Jammu, (IANS) | A factory exploded in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. One person died and six others were injured in the accident. According to media reports, the deceased has been identified as Mohan Lal. A source with knowledge of the matter said that all the injured have been admitted to the Government College Hospital in Jammu city for treatment.
It is being ascertained whether the blaze took place in the boiler or was caused by some explosive material.
–IANS
Washington (IANS) | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Earth witnessed the most powerful solar storm in nearly six years, spreading aurora across the Americas.
NOAA previously declared moderate G2 hurricane and G3 conditions between March 23 and 25.
However, Earth observed a geomagnetic storm of magnitude G4, causing NOAA to update its warnings.
“The response to the geomagnetic storm increased and the G4 level first reached Earth on March 24 at 12.04 EDT.”
“The CME effect continues and the geomagnetic response has increased to G4 (severe) hurricane level on March 24 at 12:04 a.m. EDT (24/0404 UTC).
G3 Warning in effect until 5:00 AM EDT (24/0900 UTC).
When a powerful geomagnetic storm causes severe disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field, a coronal mass ejection (CME) spews solar material from the Sun’s upper atmosphere or large ejection of charged plasma from the corona, according to NOAA.
The solar storm was the result of a ‘stealth’ CME. Live Science reported that it came from a coronal hole more than 20 Earths wide, spewing solar winds at more than 2.1 million km/h and the storm was the most intense in six years.
The storm’s unexpected ferocity not only made auroras visible as far south as New Mexico in the US, reports Space.com, but it also forced spaceflight company Rocket Lab to delay the launch by 90 minutes.
According to the report, we can expect more extreme space weather events like this powerful geomagnetic storm as the sun moves towards a peak in its 11-year solar activity cycle, which is expected to occur in 2025.
–IANS
Bengaluru (IANS) | The Karnataka BJP camp is hoping to strengthen its chances by playing the reservation card ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Analysts say the BJP’s attempt to generate goodwill by increasing the quota for the two major groups, Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, has been successful.
The Panchamasali sub-sect which had chosen the path of agitation and threatened to eat into the Lingayat vote bank for the BJP seems to have calmed down with the announcement. Panchamasali priest Vachanananda Swamiji said that the movement for reservation by the community has been successful in the first phase. However, the mutt is ready to agitate again to get reservation for the last person of the Panchamasali sub-sect.
The proposal to include Panchamasalis in the OBC list of the Central Government is with the Chief Secretary. The Center has sought opinion from the state government. The movement will continue on that front as well, he said. Basavajaya Mrityunjaya Swamiji, who led the movement for reservation for Panchamasalis, said he would discuss increasing the quota for Lingayats to 7 per cent and give his response later.
The ruling BJP has suffered several setbacks ahead of the elections. Retaining the Panchamasali votes in the Lingayat community was a major concern. The bishops have clearly stated that they will support those political parties which will help them to get reservation. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and the current CM Bommai failed to deliver on their promises and the community was perceived to be angry with the BJP. On the other hand, BJP faced further challenge as many leaders left the party to join Congress.
The reservation quota for Vokkaligas and Lingayats has been increased from 4 percent to 6 percent and 5 percent to 7 percent, respectively. Vokkaligas will get 6% reservation under 2C and Lingayats will get 7% reservation under 2D category. The 4 per cent quota reserved for Muslims under the OBC quota has been allotted to 2D and 2C categories.
The Vokkaliga community, which was given 4 per cent reservation under 3A category, has been given 2 per cent more reservation under 2C category. Lingayats were earlier given 5 per cent reservation under 3B category, now they will get 7 per cent reservation under the new 2D quota.
The ruling BJP had recommended increasing the reservation quota for Scheduled Castes from 18 per cent to 24 per cent in Schedule 9 of the Constitution. The BJP has taken a major decision to give reservation to 101 sub-castes under the Scheduled Caste category according to their population. The BJP has fulfilled a three-decade-old demand.
Congress’s Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the BJP is adopting a strategy of deceiving the reserved communities in the state ahead of the elections.
The BJP is eyeing most of the 36 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and 15 for Scheduled Tribes in the state. With the election of Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress President from the state, the Dalits and the downtrodden are getting attracted to the Congress. However, the BJP is treading carefully on this issue.
New Delhi (IANS) | A Delhi court on Saturday adjourned till May 22 actress Nora Fatehi’s plea against Jacqueline Fernandez alleging that she made defamatory allegations against him with malicious intent and extorted Rs 200 crore. Ruined his career in an extortion case in which conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar is the main accused. The matter was listed before Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Kapil Gupta of Patiala House Court.
Nora recorded her statement as a witness in the money laundering case on January 13 in the presence of Metropolitan Magistrate Aakriti Mahendru.
The court had on December 19, 2022 said that the counsel for the complainant had sought some time to file the list of witnesses.
The Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police is also questioning Jacqueline in the case related to Chandrashekhar. Earlier, Nora had also appeared before the EOW.
Nora has alleged that Jacqueline made false statements against her despite being an actress.
Jacqueline has unnecessarily dragged me into the matter and maligned me as I am also in the same industry, the petition said. He is fully aware that the business and career of any artist is completely based on his image. It is clear that the above allegations are made to tarnish the image.
Please inform that Sukesh Chandrasekhar is alleged to have spent around Rs 20 crore on different models and Bollywood celebs.
–IANS
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his first press conference response after facing disqualification as Lok Sabha MP. The senior BJP leader began his address by stating that the claims made by Rahul Gandhi in his presser were completely false, and misleading as he tried to divert the topic.
Ravi Shankar Prasad counters Rahul Gandhi’s press conference
The former Union Minister further said that Rahul has been punished for one of the speeches that he delivered in 2019. He pointed out that since Rahul Gandhi in his press conference claimed that he never speaks without thinking things through, the same would apply for his 2019 comments as well.
“Rahul Gandhi had said why are all these Modi thieves? He insulted the backward society in his public meeting. You have the right to criticise but you don’t have the right to insult and he insulted as well as abused. He made baseless claims. If he thinks he has the right to abuse then the victim also has the right to approach the court,” said the BJP leader.
He added, “And if he does speaks thoughtfully, then BJP believes that Rahul Gandhi deliberately insulted the backward and we condemn it”.
Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that Rahul Gandhi is habituated to lying as he denied making any remarks in connection with India and its democracy during his London visit. “Rahul had said in London that democracy is weakening in India and European countries are not paying attention. It has become Rahul Gandhi’s nature to lie.”
‘Party of Cut, Corruption and Commission’: Ravi Shankar on Congress
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ravi Shankar said that in the latter’s 9 years of governance, India has flourished in every aspect and made progress in its developmental journey. He slammed Gandhi and Congress for attacking PM Modi when they themselves are accused of corruption cases.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The whole life of Prime Minister Modi is an open book of honesty with not a single stain. He has been the Prime Minister of India for 9 years and the country is moving forward. Rahul Gandhi is not ashamed. He is talking about corruption when he himself is out on bail in a similar case. The leaders of this Party must be ashamed of making baseless remarks about PM Modi, a powerful leader who has taken the developmental journey of India to newer heights, and whose stewardship has made India the 5th largest economy in the world.”
“Congress is nothing but a Party of Cut, Corruption and Commission”, the BJP leader said as he concluded his press conference.
It is pertinent to mention that earlier, Rahul Gandhi in his first response slammed the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Adani row. He cited the example of his disqualification and asserted that the democracy of the country is under attack.
Denying any clash between the government and judiciary as speculated in the media, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday contended that differences were inevitable in a democracy but they should not be construed as confrontation.
The Minister inaugurated the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Mayiladuthurai, in the presence of Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice T Raja here.
“We have differences, but it doesn’t mean there is confrontation. It sends a wrong message across the world. I want to make it clear that there is no problem between different organs of the State. There are signs of robust democratic actions, which are not a crisis,” he emphasised.
Pointing to some media reports of alleged differences between the government and the Supreme Court or the legislature and judiciary, the Union Minister said, “we must understand that we are in a democracy. There are bound to be certain differences in terms of some outlook but you can’t have conflicting positions. This doesn’t mean confrontation. We are the largest democracy in the world.” The Centre would support the Indian judiciary to be independent, he said, and called upon the bench and the bar — being two sides of the same coin — to work together to ensure that the court complex is not divided. “One can’t exist without the other. Court must have proper decorum and conducive atmosphere.” Talking about fund allocations, he said last year the government had allotted Rs 9,000 crore for district and other courts in the State, and his department was pushing hard for utilisation of funds so that more could be sought.
“In some States, I realised that requirement of court and understanding of government has some shortcomings,” Rijiju said.
The government would like the Indian judiciary to go completely paperless in the near future. “With the coming of technological support, everything can be synchronised so that the judge will not have to postpone cases for want of evidence, or bunch cases and other issues. Works are under process and I could sense we are going towards a major solution (for pendency),” he said.
There may be separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary but that did not mean they shouldn’t work together, the Law Minister asserted.
“We should work as a team to identify and ensure that challenges like pendency of cases are tackled,” he said, adding, “In India, every judge is handling 50-60 cases every day. If I had to deal with so many cases, the mental pressure would be tremendous. That is why sometimes there is constant criticism that judges are unable to deliver justice, which is not true.” He pointed out that disposal of cases has been done faster. But the number of cases coming up was also higher. The only way was to have better infrastructure and better mechanism and to strengthen the Indian judiciary.
On delivering justice to common man, Rijiju said he would be happy to see all the courts in Tamil Nadu use the Tamil language in its proceedings. “In the High Court there is a challenge…Tamil is a classical language and we’re proud of it. We would like to see it being used. With the increase in technology, advancement of legal transcripts, maybe some day Tamil language can be used in Supreme Court also,” the Minister said.
The refueller aircraft of the Indian Airforce IL 78 after landing in Saudi Arabia for a refueling halt was given complete cooperation by the air force authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“An IL 78 refueller of the Indian Air Force landed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a refueling halt. The Air crew were received by the Royal Saudi Air force authorities and were extended complete support,” tweeted Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
On 25 March, an IL 78 refueller of Indian Air Force@IAF_MCC landed in the Kingdom for a refuelling halt. The Air crew were received by the Royal Saudi Air force authorities and were extended complete support. pic.twitter.com/zm8npsJwdc
— India in Saudi Arabia (@IndianEmbRiyadh) March 25, 2023
It’s important to recall in a historic first, eight air craft of the IAF landed at Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) base on February 26, adding a new milestone in the defence relationship between both countries. It was referred to as a friendly stopover where refueling and other maintenance checks were also conducted’.
The Indian contingent comprising of 5 MIRAGE, 2 C17 and 1 IL 78 tanker and 145 Air Warriors took an overnight stopover in Saudi Arabia. They were received by the senior officials of the RSAF and the Indian Embassy. On March 22, Indian Air Force Balakot operations fame Mirage 2000 alongwith two C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift planes and one IL-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft participated in the United Kingdom for multi-national exercise Cobra Warrior 2023 at the Waddington air base.
Toronto (IANS) | Responding to a Sikh lawmaker’s concerns over internet shutdown in Punjab, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said her country is closely following developments in the state and will continue to address the community’s concerns. Malton-Mississauga MP Ikvinder Gahir said in the House, My colleagues and I have heard about the suspension of internet services in Punjab, India. Relatives and friends of Canadians who are in Punjab do not have access to the Internet.
In response, Jolly said, “We are aware of the developments in Punjab and we are closely following it.” We will continue to address the concerns of many community members.
Gahir raised the issue in Parliament after a cross-section of Canadian Sikh MPs expressed their concern over the internet and SMS shutdown affecting everyone in the state.
Tim Uppal, deputy leader of the Conservative Party, told The Globe and Mail: “As a member of Parliament for Canada, we’re trying to make sure it’s safe for Canadians who go there.”
Liberal MP for Brampton South Sonia Sidhu said on Twitter, I am getting calls from Punjab and I am very worried.
I hope the situation resolves soon and Canadians traveling to Punjab will be able to connect with their families and friends in Canada, Sidhu wrote.
According to the 2021 Canadian census, the number of Punjabis in Canada is about 9.5 million, which is about 2.6 percent of the country’s population.
–IANS
Mumbai: After Bigg Boss 16, fans are eagerly waiting for other two top reality shows — Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 and Lock Upp 2 to begin. While an official announcement about the shows from the makers are still awaited, updates about them have created a a lot of buzz on internet. Several celebrity names who are expected to take part in the upcoming season of KKK and Lock Upp are surfacing online.
Speaking about Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 hosted by Rohit Shetty, we have an interesting update on contestants list. Actress and Bigg Boss 16 second runner-up Priyanka Chahar Choudhary is the latest celeb to confirm being a part of KKK’s new edition. Yes, you read that right! The Udaariyan star in her latest chat with Instant Bollywood at an award spilled beans about the same.
When Priyanka was questioned about her participation in Khatron Ke Khiladi 13, she explained with a smile that, as is the norm, the media is not informed of any details beforehand and so, she could not disclose any information at that point in time.
Guwahati (IANS) | An 18-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed to death by a youth in Assam’s Karimganj district. Officials gave this information on Saturday. After a dispute on Friday in Dalgram village of the district, the young man killed the girl child with a sharp weapon. Munwara Begum was a student of Higher Secondary (HS) at Kaliganj Public Higher Secondary School.
Karimganj Superintendent of Police Partha Protim Das told reporters that on being informed by the locals, a police team reached the spot and recovered the girl’s body.
“We have detained one Jaber Ahmed in connection with the incident,” he said.
However, the weapon allegedly used in the crime is yet to be recovered.
The girl was stabbed on her neck with a sharp weapon and she died on the spot, Das said.
After the postmortem, the body was handed over to the relatives of the deceased.
The incident is being investigated.
–IANS