New Delhi, October 29

*Counter-terrorism has become one of top priorities during India’s ongoing tenure in UN Security Council: EAM Jaishankar at UN meet in Delhi.

*Terrorism remains one of gravest threats to humanity: EAM Jaishankar at UN Counter-Terrorism Committee meet in Delhi. 

*UNSC evolved important architecture built primarily around counter-terror sanctions regime to combat terrorism: Jaishankar.

*UN counter-terror sanction regime effective to put countries on notice that turned terrorism a state-funded enterprise: Jaishankar.

*Despite UN efforts, threat of terrorism growing and expanding, particularly in Asia, Africa as highlighted in UN reports: Jaishankar.

*New technologies throws open new challenges for governments due to their vulnerability for misuse by non-state actors: Jaishankar.

*Terrorists, their fellows, and lone wolf attackers enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to new technologies: Jaishankar.

*Ethos of open societies is being used to attack freedom, tolerance and progress: Jaishankar.

*Internet and social media platforms turned into potent instruments in toolkit of terrorists, militant groups: Jaishankar.

 Jaipur, Oct 28 (PTI) Senior IPS officer Umesh Mishra will be the new Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP).

The 1989-batch officer will take over as the DGP upon the retirement of incumbent M L Lather on November 3, an order issued by the department of personnel on Thursday night said.

Mishra, who is currently the DG Intelligence, has been appointed as the DG (head of police force for a period of two years (irrespective of his date of superannuation) or until further orders, whichever is earlier, it said.

At the same time, he has also been promoted to the apex scale (Level 17 in the pay matrix) of the Indian Police Service, the order read.

Mishra has held posts like Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Intelligence, ADG Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Special Operations Group (SOG), ADG Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), IG Bharatpur in the past. He has also been the Superintendent of Police of Kota city, Bharatpur, Pali and Churu districts. PTI

Jammu, Oct 28 (PTI) A massive search operation was carried out in and around the railway station here on Friday after 18 detonators were found in a drain near it, officials said.

The railway police on Thursday evening foiled a plan of terrorists to possibly trigger an IED blast by recovering 18 detonators and explosive material packed in a bag near the station.

The bag was found in a drain near a taxi station.

Sleuths of railway police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a search operation at the railway station, platforms and parking areas, they said.

Trains were checked and patrolling on the tracks has been intensified in wake of the threat perception due to recovery of the explosive material, they said, adding sniffer dogs have been pressed into service Checking of incoming vehicles have been intensified and people have been asked to keep a eye on suspicious objects, they said. PTI

New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) With billionaire Elon Musk closing the deal to buy Twitter and firing the social media firm's four top executives, twitterati in India on Friday seemed divided with many who were vocal against content moderation on the platform hailing the development while others sounding a note of caution.
Musk has completed his USD 44 billion (one billion=100 crore) takeover of Twitter and fired the social media company's four top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde, according to the New York Times.
Musk singled out Gadde, 48, criticising her for her role in content moderation decisions at the company, the report said.
"The bird is freed," Musk, 51, tweeted after closing the deal.
Reacting to the development, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit tweeted, "While wickets are falling in Twitter after Elon Musk takes over Urban Naxals in India must be worried."
Another filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri posted a picture of Gadde with Twitter's ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, holding a placard saying "smash brahminical patriarchy", also in the frame, and said, "They wanted to smash Brahminical Patriarchy but got smashed themselves."
"An example of Brahminical Justice. Thanks Elon Musk," he added.
Shefali Vaidya, who describes herself as a social media influencer, reacted to the development of Musk firing the top executives of Twitter, saying, "Excellent! I was shadow banned and my follower count dropped steadily from the day I welcomed Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter.""Hopefully, now Twitter India, Twitter Support will actually make it an unbiased platform!" she said.There were also others who sounded a note of caution over the development.
Sanjay Jha, former Congress leader and author, said Musk firing top Twitter team immediately on acquiring it upends basic leadership principles.
"This man is like Donald Trump on a lower dose of steroids," Jha said.Swati Chaturvedi, a columnist and journalist, reacted to the development saying, "Belt up folks, this is going to be a crazy ride."There has also been talk of imminent danger that social media will splinter into far-right wing and far left-wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide society.K T Lakshmi Kanthan, the head of Tamil Nadu Congress' social media department said, "There are many right-wing supporters in Twitter India and letting fake handles to do their hate propaganda which spreads venom in the society. Elon Musk should look into this, if he really cares for the freedom of the bird."The New York Times said that Musk, the world's richest man, closed the deal to buy Twitter on Thursday.  According to the NYT report, the Twitter executives who were fired include Agrawal, Gadde, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and General Counsel Sean Edgett. At least one of the executives who was fired was escorted out of Twitter's office, the report said. Agrawal, who was appointed Twitter's chief executive last year, had clashed  with Musk  publicly and privately in recent months about the takeover, the NYT report said.As the Twitter account of former US President Donald Trump was permanently suspended in January last year, Hyderabad-born Gadde was at the forefront of this dramatic decision undertaken within days of the attempted insurrection by pro-Trump supporters at the US Capitol.Musk had promised to transform Twitter by loosening the service's content moderation rules, making its algorithm more transparent and nurturing subscription businesses, as well as laying off employees. In April, Twitter accepted Musk's proposal to buy the social media service and take it private.  However, Musk soon began sowing doubt about his intentions to follow through with the agreement, alleging that the company failed to adequately disclose the number of spam and fake accounts on the service. When Musk said he was terminating the deal, Twitter sued the billionaire, alleging he refused to honour his obligations to Twitter and its stockholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interests. PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who created a political flutter with his appeal to incorporate images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on currency notes, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushing forward the demand.

Claiming that the Indian economy was not in good shape, Kejriwal had on Wednesday said the country needed a lot of effort to get the economy back on track along with the "blessings of our gods and goddesses".

It's a wish of 130 crore Indians that there should a picture of Mahatma Gandhi on one side of currency notes and the photos of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on the other side, he wrote in the letter on Thursday.

"Tremendous support has been received on this issue. There is massive enthusiasm among the people and everyone wants this to be implemented immediately," Kejriwal claimed.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener said in the letter that Indian economy is passing through a very bad phase and India and is listed among developing countries despite 75 years of Independence.

"On the one hand, all countrymen need to work hard and on the other, we also need blessings of the deities so that our efforts bear fruits," Kejriwal wrote.

The country will progress only with a confluence of correct policy, hard work and blessings of the gods, he said.

Kejriwal's demand has evoked sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which called it an unsuccessful attempt to hide the "ugly anti-Hindu face" of the AAP in view of upcoming elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

 SRI NAGAR: A Kashmiri Muslim potter, receiving his highest order ever, made 16,000 earthen lamps (diyas) for Diwali this year with much enthusiasm and passion. Mohammed Umar said that he received a bulk order of 16,000 diyas for this Diwali festive season. He said he had to work very hard to ensure that the diyas were supplied on time.

“My father, brother and I worked very hard for about a month to make the diyas. We were making about 500-600 diyas per day and completed the order well on time and these diyas were also dispatched to other states,” he said.

“We could not rush with making of diyas as this is an art and we never want to bring a bad name to our art by rushing with the manufacturing process,’’ he added. Hailing from Isbher, Nishat area of Srinagar, Umar said it gives him satisfaction that the Hindu brethren are celebrating Diwali this year by lighting their homes with the diyas made by him (a Muslim). He said that besides earning money, he has also contributed in strengthening communal harmony and bond by making diyas for Diwali. Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated today across the count ry wi th re l igious fervour. Umar said that he used to earlier make 500-700 diyas every year, but this year he received a bulk order.

He said, “Besides, I also made diyas for some other customers. I also used to sell diyas at my shop in Hazratbal area of Srinagar.” He said making each diya costs him between Rs 2 to 5, while it is sold in the market for Rs 5 to 10 per piece. Umar, who is a graduate, instead of looking for a government job wants to revive the dying art of pottery and glazed (decorative) pottery in the valley.
"Once upon a time, over 600 families in Kashmir were associated with this trade, but at present only a handful are engaged in pottery making,” he said. Umar said it is a tough challenge to revive the age-old craft, but he is determined in its revival and is not giving up. “There are some encouraging signs as demand for the pottery has increased,” he said.

RAIPUR: One of the key poll promises by the ruling Congress ahead of the Assembly polls 2018 was on liquor ban, which is now rumbling politically in Chhattisgarh with the opposition BJP gearing-up to sharpen its attack on the Bhupesh Baghel government. The elections in the state are due next year.

While the opposition has been consistently demanding total prohibition in the state, the Congress is not expressing any disinclination, but countered that the process on liquor ban will not be done like the demonetisation. It will be done on the basis of the observations compiled by the three committees constituted by the government. The Congress maintained that it will review the possibilities of closing down liquor sales.

The state health minister T S Singhdeo recently expressed reservations over Chhattisgarh likely becoming a complete ‘dry state’. “Liquor can be banned in around 61 development blocks but imposing prohibition in the tribal areas may not be possible,” he said.Political observers believed that liquor ban promise by Congress party apparently won the appreciation from the women who constitute nearly 50 per cent of the voters in the state.

Three committees comprisedexperts, social workers and legislators were formed to study the prospect of prohibition in the state. “Based on observations of the committees the government will initiate action. We have corresponded with four states that imposed liquor ban regarding study tours, but have not received any response so far. The process will begin after we receive the reply,” said Satyanarayan Sharma, who heads a political committee on liquor prohibition. 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated British Prime Minister-elect Rishi Sunak and said he looked forward to working closely together on global issues and implementing the Roadmap 2030 for bilateral relations.

Modi tweeted, "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership." The Roadmap 2030 for India-UK future relations was launched last year.

Sunak will make history as Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali as Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race.

This means the 42-year-old former chancellor, a devout Hindu, is poised to walk through the door of 10 Downing Street in London after an audience with King Charles III in Buckingham Palace, which is likely to be on Tuesday.
 

Washington, October 25

The Biden Administration has appointed senior foreign service officer Elizabeth Jones as the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in New Delhi to advance and expand the most “consequential” bilateral partnership in the world, an official announcement has said.

Jones, 74, who was the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts recently, will depart to New Delhi soon, the State Department said in an announcement on Monday.

Currently, Patricia A Lacina is the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in New Delhi. She assumed charge on September 9, 2021.

Jones has earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She carries the highest foreign service rank of a Career Ambassador.
 

In India, Ambassador Jones will join our Embassy and Consulate interagency teams in advancing and expanding the partnership between our governments and people, a partnership that Secretary (Anthony) Blinken has called one of the most consequential in the world,” the Department of State said on Monday.

The Biden Administration had in July 2021 announced the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as the next US Ambassador to India.

However, Garcetti’s nomination is yet to receive confirmation from the US Senate.

His nomination was initially blocked by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley because of allegations of inappropriate behaviour by one of his senior staffers.

Though the hold on his nomination has been lifted, the Democrats are reluctant to put his nomination to vote on the Senate floor as they believe that they do not have enough votes.

Garcetti has been Mayor of Los Angeles since 2013.

If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti, 51, would replace Kenneth Juster, who served as the US Ambassador to India from 2017 to 2021 during the Trump administration.

The air quality in Delhi on the morning after Diwali was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category but the situation was relatively better than previous years due to favourable meteorological conditions which diluted the effect of firecrackers and stubble burning.

The capital’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 326 at 8 am on Tuesday.
 

The neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (285), Noida (320), Greater Noida (294), Gurugram (315) and Faridabad (310) reported ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

The relatively better air this morning doesn’t mean it’s good air. The PM2.5 levels at 30 out of the 35 monitoring stations in the capital were five to six times the national standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre at 8 am.

PM2.5 are fine particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter and can travel deep into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs and entering the bloodstream.

Though people burst firecrackers in several parts of Delhi despite a ban on them, the intensity appeared less as compared to the last two years.

The Delhi government had in September announced a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2023, including on Diwali, a practice it has been following for the last two years.

Farm fires raged across Punjab and Haryana on Monday but the wind speed was moderately unfavourable for the transport of smoke. Hence, the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution (around 10 per cent) was also “not very significant”, said Gufran Beig, chair professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science.

Emissions from firecrackers and farm fires have contributed significantly to Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Diwali over the years.

Their share this year was relatively less than previous years due to reduced firecrackers bursting and moderately warm and windier conditions which prevented rapid accumulation of pollutants.

Diwali was celebrated on November 4 in 2021 and on November 14 in 2020 when temperatures were considerably low and winds calm.

According to the Early Warning System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the air quality is predicted to remain in the ‘very poor’ category during the day (Tuesday) and is likely to improve slightly over the next two days.

Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 312 at 4 pm on Monday—the second best for Diwali day in seven years.

Before this, the city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018.

Delhi had recorded an AQI of 382 on Diwali last year, 414 in 2020, 337 in 2019, 319 in 2017, and 431 in 2016, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

On Sunday evening, the city reported a 24-hour average AQI of 259, which was the lowest for Diwali eve in seven years.

“The share of PM2.5 in Delhi’s air has increased which is indicative of contribution from firecrackers and stubble burning,” said Beig, also the founder project director of SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.

“Though the active fire counts have doubled, the wind direction is north westerly and the wind speed is moderate (not very favourable for the transport of smoke from farm fires). Hence, the contribution of stubble burning is not very significant,” he said.

Stubble burning is likely to account for 12 to 15 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 solution on Tuesday, he added.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute reported 1,019 farm fires in Punjab, 250 in Haryana and 215 in Uttar Pradesh on Monday evening.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) had earlier predicted that the air quality in Delhi will be recorded in the ‘very poor’ category if no firecrackers are burst.

In case firecrackers are burst like last year, the air quality may plunge to ‘severe’ levels on the night of Diwali itself, it had said.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had earlier said bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in the city will attract a jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.

He had said production, storage and sale of firecrackers here will be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.

A total of 408 teams have been constituted to implement the ban. The Delhi Police has set up 210 teams under assistant commissioners of police, the Department of Revenue has set up 165 teams and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has constituted 33 teams.