the women's T20 World Cup Europe qualifiers at the La Manga Club Ground in Cartagena,
Brief scores: France 33 in 17.3 overs (Poppy McGeown 8, Frederique Overdijk 7/3, Eva Lynch 1/3) lost to the Netherlands 33/1 in 3.4 overs (Robine Rijke 21 not out, Babette de Leede 10, Thea Graham 1/11) by nine wickets.
After WTC success, Williamson’s eyes on ICC T20 World Cup Auckland, Aug 27 (IANS): Following the World Test Championship (WTC) triumph over India, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has set his sights on the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the UAE and Oman in October-November this year, saying he has a "pretty well balanced side" to do the job. Falling at the semifinal stage at both the 2007 and 2016 tournaments, Williamson's men are one of strongest teams on paper going into the T20 World Cup, and a spot in the final-four will be the minimum goal. "I think we've got a pretty well balanced side with a good mix of exciting new talent and some experience," said Williamson on Thursday evening. New Zealand won the inaugural ICC WTC earlier this year but are yet to taste the same success in either white-ball World Cup. Having come close to limitedovers glory at the ICC Men's World Cup 2019, there will be plenty of motivation in the side that has a battery of fast bowlers. On top of the addition of Devon Conway, both Finn Allen and
Glenn Phillips have emerged as batsmen ready for the world stage, while a number of young fast bowlers have put forward strong cases for their selection on the bowling side. Alongside a strong batting order, New Zealand are strong in both the pace and spin bowling departments, with seamers Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Kyle Jamieson joined by spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. "I know our guys are really looking forward to another world event and being able to represent New Zealand on the global stage in these challenging times," Williamson was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com. The Kiwis first need to negotiate the Super 12 phase, made tricky by Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. To add to it, the top seed from Group B and second seed from Group A of the First Round will join them, and Williamson is wary of the challenge. "It's always a highly competitive event with every team possessing match-winners who can turn
games quickly. We've got a strong pool with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan so far. All teams are strong which make way for an exciting competition."
New Zealand will play Bangladesh and Pakistan in three T20Is each throughout September in preparation for their campaign and adapting to the conditions will be important for the success of Williamson's men. "We saw in last year's IPL in the UAE that surfaces can change over the course of a tournament and seam bowling as well as spin can work in the conditions. Tournament play is unique and hopefully we can adapt to what's in front of us and try and gain some momentum." For Williamson, there's much anticipation for the event, beginning a year after its original scheduling. "After so much disruption to world sport due to the pandemic it feels like there's a lot of excitement about this T20 World Cup." New Zealand begin their campaign on October 26 against Pakistan.
Neeraj ends 2021 season, aims to come back stronger next year New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS): Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra on Thursday said that he has decided to end his 2021 competition season because of 'the packed travel schedule and a bout of illness' upon his return from Tokyo.
The javelin thrower took to Instagram to share the news with his fans. "The packed schedule of travel and a bout of illness has meant I have not been able to resume training since Tokyo and
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therefore, along with my team, have decided to cut short (my) 2021 competition season to be able to take some time off, recharge and come back stronger for a packed 2022 calendar which includes the World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games," wrote Neeraj in a lengthy post. Neeraj became the country's first track and field athlete to clinch gold at the Olympics. He added the golden sheen to his campaign in Tokyo, bagging India's first
Olympic gold since Abhinav Bindra achieved the feat thirteen years ago.
The 23-year-old Chopra has been attending various felicitation functions across the country after winning historic gold in Tokyo. "Firstly, I want to thank everyone for the love and affection I have received since I came back from Tokyo. I have honestly been overwhelmed by the support from across the country and beyond, and am short of words to express my gratitude to you all," he said.
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SPORTS
Cairns returns to Canberra, but suffers paralysis in legs after stroke Canberra, Aug 27 (IANS): Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has returned to his residence in Canberra. But he faces a long road to recovery, especially after having paralysis in his legs due to a stroke in his spine. The 51-year-old remains in a serious condition after suffering complications following a major heart surgery in Sydney. Cairns suffered an aortic dissection and was transferred to Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital on life support earlier this month. "During the life saving emergency heart surgery Chris underwent in Sydney he suffered a stroke in his spine. This has resulted in paralysis in his legs," said a statement by his lawyer Aaron Lloyd, according to stuff.co.nz. "As a result he will be undertaking a significant rehabilitation process at a specialist spinal hospital in Australia." Aortic dissection is a serious medical condition in which a tear happens in the inner layer of the body's main artery (aorta).
Last week, Cairns was taken off life support and was able to communicate with his family.
"Chris and his family remain appreciative of the immense public support as they deal with this difficult time. They also appreciate the way in which their privacy has been respected. Chris and his family now want to focus on spending time together where possible and making whatever progress they can in his recovery. We will update everyone when there is more news, but that is likely to be some time away," further said the statement. Cairns, the son of former New Zealand all-rounder Lance Cairns, played 62 Tests, 215 ODIs, and two T20Is for New Zealand from 1989 to 2006. He amassed 3,320 runs at an average of 33.53 and scalped 218 wickets at an average of 29.40 in Test cricket. In ODIs, Cairns scored 4,950 runs at an average of 29.46 and took 201 wickets with an average of 32.80. He was also named as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the year in 2000.
Asian Junior Boxing: Rohit, Bharat bag gold; silver for Gaurav IANS
New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS): Indian boxers Rohit Chamoli and Bharat Joon on Sunday clinched gold medals at the 2021 ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Championships in Dubai after winning their respective final bouts. Whereas, Gaurav Saini had to settle with silver. According to information received here, Rohit defeated Mongolia's Otgonbayar Tuvshinzaya to hand the country its first gold medal at the ongoing championships. Playing in the junior bo's' 48kg final, the boxer from Chandigarh continued his impressive form in the prestigious continental event and showed good tactical brilliance. After making a cautious start, Rohit's timely and precise punches gave him an edge over his Mongolian opponent in a close-fought match as the Indian managed to secure a 3-2 win as well as the gold medal. Bharat (+81kg) then added one more gold to India's tally as the lanky boy from Haryana outclassed Kaza'hstan's Yerdos Sharipbek and secured a win by unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Gaurav Saini suffered a 5-0 defeat against his Uzbek opponent Boltaev Shavkatjon (UZB) in the 70kg final and ended with a silver medal. The India boys finished their campaign in the junior category with two gold, one silver, and
three bronze medals. Earlier, Ashish (54kg), Anshul (57kg), and Ankush (66kg) claimed bronze after losing in the semi-finals.
Later, ten Indian boxers Muskan (46kg), Vishu Rathee (48kg), Tanu (52kg), Aanchal Saini (57kg), Nikita (60kg), Mahi Raghav (63kg), Rudrika (70kg), Pranjal Yadav (75kg), Sanjana (81kg) and Kirti (+81kg) will fight for gold in 'he girls' finals. India have won six bronze medals in the junior event with Devika Ghorpade (50kg), Aarzoo (54kg), and Supriya Rawat (66kg) finishing i' the girls' semi-finals In the last Asian Junior Championships held in 2019 in Fujairah, UAE, India had finished third with 21 medals (six gold, nine silver, and six bronze)-13 of those medals came'in the girls' category (four gold, six silver, and three bronze) while eight medals were claime' in the boys' section (two gold, three silver, and three bronze). The gold medallists in the junior category will be awarded USD 4,000 while USD 2,000 and 1,000 will be given to the silver and bronze medal winners respectively. India's 15 boxers will fight for gold as the finals of the youth event will take place on Monday. Nivedita (48kg), Tamanna (50kg), Simran (52kg), Neha (54kg), Preeti (57kg), Preeti Dahiya (60kg), Khushi (63kg), Sneha (66kg), Khushi (75kg), Tanishbir (81kg) will be in action in the women's category while, among men, Vishvanath Suresh (48kg), Bishwamitra Chongtham (51kg), Jaydeep Rawat (71kg), Vanshaj (64kg) and Vishal (80kg) will play their finals.
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INDIA NEWS
Avani Lekhara wins gold for India in 10m air rifle
TOI
PARALYMPICS 2021
Paralympics: Yogesh Kathuniya wins silver in discus throw F56 East Mojo
Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS): India's Avani Lekhara won the first gold medal for the country at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Women's 10m Air Rifle SH1 with a world record score of 249.6 in the elimination round on Monday. The 19-year-old Avani, who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, qualified seventh for the final but shot superbly to leapfrog to the top in the final. China's Zhang Cuiping took silver,as she did in Rio 2016, with a score of 248.9 while Ukraine's Iryna Schetnik finished with a total of 227.5 for bronze.
Jhajharia misses gold, Gurjar bags bronze in javelin F46 The Statesman
spear to 64.35 off his third throw. He tried to improve it further but fouled his next two throws and could manage only 61.23 on his sixth and final attempt. It was quiet redemption for Gurjar as he had tragically missed a chance to compete at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 because he turned up late for his event.
Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS): Double Paralympic Games gold medallist Devendra Jhajaria's hopes of extending his legacy by winning the third gold did not materialise as the Indian had to be satisfied with a silver medal in the men's Javelin Throw F46 category at Tokyo 2020 on Monday. Jhajharia, who won gold medals in 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio with world record throws, threw 64.35, much farther than his world record of 63.97 but Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyan Mudiyanselage Herath produced a gigantic throw of 67.79 to set a new world record and win the gold medal. Sundar Singh Gurjar, a twotime World Championship gold
medallist, took bronze with a best throw of 64.01 metres on Monday. Jhajharia had reached Tokyo with hopes of winning a third gold medal in javelin throw F46, the first Indian to do so. He was in good form coming into Tokyo Paralympics as he had crossed his world record mark during the national trials at New Delhi in June this year. He was quite confident of repeating his performance and winning his third gold with a world record. Indeed he did manage to produce his personal best but Herath turned out to be a surprise package. Jhajharia had started with 60.28 in his first throw and hurled the
On Monday, Gurjar started with 62.26 metres in his first throw and produced his best distance of the day with 64.01 in his fifth chance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Jhajaria's silver medalwinning feat, tweeting, "Superb performance by @DevJhajharia! One of our most experienced athletes wins a Silver medal. Devendra has been making India continuously proud. Congratulations to him. Best of luck for his future endeavours. #Paralympics." For Gurjar, PM Modi tweeted, "India is overjoyed by the Bronze medal won by @SundarSGurjar. He has shown remarkable courage and dedication. Congratulations to him. Wishing him the very best. #Paralympics."
Nishad wins silver in high jump Tokyo, Aug 29 (IANS): India's Nishad Kumar won a silver medal in men's high jump T47 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Sunday, clearing the bar at 2.06 and equalling the Asian record in the procesS. Nishad finished second behind Roderick Townsend of the United States, who set a world record by clearing 2 metres and 15 centimetres. The 21-year-old Nishad who hails from Una in Himachal Pradesh started with 1.89 metres which he cleared easily. He cleared 1.94 in his second effort and 1.98 in his third jump.
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His best effort of 2.06 came in his fifth jump and though he went for 2.09 in his final chance, he could not clear it and had to settle for second place.
Townsend, the 29-year-old from Louisville, started with 2.02 metres and went on to steadily improve it to 2.15 in his fifth jump. He went for 2.18 in his sixth and last jump but could not clear it. This was India's second silver medal of the day and also the second at the Tokyo Games after Bhavina Patel claimed silver in the women's singles Class 4 table tennis on Sunday morning. Nishad, who suffers lower-limb
impairment, trains at the Sports Authority of India facilities at Bangalore and is participating in his first Paralympic Games. He won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Dubai in 2019.
A physical education student from Lovely Professional University, Nishad began competing in paraathletics in 2009 and has won several medals at the national level. Ram Pal, the other Indian in the fray in the event, finished fifth with a personal best effort of 1.94 metres.
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Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS): Yogesh Kathuniya of India won a silver medal in the men's discus throw F56, finishing second with a distance of 44.38 in the final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Monday. Brazil's Santos doe Claudiney Batista bagged the gold with a new Paralympic Games record of 45.59 while Cuba's Leonardo Alandana Diaz took bronze with a best throw of 43.36. Kathuniya, the 24-year-old from Delhi who suffered a paralytic attack at the age of eight which resulted in impaired coordination in his limbs, was in gold medal
position till Batista achieved 44.57 in his first throw as the seventh athlete in order of throws. In Standing or Seated Discus Throw, each participant makes all his/her six throws at one go before the next participant in the order gets his chance. The Brazilian produced his best effort of 45.59 in his sixth and last throw to set a Paralympic Games record. Kathuniya, who achieved his season's best on Monday had to be satisfied with silver as the Brazilian is the world record holder in this category with a best of 46.58.
Vinod Kumar claims bronze in discus F52 Tokyo, Aug 29 (IANS): Vinod Kumar won India's third medal on National Sports Day, claiming a bronze in discus throw F52 event at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Sunday, hurling the disc to 19.91 metres for an Asian record. The 42-year-old Vinod, who took up para-athletics in his 30s, cleared 19.91 in the seated/ standing discus throw event on his fifth effort. He finished third behind Poland's gold medallist Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) and Croatia's Velimir Sandor (19.98). At one stage, the 42-year-old from Rohtak in Haryana was placed second before Sandor cleared 19.98 in his fifth throw to take the silver medal. Vinod, ranked sixth in the world, had started with 19.09 metres in his first throw before he managed to clear 19.81 in his second chance, clearly establishing his intent to fight for the medal. Vinod comes from a family of army men. His father got injured in the 1971 war. Vinod joined BSF but had to leave after suffering an injury in 2002 when he fell off a cliff in Leh leading to severe injuries to his legs. He was bedridden for close to 10 years. Vinod opened a shop near the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Rohtak and got interested in paraathletics watching Rio Paralympic
Games coverage on television. Starting training under local coaches at the stadium near his house, Vinod, who is married and has two daughters aged seven and two, burst onto the scene in the 2018 and 2019 Nationals when he won bronze medals in the F53 discus throw. He was classified in the F52 category during his first international event at Handisport Open Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris in 2019. Vinod stood fourth in the World Championships in Dubai which secured him a berth in Tokyo. This is his first medal in the Paralympics.
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ART & CULTURE
We are all political in one way GMR has come forward to adopt Golconda Fort: or another: Artist Sujith SN Kishan Reddy IANS
are times I also create maximal compositions. I like exploring both and moving between the two slowly," he says. For someone who does not 'push' political/ideological ideas in his works, he believes that we are all political in one way or another. Stressing that when it comes to his work, he keeps away from that as he is not interested in narrating any political event. "That limits the viewing of an artwork. I'd like my work to remain timeless. I really enjoy politically inclined works that do not promote any sort of linear narration. I would like my work to survive," says this pass-out from the College of Fine Arts, Thrissur, University of Calicut. Believing in practising his art every day with a view to sharpen his language in terms of thinking, Sujith says that he has always been very particular about the colour he uses in his works to represent certain creations.
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hen the Covid pandemic hit, it was a fight for survival.
Along with his wife and kids, artist Sujith S.N. was in Mumbai during the first wave, craving to meet close family and friends. That is when he started painting portraits. But he did not depict any one in specific in his portraits, it was just an urge to view another human. During the second wave, he moved back to his hometown in Kerala with limited painting materials. "When I realised that the pandemic was not ending anytime soon, I started digging into my imagination for inspiration. I built the whole set of works based on my imagination. The title 'Emphasizing Stillness' has been inspired by David Hockney's picture by the same name which freeze-frames the scene, loading it with tension and expectation for what might happen next," he says, talking about his recent exhibition 'Act II: Emphasizing Stillness' at Vadehra Art Gallery in
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the national capital. For someone who prefers watercolours owing to their "unpredictability", Sujith feels that with oil, acrylic and other such materials, one knows what exact shade of colour is being used. "However, with watercolour, you may reach somewhere you would not expect. Even the physical surroundings and climate affects the pigment from every shade. It helps me explore and find myself," says the artist, who won the Foundation of Indian Contemporary Art's Emerging Artist Award in 2011. Having dones shows titled 'The City and Tower', 'Map is not the Territory', 'Stains of Stimuli' and 'Archipelago', among others, the artist, whose style is recognised through landscapes and watercolours, says that he is often narrating an event in a specific style, something that challenges him. "More often than not, I paint very minimal sceneries. But, there
"It is paramount to me and my style of depiction. I am a processoriented artist and that is what takes me forward," he says. Sujith finds inspiration everywhere - ideas, books, movies and music. Then comes scribbling on paper, something that is carried on for weeks. "When I start, there is no intention to turn the same into a painting. It is only after a couple weeks that I decide to make the work larger and then go where it takes me. I never expect a scribbled version of my drawing to look similar to when I actually start painting it. It is always unique," he says. Remembering the lockdowns again, Sujith feels that when one is in panic mode, he tends to switch off. "But when you understand the situation, and learn how to work around it, you do tend to respond better and become more comfortable. This is when I started to paint portraits -waiting to see close family and friends," he concludes.
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Hyderabad, Aug 24 (IANS): Infrastructure major GMR has come forward to adopt the historic Golconda Fort, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday. He told reporters that talks are on with GMR in this regard. This would be on the lines of Dalmia Bharat Group adopting the Red Fort under the Union Tourism Ministry's 'Adopt a heritage' scheme. In 2018, Dalmia had won the contract worth Rs 25 crore for five years. The minister said the works at Red Fort under public private partnership mode will be launched next month. He said some private companies had come forward to undertake various works at the monuments under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) with CSR funds. The works will include improving facilities for tourists, designing light and sound shows. Reddy said that the Dalmia company has also come forward to adopt Gandikota in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. The company will carry out development works and run the historic fort but will not make money as it is doing these works to protect the heritage as a service to society, he added. He said various works for beautification will be taken up at 75 historic monuments across the country as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. He said he felt proud that after he took over as the Tourism and Culture Minister, the Ramappa temple in Mulugu district of Telangana received UNESCO world heritage site status. "It's a matter of pride that this is the first heritage site in the Telugu states to get the coveted status," he said. Reddy said since Ramappa temple would now attract international tourists, his ministry would work with the Telangana government to improve infrastructure in Mulugu. The officials of the ASI and Tourism Ministry will discuss with the state government officials on how to develop Ramappa temple as a key tourism
and spiritual destination. He said out of 3,700 monuments which are under the ASI across the country, Telangana account for only eight monuments. He said this indicate the neglect of heritage in the state and also the injustice done to the state in the past. Stating that tourism almost came to a standstill for last two years due to Covid-19 pandemic, he hoped that vaccination of majority of people by December this year will help in reviving the sector with new enthusiasm from new year. He said the Tourism Department would launch a campaign to invite tourists from January 1. "Currently, we are not inviting tourists. Some domestic tourists are visiting the tourism places here and there on their own but we will start inviting tourists from the next year," he said. The minister pointed out that tourism's share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 5 per cent and the sector accounts for 9-12 per cent employment in the country. "We need to increase this share and for this the Centre, state governments and all other stakeholders will have to work together," he said. Reddy said the Tourism Ministry would also launch 'Dekho apna desh' campaign from January 1 to attract tourists. The ministry is working out on the incentives to be given under this campaign, which is aimed at inviting tourists to explore large number of historic monuments, rivers, waterfalls and places of natural beauty across the country.
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BOOKS & LITERATURE
'Oval Office akin to a Star Wars bar Travelling with mythology scene during Trump's final days' IANS
IANS
police officers. Four officers who responded to the riot committed suicide within seven months of the incident. The Capitol was cleared of the rioters only by mid-evening.
Politics has given some shocking and confounding moments, but none have come close to the careening final days of Donald Trump's presidency: The surreal stage management of his reelection campaign, his audacious election challenge, the harrowing mayhem of the storming of the Capitol and the buffoonery of the second impeachment trial.
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e won. Won in a landslide. This was a landslide," Donald Trump had declared on January 6, triggering a violent attack by his supporters on the US Capitol in Washington seeking to overturn his defeat in the 2020 Presidential elections by disrupting a joint session of the Congress to count the electoral votes that would formalise Joe Bidens victory. The building was vandalised for several hours. Five people died either shortly before, during or after the mayhem: One was shot by Capitol Police, one died of a drug overdose and three succumbed to natural causes. Scores were injured, including 138
But what was really going on in the inner sanctum of the White House during these calamitous events? What did the President and his dwindling cadre of loyalists actually believe? And what were they planning? Drawing on an exclusive and wide range of sources who took part in or witnessed Trump's closing moments, award-winning author Michael Wolff finds the Oval Office more chaotic and bizarre than ever before, a kind of "Star Wars" bar scene. At all times of the day, Trump, hunched behind the Resolute desk, is surrounded by schemers and unqualified sycophants who spoon-feed him the "alternative facts" he hungers to hear -- about Covid-19, Black Lives Matter
protests, and, most of all, his chance of winning the reelection.
In this extraordinary telling of a unique moment in history, Wolff gives readers front row seats as Trump's circle of plotters whittles down to the most enabling and the least qualified - and the president overreaches the bounds of democracy, entertaining the idea of martial law and balking at calling off the insurrectionist mob that threatens the hallowed seat of democracy itself. Wolff pulled back the curtain on the Trump presidency with his globally bestselling "Fire and Fury" and "Siege". Now, in "Landslide - The Final Days of the Trump Presidency" (Little Brown), he completes the trilogy with a final, astonishingly candid tale. Wolff has received numerous awards for his work, including two National Magazine Awards. He has been a regular columnist for Vanity Fair, New York, the Hollywood Reporter, British GQ, USA Today and the Guardian. He is the author of seven books, including the international phenomenon "Fire and Fury", the bestselling "Burn Rate" and "The Man Who Owns the News". He lives in Manhattan and has four children.
Chronicling 500 years of Indian immigration to Britain IANS
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his is a chronicle of fivehundred years of Indian immigration to Britain as it explores the adventures of the imperial capital and how its saga fuelled the journey of Indian independence In September 1600, Queen Elizabeth and London are made to believe that the East India Company will change England's fortunes forever. With William Shakespeare's death, the heart of Albion starts throbbing with four centuries of an extraordinary Indian settlement that author Arup K. Chatterjee unfolds in "Indians in London" (Bloomsbury). In five acts that follow, we are
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taken past the churches destroyed by the fire of Pudding Lane; the late eighteenth-century curry houses in Mayfair and Marylebone; and the coming of Indian lascars, ayahs, delegates, students and lawyers in London. From the baptism of Peter Pope (in the year Shakespeare died) to the death of Catherine of Bengal; the chronicles of Joseph Emin, Abu Taleb and Mirza Ihtishamuddin to Sake Dean Mahomet's Hindoostane Coffee House; Gandhi's experiments in Holborn to the recovery of the lost manuscript of Tagore's Gitanjali in Baker Street; Jinnah's trysts with Shakespeare to Nehru's duels with destiny; Princess Sophia's defiance of the royalty to Anand establishing the Progressive Writers' Association in Soho; Aurobindo Ghose's Victorian idylls to Subhas Chandra Bose's interwar days; the four Indian politicians who sat at Westminster to the blood pacts for Pakistan; India in the shockwaves at Whitehall to India in the radiowaves at the BBC; the intrigues of India House and India League to hundreds of East Bengali restaurateurs seasoning curries and kebabs around Brick Lane�the book details all this and more.
"Indians in London" is a scintillating adventure across the Thames, the Embankment, the Southwarks, Bloomsburys, Kensingtons, Piccadillys, Wembleys and Brick Lanes that saw a nation-a cultural, historical and literary revolution that redefined London over half a millennium of Indian migrationsreborn as independent India. Arup K. Chatterjee is an Associate Professor at O.P. Jindal Global University. In 2014, he was a recipient of the Charles Wallace fellowship, to United Kingdom. His interests are in the history of British imperialism, politics and philosophy; British cultural and historical encounters with India; and colonial and postcolonial historiography of India; Vedanta and Nondualism; and Indian philosophy and psychoanalysis.
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he KLF Bhava Samvad hosted a session on the book 'In the footsteps of Rama - Travels with Ramayana' (HarperCollins) on Monday, which witnessed the participation of authors Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni, moderated by economist and author Sanjeev Sanyal.
than in time. There were many things happening on the way. For example, the 'Surpanakha' event happened in Nasik," replied Kulkarni.
Sanyal chose to start with the anecdotes of childhood and Ramayana. He said, "Ramayana is a journey that everyone has gone through as a child."
To this, Kulkarni replied that all through the trip, they realised the locations described were very clearly at the spots. "We thought the places we were going to are authentic because we had read about them," he added.
He then asked, "In the beginning of the book, you look for the Tamasa river. However, you couldn't find it. Is that the case that you didn't find a dry riverbed or no one could tell you where it was?" "There were a lot of myths that we discovered as we went along with the research for the book. We didn't find a small stream which we could locally believe was the Tamasa river. We were actually trying to find the exact spot from where Ram, Sita and Laxman along with Sumant crossed over so that they could be out of the boundary of Ayodhya and start moving towards Allahabad. It took us quite some time to find that spot because nobody was really sure of it. But we eventually found it and there is a small stream which we believe was originally the Tamasa river," said Pande. "There was a ghat at Tamasa where they were supposed to have camped. So it's very much there, but it's a narrow stream," added Kulkarni. Sanyal further asked, "I discovered in the book that the three of them spent most of their time in Chitrakoot and not in Panchavati. Is it the case with Valmiki Ramayana, or Tulsi Ramayana or is it everywhere?" "Both in Valmiki and Tulsi Ramayana, you will find the same thing - 11 years, 11 months, 11 days. We have generally treated Ramayana more in stories
Digging deeper into the details of research, Sanyal asked, "Do the locations described fit with what you actually saw?"
"The three which I read in great detail were Valmiki Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas and Kamba Ramayana. Interestingly, in the Telugu Ramayana by Gona Budda Reddy, I found the mention of Laxman Rekha somewhere around 1300 AD. But Tulsidas or Valmiki did not talk about it at all," said Pande. Talking about the research, they said that it was done in pieces and not in one stretch. "We started in September 2019 and ended in March 2020. If we wanted to do this as a tourist, we would have started at one point and ended at another. But we were going to one location, collecting stories, facts and then cross-checking, indexing, and writing them down and then moving on to the next point," the authors added. Speaking about KLF's virtual session Bhava Samvad, Rashmi Ranjan Parida, founder and director of KLF, said, "KLF Bhava Samvad was initiated to keep the literary spirit intact during lockdown because of the pandemic. But the rapid growth of the platform and after receiving immense love from the audience, the KLF Bhava Samvad has reached its 260th session with legendary literary figures, artists from across the globe, and will continue to stay as a permanent platform."
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TRAVEL
National Handloom Day: Destinations for home grown handlooms Pexel
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th August has been declared as National Handloom Day with an aim to generate awareness for the handloom industry in India. In its 7th year, this day focuses on the contribution of handloom to the socio-economic development of the country and the aim to increase the income of weavers. From Madhya Pradesh’s Maheshwari to Karnataka’s Ilkal fabric, Booking.com, one of the world's leading travel platforms has curated a list of destinations for fabric, fashion and handloom loyalists to visit: Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh) for Maheshwari handloom: Home to
Kasuti. The designs used in Kasuti reflect traditional patters like palanquins, elephants, and lotuses which are embroidered onto Ilkal sarees. After trying on Ilkal sarees, travellers can also explore the city of Ilkal by visiting Banashankari Temple, Badami Cave temple, Lad Khan temple, and Durga Temple.
India’s richest handloom fabric traditions, Maheshwar is a small town in the city of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh. The history of the fabric dates back to the 18th century when its intricate design became a huge hit amongst the royal circle. This fine handloom today not only represents Indian handlooms at an international market but also promotes the craftsmanship of Indian labourers. Travellers visiting Maheshwar must definitely get their hands on colourful Maheshwari sarees. While in Maheshwar, travellers can also visit the Ahilya Fort
situated on the banks of Narmada, Holkar fort and the famous Rajwada. Ilkal (Karnataka) for Ilkal handloom: Located in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, Ilkal is an ancient weaving centre famous for its Ilkah handloom. Travellers visiting Ilkal will be fascinated with the detailing of the saree which is made with a technique called Tope Teni, where the pallu is weaved with the body of the saree. Ilkal saree also takes its name from the town of Ilkal and the distinctive feature of Ilkal sarees is the use of a form of embroidery called
Sualkuchi (Assam) for Golden Muga Silk: Situated on the northern banks of the Brahmaputra, Sualkuchi is famous for its centuries-old heritage of weaving. Other than the picturesque tea gardens, the beautiful monasteries and delicious local food, travellers should visit the village of Sualkuchi and shop the lovely Muga silk. This rare form of quintessential fabric has gained popularity and has been worn by women for centuries. The gorgeous fabric is known for its extreme durability and natural yellowish-golden tint. Legends have it that it was once only reserved for the ladies of the royal family. In fact, it is often compared to being as expensive as buying gold. Bishnupur (West Bengal) for Baluchari sarees: The word ‘Baluchari’ means sandy riverbank, signifying the origins of the handloom to a small village called Baluchar situated on the banks of the river Bhagirathi.
The handloom is known for its depictions of mythological scenes on the pallu of the saree. Located in West Bengal, Bishnupur is a small town that is currently the only place where one can find authentic Baluchari sarees. When it is safe to travel, one can visit Bishnupur to add Baluchari saree to their collection. Bishnupur is also home to temples, heritage sites and museums which can make your trip a memorable one. Patan (Gujarat) for Patola saree: Patola, a double ikat woven saree, translates into ‘Queen of Silk’ and is one of the finest silk sarees produced in Patan, known to be the capital of Gujarat in medieval times. The history of the Patola sarees dates back to the 12th century, where it is said that the handloom craft was introduced by the Salvi caste who are believed to migrate to Gujarat with the intention of acquiring the patronage of the Solanki Rajputs, who used to dress in patola silk themselves on special occasions. The patola saree is quite an expensive handloom due to the nature of its technique and is today manufactured only by a handful of weavers in Patan. Patan has an old-world charm, where travellers can find beautiful attractions like Jain temple, Hemachandracharya Gyan Mandir, Khan Sarovar, Rani ki Vav and Sahastrilanga Talav.
Chaukori: A paradise-like experience for nature lovers IANS
Devi, Nanda Kot and Panchachuli peak. To promote tourism in the state and places like Chaukori for better economic opportunities for natives is the utmost priority of our government. I also appeal to the coming tourists to follow covid appropriate behaviour and come here with necessary documents.”
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estled in the lofty peaks of the Himalayas with jawdropping views of majestic Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot and the Panchachuli peaks, this hill station of Pithoragarh district can spellbound any soul to stay there forever. Indeed it is one of those special places that can immerse one into the relish of nature. Surrounded by the wonderful hills with the gurgling sound of the river and the thick vegetation of the vast Himalayas, Chaukori is an ideal destination for nature
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and travel enthusiasts. Well connected by road, Chaukori attracts tourists from all over the world. In recent times, its scenic beauty and temples are being the major attraction for tourists. The famous Ulka Devi temple and Ghansera Devi temple here showcase beautiful stone carvings of various Gods which makes it spiritually more appealing. Then the mesmerizing tea gardens ringed with lofty Himalayan peaks look like a
canvas drawn by its almighty himself. The view of the sunrise in the backdrop of snow-capped peaks from here looks wonderful and rejuvenating. Nearly every sight brings peace to the heart and the clean and cool air infuses new energy in the body. Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj said: “Uttarakhand attracts tourists from all over the world for its natural beauty. Tourists love Chaukori for the magnificent view of the royal Himalayas, the magnificent Nanda
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Adding about the development at these offbeat places, Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar said: “We are continuously working to develop offbeat location in Uttarakhand. Chaukori is one such place that has a huge potential for workcation and a getaway from the hustle-bustle of the city. Our tourism circuits are one such step which is making these destinations popular and bringing more footfalls to these places. This is attracting more tourists which are also regulating the rural economy. ” District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) Amit Lohani said: “Chaukori is one of the best offbeat places that is attracting tourists from all over the country especially people interested in workcation. We are working to develop adventure sports like
cycling along with other water sports for providing a better experience to the tourists. Apart from this, one can visit the villages here and get acquainted with Kumaoni art, culture and traditions. There is an amazingly inspiring view of Trishul, Chaukhamba Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot and Panchchuli peak from various spots here.” Connectivity Chaukori is 530 km away from Delhi. It is well connected by motorable roads with the nearest airport being 250km away. The nearest railway is Kathgodam which is about 180 km away. Taxi service is also available in Chaukori and Almora, Bageshwar is half an hour drive away. Nearby places to visit One can visit Kapileshwar Mahadev Temple here. This temple is located in the Saur Valley of Pithoragarh. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is situated inside the 10 meter Andheri cave. Mahakali Temple at Gangolihat is a famous temple of Maa Kalika which is situated amidst deodar forests. You can also visit the Nag Mandir among the religious places.
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TRAVEL
The best hockey stadiums in India
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elebrated on 29th August, National Sports Day commemorates the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand Singh. This day was included in the list of celebratory days in India for the first time in 2012 and since then, its also celebrated in order to spread awareness around the importance of physical activities and sports in life. This year makes this day even more special with India recently winning the bronze medal in hockey at the Tokyo Olympics. Not only that, India will soon have its largest hockey stadium in Rourkela by the end of July 2022. So while we wait for this stadium to get built, Booking.com, has curated a list of hockey stadiums around the country that you can visit now, as an ode to Dhyan Chand and the sport he mastered and maybe enjoy a game of hockey too! Shilaroo Hockey Stadium (Shilaroo), Himachal Pradesh Known to be the highest hockey stadium in the world, Shilaroo Hockey Stadium is located at an altitude of 8,000 feet in Shilaroo, a small highway village located about 55km ahead of Shimla. Surrounded by beautiful Narkanda and Hatu peaks, this stadium was constructed by the Sports Authority of India in 2010. The stadium boasts of one of the most modern facilities for hockey including synthetic turf, and indoor facilities for handball, volleyball, badminton and many other sports, and also has a gymnasium and hostel facilities.
Once done exploring the stadium and its splendid view, travelers can go for forest walks, visit the local market, spend time at Manan temple or trek to the Hatu Peak. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Hockey Stadium (Raipur) Chhattisgarh
Inaugurated on the 109th birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand in 2015, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Hockey Stadium is one of most renowned hockey stadiums located in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. With a capacity of 4000 spectators, this stadium has a blue astroturf and is the second international hockey stadium in Chhattisgarh. This stadium saw its first match between India men's national field hockey team and Australia men's national field hockey team on 19 November, 2015. Travelers visiting Raipur could visit the stadium in the morning and spend the rest of the day exploring the city by going on jeep safaris at the Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary or hiking to the tallest mountain in the region, Kila Dongri or Gadiya Mountain. Maulana Md. Tayabullah Hockey Stadium (Guwahati) Assam Built in 2007, Maulana Md. Tayabullah Hockey Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Guwahati. With a seating capacity of 2000 people, this stadium has witnessed many important matches in the past. It was the hockey venue for the 33rd National Games of India in 2007, 12th South Asian Games in 2016,
and the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games. Travelers planning to visit Guwahati should make a stop at this stadium surrounded by greenery and then head on to explore the beautiful city of Guwahati. Travellers can start off with an outing to the State Zoo, spot the great Indian One-horned rhinoceros at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and end the day by taking a long stroll down Nehru Park with family and friends.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium (Firozpur), Punjab Firozpur, the city of historical relevance in Punjab nested on the banks of river Sutlej, is home to the Shaheed Bhagat Singh stadium that is mainly used for field hockey and has also seen many hockey legends in action, including Major Dhyan Chand himself who played on this ground. When in Firozpur, travelers can also visit the Jain Mandir, Pothimala, and Gurudwara Gurusar that are in the must visit lists of various travelers. There are also several museums and memorials, such as Anglo Sikh War Memorial, Saragarhi Memorial, National Martyrs Memorial, and Barki Memorial, that give an insight into the glorious history of Firozpur. And if you are someone who loves to embrace natural and ecological settings, you can visit the Harike Wild Life Sanctuary located around 58 km from the destination. Kollam International Hockey Stadium (Kollam), Kerala The Kollam International Hockey
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stadium is located in Kollam, a city in Kerala that is historically known to be an ancient trade hub. The stadium is known to be first of its kind in Kerala with a seating capacity of 5,000 spectators. The stadium has a very scenic vibe as it nestled amidst much greenery around the Ashtamudi Lake. While you visit the stadium
when it is safe to do so, you can also explore the city of Kolam. The beaches, the temples and the rustic villages make Kollam a remarkable experience. While in Kollam, you can also add Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary to your checklist if you are looking at spending some time amidst nature.
Stunning UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany
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ermany’s rich cultural heritage has been further recognised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), after seven new locations in the country were awarded World Heritage Site status during the 44th UNESCO meeting in China. With the updated official UNESCO list counting more than 1,000 sites in 167 countries around the world, Germany now boasts 51 recognised World Heritage Sites, the third-highest of any nation globally after Italy (58) and China (56).
Germany’s World Heritage Sites comprise three natural locations and 48 cultural locations. As a key destination to experience natural and cultural treasures, Indian visitors can discover a plethora of diverse World Heritage Sites along eight routes in Germany, which begin and end near international airports, making them easily accessible from regional gateways. Due to their uniqueness and authenticity, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany are considered significant for humanity therefore under special protection.
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Mathildenhohe artists' colony in Darmstadt
camps and temples formed the roots
Founded in 1899 by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig, Mathildenhohe artists' colony has been noted as a historic center of modern-day architecture and art in Europe. Prior to the turn of the century, aspiring architects and artists had the opportunity to turn their ideas into experimentation, inspiring what is now known as the Bauhaus art movement. The infamous location includes a wedding tower designed by the architect Joseph-Maria Olbrich, seen as a landmark of the city and an excellent vantage point over the RhineMain plain.
of today's large cities, including Bonn and Cologne.
The Lower Germanic Limes The 400-kilometer section of the ancient Roman border fortifications runs along the North Rhine-Westphalia to Katwijk Rhineland-Palatinate through the Dutch North Sea coast. The Lower Germanic Limes is now noted as a World Heritage Site as part of the 'Borders of the Roman Empire' series. The river formed a natural border between the Roman province, where life across 44 towns, forts, legionary
IANS
The Danube Limes The Danube Limes follow the course of the Danube River from what is known today as Bad Gogging in Bavaria, through Austria and Slovakia. As the second-longest river in Europe, the Roman military frontiers stretch approximately 600-kilometer and has contributed to the development of the cultural landscape. Parts of the earlier facilities are still visible today and are carefully developed for tourists to visit, the archaeological sites ‘document niedermunster’ and the ‘Porta Praetoria’ in Regensburg are key examples of popular destinations. Significant spa towns in Europe With European spa culture peaking between the 1700 and the 1930s, Germany’s abundant spa towns around mineral springs have far more than historic and medical significance; these major urban developments created
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an architectural framework for recreation, cultural and social life. Not only have the German spa towns of Baden-Baden, Bad Ems and Bad Kissingen been recognised by UNESCO, eight additional European spa towns have been awarded listings Germany began welcoming European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved, fully vaccinated travelers on 25 June. All travelers are advised to check individual German states entry requirements before travel. (Inputs from German National Tourist Office India)
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WHAT’S ON
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WHAT’S ON
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Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
Neha Sharma: Conviction of telling story sells film to actor
"Vikalp" is about a small town girl with many aspirations who has moved to a metro city to fulfill her dreams. The director, who has previously helmed short films such as "The School Bag", starring Rasika Duggal, finds runtime is irrelevant. Jindal said: "I am of the belief that format, runtime are irrelevant and the power of a story is what eventually shines in a film. I love the short films I have made because they had to be punchy and potent at the same time. I am so grateful to Neha for trusting my vision. We had a ball of a time working together." "Vikalp" starring Neha Sharma and Anshul Chauhan in lead roles, released on Large Short Films.
Samantha Akkineni: I'm more open now to enter Hindi entertainment space Instagram
hen celebrated south Indian actress Samantha Akkineni signed her debut web series 'The Family Man 2' in 2019, the first season of the show was yet to be released. Now, after two seasons and 19 episodes, the show is so loved by the audience that they cannot wait for the third season. As Samantha won the Best Performance (Female) in Web Series at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, in conversation with IANS she opens up on what made her step into the unknown territory of web series. Samantha told IANS: "My basic parameter of choosing any script is to try something new. When the story was narrated to me, I felt like Raji's character is something that I have never done before in
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the character through her performance, decoding her interpretation of 'Raji', Samantha said, "I think Raji is not a negative character at all. She is just on the wrong side of history you know, she is a hero to her people, to her community. As a human beings we all do things that we do not prefer to talk about...but she is fiercely loyal to her people and she is fighting for a cause. I also think that the writer of the show has done a great job with the way the character of Raji has been written, it was well-edged out." my career so far. It is an added bonus that being an admirer of Manoj sir's work, I got a chance to work with him on the first project itself, on web series. "Look, I am an actor who is always looking for a chance to go out of my comfort zone. It is my drive... my self-doubt, my sleepless nights of two-three days before the shooting starts; my constant doubt if I can pull it off, if I can bring life to a character that I never met in reality...that whole nervous energy that drives me crazy, also help me to grow as an artiste." In the show, Samantha played antagonist 'Raji' who is a rebel leader. While the actress says she attempted to humanised
Emraan said.
Quizzed if he feels his film can pull audiences back to the theatres, the actor replied: "I don't know. Nobody knows what is going to happen in this pandemic and what's going to turn out. Whoever feels okay to come to the theatre to watch this film will come and then the rest can watch on OTT, which is also fine."
ctress Neha Sharma, whose latest release is "Vikalp", a short film directed by Dheeraj Jindal, says it is the conviction of telling a story that sells a film to an actor. "The conviction of telling a story is what sells a film to an actor. In his debut film itself, Dheeraj had that clarity of vision and a distinctive voice. I knew I had to work with him. I am so glad we did Vikalp, which is frankly a fantastic project," Neha said.
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Pandemic taught Emraan Hashmi to 'not take things for granted'
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ENTERTAINMENT
Mumbai, Aug 25 (IANS): The Covid-19 pandemic has taught Emraan Hashmi to not take things for granted and reminded the actor about how everything in life is so unpredictable. Opening up on the same, Emraan told IANS: "You can't take things for granted and things are very unpredictable. We never really thought that we would be in a scenario like this where the pandemic has shaken up not just the country but the entire world. We should take each day at a time, be there for each other and support each other in whatever capacity we can because everyone is dealing with this in some way or the other." On the work front, Emraan is all set for the release of his upcoming film 'Chehre' which hits theatres on August 27 and the actor says we should support theatre owners in the present time. "I feel we should support theatre owners as they have supported us throughout. Both these industries are dependent on each other,"
Throwing light on the story of the mystery thriller, Emraan said: "It's an unusual game which these people play inside a house one night. It's a game of a mock courtroom set up and an accused is grilled. I am basically a guest who arrives in that house owned by a bunch of retired lawyers and a judge. The two lawyers are Annu Kapoor and Mr Bachchan while Dhritiman Chatterjee is the judge. We all play this game where certain revelations happen and you get to know what these people are actually doing there." Emraan shares the screen with veteran megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the film. Sharing his experience of working with Bachchan, the actor informed: "It was everything that I actually knew it would be! His expertise in acting, the way he conducts himself on the set. I just took a lot of lessons back home by observing how he rehearses and how he approaches a scene." Directed by Rumy Jafry, 'Chehre' also features Annu Kapoor, Krystle D'Souza, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Raghubir Yadav, Siddhanth Kapoor, and Rhea Chakraborty.
Vijay, Taapsee shared first look of 'Annabelle Sethupathi'
Samantha is a multiple awardwinning actress who is known for her acting in films like - 'Ye Maaya Chesave', 'A Aa', 'Neethaane En Ponvasantham', 'Baana Kaathadi', 'Eega' among many others. Since the release of 'The Family Man 2', the actress has received a lot of love from people worldwide as well as Hindi viewers. Asked about if such love from the audience excites her to step into Bollywood, Samantha said, "Well, when I did 'The Family Man 2' I did not know how the show will become, but now that people from the north are also loving and appreciating my work, I would say yes, I am little more open to the idea of working in other language projects. Yes, I am open to new ideas, instead of limiting myself to regional cinema."
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Chennai, Aug 26 (IANS): Actors Vijay Sethupathi and Taapsee Pannu unveiled the first look of their upcoming Tamil film 'Annabelle Sethupathi' on Thursday.
same posters and wrote: "Coz sometimes one life is not enough to see it all".
The horror comedy is directed by Deepak Sundarajan. In the first look, Vijay is seen dressed up in royal clothes, as Taapsee has a more British look.
The movie, which was shot in Jaipur, will have a direct OTT release on Disney+ Hotstar. It will start streaming from September 17.
Vijay uploaded the first look on his Instagram and wrote: "Here it is. First look of Annabelle Sethupathi."
The movie, which will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, has been titled 'Annabelle Rathore' in Hindi.
'Annabelle Sethupathi' also stars Radhikaa Sarathkumar and Rajendra Prasad.
Taapsee also uploaded the
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ENTERTAINMENT
Rashmika Mandanna: 'Mission Deepika Padukone to Majnu' has given me so many firsts star in cross-cultural Instagram
Majnu' being my first has given me an opportunity to transcend my boundaries and how. My heart feels happy to know that I started my journey in Hindi cinema with this film with these beautiful people."
romantic comedy PopSugar
The 25-year-old actress said that in the first narration itself she knew she wanted to be a part of this film, which also stars Sidharth Malhotra. "Because I knew if not for now I'd not have done this character again or later on it's one of those roles. It's a now or never kinda character." "'Mission Majnu' has given me so many firsts - from exploring the northern part of India, the culture, the language, the people, the industry, and working with such a wonderful team and the co-actors. I couldn't have asked for more. I love you Team Mission Majnu." Apart from 'Mission Majnu', Rashmika has another Bollywood film on the cards already.
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elugu actress Rashmika Mandanna says her Hindi debut film 'Mission Majnu' has
given her many firsts. Rashmika said: "Firsts are always the most special, and 'Mission
Disha Patani: Prabhudeva likes to improvise Instagram
Her second Bollywood project is 'Goodbye' in which she will be sharing screen with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Neena Gupta.
Prabhas, Pooja's new 'Radhe Shyam' poster unveiled on Janmashtami
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ndian actress Deepika Padukone will be starring in an upcoming international yet-untitled crosscultural romantic comedy.
Hyderabad, Aug 30 (IANS): A new poster featuring actors Prabhas and Pooja Hegde from their upcoming film 'Radhe Shyam' has been unveiled on the occasion of Janmashtami on Monday.
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ctress Disha Patani, who collaborated with Prabhudeva in the film 'Radhe', says the choreographer-filmmaker likes to improvise. Reminiscing about working with Prabhudeva, Disha said: "When I was offered 'Radhe', I was really excited to work on the film. It's been a learning experience, as with any project. Prabhu Sir likes to improvise while I am used to being prepared before going on the set." The 29-year-old actress, who is
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In the poster, Prabhas looks dapper in a suave tuxedo and Pooja is sporting a breathtaking ball gown. The actress is seen playing a piano while the actor is standing next to her and looking at her lovingly. rumoured to be dating actor Tiger Shroff, talked about how 'Radhe' has some "catchy" numbers. "I love dancing and the film has some really catchy songs like 'Seeti Maar' that I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for. I look forward to entertaining my fans with more films like this," she added. Superstar Salman Khan-starrer 'Radhe' is set to have its television premiere on September 5 on Zee Cinema.
Director Radha Krishna Kumar said: "We have worked very hard and left no stone unturned in ensuring that we bring audiences a theatrical experience they won't forget." He added: "'Radhe Shyam' comes to theatres on January 14, 2022 and we are so excited to present the poster of the film on a special day like Janmashtami." The multi-lingual love story is set in Europe in the 1970s and has been shot extensively in Italy, Georgia and Hyderabad.
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STXfilms, a division of Eros STX Global Corporation, announced the company is developing a romantic comedy for Deepika, who will also produce the upcoming film through her Ka Productions banner. Deepika, who was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2018, said: "Ka Productions was founded with the aim to develop and produce purposeful content with global appeal. "I'm thrilled to be partnering with STXfilms and Temple Hill Productions, who share Ka's ambition and creative vision and look forward to bringing impactful and dynamic crosscultural stories to the world." The announcement was made on Tuesday by Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group. Fogelson said: "There is a reason Deepika is one of the biggest global stars to come from India. She is enormously talented with an infectious personality and her profile continues to grow as an international superstar. While she
has been a phenomenal success in many Eros International films, we are thrilled to be building a romantic comedy with her and our friends at Temple Hill. "We believe this project gives us the opportunity to tap into the spirit, voice, characters and vibrant settings of India and New York in ways that made 'Crazy Rich Asians' feel so authentic and fresh." The studio is also in negotiations with Temple Hill Productions Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen, who has produced the 'Twilight' franchise and 'The Fault in Our Stars' among many others to develop the project, which will be a sweeping cross-cultural romantic comedy centred around Deepika. Isaac Klausner is overseeing the project for Temple Hill. Deepika made her English language film debut as the female lead in 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage', co-starring with Vin Diesel. In Bollywood, Deepika will be seen in Kabir Khan's '83, Shakun Batra's yet-untitled film, the Hindi remake of 'The Intern' with megastar Amitabh Bachchand and the actioner Hrithik Roshan
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Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle
Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty. With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.
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We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — with all architectural fees complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.
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Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is within 10 minutes of everything you need — commuter rail to the city, private and public schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct.
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