Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Let's Talk, Uddhav Thackeray Writes To Sena Rebels: 10 Facts


 Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, wrote to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs today, urging them to talk to him in person, shortly after rebel Eknath Shinde said he will go to Mumbai and speak with the Maharashtra Governor.

Following are the 10 biggest developments in this story:

  1. "You have been trapped in Guwahati for some days, I keep getting updates on you. Many of you are in touch with us... and you are Shiv Sena men at heart. Let us talk, we'll find a way," Uddhav Thackeray said in the letter to the rebels staying at a luxury hotel in Guwahati since last week.
  2. "I want to appeal to you - time is still not lost. Please come, sit with me, remove all doubts from the minds of Shiv Sainiks and the public, then we can find a way out. We can sit together and find a way out." The letter comes a day after the rebels scored time till July 12 to act without being disqualified.
  3. Mr Thackeray, who has been reduced to a minority in the party founded by his father Bal Thackeray, asked the rebels not to fall for any false narrative on the Sena neglecting its MLAs and its core ideology. "The respect that the Shiv Sena has given you, you will not get anywhere else. If you come, talk face-to-face, we can find a way out. As the Shiv Sena chief and head of the family, I am worried about you even now. Please come forward and speak, we will find a way," he pleaded.
  4. Eknath Shinde, the leader of the stunning revolt against party boss Uddhav Thackeray, claims he is the real Shiv Sena with at least 40 Shiv Sena MLAs with him. Mr Thackeray's letter emerged shortly after Mr Shinde said he would go to Mumbai and speak with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, indicating he is ready to launch his next play - a bid for power. "I have 50 people with me in Guwahati, they have come of their own accord and for Hindutva. We all will go to Mumbai soon," Mr Shinde told reporters. 
  5. Mr Shinde, reports suggest, may fly to Mumbai or Delhi for consultations with the BJP, which is seen to be the enabler of the revolt that has seen Uddhav Thackeray lose most of his party MLAs to the rival camp.
  6. The BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister, is in Delhi, sources say. Mr Shinde had been flown by chartered plane from Guwahati to Gujarat's Vadodara after midnight last Friday for a meeting with Mr Fadnavis and BJP's top strategist, Union Home Minister Amit Shah. 
  7. "I am not leaving the Shiv Sena. I am the real Shiv Sena," Mr Shinde told reporters, rubbishing the claims of team Thackeray that some 15-20 MLAs were in touch with them and wanted to return to Mumbai. 
  8. Yesterday, the Supreme Court gave Mr Shinde and 15 rebels time till July 12 to respond to notices to disqualify them. The rebels cannot be disqualified till then. Sources suggest Mr Shinde and the rebels may be inclined to move for a no-confidence motion in the Maharashtra assembly before the court's deadline. 
  9. The Supreme Court refused to pass orders on Team Thackeray's request that no floor test be allowed till July 12. "If anything illegal happens, you can always move this court," it said. Sources say Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari may ask Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority sometime this week. 
  10. BJP leaders reportedly met at Devendra Fadnavis's home in Mumbai to discuss the arithmetic required to form a government in a tie-up with the Shinde Sena faction. "We are open to the proposal of government formation from Eknath Shinde," said party leader Sudhir Mungantiwar.

Source

Wednesday, 22 June 2022

OnePlus Nord 2T to arrive in India on June 27, will cost INR 28,999


 The OnePlus Nord 2T is not available in India and so far we have heard practically nothing from the brand about a launch in one of its biggest markets. The latest leak suggested the launch date has been scheduled and it is June 27.

The same report also revealed we’ll see two memory options - 8/128 GB with a starting price of INR28,999 (€355), while the 12GB RAM variant will be INR31,999 (€390).

The Nord 2T is a slight improvement over the Nord 2 with its Dimensity 1300 chipset and 80W fast charging. It costs €399 or €499 in Europe, meaning Indian users are getting a far better deal.

The phone itself is a lovely device with three cameras, 6.5” AMOLED with Full HD+ resolution and a 4,500 mAh battery. We do have some grunts with the design of the camera island but looks are subjective and there might be people who will like it.

Source

Tuesday, 21 June 2022

GMR Infra to give priority in jobs to Agniveers in its security solutions arm

GMR Infrastructure Limited on Tuesday said it will give priority in jobs to Agniveers in its subsidiary firm RAXA Security Solutions Ltd NSE -0.33 %. RAXA Security Solutions provides man-guarding services, techno security solutions, fire and cyber security services. 

The central government has recently launched the Agnipath scheme for youth willing to join the Armed Forces and serve the country. 

Inspired by the scheme, GMR Infrastructure has decided to give high priority to Agniveers who are willing to pursue a new career in the private security domain and offer them employment in its security firm RAXA Security Solutions for a variety of assignments, the company said in a statement.

The Agnipath scheme for the armed forces announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youth between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 only four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. The others would retire without gratuity and pension benefits. Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

Protests have erupted in several states against the scheme. 

"Corporate world would offer a vast horizon to these Agniveers after they retire from active duty of the Armed Forces. There are various fulfilling job opportunities that a security company like RAXA has. We believe that with their discipline, teamwork, and training skills, Agniveers shall be a great asset for RAXA," said Ashwani Lohani, CEO of GMR Services Business.

Monday, 20 June 2022

Noida Police issues strict warning amid Bharat Bandh, Section 144 imposed

Amid a call for “Bharat Bandh” on Monday over the Agnipath scheme, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police reiterated that CrPC section 144 is imposed in the district and asked people to not engage in any activity which disrupts law and order.

Heavy security arrangements have caused massive traffic jams across Delhi-NCR.

A heavy traffic jam was reported on the Sarhaul border on Delhi-Gurugram expressway as Delhi Police began checking vehicles.

Police Commissioner Gautam Budh Nagar Alok Singh said that the recruitment process is being started by the army under the Agnipath scheme, in which instead of genuine candidates, some anti-social elements were trying to disturb the peace and order on the pretext of it.

‘’FIR would be registered against any person found engaged in activities in violation of law and strict action would be taken against them’’, he further added.

The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths in the age bracket of 17-and-half to 21 years in the armed forces for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

Source

Friday, 17 June 2022

'Agnipath' Protests In 7 States, Mobs Burn Trains, Block Roads: 10 Points

At least one person has died and several others injured as angry mob set trains on fire and clashed with police in several states over the new military recruitment policy, Agnipath. The government has defended the scheme, calling it "transformative".

A person died and over 15 were injured in Telangana's Secunderabad as violent protests spread to the southern state. Several states like Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have witnessed violent agitation over the new scheme.

In Bihar, the house of Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi was attacked in Bettiah in West Champaran district amid protests against the new recruitment scheme that has set off a firestorm. "Such type of violence is very dangerous for the society. The protesters should remember that this is a loss for the society," Ms Devi, who is currently in Patna, told NDTV. Bihar has bore the brunt of the violence which began on Wednesday.

In Uttar Pradesh, a mob entered a railway station in Ballia this morning and set a train coach on fire, and also damaged railway station property before the police used force to disperse them. Another group of protesters carrying sticks argued with the police on the streets outside the railway station in the eastern UP district.

Over 200 trains have been affected - 35 trains have been cancelled while 13 short-terminated- since the protests erupted on Wednesday, according to the Railways.

The government unveiled Agnipath on Tuesday -- calling it a "transformative" scheme-- for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.

Protesters are unhappy with the changes, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction that now makes many of them ineligible.

The Opposition has also stepped up its attack on the government over the new recruitment scheme with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not take 'agnipareeksha (trial by fire)' of their patience by making them walk on Agnipath. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, called the move "negligent" and potentially "fatal" for the country's future.

The age limit for Agnipath recruitment has now been raised to 23 from 21 as a "one-time waiver" following the protests. The government has also put out a 10-point defence of the scheme and assured recruits they will not find themselves in the lurch after completing their four years in the military.

Top Union Ministers have assured young people that the new policy would be highly beneficial for them. In a tweet today, Home Minister Amit Shah said the recruitment process in the Army had been affected for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a sensitive decision by showing concern for the youth of the country.

The decision of the government has been received by the Army to grant the one-time waiver and that the recruitment process will be announced shortly, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said. The Chief of Army Staff also called upon the youth to avail the opportunity to join the Army as 'Agniveers'.

Source

Wednesday, 15 June 2022

After 109 Days, India's Daily Covid Cases Cross 12,000-Mark; Infections on Rise in Mumbai, Delhi

First time in 109 days since February 26, India recorded a big jump of over the 12,000 daily Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as coronavirus infections are on the rise across the country again.

On Thursday, India reported 12,213 fresh set of Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate stood at 2.35%.

The country also recorded 7,624 recoveries and 58,215 active cases. The total vaccination hiked by 15,21,942.

On Wednesday morning, the country had reported 8,822 Covid-19 cases and by night the number went up to 8,641.

MAHARASHTRA

Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 4,024 new coronavirus cases, a 36 per cent rise over the previous day, and two pandemic-related deaths, the state health department said. Four new cases of B.A.5 variant of coronavirus were also detected in the state, it added. On Tuesday, the state had recorded 2,956 cases and four fatalities. New B.A.5 cases were reported from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune, and all four patients were in the age group of 19 to 36 years, the department said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai on Wednesday reported 2,293 new COVID-19 cases, up by 569 from a day ago and the highest daily count registered since January 23, while one more patient succumbed to the infection, the city civic body said.With these additions, the tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 10,85,882, while the death toll increased to 19,576, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin.

The metropolis has crossed the 2,000 daily case mark after almost five months.On January 23, Mumbai had logged 2,550 COVID-19 cases and 13 fatalities.

DELHI

Delhi on Wednesday reported 1375 Covid cases in a single-day rise, against 1,118 infections recorded on Tuesday.

However, no Covid-related death has been reported in the city in the last 24 hrs, as per the Delhi government health bulletin.

Meanwhile, the Covid positivity rate has jumped to 7.01 per cent while the number of active cases has also risen to 3,643 in the capital city.

TAMIL NADU

Hitting another spike on the number of daily infections, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday added 476 coronavirus cases including five returnees from domestic and overseas, pushing the tally to 34,58,445 till date, the health department said. After more than two months, an 18-year-old woman succumbed to the virus in Thanjavur becoming the latest casualty mounting the death toll to 38,026. The last death due to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu was reported on March 17.

According to a medical bulletin, the teenager affected with COVID-19 was admitted to the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital with complaints of fever and cough on June 14. She died on the same day and the cause of the death is being “ascertained", the bulletin said. As many as 169 people have recovered in the last 24 hours aggregating to 34,18,481 leaving 1,938 active infections, it said.

The state capital accounted for the majority of cases at 221 while the remaining was spread across 22 districts.

WEST BENGAL

West Bengal on Wednesday reported 230 new COVID-19 cases, 95 more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 20,20,774, the health department said in a bulletin. The single-day count crossed the 200-mark after two-and-half months. The positivity rate stood at 2.95 per cent, up from Tuesday’s 1.85 per cent, it said. The death toll rose to 21,207 after one more patient succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said. Fifty-eight people recuperated from the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries to 19,98,530.

West Bengal now has 1,037 active cases, the bulletin said. The state health administration tested 7,784 samples for the infection in the last 24 hours, it added.

TELANGANA

Telangana on Wednesday recorded 205 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the overall caseload in the state to 7,95,008. Hyderabad saw the highest number of cases with 132.

A health department bulletin said 63 people recuperated from the infectious disease and the cumulative number of recoveries till date was 7,89,496. The recovery rate stood at 99.31 per cent.

No fresh fatality occurred due to the infection and the death toll continued to be 4,111. The bulletin said 21,070 samples were tested on Wednesday. The number of active cases was 1,401, it said. The state has been witnessing a rise in daily cases for about a fortnight.

GUJARAT

Gujarat reported 184 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday which increased its caseload to 12,26,712, the state health department said. With 112 patients recovering during the day, the tally of recovered cases rose to 12,14,775, it added.

One pandemic-related death was reported from Ahmedabad city which raised the death toll to 10,946.The number of active cases rose to 991, with one patient being on ventilator support.

Among districts, Ahmedabad reported 94 new cases, Vadodara 18, Surat 20 and Rajkot and Gandhinagar 10 cases each.The number of vaccine doses administered so far in Gujarat rose to 11.06 crore with 43,217 people getting inoculated on Wednesday, said the health department.

Source

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

Moose Wala murder: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi remanded to 7-day custody in Punjab

A court in Punjab's Mansa district early on Wednesday morning granted seven-day police remand of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to the state police in singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala murder case soon after he was brought to the district. He is the main conspirator in the killing.

Amid tight security, he was brought to the Mansa district - where Moose Wala was shot dead on May 29 - on Wednesday morning at around 4 am. Bishnoi was presented before duty magistrate after his medical check-up was conducted at the district civil hospital. After securing the police remand, the Punjab Police are shifting Bishnoi to Mohali, where he will be interrogated.

A Delhi court on Tuesday had allowed the Punjab Police to take the gangster to the state for questioning.

“Considering the totality of the circumstances and also considering the seriousness of the offences and gravity of allegations against the accused Lawrence Bishnoi in the murder of singer Subhdeep Singh @ Sidhu Moose Wala, the application seeking transit remand for one day is allowed till June 15 with direction to the IO to produce the accused before the concerned court of CJM, Mansa on June 15,” the judge said in a four-page order.

The court also ordered Punjab police to file a compliance report before the duty magistrate in Patiala House court just after the production in Mansa court. The magistrate had issued an arrest warrant against Bishnoi on Monday in the singer’s murder case.

The police said it was also pertinent to mention that all the arrested accused were allegedly closely associated with Bishnoi and his associates, and they have been involved together in multiple FIRs.

On Tuesday, Bishnoi’s counsel contended had claimed there was a threat to his client’s life. He also repeated the claim - which was made earlier too - that Bishnoi may be killed in a fake encounter.

On this, the Punjab Police was directed by the Delhi court to take all measures for Bishnoi's safety during transit and till his court production even as the advocate general for Punjab Anmol Rattan Sidhu said a team of armed personnel had been constituted for this purpose.

Bishnoi has been named as the mastermind in the murder of Moose Wala who was shot dead near his home. His killing had triggered much anguish among his admirers in India and Canada, where he had gone as a student.

One suspected shooter - linked to the killing - was earlier this held from Pune. He was also said to be linked to the Bishnoi gang.

Apart from Bishnoi, the Punjab Police have so far arrested nine suspects, including three jailed gangsters — Manpreet Singh Manna; Saraj Sandhu, alias Mintoo; and Monu Daggar — besides Naseeb Khan; Pawan Bishnoi; Manpreet Singh Bhau; Sandeep Singh, alias Kekra; Charanjit Singh, alias Chetan Sandhu; and Prabhdeep Singh Pabbi.

They either provided logistics support to the shooters or conducted the recce ahead of the attack on May 29, according to the SIT (Special Investigation Team).

The SIT also claims to have identified four shooters, but the total number of shooters and their identity is yet to be disclosed.

Apart from Bishnoi, Canada-based Goldy Brar too is linked to the case. He had earlier claimed the responsibility for the murder.

Moose Wala had joined the Congress before the state elections and had unsuccessfully contested from his home district.

His admirers remembered him on his 29th birth anniversary on June 11.

Source

Monday, 13 June 2022

Google Maps adds up tolls to give you the true cost of your summer road trip


 Google is all about connecting you with the information you need to make your life better, and so far Maps has been just packed with that sort of data: it warns you about traffic jams, speed traps, road closures, and can even find the most environmentally friendly route. But for all it's been able to tell us, there's been one glaring omission: tolls. We could tell Maps to avoid tolls for ages now, but Maps had no way to tell us what tolls might actually cost. Thankfully, that's finally changing, as toll prices start going live.

We first started seeing evidence that Maps was working on detailed toll data last summer, but it wasn't until this April that Google formally announced the feature. While the company reported then that tolls would start appearing imminently, it's only very recently that we've been seeing them for ourselves, starting with scattered reports last week, ahead of broader availability over the weekend. Today, Google signals to us that things really are going wide, with a new post confirming the availability of toll info.


Users in the US, India, Japan, and Indonesia will be the first to get toll data in Maps, and while Google says that more countries will follow soon, it hasn't shared which. Access is also currently limited to Maps on Android and iOS devices, and we've yet to hear anything about bringing toll data to Maps on the web.

There are a few other limitations to keep in mind. For one, Maps doesn't seem to show you the tolls for individual roads, and instead only computes a total for the complete route. We also notice that Maps says its figures are “estimates based on toll pass rates,” which sounds like it factors in E-ZPass-style transponder discounts — if you pay cash, and certainly if you drive a truck, trailer, or anything with extra axles, you'll probably be paying even more.

Source


iPhone 14 front camera to feature 6P lens, rumoured to get auto-focus support


The iPhone 14 front camera is set to get some major upgrades later this year. According to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the upcoming iPhone 14 front camera will feature a 6P lens. Apple will also introduce support for auto-focus for the iPhone 14 front camera.

The current iPhone 13 series comes with a fixed-focus front camera. With auto focus in place, the front camera will be able to track the subject and lock the focus before clicking an image. This should result in a sharper, detailed output.

Kuo also stated that the front camera will feature a 6P lens. This means that there will be 6 layers of plastic on the lens to reduce optical aberration, which will contribute to better photos. Apple will not be the first company to introduce a 6P lens here. We have seen multiple Android smartphones from Xiaomi, Vivo and other brands with a 6P lens.

Kuo did not explicitly state whether the upgraded front camera will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models. The vanilla iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Max are also expected to feature the 6P front camera setup.

The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are said to get an upgraded rear camera. There will be a triple-camera setup on the back with a LiDAR sensor attached. The main 48MP camera is said to support 8K video recording. It is also rumoured to be 57 per cent larger than the iPhone 13 Pro’s main camera. There will be a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP telephoto camera as well.

The vanilla models, on the other hand, will feature a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera.

At the front, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a hole punch and a pill-shaped cutout for the front camera and Face ID sensors. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will sport a wide notch similar to the iPhone 13 series.

Apple is also rumoured to use the same A15 Bionic chip with a different name in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max. The Pro models will get an upgraded A16 Bionic chip. Apple will launch all four variants of the iPhone 14 series with at least 6GB of RAM. While this will not be an upgrade for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, it will be one for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, since the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature 4GB of RAM.

Source

Thursday, 9 June 2022

India is trying to strike new crude-oil deals with Russia — but Russia's oil giant Rosneft doesn't have any extra oil left, report says

Russian oil giant Rosneft doesn't appear to be short of customers.

Russia's top oil producer is holding back on signing new six-month contracts with two Indian state refiners because it has already committed supplies to other buyers, Reuters reported on June 8, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

"They are saying they don't have volumes," one of the sources told Reuters. The source described Rosneft as being "non-committal" about signing new deals.

The development points to demand for Russian oil even amid hard-hitting sanctions and boycotts against the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

Indian refiners are among those who have been snapping up Russian oil that was priced at steep discounts to move the supplies. But Russian oil is not being sold at steep discounts anymore, particularly as insurance and freight rates have risen, Indian sources told Reuters. India can still buy Russian crude on the spot market, but it would be more expensive than longer-term deals. China has also been snapping up Russian oil. Neither country has condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine.

To meet Asian demand, Russia has increased shipments by about 20% out of the major port of Kozmino in the east of the country, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Russia's energy sales are keeping the country afloat amid international trade restrictions as oil prices have been soaring, gaining about 50% this year so far. Moscow could still rake in $800 million a day from oil and gas revenues this year, Bloomberg Economics reported last week. That's 20% higher than the country's oil and gas takings in 2021.

State-owned Rosneft posted record profits in 2021 and is planning to dole out record dividends to shareholders.

Source

Wednesday, 8 June 2022

Ultimate Kho Kho: GMR And Adani Group Acquired Franchises

 


GMR and Adani Group have acquired the Telangana and Gujarat franchises in the Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKKL), which is set to launch this year to promote the local sport.

The league, which is being promoted by Amit Burman, chairman of Dabur Group, in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI), aims to revolutionize the indigenous sport of Kho-Kho by adopting a modern-day professional structure that will bring the fast-paced action to the fans' living rooms.

GMR Sports has signed the Telangana team to increase the popularity of Kho-Kho in South India and further promote it.

"Since its inception more than 15 years ago, the company has done pioneering work in growing popular sports such as cricket and other indigenous sports such as kabaddi and wrestling in India and around the world. With a vision to develop talent at the grassroots level, it has invested in providing access to professional sports by establishing sports training academies across India," said Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Corporate Chairman of GMR Group.

Source

Tuesday, 7 June 2022

Elon Musk threatens to walk away from $44 billion Twitter deal

Elon Musk is threatening to end his $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter Inc, accusing the firm of refusing to give him information about its spam bot accounts.

Lawyers for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the threat in a letter to Twitter dated Monday that the social platform included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Twitter was in a "clear material breach" of its obligations and that Musk reserves all rights to terminate the merger agreement, the billionaire warned in a letter.

This is the first time the Tesla billionaire has threatened to walk away from the deal in writing as opposed to airing it on Twitter's social media platform.

The microblogging site had previously downplayed Musk's warning that the deal was "on hold", arguing that the data would help him prepare for his ownership of Twitter, not to carry out due diligence and reopen negotiations.

Earlier in March, Musk said he would put the deal "temporarily on hold", while he waits for the social media company to provide data on the proportion of its fake accounts.

Twitter Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal has said the number of fake accounts is less than 5% when measuring daily users -- a figure the company has previously cited in quarterly filings.

"Musk believes Twitter is transparently refusing to comply with its obligations under the merger agreement, which is causing further suspicion that the company is withholding the requested data," according to the letter.

A self proclaimed free-speech absolutist, Musk has questioned the accuracy of Twitter's public filings about spam accounts representing less than 5% of its user base, claiming they must be at least 20%.

Musk said he needed the data to conduct his own analysis of Twitter users and did not believe in the company's "lax testing methodologies."

"Musk is clearly entitled to the requested data to enable him to prepare for transitioning Twitter's business to his ownership and to facilitate his transaction financing," his lawyers said in the letter.

Musk has said that he has lined up financing for the deal, through equity and loans, pulling in top shareholders including Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Sequoia Capital.

Twitter shares were down 5.5% at $37.95 in early trading.

Source

Monday, 6 June 2022

Delhi Airport to become net zero carbon emission by 2030

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) -- a joint venture which is formed as a consortium between the GMR Group, the Airports Authority of India, and Fraport AG & Eraman Malaysia -- announced the launch of the Green Transportation Program at the airport and in the surrounding area. 

The Green Transportation Program aims at helping DIAL make a rapid transition to green mobility, cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions considerably, and enabling Delhi Airport to achieve "Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport" status by 2030.

As part of the ambitious plan, DIAL has chosen to phase in electric vehicles (EVs) on the ground and is set to introduce 62 electric cars for its airside activities in the first phase, which will help reduce GHG emissions by around 1,000 tonnes per year. These vehicles would be deployed within 3-4 months. 

DIAL will also establish high-voltage and fast-charging stations at critical places in order to address the requirements of these vehicles as well as other airport stakeholders. Moreover, as a part of this initiative, and to promote EV adoption at the airport, DIAL also announced its plans to work with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to make essential improvements to EVs in order to install airport-specific equipment, DIAL said in a statement.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of DIAL, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said, “DIAL has set a target to make Delhi Airport a Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030, and is continuously working to achieve this goal. We are planning to eliminate all the light vehicles of petrol and diesel in a phased manner from Delhi Airport and use electric vehicles instead. The adoption of electric vehicles for managing airport operations is a step forward. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any Indian airport to ensure a clean transportation environment. The electric mobility, when packaged with appropriate ground support technology and infrastructure, presents a viable alternative in reducing vehicular emissions at the airport.” 

Other initiatives that will also be implemented as part of the DIAL's plan to become a "Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport" by 2030 include energy efficiency and conservation, green buildings and infrastructure, renewable energy utilization, and operational excellence programmes with airlines and airport stakeholders, the statement said.

Source


Sidhu Moosewala killing: Lawrence Bishnoi reveals names of arms suppliers, says 'Goldy Brar the brain behind murder'


 Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has told the Delhi Police Special Cell about the hideout and names of the arms suppliers, who are based in Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakhand and Rajasthan.

Police suspect these suppliers could be the ones who helped the killer of Sidhu Moosewala -- one being headed by Ranjeet, resident of Faridkot, another Vijay, a resident of Haryana-Rajasthan Border and one more is Raka.


On Sunday, Bishnoi was produced before Patiala House Court, which remanded him to police custody for five more days.

"The Delhi Police didn't mention the Sidhu Moosewala case in their remand application. But he was remanded to five more days police custody," said advocate Vishal Chopra, the counsel of Bishnoi.

The sources have, however, claimed that the arms suppliers whose names have come up during the course of investigation, could be the same who supplied arms to the killer of Moosewala.

"Mukesh alias Puneet and Om alias Shakti and Harvinder of Jitender Gogi gang were held by us in April. They have told us that one Raka supplied them illegal weapons. Rohit alias Moi and Dinesh Karala who are handling Gogi gang, had helped them in procuring arms. Efforts were made to trace the source of weapon but so far no success," said a source.


An official said, "Bishnoi knows the actual source of weapons. Bishnoi knows whereabouts of Raka in areas of Delhi, Haryana, UP and Uttrakhand."

"We then arrested Bishnoi who was already in Tihar in another case. Bishnoi corroborated the disclosure statement made by accused Rohit and stated that he had supplied the weapons through Ranjeet who lives in Faridkot and Vijay who lives on Haryana-Rajasthan Border. Police staff have been sent to multiple locations in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand in search of the co-accused. Bishnoi also disclosed that suspect Vijay brings arms and ammunition from jodhpur, Rajasthan," the official said.

Source

Thursday, 2 June 2022

RFID-enabled tag to track check-in luggage at Delhi airport

The Delhi airport has introduced personalised baggage tag, enabled by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which will give passengers real-time information about when and on which belt is their check-in luggage arriving in the terminal, a statement said on Wednesday.

Delhi’s  Indira Gandhi International Airport is the first airport in India to introduce this facility, its operator GMR Group - led DIAL claimed in a statement. A passenger can purchase this tag at the airport, scan the QR code on it and register it on the website bag.hoi.in, the statement mentioned. “Once the tag is registered, all a passenger has to do is to tie the tag or place it into their check-in luggage,” it noted. 

Passengers will start receiving SMS alerts with the details of baggage on their registered mobile number when their baggage arrives at the Delhi Airport, it said.  “They will get the message on their mobile that their luggage is ready to be picked up at the designated baggage belt,” the statement noted.

The ‘BAGG TRAX’ tags will soon be commercially launched for flyers at the Delhi airport. Presently, as part of the pilot project, BAGG TRAX tags are given to select frequent flyers at Terminal 3 only, it said. Once commercially launched, flyers can buy it in the departure sections of any of the terminals at the Delhi airport, it noted.

BAGG TRAX will not only help the domestic and international arrival passengers but also those in transit to track their checked-in baggage, the DIAL statement said. 

Source

Arvind Kejriwal to PM Modi: ‘Please arrest all AAP leaders….'

 Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday sharpened his attack on the central government as he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest “all AAP leaders”. The Delhi chief minister also said that after the arrest of Satyendar Jain - a minister in his cabinet - he is anticipating the arrest of Manish Sisodia, his deputy.

“I'd already announced a few months back that the central government is going to arrest Satyendar Jain in a fake case. Sources have told me that Manish Sisodia is going to be arrested soon… centre has ordered all agencies to work on fake cases against him," Kejriwal said.

“I request PM Modi to put all the ministers and MLAs from the AAP behind the bars and ask all the central agencies to do all investigations at one go. Carry out as many raids as you want. You arrest one minister at a time, it obstructs public work,” he added.

Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday sharpened his attack on the central government as he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest “all AAP leaders”. The Delhi chief minister also said that after the arrest of Satyendar Jain - a minister in his cabinet - he is anticipating the arrest of Manish Sisodia, his deputy. 

“I'd already announced a few months back that the central government is going to arrest Satyendar Jain in a fake case. Sources have told me that Manish Sisodia is going to be arrested soon… centre has ordered all agencies to work on fake cases against him," Kejriwal said.

“I request PM Modi to put all the ministers and MLAs from the AAP behind the bars and ask all the central agencies to do all investigations at one go. Carry out as many raids as you want. You arrest one minister at a time, it obstructs public work,” he added.

Manish Sisodia is possibly the “best education minister in the history of independent India,” the Delhi chief minister said during the video address. 

“Some people say this (the probe agency action) is because of upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections, some say this is revenge for Punjab elections. Whatever the reason is, we are not afraid to get arrested. Several raids were done on AAP leaders five years ago but nothing was recovered. We actually have a joke running on this - that all of us have been certified by PM Modi.”

"Not only in Delhi, but Manish Sisodia has given hope to children across the country that they can get good education in government schools. I want to ask the parents of children studying in government schools, 'Is he corrupt?'," he said.

Sateyndar Jain was arrested earlier this week by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. The central probe agency’s action was condemned by several opposition leaders, including Kapil Sibal and Mamata Banerjee.

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