Jaipur: This is the story of environment activist Narpat Singh Rajpurohit, a resident of Rajasthan's Barmer district, who travelled a distance of 30,120 km on his cycle, across 26 states, to spread awareness on the need to protect the environment.Starting his journey from Kashmir on January 27, 2019, he cycled for 1,179 days and completed his tour at Amar Jawan Jyoti on April 20, 2022 which is the longest cycling tour of its kind in the world. During this journey, he passed through 26 Indian states and 467 districts and planted a total of 94,100 saplings .In fact, he interacted with people from place to place and taught them to plant trees for environmental protection and to conserve them.Among those who congratulated Narpat are former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, MP P.P. Choudhary, Diya Kumari, Jaskaur Meena and former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot among others.Narpat Singh earlier had created the Golden Book of World Records by completing the 18,202 km journey on cycle. After this, he started cycling continuously to make the world record and on April 20, he completed his mission having logged a 30,120 km cycle journey that ended in Jaipur.These 1,179 days of his cycling tour were full of adventures, he says.During the commencement of his journey in Jammu and Kashmir, he did not get permission due to heavy snowfall. However, his persistence prevailed and he was later given permission.Later, he encountered many wild animals during the journey in the hilly areas. Many times, he went without food. Despite this, he made the local people pledge to plant four to five saplings during his daily journey.Rajpurohit has been devoted to plantation and protection of wildlife right from his student life.During the marriage of his own sister Meena, he presented 251 saplings to guests who came in the processions and took a pledge to protect them. Recently, at the wedding of his niece Hansa Kanwar, 151 saplings were presented to the guests. Along with this, he has campaigned for the protection of wildlife in Barmer. He has preserved and treated 169 chinkaras and more than 25 other extinct wild animals so far. Along with this, he arranges drinking water for wildlife in summers by bringing in water tankers. Also he makes people aware of the environment by running campaigns like Save Birds, Plant Birds, Plastic Liberation, etc. Surprisingly, Narpat has a 10 per cent disability in the foot. Despite this challenge, he faced rain, winters, summers and adverse conditions, to complete his cycle journey which passed through 26 states."I have donated more than 90,000 saplings during this journey and will distribute more," he said.On April 20, he confirmed that he has completed a 30,121.6 km cycling tour.On his Twitter, he wrote, "30,121.6 km cycling tour concludes. The world's longest cycling tour for environmental protection ended in Jaipur at Amar Jawan Jyoti. Total time taken is 3 years 2 months 24 days, overall 1179 days, 20 states, 6 union territories in 467 districts." The congratulatory messages pouring in on his Twitter handle assures him that his journey has been a success and at the same time is inspiring him to do more to script another success story. —IANS

This is the story of environment activist Narpat Singh Rajpurohit, a resident of Rajasthan's Barmer district, who travelled a distance of 30,120 km on his cycle, across 26 states, to spread awareness on the need to protect the environment.

Green Crusader Cycles Across 26 States, 30,120 Km, To Plant 94,100 Saplings In 1,179 Days

Hong Kong: April's signing of a secretive security cooperation agreement by Solomon Islands and China understandably created a huge stir in Australasia and the South Pacific. The deal could potentially pave the way for a full-blown Chinese military base in the Solomons, but how much of a threat would such an installation pose?Since World War II, Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA have been comfortable as undisputed "masters" of the South Pacific. For decades, no outside power has been able to make their way in, but that is changing with Chinese economic and diplomatic largesse. Via economic aid and investment, China has spread its influence wide across the Pacific, sometimes for the better, but often not. In Solomon Islands, for example, commercial logging companies - primarily Malaysian and Chinese - are decimating the islands' forests; some 90% of this timber goes to China.As so often happens in history, the flag follows the trade. In 2019, China was Solomon Islands' top import and export destination, with a total value near USD515 million. Solomon Islands shifted recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019. Out of 16 Pacific nations, only the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu retain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.Chinese companies around the world represent the tail of the dragon, but they are all masterminded by the dragon's head in Beijing. Chinese investors are in the vanguard, but Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and organs inexorably follow.In the Pacific, Beijing is capitalizing on inherent weaknesses in smaller nations, bullying the gullible and satiating the greedy with money. It knows that regulatory frameworks are too weak in places like Solomon Islands to resist pressure. Political systems in a number of Pacific nations are already fragile, and Chinese activities undermine their democracies.Interestingly, Fiji was the first Pacific country to sign a security agreement with China, with a memorandum of understanding on police cooperation in 2011, and one in 2014 on defense issues like border control, equipment and training. However, those agreements, revolving mostly around transnational crime, are very different to Honiara's open-ended commitments to China.Anne-Marie Brady, a professor of Chinese domestic and foreign policy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, wrote: "...Pacific island nations often lack the capacity to address these challenges. In some, notably Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, CCP political interference may have so weakened democracy that there appears to be next to no political will to examine China's interference activities." Brady continued: "China's broad approach to political interference makes extensive use of assets, disinformation, 'useful idiots' and proxies". These efforts, including "elite capture", are supervised by the United Work Front Department of the CCP. They routinely target local government and local authorities rather than the national level where approaches might be more robustly resisted. The CCP terms this "using the local to surround the central; using the countryside to surround the cities".The Kiwi academic noted: "United Front Work is designed to corrode and corrupt democratic political systems, to weaken communities and divide them against each other, and to erode the critical voice of the media. It turns elites into clients of the CCP through financial and other inducements. It's also used to develop asset relationships, to access sensitive technology and to promote the CCP's foreign policy agenda." China certainly took advantage of the riots in Honiara in late 2021 to obtain greater access to Solomon Islands. At that time, China requested permission to import weaponry such as ten 5.8mm assault rifles, two light machine guns and a 7.62mm sniper rifle for a ten-man plain-clothes security team to guard its embassy in Honiara.Then, in February, six Chinese policemen began training the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, even conducting firearms training using replica assault rifles mysteriously delivered via a Chinese logging ship.A security presence in the Solomons would certainly allow China to better protect its interests and expatriate citizens there. This aligns with China's amendment of its Law on National Defense, which permits the government to protect development interests around the world. The law is rather ambiguous, so that Beijing is left with plenty of options for action and escalation. According to a leaked draft of the security cooperation framework agreement, "Solomon Islands may, according to its needs, request China to send police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces to Solomon Islands to assist in maintaining social order, protecting people's lives and property, providing humanitarian assistance, carrying out disaster response, or providing assistance on other tasks agreed upon by the parties." It continued, "China may, according to its own needs and with the consent of Solomon Islands, make ship visits to carry out logistical replenishment in and have stopover and transition in Solomon Islands, and the relevant forces of China can be used to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands."The highly secretive agreement has an initial duration of five years, but will be automatically extended for five-year periods unless specifically terminated by either party. Although there is no specific mention of a military base, it seems inevitable given that the agreement discusses logistical support. This could lead to a similar arrangement to what China has in Djibouti, where PLA troops are stationed at a sizeable military base, and where Chinese warships and aircraft routinely visit. Such a base would be just 2,000km from Australia's Queensland coast. Both parties insist there is no plan to establish a military base, China rubbishing it as "utterly misinformation deliberately spread with political motive". However, can such promises be trusted? A leaked Chinese document from 2020 demonstrated that China was discussing the possibility of a military base even back then.This letter from AVIC International Project Engineering Company, addressed to Leslie Kikolo, the former premier of Isobel Province, described "our intent to study the opportunity to develop naval and infrastructure projects on leased land for the People's Liberation Army Navy [PLAN], for Isobel Province with exclusive rights for 75 years".Earlier, in November 2019, just a few months after Honiara switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, AVIC Commercial Aircraft signed a memorandum of understanding to upgrade 35 airstrips in the Solomons to turn it into a regional "aeronautical hub". In return, the nation was to purchase six AVIC-manufactured aircraft. However, this seems never to have proceeded, perhaps because of the COVID-19 pandemic. China's state-controlled AVIC is tightly entwined with the PLA, so scoping out airfields for PLA use could easily occur.Undoubtedly, the prospect of a Chinese naval base is threatening. China may claim now that will not happen, but there is huge potential for "mission creep", with a dual-use base that China claims is not a military installation, but which performs this function regardless.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a base would be a "red line", but did not elaborate on what this meant. Daniel Kritenbrink, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, also warned, "We told Solomon Islands leadership that the United States would respond if steps were taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power projection capabilities or a military installation in Solomon Islands."China's overarching strategy must be remembered, which is to displace the USA as the predominant power in the Western Pacific. This also incorporates the goal of breaking out from behind the so-called First Island Chain, with footholds farther afield desirable.Indeed, Solomon Islands, which was the site of intense battles in World War II, offers a good location from which China can threaten longitudinal and latitudinal lines of communication, both on the sea and in the air, between the USA and allies like Australia.A base there, permitting presence patrols and intelligence gathering, would complicate Australian defense planning. Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, part of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, agreed that there is an important strategic purpose to China's actions. "There is a much broader, deep-seated strategic-military angle.The South Pacific overlooks the vast maritime space between the so-called First Island Chain, which encloses the Chinese 'near seas' such as the East and South China Seas, and the Second Island Chain that pivots chiefly around Guam." China is already confident about operating militarily inside the First Island Chain, since it can call upon land-based assets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.However, it needs to do more than that if it wishes to deter or prevent American forces from intervening in any conflict between it and Taiwan. The PLA thus needs the ability to intervene against American forces coming from places like Guam, Hawaii and the continental USA. This activity must take place outside the First Island Chain in places like the Philippine Sea. Koh also noted that the deep waters of the Western Pacific are ideal for Chinese nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines.Such vessels need wide-open spaces to hide and to launch their deadly cargoes against the west coast of the USA. To this end, a vantage point in the South Pacific gives the PLAN an advantage, such as resupplying and supporting naval vessels.Koh also noted that a base in Solomon Islands could also benefit its Antarctic presence. Research vessels can stop off on their way to and from the icy continent, for instance. China already sends space-tracking ships to the Pacific, especially for satellite launches.In February, the PLAN sent its first ever ships to the South Pacific on a humanitarian assistance mission. Two vessels delivered aid to Tonga in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami.Koh said such a distant base in Solomon Islands has huge drawbacks though. "A military base in the South Pacific would in itself pose more a challenge than an advantage to China. A solitary base in Solomon Islands, for example, would be gravely exposed and outnumbered by the long-entrenched American, Australian and French military presence in the neighborhood. If this base is meant to send a political signal that China can have such an installation too, its strategic utility is likely to be outweighed by the drawbacks."The Singaporean added, "Overseas military bases constitute not just an asset, but also a liability. In times of conflict, a postulated Chinese military base in Solomon Islands is more likely a strategic liability than an asset. Isolated, far from the Chinese mainland seaboard, this outpost becomes vulnerable, as it falls within the strike range of American and Australian military assets stationed in Australia."The tyranny of geography means Chinese mainland support for this outpost will become arduous, and vulnerable in itself to adversarial air and maritime interdiction. Unless this outpost is part of a network of mutually supporting Chinese military bases, in times of war such an installation generates little return on investment, but generates high costs instead."Koh concluded: "Unless the Chinese authorities have completely lost their strategic and operational acumen in assessing the merits and demerits of an overseas military base in Solomon Islands, it is more plausible to expect Beijing to seek dual-use facilities that would be less controversial. This would allow it to maintain goodwill in the South Pacific by shaping the image of an external party that comes bearing gifts instead of nefarious strategic intent, and yet allowing for a wide berth of flexibility to fulfil those peacetime developmental interests."But it is not just the military facet that is of concern, for China could help the Solomon Islands government to "keep the peace" by conducting surveillance on political opponents and controlling information. When one considers China's treatment of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, its brutal methods are to be feared.China must brave intense socio-political friction from Solomon citizens. While Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government might wholeheartedly welcome Beijing and its slush funds, many there are strongly against Chinese interference.Many believe that Sogavare is after enforcers to preserve his own hold on power. The country has numerous scars from previous conflicts, and a risk of Chinese paramilitary police providing internal security in Solomon Islands would throw fuel on the fire.China has already out-manoeuvred Canberra and Washington DC in Solomon Islands. The USA is belatedly reopening an embassy in Honiara, but this was far too late to stop the China Solomon Islands deal. Now all that they can do is keep China's activities under that agreement under close scrutiny. —ANI

April's signing of a secretive security cooperation agreement by Solomon Islands and China understandably created a huge stir in Australasia and the South Pacific. The deal could potentially pave the way for a full-blown Chinese military base in the Solomons, but how much of a threat would such an installation pose?

Are Chinese Military Bases A Threat In The South Pacific?-I

Are Chinese Military Bases A Threat In The South Pacific?

Bangkok: India stormed into the quarterfinals of the ongoing BWF Uber Cup 2022 after crushing USA 4-1 in Bangkok.In the Group D encounter, World No. 7 PV Sindhu started the proceedings against Jennie Gai. Sindhu completed dominated both the games and clinched victory 21-10, 21-11 in a match that lasted 26 minutes.In the second clash, the women's doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly thrashed Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee 21-19, 21-10 in the encounter that lasted 34 minutes.Aakarshi Kashyap locked horns with Esther Shi in the third match. The USA shuttler lost 18-21, 11-21 in 34 minutes.Then, the duo of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi lost to Lauren Lam and Kodi Tang Lee. After losing in the first game by 12-21, the Indian pair made a comeback winning the second game 21-17. But the pair from the USA clinched victory in the third game 21-13.In the final clash, Ashmita Chaliha took on Natalie Chi. The Indian shuttler beat her opponent 21-18, 21-13 in 31 minutes.Earlier, Team India had defeated Canada 4-1 in their opening match.With two back-to-back wins, India have secured their quarterfinals spot—ANI

India stormed into the quarterfinals of the ongoing BWF Uber Cup 2022 after crushing USA 4-1 in Bangkok.

Uber Cup 2022: India crush USA 4-1; enter quarterfinals

New Delhi: Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has expressed fear for women and girls in Afghanistan after the Taliban issued a decree making the hijab compulsory for women in Afghanistan.She urged world leaders to hold Taliban accountable for violating the human rights of Afghan women."The Taliban want to erase girls and women from all public life in Afghanistan - to keep girls out of school and women out of work, to deny them the ability to travel without a male family member, and to force them to cover their faces and bodies completely," tweeted Malala. She urged world leaders to take collective action to hold the Taliban accountable for violating the human rights of millions of women and girls."We must not lose our sense of alarm for Afghan women as the Taliban continue to break their promises. Even now, women are taking to the streets to fight for their human rights and dignity - all of us, and especially those from Muslim countries, must stand with them," added Malala.Earlier, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday aired his concerns about a recent decision by the Taliban to obligate Afghan women to cover head-to-toe, a decision that has led to severe criticism from human rights observers. Step by step, Taliban is obliterating Afghan women's human rights, UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett said a day after the Taliban issued the latest edict on making full-body veil a mandatory compounding with restrictions on education, movement, employment and public life."Step by step Taliban is obliterating Afghan women's human rights with the latest edict on mandatory face coverings compounding restrictions on education, movement, employment and public life. There must be consequences for human rights violations - time for the int comm to act," Richard Bennett said in a tweet.Unrecognized by most of the international community, the Taliban-led government has committed to respecting the human rights and rights of women.The UN mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern about the announcement, saying that this decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding respect for and protection of all Afghans' human rights, including those of women and girls.&nbsp;—ANI

Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has expressed fear for women and girls in Afghanistan after the Taliban issued a decree making the hijab compulsory for women in Afghanistan.

Malala Yousafzai Slams Taliban For Hijab Decree, Urges World Leaders To Take Action

Washington: Jen Psaki has signed off as the White House Press Secretary after serving in the post for 15 months and holding 224 media briefings. “I want to say thank you to the President and the First Lady. They entrusted me in serving in this role for the last 15 months,” Psaki said during her last briefing at the White House on Friday.She also extended appreciation to the White House’s press team, as well as to reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. “You have challenged me, you have pushed me, you have debated me, and at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working. “Thank you for what you do Thank you for making me better. And most importantly, thank you for the work every day you do to make this country stronger,” she added. Friday’s appearance was Psaki’s 224th White House briefing over her tenure that began the day Joe Biden was sworn in as the President in January 2021. Karine Jean-Pierre is the new White House press secretary, becoming both the first African American and openly LGBTQ person to hold the position. As an assistant to the US President, the White House Press Secretary provides daily briefings for the media on the administration’s activities and agenda.—IANS

Jen Psaki has signed off as the White House Press Secretary after serving in the post for 15 months and holding 224 media briefings.

 Jen Psaki signs off as WH Press Secretary

New Delhi (The Hawk):&nbsp;Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Hon’ble Scott Morrison on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, USA, on 23 September 2021.This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in the post-pandemic period. The last bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Morrison was the Leaders’ Virtual Summit held on 4 June 2020 when the Strategic Partnership between India and Australia was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.During the meeting, the Prime Ministers discussed a broad range of issues of bilateral, regional and global importance. They noted with satisfaction the regular high-level engagements between the two countries, including the recently held first India-Australia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ 2+2 Dialogue.The Prime Ministers reviewed the progress achieved since the Leaders’ Virtual Summit in June 2020 under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and resolved to continue close cooperation for mutual well-being and towards advancing their shared objective of an open, free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.They expressed satisfaction at the ongoing negotiations on a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). In that context, they welcomed the visit to India by former Australian Prime Minister Mr. Tony Abbott as PM Scott Morrison’s Special Trade Envoy for India, and noted the commitment of both sides to achieve an early harvest announcement on an interim agreement by December 2021.The Prime Ministers underlined the need for the international community to address the issue of Climate Change on an urgent basis. In this regard, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the need for a broader dialogue on environment protection. Both leaders also discussed possibilities of providing clean technologies.The Prime Ministers agreed that as two vibrant democracies in the region, the two countries needed to work closer together to overcome the challenges in the post-pandemic world, inter alia to enhance supply chain resilience.Both leaders lauded the immense contribution of the Indian diaspora to Australia’s economy and society, and discussed ways to enhance people to people ties. Prime Minister Modi renewed his invitation to Prime Minister Morrison to visit India.

 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Hon’ble Scott Morrison on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, USA, on 23 September 2021.

PM’s Meeting With Australian PM On The Sidelines Of The Quad Leaders’ Summit

Hyderabad: Thousands of people from various walks of life on Friday participated in the Yoga Utsav in Hyderabad to mark the 25-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga. The event was organised at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium by the Union Ministry of Ayush with the support of the Telangana government.Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan; Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal; Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy; and Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development and Ayush Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai also participated in the event held under the theme 'Make yoga a part of your life'.In the event organised by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), more than 10,000 enthusiasts performed Common Yoga Protocol (CYP). The session was directed by Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, Director, MDNIY. The event was aimed at creating awareness about the various dimensions of Yoga and its ability to enrich human lives. Sports celebrities P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Lakshya Sen, K. Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Mithali Raj, H.S. Pranoy, Pragyan Ojha, Naina Jaswal and Mukesh participated in the event.Tollywood personalities Manchu Vishnu, Mogalaiah, Sandeep Kishan, Nikhil Siddharth, Lavanya Tripathy and Dil Raju were also in attendance. Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal called for celebrating rich heritage by making yoga a part of life saying it enriches health and mind. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yoga has got the necessary platform which has helped build the brand India image. He hoped that the success of Friday's event will give further momentum towards the eighth International Day of Yoga on June 21 in Mysuru where Modi will lead the elaborate celebration involving enthusiasts and practitioners from across the world. The Yoga Utsavs were also organised at five Archaeological sites Alike Rakhigari (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu)).Sonowal announced a "Guardian Ring", whereby the yoga celebrations happening across the world will be relayed throughout on June 21. The streaming will begin from Japan at 6 a.m. and, then, move westward. As and when the sun rises, streaming will be done from other countries live on DD India.—IANS

Thousands of people from various walks of life on Friday participated in the Yoga Utsav in Hyderabad to mark the 25-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga.

Thousands participate in Hyderabad Yoga Utsav

Finland:&nbsp;Menopausal transition increases women's body fat, especially around the waist, according to a study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla's, Finland. As a result, women in their forties and fifties are advised to pay special attention to good lifestyle habits--physical activity and a healthy diet--to help alleviate the health risks associated with fat accumulation. The study was published in the journal, 'Aging Cell'. In the period of life prior to and after menopause, women tend to accumulate more fat in their bodies; the distribution of fat in the different regions of the body changes as well. Before menopause, women typically have more fat in their thigh and gluteal areas compared to men, but in midlife, many women notice an increase in fat, especially in their waist area. In addition to the total amount, the location of this adipose tissue also is meaningful to one's overall health, especially because mid-region fat has been shown to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes."Aging increases total body adipose tissue accumulation in both men and women, but it seems that menopause may accelerate these changes in women," says doctoral researcher Hanna-Kaarina Juppi. "Although several studies have been conducted on this issue, the role of menopause specifically in the changing fat distribution is still under debate. Since women typically live in the postmenopausal state for several decades, it is crucial to study these changes and understand their meaning to health."In the current study, middle-aged women approaching menopause were followed for a maximum of 4 years over the menopausal transition. At the beginning and end of the study, women's body composition, mid-thigh adipose tissue area, and adipose-tissue-derived hormones from their blood were measured. Information was collected also regarding the level of physical activity, diet, and the use of hormone therapy. Fat accumulation was investigated also at the muscle fibre level. During the follow-ups, researchers found an increase in the fat mass over the entire body, with a notable increase in the waist area. Women who were more physically active and partook in a healthier diet during the study had lower fat mass. The use of hormone preparations was not associated with body fatness. "The results indicate that menopause affects body fat accumulation in women. Contrary to expectations, the increase in the amount of adipose tissue of our participants had only moderately negative effects on the hormones derived from the adipose tissue that reflect metabolic health," Juppi continues. "We suspect that the relatively healthy lifestyle habits of our participants helped them sustain metabolic health despite an increase in fat mass and menopause." Conducted at the Gerontology Research Center in the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyvaskyla, this research is part of the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) and Estrogen, MicroRNAs and the Risk of Metabolic Dysfunction (EsmiRs) studies led by Associate Professor Eija Laakkonen. Nearly 1,400 Finnish women aged 47 to 55 years old participated in the original ERMA baseline. Of them, 230 women participated in the ERMA and 148 in the EsmirS follow-up studies. The research has been funded by the Academy of Finland.—ANI

Menopausal transition increases women's body fat, especially around the waist, according to a study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla's, Finland. As a result, women in their forties and fifties are advised to pay special attention to good lifestyle habits--physical activity and a healthy diet--to help alleviate the health risks associated with fat accumulation.

Physical activity, healthy diet can help protect you from health risks during menopause

Srinagar: Founder of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Bhim Singh was cremated at his ancestral village in Udhampur district of the Union Territory on Wednesday. Singh (81) passed away in Jammu on Tuesday after being unwell for about a month.Thousands of people, including several top political leaders, turned up at the venue of the cremation.The veteran leader was cremated at his native Bhugterian village amid "Bhim Singh&nbsp;amar rahe" slogans. Locals as well as people from other villages gathered to catch a last glimpse of the brave son of Ramnagar, who was known as the "panther of Jammu". "He was a great leader who advocated the cause of the Jammu region for decades," former Jammu and Kashmir minister and chairman of the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Choudhary Lal Singh said.Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, former minister Harsh Dev Singh, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, former legislator Balwant Mankotia and DDC Chairperson Lal Chand were present at Singh's cremation.Singh breathed his last at the GMC hospital in Jammu.Singh, who hailed from Udhampur district's Bhugterian village, left behind his wife Jai Mala and son Ankit Love, who lives in London.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union minister Jitendra Singh, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader MY Tarigami and the heads of various political parties expressed condolences on the demise of Singh, who emerged as a major political force to reckon with in the Jammu region.Singh held several key positions in the Congress earlier, from the president of the party's Jammu and Kashmir youth unit to its national general secretary, before launching the Panthers Party in October 1982.He studied law in the University of London. He was the first Indian to be elected as the secretary of the University of London Union in 1971.Singh, who contested the Lok Sabha election from Udhampur in 1988, was defeated by the Congress candidate. Alleging foul play, he went on a hunger strike against the Election Commission (EC).On Singh's review petition against the EC's order, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court delivered the judgment in his favour four years later, but by then, the session of Parliament was already dissolved.The Supreme Court had awarded a compensation of Rs 50,000 to Singh for his illegal imprisonment by the then state government that followed his suspension as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 1985.In the 2002 Assembly polls, his Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party won four seats and became a coalition partner in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government.Singh had also provided legal aid to over 200 people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, who were languishing in different jails across the country for decades. His help saw the release of most of these prisoners.The veteran leader, who travelled to over 130 countries around the world on a motorcycle, was friends with people like Yasser Arafat, Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.—PTI

Founder of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Bhim Singh was cremated at his ancestral village in Udhampur district of the Union Territory on Wednesday.

Thousands bid adieu to Panther's Party leader Bhim Singh in J-K

New Delhi: India’s Swapnil Kusale qualified for the final of the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) competition at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday. The young Indian shot 199 out of 200 in the first Kneeling position, 198 in the Prone position and rounded it off with a 194 in the final Standing position, to finish a creditable second in the 53-strong field. His aggregate of 591 was three behind Rio Olympic silver medallist Serhiy Kulhish of Ukraine, who finished on top.The final stages will be played out on Thursday. Two other Indians in the fray, Goldi Gurjar and Olympian Deepak Kumar finished 14th and 23rd with scores of 585 and 583 respectively. The 12-member Indian Rifle contingent participating in the Baku World Cup has so far one gold to its name and are lying ninth in the standings. Korea lead the table with three golds.—IANS

India’s Swapnil Kusale qualified for the final of the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) competition at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

Swapnil Kusale Enters Final Of Men’s 3P At Baku Shooting World Cup

Head of International Co-Operation, DST, Govt. Of India, Shri S. K. Varshney inaugurated the Remote Operation Center (ROC) at Panjab University (PU) for the NOvA Experiment at Fermilab, USA on Saturday, 4th June 2022.

Remote Operation Center for the USA based Experiment established at PU   

New Delhi: Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt on Monday announced his retirement from international badminton, bringing down the curtains on a professional career that spanned over a decade and a half. The 32-year-old from Hyderabad, who had claimed a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, took the decision after battling multiple injuries in the last few years."I was not able to give my 100 percent. I love the sport a lot and I felt I wasn't not able to do justice to it. My body was not able to take it. So I decided to retire from competitive badminton. It is super super emotional decision for me," Gurusaidutt said. Gurusaidutt, who is a 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist and also has a world junior bronze medal, will be stepping on a new journey as a coach."I am really looking forward to a coaching stint with the Indian team. Working under Gopi sir, who has been my mentor, I will learn a lot," said Gurusaidutt."I will be with the Indian team at Indonesia for the 1000 event and with the camp till the CWG. I am thankful to BPCL for giving me the opportunity and really look forward to working with the Indian team." Gurusaidutt had finished second best at the 2010 India Open Grand Prix. He represented India at the South Asian Games and won the silver in the singles event besides being part of the gold medal in team category.He had won the Bulgarian International in 2015, besides claiming the title at 2012 Tata Open India International.He also won the trophy at Bahrain International in 2008. His biggest moment came at 2014 CWG when he beat England's Rajiv Ouseph to win the bronze medal.—PTI

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt on Monday announced his retirement from international badminton, bringing down the curtains on a professional career that spanned over a decade and a half.

CWG bronze medallist Gurusaidutt retires from badminton

New Delhi (The Hawk):&nbsp;The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the proposal for signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Cooperation in the field of Industries and Advanced Technologies.Growing India-UAE economic and commercial relations contribute to the stability and strength of a rapid diversifying and deepening bilateral relationship between the two countries. India-UAE bilateral trade, valued at US$ 180 million (Rs.1373 crore) per annum in the 1970s has increased to US$ 60 billion (Rs.4.57 lakh crore) making the UAE, India's third largest trading partner for the year 2019-20 after China and the US. Moreover, the UAE is the second largest export destination of India (after US) with an export value of US$ 29 billion (Rs.2.21 lakh crore) for the year 2019-2020. The UAE is eighth largest investor in India with an estimated investment of US$ 18 billion (Rs.1.37 lakh crore). Indian investments in the UAE are estimated at around US$ 85 billion (Rs.6.48 lakh crore).India and the UAE have signed a bilateral "Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (CEPA) on 18/02/2022. This agreement has potential to increase trade between India and the UAE from US$ 60 billion (Rs.4.57 lakh crore) to US$ 100 billion (Rs.7.63 lakh crore) in the next five years.The MoU envisages cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis in the following areas:a. Strengthening the Supply Chain Resilience of Industriesb. Renewable &amp; Energy Efficiencyc. Health and life sciencesd. Space Systemse. Artificial Intelligencef.&nbsp;Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologiesg. Standardization, metrology, conformity assessment, accreditation, and Halal certification.The MoU aims at strengthening and developing industries in both nations through investments, technology transfer and the deployment of key technologies in industries. This is likely to generate employment across the economy.The implementation of MoU may lead to increase in research and innovation in all areas of mutual cooperation, particularly in the areas of Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence, Industry Enabling technologies and Health and Life science. This may lead to growth of these sectors, increased domestic production, enhanced exports and reduction in imports.Signing of the MoU will result in fulfilling the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat, a clarion call given by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India in making India a self-reliant nation.

 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the proposal for signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Cooperation in the field of Industries and Advanced Technologies.

Cabinet Approves MoU Signed Between India & USA In The Field Of Health Sector	

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the proposal for signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Cooperation in the field of Industries and Advanced Technologies.

Tokyo: Japan's Hayabusa2 space mission, which brought to Earth samples from an asteroid in late 2020, has found more than 20 types of amino acids in it, according to Japanese space agency JAXA officials.In 2018, Hayabusa2 landed atop a moving asteroid named Ryugu and collected particles from above and below its surface. In December 2020, it returned to Earth with a sealed capsule containing about five grams of dust and rock.The discovery of amino acids showed for the first time that they exist on an asteroid in space, Japan Times reported. Amino acids are substances that make proteins and are indispensable for life. Although it is not known how amino acids arrived on ancient Earth, one theory says they were brought by meteorites, with amino acids being detected in a meteorite found on Earth. It is also possible that such acids were transferred from the surrounding environs."We previously only had a handful of these rocks to study, and all of them were meteorites that fell to Earth and were stored in museums for decades to centuries, which changed their compositions," said geochemist Nicolas Dauphas, one of the three University of Chicago researchers who worked with a Japan-led international team of scientists to analyse the fragments."Having pristine samples from outer space is simply incredible. They are witnesses from parts of the solar system that we have not otherwise explored."Hayabusa2 delivered the subsurface materials to Earth without exposing them to outside air after collecting the samples that had not been weathered by sunlight or cosmic rays.Hayabusa2 left Earth in 2014 and reached its stationary position above Ryugu in June 2018 after traveling 3.2 billion km on an elliptical orbit around the sun for more than three years.The probe touched down on the asteroid twice the following year, collecting the first-ever subsurface samples from an asteroid, the report said. This mission is the first of several international missions that will bring back samples from another asteroid named Bennu, as well as unexplored areas on our moon, Mars, and Mars' moon Phobos. This should all be taking place in the next 10 to 20 years. —IANS

Japan's Hayabusa2 space mission, which brought to Earth samples from an asteroid in late 2020, has found more than 20 types of amino acids in it, according to Japanese space agency JAXA officials.

Japan's Hayabusa2 Probe Finds Amino Acids In Asteroid Samples

Washington: The United States will do its part to manage tensions with China and prevent conflict even though Beijing is becoming increasingly aggressive in the Asian region, including near Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday. Relations between China and the United States have been tense in recent months, with the world's two largest economies clashing over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea. At a meeting between Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Friday, both sides reiterated they want to better manage their relationship although there was no sign of any breakthrough in resolving differences. Addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security gathering, Austin said the United States would continue to stand by its allies, including Taiwan. "That's especially important as the PRC (People's Republic of China) adopts a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims," he said. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own and has vowed to take it by force if necessary.Austin said there had been an "alarming" increase in the number of unsafe and unprofessional encounters between Chinese planes and vessels with those of other countries. A Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May and Canada's military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitor North Korea sanction evasions. Taiwan has complained for years of repeated Chinese air force missions into its air defence identification zone, which is not territorial airspace but a broader area it monitors for threats. Austin said these incursions had surged in recent months. Taiwan's foreign ministry thanked the United States on Friday for its support and denounced China's "absurd" claims of sovereignty. "Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, and the people of Taiwan will not succumb to threats of force from the Chinese government," said ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou. Austin said that the United States' policy on Taiwan was to remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo."Our policy hasn't changed. But unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be true for the PRC," Austin said. However, he added: "We'll do our part to manage these tensions responsibly, to prevent conflict, and to pursue peace and prosperity." Biden said last month the United States would get involved militarily should China attack Taiwan, although the administration has since clarified that U.S. policy on the issue has not changed. Washington has had a long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity on whether it would defend Taiwan militarily.Austin's meeting with Wei largely focused on Taiwan. "Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait isn't just a U.S. interest. It's a matter of international concern," Austin said.NO ASIAN NATO In a speech that focused on the U.S. commitment to the region, Austin said the United States would maintain its presence in Asia but Washington understood the need to prevent conflict. "We do not seek confrontation or conflict. And we do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO, or a region split into hostile blocs," he said. Austin also referred to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has been a priority in Washington and other Western capitals over the past three months. "Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all," Austin said. "It's a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was scheduled to address the Shangri-La Dialogue in a virtual session later on Saturday. Earlier this year, Washington said China appeared poised to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. But since then, U.S. officials have said while they remain wary about China's long-standing support for Russia in general, the military and economic support that they worried about has not come to pass, at least for now.In a separate speech on Saturday, Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said military cooperation between China and Russia has sharpened security concerns in the region. "Joint military operations between these two strong military powers will undoubtedly increase concern among other countries," he said. China has not condemned Russia's attack and does not call it an invasion, but has urged a negotiated solution. Beijing and Moscow have grown closer in recent years, and in February, the two sides signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership aimed at countering U.S. influence and said they would have "no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation".—REUTERS

The United States will do its part to manage tensions with China and prevent conflict even though Beijing is becoming increasingly aggressive in the Asian region, including near Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday.

China becoming more 'coercive and aggressive' - U.S. defence chief

Tokyo: Japan's Hayabusa2 space mission, which brought to Earth samples from an asteroid in late 2020, has found more than 20 types of amino acids in it, according to Japanese space agency JAXA officials. In 2018, Hayabusa2 landed atop a moving asteroid named Ryugu and collected particles from above and below its surface. In December 2020, it returned to Earth with a sealed capsule containing about five grams of dust and rock. The discovery of amino acids showed for the first time that they exist on an asteroid in space, Japan Times reported.Amino acids are substances that make proteins and are indispensable for life.Although it is not known how amino acids arrived on ancient Earth, one theory says they were brought by meteorites, with amino acids being detected in a meteorite found on Earth. It is also possible that such acids were transferred from the surrounding environs. "We previously only had a handful of these rocks to study, and all of them were meteorites that fell to Earth and were stored in museums for decades to centuries, which changed their compositions," said geochemist Nicolas Dauphas, one of the three University of Chicago researchers who worked with a Japan-led international team of scientists to analyse the fragments."Having pristine samples from outer space is simply incredible. They are witnesses from parts of the solar system that we have not otherwise explored." Hayabusa2 delivered the subsurface materials to Earth without exposing them to outside air after collecting the samples that had not been weathered by sunlight or cosmic rays.Hayabusa2 left Earth in 2014 and reached its stationary position above Ryugu in June 2018 after traveling 3.2 billion km on an elliptical orbit around the sun for more than three years.The probe touched down on the asteroid twice the following year, collecting the first-ever subsurface samples from an asteroid, the report said.This mission is the first of several international missions that will bring back samples from another asteroid named Bennu, as well as unexplored areas on our moon, Mars, and Mars' moon Phobos. This should all be taking place in the next 10 to 20 years.—IANS

Tokyo, June 10 Japan's Hayabusa2 space mission, which brought to Earth samples from an asteroid in late 2020, has found more than 20 types of amino acids in it, according to Japanese space agency JAXA officials.

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe finds amino acids in asteroid samples

Jaipur: A major fire broke out in a factory located in Mahuwa area of Rajasthan's Dausa district, officials said on Saturday.It was a pattal- dona (plates) manufacturing unit which caught fire at around 3 am on Friday. Fire brigades were pressed into service but they could not control the fire after which fire brigades from Jaipur were also called," police said.SHO Mahuwa Police Station Buddhi Prakash said that crude oil-like substance is coming out from the factory and there is a strong possibility that stolen crude oil was stored in the factory.Police suspect that oil was allegedly stolen from a pipeline passing from about 100-metres away from the factory. The oil is the reason firefighters are finding it difficult to put out the fire, they said.Several fire brigades are engaged in fire-fighting for hours but there is not much control on the fire. The factory is not a big one but flames are raging, Buddhi Prakash said.He said that there is no confirmation whether any worker was present in the factory or not.District collector Qummer Ul Zaman Choudhary and Superintendent of Police Rajkumar Gupta reached the spot to take stock of the situation.Choudhary said whether the substance flowing out of the factory was crude oil or not can be said only after it is examined by an expert.There could be a possibility of its being a crude oil but anything conclusive cannot be said at the moment. The fire is continuing and efforts are being made to control it, the collector said.—PTI

A major fire broke out in a factory located in Mahuwa area of Rajasthan's Dausa district, officials said on Saturday.

Fire breaks out in factory in Rajasthan's Dausa

New Delhi :&nbsp;Delhi Police have arrested four women, who had forcibly robbed a 25-year-old man in the Dwarka area of the national capital, an official said on Wednesday. The accused have been identified as Babli Mausam (50), Asha (30), Manisha (25) and Muskan (25), all residents of Najafgarh, Delhi.Furnishing details, Additional DCP-I (Dwaka), Vikram Singh, said that a call about the robbery incident was received at 6 a.m. Tuesday, in which the caller claimed that four women had robbed him of Rs 2,000 near the Ganda Nala area. After the police reached the spot, the victim said the incident took place when he was going towards Najafgarh from Dwarka Mor on his motorcycle.“At about 5.10 a.m., when he reached near the Ganda Nala, one woman signalled him to stop. He stopped the motorcycle and saw that three more women were also standing with her. One of them tried to snatch the key of the motorcycle while another hit him on his head with a helmet. They assaulted him further and robbed Rs 2,000 from his pocket,” the officer said.Based on the victim’s complaint, the police registered a case under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at the Mohan Garden police station.A police team was constituted which apprehended the accused from a nearby forest area.The eldest among them, Babli, was earlier involved in cases of theft and extortion, while Manisha too had previously committed a robbery. -- IANS

Delhi Police have arrested four women, who had forcibly robbed a 25-year-old man in the Dwarka area of the national capital, an official said on Wednesday. The accused have been identified as Babli Mausam (50), Asha (30), Manisha (25) and Muskan (25), all residents of Najafgarh, Delhi.

 Burglars gang headed by woman busted in Delhi, 6 held

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari today said that we have to take Indian infrastructure to world standards. He said ‘I have decided to make Indian road infrastructure, even in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, up to the road infrastructure standards of USA, before end of 2024’. The Minister was addressing National Conference for Civil Engineers and Professionals from Allied Industries, being organized by Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (ACCE) in Mumbai.Exhorting the engineers and industry professionals at the conference, the Minister said India has got huge potential in infrastructure. ‘In Indian infrastructure, there is huge potential for road construction, river connectivity, solid and liquid waste management, parking plaza, irrigation, busports, ropeways and cable car projects’. Speaking about various ongoing projects of the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Shri Gadkari said: "We are making 26 Green Express Highways and Logistics parks of Rs. 2 lakh crores. At the same time, we have many innovative ideas by which we can develop infrastructure further". Union Transport Minister further said that the future of Indian infrastructure sector is very bright. "We need to accept good technology, research, innovation and successful practices from across the world and from within India. We should use alternative materials to reduce cost without compromising on quality. Time is the most important aspect in construction, it is the biggest asset.’ The Minister underlined the role of civil engineers and said it is very important for job creation and for growth.Pitching his idea of using greener alternatives in road construction, Union Transport Minister said: "You should find alternatives to cement and other raw materials. Glass fibre steel can be used in place of steel. If there is competition, cost will come down and become reasonable."Propagating the idea of use of alternative fuels, Union Minister Shri Gadkari said Green hydrogen is future fuel. He said hydrogen can be made from petroleum, coal and biomass, organic waste and sewage water. He further said ‘my dream is to make green hydrogen available at $1/kg which can be used in aviation, railway, bus, truck, chemical and fertilizer industry instead of coal and petroleum’.Shri Gadkari said 1 litre of ethanol costs Rs. 62 but in terms of calorie value, 1 litre of petrol is equivalent to 1.3 litre of ethanol. He said ‘Indian Oil collaborated with Russian Scientists and worked on the idea and now Petroleum Ministry has certified the technology for making calorie value of ethanol equivalent to petrol’.Reiterating his idea of creating wealth from waste, Union Transport Minister said: ‘In Nagpur, we are recycling sewage water and selling it to state government for power projects, which is earning us Rs. 300 crore royalty per year from sewage water. In India, there is huge potential of Rs. 5 lakh crore in solid and liquid waste management."Union Minister further said: ‘Knowledge is power, conversion of knowledge into wealth is the future. It is leadership, vision and technology which enables conversion of waste into wealth; this is the need of the hour. Using knowledge, we can reduce cost and improve quality of construction".Citing examples of Mumbai Pune Expressway and Worli Bandra Sealink to illustrate leveraging capital markets for public infrastructure projects, Shri Gadkari said: "Under InvIT, our idea is to take money from poor people and give them 7%-8% monthly return on their money. We have decided to go for capital markets, we will sell shares of maximum Rs. 10 lakh to one person, they will invest and we can raise resources’, he said.He further said NHAI is AAA-rated and has good economic viability. ‘Our toll revenue at present is Rs. 40,000 crore per year, by end of 2024, it will become Rs. 1.4 lakh crore per year So, we don't have any problem of money’. He informed that 70% of Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway has already been completed. He said ‘My dream is to take citizens from Nariman Point, Mumbai to Delhi in 12 hours; we are now working to connect Nariman Point.’

 Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari today said that we have to take Indian infrastructure to world standards. He said ‘I have decided to make Indian road infrastructure, even in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, up to the road infrastructure standards of USA, before end of 2024’. The Minister was addressing National Conference for Civil Engineers and Professionals from Allied Industries, being organized by Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (ACCE) in Mumbai.

We Have To Make Indian Infrastructure Up To World Standards: Gadkari

Mumbai: Enraged by the ongoing tirade of ‘gaddars’ (traitors) and ’50 khoke’ (Rs 50 crore) by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators, the supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde retaliated in full force on the footsteps of the Maharashtra Legislature, here on Wednesday morning.
A few MLAs of Shinde Group accosted the MVA legislators who were raising slogans against the government for the fourth day since the Legislature started its monsoon session last week, resulting in jostling among the two sides.
At one point, a Shinde Group MLA Dilip Lande and Nationalist Congress Party’s Amil Mitkari engaged in fisticuffs and pushing each other even as their respective groups separated them.
The Shinde Group MLAs also hit back by shouting their own slogans and waving posters to counter the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress’ rants, creating a noisy ruckus outside the legislature.
“BMC Khoke, Matoshri Ok”, “(Sachin) Vaze Khoke, Shiv Sena Ok”, “Lavasa Khoke, Baramati Ok”, screamed the Shinde Group MLAs.
The development came a day after Shinde warned the Opposition that “he could expose records of those targeting him and his group of rebel Shiv Sena MLAsa.
Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar reacted sharply saying that the CM’s statements amounted to a ‘threat’ to the Opposition.
The Opposition has been needling the Bharatiya Janata Party-propped Shinde government with embarrassing slogans like ‘gaddar’, ‘Rs 50 crore, very ok”, ‘Tav Vati, Chao Guwahati’ (Plates and bowl, Go to Guwahati), and a new one on Wednesday, ‘ED jiski mummy, Wo sarkar nikammi” (the government whose mummy is ED is useless).
The daily protests and sloganeering since the start of the legislature session on August 17 — which are getting wide media coverage — have apparently enraged the rebel Shiv Sena Group and culminated in the CM unexpectedly losing his composure in the legislature on Tuesday.&nbsp;
—IANS

Enraged by the ongoing tirade of ‘gaddars’ (traitors) and ’50 khoke’ (Rs 50 crore) by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators, the supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde retaliated in full force on the footsteps of the Maharashtra Legislature, here on Wednesday morning.

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Green Crusader Cycles Across 26 States, 30,120 Km, To Plant 94,100 Saplings In 1,179 Days

Pushkar Raj Kapoor

Tag : USA

Green Crusader Cycles Across 26 States, 30,120 Km, To Plant 94,100 Saplings In 1,179 Days

Pushkar Raj Kapoor

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