RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav picked up a fight with police officials on Monday at the railway station in New Delhi while he was being taken to Ranchi Medical College in Jharkhand.&nbsp

He was discharged from the AIIMS hospital in the national capital just an hour before the incident took place at the railway station.

At the railway station, however, Lalu Yadav lost his cool at the police officials and started arguing with them, which was caught on camera.&nbsp

In the video, an agitated Lalu can be heard saying, “Daroga is asking me to step back on the orders of Superintendent of Police. Is the SP my boss?” Interestingly, Lalu’s outburst came just an hour after he was discharged from AIIMS hospital, where he was heard saying that he felt ‘dizzy’ and was too ‘ill’ to walk on his own.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Lalu Prasad Yadav argues with a Policeman at New Delhi Railway Station, says, 'This Policemen is asking me to step back, saying that the SP said so, is the SP my boss?' Lalu Prasad Yadav is leaving for Ranchi after being discharged from Delhi's AIIMS. <a href="https://t.co/mscGhHWqfC">pic.twitter.com/mscGhHWqfC</a>
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&nbsp

At the railway station, however, Lalu Yadav lost his cool at the police officials and started arguing with them, which was caught on camera.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav picked up a fight with police officials on Monday at the railway station in New Delhi while he was being taken to Ranchi Medical College in Jharkhand. He was discharged from the AIIMS hospital in the national capital just an hour before the incident took place at the railway station. At the railway station, however, Lalu Yadav lost his cool at the police officials and started arguing with them, which was caught on camera. In the video, an agitated Lalu can be heard saying, “Daroga is asking me to step back on the orders of Superintendent of Police. Is the SP my boss?” Interestingly, Lalu’s outburst came just an hour after he was discharged from AIIMS hospital, where he was heard saying that he felt ‘dizzy’ and was too ‘ill’ to walk on his own. #WATCH: Lalu Prasad Yadav argues with a Policeman at New Delhi Railway Station, says, 'This Policemen is asking me to step back, saying that the SP said so, is the SP my boss?' Lalu Prasad Yadav is leaving for Ranchi after being discharged from Delhi's AIIMS. pic.twitter.com/mscGhHWqfC — ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018 ×

Watch: 'Sick' Lalu Prasad fights with police officer at New Delhi railway station

After a series of bizarre remarks, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been called to New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Deb, who took charge of Tripura last month, will meet PM Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on May 2.&nbsp

In last two weeks, Deb made a string of random remarks which left his party colleagues workers redfaced.

Today, while addressing a gathering, CM Deb advised the Tripura youth to not to waste their crucial time by running after the government jobs and instead, milk cows or open paan shops for livelihood.

"There should be a cow in every house. Why run after netas for government jobs? Milk is being sold at Rs 50 per litre. Graduates should get cows and milk it to earn Rs 10 lakh in 10 years. Instead of running after political parties," the Chief Minister said.

Earlier, he had stated that the Internet and satellite communication existed during the Mahabharata era.&nbsp

He even questioned the crowning of Diana Hayden as Miss World in 1997.

While addressing another rally in Tripura, the chief minister also stated that mechanical engineers should not opt for civil services, but civil engineers should.&nbsp

According to Deb, any unemployed youth with a minimum amount of Rs 75,000 borrowed from the bank and with a little self-effort, can easily earn at least Rs 25,000 every month, but the hurdle in this is the culture that has grown in the state during the last 25 years.

After a series of bizarre remarks, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been called to New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Deb, who took charge of Tripura last month, will meet PM Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on May 2. In last two weeks, Deb made a string of random remarks which left his party colleagues workers redfaced. Today, while addressing a gathering, CM Deb advised the Tripura youth to not to waste their crucial time by running after the government jobs and instead, milk cows or open paan shops for livelihood. "There should be a cow in every house. Why run after netas for government jobs? Milk is being sold at Rs 50 per litre. Graduates should get cows and milk it to earn Rs 10 lakh in 10 years. Instead of running after political parties," the Chief Minister said. Earlier, he had stated that the Internet and satellite communication existed during the Mahabharata era. He even questioned the crowning of Diana Hayden as Miss World in 1997. While addressing another rally in Tripura, the chief minister also stated that mechanical engineers should not opt for civil services, but civil engineers should. According to Deb, any unemployed youth with a minimum amount of Rs 75,000 borrowed from the bank and with a little self-effort, can easily earn at least Rs 25,000 every month, but the hurdle in this is the culture that has grown in the state during the last 25 years.

After a string of bizarre remarks, PM Modi calls Tripura CM to New Delhi

As expected, Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit the ground running and went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at his Jan Aakrosh (public outrage) rally.&nbsp;

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Rahul attacked the government over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times.&nbsp;

Rahul said the people's money has gone into Nirav Modi's pocket, attacked Modi over the Rafale deal, BJP President Amit Shah over the alleged sudden increase in his son's income, and accused the government of interfering in the judiciary.&nbsp;

He also spoke of farmer debt and the recent rapes in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh that&nbsp;have rattled the country.&nbsp;

The rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan is currently underway. &nbsp;

The Congress helped unite the country over the last 70 years, said Rahul. This government however, he added, is spreading lies and hate.&nbsp;

The minorities&nbsp;everywhere are being attacked but PM Modi does not bother to respond to such incidents, said Rahul.&nbsp;

He added that that unemployment has reached peak levels, and that demonetisation and the "Gabbar Singh"&nbsp;Tax (GST) have hurt the national economy.

Rahul added that when PM Modi speaks, people have to search hard for shreds of truth within his speeches.&nbsp;

The Congress President that everywhere he travelled in the country, he asked people if they were happy with the government at the centre. And that the answer was a resounding "no".&nbsp;

Rahul added that the Congress will emerge victorious in the upcoming Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls, as also in the 2019 general polls.

Sonia Gandhi spoke before Rahul, saying corruption had increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

"Modi ji had said 'na khaunga na khane dunga' but corruption has increased," she said.&nbsp;

"Aaj desh mein asatya aur anyay ka bolbala hai. Whoever raises (their) voice has to bear the brunt of Modi government's anger," she added.&nbsp;

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the rally, saying,&nbsp;"Our democratic institutions are under attack. Parliament is not being allowed to function and legislation is being bulldozed."

"Our democracy is in danger and we must all work together to protect it," he added.&nbsp;

The "Jan Akrosh Rally" comes shortly ahead of the crucial Karnataka elections to be held on May 12.&nbsp;

Rahul attacked Modi and the centre over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times

As expected, Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit the ground running and went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at his Jan Aakrosh (public outrage) rally. × Rahul attacked the government over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times. Rahul said the people's money has gone into Nirav Modi's pocket, attacked Modi over the Rafale deal, BJP President Amit Shah over the alleged sudden increase in his son's income, and accused the government of interfering in the judiciary. He also spoke of farmer debt and the recent rapes in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh that have rattled the country. The rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan is currently underway. The Congress helped unite the country over the last 70 years, said Rahul. This government however, he added, is spreading lies and hate. The minorities everywhere are being attacked but PM Modi does not bother to respond to such incidents, said Rahul. He added that that unemployment has reached peak levels, and that demonetisation and the "Gabbar Singh" Tax (GST) have hurt the national economy. Rahul added that when PM Modi speaks, people have to search hard for shreds of truth within his speeches. The Congress President that everywhere he travelled in the country, he asked people if they were happy with the government at the centre. And that the answer was a resounding "no". Rahul added that the Congress will emerge victorious in the upcoming Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls, as also in the 2019 general polls. Sonia Gandhi spoke before Rahul, saying corruption had increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Modi ji had said 'na khaunga na khane dunga' but corruption has increased," she said. "Aaj desh mein asatya aur anyay ka bolbala hai. Whoever raises (their) voice has to bear the brunt of Modi government's anger," she added. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the rally, saying, "Our democratic institutions are under attack. Parliament is not being allowed to function and legislation is being bulldozed." "Our democracy is in danger and we must all work together to protect it," he added. The "Jan Akrosh Rally" comes shortly ahead of the crucial Karnataka elections to be held on May 12.

Congress will win in 2019, this government spreads lies and hate: Rahul slams Modi at Jan Aakrosh rally in Delhi

An increase&nbsp;in global crude oil price to around $75 per barrel lifted the domestic retail petrol price higher for the sixth consecutive day in New Delhi on Tuesday.

As a result, the widely-consumed transportation fuel became dearer by 13 paise to Rs 74.63 per litre from Monday`s cost of Rs 74.50 per litre.&nbsp;

As per data available on IndianOil`s website, Tuesday`s motor spirit price level in New Delhi was the highest since September 14, 2013 when it had touched Rs 76.06 a litre.

Besides New Delhi, petrol prices climbed to new multi-year highs in other major metro cities -- Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai -- at Rs 77.32, Rs 82.48 and Rs 77.43 per litre respectively on Tuesday.

The previous highs in these cities were Rs 78.03 (Kolkata, August 2014), Rs 83.62 (Mumbai, September 2013) and Rs 77.48 (Chennai, September 2013).

Apart from petrol, diesel prices, too, touched record high levels on Tuesday in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. They rose to Rs 65.93, Rs 68.63, Rs 70.20 and Rs 69.56 per litre respectively.

According to analysts, the recent upsurge in the costs of transportation fuel have been triggered due to a rise in global crude oil prices.

On Tuesday, Brent crude price rose to $75 per barrel due to geo-political tensions in the Middle East, whereas it cost over $100 a barrel in 2013.&nbsp;

Currently, prices of transport fuels are changed on a daily basis unlike the previous norm of fortnightly revisions.&nbsp;

In addition, the high rate of excise duty has contributed to the rise of transportation fuel prices.&nbsp;

In the Union Budget 2018-19, the government had reduced the basic excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2. The government also abolished additional excise duty on fuel. But to compensate the move on the fiscal front, it increased the road cess to Rs 8 per litre.

Besides New Delhi, petrol prices climbed to new multi-year highs in other major metro cities -- Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai -- at Rs 77.32, Rs 82.48 and Rs 77.43 per litre respectively on Tuesday

An increase in global crude oil price to around $75 per barrel lifted the domestic retail petrol price higher for the sixth consecutive day in New Delhi on Tuesday. As a result, the widely-consumed transportation fuel became dearer by 13 paise to Rs 74.63 per litre from Monday`s cost of Rs 74.50 per litre. As per data available on IndianOil`s website, Tuesday`s motor spirit price level in New Delhi was the highest since September 14, 2013 when it had touched Rs 76.06 a litre. Besides New Delhi, petrol prices climbed to new multi-year highs in other major metro cities -- Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai -- at Rs 77.32, Rs 82.48 and Rs 77.43 per litre respectively on Tuesday. The previous highs in these cities were Rs 78.03 (Kolkata, August 2014), Rs 83.62 (Mumbai, September 2013) and Rs 77.48 (Chennai, September 2013). Apart from petrol, diesel prices, too, touched record high levels on Tuesday in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. They rose to Rs 65.93, Rs 68.63, Rs 70.20 and Rs 69.56 per litre respectively. According to analysts, the recent upsurge in the costs of transportation fuel have been triggered due to a rise in global crude oil prices. On Tuesday, Brent crude price rose to $75 per barrel due to geo-political tensions in the Middle East, whereas it cost over $100 a barrel in 2013. Currently, prices of transport fuels are changed on a daily basis unlike the previous norm of fortnightly revisions. In addition, the high rate of excise duty has contributed to the rise of transportation fuel prices. In the Union Budget 2018-19, the government had reduced the basic excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2. The government also abolished additional excise duty on fuel. But to compensate the move on the fiscal front, it increased the road cess to Rs 8 per litre.

Price of petrol in Delhi highest since September 2013

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the BJP government strengthened the law against atrocities on Dalits.&nbsp;

Speaking after dedicating the Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial to the nation in New Delhi, Modi said ''In 2015, we strengthened the law against atrocities on Dalits. We have increased the number of crimes against Dalits enlisted in the law from 22 to 47.''&nbsp;

Modi also came down heavily on the previous Congress government for not recognising the contribution of Dr. Ambedkar to the country and said that Congress insulted Baba Saheb .&nbsp;

''Congress used all its power to remove any mention of Baba Saheb from the country's history. This is the bitter truth of history that when Baba Saheb was alive, Congress left no stone unturned to insult him,''Modi said.&nbsp;

After Atal Ji's government, when Congress came to power they closed the files related to this project, Modi said and added that when he was given a chance to serve people in 2014, he dug out the files and worked on it.&nbsp;

Many governments came to power after independence but what should have been done much before has happened now, after decades, Modi noted. This memorial is a tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar, he further said during his address.&nbsp;

Baba Saheb would not have imagined that after independence govt with a working culture of 'latkana, atkana & bhatkana' will come to power. In the last 4 years our government has re-started work on programs and schemes that have been pending for many-many years, Modi said.&nbsp;

Earlier Modi interacted with the Delhi metro commuters and posed for selfies on his way to 26, Alipur Road, where he dedicated Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial to the nation.&nbsp;

'Congress used all its power to remove any mention of Baba Saheb from the country's history. This is the bitter truth of history that when Baba Saheb was alive, Congress left no stone unturned to insult him,' Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the BJP government strengthened the law against atrocities on Dalits. Speaking after dedicating the Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial to the nation in New Delhi, Modi said ''In 2015, we strengthened the law against atrocities on Dalits. We have increased the number of crimes against Dalits enlisted in the law from 22 to 47.'' Modi also came down heavily on the previous Congress government for not recognising the contribution of Dr. Ambedkar to the country and said that Congress insulted Baba Saheb . ''Congress used all its power to remove any mention of Baba Saheb from the country's history. This is the bitter truth of history that when Baba Saheb was alive, Congress left no stone unturned to insult him,''Modi said. After Atal Ji's government, when Congress came to power they closed the files related to this project, Modi said and added that when he was given a chance to serve people in 2014, he dug out the files and worked on it. Many governments came to power after independence but what should have been done much before has happened now, after decades, Modi noted. This memorial is a tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar, he further said during his address. Baba Saheb would not have imagined that after independence govt with a working culture of 'latkana, atkana & bhatkana' will come to power. In the last 4 years our government has re-started work on programs and schemes that have been pending for many-many years, Modi said. Earlier Modi interacted with the Delhi metro commuters and posed for selfies on his way to 26, Alipur Road, where he dedicated Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial to the nation.

BJP government strengthened law against atrocities on Dalits: Modi

An emergency was declared at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. It was announced after an Iranian plane made an emergency landing.

As per media reports, the landing was made due to engine failure.&nbsp;

Eight fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

More details awaited.

An Iranian plane made an emergency landing due to engine failure

An emergency was declared at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. It was announced after an Iranian plane made an emergency landing. As per media reports, the landing was made due to engine failure. Eight fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames. More details awaited.

Emergency declared at IGI Airport in Delhi

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli arrived in India on a three-day state visit. Oli was received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Finance SP Shukla.

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Delhi: Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli arrives in India on a three day state visit, received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Finance SP Shukla <a href="https://t.co/o22c32P2RJ">pic.twitter.com/o22c32P2RJ</a>
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Oli will&nbsp;hold a delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday where the two leaders will jointly lay the foundation of the Arun III Hydroelectric Project developed by India.&nbsp;

The $1.5 billion 900 mw energy project by the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam is expected to be completed within five years.

During the visit, Oli will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M&nbsp;Venkaiah Naidu.&nbsp;

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other ministers will also call on Nepalese Prime Minister.

Various issues including agriculture, energy, connectivity, trade and investment and reconstruction are likely to be discussed during the visit.

He will also interact with Indian businessmen, industrialists, intellectuals and meet people from Nepali community.

Issues like cooperation in power and energy sector, cross-border connectivity, construction of transmission line, compensation to the Nepali citizens damaged caused by Kosi and Ganadak River inundation and flood control and energy banking will also be discussed.&nbsp;

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oli will be accompanied by his wife, Radhika Shakya and a delegation of over three dozen members including Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth and Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister Bishnu Rimal.

He will be staying at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi 
&nbsp;

Oli is slated to hold delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday where the two leaders will jointly lay the foundation of the Arun III Hydroelectric Project developed by India.

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli arrived in India on a three-day state visit. Oli was received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Finance SP Shukla. Delhi: Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli arrives in India on a three day state visit, received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Finance SP Shukla pic.twitter.com/o22c32P2RJ — ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018 × Oli will hold a delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday where the two leaders will jointly lay the foundation of the Arun III Hydroelectric Project developed by India. The $1.5 billion 900 mw energy project by the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam is expected to be completed within five years. During the visit, Oli will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other ministers will also call on Nepalese Prime Minister. Various issues including agriculture, energy, connectivity, trade and investment and reconstruction are likely to be discussed during the visit. He will also interact with Indian businessmen, industrialists, intellectuals and meet people from Nepali community. Issues like cooperation in power and energy sector, cross-border connectivity, construction of transmission line, compensation to the Nepali citizens damaged caused by Kosi and Ganadak River inundation and flood control and energy banking will also be discussed. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oli will be accompanied by his wife, Radhika Shakya and a delegation of over three dozen members including Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth and Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister Bishnu Rimal. He will be staying at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi

Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli arrives in India on three-day state visit

<div segoe="" style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33) font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, " ui="">The Line of Actual Control (LAC), a porous border separating India and China, continues to remain a cause of anxiety for New Delhi. And the reason for that is differing perceptions of the LAC in both the nations. While India, as always, wants to maintain the status quo along the border, China stakes claim to some of the territories in Arunachal Pradesh on the Indian side. 
&nbsp; 
These differences in perceptions have sharpened in the last few years due to infrastructure build-up by both India and China along the LAC. But the contrast is chilling. 
&nbsp; 
China has developed both civilian and military infrastructure along the LAC, and massively. But the Indian side - though it has created a new Corp of the Indian Army for the Eastern Front - still lacks basic infrastructure like telephone connectivity, roads or railways. The deployment of troops on the LAC from Indian side is dense but infrastructure remains absent. Many civilian areas are in fact unconnected. 
&nbsp; 
China has a railway station just 35km from the LAC. The nearest railway station on the Indian side is 200km away. A proposed railway station may bring down the distance to 150km but it still takes an Indian soldier deployed on the LAC more than 80 hours to reach the nearest railway station. 
&nbsp; 
Both the countries carry out long-range patrols to lay claims to the land. Any long-range patrol can take 20 to 28 days to complete. On an average, any unit on such patrol would cover 90km on foot. Rocks are marked and painted during these patrols. This constant painting and repainting have led to these rocks acquiring an inch thick of the coat. 
&nbsp; 
The stark difference between infrastructure development along the border can be attributed to the harsh weather condition on the Indian side. Many say that the weather on the Indian side is far wetter than on the Chinese side of the Himalayas. The connectivity of east and west bank of the Lohit river (a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra) is glaring. This problem has military implications. During hostilities, it can lead to troops being boxed in their own areas for long and will make an immediate rush to the spot on the other side next to impossible. 
&nbsp; 
When Indian and Chinese soldiers meet, evolved protocols kick into action, unlike the Line of Control (LoC), or the India-Pakistan border. The areas are designated and only fixed addresses are recorded on camera. Rest of the conversation takes place without it. Unlike eyeball to eyeball stand-off at LoC, the LAC witnesses non-violent stand-offs during patrols. 
&nbsp; 
India also faces another challenge. China has organised scattered communities along the LAC into single villages and built military installations adjoining them. The Indian side, on the other hand, has scattered population, which makes surveillance more difficult. 
&nbsp; 
In Kaho, the last Indian village before the LAC, any Indian phone with international roaming enabled can easily catch Chinese telecom network. This is not the case on the Indian side. The telephone towers of state-run BSNL are 40 to 50km away from the border. It makes intelligence gathering easy for the Chinese as its investment on LAC remains high tech and up to the mark.</div>

<div segoe="" style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33) font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, " ui=""><img alt="chinese-network-LAC.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="https://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/chinese-network-LAC.jpg" width="770" /> 
&nbsp; 
But the fact is that this is 2018 and not 1962. The Indian Army is well-deployed and well-stocked to meet any kind of situation. It has set up optical fibre network for its own communication in the border areas. Strong and long bridges have come on the Brahmaputra. Bhupen Hazarika bridge is one such example. It will allow tanks to ply if needed. A 1703-km-long trans-Arunachal Pradesh highway and inter-valley road is in the pipeline. Indian forces will remain more than a match for the Chinese military. According to assessment by the Indian Army, in case of hostilities, the human wave strategy deployed by the Chinese in 1962 will not be repeated. It will be more of shock and awe and missile oriented. 
&nbsp; 
There are no barbed wires on the LAC. There are bunkers and artillery deployed aimed at each other but guns have never boomed after 1962. Both sides intensely and continuously monitor each other and look for red flags. India knows that if Chinese troop movement takes place on the southern loop then it is a red flag and set of military counteraction would kick into force. The Chinese are&nbsp;monitoring the movement around Sela pass (in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh). 
&nbsp; 
The effort remains that the status quo of the border should not be breached. The LAC has been divided into disputed and sensitive areas. The disputed areas are those where both parties acknowledge the difference between position and sensitive where such divergence is not acknowledged at all. The sensitivity remains high and effort remains that local issues should not escalate to diplomatic levels. 
&nbsp; 
Doklam was one such incident when the local face-off got escalated and the matter had to be resolved diplomatically without provoking China. Politically, the matter has become even more sensitive to India after an extension of Xi Jinping's tenure. India's firm response in Doklam was to ensure that status quo is not altered. The deployment of Army on the LAC works on this principle. Even the deployment differs on the Line of Actual Control. In an 803-km-long LAC, deployments depend on the sector. Tawang sector is far more densely deployed than other areas owing to the sensitivity of the situation. 
&nbsp; 
India faces many challenges but opportunities are also immense. Arunachal Pradesh is one area in the Northeast, which is very nationalistic. Hindi unites people in the state. The response to LAC today cannot be a limited to military deployment. It requires a political action and vision. In Doklam it was proved that India will not allow status quo to change. It needs to show the same wisdom and vision inside its own border so that, these areas can be better integrated with the rest of India.</div>

The Line of Actual Control (LAC), a porous border separating India and China, continues to remain a cause of anxiety for New Delhi

The Line of Actual Control (LAC), a porous border separating India and China, continues to remain a cause of anxiety for New Delhi. And the reason for that is differing perceptions of the LAC in both the nations. While India, as always, wants to maintain the status quo along the border, China stakes claim to some of the territories in Arunachal Pradesh on the Indian side. These differences in perceptions have sharpened in the last few years due to infrastructure build-up by both India and China along the LAC. But the contrast is chilling. China has developed both civilian and military infrastructure along the LAC, and massively. But the Indian side - though it has created a new Corp of the Indian Army for the Eastern Front - still lacks basic infrastructure like telephone connectivity, roads or railways. The deployment of troops on the LAC from Indian side is dense but infrastructure remains absent. Many civilian areas are in fact unconnected. China has a railway station just 35km from the LAC. The nearest railway station on the Indian side is 200km away. A proposed railway station may bring down the distance to 150km but it still takes an Indian soldier deployed on the LAC more than 80 hours to reach the nearest railway station. Both the countries carry out long-range patrols to lay claims to the land. Any long-range patrol can take 20 to 28 days to complete. On an average, any unit on such patrol would cover 90km on foot. Rocks are marked and painted during these patrols. This constant painting and repainting have led to these rocks acquiring an inch thick of the coat. The stark difference between infrastructure development along the border can be attributed to the harsh weather condition on the Indian side. Many say that the weather on the Indian side is far wetter than on the Chinese side of the Himalayas. The connectivity of east and west bank of the Lohit river (a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra) is glaring. This problem has military implications. During hostilities, it can lead to troops being boxed in their own areas for long and will make an immediate rush to the spot on the other side next to impossible. When Indian and Chinese soldiers meet, evolved protocols kick into action, unlike the Line of Control (LoC), or the India-Pakistan border. The areas are designated and only fixed addresses are recorded on camera. Rest of the conversation takes place without it. Unlike eyeball to eyeball stand-off at LoC, the LAC witnesses non-violent stand-offs during patrols. India also faces another challenge. China has organised scattered communities along the LAC into single villages and built military installations adjoining them. The Indian side, on the other hand, has scattered population, which makes surveillance more difficult. In Kaho, the last Indian village before the LAC, any Indian phone with international roaming enabled can easily catch Chinese telecom network. This is not the case on the Indian side. The telephone towers of state-run BSNL are 40 to 50km away from the border. It makes intelligence gathering easy for the Chinese as its investment on LAC remains high tech and up to the mark. But the fact is that this is 2018 and not 1962. The Indian Army is well-deployed and well-stocked to meet any kind of situation. It has set up optical fibre network for its own communication in the border areas. Strong and long bridges have come on the Brahmaputra. Bhupen Hazarika bridge is one such example. It will allow tanks to ply if needed. A 1703-km-long trans-Arunachal Pradesh highway and inter-valley road is in the pipeline. Indian forces will remain more than a match for the Chinese military. According to assessment by the Indian Army, in case of hostilities, the human wave strategy deployed by the Chinese in 1962 will not be repeated. It will be more of shock and awe and missile oriented. There are no barbed wires on the LAC. There are bunkers and artillery deployed aimed at each other but guns have never boomed after 1962. Both sides intensely and continuously monitor each other and look for red flags. India knows that if Chinese troop movement takes place on the southern loop then it is a red flag and set of military counteraction would kick into force. The Chinese are monitoring the movement around Sela pass (in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh). The effort remains that the status quo of the border should not be breached. The LAC has been divided into disputed and sensitive areas. The disputed areas are those where both parties acknowledge the difference between position and sensitive where such divergence is not acknowledged at all. The sensitivity remains high and effort remains that local issues should not escalate to diplomatic levels. Doklam was one such incident when the local face-off got escalated and the matter had to be resolved diplomatically without provoking China. Politically, the matter has become even more sensitive to India after an extension of Xi Jinping's tenure. India's firm response in Doklam was to ensure that status quo is not altered. The deployment of Army on the LAC works on this principle. Even the deployment differs on the Line of Actual Control. In an 803-km-long LAC, deployments depend on the sector. Tawang sector is far more densely deployed than other areas owing to the sensitivity of the situation. India faces many challenges but opportunities are also immense. Arunachal Pradesh is one area in the Northeast, which is very nationalistic. Hindi unites people in the state. The response to LAC today cannot be a limited to military deployment. It requires a political action and vision. In Doklam it was proved that India will not allow status quo to change. It needs to show the same wisdom and vision inside its own border so that, these areas can be better integrated with the rest of India.

How India is fortifying LAC in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China's belligerence

Petrol price today hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 a litre while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58 in the national capital, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates.

State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, today raised petrol and diesel rates by 18 paise per litre each in Delhi, according to a price notification.

Petrol in the national capital now costs Rs 73.73 a litre, the highest since September 14, 2014 when rates had hit Rs 76.06. Diesel price at Rs 64.58 is the highest ever, with previous high of Rs 64.22 being on February 7, 2018.

The Oil Ministry had earlier this year sought a reduction in excise duty on petrol an diesel to cushion the impact rising international oil rates but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget presented on February 1 ignored those calls.

India has the highest retail prices of petrol and diesel among South Asian nations as taxes account for half of the pump rates.

Jaitley had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre.

Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT but just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call.

The central government had cut excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in October 2017, when petrol price reached Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs. 59.14. Because of the reduction in excise duty, diesel prices had on October 4, 2017 come down to Rs

56.89 per litre and petrol to Rs 68.38 per litre. However, a global rally in crude prices pushed domestic fuel prices far higher than those levels.

The October 2017 excise duty cut cost the government Rs 26,000 crore in annual revenue and about Rs 13,000 crore during the remaining part of the current fiscal year.

The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 242,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.

State-owned oil companies -- Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month . Instead, they adopted a daily price revision system to instantly reflect changes in cost. Since then, prices are revised on a daily basis.&nbsp

Petrol was selling at Rs 73.73 and diesel at Rs 64.58 a litre in Delhi, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates

Petrol price today hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 a litre while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58 in the national capital, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates. State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, today raised petrol and diesel rates by 18 paise per litre each in Delhi, according to a price notification. Petrol in the national capital now costs Rs 73.73 a litre, the highest since September 14, 2014 when rates had hit Rs 76.06. Diesel price at Rs 64.58 is the highest ever, with previous high of Rs 64.22 being on February 7, 2018. The Oil Ministry had earlier this year sought a reduction in excise duty on petrol an diesel to cushion the impact rising international oil rates but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget presented on February 1 ignored those calls. India has the highest retail prices of petrol and diesel among South Asian nations as taxes account for half of the pump rates. Jaitley had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre. Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT but just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call. The central government had cut excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in October 2017, when petrol price reached Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs. 59.14. Because of the reduction in excise duty, diesel prices had on October 4, 2017 come down to Rs 56.89 per litre and petrol to Rs 68.38 per litre. However, a global rally in crude prices pushed domestic fuel prices far higher than those levels. The October 2017 excise duty cut cost the government Rs 26,000 crore in annual revenue and about Rs 13,000 crore during the remaining part of the current fiscal year. The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 242,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15. State-owned oil companies -- Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month . Instead, they adopted a daily price revision system to instantly reflect changes in cost. Since then, prices are revised on a daily basis.

Petrol prices hit 4-year high, diesel at all-time high

Pakistan has decided to stay away from the World Trade Organisation meet in New Delhi next week in protest against alleged harassment of its diplomats in India.

India last month invited Pakistan Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 19-20 and Islamabad had initially accepted the invitation.

Sources in the foreign ministry here said the situation has changed after &quot;repeated harassment of families of diplomats&quot; and it was decided to skip the invitation.

&quot;We cannot send our commerce minister to India in the current situation and India has been informed about it,&quot; according to a source.

He said India should also stop the alleged violations of the ceasefire on the Line of Control that led to death of civilians and also stop &quot;atrocities&quot; in Kashmir.

Trade ministers of over 50 nations including the US, China and Pakistan were invited by India to discuss issues related to agriculture and services.

The decision to stay away from WTO meeting in India coincided with the recalling of Pakistan&#39;s High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood.

Mahmood arrived here last evening for consultations after Pakistan alleged repeated harassment of its diplomats in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is weighing options to deal with the situation in the wake of calling back of its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood from New Delhi due to alleged harassment of diplomats in India.

Mahmood arrived here a day after the Foreign Office spokesman said that he was being summoned for consultation &quot;due to non-stop harassment of families of the diplomats&quot;.

Official sources in the foreign ministry said Mahmood will brief top officials about the situation.

&quot;A decision to how to address the situation will be made after the consultations,&quot; sources said.

They said that options were on the table including declaring New Delhi as a non-family station and not sending back Mahmood for an indefinite period.

Officials rejected allegations that Indian diplomatic staff were also facing hurdles and harassment in Pakistan.

&quot;Our high commissioner will not return to India anytime soon,&quot; the Express Tribune quoted a senior foreign office official as saying.

It reported that initially it was thought he would return to New Delhi after consultations with authorities.

However, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the high commissioner would stay back for an indefinite period or &quot;until Indian agencies stop intimidating the staff and families of their diplomatic mission&quot; in New Delhi.

&quot;In other words, Pakistan recalled its envoy to New Delhi as a protest till the situation improves,&quot; it reported.

The official justified the move, insisting that under current circumstances it was not possible for the high commissioner to operate out of New Delhi.

&quot;Children have never been harassed even when two countries have had the worst of relationship,&quot; he said.

When asked whether Pakistan was contemplating withdrawing the families of its diplomatic staff, the official said it might have to if the current slide in the relationship was not arrested.&nbsp;

India last month invited Pakistan Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting

Pakistan has decided to stay away from the World Trade Organisation meet in New Delhi next week in protest against alleged harassment of its diplomats in India. India last month invited Pakistan Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 19-20 and Islamabad had initially accepted the invitation. Sources in the foreign ministry here said the situation has changed after "repeated harassment of families of diplomats" and it was decided to skip the invitation. "We cannot send our commerce minister to India in the current situation and India has been informed about it," according to a source. He said India should also stop the alleged violations of the ceasefire on the Line of Control that led to death of civilians and also stop "atrocities" in Kashmir. Trade ministers of over 50 nations including the US, China and Pakistan were invited by India to discuss issues related to agriculture and services. The decision to stay away from WTO meeting in India coincided with the recalling of Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mehmood. Mahmood arrived here last evening for consultations after Pakistan alleged repeated harassment of its diplomats in New Delhi. Meanwhile, Pakistan is weighing options to deal with the situation in the wake of calling back of its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood from New Delhi due to alleged harassment of diplomats in India. Mahmood arrived here a day after the Foreign Office spokesman said that he was being summoned for consultation "due to non-stop harassment of families of the diplomats". Official sources in the foreign ministry said Mahmood will brief top officials about the situation. "A decision to how to address the situation will be made after the consultations," sources said. They said that options were on the table including declaring New Delhi as a non-family station and not sending back Mahmood for an indefinite period. Officials rejected allegations that Indian diplomatic staff were also facing hurdles and harassment in Pakistan. "Our high commissioner will not return to India anytime soon," the Express Tribune quoted a senior foreign office official as saying. It reported that initially it was thought he would return to New Delhi after consultations with authorities. However, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the high commissioner would stay back for an indefinite period or "until Indian agencies stop intimidating the staff and families of their diplomatic mission" in New Delhi. "In other words, Pakistan recalled its envoy to New Delhi as a protest till the situation improves," it reported. The official justified the move, insisting that under current circumstances it was not possible for the high commissioner to operate out of New Delhi. "Children have never been harassed even when two countries have had the worst of relationship," he said. When asked whether Pakistan was contemplating withdrawing the families of its diplomatic staff, the official said it might have to if the current slide in the relationship was not arrested.

Pakistan to skip WTO meet in New Delhi

Taking a swipe at US President Donald Trump for backing out of Paris climate agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron lauded the efforts of India, along with other nations, for making International Solar Alliance (ISA) a reality.

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However, Macron did not name Trump at the founding conference of ISA in the capital today. While hailing the &#39;Solar Mamas&#39;, a group of women solar engineers, he also referred to the countries which decided to leave the climate agreement.

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Addressing the summit in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron said, &quot;Mr Prime Minister, You made a dream and we did it. It was about this International Solar Alliance. It was two years ago, it was just an idea at that time and we decided all together to act very quickly and today a big change&quot;.

Expressing his immense happiness and lauding the efforts of Solar Mamas, he said, &quot;Our solar mamas did not wait for us. They started to act and to deliver complete results. They did not wait and stop because some countries (US and others) just decided to leave the floor and leave the Paris agreement. Because they (ISA nations) decided it is good for them their children and grand children. They decided to act and keep acting&quot;.

The oblique reference was towards US President Trump&#39;s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, which was signed by nearly 200 countries in December 2015 in an effort to curb global greenhouse gas emission and limit global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius.

In November last year, Syria signed the deal, leaving the US as the only country in the world not to support the framework deal to combat greenhouse gas emissions.

Interestingly, France is the co-host for the founding conference of the the ISA which is a treaty based international body with 121 prospective member countries.

As many as 60 nations have signed the agreement to join ISA, while 30 have already ratified the agreement and made it possible to make it a legal entity in December last year.

Macron said the countries at the ISA represent three-fourths of the world population. As much as 20-50 per cent of the population do not have access to power.

The joint goal is to have 1 TW of solar energy by 2020 for which &quot;we need USD 1,000 billion,&quot; he said.

Today, heads of 23 nations and 10 ministerial representatives gathered here for alliance&#39;s first summit.&nbsp;

'Mr Prime Minister (Modi), You made a dream and we did it. It was about this International Solar Alliance. It was two years ago, it was just an idea at that time and we decided all together to act very quickly and today a big change,' said Macron

Taking a swipe at US President Donald Trump for backing out of Paris climate agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron lauded the efforts of India, along with other nations, for making International Solar Alliance (ISA) a reality. × However, Macron did not name Trump at the founding conference of ISA in the capital today. While hailing the 'Solar Mamas', a group of women solar engineers, he also referred to the countries which decided to leave the climate agreement. × Addressing the summit in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron said, "Mr Prime Minister, You made a dream and we did it. It was about this International Solar Alliance. It was two years ago, it was just an idea at that time and we decided all together to act very quickly and today a big change". Expressing his immense happiness and lauding the efforts of Solar Mamas, he said, "Our solar mamas did not wait for us. They started to act and to deliver complete results. They did not wait and stop because some countries (US and others) just decided to leave the floor and leave the Paris agreement. Because they (ISA nations) decided it is good for them their children and grand children. They decided to act and keep acting". The oblique reference was towards US President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, which was signed by nearly 200 countries in December 2015 in an effort to curb global greenhouse gas emission and limit global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius. In November last year, Syria signed the deal, leaving the US as the only country in the world not to support the framework deal to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Interestingly, France is the co-host for the founding conference of the the ISA which is a treaty based international body with 121 prospective member countries. As many as 60 nations have signed the agreement to join ISA, while 30 have already ratified the agreement and made it possible to make it a legal entity in December last year. Macron said the countries at the ISA represent three-fourths of the world population. As much as 20-50 per cent of the population do not have access to power. The joint goal is to have 1 TW of solar energy by 2020 for which "we need USD 1,000 billion," he said. Today, heads of 23 nations and 10 ministerial representatives gathered here for alliance's first summit.

French President Macron takes dig at Trump, hails India's efforts at making International Solar Alliance a reality

The United Airlines flight with 266 passengers and 15 crew members onboard diverted its New Delhi bound flight to London&#39;s Heathrow Airport due to some medical emergency.

Meanwhile, a statement from the airlines read, &quot;Our team at London Heathrow Airport is providing assistance to customers of United flight 82 (New York/ Newark to Delhi) which diverted to London Heathrow Airport because of a medical issue on board.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;The flight now has been cancelled due to the crew reaching their maximum duty time,&quot; the statement also read.

&quot;We are providing hotel accommodation for our customers, and making arrangements for them to complete their journeys tomorrow. We have apologised to our customers for the inconvenience caused,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

Flight Radar, a verified Twitter account that helps social media users track air traffic, posted an update after the plane started heading to Heathrow, and after it landed confirmed that the aircraft was indeed UA 82.

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United flight <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UA82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UA82</a> from Newark to Delhi is diverting to Heathrow.<a href="https://t.co/cZc1sbMu3H">https://t.co/cZc1sbMu3H</a> 
 
Reason is currently unknown <a href="https://t.co/HvJCrSuIEf">pic.twitter.com/HvJCrSuIEf</a>
&mdash; Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) <a href="https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/970260720033116160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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3 hours after the sharp turn over the North Sea, flight <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UA82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UA82</a> landed safely at Heathrow Airport. 
 
Reason why Heathrow was selected as diversion airport can be crew or maintenance availability, and better possibilities to handle passengers. <a href="https://t.co/iKxENjbFFp">pic.twitter.com/iKxENjbFFp</a>
&mdash; Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) <a href="https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/970269335553040384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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United Airlines commonly referred to as United is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.&nbsp;

The flight had 266 passengers and 15 crew members

The United Airlines flight with 266 passengers and 15 crew members onboard diverted its New Delhi bound flight to London's Heathrow Airport due to some medical emergency. Meanwhile, a statement from the airlines read, "Our team at London Heathrow Airport is providing assistance to customers of United flight 82 (New York/ Newark to Delhi) which diverted to London Heathrow Airport because of a medical issue on board." "The flight now has been cancelled due to the crew reaching their maximum duty time," the statement also read. "We are providing hotel accommodation for our customers, and making arrangements for them to complete their journeys tomorrow. We have apologised to our customers for the inconvenience caused," it added. Flight Radar, a verified Twitter account that helps social media users track air traffic, posted an update after the plane started heading to Heathrow, and after it landed confirmed that the aircraft was indeed UA 82. United flight #UA82 from Newark to Delhi is diverting to Heathrow.https://t.co/cZc1sbMu3H Reason is currently unknown pic.twitter.com/HvJCrSuIEf — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 4, 2018 × 3 hours after the sharp turn over the North Sea, flight #UA82 landed safely at Heathrow Airport. Reason why Heathrow was selected as diversion airport can be crew or maintenance availability, and better possibilities to handle passengers. pic.twitter.com/iKxENjbFFp — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 4, 2018 × United Airlines commonly referred to as United is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

New Delhi bound United Airlines flight diverted to London

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the fight against terrorism and radicalisation was not against any religion, but against a mindset that misguides the young.

Every religion promotes human values, the prime minister said in his address at a conference on &#39;Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding &amp; Moderation&#39;, where Jordan&#39;s King Abdullah II was also present.

India, the prime minister added, had been a &quot;cradle of all major religions in the world&quot;.

Indian democracy is a celebration of age-old pluralism, Modi said. According to him, all faiths promote human values. &quot;... Therefore, our youth should associate themselves with the humanitarian aspects of Islam and should also able to use modern technology&quot;, he said.

Sharing his views on religion, Abdullah II said faith should hold humanity together.

Faith allows us to prosper and thrive, he said while emphasising that people should reject voices which spread hatred.

&quot;Our strongest defence against turmoil is inclusion,&quot; he said.

Every religion promotes human values, the prime minister said in his address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the fight against terrorism and radicalisation was not against any religion, but against a mindset that misguides the young. Every religion promotes human values, the prime minister said in his address at a conference on 'Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding & Moderation', where Jordan's King Abdullah II was also present. India, the prime minister added, had been a "cradle of all major religions in the world". Indian democracy is a celebration of age-old pluralism, Modi said. According to him, all faiths promote human values. "... Therefore, our youth should associate themselves with the humanitarian aspects of Islam and should also able to use modern technology", he said. Sharing his views on religion, Abdullah II said faith should hold humanity together. Faith allows us to prosper and thrive, he said while emphasising that people should reject voices which spread hatred. "Our strongest defence against turmoil is inclusion," he said.

Fight against terrorism not against any religion: PM Narendra Modi

The core of a religion cannot be inhumane. Every religion, every sect, every tradition promotes human values. Thus, it is important that today our youth should connect with humane Islam while being able to utilise modern science and technology at the same time, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.&nbsp;

Modi was taking part in an Islamic conference in New Delhi along with Jordan King Abdullah II, who is on a state visit to India.&nbsp;

The conference, themed &lsquo;Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation&rsquo;, has brought together scholars of the Islamic studies from across the world.&nbsp;

In India, we have one mission - to take along everyone on the path to development, Modi said and added &#39;&#39;Our heritage and values, the message of our religions and our morals are the basis on which we challenge violent and terror elements. Those who commit crimes against humanity do not understand that their actions also hurt people of that religion, which they claim to be protecting,&#39;&#39; he said.

It is the power which allows ever Indian to respect our glorious past, believe in our present and have faith in our future, &nbsp;Modis said.

India has hosted religions from across the world. In India&#39;s atmosphere, they have thrived. Be it Lord Budhha 2500 years ago or Mahatma Gandhi a century ago - India has always spread the message of peace and love to the world, PM said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Jordan and India are etched in the religious text. Jordan is located on a holy land, from where the message of God is spreading through His messengers across the globe, Modi said.

PM Modi and Jordanian King will hold bilateral talks on India-Jordan relations after the conference.&nbsp;

Modi was taking part in an Islamic conference in New Delhi along with Jordan King Abdullah II, who is on a state visit to India.

The core of a religion cannot be inhumane. Every religion, every sect, every tradition promotes human values. Thus, it is important that today our youth should connect with humane Islam while being able to utilise modern science and technology at the same time, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Modi was taking part in an Islamic conference in New Delhi along with Jordan King Abdullah II, who is on a state visit to India. The conference, themed ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’, has brought together scholars of the Islamic studies from across the world. In India, we have one mission - to take along everyone on the path to development, Modi said and added ''Our heritage and values, the message of our religions and our morals are the basis on which we challenge violent and terror elements. Those who commit crimes against humanity do not understand that their actions also hurt people of that religion, which they claim to be protecting,'' he said. It is the power which allows ever Indian to respect our glorious past, believe in our present and have faith in our future, Modis said. India has hosted religions from across the world. In India's atmosphere, they have thrived. Be it Lord Budhha 2500 years ago or Mahatma Gandhi a century ago - India has always spread the message of peace and love to the world, PM said. Jordan and India are etched in the religious text. Jordan is located on a holy land, from where the message of God is spreading through His messengers across the globe, Modi said. PM Modi and Jordanian King will hold bilateral talks on India-Jordan relations after the conference.

Core of religion cannot be inhumane: PM Narendra Modi

A snatcher allegedly shot at a man for resisting a snatching bid in Connaught Place in central Delhi on Wednesday.

The incident happened in A-Block before noon. Police said the victim was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and is out of danger.

As per the PIL, 37,557 snatching cases were reported in Delhi between 2013 and 2017. Delhi Police records revealed that cases of snatching had increased by almost 413% in the last five years.&nbsp;

Incident of firing reported after a robbery call in Connaught Place's A-block

A snatcher allegedly shot at a man for resisting a snatching bid in Connaught Place in central Delhi on Wednesday. The incident happened in A-Block before noon. Police said the victim was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and is out of danger. As per the PIL, 37,557 snatching cases were reported in Delhi between 2013 and 2017. Delhi Police records revealed that cases of snatching had increased by almost 413% in the last five years.

Robber shoots at man in Delhi's Connaught Place

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday inaugurated Bharatiya Janata Party&rsquo;s new headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in New Delhi.

Party president Amit Shah and other senior leaders, including LK Advani were present to mark the occasion.

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PM Modi, along with BJP veteran LK Advani, inaugurates BJP&#39;s new headquarters at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj &amp; Murli Manohar Joshi also present, among others. <a href="https://t.co/eCcXbWJq0g">pic.twitter.com/eCcXbWJq0g</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965112730557534208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&ldquo;I want to thank Amit Bhai and his entire team, that worked hard to complete the work on the BJP HQ within the desired time frame,&rdquo; PM Modi said while speaking at the inauguration event.

He also remembered the party workers who dedicated their lives to the party.

&ldquo;Ours was a journey that began with greats such as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Generations of workers have given their lives for the party,&rdquo; PM Modi said.

The relocation makes BJP the first party to comply with the Supreme Court&rsquo;s directive to all political parties to relocate from the Luyten&rsquo;s Bungalow Zone.

The construction of the new headquarters was completed within a year. 
&nbsp;

The construction of the new headquarters was completed within a year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday inaugurated Bharatiya Janata Party’s new headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in New Delhi. Party president Amit Shah and other senior leaders, including LK Advani were present to mark the occasion. PM Modi, along with BJP veteran LK Advani, inaugurates BJP's new headquarters at #Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj & Murli Manohar Joshi also present, among others. pic.twitter.com/eCcXbWJq0g — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × “I want to thank Amit Bhai and his entire team, that worked hard to complete the work on the BJP HQ within the desired time frame,” PM Modi said while speaking at the inauguration event. He also remembered the party workers who dedicated their lives to the party. “Ours was a journey that began with greats such as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Generations of workers have given their lives for the party,” PM Modi said. The relocation makes BJP the first party to comply with the Supreme Court’s directive to all political parties to relocate from the Luyten’s Bungalow Zone. The construction of the new headquarters was completed within a year.

PM Modi, Advani inaugurate BJP's new headquarters in New Delhi

Pakistan has claimed that its troops destroyed an Indian Army post in Tatta Pani sector across the Line of Control (LoC) and killed five soldiers.

Pakistan Army Spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor in a tweet late last night also shared a video clip purportedly showing bombing of the Indian Army post and smoke billowing from the site after it was hit by fire.

&quot;Indian Army post on LoC targeting innocent citizens destroyed by Pak Army troops in Tatta Pani (Hot Spring) sector. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly,&rdquo; Ghafoor tweeted.

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Indian Army post on LOC targeting innocent citizens destroyed by Pak Army troops in Tatta Pani (Hot Spring) sector. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly. <a href="https://t.co/MHWv4Xc97n">pic.twitter.com/MHWv4Xc97n</a>
&mdash; Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/964207235483217920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

However, an Indian Army official in New Delhi said the Pakistan Army&#39;s claim is &quot;baseless&quot;.

Earlier, in a statement, the Pakistan army spokesman said that India&#39;s &quot;unethical and unprofessional&quot; approach across the LoC is terrorising civilians.

Pakistan yesterday summoned India&#39;s Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh to condemn the &quot;unprovoked firing&quot; by Indian troops across the LoC which allegedly resulted in the death of a driver of a van carrying school children.

It alleged that the Indian forces &quot;deliberately targeted a school van carrying school children on Battal-Madharpur road, resulting in the death of the driver of the van, leaving the school children severely traumatised.&quot;&nbsp;

However, an Indian Army official in New Delhi said the Pakistan Army's claim is 'baseless'

Pakistan has claimed that its troops destroyed an Indian Army post in Tatta Pani sector across the Line of Control (LoC) and killed five soldiers. Pakistan Army Spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor in a tweet late last night also shared a video clip purportedly showing bombing of the Indian Army post and smoke billowing from the site after it was hit by fire. "Indian Army post on LoC targeting innocent citizens destroyed by Pak Army troops in Tatta Pani (Hot Spring) sector. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly,” Ghafoor tweeted. Indian Army post on LOC targeting innocent citizens destroyed by Pak Army troops in Tatta Pani (Hot Spring) sector. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly. pic.twitter.com/MHWv4Xc97n — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 15, 2018 × However, an Indian Army official in New Delhi said the Pakistan Army's claim is "baseless". Earlier, in a statement, the Pakistan army spokesman said that India's "unethical and unprofessional" approach across the LoC is terrorising civilians. Pakistan yesterday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh to condemn the "unprovoked firing" by Indian troops across the LoC which allegedly resulted in the death of a driver of a van carrying school children. It alleged that the Indian forces "deliberately targeted a school van carrying school children on Battal-Madharpur road, resulting in the death of the driver of the van, leaving the school children severely traumatised."

Indian Army targeted civilians along LoC, 5 Indian soldiers killed: Pak Army

Three recent developments in the neighbourhood have posed new challenges for India which is on an overdrive to expand and consolidate its influence across the world. These developments are critical for two reasons. The first is that they have the potential to impact New Delhi&rsquo;s security interests in the region. And the second is that they intensify the China Factor which is at play. That the two reasons are also interconnected to an extent, further underlines the significance. To add to the dilemma, the options for India are limited and fraught with risks. It could be damned if it takes chances, and it could be damned if it doesn&rsquo;t. The country&rsquo;s Neighbourhood First policy faces a stiff test.

&nbsp;

The three challenges come from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Coincidentally, they have arrived in quick succession, and this has strained New Delhi&rsquo;s nerves even more. Kathmandu is poised to have a KP Oli-led government that promises to be less friendly to India than New Delhi would want; the incumbent regime in Male, not known for its pro-India stance, has declared a state of emergency there and is busy bulldozing its way against an opposition that leans towards India; and the party of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who turned India-baiter in the last months of his tenure, has signalled a possible comeback with a resounding win in the local body elections. Rajapaksa had leaned towards Beijing once he turned against New Delhi, Oli openly prefers China to India, and the Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is determined to thwart India-friendly opposition leader Mohammad Nasheed&rsquo;s attempts to make a comeback.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It can be argued that some of New Delhi&rsquo;s apprehensions are based on presumptions. For instance, Oli may not eventually be the anti-India figure he is expected to be, given Nepal&rsquo;s geographical constraints. Similarly, Yameen, realising India&rsquo;s growing clout in the region and beyond, will hesitate to antagonise a powerful regional power. As for Rajapaksa, it is still uncertain that his party will return to office &mdash; the national election is due in 2020. In any case, unlike the two other leaders, the former Sri Lankan President had been close to New Delhi once upon a time and it is possible that he may return to his old self if and when he wins. But this line of thought underestimates Beijing&rsquo;s ability to seize an advantage when it sees one in the region, at India&rsquo;s cost.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The common factor in the Maldives and Sri Lanka is that New Delhi had sent boots on the ground there. In the first case, the Indian military had intervened to thwart a joint operation by a group of Maldivians and Sri Lankan militants to overthrow the Mammon Abdul Gayoom regime there in&nbsp; 1988; and in the second, Indian Armed Forces had arrived there in 1987 at the invitation of Colombo to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Operation Cactus of the Indian Army succeeded in Male, whereas Operation Pawan, which involved the erroneously named Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) entering Lankan territory to disarm the LTTE, ended in a disaster.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are voices both in favour and opposition to yet another Indian military intervention in Male. The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, of which India is a &lsquo;net security provider&rsquo; and where Beijing is seeking to expand its influence. An unfriendly Male, thus, could become a weak spot for New Delhi in the region. Besides, the Maldives is a member of SAARC, and at a time when India is already facing obstacles from Pakistan in pushing through its various pan-SAARC initiatives, it could do without another obstructionist in the form of Male. The third reason for India&rsquo;s concerns is, of course, China&rsquo;s massive presence in the Maldives &mdash; one that could gain further momentum in an India-unfriendly Government there. By some estimates, 70 per cent of the Maldives&rsquo; debt is owed to China alone. There is, thus, danger in New Delhi remaining non-committal at this stage.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But those who are opposed to direct India&rsquo;s intervention say that interfering in another nation&rsquo;s internal affairs can only be counter-productive. It would be used by sections there to further boost anti-India sentiments. There is also no certainty that military boots on the ground will fetch results. They add that New Delhi would gain more by pressuring Male diplomatically, both bilaterally and globally, and not by escalating the crisis through direct intervention.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Rajapaksa-backed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna&#39;s (SLPP) landslide victory in the local body election was the result of many factors, the primary among them being the discord among the ruling parters led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The coalition arrangement has been far from smooth, paving the way for Rajapkasa to cash in on the discontent and growing public disaffection with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) partnership. Given that Rajapaksa&rsquo;s SLPP has won big in Sinhala-dominated wards while the Tamil National Alliance has done well in Tamil-populated wards, the UNP-SLFP got squeezed out.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It may be recalled that New Delhi and Rajapaksa had shared a wonderful relationship at the time when Colombo had waged a do or die battle with the LTTE, in which it emerged victorious following decades of bloodshed. But thereafter things began to go wrong as India felt the Rajapaksa government had failed in meeting the commitments at reconciliation with the traumatised Tamil community. True, domestic compulsions also made New Delhi take a hard stand. But that also led Rajapaksa to start veering towards China. He even attributed his electoral defeat to India&rsquo;s intervention.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Like the Maldives, Sri Lanka too is an important component of the Indian Ocean region and a SAARC member. In case Rajapaksa makes a national comeback and continues from where he had left &mdash; in China&rsquo;s favour &mdash; then New Delhi&rsquo;s hopes of continuing to be a net security provider in the region could be compromised. The already large Chinese presence in Sri Lanka can then only get bigger, much to New Delhi&rsquo;s chagrin. It makes sense for India to initiate some sort of outreach to the former President.

&nbsp;

Closer home, in Nepal, the situation is the most grim of all. It is not in Oli&rsquo;s DNA, nor in that of his outfit, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), to be pro-India. For years, the CPN (UML) has clung on to slogans against &lsquo;Indian expansionism&rsquo;, and Oli has benefitted politically from his anti-India line. The 2015 blockade strengthened his hands and made his rant shriller &mdash; and more credible. In his first, albeit short, tenure, Oli had sought to snub New Delhi and opened the doors for Beijing to be major partners in the Nepal growth story. With the trend likely to resume in the coming months, New Delhi can only hope that the communist leader will soften his position.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There is a belief that his partnership with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) can achieve this to some extent. The CPN (MC) is led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &lsquo;Prachanda&rsquo;, who is favourably inclined towards India, and he can be expected to temper the coalition regime&rsquo;s anti-India sentiment. But that is only an expectation, and against this, we have the track record of the Oli regime which gives little cause for cheer to New Delhi.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood. The way it tackles the challenges relating to Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka holds the key to success. If New Delhi falters, Beijing gains.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

India’s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood.

Three recent developments in the neighbourhood have posed new challenges for India which is on an overdrive to expand and consolidate its influence across the world. These developments are critical for two reasons. The first is that they have the potential to impact New Delhi’s security interests in the region. And the second is that they intensify the China Factor which is at play. That the two reasons are also interconnected to an extent, further underlines the significance. To add to the dilemma, the options for India are limited and fraught with risks. It could be damned if it takes chances, and it could be damned if it doesn’t. The country’s Neighbourhood First policy faces a stiff test. The three challenges come from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Coincidentally, they have arrived in quick succession, and this has strained New Delhi’s nerves even more. Kathmandu is poised to have a KP Oli-led government that promises to be less friendly to India than New Delhi would want; the incumbent regime in Male, not known for its pro-India stance, has declared a state of emergency there and is busy bulldozing its way against an opposition that leans towards India; and the party of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who turned India-baiter in the last months of his tenure, has signalled a possible comeback with a resounding win in the local body elections. Rajapaksa had leaned towards Beijing once he turned against New Delhi, Oli openly prefers China to India, and the Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is determined to thwart India-friendly opposition leader Mohammad Nasheed’s attempts to make a comeback. It can be argued that some of New Delhi’s apprehensions are based on presumptions. For instance, Oli may not eventually be the anti-India figure he is expected to be, given Nepal’s geographical constraints. Similarly, Yameen, realising India’s growing clout in the region and beyond, will hesitate to antagonise a powerful regional power. As for Rajapaksa, it is still uncertain that his party will return to office — the national election is due in 2020. In any case, unlike the two other leaders, the former Sri Lankan President had been close to New Delhi once upon a time and it is possible that he may return to his old self if and when he wins. But this line of thought underestimates Beijing’s ability to seize an advantage when it sees one in the region, at India’s cost. The common factor in the Maldives and Sri Lanka is that New Delhi had sent boots on the ground there. In the first case, the Indian military had intervened to thwart a joint operation by a group of Maldivians and Sri Lankan militants to overthrow the Mammon Abdul Gayoom regime there in 1988; and in the second, Indian Armed Forces had arrived there in 1987 at the invitation of Colombo to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Operation Cactus of the Indian Army succeeded in Male, whereas Operation Pawan, which involved the erroneously named Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) entering Lankan territory to disarm the LTTE, ended in a disaster. There are voices both in favour and opposition to yet another Indian military intervention in Male. The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, of which India is a ‘net security provider’ and where Beijing is seeking to expand its influence. An unfriendly Male, thus, could become a weak spot for New Delhi in the region. Besides, the Maldives is a member of SAARC, and at a time when India is already facing obstacles from Pakistan in pushing through its various pan-SAARC initiatives, it could do without another obstructionist in the form of Male. The third reason for India’s concerns is, of course, China’s massive presence in the Maldives — one that could gain further momentum in an India-unfriendly Government there. By some estimates, 70 per cent of the Maldives’ debt is owed to China alone. There is, thus, danger in New Delhi remaining non-committal at this stage. But those who are opposed to direct India’s intervention say that interfering in another nation’s internal affairs can only be counter-productive. It would be used by sections there to further boost anti-India sentiments. There is also no certainty that military boots on the ground will fetch results. They add that New Delhi would gain more by pressuring Male diplomatically, both bilaterally and globally, and not by escalating the crisis through direct intervention. The Rajapaksa-backed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna's (SLPP) landslide victory in the local body election was the result of many factors, the primary among them being the discord among the ruling parters led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The coalition arrangement has been far from smooth, paving the way for Rajapkasa to cash in on the discontent and growing public disaffection with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) partnership. Given that Rajapaksa’s SLPP has won big in Sinhala-dominated wards while the Tamil National Alliance has done well in Tamil-populated wards, the UNP-SLFP got squeezed out. It may be recalled that New Delhi and Rajapaksa had shared a wonderful relationship at the time when Colombo had waged a do or die battle with the LTTE, in which it emerged victorious following decades of bloodshed. But thereafter things began to go wrong as India felt the Rajapaksa government had failed in meeting the commitments at reconciliation with the traumatised Tamil community. True, domestic compulsions also made New Delhi take a hard stand. But that also led Rajapaksa to start veering towards China. He even attributed his electoral defeat to India’s intervention. Like the Maldives, Sri Lanka too is an important component of the Indian Ocean region and a SAARC member. In case Rajapaksa makes a national comeback and continues from where he had left — in China’s favour — then New Delhi’s hopes of continuing to be a net security provider in the region could be compromised. The already large Chinese presence in Sri Lanka can then only get bigger, much to New Delhi’s chagrin. It makes sense for India to initiate some sort of outreach to the former President. Closer home, in Nepal, the situation is the most grim of all. It is not in Oli’s DNA, nor in that of his outfit, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), to be pro-India. For years, the CPN (UML) has clung on to slogans against ‘Indian expansionism’, and Oli has benefitted politically from his anti-India line. The 2015 blockade strengthened his hands and made his rant shriller — and more credible. In his first, albeit short, tenure, Oli had sought to snub New Delhi and opened the doors for Beijing to be major partners in the Nepal growth story. With the trend likely to resume in the coming months, New Delhi can only hope that the communist leader will soften his position. There is a belief that his partnership with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) can achieve this to some extent. The CPN (MC) is led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is favourably inclined towards India, and he can be expected to temper the coalition regime’s anti-India sentiment. But that is only an expectation, and against this, we have the track record of the Oli regime which gives little cause for cheer to New Delhi. India’s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood. The way it tackles the challenges relating to Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka holds the key to success. If New Delhi falters, Beijing gains. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: If New Delhi falters with its neighbours, Beijing gains

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the group of 10 countries lying in the far east of India. It will be a great show when Prime Minister Modi is going to host the heads of these countries on the Republic Day of India. Never ever in the history, the heads of 10 countries have been the state guest in any single event.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are the countries which form the core of South Asia and, directly or indirectly, control almost 50% trade of the world due to their strategic location. These are the countries which can effectively be helpful against China&rsquo;s expanding influence in the world and help India grow.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Out of these 10 countries, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of Chinese economy called as Strait of Malacca. Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Philippines are located so strategically that they can control the movements in the South China Sea. This is the reason why Mr Xi Xinping is having sleepless nights by the presence of the 10 leaders in the Republic Day of India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India is trying to influence these countries by extending a helping hand to them as part of India&rsquo;s look east policy and the government is initiating many projects with these countries. ASEAN countries have been, culturally and geographically, closer to India and will be helpful for us in long run.

&nbsp;

Chinese concerns are genuine because when it comes to discussing their economy, the most important factor is the security of the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Because of the vulnerability of tiny Strait of Malacca, China is probably initiating projects, such as the CPEC and OBOR. This is the shortest and probably the safest shipping route connecting the east and the west. Forbes has declared it as the most important choke point in case of a political or military conflict arising in the south-east Asian region.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The busiest shipping route of the world, Strait of Malacca is the lifeline of some of the major economies of the world, including ASEAN countries, Japan, Taiwan, both South and North Korea and of course China. More than 115,000 cargo vessels pass through this narrow passage every year, making it roughly 315 ships every day on an average which is 4 -5 times of its nearest competitor, Suez Canal. That is indeed remarkable.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

When it comes to the volumes of trade and we take on account China only, 80% of the oil imports of the dragon passes through this small water body. The channel ships nearly 18 million barrels per day out of which nearly one-third is for China. Not only this, almost 60% of the Chinese exports which corresponds to nearly a trillion USD pass through this. Any possible threat to this channel gives goosebumps to the Chinese leadership.

&nbsp;

An old proverb says that the wars are not won by military might but by a strategic perspective and thorough preparation. Very few people know that the shipping channel leading to Strait of Malacca is just 80km from Indian land and India can effectively monitor and even block this channel in case of a military conflict.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As part of the Indian Navy Modernisation Plan, India is further developing INS Baaz, an important naval base in the Campbell Bay Island, which is closest to the Strait of Malacca. It is being made suitable for operating Boeing Poseidon P8i aircrafts from this location. The number of strategic bases under Joint Tri-services Command is also not far off. The Indian abilities to control this strait are increasing day by day.

&nbsp;

China understands this concern well and is spending its money on multiple projects like oil pipelines from Central Asian Countries, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) to reach Central Asian and European markets without using South Asian shipping channels. It also requested Thailand to work out a shipping channel through Isthmus of Kra which dragon is going to fund. It is also trying to influence Myanmar to establish a port in the country.

&nbsp;

Whatever China does, it will be a futile effort unless it keeps India in good faith. The current stand of China with respect to Pakistan is going to be harmful in the long run and the country will realise that it is not good to have a strong neighbour as the enemy. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Out of the 10 countries present in the ASEAN, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the Strait of Malacca, the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of the Chinese economy.

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the group of 10 countries lying in the far east of India. It will be a great show when Prime Minister Modi is going to host the heads of these countries on the Republic Day of India. Never ever in the history, the heads of 10 countries have been the state guest in any single event. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are the countries which form the core of South Asia and, directly or indirectly, control almost 50% trade of the world due to their strategic location. These are the countries which can effectively be helpful against China’s expanding influence in the world and help India grow. Out of these 10 countries, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of Chinese economy called as Strait of Malacca. Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Philippines are located so strategically that they can control the movements in the South China Sea. This is the reason why Mr Xi Xinping is having sleepless nights by the presence of the 10 leaders in the Republic Day of India. India is trying to influence these countries by extending a helping hand to them as part of India’s look east policy and the government is initiating many projects with these countries. ASEAN countries have been, culturally and geographically, closer to India and will be helpful for us in long run. Chinese concerns are genuine because when it comes to discussing their economy, the most important factor is the security of the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Because of the vulnerability of tiny Strait of Malacca, China is probably initiating projects, such as the CPEC and OBOR. This is the shortest and probably the safest shipping route connecting the east and the west. Forbes has declared it as the most important choke point in case of a political or military conflict arising in the south-east Asian region. The busiest shipping route of the world, Strait of Malacca is the lifeline of some of the major economies of the world, including ASEAN countries, Japan, Taiwan, both South and North Korea and of course China. More than 115,000 cargo vessels pass through this narrow passage every year, making it roughly 315 ships every day on an average which is 4 -5 times of its nearest competitor, Suez Canal. That is indeed remarkable. When it comes to the volumes of trade and we take on account China only, 80% of the oil imports of the dragon passes through this small water body. The channel ships nearly 18 million barrels per day out of which nearly one-third is for China. Not only this, almost 60% of the Chinese exports which corresponds to nearly a trillion USD pass through this. Any possible threat to this channel gives goosebumps to the Chinese leadership. An old proverb says that the wars are not won by military might but by a strategic perspective and thorough preparation. Very few people know that the shipping channel leading to Strait of Malacca is just 80km from Indian land and India can effectively monitor and even block this channel in case of a military conflict. As part of the Indian Navy Modernisation Plan, India is further developing INS Baaz, an important naval base in the Campbell Bay Island, which is closest to the Strait of Malacca. It is being made suitable for operating Boeing Poseidon P8i aircrafts from this location. The number of strategic bases under Joint Tri-services Command is also not far off. The Indian abilities to control this strait are increasing day by day. China understands this concern well and is spending its money on multiple projects like oil pipelines from Central Asian Countries, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) to reach Central Asian and European markets without using South Asian shipping channels. It also requested Thailand to work out a shipping channel through Isthmus of Kra which dragon is going to fund. It is also trying to influence Myanmar to establish a port in the country. Whatever China does, it will be a futile effort unless it keeps India in good faith. The current stand of China with respect to Pakistan is going to be harmful in the long run and the country will realise that it is not good to have a strong neighbour as the enemy. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why China is having sleepless nights over ASEAN in India

The first full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade got underway in Delhi Tuesday morning.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Full dress rehearsal for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RepublicDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RepublicDay</a> parade at Rajpath in New <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/USXHkS0RdV">pic.twitter.com/USXHkS0RdV</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955700184922521600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory Tuesday morning but the customary traffic snarls followed.&nbsp;

There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed, as was Ashram to DND, NH 24 and Pusa Road.&nbsp;

Mayur Vihar Phase I and III, Pusa Road, and the Ranhola to Najafgarh also saw half-hour delays.&nbsp;

Road restrictions will be in place Tuesday to Friday in large parts of central Delhi ahead of Republic Day celebrations and an India-ASEAN commemorative summit.&nbsp;

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY 
Traffic Arrangements &ndash; Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 <a href="https://t.co/zrTpQltcXC">pic.twitter.com/zrTpQltcXC</a>
&mdash; Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) <a href="https://twitter.com/dtptraffic/status/955617863112388608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Monday morning too had seen massive traffic snarls in the central Delhi area after a dress rehearsal of the parade was held.&nbsp;

Jams were reported on roads around India Gate, ITO, the Ring Road near South Extention, Lajpat Nagar, and Maharani Bagh and all the way into Noida via the DND.&nbsp;

Incoming traffic from Noida too was affected too due to barricades being put for security purposes.&nbsp;

Delhi Traffic Police had on Monday advised commuters to make use of Google Maps to navigate the city&#39;s roads but despite several advisories, news reports said the traffic situation on the ground was nothing short of &quot;chaotic&quot;.

There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed

The first full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade got underway in Delhi Tuesday morning. #WATCH Full dress rehearsal for the #RepublicDay parade at Rajpath in New #Delhi pic.twitter.com/USXHkS0RdV — ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2018 × Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory Tuesday morning but the customary traffic snarls followed. There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed, as was Ashram to DND, NH 24 and Pusa Road. Mayur Vihar Phase I and III, Pusa Road, and the Ranhola to Najafgarh also saw half-hour delays. Road restrictions will be in place Tuesday to Friday in large parts of central Delhi ahead of Republic Day celebrations and an India-ASEAN commemorative summit. TRAFFIC ADVISORY Traffic Arrangements – Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 pic.twitter.com/zrTpQltcXC — Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 23, 2018 × Monday morning too had seen massive traffic snarls in the central Delhi area after a dress rehearsal of the parade was held. Jams were reported on roads around India Gate, ITO, the Ring Road near South Extention, Lajpat Nagar, and Maharani Bagh and all the way into Noida via the DND. Incoming traffic from Noida too was affected too due to barricades being put for security purposes. Delhi Traffic Police had on Monday advised commuters to make use of Google Maps to navigate the city's roads but despite several advisories, news reports said the traffic situation on the ground was nothing short of "chaotic".

Delhi: Republic Day parade rehearsal gets underway, traffic jams follow

The visit of all ten ASEAN leaders to New Delhi on 25-26 January, as guests of honour at India&rsquo;s Republic Day celebrations, marks a high for Indian diplomacy and for India-ASEAN partnership. In the past, we have invited at the most two Heads of State government as guests of honour: Alexei Kosygin &amp; Josip Tito in 1968 and Sirimavo Bandaranaike as well as Josip Tito in 1974.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN nations, some of which are our immediate neighbours, have enjoyed robust trade, maritime, cultural and people-to-people exchanges over two millennia. The ties have been successfully and befittingly recrafted in modern times, especially since the unveiling of our &lsquo;Look East Policy&rsquo; in 1991 (since re-christened as ACT East Policy). &nbsp;

&nbsp;

It may, therefore, sound incredulous that India, riding high on Non-Aligned Movement, had declined ASEAN&rsquo;s membership-invitation in the late sixties, believing that the latter was an American inspired anti-Communist grouping. Prof. Sumit Ganguly in his book &lsquo;India Since 1980&rsquo; observes, &quot;&hellip;Indian leadership had spurned the overtures of the founders of ASEAN when it was formed. &hellip;they felt that is was composed exclusively of states that had close ties with the US, was simply another anti-Communist and anti-Soviet bastion in Asia, and that India could ill-afford to become a member of any such organization&rsquo;. How the sands of time shift!

&nbsp;

Both sides, over the last twenty-five years, have invested considerably in building closer relations, which were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2012. The ties essentially rest on three pillars (or 3 Cs) &ndash; Commerce, Connectivity and Culture.&nbsp;

India and ASEAN nations together encompass a population of 1.8 billion and a GDP of US$ 4.5 trillion. The potential, thus, is enormous. The sides operationalised a &lsquo;Free Trade Area in Goods&rsquo; in January 2010 and concluded a &#39;Free Trade Area in Services and Investment&rsquo; in September 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The fact, however, remains that the &#39;Free Trade Area in Goods&#39; is not ambitious enough. It covers merely 90% of product lines and has just about managed to pluck the low-hanging fruit. The FTA in Services and Investment has yet to be operationalised, as Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have still to ratify it. As a result, bilateral trade is stagnating around $70 billion after attaining a high of $ 80 billion in 2011-12. The best way forward, therefore, is to qualitatively review and upgrade the FTA in Goods.

&nbsp;

A Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is also under discussion among ASEAN plus six of its partner nations which include India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. While we are participating in the negotiations, we do have serious difficulties, first and foremost about opening our doors further to Chinese imports. As it is, we have an over $50 billion trade deficit with China. RCEP could result in an avalanche of Chinese goods in the Indian market, adversely impacting the Indian manufacturing industry, especially in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) sector.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Connectivity lies at the heart of any relationship and it is particularly important for India&rsquo;s north-eastern region, which has a land border with Myanmar. India has initiated a number of surface and air connectivity projects with ASEAN. In 2002, we proposed the India &ndash; Myanmar - Thailand trilateral highway project. It has made progress in fits and starts, missed several deadlines but has yet to be completed. The fate of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, announced by India in 2008, has been quite similar. It is in India&rsquo;s interest to resist the temptation of unveiling new initiatives and concentrate instead on the expeditious conclusion of projects in the pipeline.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are doing much better on the cultural front and on enhancing people-to-people, especially youth exchanges.&nbsp;

A final word about the China factor. There is a mistaken notion in some quarters that ASEAN views India as a counterweight or alternative to China. This perception is completely far-fetched.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

True, both ASEAN nations and India are concerned about Chinese muscle-flexing. True, we both stand for freedom of navigation on the high seas and are averse to threat or use of force in dispute settlement. And, therefore, both sides are increasingly consulting each other, building on synergies and staking out common positions where feasible. That said, India herself seeks a cordial and cooperative relationship with China, with which she shares a 4000 km long difficult border. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest. Both sides need to stay the course and reinvigorate efforts to narrow the gulf between ambition and action.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest.

The visit of all ten ASEAN leaders to New Delhi on 25-26 January, as guests of honour at India’s Republic Day celebrations, marks a high for Indian diplomacy and for India-ASEAN partnership. In the past, we have invited at the most two Heads of State government as guests of honour: Alexei Kosygin & Josip Tito in 1968 and Sirimavo Bandaranaike as well as Josip Tito in 1974. India and ASEAN nations, some of which are our immediate neighbours, have enjoyed robust trade, maritime, cultural and people-to-people exchanges over two millennia. The ties have been successfully and befittingly recrafted in modern times, especially since the unveiling of our ‘Look East Policy’ in 1991 (since re-christened as ACT East Policy). It may, therefore, sound incredulous that India, riding high on Non-Aligned Movement, had declined ASEAN’s membership-invitation in the late sixties, believing that the latter was an American inspired anti-Communist grouping. Prof. Sumit Ganguly in his book ‘India Since 1980’ observes, "…Indian leadership had spurned the overtures of the founders of ASEAN when it was formed. …they felt that is was composed exclusively of states that had close ties with the US, was simply another anti-Communist and anti-Soviet bastion in Asia, and that India could ill-afford to become a member of any such organization’. How the sands of time shift! Both sides, over the last twenty-five years, have invested considerably in building closer relations, which were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2012. The ties essentially rest on three pillars (or 3 Cs) – Commerce, Connectivity and Culture. India and ASEAN nations together encompass a population of 1.8 billion and a GDP of US$ 4.5 trillion. The potential, thus, is enormous. The sides operationalised a ‘Free Trade Area in Goods’ in January 2010 and concluded a 'Free Trade Area in Services and Investment’ in September 2014. The fact, however, remains that the 'Free Trade Area in Goods' is not ambitious enough. It covers merely 90% of product lines and has just about managed to pluck the low-hanging fruit. The FTA in Services and Investment has yet to be operationalised, as Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have still to ratify it. As a result, bilateral trade is stagnating around $70 billion after attaining a high of $ 80 billion in 2011-12. The best way forward, therefore, is to qualitatively review and upgrade the FTA in Goods. A Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is also under discussion among ASEAN plus six of its partner nations which include India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. While we are participating in the negotiations, we do have serious difficulties, first and foremost about opening our doors further to Chinese imports. As it is, we have an over $50 billion trade deficit with China. RCEP could result in an avalanche of Chinese goods in the Indian market, adversely impacting the Indian manufacturing industry, especially in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) sector. Connectivity lies at the heart of any relationship and it is particularly important for India’s north-eastern region, which has a land border with Myanmar. India has initiated a number of surface and air connectivity projects with ASEAN. In 2002, we proposed the India – Myanmar - Thailand trilateral highway project. It has made progress in fits and starts, missed several deadlines but has yet to be completed. The fate of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, announced by India in 2008, has been quite similar. It is in India’s interest to resist the temptation of unveiling new initiatives and concentrate instead on the expeditious conclusion of projects in the pipeline. India and ASEAN are doing much better on the cultural front and on enhancing people-to-people, especially youth exchanges. A final word about the China factor. There is a mistaken notion in some quarters that ASEAN views India as a counterweight or alternative to China. This perception is completely far-fetched. True, both ASEAN nations and India are concerned about Chinese muscle-flexing. True, we both stand for freedom of navigation on the high seas and are averse to threat or use of force in dispute settlement. And, therefore, both sides are increasingly consulting each other, building on synergies and staking out common positions where feasible. That said, India herself seeks a cordial and cooperative relationship with China, with which she shares a 4000 km long difficult border. India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest. Both sides need to stay the course and reinvigorate efforts to narrow the gulf between ambition and action. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: 25 years of India-ASEAN partnership calls for a reality check

An eight-month-old&nbsp;baby girl was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin in the national capital&#39;s Shalimar Bagh.&nbsp;

The incident happened on Sunday when the parents of the baby were out to&nbsp;work.

The incident was discovered by the mother when she returned from work and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood.&nbsp;

The infant was immediately admitted to a hospital where she underwent a surgery.&nbsp;

The condition of the baby is stable now.

&quot;I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked&nbsp;bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses.My child is in critical condition now&quot; said the father.

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I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed &amp; clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now: Father <a href="https://t.co/CkFpuChUmh">pic.twitter.com/CkFpuChUmh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958170399061110784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The alleged accused in the gruesome incident has admitted to&nbsp;committing the crime an is under arrest.&nbsp;

The man is the first cousin of the baby.&nbsp;

When the mother of the baby returned from work she found the baby lying in a pool of blood

An eight-month-old baby girl was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin in the national capital's Shalimar Bagh. The incident happened on Sunday when the parents of the baby were out to work. The incident was discovered by the mother when she returned from work and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood. The infant was immediately admitted to a hospital where she underwent a surgery. The condition of the baby is stable now. "I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses.My child is in critical condition now" said the father. I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed & clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now: Father pic.twitter.com/CkFpuChUmh — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2018 × The alleged accused in the gruesome incident has admitted to committing the crime an is under arrest. The man is the first cousin of the baby.

8-month-old girl raped by 28-year-old cousin in Delhi

For the first time in the history of the Supreme Court, four sitting Supreme Court judges Justice Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi addressed the media on differences with the CJI earlier in the day. The unprecedented press conference received mixed reactions from political parties, activists, lawyers and former&nbsp;judges. Following are the some of the early reactions:&nbsp;

&nbsp;

PB Sawant, former Supreme Court judge&nbsp; 
Judges had to come before media and take this unprecedented step. This means that there is a serious dispute, either with Chief Justice of India (CJI) or some internal dispute

Soli Sorabjee, Former AG&nbsp; 
Giving a Press Conference is not the right way 
&nbsp; 
Indira Jaising, Supreme Court advocate&nbsp; 
I think it&#39;s a historic press conference. It was very well done. I think we, the people of India, have a right to know what is going on within the judiciary &amp; I welcome this.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge&nbsp; 
There must be some serious reason that they were left with no other option but to hold a Press Conference. But what connection Loya has with this? I know nothing about this &amp; I don&#39;t want to make comments about any political matter: Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Salman Khurshid, senior advocate 
Deeply saddened and pained, also feel a sense of agony that highest court of land should come under such severe stress that forces judges to address the media 
&nbsp; 
Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer 
This is a black day for Judiciary. Today&#39;s press conference would cause a bad precedent. From now on every common man could look at all judicial order with suspicion. Every judgement will be questioned

Prashant Bhushan, lawyer &amp; politician 
&quot;It is certainly a very serious development which has cast a huge shadow on the Chief Justice. Somebody had to confront the situation, where CJ is blatantly misusing his powers, hence the unprecedented step&quot; 
&nbsp; 
Justice R.S. Sodhi (Retd) 
I think all 4 judges should be impeached, they have no business to sit there and deliver verdicts anymore. This trade unionism is wrong. Democracy in danger is not for them to say, we have parliament, courts, police functioning. Issues don&#39;t matter. It is their complaint on the administrative matter. They are only 4, there are 23 others. 4 get together and show the Chief Justice in a poor light. It is immature &amp; childish behaviour 
&nbsp; 
KTS Tulsi, advocate SC on 4 judges&#39; letter to CJI 
It&#39;s quite shocking. There must have been compelling reasons for the senior-most judges to have adopted this course of action. One could see pain on their faces while they were speaking

&nbsp;Yashwant Sinha, BJP 
Absolutely unprecedented, the press conference of the four senior judges of supreme court. Most important take away &#39;when national interest is at stake ordinary rules of business do not apply. 
&nbsp; 
Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India 
So, it&#39;s not just one case. Some of the most respected judges have raised larger questions about judiciary&#39;s independence is being compromised. Time for every democracy loving citizen to stand for judiciary, stand with independent judges

Subramanian Swamy, BJP 
We can&#39;t criticize them, they are men of great integrity &amp; have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could&#39;ve made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges &amp; CJI, in fact whole SC come to one opinion &amp; proceed further

 
&nbsp;

This is a black day for Judiciary. Today's press conference would cause a bad precedent, said Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer

For the first time in the history of the Supreme Court, four sitting Supreme Court judges Justice Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi addressed the media on differences with the CJI earlier in the day. The unprecedented press conference received mixed reactions from political parties, activists, lawyers and former judges. Following are the some of the early reactions: PB Sawant, former Supreme Court judge Judges had to come before media and take this unprecedented step. This means that there is a serious dispute, either with Chief Justice of India (CJI) or some internal dispute Soli Sorabjee, Former AG Giving a Press Conference is not the right way Indira Jaising, Supreme Court advocate I think it's a historic press conference. It was very well done. I think we, the people of India, have a right to know what is going on within the judiciary & I welcome this. Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge There must be some serious reason that they were left with no other option but to hold a Press Conference. But what connection Loya has with this? I know nothing about this & I don't want to make comments about any political matter: Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge Salman Khurshid, senior advocate Deeply saddened and pained, also feel a sense of agony that highest court of land should come under such severe stress that forces judges to address the media Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer This is a black day for Judiciary. Today's press conference would cause a bad precedent. From now on every common man could look at all judicial order with suspicion. Every judgement will be questioned Prashant Bhushan, lawyer & politician "It is certainly a very serious development which has cast a huge shadow on the Chief Justice. Somebody had to confront the situation, where CJ is blatantly misusing his powers, hence the unprecedented step" Justice R.S. Sodhi (Retd) I think all 4 judges should be impeached, they have no business to sit there and deliver verdicts anymore. This trade unionism is wrong. Democracy in danger is not for them to say, we have parliament, courts, police functioning. Issues don't matter. It is their complaint on the administrative matter. They are only 4, there are 23 others. 4 get together and show the Chief Justice in a poor light. It is immature & childish behaviour KTS Tulsi, advocate SC on 4 judges' letter to CJI It's quite shocking. There must have been compelling reasons for the senior-most judges to have adopted this course of action. One could see pain on their faces while they were speaking Yashwant Sinha, BJP Absolutely unprecedented, the press conference of the four senior judges of supreme court. Most important take away 'when national interest is at stake ordinary rules of business do not apply. Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India So, it's not just one case. Some of the most respected judges have raised larger questions about judiciary's independence is being compromised. Time for every democracy loving citizen to stand for judiciary, stand with independent judges Subramanian Swamy, BJP We can't criticize them, they are men of great integrity & have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could've made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges & CJI, in fact whole SC come to one opinion & proceed further

Reactions to unprecedented press conference by 4 SC judges

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan&rsquo;s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF).

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani.

The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan&#39;s air capabilities.

It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions.&nbsp;

As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs.

NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware&ndash;including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters&ndash;due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia.&nbsp;

As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance.

If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan’s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF). The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani. The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan's air capabilities. It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan. An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions. As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs. NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware–including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters–due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia. As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance. If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

Watch: India to buy Russian Mi-35 helicopters for Afghanistan

A Dutch tourist died after&nbsp;he jumped off a moving train in Rajasthan&#39;s Sawai Madhopur district on Tuesday.

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A Dutch tourist dead, a UK tourist injured after they allegedly jumped from a moving train in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rajasthan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rajasthan</a>&#39;s Sawai Madhopur. Police begin investigation
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948110406396010496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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According to media reports, the 54-year-old tourist jumped off a moving train after he&nbsp;realised that he had&nbsp;boarded a wrong train and in panic, he&nbsp;jumped off the&nbsp;train.

The Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him and is&nbsp;reported to have suffered head injuries.

Both tourists had to catch a train to&nbsp;Agra but mistakenly they boarded a&nbsp;train going towards Delhi.

Police have begun investigation.

Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes from the Netherlands was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him is now suffering fatal head injuries, now admitted to local hospital

A Dutch tourist died after he jumped off a moving train in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Tuesday. A Dutch tourist dead, a UK tourist injured after they allegedly jumped from a moving train in #Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur. Police begin investigation — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 × According to media reports, the 54-year-old tourist jumped off a moving train after he realised that he had boarded a wrong train and in panic, he jumped off the train. The Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him and is reported to have suffered head injuries. Both tourists had to catch a train to Agra but mistakenly they boarded a train going towards Delhi. Police have begun investigation.

Dutch tourist jumps off moving train, dies

Six coaches of the Manduadih Express train derailed late Thursday at the New Delhi Railway station.&nbsp;

No injuries or casualties were reported.&nbsp;

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CORRECTION: Six coaches of Manduadih Express train derails at New Delhi Railway station; No injuries or casualties reported. <a href="https://t.co/huKssqKmW1">pic.twitter.com/huKssqKmW1</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/946444829696733184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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News reports said the coaches derailed because of the train&#39;s low speed as it exited the station.&nbsp;

The train was on its way to&nbsp;Manduadih Junction in Varanasi.&nbsp;

The coaches derailed at the station&#39;s platform 12, causing delays of up to three hours. 
&nbsp;

Six coaches of the Manduadih Express train derailed late Thursday at the New Delhi Railway station. No injuries or casualties were reported. CORRECTION: Six coaches of Manduadih Express train derails at New Delhi Railway station; No injuries or casualties reported. pic.twitter.com/huKssqKmW1 — ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2017 × News reports said the coaches derailed because of the train's low speed as it exited the station. The train was on its way to Manduadih Junction in Varanasi. The coaches derailed at the station's platform 12, causing delays of up to three hours.

New Delhi railway station: Six coaches of train derail, no casualties

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the &ldquo;year of Doklam&rdquo;, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; bilateral relationship.

&nbsp;

During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; China-India relationship that aims to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; spirit unfold in 2018?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Fundamentally speaking, a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The pledge to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; and &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a &ldquo;political&rdquo; guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts &ndash; boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is part and parcel of their &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s visit to India in September 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The core essence of this &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a &lsquo;stable variable&rsquo; in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship.&nbsp; In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China&rsquo;s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Besides, India&rsquo;s decision not to participate in China&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months&rsquo; long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an &ldquo;upward trajectory&rdquo; in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship.

&nbsp;

First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more &ldquo;state-centric&rdquo; non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it&rsquo;s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country&rsquo;s power base, and exhibit China&rsquo;s leadership both in Asia and beyond.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a &ldquo;period of strategic opportunities&rdquo; for China and India as a &lsquo;limited Asian power&rsquo; only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the other hand, New Delhi&rsquo;s foreign policy, under an &ldquo;India first&rdquo; approach,&nbsp; seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India&rsquo;s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India&rsquo;s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement.

&nbsp;

Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China&rsquo;s BRI.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The usual China-India &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing&rsquo;s perspective, the &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China&rsquo;s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India&rsquo;s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework.

&nbsp;

Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China&#39;s expansion in the IOR.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a &ldquo;trading nation&rdquo; and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India&rsquo;s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR.

&nbsp;

China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the &quot;major&quot; power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing &ldquo;status quo&rdquo;&nbsp; and emerge as a &ldquo;revisionist&rdquo; power. This would significantly influence China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

China wants to shun the existing ?status quo? and emerge as a ?revisionist? power which would significantly influence China-India relations.

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the “year of Doklam”, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a “forward-looking constructive” bilateral relationship. During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned “constructive” China-India relationship that aims to have a “forward-looking” spirit unfold in 2018? Fundamentally speaking, a “forward-looking constructive” relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship. The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship. The pledge to have a “forward-looking” and “constructive” relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a “political” guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts – boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a “constructive” relationship is part and parcel of their “developmental partnership”, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014. The core essence of this “developmental partnership” was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path. Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a ‘stable variable’ in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017. in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship. In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China’s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community. Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned “developmental partnership”. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off. Besides, India’s decision not to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months’ long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations. This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an “upward trajectory” in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship. First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more “state-centric” non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it’s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country’s power base, and exhibit China’s leadership both in Asia and beyond. Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a “period of strategic opportunities” for China and India as a ‘limited Asian power’ only. On the other hand, New Delhi’s foreign policy, under an “India first” approach, seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India’s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India’s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement. Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a “developmental partnership” would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China’s BRI. The usual China-India “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing’s perspective, the “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China’s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India’s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework. Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China's expansion in the IOR. Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a “trading nation” and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India’s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR. China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the "major" power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing “status quo” and emerge as a “revisionist” power. This would significantly influence China-India relations. Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: 'Year of Doklam' points to a conflicting China-India relation in 2018

Does digital-space invade private space? Does India need a data ombudsman to keep a check on all instances of data infringement?

Many might disagree with it due to India&rsquo;s dependability on export technologies. However, the online state of affairs is troubling in the age of Big Data. We have to seriously consider how a data protection law could protect the fundamentals of individual privacy.

There are many ambiguities as well questions that the committee of experts led by Justice B.N. Srikrishna needs to look into as they set about&nbsp;to craft an Indian&nbsp;data protection law.&nbsp;

India, as the largest producer of online data and as an emerging digital economy, needs to espouse a balanced data protection law to prevent misuse of personal data of its citizens and to protect its appetite for the digital economy. Here are four pointers in this regards.

First &ndash; definition &ndash; the law needs to distinguish a line between personal data and non-personal data so that the non-personal data could flow free for&nbsp;innovations. India&rsquo;s data protection law should be Indian in nature and not a replication of a stringent law like the EU data protection regulation.

Second &ndash; accessibility- the creation of data centres needs to be treated under the jurisdiction of India Law. These data centres would facilitate Indian law enforcement and investigative agencies to address diverse online and offline crime issues. The classic example is the Blackberry data turf war in 2010 due to the limitation of Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty.

Third &ndash; data flow- These data centres would enable indigenous start-ups to mushroom and give better data-driven services to the end user. Currently, the EU&rsquo;s GDPR is a strict data protection law of the digital world that keeps internet industries at bay, creating a negative effect on disruptive innovations and digital economy. However, recent talks in the EU mentioned that for free flow for digital innovations, there would be policy to leave aside &lsquo;non-personal data&rsquo;. New Delhi can learn from EU&rsquo;s mistakes.

Fourth - regulations &ndash; a strong data protection law would curb the misuse of personal data. Government of India should look into the issues of &lsquo;passive data collection&rsquo; which is often hidden in the applications. Second, it would create a trust between the user, service providers and governments. If the individual is not the owner of the data, then it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the protection of such data.

Combination of all these four factors- definition, accessibility, data flow and regulations - would open up unprecedented opportunities for India&rsquo;s $ 1 trillion digital economy.

Recently, Microsoft, Amazon and Google have opened up cloud data centres in India to provide better services to world&rsquo;s second largest internet users. This indicates that India could be a potential data hub for the South Asian countries.

In addition, estimations also suggested that by 2020 India would be a marketplace of $ 4.1 billion in cloud space industry.&nbsp;

Justice Brandeis warned against &ldquo;the progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage&rdquo;, which is why most&nbsp;tech-researchers&nbsp;are a bit suspicious about government&#39;s role in both India and abroad.

At the advent of the digital age, privacy and data protection have become two sides of the same coin. Meanwhile, the concept of privacy is socially constructed and naturally influenced by the history, culture, traditions and values of a nation.&nbsp;To address issues of different value clusters of societies, as well as, for protection of personal data, does India need a data gatekeeper? The answer to this is, yes!

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

To address issues of different value cluster of societies India needs a ?data Ombudsman? to address personal data protection issues of all Indians home and abroad

Does digital-space invade private space? Does India need a data ombudsman to keep a check on all instances of data infringement? Many might disagree with it due to India’s dependability on export technologies. However, the online state of affairs is troubling in the age of Big Data. We have to seriously consider how a data protection law could protect the fundamentals of individual privacy. There are many ambiguities as well questions that the committee of experts led by Justice B.N. Srikrishna needs to look into as they set about to craft an Indian data protection law. India, as the largest producer of online data and as an emerging digital economy, needs to espouse a balanced data protection law to prevent misuse of personal data of its citizens and to protect its appetite for the digital economy. Here are four pointers in this regards. First – definition – the law needs to distinguish a line between personal data and non-personal data so that the non-personal data could flow free for innovations. India’s data protection law should be Indian in nature and not a replication of a stringent law like the EU data protection regulation. Second – accessibility- the creation of data centres needs to be treated under the jurisdiction of India Law. These data centres would facilitate Indian law enforcement and investigative agencies to address diverse online and offline crime issues. The classic example is the Blackberry data turf war in 2010 due to the limitation of Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty. Third – data flow- These data centres would enable indigenous start-ups to mushroom and give better data-driven services to the end user. Currently, the EU’s GDPR is a strict data protection law of the digital world that keeps internet industries at bay, creating a negative effect on disruptive innovations and digital economy. However, recent talks in the EU mentioned that for free flow for digital innovations, there would be policy to leave aside ‘non-personal data’. New Delhi can learn from EU’s mistakes. Fourth - regulations – a strong data protection law would curb the misuse of personal data. Government of India should look into the issues of ‘passive data collection’ which is often hidden in the applications. Second, it would create a trust between the user, service providers and governments. If the individual is not the owner of the data, then it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the protection of such data. Combination of all these four factors- definition, accessibility, data flow and regulations - would open up unprecedented opportunities for India’s $ 1 trillion digital economy. Recently, Microsoft, Amazon and Google have opened up cloud data centres in India to provide better services to world’s second largest internet users. This indicates that India could be a potential data hub for the South Asian countries. In addition, estimations also suggested that by 2020 India would be a marketplace of $ 4.1 billion in cloud space industry. Justice Brandeis warned against “the progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage”, which is why most tech-researchers are a bit suspicious about government's role in both India and abroad. At the advent of the digital age, privacy and data protection have become two sides of the same coin. Meanwhile, the concept of privacy is socially constructed and naturally influenced by the history, culture, traditions and values of a nation. To address issues of different value clusters of societies, as well as, for protection of personal data, does India need a data gatekeeper? The answer to this is, yes! (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Personal data is vulnerable. How to protect it.

LaLiga, Spain&rsquo;s top division football league, is set to host a special match screening of one of the most anticipated matches of 2017 - El Clasico.

The game will broadcast live on December 23, when Real Madrid&nbsp;hosts FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernab&eacute;u.

Fans in India can watch the&nbsp;match in the presence of former FC Barcelona star and Italian football legend, Gianluca Zambrotta.

On joining fans at the El Clasico screening,&nbsp;Gianluca Zambrotta&nbsp;said,&nbsp;&ldquo;India has some of the most passionate fans I have ever seen. I&rsquo;m excited about joining them to watch the clash in one of my favourite cities, New Delhi. I expect 90 minutes of high-intensity football, considering both teams will do their best to enforce their supremacy&rdquo;.

For the first time ever&nbsp;has scheduled El Clasico at a prime time slot of 5.30 pm IST. The time preference has been kept in mind for India audiences. According to the LaLiga announcement release, the live screening of the match will take place at NSIC Grounds in Okhla, New Delhi on December 23, 2017.

<div class="ui-state-default"><img alt="" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/laliga%20el%20clasico%20match%20screening%201%20(1)-20171218013358.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at the screening in New Delhi. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)">&times;</a></div>

LaLiga India Country Manager Jose Cachaza&nbsp;said &ldquo;It is our pleasure to host a live screening of the 237th&nbsp;El Clasico for football fans in the capital. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with the other LaLiga clubs, have huge fan bases in India and we are excited to offer them the LaLiga experience in a stadium-like atmosphere. El Clasico is the pageantry of football&rsquo;s biggest rivalry and we want fans in India to have a viewing experience that they can cherish all their lives.&rdquo;

For the first time ever, La Liga has scheduled an El Clasico at a prime-time slot of 5.30 pm IST

LaLiga, Spain’s top division football league, is set to host a special match screening of one of the most anticipated matches of 2017 - El Clasico. The game will broadcast live on December 23, when Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu. Fans in India can watch the match in the presence of former FC Barcelona star and Italian football legend, Gianluca Zambrotta. On joining fans at the El Clasico screening, Gianluca Zambrotta said, “India has some of the most passionate fans I have ever seen. I’m excited about joining them to watch the clash in one of my favourite cities, New Delhi. I expect 90 minutes of high-intensity football, considering both teams will do their best to enforce their supremacy”. For the first time ever has scheduled El Clasico at a prime time slot of 5.30 pm IST. The time preference has been kept in mind for India audiences. According to the LaLiga announcement release, the live screening of the match will take place at NSIC Grounds in Okhla, New Delhi on December 23, 2017. Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at the screening in New Delhi. (Others) × LaLiga India Country Manager Jose Cachaza said “It is our pleasure to host a live screening of the 237th El Clasico for football fans in the capital. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with the other LaLiga clubs, have huge fan bases in India and we are excited to offer them the LaLiga experience in a stadium-like atmosphere. El Clasico is the pageantry of football’s biggest rivalry and we want fans in India to have a viewing experience that they can cherish all their lives.”

Ex-Italian footballer Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at El Clasico screening in Delhi

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University.

He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them.

The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017.

Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son&#39;s asthma.&nbsp;

Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers.

He spoke with WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma:

&nbsp;

Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017?

You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a&nbsp;lot of people. It is already helping a&nbsp;lot of people in the&nbsp;USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I&rsquo;m very thankful to&nbsp;Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year&#39;s 25 top inventions. 
&nbsp;

You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate?

I&rsquo;m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I&#39;ve done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market.

How is your purifier different from those available on the market?

All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us&nbsp;problems. Virus and bacteria&nbsp;are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product.

Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works?

We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that&rsquo;s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water.

Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That&#39;s very difficult for the middle class&nbsp;to buy&nbsp;in India...

I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product.

Can the cost be brought down?

Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I&rsquo;m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business.

Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution?

We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air.

Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution?

Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don&rsquo;t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the&nbsp;USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the&nbsp;USA.

Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air?

In the&nbsp;USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the&nbsp;USA is far more polluted than outdoor air.

How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India?

It is true that Delhi&rsquo;s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be&nbsp;cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Yogi Goswami invented his Molekule to help his son battle asthma

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University. He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them. The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017. Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son's asthma. Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers. He spoke with WION's Kartikeya Sharma: Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017? You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a lot of people. It is already helping a lot of people in the USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I’m very thankful to Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year's 25 top inventions. You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate? I’m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I've done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market. How is your purifier different from those available on the market? All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us problems. Virus and bacteria are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product. Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works? We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that’s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water. Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That's very difficult for the middle class to buy in India... I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product. Can the cost be brought down? Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I’m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business. Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution? We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air. Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution? Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don’t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the USA. Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air? In the USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the USA is far more polluted than outdoor air. How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India? It is true that Delhi’s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Indian-origin professor's air purifier chosen by Time as one of 25 best innovations of 2017

China&#39;s efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results.

As per media reports, the world&#39;s biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than &#39;remarkable&#39; as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing.&nbsp;

According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal.&nbsp;

With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke.

This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013.

As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries&nbsp;

In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy.&nbsp;

With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

December is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating

China's efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results. As per media reports, the world's biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than 'remarkable' as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing. According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal. With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke. This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013. As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy. With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.

China's cleaner coal experiment bears fruit, pollution level reduces by 40 %

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