Tehran: The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that three Iranian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia have resumed operations.
Nasser Kanaani made the remarks on Monday at a weekly press conference when asked to comment on the progress by Iran and Saudi Arabia to reopen their diplomatic missions following an agreement that was reached between the two countries in March on the normalisation of their bilateral ties, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report by Mehr news agency.
The three diplomatic missions are Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, a consulate general in Jeddah and a representative office to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Kanaani was quoted as saying.
Kanaani stressed that the two countries are in the early stages of resuming their bilateral relations and reopening their embassies, adding that Iran’s technical team is currently based in Saudi Arabia and laying the groundwork.
He said he is optimistic that the two countries’ embassies will start their full operations as planned in accordance with their agreement.
The two countries had carried out good coordination in a humanitarian issue in their first steps toward the resumption of the bilateral diplomatic activities, said Kanaani, adding that the evacuation of 65 Iranian nationals from Sudan and their transfer to Iran via the Saudi port city of Jeddah was a positive development.
Regarding an upcoming visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Saudi Arabia, Kanaani said Tehran has received an official invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has responded to it officially.
At a press conference held in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed that he and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have also invited each other for official visits.
Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a deal in March to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions in the two countries within two months.
On April 6, the two countries announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.
Kochi: The Kerala government’s ambitious Kochi Water Metro service, a first in the country and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day ago, commenced its commercial operations on Wednesday on a single route which witnessed an “overwhelming” response with a ridership of over 6,500.
On the first day of its commercial operations, Kochi Water Metro ran boats between the Kerala High Court and Vypin terminals from 7 AM onwards and saw a ridership of 6,559 passengers, Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) said in a statement.
KWML said the public response on the first day was “overwhelming”.
“Boats were operated every 15 minutes from 7 AM to 8 PM in the High Court -Vypin route from both the terminals,” it said.
On Thursday, commercial operations would commence on the second route from Vytilla to Kakkanad.
“It is expected that this route will be beneficial to the people of Kakkanad and for those working in Infopark. In the initial days, the Kochi Water Metro would be operating in this route during peak hours.
“The boats will operate from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 7 PM. There will be 3 trips each in the morning and evening hours. The ticket rate for this route would be Rs 30,” KWLML said in the statement.
The estimated travel time from Vyttila water metro terminal to Kakkanad terminal is around 25 minutes and to ensure last mile connectivity, feeder buses and autos have been arranged from Kakkanad Water Metro Terminal to Infopark.
The flagship water metro project of the Left front government, set up at a cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore in the port city, will connect 10 islands using 78 electric boats and 38 terminals, once fully operational.
Initially, 15 electric air-conditioned catamaran boats will ferry city residents across eight water routes. There are 15 proposed water routes.
A group of differently-abled children enjoyed the inaugural trip of the water metro on the first day. The vessels and the terminals are disabled-friendly.
The ticket rate for the High Court-Vypin route is Rs 20.
During peak hours, there will be boat service every 15 minutes on this route and services will continue till 8 PM, the KWML statement said.
It said the country’s first Water Metro service will provide safe, affordable and pocket-friendly travel for people in and around Kochi and also the tourists from across the world.
The eco-friendly vessels can ferry up to 100 people each across the proposed 76-km-long routes at a speed of eight to ten knots.
The boat had also won Gussies International Electric Boat awards, 2022.
Metro officials said the vessels are fitted with the most advanced and safest battery technology, which is capable of supercharging in 15 to 20 minutes.
The vessels are also equipped with life-saving equipment and technology to prevent overcrowding.
Apart from having an automatic boat location tracking system and a night navigation equipment, the panoramic windows of the vessels provide a visual treat of the scenic backwaters of Kochi.
The solar-powered electric vessels with zero emissions have recyclable aluminum alloy hull bodies and the engines produce near to zero sound and vibration while running.
The Kochi Water Metro service is fully funded by the Kerala government and KfW, a German funding agency.
The terminals are built with state-of-the-art facilities and the jetties have floating pontoons with automatic docking system technology. The Water Metro is expected to ferry 34,000 passengers everyday when fully operational.
The integrated ticketing system allows passengers seamless travel on water metro and metro rail using the Kochi One card.
For the future, KMRL plans to make the smart card usable for travel on feeder buses and auto-rickshaws.
Khartoum: Amid ongoing conflict, Indian Air Force aircraft have landed in Port Sudan for evacuation operations, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed on Tuesday.
Indian Air Force’s C-130J aircraft have reached Sudan to evacuate stranded Indians as the process of evacuations continues in the violence-hit North African country.
“#OperationKaveri takes to the skies. IAF C-130J aircraft lands in Port Sudan to undertake evacuation operations,” Bagchi tweeted, as he informed about the same.
Earlier today (local time), Indians stranded in Sudan departed from the conflict-torn country in the first phase of ‘Operation Kaveri’. The third Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departed from Port Sudan for Jeddah.
Moreover, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Tuesday inspected the transit facility at the International Indian School, Jeddah where Indians evacuated from Sudan will be received & put up briefly before arriving in India.
“Inspected transit facility @IndianPage,Jeddah where Indians evacuated from Sudan will be received & put up briefly before travel to India. It is fully equipped incl with mattresses, provisions, fresh meals,toilets, medical facilities, Wifi. Has 24*7 control room. #OperationKaveri,” the MoS wrote on Twitter.
As the fighting between the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups intensified in the capital Khartoum, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed on Monday that its ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate its citizens from battle-torn Sudan is underway and about 500 Indians had reached Port Sudan.
India has launched “Operation Kaveri” to bring back stranded Indians from the war-torn Sudan.
Meanwhile, Indian Navy’s INS Teg on Tuesday joined Operation Kaveri to help boost the ongoing evacuation of Indians stranded in Sudan. The frigate on Tuesday arrived at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians, a senior MEA official said.
“INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday.
“Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan,” Bagchi further tweeted.
INS Teg is the fourth Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy.
In a recent development, warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday after the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce while countries are engaged in evacuating their citizens from the country.
Previously agreed ceasefires have broken down, if the new three-day cessation of fighting holds, it could create an opportunity to get much-needed critical resources like food and medical supplies to those in need, reported CNN.
SRINAGAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that 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. He also expressed confidence in the Army’s capabilities to deal with any contingency along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The Defence Minister while addressing the Army Commanders’ Conference, complimented Army’s response to cross-border militancy and asked the military top brass to “remain vigilant as a proxy war by the adversary continues”.
“I compliment the excellent synergy between the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Police forces and Army in tackling the menace of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” Rajnath said, adding, “The synergised operations in 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.”
The Defence Minister commended the Army for its “high standard of operational preparedness and capabilities”.
Referring to the Eastern Ladakh border standoff, he expressed full confidence in the Army to deal with any contingency while noting that ongoing talks for a peaceful resolution of the row will continue and that disengagement and de-escalation were the best way forward.
Expressing his gratitude, Rajnath remarked, “It is our ‘Whole of Government’ approach to ensure availability of best weapons, equipment and clothing to our troops braving extreme weather and hostile forces to defend our territorial integrity.”
The Defence Minister also hailed the efforts of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which has led to the incomparable improvement of road communication in the borders both Western and Northern, while working under difficult conditions.
Earlier, the first Army Commanders’ Conference of the year 2023, commenced on April 17 in a hybrid format. During the event, the Indian Army’s apex leadership is comprehensively deliberating upon all aspects of existing security scenarios, situations along the borders and in the hinterland and challenges for the present security apparatus.
In addition, the conference is also focusing on the issues pertaining to organisational restructuring, logistics, administration and human resource management. (KNO)
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has made an unannounced visit to two command posts in the “newly incorporated territories” from Ukraine, where he reviewed the progress of military operation against Ukrainian forces, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Putin travelled to the command centre of the ‘Dnieper’ battlegroup located “in the Kherson area” and received reports from the group’s commander, Colonel General Oleg Makarevich, and Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, the commander of Russia’s airborne troops, a Kremlin statement said, RT reported.
The President also made a trip to the Lugansk People’s Republic, where he visited the ‘Vostok’ (East) command centre of the National Guard, and discussed the situation in the area with top military officials, including Colonel General Aleksandr Lapin.
Putin’s surprise visit comes as Kiev prepares to launch a counteroffensive in which Western-supplied heavy tanks and new armored vehicles are expected to be involved. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said on Monday that Kiev will start the operation “in the nearest future”.
The recent months of the Ukraine conflict have been marked by fierce fighting for the Donbass mining city of Artyomovsk, known to Ukrainians as Bakhmut.
Hyderabad: B Nagya is new Principal Chief Operations Manager at SCR (Photo: Twitter)
Hyderabad: B Nagya, a senior railway official from the 1989 batch of Indian Railway Traffic Service took charge as Principal Chief Operations Manager of South Central Railway (SCR) at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad on Monday.
A native of Kodad, Suryapet, Nagya did his B.Tech from NIT-Warangal in Civil Engineering and M.Tech from IIT-Delhi.
He worked as Principal Chief Commercial Manager, East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar, Chief Freight Transportation Manager (CFTM), Chief Passenger Transportation Manager (CPTM) and Chief Transport Planning Manager (CTPM) on SCR prior to his appointment.
He also has experience working as Chief Freight Transportation Manager (CFTM) on South Western Railway.
During his Railway service, he discharged deputation to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) as executive director of the coal movement for nearly 5 years.
The materials that circulated in early March were uploaded on a Discord, an encrypted messaging app. They appear to be photos of slide deck printouts that were folded up and then smoothed out again. They have since been posted on other social media websites, including Twitter and Telegram.
It’s unclear who originally obtained the documents, who leaked them and the extent to which they’ve been altered. It’s also possible an even earlier version exists.
A senior administration official, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive intelligence matter, said President Joe Biden’s team is “concerned” by the large document leak. “This could be a Russian disinformation operation,” the official continued, citing the manipulations to the documents. “Russia has a history of manipulating information for disinformation purposes.” The official wouldn’t detail when the administration first became aware of the leak.
There are discrepancies between the documents posted in March and those circulated this month, suggesting the earlier tranche could be the original versions — or at least closer to it.
The leak is one of the most high-profile breaches of military intelligence since the Russian invasion in 2022 and comes at a time when Ukraine is preparing to launch the spring offensive. The documents “represent a significant breach in security, which could compromise U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine,” said Mick Mulroy, a former DoD official and CIA officer.
The images that appeared online earlier this week show slides that were produced by the Joint Staff, but which have been heavily doctored to show inaccurate information, according to a second senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
In reviewing the batch of documents that circulated on Discord and those that appeared in April on sites such as Telegram, Twitter and 4chan, POLITICO found that at least one section had been changed — the death tolls. The number of Ukrainian deaths is significantly higher in the later version.
However, there are irregularities in both the March and April versions. Not all of the documents are dated. One is dated as late as March 23 — about 20 days after someone posted them on Discord. Other pages are missing security markers and have sections replaced by white space.
The documents, which are at least five weeks old, are of limited value to Moscow as they show the conflict as a snapshot in time. Still, they may help Russian intelligence planners with establishing the expected burn rate for Ukrainian supplies, the second senior official said.
The Department of Defense is investigating the leak, which the New York Times first reported, the Pentagon said Thursday.
“We are aware of the reports of social media posts, and the department is reviewing the matter,” said DoD spokesperson Sabrina Singh. The Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.
The early reaction from Capitol Hill has been fierce. “I’d fire anyone who leaks without authorization when they’re identified,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a close ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“I’m troubled by the potential leak and possible disinformation related to the documents,” said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee. “I look forward to hearing from the Department of Defense on steps they’re taking to investigate and address any wrongdoing.”
Other pages included in the March tranche include information about various countries, Jordan, Palestine and China.
Some of the Ukraine-related documents, marked “SECRET” and dated February and March, show American and NATO plans for training and arming Ukrainian forces ahead of a planned counteroffensive this spring.
One slide includes detailed plans for equipment Western countries will deliver to Ukraine this spring, such as the number of tanks and armored vehicles each nation is sending and the estimated date of arrival. It also shows the status of training programs by different NATO countries.
One document outlines what Western equipment Ukrainian brigades are receiving and when they’ll be trained. If that information is correct, it could provide useful intelligence to Moscow about new capabilities entering the battlefield this spring and summer. It is also a fascinating look into the international grab-bag of equipment the rapidly equipped Ukrainian army now fields.
The 82nd brigade, for example, looks to be an armored powerhouse. It will boast about 150 armored infantry carriers, including 90 U.S.-Stryker vehicles, 40 German-produced Marders, 24 U.S.-made M113 infantry carriers and 14 British Challenger tanks, giving the unit a powerful punch, according to the documents. The unit is currently being trained as the equipment continues to arrive.
Similarly, the 33rd brigade will have 32 Leopard tanks from Germany, Canada and Poland, alongside 90 American-made MRAP troop carriers. All the vehicles were slated to arrive for training in March and April, according to the documents.
Another slide shows the Joint Staff’s daily update of the conflict, including planned operations of U.S. forces in the surrounding area such as the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush and several submarines, the locations of which are rarely, if ever, publicized.
Others, marked “TOP SECRET,” show the U.S. military’s assessment of Russian and Ukrainian troop movements in key battlegrounds, including Bakhmut, Kharkiv and the Donetsk, on March 1.
Both the March and April tranches show updates from the battlefield from February that includes an allegation that “agents” of Ukraine attacked a Russian aircraft based in Belarus. The Ukrainian government has previously denied those claims. A spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.
[ad_2]
#Leaked #military #documents #Ukraine #battlefield #operations #circulated #early #March
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Gangtok: A Sikkim government official Wednesday said it is now “almost certain” that no one is left strapped under the snow at 15th Mile, the site of the devastating avalanche and search operations by the Army and the Border Road teams have been called off.
But helpline numbers will remain active for the time being to help tourists get information about their kin, Gangtok district collector Tushar Nikhare told reporters here.
“We are almost certain that no more tourists are trapped under the snow near 15th Mile,” Nikhare said.
The Army, NDRF, ITBP, GREF, Sikkim Police and two personnel from Tiranga Mountain Rescue Team equipped with radars searched all possible areas near 15th Mile to find out any tourist lodged under the snow. But nobody was found there during the rescue and search operations that were carried out from 8AM to 3PM before being halted, the Gangtok DC said.
The rescue teams used digging and trenching machines and other modern equipment to find people trapped under the debris at the place, which is a few km short of Nathu La, but none was found, he said.
The road between Nathu La and Gangtok is open but no tourist vehicle will be allowed to ply till permission is granted after taking note of the weather conditions, he said.
The avalanche that took place near the high Himalayan pass between Tibet and India on Tuesday has claimed seven lives and trapped under it an estimated 25-30 people, besides six vehicles, officials said.
Nikhare said that the incident was not an avalanche but a ‘snow slide’ and it has been clarified by top authorities. A snow slide is an avalanche of snow, while an avalanche is a large mass of snow, ice, earth, rock or other material down a mountainside or over a precipice.
Describing a snow slide as a “once in a life time incident”, he asserted that Sikkim is otherwise is a safe place for tourists and other visitors.
Lessons have been learnt from the ‘snow slide’ and precautionary measures like signages indicating dangerous areas, no parking zones and instruction about not crossing the limits of visiting areas will be put up at 15th Mile and surrounding areas, the official said.
Meanwhile, the post mortem of all seven retrieved bodies were carried out at the STNM here and five of them been handed over to their next of kin. The bodies of the remaining two persons will be taken by the relatives tomorrow, officials said.
The state government will provide all assistance to the kin of the victims and the injured will be provided treatment free of cost, they added.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
SRINAGAR: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up the Jammu & Kashmir Bank for incurring a wasteful expenditure of Rs 5.28 crore by hiring hotel Broadway in Srinagar, which was not used at all for its operations.
In its report tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday, the CAG said that the Bank entered into a lease agreement with the M/s Broad Way Enterprises Private Limited (firm) in December 2017 and March 2019 for hiring of space in Hotel Broadway for the opening of High Net worth Individual (HNI) Branch and housing its International Banking Division (IBD), respectively, at a monthly rent of Rs 150 per square feet.
It hired the space for housing its International Banking Division (IBD) citing space constraints at the existing premises at Air Cargo Complex, Srinagar. The Bank also placed a work order at a cost of Rs two crore for development of the hired premises in February 2019.
According to the CAG report, the Bank, however, in January 2020 decided to de-hire the premises due to a host of reasons. “The Bank, however, decided (January 2020) to de-hire the premises on the ground that shifting of IBD would not translate into phenomenal growth of foreign exchange business as the forex business in Srinagar was limited. Further, the yearly rental outflow was considered very high vis-à-vis the business opportunities in the opening of HNI branch due to prevailing situation in Kashmir region,” the report states.
“By the time the Bank de-hired (June 2020) premises, it had incurred expenditure of Rs 3.78 crore towards rent and Rs 2.43 crore on the development of the premises. Out of Rs 2.43 crore, an amount of Rs 1.47 crore was spent on civil interior, furniture items that either could not be dismantled or were dismantled with substantial/ major damages. The dismantlement work was carried out (August 2020) at a cost of Rs 2.99 lakh,” it further states.
The CAG has questioned why the Bank hired space in the hotel despite the fact that it had hired already premises for the opening of it at Barzulla, Srinagar and was operating IBD at Air Cargo Complex, Srinagar having sufficient space at the monthly rate of ₹ 75 per sq. ft. and ₹ 85 per sq. ft., respectively.
“Moreover, the decision to open HNI branch and shift IBD at Hotel Broadway may be viewed in light of the fact that the Bank sanctioned (September 2016) a term loan of Rs 48.98 crore in favour of the lesson for renovation of existing hotel building and construction of new building and the term loan was eventually classified (January 2020) as Non-Performing Asset as the lessor could not service the account,” the report further states.
In its reply, the management of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank stated in March 2022, owing to sluggish market patterns and slow growth in overall banking sector, it decided to implement various measures to bring down the cost to income ratio and one of the measure was to vacate the premises in order to cut the costs on account of rental.
“However, the fact remains that the Bank hired the premises without taking cognizance of the fact that the decision to open HNI branch at Barzulla, Srinagar was already taken by the Management. Further, the limited business opportunity with regard to forex business in Srinagar was in the knowledge of the Bank as most of the customers were already dealing with it,” the CAG pointed out. (KNO)
Srinagar, Mar 29: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up the Jammu & Kashmir Bank for incurring a wasteful expenditure of Rs 5.28 crore by hiring hotel Broadway in Srinagar, which was not used at all for its operations.
In its report tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday, a copy of which is in possession of news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the CAG said that the Bank entered into a lease agreement with the M/s Broad Way Enterprises Private Limited (firm) in December 2017 and March 2019 for hiring of space in Hotel Broadway for the opening of High Net worth Individual (HNI) Branch and housing its International Banking Division (IBD), respectively, at a monthly rent of Rs 150 per square feet.
It hired the space for housing its International Banking Division (IBD) citing space constraints at the existing premises at Air Cargo Complex, Srinagar. The Bank also placed a work order at a cost of Rs two crore for development of the hired premises in February 2019.
According to the CAG report, the Bank, however, in January 2020 decided to de-hire the premises due to a host of reasons. “The Bank, however, decided (January 2020) to de-hire the premises on the ground that shifting of IBD would not translate into phenomenal growth of foreign exchange business as the forex business in Srinagar was limited. Further, the yearly rental outflow was considered very high vis-à-vis the business opportunities in the opening of HNI branch due to prevailing situation in Kashmir region,” the report states.
“By the time the Bank de-hired (June 2020) premises, it had incurred expenditure of Rs 3.78 crore towards rent and Rs 2.43 crore on the development of the premises. Out of Rs 2.43 crore, an amount of Rs 1.47 crore was spent on civil interior, furniture items that either could not be dismantled or were dismantled with substantial/ major damages. The dismantlement work was carried out (August 2020) at a cost of Rs 2.99 lakh,” it further states.
The CAG has questioned why the Bank hired space in the hotel despite the fact that it had hired already premises for the opening of it at Barzulla, Srinagar and was operating IBD at Air Cargo Complex, Srinagar having sufficient space at the monthly rate of ₹ 75 per sq. ft. and ₹ 85 per sq. ft., respectively.
“Moreover, the decision to open HNI branch and shift IBD at Hotel Broadway may be viewed in light of the fact that the Bank sanctioned (September 2016) a term loan of Rs 48.98 crore in favour of the lessor for renovation of existing hotel building and construction of new building and the term loan was eventually classified (January 2020) as Non-Performing Asset as the lessor could not service the account,” the report further states.
In its reply, the management of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank stated in March 2022, owing to sluggish market patterns and slow growth in overall banking sector, it decided to implement various measures to bring down the cost to income ratio and one of the measure was to vacate the premises in order to cut the costs on account of rental.
“However, the fact remains that the Bank hired the premises without taking cognizance of the fact that the decision to open HNI branch at Barzulla, Srinagar was already taken by the Management. Further, the limited business opportunity with regard to forex business in Srinagar was in the knowledge of the Bank as most of the customers were already dealing with it,” the CAG pointed out.
