Tag: official

Retd HC judge to monitor crime branch probe into Odisha minister’s murder case: Official

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Bhubaneswar: A former Orissa High Court judge will monitor the police crime branch investigation into the murder of health minister Naba Kishore Das, an official said on Wednesday.
The home department had earlier requested the Orissa High Court to name a judge to monitor the investigation being carried out by the crime branch of the police.
The administration had made such a request to the high court to “maintain transparency in the investigation” in the wake of a demand for an impartial inquiry into the incident, a home department official said.
“The high court suggested the state government to engage Justice (Retd) J P Das to supervise and monitor the probe,” he said.
The state government had earlier announced the crime branch inquiry into the incident immediately after the state health minister was murdered.
Das, 60, breathed his last on January 29 evening, hours after he was shot by a policeman at Gandhi Chhak in Brajrajnagar area of Jharsuguda district, where he had gone to attend an event.
Earlier, the opposition BJP had demanded a CBI probe into the incident, claiming that the “Odisha police could not deliver justice as a policeman was the prime accused in the case”.
The Congress also demanded a court-monitored special investigation team to probe into the incident or a judicial inquiry.

Meanwhile, the Odisha assembly informed the Election Commission that the Jharsuguda assembly seat fell vacant after the death of Das on Sunday.
According to norms, an assembly or Lok Sabha constituency cannot remain vacant for more than six months, the official said.
“As the election to the Odisha assembly is due next year, a by-poll to Jharsuguda seat may be held. The EC will take the final call,” he added.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
IMF delegation to visit Pakistan next week for talks on 9th review: official

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Islamabad: An international Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will visit Pakistan next week to discuss the ninth review of the USD 7 billion Extended Fund Facility, Dawn reported citing the official.
According to the statement released by the IMF, the international fund organization Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz said: “At the request of the authorities, an in-person Fund mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad [from] January 31 – February 9 to continue the discussions under the ninth EFF review.”
The Pakistani rupee has dived to a historic low against the United States dollar after an exchange cap was lifted as the cash-strapped country seeks the help from IMF. Earlier, Pakistan entered a USD 6 billion programme in 2019 but later on, it increased to USD 7 billion.
If everything goes well then the international organization would release USD 1.8 billion, which is still pending, according to Dawn.
It had earlier been put off for two months due to the Pakistan Muslim League-N-led government’s unwillingness to accept certain conditions placed before it by the IMF, and the disagreements have yet to be resolved.
However, it is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated that the government is finally ready to swallow the bitter pill of the IMF’s “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme.
In the statement, Ruiz said that the mission would focus on policies to restore domestic and external sustainability, including strengthening the fiscal position with durable and high-quality measures while supporting the vulnerable and those affected by the floods; restoring the viability of the power sector and reverse the continued accumulation of circular debt; and re-establish the proper functioning of the foreign exchange market, allowing the exchange rate to clear the forex shortage.
“Stronger policy efforts and reforms are critical to reduce the current elevated uncertainty that weighs on the outlook, strengthen Pakistan’s resilience, and obtain financing support from official partners and the markets that is vital for Pakistan’s sustainable development,” Dawn quoted her as saying.

The Financial Post recently reported that with Pakistan Finance Ministry being unable to furnish tenable answers for the IMF to commence formal negotiations on the 9th review, it may delay the release of funds from the IMF.
The IMF visit to Pakistan scheduled for October has been delayed amidst differences between Pakistan’s commitment to the IMF on fiscal consolidation.
“Pakistan and the global lender continued talks virtually but differences still persisted over tax collection targets, and non-starter energy reforms including hiking of gas tariff, rising circular debt, and expenditure overrun, making consensus harder to strike on a staff-level agreement for completion of the review,” according to the Financial Post report.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the government knows that it has no other option but to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and face humiliation and that their legs start shaking at the name of elections, reported The Express Tribune.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 27, 2023
Deliveries of weapons to Ukraine will lead to ‘global catastrophe’: Russian official

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Moscow: Deliveries of “offensive” weapons to Ukraine will lead to a “global catastrophe”, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, has said.
“If Washington and NATO countries supply weapons that will be used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten, this will lead to retaliatory measures using more powerful weapons,” Volodin said on Telegram on Sunday.
“Members of the US Congress, the German Bundestag, the National Assembly of France and other European parliaments must realise their responsibility to humanity,” he was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
“With their decisions, Washington and Brussels are leading the world to a terrible war: to a completely different military action from today, when strikes are carried out exclusively on the military and critical infrastructure used by Kiev,” Volodin said.
“Given the technological superiority of Russian weapons, foreign politicians making such decisions need to understand that this could end in a global tragedy that will destroy their countries,” he said.
On Friday, defence leaders from Western countries attended a meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they pledged further military support to Ukraine but failed to iron out divisions on sending battle tanks.
At the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged defence leaders attending the meeting to “speed up the supply of weapons to Ukraine”, the presidential press service reported.

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#Deliveries #weapons #Ukraine #lead #global #catastrophe #Russian #official
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 23, 2023
Telangana official intrudes into IAS officer Smita Sabharwal’s house

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Hyderabad: A government official has been arrested for intruding into the house of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Smita Sabharwal in Hyderabad.
Smita, who is secretary to the Telangana chief minister, raised an alarm on noticing the intruder in her house located in the upscale Jubilee Hills. The security staff at the top bureaucrat’s house caught the man and handed him over to police.
The intruder was identified as Deputy Tahsildar Anand Reddy. His friend, who was waiting in the car outside the house, was also caught and handed over to the police.
The incident took place on Saturday. The official took to Twitter on Sunday to reveal the incident.
“Had this most harrowing experience, a night back when an intruder broke into my house. I had the presence of mind to deal and save my life. Lessons: no matter how secure you think you are- always check the doors/ locks personally,” she tweeted and advised people to dial 100 in an emergency.
Police have registered a case against Anand Reddy, Deputy Thasildar in Medchal Malkajgiri district. He claimed that he had gone to the IAS officer to discuss the issue related to his promotion.
A case was registered against Anand Reddy and his friend on a complaint by Smita Sabharwal. Both were remanded to judicial custody.

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#Telangana #official #intrudes #IAS #officer #Smita #Sabharwals #house
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 22, 2023
Delhi: Man impersonates UAE govt official, cheats Leela Palace Hotel for Rs 23L

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New Delhi: The man, who impersonated a UAE government functionary and duped The Leela Palace Hotel in the national capital of Rs 23 lakh after fleeing without paying the bills, was finally arrested by the Delhi Police from Karnataka.
A senior police official said that the accused, identified as Mohammed Sharif, 41, stayed at The Leela Palace Hotel in the Sarojini Nagar area for three months and then fled without settling his outstanding bills of more than Rs 23 lakh. He also stole some hotel valuables.
The accused was arrested on January 19 from Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
Sharif stayed at the hotel from August 1, 2022, till November 20, 2022, and escaped without settling a bill of Rs 23,46,413, as per the hotel staff.
According to the FIR accessed by IANS, the man checked into the hotel with a fake business card and posed as an important functionary of the government of UAE office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed AL Nahyan.
“He also gave a resident card of the United Arab Emirates on arrival. It seems the guest purposely gave these cards to create a false image and garner extra trust with an intent to cheat/deceive the hotel at a later stage,” stated the FIR.
“The man had also made a few part settlements in the month of August and September 2022 worth Rs 11.5 lakh for room charges, the total outstanding still stands at INR 23,48,413 against which he had issued us a post-dated cheque worth INR 20 lakh due for November 21, 2022, which was duly submitted to our bank on September 22, 2022, but due to insufficient funds, the cheque bounced,” read the FIR.
“On November 20, 2022, around 1 p.m., the man fled with hotel valuables and this seems to be completely pre-planned since we were under the impression that by November 22, 2022 hotel will get the dues cleared through the cheque he had submitted,” read the FIR.

Based on the complaint, the Delhi Police registered an FIR on January 13 under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc.,) of the Indian Penal Code.
Further investigation in the matter is on.
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#Delhi #Man #impersonates #UAE #govt #official #cheats #Leela #Palace #Hotel #23L
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 22, 2023
Top Russia official threatens West with ‘global catastrophe’ over weapons to Ukraine

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Continued deliveries of arms to Ukraine by its allies in the West will lead to retaliation with “more powerful weapons,” a top official in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime said on Sunday.
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s lower house, the State Duma, threatened Europe and the U.S. with “global catastrophe” over their continued military support to the government in Kyiv, which is trying to continue retaking territory it lost in the Russian invasion.
Volodin directly invoked the use of nuclear weapons in his statement over messaging app Telegram.
“Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable. This is because these states have not faced a situation in which the security of their citizens and the territorial integrity of their countries were threatened,” the Russian official wrote in his social media post.
The threat comes amid arguments over whether Germany will send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion. Kyiv has requested the German-made tanks, which it says it needs to renew its counteroffensive against Moscow’s forces. But Berlin has so far resisted the call from Ukraine and its allies to send the tanks without the U.S. making the first move, over fears of an escalation in the conflict.
Berlin also hasn’t approved deliveries of the tanks from its allies, as Germany gets a final say over any re-exports of the vehicles from countries that have purchased them.
Newly appointed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is planning a trip to Ukraine, which could come in the next month, German newspaper Bild, a sister publication of POLITICO in the Axel Springer Group, reported on Sunday, citing an interview. Asked about the Leopard tanks, Pistorius said: “We are in very close dialogue on this issue with our international partners, above all with the U.S.”
In his Telegram post, Russia’s Volodin said: “With their decisions, Washington and Brussels are leading the world to a terrible war … foreign politicians making such decisions need to understand that this could end in a global tragedy that will destroy their countries.”

It’s not the first time that top Russian politicians threaten a nuclear escalation. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invoked the use of nuclear weapons more than once since the outbreak of the conflict 11 months ago.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

January 21, 2023
Twitter Adds ‘official’ Label For Selected Verified Accounts Including PM Modi, The Wire, More

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As Twitter debuts its new $8 Twitter Blue service, it will designate some verified accounts as “official”, Esther Crawford, the company’s early stage products executive, said on Tuesday.
“Accounts that will receive [the label] include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” Crawford tweeted.
“Not all previously verified accounts will get the ‘Official’ label and the label is not available for purchase.”
Crawford said that users’ identities will not be verified using identification cards or other materials through the updated Twitter Blue subscription programme, which will let paid customers have their accounts verified with a blue checkmark.
The disclosure is the most recent development as Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, explains its ambitions for verification on the network.
On November 1, Musk said Twitter would start giving blue checkmarks, which were intended to identify genuine and influential users, to Blue subscribers. Blue is the platform’s premium service.
“Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk wrote.
The redesigned premium service appeared to have opened momentarily over the weekend, as the social media company stated in an update for Apple iOS devices on Saturday that anyone who “signs up now” to its premium “Twitter Blue” service will receive a blue tick. In addition, longer movies will be able to be posted and priority ranking for platform-posted material are among the additional features that were promised as part of the premium service makeover.

Fake accounts for government officials are a recurring issue for Twitter globally. According to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Reuters, the company’s policy executives pushed for the new “official” label because they were deeply concerned that international governments would not likely and would not be ready to pay for verified check marks.
Musk is moving to take control of the platform’s operations, and the adjustments to the Blue programme are only one of many moving components. There were rumours that Twitter had urged “dozens” of individuals to return to work after cutting off half of its global workforce the previous week.
In India, various individuals and organisations got official label which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Wire and more.

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November 9, 2022