Tag: maintaining

Alito extends reprieve for abortion pill access, maintaining status quo for 2 more days

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The justices are mulling whether a ruling from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals should go into effect or whether it should be blocked while further appeals proceed.
If allowed to take effect, the 5th Circuit’s April 12 ruling would suspend various policies the FDA has enacted since 2016 to make mifepristone more accessible — including telemedicine prescription, mail delivery, retail pharmacy dispensing and the approval of a generic version of the drug. The ruling also would scale back the approved “on label” use of the drug from 10 weeks of pregnancy to seven weeks — before many patients know they are pregnant.
The appeals court suggested its ruling was a middle-ground approach because it did not go along with a Texas federal judge’s order to suspend mifepristone’s registration altogether.
However, the FDA and the two drug companies that make mifepristone told the Supreme Court that the 5th Circuit’s ruling could amount to a nationwide ban of the drug because of lengthy delays in returning to labeling and protocols that have not been required for years.
Anti-abortion medical groups that are challenging the drug disputed that characterization, saying the ruling would reimpose important safety restrictions on the drug.
Alito acted single-handedly because he oversees emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit. It is not a clear signal about how Alito or the other justices will ultimately vote on whether to allow the 5th Circuit’s ruling to go into effect.
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#Alito #extends #reprieve #abortion #pill #access #maintaining #status #quo #days
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 20, 2023
Rajnath asks Army to continue maintaining strong vigil along LAC

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New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asked top Army commanders to maintain a strong vigil along the Line of Actual Control with China as the situation in the northern sector remained “tense” due to the deployment of PLA troops.
In his address at the Army Commanders’ Conference, Singh, referring to the eastern Ladakh border row, expressed full confidence in the Army to deal with any contingency while noting that the ongoing talks for peaceful resolution of the issue will continue.
He said disengagement and de-escalation is the “best way forward”, the defence ministry said.

Singh said a “whole of the government” approach is being followed to ensure the availability of best weapons, equipment and clothing to the troops defending the country’s territorial integrity while braving extreme weather and hostile forces, according to the ministry.
The defence minister reaffirmed the faith of the billion-plus citizens in the Indian Army as one of the most trusted and inspiring organisations in the country.
“The situation is tense due to deployment of PLA troops in the northern sector. Our armed forces, especially the Indian Army, will have to continuously keep their vigilance in order to maintain the security of the LAC,” he said, according to sources.
The defence minister said the security of the country is the “topmost priority” for the government.
In a statement, the ministry said Singh complimented Border Roads Organisation, saying its efforts have led to the incomparable improvement of road communication in the border areas.

The five-day Army Commanders’ Conference began on Monday. It is deliberating on India’s national security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan and ways to boost combat capability of the force.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari also addressed the commanders.
Talking about the global geopolitical scenario, Singh said, “Unconventional and asymmetric warfare, including hybrid war will be part of the future conventional wars.”
“Cyber, information, communication, trade and finance have all become an inseparable part of future conflicts. This necessitates that Armed Forces will have to keep all these facets in consideration while planning and formulating strategies,” he said.
On the situation along the Western borders, he complimented the Army’s response to cross-border terrorism, adding the proxy war by the adversary continues.
“I compliment the excellent synergy between the Central Armed Police Forces/Police forces and the Army in tackling the menace of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“The synergised operations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are contributing to increased stability and peace in the region and the same should continue, and for this I again compliment the Indian Army,” Singh said.
The defence minister commended the Army for the high standard of operational preparedness and capabilities which he said he has always been experiencing first hand during his visits to forward areas.
“In the North-Eastern states too, there has been a lot of improvement in the internal security scenario following operations carried out by the Indian Army,” Singh said.
The defence minister said there is a need to ensure the use of real-time intelligence more effectively so that “we can be fully prepared to face any such future challenges.”
The defence minister lauded the Army’s efforts to develop niche technologies in collaboration with civil industries.
He also stressed that as users the armed forces must put their faith in the Indian industries and technologies. The defence minister also complimented the Army for the execution of the ‘Agniveer’ scheme.
He also reviewed an equipment display focusing on niche technology, innovation, solutions for surveillance, artificial intelligence, training, robotics, virtual reality, operational logistics etc.
The defence minister released the second edition of Indian Army UN Journal titled ‘Blue Helmet Odyssey–Changing Contours of Peacekeeping Operations in the 20th Century’.
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#Rajnath #asks #Army #continue #maintaining #strong #vigil #LAC
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 19, 2023
Amritpal Singh maintaining close links with ISI, terror groups: Sources

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New Delhi: Radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is on the run following a police crackdown, has been maintaining close links with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and some terrorist groups based abroad, official sources said on Saturday.
Amritpal Singh, who had even issued a veiled threat to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has been trying to destabilise the situation in Punjab by indoctrinating and attracting the Sikh youth into the fold of his outfit “Waris Punjab De”.
The radical preacher is believed to be a close associate of UK-based Khalistani terrorist Avtar Singh Khanda. Khanda is believed to behind Amritpal Singh’s meteoric rise, sources said.
Khanda is a trusted lieutenant of leader of the banned Babbar Khalsa International Paramjit Singh Pamma, who often holds theoretical training classes for the Sikh youth to radicalise them.
The trio have been aiming to destabilise Punjab by ideological indoctrination of the Sikh youth with extremist views, they said.
Khanda gives online demonstrations from Birmingham and Glasgow on how to make improvised explosive devices by using commonly available chemicals.
Amritpal Singh also has links with chief of the International Sikh Youth Federation Lakhbir Singh Rode, who is wanted in India in cases of smuggling of arms and explosives, including RDX, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spreading hatred in Punjab.
When Amritpal Singh was in Dubai, he was in close touch with Rode’s brother Jaswant.

The radical preacher was known for asking his comrades to stay armed and he formed a new group called Anandpur Khalsa Army (AKF). This group is always around him with dangerous weapons, they said.
Amritpal Singh, who was a transport operator in Dubai, came in contact with the ISI there, sources said.
The agents of the ISI believed to have told him to motivate the innocent young Sikhs in the name of religion.
After coming to Punjab, at the behest of the ISI, Amritpal Singh tried to spread the influence of his group ‘Waris Punjab De’.
Later, he launched a campaign called ‘Khalsa Waheer’ and strengthened his organisation by going to villages.
He stirred up the issues of Punjab and started inciting the Sikhs against the Government of India.
He has been successful in getting people to do what he wanted under the guise of religion and this helped the ISI to carry out its design in Punjab, they said.
Amritpal Singh was anointed the head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ following the death of its founder – actor and activist Deep Sidhu – in a road accident in February last year. The event was held at Moga’s Rode, the native village of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
A major police crackdown was underway in Punjab against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his supporters over charges of spreading communal tension in the state.
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#Amritpal #Singh #maintaining #close #links #ISI #terror #groups #Sources
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 18, 2023
BJP succeeds in maintaining momentum in its favour in assembly polls

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New Delhi: The maiden alliance of the Left and the Congress in Tripura and the emergence of TIPRA Motha as a dominant force in tribal seats did not prove enough to topple the BJP from power in the state as the ruling party’s development plank and ideological resonance surmounted local factors to deliver it another victory.
Among the three northeastern states that went to assembly polls, Tripura’s verdict was the most keenly watched due to the high stakes for three national parties – the BJP, Congress and the Left – and the results underscored the continuity of momentum in the saffron party’s favour despite the occasional setbacks it has suffered in state polls.
“If our 2018 victory was an endorsement of our ideological and development agenda, the win now shows its popular acceptance,” a BJP leader involved in the Tripura polls said.
The party had benefited from popular anger against the Left “misrule” for 25 years in 2018 and it has now received a positive mandate for the Centre and state government’s work, he added.
Party sources said the BJP, like in so many other state polls, succeeded in making its overarching ideological and developmental planks and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular appeal the central theme of its campaign which was also helped by an organisationally weakened opposition unable to match the ruling party either in firepower or in leadership charisma.
The winning momentum is important for the BJP as the crucial state of Karnataka is next headed for assembly polls, expected in May, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram later this year.
The BJP-led NDA, in power in 16 states, also romped home to a facile win in Nagaland, where Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is the senior partner.
But its ambition of emerging as a bigger player in Meghalaya was thwarted as it was leading in only three seats against the two it held in the outgoing 60-member assembly.

BJP leadership had accused Chief Minister Conrad Sangma-led government of being the country’s “most corrupt” state dispensation but the two parties may now agree to do business together again. The BJP was part of his government but parted ways before the polls.
It may be a junior partner in Nagaland and remains a minor player in Meghalaya but the results in the two states will be helpful for the party in making ideological points, its leaders noted.
Accused by rivals of being “anti-minority”, the BJP has succeeded in improving its vote share to nearly 19 per cent from 15.3 per cent in Nagaland and bagging over nine per cent votes in Meghalaya.
Both are largely Christian populated states and its performance will give the BJP a handy weapon to beat back the charge.
However, it is the Tripura results which will matter the most to the BJP as its win has underlined popular acceptance of the party in this erstwhile Left bastion which it won for the first time in 2018.
Its vote share as well as seat tally have come down but things were worse for the Left-Congress alliance.
The BJP appeared headed to win 32 seats in the 60-member assembly, down from 36 in 2018. The combined tally for the opposition alliance was 14 while the CPI(M) had won 16 seats in 2018 when it had fought on its own. The Congress failed to open its account last time.
A point for concern, however, for the BJP will be the rise of Pradyut Debbarma-led TIPRA Motha and the decline of its tribal ally in IPFT, which could win a lone seat this time.
The BJP also suffered the embarrassment of the loss of its own most prominent tribal face and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma to his TIPRA Motha rival Subodh Deb Barma.
Party sources said their leadership may explore the probability of an alliance with Pradyut Debbarma, scion of erstwhile royal, if he gives up on his demand for a separate state of “Greater Tipraland”.
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#BJP #succeeds #maintaining #momentum #favour #assembly #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 2, 2023