Terrorists attacked a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) killing at least 44 of them in Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district Thursday evening, agencies said.
Reports said Pakistan-based terror outfit, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), claimed responsibility for the terror attack. Security forces said the terrorists used an improvised explosive device (IED) in the attack.
A total of 2,500 CRPF personnel were going in a convoy of 78 vehicles from Jammu to Srinagar when they were attacked by terrorists, reports said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting South Korea on a two-day visit from February 21.
During his visit, PM Modi will hold talks with President Moon Jae-in on a host of issues aimed at strengthening strategic ties, agencies have said.
The prime minister’s visit is said to provide an important occasion for the two leaders to review bilateral relations, according to a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. (Agencies)
WASHINGTON: A top Pentagon has said that defense sales between India and the US are at an all-time. He added that the bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries continues to advance at an historic pace, reports have said.
According to Admiral Philip Davidson, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told a Congressional hearing saying that the inaugural 2+2 Ministerial in New Delhi last September and signing of the COMCASA in 2018 were pivotal moments in the bilateral relations, according to agencies.
India and the US, last year, signed the COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) to facilitate interoperability between the militaries of the two countries.
The United States and Indian militaries participated in five major exercises over the past years. The two countries have executed more than fifty other military exchanges, and further operationalized the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, reports have said. (Agencies)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed the confidence that India could be the second-largest economy in the world by 2030.
Stating that India would continue to be the fastest-growing large economy, PM Modi said India has displayed resilience as an anchor of the world economy, a report on India’s Business Today said.
Stated that India has the fourth-largest refining capacity in the world, he added that this will continue to grow up by about 200 million metric tons by 2030. (Agencies)
MUMBAI: China’s foreign ministry on Saturday has condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it “resolutely opposes” activities by Indian leaders in the region.
Despite recent efforts to improve bilateral ties in both countries, disputes over the mountainous Indo-China border – which triggered a war in 1962 – and the region that China claims as southern Tibet have remained a sensitive issue.
Modi’s visit was part of a series of public meetings in the region aimed at garnering support for his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of elections due by May.
Despite recent efforts to improve bilateral ties in both countries, disputes over the mountainous Indo-China border – which triggered a war in 1962 – and the region that China claims as southern Tibet have remained a sensitive issue.
“China urges the Indian side to proceed from the overall situation of bilateral relations, respect China’s interests and concerns, cherish the momentum of improving relations between the two countries, and refrain from any actions that intensify disputes and complicate the border issue,” its foreign ministry said in a statement.
In response, the official spokesperson at India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Arunachal Pradesh was “an integral and inalienable part of India”.
“Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of India. This consistent position has been conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions.”
Reuters
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping extended greetings to Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese on Sunday, ahead of the Spring Festival. “In the past year… we have made efforts and achieved a lot,” he said while addressing a festival reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended the greetings on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
Party and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the reception, with Li Keqiang presiding. In the speech, Xi noted that Chinese people had a hard but fulfilling year.
The Chinese economy remained steady while making progress, with new steps taken in reform and opening-up, he said. The country actively pushed forward campaigns to defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation and prevent and control pollution, with poverty alleviation projects achieving remarkable outcomes, he said.
Defense and military reforms extended to a deeper level, major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics opened a new chapter and Party governance further improved, he said. “Chinese society has been stable, and the people have enjoyed a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.” Xi spoke of the need in the new year to adhere to the new development philosophy, advance high-quality development, continue the earnest fight in the “three critical battles” against risks, poverty and pollution and take coordinated steps to ensure steady growth, advance reform, make structural adjustments, improve living standards and guard against risks.
Xi called for efforts to create a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security in people, promote sustained and sound economic growth and maintain law and order to lay a crucial foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with great achievements. After working so hard for a whole year, it is time for family members to gather for New Year’s Eve dinner and stay up all night to usher in the new year, Xi said.
Xi spoke of the need to enhance people’s love for the family and the country, nurture and practice core socialist values, promote the spirits of patriotism, collectivism and socialism and advocate combining the love for family with the love for the country so that every individual and every family can make contributions to the big family of the Chinese nation.
Having become an aging society, China should make great efforts to ensure the elderly are well respected, taken care of, and supported, and promote programs for the elderly so that they can all enjoy a happy life, Xi said.
He called for hard work to bring a happy life for the Chinese people and a great future for the Chinese nation as well as further efforts to work with the people of countries across the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
(Agencies)
The US authority has arrested 129 Indians arrested for enrolling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US, officials said on Friday, even as immigration attorneys claimed that the youths were not aware of the varsity’s illegitimate operation and criticised authorities for using “troubling” methods to trap them.
The university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.
The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist the arrested students. The two numbers 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590 would be manned by senior embassy officials round the clock, officials said.
In what the authorities called a “pay-to-stay” scheme, foreign students knowingly enrolled in the fake school to falsely maintain their student visa status and remain in the US, according to prosecutors.
“The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has administratively arrested 130 foreign nationals enrolled at the University of Farmington for civil immigration violations. Of the 130, 129 were Indian nationals,” Khaalid H Walls, an ICE spokesperson, told PTI.
“These individuals have been placed in removal proceedings, and ICE will seek to maintain them in its custody pending the outcome of those proceedings,” he said.
The ICE agents made the arrests on Wednesday, the same day federal indictments were unsealed that charged eight people, all of whom are either Indians or Indo-Americans, in a visa fraud scheme.
The eight defendants were charged criminally for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harbouring aliens for profit. But the 130 students were arrested on only civil immigration charges, Detroit Free Press reported.
The sweep was one of the largest targeting immigrants from India in recent years, immigration attorneys said.
In a nationwide sweep, federal agents with ICE arrested “130 foreign nationals on civil immigration charges,” ICE spokesperson Carissa Cutrell had told the Free Press on Thursday.
The arrests took place across the US, in New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Michigan, California, Louisiana, North Carolina and St Louis. The students had immigrated legally to the US on student visas and had transferred to the University of Farmington so they could work, said attorneys.
Federal prosecutors claim the students were aware the university was not running a legitimate operation. But attorneys who have spoken with students or with family and friends of those arrested are pushing back against the government’s claims.
Ravi Mannam, an immigration attorney in Atlanta, said the fake university “hooked these students by promising them credits for their previous master’s programmes”.
He said what the University of Farmington was offering – allowing students to work while enrolled – is not unusual. So the students may have thought it was an authorised university and work programme through a type of F-1 visa known as CPT (Curricular Practical Training).
Michael Sofo, an attorney in Atlanta with Mannan and Associates, said based on what he has heard about the students, it’s “not been the case” that they were knowingly participating in an illegal operation.
“There are specific universities who have advanced degree programmes that primarily involved practical training from day one that allows them to enroll and the bulk of the time is spent working,” Sofo said. The courses “can be done at a remote location. It doesn’t have to be where they attend the university…Programmes like this exist and they are legal.”
Mannam said some Indians had come to the US to enroll elsewhere, only to find that their intended programme had lost accreditation. So they enrolled at the University of Farmington, believing that they could apply their prior credits to the new programme, which seemed to emphasise work experience, he said.
Other students had completed legitimate master’s in the US but were waiting to be approved for a specialty work visa, so they enrolled in school as a stopgap measure. “The government utilised very questionable and troubling methods to get these foreign students to join the institution,” Mannam said.
In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “We are aware about this incident. We are ascertaining more details (through) our embassy in Washington and different consulates in the US…We have also mobilised the Indian community organisations in the US to extend all possible support to the Indian students who are affected by this incident.”
The ICE said foreign students are granted what are called “F” and “M” visas to study in the US and must maintain their legal status by enrolling in a varsity certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The ICE said since the Farmington varsity did not offer courses, the students were using the programme as a way to work.
On Thursday, the DHS shut down a website they had been created for the University of Farmington. The website tells affected students to contact their local office of Homeland Security Investigations, the ICE agency that did the undercover operation.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy here has appointed a nodal officer here to help the students in distress.
(Agencies)
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday, January 23 announced 2.50 lakh fresh vacancies in Indian railways soon. In a press meet, Railway Minister announced that the new job opportunities for 2.25-2.50 Lakh people has been created, process for 1.50 Lakh vacancies is underway and will complete in next 2-2.5 months. So Railways, in a way, will be providing 4 Lakh jobs.Goyal further added that in next two years approx. 1 lakh railway employees would retire and the process of recruitment is on the way.
While talking to Indian Express an official from Railway Recruitment Board confirmed that the 10 percent EWS quota will be applicable for the new recruitment process in Indian Railways. The first phase of recruitment will be advertised in February and the second phase will come up in May 2019.
Last year Indian Railways have already advertised recruitment of 1.2 lakh posts in Group C & Group D to be filled. The recruitment process for both is on the way and will be completed in August 2019. As for now, RRB Group D answer key 2018 is released and RRB Group D result 2018 is expected to be declared on February 13, 2019.
(Agencies)
Indian Railways, which dates back to 1853 during the British rule, is one of the world’s largest railway networks. The full track length of Indian Railways can circle the equator one-and-a-half times.
It comprises 115,000 km of track length over a route of 67,312 km. Also dubbed as the lifeline of India, the railway network has grown to be the world’s third largest network.
Even more interesting is that the daily total distance covered by Indian Railways daily equals three and a half times the distance to the moon.
The first train in India ran on 16th April 1853 from Bombay to Thane during the British rule. However, the first railroad was constructed by two Indians — Jaganath Shunkerseth and Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy.
Train
Owned by the Government of India, the Indian Railways, an autonomous organization, is the world’s 9th largest employer having more than 1.6 million employees.
Indian Railways has a daily passenger population of almost 25 million, which is more than the entire population of Australia.
The fastest train of India is New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express, an all air-conditioned superfast train that clocks a maximum speed of 150kmph on the Faridabad-Agra section. This train covers the 704 km New Delhi-Bhopal stretch in 7 hours 50 minutes.
Likewise, the slowest train is Metupalayam Ooty Nilgiri Passenger, which runs at a speed of 10km per hour because it runs in hilly region.
Meanwhile, the longest run by an Indian Railways’ train is the Vivek Express that travels from Dibrugarh of Assam to Kanyakumari in Kerela covering a distance of 4273 km, making it the longest run in terms of total time and distance.
The shortest run train is the scheduled services between Nagpur and Ajni stations situated just 3km from each other.
Another interesting aspect of the Indian Railways is that the Howrah-Amritsar Express has 115 stops, the record maximum for an express train.
Likewise, the New Delhi Main Station, having the world’s largest route relay interlocking system, has a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
While the Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh having a length of 1366.33 meters is the longest platform in the world, Lucknow Station in Uttar Pradesh is the busiest station with 64 trains running per day.
Similarly, the railway bridge built over Chenab River, which is the world’s highest railway bridge, is said to dwarf the Eiffel Tower.
(Agencies)