Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 5,2023: The Varanasi district court on Thursday granted the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) four more weeks to submit its report on the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
The counsel of Hindu side Madan Mohan Yadav said that the court of District Judge Dr Ajay Krishna Vishvesha granted four more weeks time to the ASI to submit its scientific report on an application moved by the agency.
It may be noted that the ASI had on Wednesday moved an application in the district court seeking an extension of four more weeks to submit its report on the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex.
In its application, the ASI had prayed that due to debris present in the cellars (tehkhana) and dust accumulated there, it was taking time for the agency to conduct the survey and also due to intermittent rains the use of scientific instruments has become difficult.
The agency in its application had stated that the debris is being removed very carefully and systematically which is a slow process and is going to take some more time before the ground of the cellars and structural features of the existing structures are cleared for a survey as directed by the court.
The court said, “I agree with the learned counsel for ASI that because of rains, the survey work was badly affected.
I also here agree with the counsel for ASI that removal of debris and trash from the cellars takes considerable time because it is a slow process and the ASI ensures that no damage may be caused to the existing structure. Therefore, I am of the view that application is liable to be allowed.”
Oct 01,2023: The embassy of Afghanistan in India, which owed its allegiance to the former West-backed government, has announced its closure, saying it would cease operations starting from October 1.
The Afghan embassy’s statement on Saturday said it wanted to reach an agreement with the Indian government to ensure that the interests of Afghans living, working, studying and doing business in India are safeguarded.
Afghans account for around one-third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered in India, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. But that figure excludes those who are not registered with the UN.
“There has been a significant reduction in both personnel and resources available to us, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations,” the statement said.
The closure comes more than two years after the Taliban government stormed back to power triggering the collapse of the government of President Ashraf Ghani in the wake of the US withdrawing its troops after 20 years of war and occupation.
“It is with profound sadness, regret, and disappointment that the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announces this decision to cease its operations,” the embassy said.
The decision was taken due to lack of “crucial support” from India which has hampered the embassy’s capacity to carry out the embassy’s duties, read the statement.
There were also shortcomings in meeting the expectations to best serve Afghani citizens due to “the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul”, read the statement, referring to the Taliban administration.
The closure follows reports that the ambassador and other senior diplomats had left India in recent months, with infighting among those remaining in New Delhi. But the embassy rejected speculations regarding internal infighting among its staff, stressing that these were “unfounded” rumours.
India will take control of the embassy in a caretaker capacity, it said.
At the time of publication, India’s foreign ministry did not issue any statement in response to the announcement.
No country officially recognises Afghanistan’s new government, but acknowledge the Taliban as the de facto ruling authority.
This has left many Afghan embassies and consulates in limbo, with diplomats appointed by the former government refusing to cede control of embassy buildings and property to representatives chosen by the Taliban authorities.
India has not recognised the Taliban government, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It evacuated its own staff from Kabul ahead of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago and no longer has a diplomatic presence there.
Yet, New Delhi is keen to retain ties with the country where its regional rival Pakistan wields considerable influence. Indian envoys have previously met Taliban representatives in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the group has an office.
Last year, India sent relief materials, including wheat, medicine, COVID-19 vaccines and winter clothes to Afghanistan to help with shortages there.
In June last year, India sent a team of officials to its embassy in Kabul.
Before the Taliban took control, India provided Afghan security forces with training and military equipment but had no troops on the ground. It was also the region’s largest provider of development aid to Afghanistan.
Oct 01,2023: The populist party of former Prime Minister Robert Fico that wants to stop military aid to Ukraine and is critical of the European Union and NATO has won Slovakia’s election, results showed on Sunday.
SMER-SSD party scored 23.3 percent, beating the centrist Progressive Slovakia (PS) that garnered 17 percent of the votes, the Slovak Statistics Office said early on Sunday after completing the count of 99.98 percent of the votes from some 6,000 polling stations.
Saturday’s vote was a test for the small Eastern European country’s support for neighbouring Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The 59-year-old Fico has promised that Slovakia, one of Europe’s biggest donors to Ukraine as a share of its gross domestic product (GDP), will not send “a single round of ammunition” to Ukraine and has called for better relations with Russia.
The country of 5.5 million people created in 1993 following the breakup of Czechoslovakia has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded last February, donating arms and opening the borders for refugees fleeing the war.
With no party winning an outright majority, the party with the largest share of the vote gets the first chance to form a coalition and the composition of any government is likely to be dependent on half a dozen smaller parties.
Fico, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, is likely to become prime minister if he is able to get the support of the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party, which came in third with 14.7 percent votes.
Another potential coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, a clear pro-Russian group, received 5.6 percent.
Washington, Sep 30 (UNI) Scott Hall, one of the co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump, has entered a guilty plea during a hearing in Fulton County Superior Court.
Hall faces seven charges alleging he was part of a conspiracy, along with former President Trump, to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election in Georgia. Scott is specifically accused of tampering with electronic voting machines in Coffee County.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee on Friday imposed 12-month probation for each count against him, effectively resulting in a five-year probation term, along with a $1,000 fine for each count, totaling $5,000.
In addition, McAfee ordered Scott not to participate in any activities regarding polling or the administration of elections.
UNI/SPU
Kiev, Sep 29,2023: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met with Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg to discuss cooperation and rapprochement between Ukraine and the alliance.
The two parties exchanged their views on critical defense issues, including the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and the needs of Ukrainian soldiers, the presidential press service reported.
Protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from possible attacks and the prospects of supplying additional air defense systems to Ukraine by NATO member states was another topic of the negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Zelensky described the talks as “meaningful conversation between de facto allies.”
“It is only a matter of time before Ukraine becomes a de jure member of the alliance. We are doing everything to make it happen sooner,” Zelensky said.
For his part, Stoltenberg pledged that NATO’s support for Ukraine would continue.
“NATO will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said.
Currently, Ukraine and NATO are working on an adapted Annual National Program, which will determine practical steps to ensure Ukraine’s compliance with the principles and standards of the alliance, Zelensky added.
According to media reports, Stoltenberg arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for an unannounced visit.
Sept 27,2023: At least 113 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a fire that ripped through a wedding celebration in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, local officials and emergency services said.
Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan al-Allaq told the Reuters news agency that 113 people have been confirmed dead so far. The fire was reported to have started at approximately 10:45pm local time (19:45 GMT) on Tuesday night.
Najim al-Jubouri, the provincial governor of Nineveh, cautioned early on Wednesday that there were no final casualty figures yet from the blaze, which suggests the death toll still may rise.
“All efforts are being made to provide relief to those affected by the unfortunate accident,” Iraq’s health ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said.
Iraq’s official INA news agency reported earlier that more than 150 people were also injured in the blaze, which engulfed an event hall in the province’s Hamdaniyah district where the wedding celebration was taking place. Hamdaniyah is located outside of the northern city of Mosul, some 400km (about 250 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad.
Iraq’s civil defence said initial reports indicated that fireworks used during the celebration may have been the cause of the fire. “Preliminary information indicates that fireworks were used during a wedding, which triggered a fire in the hall,” civil defence authorities said in a statement early on Wednesday.
Security forces keep watch next to ambulances near a hospital following a fatal fire at a wedding celebration, in Iraq’s Nineveh province, Iraq, September 27, 2023.
New York [US], September 26,2023: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on Monday said that Colombo has not given permission to a Chinese vessel to dock adding that Indian security concerns are “important” for Sri Lanka.
Asked about reports regarding a Chinese research vessel named Shi Yan 6 scheduled to be docked in Sri Lanka in October and India’s concerns regarding it, he said that they have a standard operating procedure (SOP) and they have consulted many friends, including India.
“That’s a conversation going on for some period of time. India has expressed its concerns for a long period of time, but we have now come out with the SOP standard operating procedure. When we were making that, we consulted many of our friends, including India. So, as long as it complies with the SOP, we have no problem. But if it doesn’t comply with the SOP, we have a problem,” Ali Sabry told ANI.
He said that Sri Lanka has not given permission for the Chinese vessel Shi Yan 6 to dock during the month of October, adding that negotiations are going on.
“So, therefore, as far as I know, we have not given permission to come to Sri Lanka during the month of October. So, there are negotiations going on. But, Indian security concerns, which are legitimate, are very, very important for us. We have always told that because we want to keep our region as a zone of peace,” he added.
Earlier, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe also said that the SPO had been worked out for foreign vessels. The Chinese research vessel is expected in Sri Lanka in October to conduct research along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror reported.
Meanwhile, US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland during her meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry raised concerns regarding the upcoming visit of Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6, Daily Mirror reported.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Victoria Nuland stated, “The U.S. supports a strong and prosperous Sri Lanka. Our work together continues at #UNGA. I met with @MFA_SriLanka Minister Ali Sabry to discuss U.S. economic assistance, human rights, and our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Sabry told Nuland that Sri Lanka had worked out the Standard Operating Procedure (SPO) to be followed by foreign ships and aircraft in carrying out any activity in Sri Lankan territory, according to Daily Mirror report.
Reportedly, he told her that Sri Lanka had been even-handed in this approach for all nations and could not exclude China from the process. The two leaders held a meeting on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while commenting on Chinese spy vessel Yuan Wang-5 which had docked in Sri Lanka, said that any developments that have a bearing on India’s security are “obviously of an interest to us”.
“What happens in our neighbourhood, any developments which have a bearing on our security obviously are of an interest to us,” Jaishankar said at a joint press conference after the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting.
India had expressed its security concerns over the docking of the vessel at the Sri Lankan port as it was shown as a research vessel with the capability of mapping the ocean bed, which is critical to anti-submarine operations of the Chinese Navy. The Chinese research ship had docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port.
Chennai, Sep 25,2023: The widening cracks in the alliance in recent times that left it in tatters on Monday reached a point of no return, with the main Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu ending its five-year honeymoon with the BJP by severing its ties with it and walking out of the NDA.
An unanimous resolution was adopted at an emergency meeting of the senior party functionaries, headquarters secretaries, MPs and MLAs,chaired by AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Edappadi K.Palaniswami, while strongly taking exception to critical remarks made by BJP State Unit President
K.Annamalai.
Reading out the one page resolution to the media after the meeting, senior leader and AIADMK Deputy General Secretary K.P.Munusamy said the State leadership of the BJP had been, for the last one year,
“deliberately, in a planned manner and with motive, defaming” icons of the party such as stalwarts C.N.Annadurai and Ms Jayalalithaa and “criticising” the policies of the party.