India Records 8,013 New Covid-19 Cases

 

The single-day rise in coronavirus infections fell below 10,000 after two months, with 8,013 cases taking India's total tally to 4,29,24,130, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

On December 28 last year, 9,195 people were infected in a day.

The death toll has climbed to 5,13,843 with 119 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The daily Covid-19 cases have been recorded at less than one lakh for 22 consecutive days.

The active cases comprise 0.24 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.56 per cent, the Health Ministry said.

The active cases have declined to 1,02,601. A reduction of 8,871 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, it said.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 1.11 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 1.17 per cent, according to the Health Ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease increased to 4,23,07,686, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.20 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive have exceeded 177.50 crore.

India's Covid-19 tally had crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

The 119 new fatalities include 62 from Kerala and 17 from Karnataka.

A total of 5,13,843 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,43,697 from Maharashtra, 65,223 from Kerala, 39,936 from Karnataka, 38,003 from Tamil Nadu, 26,122 from Delhi, 23,543 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,175 from West Bengal.

The Health Ministry said that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to co-morbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

BJP's 'Double Engine' Rusted: Dimple Yadav

 

Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav (File photo: PTI)

Former MP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav on Friday said the BJP's "double-engine" has rusted and it now resembles the colour of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's outfit.

She also said the SP is the only party that keeps promises and assured to fulfil all poll promises, including 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs.

"The BJP's double-engine has rusted, and when iron gets rusted, what is its colour?" she asked. "I think it is the same as the chief minister's clothes," she said referring to Adityanath's saffron-clad looks.

She further said it was time to bring Uttar Pradesh "back on track" by removing the "rust".

Dimple was addressing an election meeting in support of SP-Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) alliance candidate Pallavi Patel in Sirathu.

Taking a swipe at BJP candidate and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Dimple said while "Sirathu's son" cheated the constituency, its people will now give its daughter-in-law (Pallavi Patel) a chance as she knows how to run a family and is ready to take responsibility.

The people of Sirathu will show so much love to Pallavi that it will leave Maurya embarrassed, she said.

Responding to allegations of hooliganism in the SP, she asked if anyone had seen a government whose chief minister and his deputy got cases against themselves revoked?

"Those who accuse others should first look at their own reality," she said.

Dimple also accused the BJP government of ignoring women's safety and said the SP will pay special attention towards them.

Referring to Pallavi Patel and SP MP Jaya Bachchan on the dais, Dimple said, "Three daughters-in-law have come together, Sirathu's daughter-in-law Pallavi Patel, Allahabad's daughter-in-law Jaya Bachchan and...I call myself UP's daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav."

Speaking earlier, Jaya Bachchan addressed Dimple as the state's 'choti bahu' (younger daughter-in-law) while describing herself as the 'badi bahu (elder daughter-in-law).

"When Amitabh (Bacchan) was contesting from here, I had said that I am your daughter-in-law...Today, I have come again for Pallavi and urge you to listen to your elder daughter-in-law and also uphold the honour of your brother 'Ganga kinare ka chhora' (Amitabh Bachchan)," Jaya said.

Amitabh Bachchan, originally from Prayagraj, had contested from the Allahabad parliamentary constituency in the 1985 Lok Sabha elections as the Congress candidate.

On BJP's charges of 'pariwarvaad' (dynasty politics) against her party, she said, "Their (BJP's) chief minister has given up his family, what do they know about family...daughter or daughter-in-law...they say there was no security for women. They speak lies and nothing else."

"I have been in Parliament for 15 years and they have not spoken anything other than lies," Jaya said.

From Tokyo To New York, Thousands Protest Against Invasion Of Ukraine

 

People take part in a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Budapest, Hungary after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 (Reuters)

Protesters turned out on public squares and outside Russian embassies in cities from Tokyo to Tel Aviv and New York on Thursday to denounce the invasion of Ukraine -- while more than a thousand who tried to do the same in Russia were arrested.

The earliest known protest occurred outside Russia's embassy in Washington around 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) on Thursday, only three hours after President Vladimir Putin said he had launched his military operation.

Local news reports showed dozens of protesters in the U.S. capital waving Ukrainian flags and chanting "Stop Russian aggression!"

In London, hundreds of demonstrators, many of them Ukrainian and some weeping, gathered outside Downing Street, home to the prime minister, urging Britain to do more.

"We need help, we need someone to support us," said one. "Ukraine is too small and the pressure is too big."

In Paris, one demonstrator told Reuters: "I feel that we are in a very dangerous moment for the whole world."

In Madrid, Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem, nominated for another Academy Award this year, joined about a hundred protesters outside the Russian embassy.

"It is an invasion. ... It violates Ukraine's fundamental right to territorial sovereignty, international law, and many other things," Bardem said.

A giant flag was carried through Manhattan's Times Square by a crowd of several hundred protesters.

In the Swiss capital Bern, hundreds gathered, holding Ukrainian flags and chanting "Peace for Ukraine!".

Agapi Tamir, 28, one of a few dozen members of Greece's Ukrainian community who staged a protest in Athens, said: "The only thing we believe is that a miracle will stop all this awful and frightening thing that is happening at this moment."

A small demonstration in Geneva, organised by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) outside the U.N. European headquarters, condemned what the group said was Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons.

Other demonstrations were held in Beirut, Tel Aviv, Dublin and Prague.

Also in Dublin, a Russian double-eagle crest beside the gate of the Russian embassy was defaced with red paint.

More protests were scheduled for later in the day in the U.S. cities of Houston and Denver, according to social media posts.

In Russia itself, protesters defied an official warning that explicitly threatened criminal prosecution and even jail time for those calling for or taking part in protests.

Hundreds rallied in cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, chanting slogans such as "No to war!" and holding up makeshift signs.

By 1939 GMT, police had detained no fewer than 1,667 people in 53 cities, the OVD-Info rights monitor said. Six hundred were arrested in Moscow alone, the Tass news agency reported. (Reuters)

 

Ukraine President Imposes Martial Law

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure. He urged Ukrainians to stay home and not to panic.

In a brief video address posted on Facebook, Zelensky said Russia has announced a special military operation in the Donbas region and is conducting strikes on its "military infrastructure and border guards." 

"This morning, Russia launched a new military operation against our state," Zelensky said in a separate message posted on the presidential website. "This is a completely groundless, cynical invasion," he said.

"We, the citizens of Ukraine, have been determining our own future since 1991," he said in reference to the year of the Soviet Union's collapse.

"But now, what is being decided is not only our country's future, but also the future of how Europe will live."

Earlier, the country imposed a nationwide state of emergency for 30 days. Introducing a state of emergency gives powers to the authorities, who can choose which ones to implement. These could include restrictions on transport, extra protection for critical infrastructure and a ban on strikes. The state of emergency applies to all of Ukraine except the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where it has been in place since 2014.

Martial law would impose harder restrictions, which could include bans on meetings, movements and political parties.

 

Will The Next Asian Country To Host An Olympics Be India?

 

Representational Image

The Olympics have said goodbye to Asia after a star-crossed run, and it's unclear when they'll be back after the continent hosted four of the last eight Games.

The earliest the Summer Games could return is 2036, and the favourite could be the world's most populous country -- not China, as you might expect, but India.

India's population is expected to overtake China's 1.4 billion in the next decade, and it is lobbying for the western city of Ahmedabad to be the host city for 2036, with events elsewhere, including New Delhi, the capital.

"India is in a race for hosting 2036," Narinder Batra, president of the Indian Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press. He offered few other details. 

In a show of support, the IOC has scheduled the annual meeting of its full membership for next year in the western Indian metropolis of Mumbai. It's a signal the courting has begun. Delivering the pitch: Indian IOC member Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

As it did with China, the IOC can envision India as a new frontier that will yield deep-pocketed sponsors, television rights deals and generous government support.

Departing Asia means returning to familiar terrain: the Summer Games in Paris in 2024, the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Brisbane is also lined up for the 2032 Summer Olympics, a return to Australia 32 years after Sydney.

Brisbane is certain to add cricket to its sports menu and, of course, it would stay in place for India, where the sport has the world's most fervent following.

The Asia focus started with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a grand coming-out party that many hoped would change China. Instead, China used the Games to change how it was viewed.

The Asia run enriched the IOC with lucrative billion-dollar sponsorship deals with China's Alibaba and Japan's Toyota, put down roots in the world's most populous continent and featured a return to South Korea 30 years after the 1988 Seoul Olympics were credited with helping to usher in democracy.

Asia has also generated consistently bad public relations for the IOC. This includes a state-sponsored doping scandal from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics that lingers and surfaced again with allegations in Beijing against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

There was IOC vote-buying linked to the award of the Tokyo Olympics, which forced the resignation of the head of Japan's Olympic Committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, and a diplomatic boycott of the just-finished Beijing Games centered on human rights abuses that also dogged Beijing in 2008.

Add in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. This was another non-traditional stop that caused problems. It saw the organising committee face bankruptcy and Carlos Nuzman, the head of the committee, convicted of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. The former IOC member is appealing.

"The IOC I think is viewed as a villain globally at this time, and they have to do something to change their image," said Robert Baade, a sports economist at Lake Forest College outside Chicago. "I'm not sure that's going to happen any time soon." Baade is the co-author of Going for Gold: The Economics of the Olympics, a study that looks at the costs and benefits of the Games. 

"It's these little things, the five-star hotels, the elitism, the privilege that the IOC displays and its eurocentrism," Baade added.

Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games' executive director, acknowledged India has expressed strong interest, but declined to name other countries that have. Several Chinese cities have been mentioned as possibilities, along with Jakarta, Indonesia, Seoul and others.

"We have to respect that some are speaking confidentially to us because the public authorities are not fully on board, or sometimes governments are interested but it's not the right timing," Dubi said.

The IOC no longer runs a wide-open bidding process, instead selecting cities in which it has interest—and vice versa. It puts the selection in the hands of the IOC leadership rather than with IOC members. The 2036 host is unlikely to be picked until after the next IOC presidential election in 2025.

The other return to Asia could come with the 2030 Winter Olympics, where Sapporo, Japan, the 1972 Winter host, is probably the favourite.

Also in the mix could be Vancouver, Salt Lake City and a Spanish bid, perhaps from Barcelona.

The Japanese news agency Kyodo, citing unidentified sources, has reported that Sapporo and the IOC are in talks and a decision could come before the end of the year. The city has put the cost at $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion.

The IOC owes Japan a favour after the one-year delay of the 2020 Olympics cost organizers an added $2 billion. Dubi would not confirm any of this but said the IOC was lucky to have Japan and China organizing the last two Olympics in the middle of the pandemic.

"I think we were very fortunate to have them as partners," Dubi said. 

"I don't say that others could not have done it. But if you had to pick two countries where it was always doable and where you wouldn't have doubts that they could pull it off it's those two."

 

Asian Shares Drop As Putin Orders Troops To East Ukraine

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Shares fell sharply in Asia on Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, suggesting a long-feared invasion was possibly underway.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.8per cent and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 3.2per cent in early trading. Oil prices jumped, with U.S. crude up 2.8per cent. The future for the S&P 500 dropped 1.5per cent while the contract for the Dow Industrials lost 1.3per cent.

U.S. markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day. In Europe, shares slipped Monday as investors awaited developments in the Ukraine crisis. Germany's DAX gave up 2.1per cent. In Paris, the CAC 40 in Paris declined 2per cent. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.3per cent.

Russia's MOEX index dropped nearly 11per cent. The ruble was down 3.2per cent against the U.S. dollar.

Western powers fear Russia might use skirmishes in Ukraine's eastern regions as a pretext for an attack on the democracy, which has defied Moscow's attempts to pull it back into its orbit.

A vaguely worded decree signed by Putin cast the order for troops to move into eastern Ukraine as an effort to “maintain peace.'' He also recognized the independence of the separatist regions, apparently dashing slim remaining hopes of averting a conflict that could cause massive casualties, energy shortages on the continent and economic chaos around the globe.

The White House issued an executive order to prohibit U.S. investment and trade in the separatist regions, and additional measures — likely sanctions — were to be announced Tuesday.

In Asian trading, the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo was down 477.52 points at 26,433.46 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave up nearly 793.51 points to 23,376.95. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.7per cent to 2,697.74 and the Shanghai Composite index fell 1.5per cent to 3,439.86. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.3per cent to 7,142.60.

Russia is a major energy producer and the tensions have led to extremely volatile energy prices.

The tensions in Eastern Europe have added to uncertainty at a time when markets have been preoccupied over how the world's central banks, especially the U.S. Federal Reserve, will act to counter surging inflation while coronavirus outbreaks fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant cloud the outlook.

“Indeed, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia will leave many central banks with itchy hiking trigger fingers in a quandary,'' Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a report. “The immediate impact would be an exacerbation of the rampant inflationary pressures globally as oil hits $130.00+ a barrel,'' he said.

Oil prices already have surged to their highest level since 2014. U.S. benchmark crude oil advanced $2.57 to $92.79 per barrel Tuesday in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude, the basis for international pricing, added $1.45 to $96.84 per barrel.

On Wall Street on Friday, stocks capped a week of volatile trading with a broad sell-off.

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both slipped 0.7per cent. The Nasdaq composite bore the brunt of the selling, skidding 1.2per cent. Small company stocks also fell, with the Russell 2000 index down 0.9per cent.

Treasury yields have fallen as investors shift money into the safety of U.S. bonds. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which affects rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, sank to 1.86per cent by early Tuesday from 1.93per cent on Monday.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar slipped to 114.72 Japanese yen from 114.74 yen late Monday. The euro fell to $1.1308 from $1.1312.

 

IIT-Madras Researchers Propose Drought, Flood Mitigation Project

 

The proposal for the project was submitted to the Tirunelveli district administration, which had requested the IIT to study this phenomenon (Pic for representation only)

Researchers belonging to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, have submitted a proposal to the government for implementing a groundwater recharge technology for flood and drought mitigation near Ayankulam village in Thisayanvilai taluk of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, the institute has said.

Led by Dr Venkatraman Srinivasan, assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering in the IIT, a team visited the site in December last to investigate an open agricultural well near the village that the locals claimed got recharged with an estimated 1,500-2,500 litres of water every second for several weeks without overflowing.

The recharged water was from the excess overflow of an adjacent minor irrigation tank due to the record monsoon rains in November-December 2021.

The team also explored the potential of this well and other wells in the region for use as rapid aquifer recharge during floods for storage and withdrawal during the dry summer months.

It suggested implementing a rapid recharge technology, which, when developed, can bring several benefits, including mitigate floods and droughts, and create a subsurface dam for water storage without evaporation loss, distribute water automatically and equitably throughout the region, filter and clean water when managed appropriately and prevent and reverse saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers.

The proposal for the project was submitted to the Tirunelveli district administration, which had requested the IIT to study this phenomenon, a press release said. The well became a local attraction and was called a miracle well since typical wells would fill and overflow at such recharge rates. Locals have been practising this method of well recharge during intense monsoon for several decades, the release said.

The team said the villagers claimed this practice to have increased the local water table in a 10-15 km radius from the well.

"The region surrounding this village is considered a dry belt with hot summers. Many small land-holding farmers have abandoned farming and work as labourers in larger farms or other labour-based occupations," the release said. Being close to the coastal zone, several agricultural and domestic wells in the region suffer from salt water intrusion due to excessive pumping and lowering of groundwater levels. Even extending the agricultural water availability by a few months each year can positively impact the livelihood of the farmers, the release said.

"This is a win-win situation for stakeholders. The excess water which causes devastating floods and will otherwise empty into the ocean is being channelled to recharge the groundwater for storage and retrieval in the dry summer months," Venkatraman Srinivasan said.

"The unique hydro-geology of the region allows the implementation of this rapid aquifer recharge. In most other places, wells do not sustain such high injection rates and would easily overflow," he said.

The rapid groundwater recharge technology proposed for this study area is different from conventional rainwater harvesting or well recharge. For example, in Chennai, groundwater recharge is practised in every household by collecting rooftop rainwater. This comprises 1000s of recharge structures and each can recharge about 1,50,000-2,00,000 litres of rainwater over a good monsoon season.

In contrast, the proposed recharge technology at Ayankulam village would consist of a few dozen wells, with each capable of recharging 1,50,000 to 2,00,000 litres of water every minute during floods.

As floodwater from rivers carries sediments that can clog the well in the long-term, the team suggested installing sediment traps to remove suspended sediments before recharging the wells. Additionally, water quality parameters need to be monitored to ensure safety of recharge, the team said.

It said it performed an on-field site survey of the injection well and 20 additional wells in a one-km radius. The wells were geo-tagged using GPS equipment. Water-level measurements taken from these wells were combined with digital elevation map data to obtain groundwater hydraulic gradients. These are used to predict the direction and flow of groundwater in the region. Water samples were also collected from 13 wells for fingerprinting analysis of water quality parameters.

A preliminary assessment by the IIT indicated that sub-surface geology of the region was likely a fractured/karst aquifer which has hydraulic conductivities that are orders of magnitude larger than conventional aquifers. This unique hydro-geology of Thisayavilai taluk and surrounding areas enables rapid recharge during floods. The recharged water would be stored below ground and retrieved during dryer months. (PTI)

Australia Lists Koalas As Endangered In Two Eastern States

Wildlife officer Lindy Thomas poses with koalas and their joeys produced by artificial insemination at the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (Reuters)

Australia has listed koalas along much of its east coast as endangered after the native marsupial's habitats were hit by prolonged drought, bushfires and developers cutting down trees.

Scientists and academics have been warning that the iconic Australian mammal could become extinct unless the government immediately intervened to protect them and their habitat.

"The new listing highlights the challenges the species is facing," Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement. "Together we can ensure a healthy future for the koala and this decision ... will play a key role in that process."

Ley said koalas in the states of New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory will be listed as endangered versus their previous designation of vulnerable.

Australia has lost about 30% of its koalas over the past three years, the Australian Koala Foundation said last year, with numbers estimated to have dropped to less than 58,000 from more than 80,000 in 2018 with the worst decline in New South Wales, where the numbers have dropped by 41%.

A World Wide Fund for Nature study estimated bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020 had killed or injured more than 60,000 koalas, when flames burned more than 17 million hectares (65,630 square miles), an area nearly half the size of Germany.

But even before the fires, koala habitats had been in rapid decline due to land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry. Koalas dwell mostly in eucalyptus forests in eastern states and on the coastal fringes.

Environment groups welcomed the decision although they said it should have happened much earlier.

"We should never have allowed things to get to the point where we are at risk of losing a national icon," International Fund for Animal Welfare Manager Josey Sharrad said.

"If we can't protect an iconic species endemic to Australia, what chance do lesser known but no less important species have?" (Reuters)

 

UK Scraps 'Golden Visas' Amid Russian Money Concerns

 

Britain's government said Thursday it is scrapping so-called golden visas offering residency to wealthy foreign investors amid security concerns and renewed calls for the UK to review its links with Russia.

The Home Office said the Tier 1 investor visa route has given opportunities for corrupt elites to access the UK. It said that in some cases, the visas have given rise to security concerns, including people acquiring their wealth illegitimately and being associated with wider corruption.

The visa route, which was introduced in 2008, offered residency to people investing 2 million pounds ($2.7 million) or more in the UK and allows their families to join them. It will be shut to all new applicants from all nationalities with immediate effect, the government said.

Many of those who acquired such visas were Russians, and critics have long questioned whether the policy facilitated money laundering in the UK. Concerns about Moscow's reach in the UK have intensified as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the move was part of the government's crackdown on illicit finance.

"I want to ensure the British people have confidence in the system, including stopping corrupt elites who threaten our national security and push dirty money around our cities," Patel said in a statement.

Asked Thursday about cracking down on Russian money in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to bring in tough sanctions against Russia.

"Clearly, it's time to bring in some tough sanctions against the Russian regime, against big Russian companies and organisations of strategic importance. And also making sure that we stop the raising of funds by Russian companies on London financial markets," Johnson said. (PTI)

Udupi: 60 College Students Flout HC Order On Hijab, Denied Entry Into College

 

Students leave after they were not allowed to attend classes wearing the hijab at Dr G Shankar Government Women's First Grade College in Udupi, Karnataka (PTI)

Around 60 final year students of the government G. Shankar memorial women's first grade degree college in Udupi on Thursday returned home after they were told to take off their hijabs by college authorities.

Though the Muslim girl students argued with the authorities, saying the chief minister has clarified that uniforms are not mandatory in degree colleges, the authorities said it is the college development committee that fixed the rules.

The girls, who insisted that they will not attend classes without the headscarves, said hijab and education are important to them. They also wanted the college committee to give in writing if the state government has decided to introduce a dress code in degree colleges.

A girl student who talked to reporters said the CM has made clear that the hijab rule is not enforced in degree colleges. "When we asked about it, they said only the college committee's decision applies here," she said.

She said hijab is part of their lives and they have been wearing it all along to classes. It cannot be removed when someone suddenly asks you to do it. "We have asked the college to hold online classes for us, " the student said.

The students said they will not attend physical classes till the High Court takes a decision on the issue.

Classes are being conducted smoothly in the college. Police force has been deployed in the college premises to check any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, Udupi additional superintendent of police Siddalingappa told the media that the situation at all the colleges in the district is peaceful on the second day of reopening. 

He said Muslim girl students who were willing to remove hijabs were allowed to attend classes at the government G Shankar college. The MGM college, which had declared holiday till today, will reopen on Friday for examinations.

Winter Olympics: Arif Khan Fails To Finish Men’s Slalom Event

Alpine skier Arif Khan (Photo: Twitter/@rajeevmehtaioa)

 

India’s campaign at the Winter Olympics came to a disappointing end on Wednesday after the country’s lone participant, alpine skier Arif Khan, logged a ‘Did Not Finish’ in the men’s slalom event in Beijing.

The 31-year-old from Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir, who had finished 45th in the giant slalom event on Sunday, was unable to complete Run 1 at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.

Since Khan, who was making his Winter Olympics debut, was unable to finish Run 1, he won’t be competing in the second run of men’s slalom event.

Only 52 of the 88 starters finished the first run and will compete again in Run 2.

Wearing bib no 79, Khan made a decent start, finishing the first intermediate in 14.40s and the second in 34.24s. However, he failed to complete the final section.

Austria’s Johannes Strolz was the fastest skier in Run 1 with a time of 53.92s. The Norwegian duo of Henrik Kristoffersen (53.94s) and Sebastian Foss-Silevaag (53.98s) were second and third, respectively.

Khan, the first Indian to qualify for two events in a Winter Olympics, had clocked a combined time of 2 minute 47.24 seconds in the giant slalom event.

He finished 45th, which is now India’s best-ever performance in men’s giant slalom event at the Winter Olympics.

Polish-born Jeremy Bujakowski, India’s first-ever Winter Olympian, had finished 65th at Grenoble 1968.

In giant slalom — an Alpine skiing event — athletes ski down a slope as they pass between sets of ‘gates’ which consist of two plastic poles.

A skier runs two races and the competitor with the lowest combined time across the two courses is deemed the winner.

In slalom, the course and distance between two successive gates is much smaller than in giant slalom, making it a much faster and more precise sport.

Failure to pass between any one gate in Run 1 deems a run as DNF (Did Not Finish) and such an athlete can’t participate in the second run.

In Beijing Games, the giant slalom event took place on the 424m ‘Ice River’ course with a start altitude of 1925m and finish altitude of 1501m. (PTI)

 

 

 

Pak HC Acquits Qandeel Baloch's Brother, Her Killer

 

Qandeel Baloch (Twitter)

A Pakistani man sentenced to life in 2019 for strangling Qandeel Baloch, his sister and a social media celebrity in a case of honour killing, was acquitted of murder after his parents pardoned him under the country's Islamic law, a court official said on Monday.

Muhammad Waseem was arrested in 2016 after he confessed to drugging and strangling his sister Fouzia Azeem, better known as Qandeel Baloch, a 26-year-old social media celebrity, for posting objectionable photos on Facebook and disgracing the family's honour.

Waseem, who was the lone accused in this case, was handed life imprisonment by a trial court in 2019, while other suspects including Baloch's younger brother Aslam Shaheen, her cousin Haq Nawaz and cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi were acquitted citing lack of evidence.

Waseem had later challenged the sentence in the high court.

On Monday, Baloch's parents pardoned his son in order to seek his acquittal. They (parents) had retracted from their earlier statements against Waseem, in which they told the police that he was involved in their daughter's murder, a court official said.

LHC Multan bench Justice Sohail Nasir announced the verdict in light of all 35 prosecution witnesses turning hostile and pardon being given by legal heirs (parents) of Qandeel, the official said.

"Qandeel brought dishonour to the Baloch name and her family due to her risque videos and statements posted on social media," Waseem had said in his written statement in 2016.

Cleric Qavi was accused of inciting Waseem to murder his sister after she had made fun of him on social media.

The slain social media star's parents had once before also requested the court to wrap up the case, saying they had forgiven both their sons, but their appeal was dismissed with the judge citing the anti-honour killing law.

After the law was passed in October 2016, Baloch's parents had initially vowed not to forgive the alleged murderers.

Baloch became famous for her bold social media posts, pictures, videos and comments. But these were considered outrageous by the largely conservative Pakistani community.

Every year, over 1,000 women are murdered in Pakistan in so called 'honour killings' committed by their male relatives.

It was Baloch's murder that restarted the debate in the Muslim country that led to the passing of an amendment to Pakistan's Penal Code in October 2016, allowing the police to take over from the victim's family as the main complainant in the case of an honour killing.

The amendment made it impossible for the family to use the country's laws that allow close relatives of murder victims to pardon the killers.

 

Thais Make Amulets From Plastic Waste To Inspire More Recycling

 

Amulets which are made from 1kg of trash such as plastic bags, bottle caps, milk cotton and fishing nets are seen in a factory outside Bangkok, Thailand (Reuters)

Hoping to inspire more Thais to recycle plastic waste, two local companies have teamed up to make Buddhist amulets by using nine types of recyclable materials ranging from plastic bottles to nylon fishing nets.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailand is estimated to be the fifth-biggest contributor of plastic to the world's oceans, according to a report by the U.S.-based group Ocean Conservancy.

"The idea of the plastic amulet is a result of finding a connection between the environment and Thai culture," said Krit Phutpim, a director at Dots Design Studio, one of the companies behind the project launched at Bangkok's design week exhibition.

Thai amulets with Buddhist imagery are extremely popular in the Southeast Asian country and many hope they will enhance their spirituality and bring them good fortune.

The Buddha amulet launched this week has the Thai word for "awareness" on the back to remind people to be conscious that their daily consumption should not harm the environment, said Teerachai Suppameteekulwat, the founder of the other company behind the project Qualy Design.

The amulets, which have been blessed by monks, are distributed in exchange for at least a 1 kg (2.2 lb) of plastic or a minimum of 100 baht ($3.07) for each amulet with the money going to various charities.

The project has generated some controversy on social media, with questions about whether an amulet should be made from recycled materials.

Typically, amulets are made from materials such as bone, wood or metal. They may contain, for example, the ash from incense burnt at a temple or hair from a monk that are thought to further increase the wearer's powers.

For one exhibition goer, the idea of giving recycled material a new use attracted her to the amulet.

"I brought in 1.8 kilogrammes of plastic bottles. I want to give it a new life," said 33-year-old exhibition goer, Paramapon Suthichavengkul.

Hijab Row: Parents Protest Use Of Language In Bengaluru School Notice Board

 

Muslim women take out a protest rally in Kolkata over the 'hijab' controversy of Karnataka (Representative image: PTI)

Tension prevailed at a private school in Bengaluru on Saturday after parents and students protested the use of alleged derogatory language by the management on its notice board, in connection with wearing the hijab in classrooms.   

People gathered outside Vidyasagar English Public School in Chandra Layout this morning as they were irked at the language used in the message posted on the notice board. It is learnt that the teacher who had posted the message on the notice board has been placed under suspension. 

"The hijab row is non-existent in Bengaluru even as it is prevalent in other parts of the state," Shahabuddin, a parent told reporters. 

"This is a 20-year-old school, where Hindus and Muslims are studying together. At least 80 per cent of students in this school are Muslims. The quality of education here is very good but there is no hijab issue here," he said. 

He alleged that a teacher had used a derogatory term referring to a section of students, which prompted the parents to protest. 

The agitation was held peacefully. Shahabuddin appealed to the media not to blow the matter out of proportion as it was a local issue and Hindus and Muslims were having cordial relations. Upon receiving information, DDPI, police and education department officials rushed to the spot to pacify the protestors. 

Boris Johnson Cites ‘A Dangerous Moment’ In Ukraine Crisis

 

British PM Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday the Ukraine crisis has grown into the most dangerous moment for Europe in decades, while his top diplomat held icy talks with her Moscow counterpart who said the Kremlin won’t accept lectures from the West.

As they spoke, Russian forces held sweeping manoeuvres north of Ukraine in Belarus, part of a buildup of over 100,000 troops that have stoked Western fears of an invasion.

NATO also has stepped up military deployments to bolster its eastern flank, with the US sending troops to Poland and Romania. A British Royal Air Force jet carrying 350 troops landed Thursday in Poland in a move that followed London sending anti-tank missiles to Ukraine to help boost its defences.

"This is probably the most dangerous moment, I would say in the course of the next few days, in what is the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades, and we’ve got to get it right," Johnson said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Johnson, who later arrived in Warsaw to meet with Poland’s prime minister, said he believes President Vladimir Putin has not yet decided what he might do with Ukraine, but he added that the West must use "sanctions and military resolve plus diplomacy”.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he sent a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeating an invitation to a series of talks on improving European security.

Lavrov set a stern tone for his talks in Moscow with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who again warned Russia that attacking its neighbour would have massive consequences and carry severe costs.

She urged the Kremlin to abide by international agreements that commit it to respect Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.

Lavrov rejected Western worries about the Russian troop buildup as sheer propaganda and noted that Moscow won’t stand for lectures.

Ideological approaches, ultimatums and moralising is a road to nowhere, he said, noting that his talks with Truss marked the first meeting of the countries’ top diplomats in more than four years. Russia-UK ties have been badly strained by the 2018 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in England and other tensions.

Russia says it has no plans to invade Ukraine but wants the West to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet countries out of NATO. It also wants NATO to refrain from deploying weapons there and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe. The US and NATO flatly reject these demands.

Truss reaffirmed a call for Moscow to pull back its troops, while Lavrov rejected the demand as inappropriate and pointed to British and NATO military buildups in Eastern Europe.

"The demands to remove the Russian troops from the Russian territory cause regret," he said. "We don’t want to threaten anyone. It’s us who are facing threats."

Lavrov alleged that Western politicians were fanning tensions over Ukraine for domestic political gain. Russia has always planned to move back its troops after the manoeuvres, Lavrov said, and once it does, the West will raise an uproar and claim that it has forced Russia to de-escalate.

"It’s selling hot air," he snapped.

Russia’s buildup includes deploying troops on the territory of its ally Belarus for sweeping joint drills that entered a decisive phase Thursday. The Ukrainian capital is located about 75 km (47 miles) south of the border with Belarus.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry protested Russian naval drills in the Black and Azov seas, saying they have hampered commercial shipping. The Kremlin responded that the exercises are conducted in line with international maritime law.

Amid the West’s invasion warnings, Ukrainian officials have sought to project calm, concerned that fears over war will further destabilize the country’s fragile economy.

"We believe that the concentration of troops near the border is part of psychological pressure from our neighbour," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a meeting of business leaders. "We have enough resources and weapons to protect our country."

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014 when a popular uprising drove Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly leader from office. Moscow responded by annexing Crimea and then backing a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people.

A 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany helped end full-scale hostilities, but frequent skirmishes have continued, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have stalled.

The Kremlin has accused Kyiv of sabotaging the peace agreement, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it would hurt their country.

Foreign policy advisers from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine held more talks Thursday in Berlin to try to reach a common interpretation of the 2015 agreement and plan further steps.

The talks are part of renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met Lavrov in Geneva, while French President Emmanuel Macron met Putin in Moscow before heading to Kyiv this week.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to visit Kyiv and Moscow on Feb 14-15. He met Monday with US President Joe Biden, who vowed that the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline would be blocked in the event of an invasion.

Such a move against the pipeline, which has been completed but isn’t yet operating, would hurt Russia economically but also cause energy supply problems for Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

Blinken Says Century Will Be Shaped By Indo-Pacfic Region

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about the Russia-Ukraine crisis during a briefing at the State Department in Washington (Reuters)

The United States remains focused long-term on the Indo-Pacific region despite concerns over Russian aggression toward the Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Blinken is in the Australian city of Melbourne for a meeting on Friday with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan.

The four nations form the so-called “Quad,” a bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was created to counter China's regional influence.

“There are a few other things going on in the world right now, some of you may have noticed. We have a bit of a challenge with Ukraine and Russian aggression. We're working 24/7 on that,” Blinken said in his first public address since arriving in Australia on Wednesday.

“But we know, the president knows better than anyone else, that so much of this century is going to be shaped by what happens here in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world, accounting for two-thirds of global economic growth over the past five years and home to half the world's population, Blinken said.

What matters in the region matters around the world and challenges like climate change and COVID-19 can't be tackled by any nation alone, he said.

“More than ever before, we need partnerships, we need alliances, we need coalitions of countries willing to put their efforts, their resources, their minds into tackling these problems,” Blinken said.

“What really drives us is "a shared vision” of a “free and open society,” he added.

Blinken's trip is designed to reinforce America's interests in Asia and its intent to push back against increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. He will also visit Fiji and discuss pressing concerns about North Korea with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Hawaii.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who will chair the Quad meeting, said the agenda would include COVID-19 vaccine distribution, cyber and critical technologies, countering malicious and dangerous disinformation, terrorism, maritime security and climate change.

India will be represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Japan by Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

“As a network of liberal democracies, we are committed to very practical cooperation and ensuring that all Indo-Pacific nations – large and small – are able to make their own strategic decisions and make those decisions free from coercion,” Payne said.

In Beijing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to a question about Blinken's visit with a lengthy attack on American democracy and a defense of China's contributions to the global order.

“With its so-called democracy having collapsed long ago, the U.S. is forcing other countries to accept the standards of the American democracy, drawing lines with democratic values and piecing together cliques. That is a complete betrayal of democracy,” Zhao told reporters.

Blinken is expected to address threats posed by a growing partnership between authoritarian Russia and China, particularly after the Sunday meeting in Beijing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the opening of the Winter Olympics.

The U.S. had hoped that the Xi-Putin meeting would have demonstrated Chinese wariness about Russia's military buildup along Ukraine's borders. But Xi was largely silent on the matter.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton expressed concern over the Russian-Chinese alliance and said the threat posed by China was growing.

“We know that our nation is facing the most complex and potentially catastrophic regional security environment since the Second World War,” Dutton told Parliament on Thursday.

Blinken has a family link to Melbourne through his stepfather Samuel Pisar, a lawyer and U.S. presidential adviser who died in 2015. Polish-born Pisar was orphaned during World War II and sent by an aunt to Melbourne where he was cared for by two uncles who had immigrated in the 1930s.

Blinken on Thursday visited the Melbourne Law School where Pisar had excelled before moving to the United States to continue his studies at Harvard University.

Domino’s, Honda Apologise For Hurting Sentiments Of Indians

 

Pizza chain Domino’s and Japanese auto major Honda have apologised for hurting sentiments of Indians through social media posts of their business associates in Pakistan supporting separatists in Kashmir.

In a social media post, Domino’s India said it is committed to the Indian market, “having called it home for more than 25 years, and has the utmost respect for the people, culture and spirit of nationalism of the country.”

“… We stand here to protect its legacy forever. We respect and honour everything the country has to offer,” the pizza chain said.

It further said, “We regret and apologise for the unsolicited social media post published on Domino’s social media handles outside the country.”

The company further said, “As a brand we honour and respect India and remain deeply committed to serving our customers and communities with humility, gratitude and pride.”

Similarly, in a statement posted on the Twitter handle of Honda Cars India, its parent Honda Motor Company Ltd said, “Honda is deeply committed to ensuring compliance with laws and sentiments of every country it operates in. Any hurt caused to this effect is regretted.”

As a part of its policy, Honda said it “endeavours to ensure that, in any part of the world it is present, it avoids comment on race, politics, religion and social issues”.

“Statement contrary to this effect by any associate, dealer or stakeholder is not in line with its policy,” it added.

These companies join the likes of other global firms Hyundai, Suzuki, Toyota, KFC, and Pizza Hut which have also apologised for social media posts by their business associates in Pakistan supporting the Kashmir Solidarity Day following a backlash in India and call for a boycott of their products.

In case of Hyundai, on Tuesday, South Korean foreign minister also “regretted the offence” caused to the people and government of India by the social media post on the so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day by the Hyundai Pakistan, a day after New Delhi summoned the RoK envoy to express “strong displeasure” over the “unacceptable” post.

 

 

No Gas Pipeline If Russia Invades Ukraine, Threatens Biden

 

US President Joe Biden (Reuters)

In a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, President Joe Biden met with Germany's new leader on Monday and vowed the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline will be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia's Vladimir Putin retorted that the U.S. and its allies are the only ones talking invasion.

Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met for more than five hours in Moscow at the same time Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the White House in efforts to defuse the crisis before armed conflict breaks out. Russia has massed thousands of troops at the Ukraine border, adding military might almost daily.

The White House has expressed increasing alarm about the prospects of war, and Biden has been looking to solidify support among European allies for economy-jarring sanctions against Russia if it attacks.

"If Russia invades, that means tanks and troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2," Biden said. "We will bring an end to it.'' That would hurt Russia economically but also cause supply problems for Germany. Construction of the pipeline has been completed, but it is not yet operating.

"We are jointly ready, and all of NATO is ready," Biden said, referring to the powerful Western alliance, though Ukraine is not a member.

While Biden reiterated with certitude that the pipeline would not move forward, Scholz stressed the need to keep some ambiguity about sanctions in order to press Russia to de-escalate the crisis.

"It's necessary for Russia to understand that a lot more could happen than they've perhaps calculated with themselves," Scholz said.

The buildup of over 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western worries of a possible offensive. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine "any day," triggering a conflict that would come at an "enormous human cost." At the same time, Biden and NATO allies have made clear there are no plans for sending in troops to fight Russia on Ukraine's behalf.

Macron and Putin, during their lengthy meeting — with a dinner that featured the choice of sturgeon or reindeer — registered their disagreements but also emphasized a need for more talks.

Putin noted that the US and NATO have ignored Moscow's demands that the alliance guarantee it will keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out, refrain from placing weapons in Ukraine and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe.

"We are categorically against any further NATO's expansion eastward because it poses a threat to us," Putin said. "It's not us who's advancing to NATO, it's NATO coming to us and so it's illogical to talk about Russia's aggressive behaviour." He scoffed at Western descriptions of NATO as a defensive alliance, saying sarcastically that "people of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan have learned it from their own experience." And he threatened a wider war if Ukraine should join the alliance and perhaps try to win back Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

"European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia," Putin said. "You will be drawn into that conflict beyond your will. There will be no winners." Macron described the talks as "substantial, deep" with a focus on conditions that could help de-escalation.

"We tried to build converging elements," he said. "The upcoming days will be crucial and deep discussions together will be needed." Putin signalled his readiness to continue negotiations and denied anew that Russia has any intention of invading Ukraine.

In the meantime, Biden warned ''it would be wise" for Americans other than essential diplomats to leave Ukraine.

On a positive note, Putin said without elaboration that some of Macron's proposals could serve as a basis for a settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, adding that they agreed to have a call after Macron's visit to Kyiv on Tuesday. Likewise, Biden said when asked if there remained an "offramp" for Russia in the standoff, "The answer is yes." Before meeting Biden, Scholz told German media that ''there will be a very high price if Ukraine is attacked militarily. And we are preparing for this very precisely and have been talking about the details for a long time." Scholz will travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Feb. 14-15.

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said her country would add up to 350 troops within a few days to about 500 already a part of a NATO battlegroup in Lithuania. "With this, we are strengthening our contribution to forces on NATO's eastern flank and sending a very clear signal of unity to our allies," she said.

Biden already has deployed additional U.S. troops to Poland, Romania and Germany, and a few dozen elite U.S. troops and equipment landed on Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, with hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division set to arrive.

Britain said the U.K. was sending 350 troops to Poland to bolster NATO forces, joining 100 Royal Engineers already there.

At a news conference in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell defended the increasingly dire Western warnings that a Russian invasion may be imminent.

 

Didi And I: Asha Bhosle Remembers Sister Lata Mangeshkar

Lata (left) and Asha as children (Instagram -- asha.bhosle)

 

Veteran singer Asha Bhosle on Sunday remembered her elder sister and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, and posted a childhood picture of the duo, reminiscing the years they spent together.

In an emotional post, hours after the 92-year-old melody queen was cremated with full state honours on Sunday evening, Bhosle shared the picture on Instagram.

The black-and-white photo featured a young Lata Mangeshkar, with a flower in her hair, sitting with Asha.

“Bachpan ke din bhi kya din the (What a wonderful childhood it was). Didi and I,” the 88-year-old singer wrote.

In a career spanning eight decades, Lata Mangeshkar collaborated with Asha for over 50 duets, including popular songs like “Main Chali Main Chali” from “Padosan”, “Mann Kyon Behka Re” from “Utsav” and “Band ho Mutthi To Laakh Ki” from “Dharam-Veer”.

Lata Mangeshkar — the eldest of the five siblings Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath — passed away on Sunday morning following COVID related complications in the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where she was admitted over 28 days ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the luminaries from politics and the entertainment industry present at the icon’s funeral at Shivaji Park in Dadar area.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray were also present at the funeral.

 

Rahul Gandhi Comes Out In Support Of 'Hijab'-Wearing Students

 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the country is robbing the future of its daughters by letting the 'hijab' come in the way of their education.

Coming out in support of hijab-wearing Muslim girl students not allowed entry in educational institutes in Karnataka, he said the goddess Saraswati does not differentiate and gives knowledge to all.

“By letting students’ 'hijab' come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India.”

“Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn’t differentiate. #SaraswatiPuja,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

Saraswati is worshipped as the goddess of knowledge. Saraswati Puja, also known as Basant Panchami, is one of the Hindu festivals that marks the arrival of spring. It is being celebrated in the country on Saturday.

The 'hijab' row has snowballed into a major controversy in Karnataka. The issue started in early January at the government girls’ pre-university (PU) college in Udupi, where six students attended classes wearing headscarves in violation of the dress code in classrooms.

The college had allowed 'hijab' on the campus but not inside the classrooms. The students protested against the directions, but they were barred from attending the classes. The girls continued their protest by sitting outside the classrooms for about a month.

One of the six protesting students at the college had moved the Karnataka High Court on January 31, seeking interim relief to attend classes wearing the 'hijab' till the issue is settled.

The Udupi row was followed by an incident at the pre-university college in Kundapur in the same district, with the authorities disallowing 28 Muslim girl students wearing 'hijabs' from attending classes in the institute, citing a government direction. The girls protested against the order outside the classes as well.

 

Military Response Not In Cards For COVID Protests: Trudeau

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that a military response to the ongoing Ottawa protest against COVID-19 measures is “not in the cards right now.''     

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military, to end the ongoing demonstration that was being called an “occupation” by some on the city council.

Thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital last weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Police estimate about 250 remain.

Trudeau said one must be “very, very cautious” about deploying troops on Canadian soil, adding there has been no such request to the federal government. He said any formal requests for assistance from the City of Ottawa or Ontario will be considered.

Organizers, including one who has espoused white supremacist views, had raised millions for the cross-country “freedom truck convoy” against vaccine mandates and other restrictions.   

It has attracted support from former US President Donald Trump. Ottawa's mayor, meanwhile, is calling on several opposition Conservative lawmakers to apologize for praising the protesters and posing with them.   

A photo posted by one of the lawmakers shows some of them giving the thumbs-up — in front of one of the protest trucks, which have been barricading roads and honking horns in the city almost non-stop since Saturday.   

Mayor Jim Watson responded on Twitter by calling the action an “absolute disgrace,” saying residents have been harassed by protesters and businesses have been forced to close.   

“We have no intent to stay one day longer than necessary. Our departure will be based on the prime minister doing what is right, ending all mandates and restrictions on our freedoms,” Tamara Lich, one of the protest organizers, said in a statement. “Our movement is growing in Canada and across the world because common people are tired of the mandates and restrictions in their lives that now seem to be doing more harm than good."    

The protesters are also calling for the removal of Trudeau's government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments. A protest is planned in the provincial capital of Toronto on Saturday. The Ontario legislature is in close proximity to many along University Avenue.   

“If you have trucks rolling in downtown Toronto and you have kids recovering from surgery in Sick Kids hospital in downtown Toronto and they can't recover from their cancer surgery because there are trucks blaring their horns outside, this movement, whatever support they had from the public will evaporate overnight,” former Conservative Cabinet minister James Moore told CTV news.   

In Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned “the desecration of national monuments and display of hateful symbols.” Many Canadians were outraged after some protesters urinated and parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number of them carried signs and flags with swastikas.   

Police in Alberta, meanwhile, said a second blockade on a highway leading to the main United States border crossing in Alberta has choked off traffic. “Protesters have stopped traffic from going southbound on Highway 4,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Curtis Peters said.   

Protesters agreed on Wednesday to open a lane on each side of the highway at the crossing in Coutts, Alberta, where there has been a blockade since Saturday. But since then, there has been no stream of vehicles crossing the border.   

The new blockade is about 18 kilometers (12 miles) north of Coutts and, although numbers have decreased since Wednesday night, there was still a large presence on Thursday morning with semi-trailers, heavy equipment and trucks blocking access.

Udupi: Students Insist On Wearing 'Hijab' To College, Refused Entry

 

via Screengrab

Muslim girl students of the government pre-university college at Kundapur in Karnataka's Udupi district, who reached the institution wearing the 'hijab' (headscarf) were stopped at the gate by the college principal on Thursday.

The principal informed the students that they are not allowed to wear the 'hijab' inside the classrooms and requested them to remove the head dress and then enter classes.

The students argued with the principal and told him that the government order on status quo has not mentioned the Kundapur college. The principal told them that the circular issued by the government applies throughout the state.

The college had witnessed a grave situation on Wednesday when around 100 Hindu boys came to classes wearing saffron shawls to protest against the girls' wearing 'hijabs' inside classrooms. They, however, did not repeat their protest on Thursday.

A meeting called by Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty with the Muslim girls and their parents had failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday, with the parents insisting that their children had the right to wear 'hijabs'.

Meanwhile, State Fisheries Minister and Udupi district-in-charge S Angara told reporters in Udupi that the status quo ordered by the state government disallowing 'hijabs' inside classrooms will continue till the committee appointed to study the issue submits its report.

"Everyone has to follow the prescribed dress code in educational institutions. Different institutions cannot have different dress codes, " he said.

Re-Looking At Earlier Stand On Criminalisation Of Marital Rape, Centre Tells Delhi HC

 

The petitioners have challenged the constitutionality of the marital rape exception under Section 375 IPC (rape) on the ground that it discriminated against married women who are sexually assaulted by their husbands

The Centre on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it is re-looking at its earlier stand on petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape as that was brought on record in an affidavit filed several years ago.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who is heading the bench hearing a batch of petitions to strike down the exemption from prosecution for the offence of rape granted to husbands under the Indian Penal Code, said the central government needs to make up its mind with respect to its position on the issue.

"The learned solicitor (general) had said that we will be re-looking at the affidavit. These are affidavits quite back in point in time in 2015-2017," Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, told the bench also comprising Justice C Hari Shankar.

Justice Shakdher stated that there were only two ways of dealing with the issue of criminalisation of marital rape — either by a court decision or a decision taken by the legislature — and if the Centre does not clarify its stand, the court would go ahead with the affidavit already on record.

"There are only two ways of closing this issue. One is the legislative route, other is a court decision. There is no third way of closing this issue. You people need to make up your mind whether you need to stick to the position that you have taken in the counter (affidavit) or you will change it. If you want to change it, you must let us know," he said.

"There is a position on record. You deal with it and if they change it they will come back and tell us," Justice Shakdher told the counsel for the petitioner.

ASG Sharma requested the court to allow the Centre to make submissions on the petitions next week.

Last week, the court had asked the Centre to inform whether it wished to withdraw its earlier affidavit filed in the matter in view of its latest stand that it was undertaking a consultative process on the issue.

In its 2017 affidavit, the Centre had submitted that marital rape cannot be made a criminal offence as it could become a phenomenon that may destabilise the institution of marriage and become an easy tool for harassing husbands.

However, on January 13, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the high court that the Centre was considering a constructive approach to the issue and has sought suggestions from several stakeholders and authorities on comprehensive amendments to the criminal law.

Mehta had also stated it would not be appropriate to place before the court a less discussed and consulted stand and time was needed to undertake the process of consultation.

On January 24, he had said criminalisation of marital rape involved family issues as well as the dignity of a woman and cannot be looked at from a microscopic angle and sought some time to respond with the government’s stand.

The petitioners have challenged the constitutionality of the marital rape exception under Section 375 IPC (rape) on the ground that it discriminated against married women who are sexually assaulted by their husbands.