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Posts published in “International,Diplomacy,Education”

Goel leads march to save old Delhi’s heritage

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Union Minister Vijay Goel on Thursday led a march from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid here to highlight the AAP government's alleged apathy in saving the heritage in the national capital.
Old Delhi's iconic Chandni Chowk market place and adjoining heritage buildings would soon become unrecognisable because of the city government's apathy, Goel said.
"In coming days, it will become hard to recognise Chandni Chowk as the area has become a victim of underdevelopment," said Goel, who has represented Chandni Chowk for two terms in the Lok Sabha in the past.
Goel also attacked the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for allegedly allowing illegal constructions in the Chandini Chowk area.
The Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation said that the famous structures of historical significance had been allowed to turn into "commercial complexes or residential buildings".
Accompanied by around 50 Bharatiya Janata Party workers, who shouted slogans of "Save Heritage-Save Chandni Chowk", Goel criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for "not allowing development in our area".
"Instead of providing good governance in Delhi, they only know how to protest."
--IANS<br>sm/sar/tsb/vm

India’s domestic air passenger traffic grows due to network expansion: IATA

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Strong growth in network expansion led to double-digit growth in India's domestic air passenger traffic for the 45th consecutive month in May, even as the rise in demand came down in the last few months, a global airline association said on Thursday.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India's domestic air passenger volume measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) was the highest among major aviation markets like Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russia and the US.
As per data, India's domestic RPK in the month under review rose by 16.6 per cent in May compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.
However, on a sequential basis the growth had come down from April's rise of 25.7 per cent.
"India's domestic traffic rose 16.6 per cent year-over-year, which was down from 25.7 per cent in April. Passenger volumes in India have fallen back in seasonally-adjusted terms in recent months alongside some mixed signals on the economic front," IATA said in its global passenger traffic results for May 2018.
"Notwithstanding this, May was India's 45th consecutive month of double-digit annual RPK growth. Demand continues to be supported by strong growth in the number of airport connections within the country: some 22 per cent more airport-pairs are scheduled to operate in 2018 compared to last year."
India's domestic passenger traffic growth was followed by that of China at 11.9 per cent and Russian Federation at 8.6 per cent.
In terms of capacity, India's domestic available seat kilometres (ASK) -- which measures available passenger capacity -- climbed higher by 18 per cent in May, followed by that of China's 12.5 per cent growth and Russian Federation at 7.5 per cent.
--IANS<br>rv/him/vm

Mansarovar ordeal: Over 500 Indian pilgrims await rescue, 883 evacuated (Lead)

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) The government said on Thursday said that 883 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims were evacuated from Simikot region in Nepal in the last three days and over 500 were still awaiting rescue flights.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters that the Indian Embassy in Nepal has undertaken a massive exercise to evacuate pilgrims both from Hilsa and Simikot and "if the weather holds we will be able to get them out in the near future".
In the last three days, 883 stranded pilgrims have been evacuated from Simikot to Nepalgunj and Surkhet.
"At least 675 pilgrims were evacuated from Hilsa to Simikot. Fifty-three civilian flights were operated to get the pilgrims out and 142 chopper sorties were carried out," Kumar said.
"The situtation is fast returning to normal. We have around 50 pilgrims in Surkhet and 516 in Simikot. Evacuation efforts are ongoing."
He added that there was no crisis situation and pilgrims were stranded because weather had packed up.
"If you see the advisory we have put up on our website, specially for pilgrims taking the Nepal route, there is always a chance that when you are passing some of these points the weather could pack up. It just happened that civilian aircraft could not operate because of adverse weather conditions."
Kumar said that the MEA organises Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through two routes -- Lipulekh and Nathula.
"This is a yatra conducted by private tour operators. We are working through the private tour operators. They are the ones who will make arrangements for their coming back to India. As we speak, there are also pilgrims who are going up. So it is not something which has stopped," he said.
The official said that the effort was ongoing to bring the stranded people to places with better facilities. Indian pilgrims returning from Kailash Mansarovar through Nepal have been caught in a bad weather since Saturday.
According to reports, altitude sickness has become a major concern for pilgrims. Eight people had died of the same earlier this year. Twenty Mansarovar pilgrims died in 2017.
Kailash Mansarovar is situated 5,950 metres above the sea level. It takes three days to complete the 52 km Mansarovar circuit.
--IANS <br>ps/soni/vm

‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’: Interesting but misses the mark (IANS Review, Rating: **)

By Troy Ribeiro
Film: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado"; Director: Stefano Sollima; Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener, Elijah Rodriguez and David Castaneda; Rating: **
<br>After a brief introduction about human trafficking and the drug cartel menace at the US-Mexico border, the film opens with two self-immolations. Both acts are visceral and chilling, indicating scant regard for life. This lays the foundation of the narrative of this film, "Sicario - Day of the Soldado", directed by Stefano Sollima.
Several scenes, with the CIA operative Matt Graver (Brolin) and the DEA, follow to establish the US endeavour to eradicate the threat or menace. When a top secret mission goes awry, Graver is put on the dock by the Secretary of Defense (Matthew Modine), forcing him to provoke a war between the cartels.
Why? Because that will help stop the transportation of drugs, illegal immigrants and terrorists across the Mexican border.
Graver does so by hiring attorney-turned-gangster hunter Alejandro Gillick (Benecio del Toro) and a few other mercenaries to stage the kidnapping of Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner, a cartel boss' teen daughter. This sets off a sequence of events that almost immediately spirals out of control.
The premise of the tale seems forced with a convoluted plot. After the clear cut, good-guy versus bad-guy dynamics of the opening act, matters become vague and fluid in the film's mid-section when Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez), a 14-year-old US citizen helps a low-end trafficker get people across the border as a warm-up for becoming more deeply involved with a Mexican Cartel.
There is no doubt that the multiple strands twist together to give us a complex tale.
Oscillating between action and emotional drama, by the end, the film feels more like a by-product of the original than a sequel, because the story stands on its own, albeit a by-the-numbers Mexican cartel drama brimming with guns, gore and guys.
While this film does not touch the right chord, it definitely makes way for a third edition.
On the performance front, Emily Blunt who was in the first edition is conspicuous by her absence.
Returning as leading men, del Toro and Brolin do their best to make the film watchable.
Their scenes together are some of the highlights of the film. While Elijah as Miguel gives an intriguing performance as the blank faced adolescent, the teenager Isabela Moner clearly steals the show with her naturally dynamic and endearing performance.
She balances Alejandro's emotionally laden back-story, with the right amount of dramatics. And her scenes with him, likening to a father-daughter relationship, are intense and relatable.
Cinematographer Darius Wolski's frames, captured from various angles and lens are commendable. His visuals are aptly complimented with composer Hildur Gudnadottir's eclectic background score.
Overall, despite being interesting and unpredictable, the film lacks the grit and ingenuity of its original - Sicario, which in Spanish means a hitman. This one definitely misses the mark.
--IANS<br>troy/nn/vm

Asian cues, depreciating rupee pull equity indices lower (Roundup)

Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) Tepid investor sentiments in the Asian markets on the back of trade war concerns subdued the key Indian equity indices on Thursday.
In the Asian markets, concerns prevailed, as Friday, June 6 is the deadline set by the US to impose tarrifs on Chinese goods worth $34 billion.
Further, a depreciating Indian rupee also weakened the investor sentiments in the domestic market.
Index-wise, the broader Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed at 10,749.75 points, lower by 20.15 points or 0.19 per cent from its previous close of 10,769.90 points.
The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), which opened at 35,703.17 points, closed at 35,574.55 points, down by 70.85 points or 0.20 per cent from its previous session's close of 35,645.40 points.
Sensex touched a high of 35,748.26 points and a low of 35,517.79 points during the intra-day trade. The BSE market breadth was bearish with 1,607 declines and 1,077 advances.
"The weakness came on the back of weak Asian markets as a looming deadline for imposition of US tariffs on Chinese products seemed to worry investors across Asia," Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.
BNP Paribas Mutual Fund, Senior Fund Manager for Equities, Abhijeet Dey said July 6, 2018 is the deadline set by the US for imposition 25 per cent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods on more than 800 product categories.
"If implemented, China is likely to retaliate with duties of the same value on US products," he added.
Globally, the major Asian markets closed on a negative note while the European indices like FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX traded in the green, Jasani told IANS.
On the currency front, the rupee ended at 68.95 per dollar, 21 paise weaker than its previous close of 68.74 per greenback.
Investment-wise, provisional data with exchanges showed that foreign institutional investors sold scrip worth Rs 159.37 crore while the domestic institutional investors sold stocks worth Rs 296.97 crore.
Sector-wise, the S&P BSE FMCG index gained the most, by 115.86 points, followed by the banking index which ended 42.12 points higher and the auto index was up 36.51 points.
On the other hand, the S&P BSE consumer durables index plunged 561.63 points, the IT index fell 225.90 points and the metal index ended lower by 179.72 points from its previous close.
The major gainers on the Sensex were Yes Bank, up 3.96 per cent at Rs 348.80; ITC, up 2.97 per cent at Rs 272.30; Asian Paints, up 2.35 per cent at Rs 1,321.85; Coal India, up 2.27 per cent at Rs 270.15; and Bajaj Auto, up 1.77 per cent at Rs 2,969.80 per share.
The top losers were Infosys, down 4.47 per cent at Rs 1,284.50; Vedanta, down 3.09 per cent at Rs 221.10; Tata Steel, down 2.71 per cent at Rs 553.50; Tata Motors (DVR), down 2.66 per cent at Rs 153.40; and Reliance Industries, down 2.53 per cent at Rs 965 per share.
--IANS<br>rrb/qd/vm

‘Ministers, MLAs farming for FB challenge will inspire real farmers’

Panaji, July 5 (IANS) Ministers and MLAs stepping out into the fields and indulging in farming activities, thanks to a Facebook challenge which went viral, will inspire agricultural land holders to take up farming activity once again in Goa, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik said on Thursday.
Naik at a press conference held at the BJP state headquarters in Panaji, also expressed support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's decision on Wednesday to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops.
"It is a good thing that ministers are stepping out in the fields. Farmers will get inspired by this", Naik said, as a Facebook farming challenge has gone viral in the coastal state, with ministers as well as MLAs posing for the camera while ploughing, planting paddy saplings, and indulging in other farm activities.
"Everyone should step out in the field, not just ministers. Our health has deteriorated because we do not step into our farms. Body toxins are released through the sweat but now we do not indulge in such work. You go back 25 years in time, you will not see the diseases we face today. People would regularly work, even hospital OPDs were not overcrowded," Naik said.
Praising the Central government for raising the MSP on 14 kharif crops by an average of 50 per cent, Naik who is a former Union Minister of State for Agriculture said: "The Prime Minister in the last election had promised to double the earnings of farmers by 2022. The increase in MSP is a step in that direction. Therefore the farmers in the country are happy. In the last four years, several decisions have been taken for the welfare of farmers."
--IANS<br>maya/mag/vm

Brace up to defeat SP-BSP alliance in 2019: Shah

Lucknow, July 5 (IANS) BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday exhorted his party men to brace up to defeat the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which may come up with an alliance ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh, met BJP workers and members of its social media team here, attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputy Dinesh Sharma, state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, and Ministers and other leaders.
The Bharatiya Janata Party chief also exhorted them to ensure that the vote share of the party went up in the 2019 polls.
"The party President gave us tips on micro-management of elections and ways to ensure that the unholy and opportunistic of the SP and BSP is exposed before the voters," a senior party functionary present at the meeting told IANS.
Party office-bearers were closeted with the BJP chief, who is credited with BJP success in Uttar Pradesh, first in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and then in 2017 Assembly elections.
The BJP won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general elections and 312 of the 403 Assembly seats in 2017.
Shah had visited Mirzapur and Varanasi on Tuesday where he interacted with the party's social media teams and other party leaders.
--IANS<br>md/tsb/vm

Sacha Baron Cohen teases new project ‘mocking’ Trump

Los Angeles, July 5 (IANS) Actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has posted a teaser for a new project that appears to take on US President Donald Trump.
"He's back... as you've never seen him before." The words are interspersed with a "Happy Fourth of July" message from Trump and footage of the President saying "Sacha Baron Cohen, go to school! Learn about being funny", reports variety.com.
"Sacha graduates soon," the teaser said on Wednesday, ending with a title card for Trump University that uses the actual logo for the defunct real estate training school.
The new project might also include other targets, as he was also reported to have filmed a stunt with sports person O.J. Simpson in his Las Vegas hotel room in February.
Baron Cohen and Trump have a long and antagonistic relationship.
Trump has said he was the only person to immediately walk out of his interview with Baron Cohen's "Ali G.", but Baron Cohen has said he was actually there a comparatively long nine minutes.
Trump's proclamation "I never fall for scams" was recently mocked when he spoke to comedian Stuttering John while on Air Force One.
In the the 2016 satirical comedy "Grimsby", which Baron Cohen starred in and co-wrote, Trump becomes infected with HIV after Daniel Radcliffe's blood is sprayed into his mouth due to a gunshot.
Released during Trump's campaign, the movie included a disclaimer that the candidate did not actually have HIV.
Baron Cohen is currently shooting Netflix series "The Spy", written and directed by Gideon Raff.
He was previously set to star in British director Michael Winterbottom's "Greed", about the world of the super-rich, though the project seems to be on hold.<br> <br>--IANS<br>dc/ksk

Sacha Baron Cohen teases new project ‘mocking’ Trump

Los Angeles, July 5 (IANS) Actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has posted a teaser for a new project that appears to take on US President Donald Trump.
"He's back... as you've never seen him before." The words are interspersed with a "Happy Fourth of July" message from Trump and footage of the President saying "Sacha Baron Cohen, go to school! Learn about being funny", reports variety.com.
"Sacha graduates soon," the teaser said on Wednesday, ending with a title card for Trump University that uses the actual logo for the defunct real estate training school.
The new project might also include other targets, as he was also reported to have filmed a stunt with sports person O.J. Simpson in his Las Vegas hotel room in February.
Baron Cohen and Trump have a long and antagonistic relationship.
Trump has said he was the only person to immediately walk out of his interview with Baron Cohen's "Ali G.", but Baron Cohen has said he was actually there a comparatively long nine minutes.
Trump's proclamation "I never fall for scams" was recently mocked when he spoke to comedian Stuttering John while on Air Force One.
In the the 2016 satirical comedy "Grimsby", which Baron Cohen starred in and co-wrote, Trump becomes infected with HIV after Daniel Radcliffe's blood is sprayed into his mouth due to a gunshot.
Released during Trump's campaign, the movie included a disclaimer that the candidate did not actually have HIV.
Baron Cohen is currently shooting Netflix series "The Spy", written and directed by Gideon Raff.
He was previously set to star in British director Michael Winterbottom's "Greed", about the world of the super-rich, though the project seems to be on hold.<br> <br>--IANS<br>dc/ksk

ISRO tests crew escape system for human spaceflight

Chennai, July 5 (IANS) In its aim towards human spaceflight, Indian space agency ISRO on Thursday carried out the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a statement said the crew escape system is a critical technology for human spaceflight.
"The crew escape system is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort.
"The first test (Pad Abort Test) demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad," ISRO said.
According to the ISRO, the five-hour countdown was smooth. The crew escape system along with the simulated crew module with a mass of 12.6 tonne, lifted off at 7 a.m. at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The test was over in 259 seconds, during which the crew escape system along with crew module soared skyward, then arced out over the Bay of Bengal and floated back to Earth under its parachutes about 2.9 km from Sriharikota.
The crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km under the power of its seven specifically designed quick acting solid motors to take away the crew module to a safe distance without exceeding the safe g-levels.
Nearly 300 sensors recorded various mission performance parameters during the test flight.
Three recovery boats are being exercised to retrieve the module as part of the recovery protocol.
--IANS<br>vj/in