Hyderabad: Major General Rakesh Manocha assumed office as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Telangana and Andhra Sub Area (TASA) in Secunderabad on Saturday.
Manocha was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1989. He graduated from the National Defence Academy of Pune and the Military Academy of Dehradun.
He served in Jammu and Kashmir and holds a vast experience in counter-insurgency operations. He also has the unique privilege of raising an independent infantry brigade along the Northern borders.
He has been awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card for gallantry while serving in the Rashtriya Rifles and decorated with the Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College of Wellington, major general Manocha attended the Naval high command course at Goa and Advanced Professional Programme in Administration (APPPA) at the Indian Institute of Publication Administration (IIPA), New Delhi.
But legislators moved the bill targeting lawsuits the fastest. DeSantis called for the changes ahead of the session, and it’s also a top priority of major special interest groups including the state’s main business lobbies.
The bill shortens the time plaintiffs can file negligence lawsuits and contains a provision that would help property owners in lawsuits alleging lax security.
Some of the biggest and potentially most consequential changes, however, center on the state’s insurance carriers. The measures — which include changes to how attorney fees are paid — are designed to bring down the number of lawsuits filed against insurance companies, including those where business customers are plaintiffs. Some of the changes have long been sought by insurers but have been rejected by previous GOP legislative leaders.
Insurance has been a volatile industry in Florida due, in part, to the high number of hurricanes that ravage the state. In recent years, insurance rates have shot up while at the same time enrollment has spiked in Citizens Property Insurance, the state-funded insurer of last resort. But supporters of the bill contend that the measure was needed to fix a “toxic lawsuit” environment in Florida.
“We have a fundamental problem in Florida when you turn on your TV or your radio and the ad says if you have been an injured call an attorney first,” said Sen. Travis Hutson, the main sponsor of the legislation who said people in the state try to win a “litigation jackpot.”
But other legislators — including a handful of Republicans who voted against the bill — said the legislation goes too far and will harm consumers. They expressed deep skepticism it would do anything to stem an ongoing rise in insurance rates.
“There are 22 million Floridians who will now be exposed to higher risk, less safety and fewer options to hold wrongdoers accountable,” said Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce). “Our constitution says liberty and justice for all not the few — all. And this bill is not justice for all.”
Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) called the bill “a gift from our governor to big businesses at the expense of our citizens and small businesses.”
The Senate voted 23-15 for the bill, HB 837, with five Republicans voting no and one Democratic legislator voting in favor of the measure. The House approved the bill last week.
The special interest groups that warred over the bill are bracing with rapid fallout from the legislation, claiming that thousands of lawsuits will be filled from some of the state’s well-known firms in order to get ahead of the new regulations.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce also announced it would start a legal fund to help defend the new law and that former Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson, an appointee of former Gov. Rick Scott, would lead the effort.
Curry Pajcic, the president of the Florida Justice Association, did not say whether his group or others would move to block the changes after DeSantis signs them into law. But Pajcic, in a statement, said that “in just three short weeks, Florida lawmakers rushed through some of the largest rights-grabbing legislation in recent history.” He called it “a direct assault on the rights of every Floridian by insurance companies and corporate elites who think they can dictate which rights should be preserved and which can be tossed aside.”
Legislators are expected to quickly pass many of the governor’s other top priorities by the midway point of the session in early April — which will be shortly before DeSantis is scheduled to take another out-of-state trip including a visit to early primary state New Hampshire. DeSantis is widely expected to announce his 2024 presidential bid after the annual legislative session ends.
While Florida’s 60-day session is condensed compared to some other states, lawmakers usually handle high profile or contentious bills near the end. Part of the calculus is that in the past, legislative leaders tie the fate of major bills to negotiations with the annual budget, which is the one piece of legislation lawmakers are supposed to approve each year.
Democrats contend the torrid pace is to assist DeSantis’ expected presidential bid, but GOP legislators have brushed aside that suggestion.
“What really is the priority here isn’t any future election,” said Rep. Daniel Perez, a Miami Republican and the House Rules chair. “The priority here is why is Florida leading the country in so many different categories. Why are people flocking to Florida? It’s because of the policies we passed and this legislative session is a continuation of that.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Lahore: Protests broke out in major Pakistani cities on Tuesday at the call of PTI Chairman Imran Khan as police and party workers continued to clash outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, the media reported.
Protests broke out in Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi after Imran called on his supporters to “come out” following police’s use of tear gas and a water cannon on supporters outside Zaman Park, the Dawn reported.
Videos shared by the PTI’s Karachi chapter showed workers gathered at Qayyumabad Chowrangi, I.I. Chundrigar, Hassan Square and Sohrab Goth.
In Peshawar, a large number of PTI supporters demonstrated outside the press club.
After demonstrating at the press club, PTI workers blocked Sher Shah Suri road and started marching towards the Governor House, Dawn reported.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday called on his supporters to “come out” as party workers and police officials clashed outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Dawn reported.
In a video message on Twitter, Imran said police had arrived to arrest him. “They think that after I am arrested, the nation will fall asleep. You have to prove them wrong.”
“If something happens to me and I am sent to jail or if I am killed, you have to prove that you will struggle without Imran Khan and not accept the slavery of these thieves and of the one person who has been making decisions for the country,” he said, Dawn reported.
PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry also asked the party supporters to gather in the streets in a peaceful protest in a show of solidarity with Imran.
Armoured police vehicles had arrived outside Zaman Park with the intention of arresting Imran but a senior Islamabad police official, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Operations) Shahzad Bukhari, had refrained from commenting on the case in which officials were acting against the PTI chairman.
However, almost an hour later, police used a water cannon and tear gas against PTI supporters that had gathered outside Zaman Park in droves.
Footage broadcast on television showed police slowly inching toward the residence behind an armoured vehicle that was dispersing PTI supporters with a water cannon. Supporters could also be seen pelting stones at the policemen, Dawn reported.
Footage also showed PTI supporters being tear-gassed as police arrived close to the main gate of Zaman Park. The workers, who had covered their faces with pieces of cloth and were carrying bottles of water, continued to pelt stones at officials.
SRINAGAR: In a Himalayan development that will have huge consequences for regional peace and the Muslim world, arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to revive diplomatic relations after a long hiatus. What is interesting, it was China that played the broker. The two countries will unlock their diplomatic missions within the next 60 days.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations after four days of intensive previously undisclosed talks in Beijing.
“The three countries announce that an agreement has been reached between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, that includes an agreement to resume diplomatic relations between them and re-open their embassies and missions within a period not exceeding two months, and the agreement includes their affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs of states,” a joint statement issued by the three countries earlier in the day said. “They also agreed that the ministers of foreign affairs of both countries shall meet to implement this, arrange for the return of their ambassadors, and discuss means of enhancing bilateral relations.”
The joint statement was the outcome of negotiations that, n the final leg, continued for five days. “The deal was abruptly announced after five days of intensive and secret talks in the Chinese capital Beijing,” Tehran Times reported. “It was signed by Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, the Saudi National Security Advisor, and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.”
This China-mediated Iran-Saudi Arabia reconciliation is a black swan event-a surprise, rare watershed moment for international relations that’ll have major ripple effects across the globe, including South Asia-especially Pakistan-where Iran-KSA rivalry has played out heavily.
“The three countries expressed their keenness to exert all efforts towards enhancing regional and international peace and security,” the statement concluded.
The two countries snapped diplomatic ties on January 3, 2016, a day after Saudi embassy was stormed by angry Iranian protestors following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. On January 2, 2016, Riyadh executed nearly 50 people including prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Post-cold war between the two, oil facilities in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came under attack by actors believed to be Iran-backed, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with whom, Riyadh is engaged directly.
Amid lowest ever ties and “proxy wars”, efforts at revving relations has been going on since April 2021. For the first time the two countries had a meeting in Baghdad on April 9, 2021 and the process continues and four rounds take place till ran pulls out on March 13, 2022, after fresh executions in Saudi Arabia. So far, five rounds of talks were held in Iraq, with Oman supporting the reconciliation. The final round of talks was going on in Beijing since March 6.
“The move comes as China expands its diplomatic outreach in the Arab world. In December, Chinese President Xi Jinping was welcomed in Riyadh in an extravagant ceremony as part of a visit that brought together 14 Arab heads of state,” American broadcaster, CNN reported from Abu Dhabi. “That was just months after a relatively low-key meeting with US President Joe Biden, whose relationship with Saudi Arabia has been frosty.”
China brokering peace between arch rivals is being seen as a bold diplomatic position. Interestingly, Iran was already facing music from the US and, off late, Saudi Kingdom had been lukewarm towards the major global power.
In a statement on its website, the Chinese foreign ministry quoted top diplomat Wang Yi as saying the agreement represented “a victory of dialogue and peace”.
“This shows that the Ukraine issue is not the only problem the world faces today,” Wang was quoted saying by South China Morning Post. “[We face] many problems related to peace and people’s livelihood that deserve international attention, and timely handling by the relevant stakeholders. But regardless of their complexity and difficulties, they can be resolved through dialogue on equal footing and with mutual respect.”
Wang said Chinese President Xi Jinping guided the talks from the beginning, and the agreement between the three parties was testimony to the merits of Beijing’s “recent proposal” on handling international affairs. China, it may be recalled here sources 40 per cent of its fuel requirements from the Gulf.
“China’s role in hosting the talks that led to a breakthrough in a longstanding regional rivalry highlights the country’s growing economic and political importance in the Middle East, a region that was long shaped by the military and diplomatic involvement of the United States,” The New York Times reported. “The rivalry between the two Islamic nations, which are less than 150 miles away from each other across the Persian Gulf, has long shaped politics and trade in the Middle East. It has a sectarian dimension — a majority of Saudi Arabia’s population is Sunni, while Iran’s is overwhelmingly Shiite — but has predominantly played out via proxy conflicts in neighbouring Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon, where Iran has supported militias that Saudi officials say have destabilized the region.”
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari
Nagpur: Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday that the bad quality of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) leads to a host of problems including cost escalation in road projects, and he was in the “mood to take a decision to allow international firms to make them.”
He was speaking at the International Conference on Asian Scenario on Infrastructural Development here.
There is a need to reduce the cost of production in road projects, he said.
Expressing disappointment over the quality of DPRs in road construction, the minister said he has “never seen a perfect DPR” in his life.
The construction industry should work on improving the DPR quality, he said.
“I am in the mood to take a decision to allow international companies to make DPRs and giving them priority, though I am not of that opinion, but because of not so good DPRs, lot of problems are being faced. Everywhere there is cost escalation,” Gadkari said.
He also said that agriculture by-products and biomass should be utilised in construction work.
New Delhi: Since Covid, the cases of heart attack are increasing rapidly. Along with the elderly, there has also been an increase in cases of heart attack and sudden cardiac death among the youth, said doctors at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi.
Dr Tarun Kumar, Professor, Department of Cardiology, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi, said, “Many cases of sudden cardiac death have been seen, in which many cases of sudden fainting or heart attack while doing gym have come to the fore. Many such videos have also come to the fore, in which people suddenly fell and died while dancing or walking. Such cases are heart attack patients only, in which there are cases of sudden cardiac death. The cause of sudden cardiac death is heart attack only.”
Dr Tarun also stated that cases of influenza virus H3N2 have also come to the fore in the present time itself, in which symptoms like cough, cold, fever and body ache are seen.
He said, “Difficulty in breathing is also seen. Many times the patient also needs to be admitted to the hospital, but nothing can be said about whether there has been an increase in heart attack cases due to this virus. But after the coronavirus, it has been seen that there has been an increase in the cases of heart attack and more cases are being reported among the elderly as well as among the youth.”
“Recently a case of heart attack was reported in a 20-year-old man and heart attack cases have increased in the youth for some time, the main reason behind this is the change in your lifestyle during corona. The eating habits of people have changed. People are also moving towards bad lifestyle instead of a healthy lifestyle. Due to the increase in weight of many people, their lifestyle has also changed,” he added.
The doctor also highlighted that earlier heart attack was mostly seen in people of 60 years of age, but now cases of heart attack are also coming in the youth of 20 to 30 years of age and the important reason behind this can be your bad lifestyle, unhealthy food, smoking and consumption of alcohol etc.
Dr Tarun Kumar further said, “If there is any problem like chest pain, or difficulty in breathing in the youth, then do not ignore it. Because many times it is seen that many symptoms appear before a heart attack, but the youth ignore it thinking that this problem is not seen in them but in people of 50 to 60 years of age. It can happen in people of any age, that’s why if any symptoms are seen, it is very important to consult a doctor immediately and get your test done.”
“Along with this, do exercise daily for a healthy lifestyle, and avoid smoking and consuming alcohol. Along with this inculcate healthy lifestyle habits in children below 20 years of age to reduce the cases of art attacks in youth,” he added.
Director of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Dr Ajay Shukla said, “You see, all of these things have multiple reasons, right? One is that many people have a very sedentary lifestyle. Many people eat junk food. Many people are stressed because of either exams or jobs, you know. So, there are a lot of factors. And plus, of course, the medical sciences have advanced tremendously, and we are able to diagnose things faster. So earlier things used to happen and we didn’t know what happened. So now you get to know what happened. And so all of these things together, awareness, alertness, and patience, and reaching the hospital faster has helped.”
“Basically, it’s about lifestyle. So eat less sugar, eat less salt, and do some exercise. If you have got to run around then just do yoga. Yoga is a great exercise, right? And keep yourself active. Try to avoid stress in life. So these are the things which are in your hands,” he added.
Chennai: Music composer and singer A.R. Rahman’s son, A.R. Ameen escaped a freak accident three days ago which still traumatises him. Ameen in a social media post shared that the accident occurred in the set where music was being played.
In the post, Ameen said that chandeliers, lights and other objects fell from the top while he was performing. He posted that he was unharmed and perfectly all right, but traumatised by the incident.
He thanked God for keeping him safe. Ameen wrote: “I am thankful to the Almighty, my parents, my family, well wishers and my spiritual teacher that I am safe and alive today.
“Just three nights ago, I was shooting for a song and I trusted the team to have taken care of the engineering and safety, while I was focusing on performing before the camera.”
The post further read: “… the whole truss and chandeliers that were suspended from a crane came crashing down while I was still in the middle of the spot. If I were a few inches here and there, a few seconds earlier or later, the whole rig would have fallen on our heads. My team and I are shell shocked and not able to recover from the trauma.”
A.R. Ameen is a playback singer and made his debut in the Tamil movie ‘O Kadhal KNmani’. He has sung in several movies since then.
Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking to sign several agreements with major universities and regions to support the practice of yoga in the coming months as it continues to support sports that have achieved historical achievements in the past, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
This was revealed by Saudi Yoga Committee President Nouf Al-Marwaai during a forum titled— “The Role of University Sports in Supporting the Homeland’s Sport”, which was organized by the Sports Federation of Saudi Universities in Riyadh on Tuesday, February 28.
Nouf Al-Marwaai stressed the importance of introducing yoga asana in the system of university games.
She added that the committee aims to discover the talents of distinguished players in all kinds of yoga sports in general and yogaasana, to support them to participate in local and international tournaments.
Al-Marwaai called for the practice of yoga to become a sustainable activity in universities, whether it is practising yoga for health and wellness, hatha yoga and its styles, or yogasana.
“Yoga gives its practitioners many health benefits (for) both physical and mental well-being,” she said, adding that “One of the most important pillars of achieving Vision 2030 is to enhance participation in sports activities, and to achieve sports excellence locally, continentally, and internationally.”
خطة #سعودية 🇸🇦❤️ لتوقيع اتفاقيات مع كبرى جامعات المملكة لدعم ممارسة “رياضة اليوغا” بمنظومة الألعاب الجامعية خلال الشهور القادمة 😍👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/iHOmBkXoeW
— أول سعوديـ/ـة | First🥇Saudi (@First1Saudi) March 1, 2023
In November 2017, Saudi Arabia’s ministry of commerce approved the teaching and practice of yoga as a sport in the Kingdom.
On March 9, 2022, an introductory lecture was held that highlighted the cooperation between the SYC (Saudi Yoga Committee) and the Saudi School Sports Federation.
Nouf Marwaai is the first Saudi Yogacharya. Marwaai is also the founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation, which was established in 2010. It was the first yoga organization in the Gulf region.
