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Tag: operations

  • Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

    Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

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    Hyderabad: Telangana civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar slammed the opposition party for their remarks over the involvement of the state government in the TSPSC paper leak case.

    Telangana unit Congress chief A Revanth Reddy on Sunday alleged that the personal assistant of the state minister for IT KT Rama Rao has played a key role in the question paper leak case

    Condemning the statement, Kamalakar came down heavily on Revanth Reddy and said the Congress was casting aspersive charges against KTR’s personal assistant Tirupati as he belonged to a backward class.

    The minister while addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday claimed that the opposition parties were trying to defame the BRS government and urged people to turn a deaf ear to baseless allegations.

    “As a responsible government, they have already got three persons involved in the case arrested and appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an in-depth investigation into the case,” asserted Gangula.

    Recalling such instances from the past when Congress ruled the state, he asked, “Did any BJP or Congress minister resign or were they sacked by the respective government?”

    He further recalled APPSC member Ripunjay Reddy was arrested in a similar paper leak case during the Rosaiah government’s regime in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and said, “Over the years, papers of many recruitment exams were leaked in many BJP and Congress-ruled States and aspirations of unemployed youth were shattered.”

    “However, K Rosaiah or the then IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah did not resign. In 2017 as well, the Hyderabad police arrested a woman over the UPPSC paper leak case. But neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the then IT minister has resigned,” he added.

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    #Telangana #govt #involved #TSPSC #operations #Gangula #Oppn

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

    Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

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    Hyderabad: Telangana civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar slammed the opposition party for their remarks over the involvement of the state government in the TSPSC paper leak case.

    Telangana unit Congress chief A Revanth Reddy on Sunday alleged that the personal assistant of the state minister for IT KT Rama Rao has played a key role in the question paper leak case

    Condemning the statement, Kamalakar came down heavily on Revanth Reddy and said the Congress was casting aspersive charges against KTR’s personal assistant Tirupati as he belonged to a backward class.

    The minister while addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday claimed that the opposition parties were trying to defame the BRS government and urged people to turn a deaf ear to baseless allegations.

    “As a responsible government, they have already got three persons involved in the case arrested and appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an in-depth investigation into the case,” asserted Gangula.

    Recalling such instances from the past when Congress ruled the state, he asked, “Did any BJP or Congress minister resign or were they sacked by the respective government?”

    He further recalled APPSC member Ripunjay Reddy was arrested in a similar paper leak case during the Rosaiah government’s regime in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and said, “Over the years, papers of many recruitment exams were leaked in many BJP and Congress-ruled States and aspirations of unemployed youth were shattered.”

    “However, K Rosaiah or the then IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah did not resign. In 2017 as well, the Hyderabad police arrested a woman over the UPPSC paper leak case. But neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the then IT minister has resigned,” he added.

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    #Telangana #govt #involved #TSPSC #operations #Gangula #Oppn

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Emergency operations centre activated following mass fish deaths in Australian state

    Emergency operations centre activated following mass fish deaths in Australian state

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    Sydney: An emergency operations centre has been activated in Menindee, a small town in the far west of Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), to facilitate multi-agency operations, after millions of native fish were found floating down the Darling river.

    The NSW Police Force said on Sunday that the massive fish deaths are believed to be attributed to hypoxic blackwater, a naturally occurring phenomenon that causes extremely low dissolved oxygen levels, Xinhua news agency reported.

    “The scale of this event has been exacerbated by recent hot weather and significantly increased the number of fish in the system as floodwaters recede,” the police noted.

    According to the police statement, authorities are continuing to release higher-quality water to boost dissolved oxygen levels in this area, while the emergency operations center (EOC) was established to ensure fresh and clean water supply as well as to coordinate the removal and disposal of fish.

    NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree, who oversees the centre, pointed out that numerous agencies are already on the ground in the area with more on the way to conduct and support operational activities.

    “Significant planning, including risk assessments, is already underway for clean-up efforts, which will include the removal of as many of the dead fish as possible, prioritising the immediate areas around Menindee, as well as other areas deemed high-risk in terms of water supply,” Greentree said.

    “While this will require specialised skills and equipment, experts in the EOC have already identified suitable contractors, and it is expected work will commence this week,” he added.

    On Friday, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) confirmed on social media that the agency is aware of a developing large-scale fish death event on the Lower Darling-Baaka below Menindee Main Weir through to Weir 32, adjacent to the Menindee township.

    “It is estimated that millions of fish, predominantly Bony Herring (Bony Bream) have been affected, as well as smaller number of other large-bodied species such as Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Silver Perch and Carp,” said the department.

    Cameron Lay, Director of freshwater environments at NSW DPI, told local media that the situation is “very distressing”.

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    #Emergency #operations #centre #activated #mass #fish #deaths #Australian #state

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • US Consulate in Hyderabad ends operations at Paigah Palace, moves to Nanakramguda

    US Consulate in Hyderabad ends operations at Paigah Palace, moves to Nanakramguda

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    Hyderabad: US Consulate in Hyderabad on Wednesday officially ended operations at Paigah Palace and gears up to re-open the facility in Nanakramguda on Monday, March 20.

    Yesterday, the consulate lowered the US flag at the palace located at Begumpet, Hyderabad.

    Later, US Consul General Hyderabad Jennifer Larson tweeted, ‘Today we lowered the U.S. flag at Paigah Palace for the last time. It’s been an amazing 14 years here and we’re excited to open a new chapter in the U.S.-India partnership at our new facility in Nanakramguda’.

    New address of US Consulate in Hyderabad’s Nanakramguda

    The US Consulate is shifting to its new address in Nanakramguda, Hyderabad. On Monday, the US flag will be raised at the new facility.

    As of March 20, the address of the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad will be Sy. No. 115/1, Financial District, Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500032.

    The US Consulate in Hyderabad which is going to be the largest one in South Asia was built with an investment of USD 297 billion.

    Apart from 54 visa procession windows, the consulate office which is constructed on a 12.2-acre site will have many new features.

    US Consulate at Paigah Palace began operation in 2009

    The US Consulate office in Hyderabad which is the first US diplomatic office to open in India after 1947 began its operation in 2009.

    Till March 15, it was housed in Paigah Palace, Chiran Fort Lane, Hyderabad. It covers three states viz., Telangana State, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

    The palace was built by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra who was a Paigah nobleman and it is spread on four-acre land. It is a double-storied building.

    In the past 14 years, the US Consulate approved over 16 lakh visas and processed 42511 citizenship services. Now, the US authorities are looking forward to surpass those numbers.



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    #Consulate #Hyderabad #ends #operations #Paigah #Palace #moves #Nanakramguda

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • The latest sign the White House Covid operations are winding down? Its proposed budget

    The latest sign the White House Covid operations are winding down? Its proposed budget

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    not real news 83748

    The budget may also leave out the administration’s prior request for new funding to jumpstart research aimed at developing the next generation of Covid vaccines and therapeutics. Health officials are currently discussing whether there’s existing money that can be reallocated toward the project.

    The White House’s Office of Management and Budget declined to comment, and the people familiar with the matter cautioned that the details of the budget proposal were not finalized and could still change.

    Even if the White House renewed its funding request, it would have faced a highly uncertain path forward. House Republicans have pledged to scale back the government’s Covid response, and even among Democratic lawmakers there’s little enthusiasm for continuing to fund the effort.

    But the waning focus on Covid still represents a notable shift for an administration that once believed its success in ending the pandemic would define Biden’s presidency. The White House in its first months prioritized spending hundreds of billions of dollars to distribute vaccines, develop new treatments and bolster the nation’s public health apparatus.

    Biden also made Covid a centerpiece of his first two budget proposals. He argued it was critical to fund government programs capable of responding swiftly to Covid and any future pandemic threats.

    And top White House officials spent much of last year pleading with Congress to allocate as much as $22.5 billion toward its ongoing pandemic operations, warning that the dwindling funding risked crippling its ability to combat dangerous new variants.

    But those requests were stonewalled by Republicans skeptical of the need for additional Covid funding. The extended stalemate forced the White House to pare back its ambitions and accelerate preparations to shift responsibility for purchasing and distributing vaccines and treatments to the private sector later this year. The administration is now unlikely to need additional money to buy more shots and therapies, with officials calculating they should have enough on hand to meet demand until it hands the job off to private insurers.

    A White House budget proposal is traditionally viewed as little more than a presidential wish list. But last year’s Covid funding fight has left officials convinced there is little appetite on either side of the aisle in Congress for continuing to make the pandemic response a top federal priority, the people familiar with the matter said — even against the persistent backdrop of more than 2,000 Covid deaths a week.

    The White House is instead expected to use its budget to highlight a series of proposals designed to build out other health programs, in an effort to sharpen Biden’s contrast with House Republicans he’s accused of wanting to gut major parts of the nation’s safety net.

    The administration earlier this week detailed a plan to extend Medicare’s solvency by raising taxes on people making more than $400,000 and expanding the program’s new authority to negotiate the price of certain drugs.

    Biden is also likely to renew his call for making enhanced Obamacare subsidies permanent, two people familiar with the matter said, as well as for implementing a policy that would extend health coverage to low-income Americans in states that have refused to expand Medicaid.

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    #latest #sign #White #House #Covid #operations #winding #proposed #budget
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Important to capture Artyomovsk to expand operations: Shoigu

    Important to capture Artyomovsk to expand operations: Shoigu

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    Moscow: Russian troops are continuing efforts to take control of the city of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut in Ukrainian), which has seen relentless fighting in recent says, as it is an important defence hub for Ukrainian forces in Donbass, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.

    “Taking (Artyomovsk) under control will allow further offensive actions deep into the defence of the armed forces of Ukraine,” he said, RT reported.

    As well as being a stronghold for Ukraine’s forces, Artyomovsk is part of a 70-km-long line of defence created by Kiev since fighting began in Donbass in 2014.

    In a months-long campaign, Russian forces have systematically captured settlements around the city and have been surrounding Artyomovsk from the north, south, and east.

    Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, meanwhile, has repeatedly insisted that he would not surrender the city, despite his Western backers and military advisers reportedly urging him to cut his losses and withdraw.

    Shoigu also said that Russian forces have taken the settlements of Nikolaevka, Dvurechnoe, Krasnaya Gora, Gryanikovka and Paraskovievka, and the “American strategy of ‘breaking Russia by force of arms’” had failed.

    “Western countries are increasing the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, expanding training programmes for Ukrainian army personnel.

    “At the same time, the support of the Kiev regime by NATO countries is not leading to the success of Ukrainian troops on the battlefield,” he added, noting that Kiev’s losses have significantly increased.

    According to the minister, in February alone the casualties suffered by Ukraine’s armed forces increased by more than 40 per cent compared to January and amounted to over 11,000 servicemen.

    “In this regard, the Kiev regime’s indifference towards its people is surprising,” Shoigu noted, adding that Kiev doesn’t seem to care how many people die.

    Russia’s priority, on the other hand, remains the preservation of the life and health of personnel and civilians, he stressed.

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    #Important #capture #Artyomovsk #expand #operations #Shoigu

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Google purges over 7,500 YouTube channels linked to malicious operations

    Google purges over 7,500 YouTube channels linked to malicious operations

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    New Delhi: Google took down more than 7,500 YouTube channels in Q1 2023 as part of its investigation into coordinated influence operations, and terminated 6,285 YouTube channels and 52 Blogger blogs alone linked to China.

    These channels and blogs mostly uploaded spammy content in Chinese about music, entertainment and lifestyle.

    “A very small subset uploaded content in Chinese and English about China and U.S. foreign affairs,” said Google.

    Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said it also terminated 40 YouTube channels sharing content in Persian, English, Hindi and Urdu that was supportive of the Iranian government and critical of protesters in Iran.

    The team terminated 1,088 YouTube channels, sharing content in Azerbaijani that was supportive of Azerbaijan and critical of Armenia and critics of the Azerbaijani government.

    It also blocked 2 domains from eligibility to appear on Google News surfaces and Discover as part of its investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to individuals from Poland.

    “The campaign was sharing content in Polish that was supportive of Russia and critical of the United States and Ukraine. We received leads from Mandiant, which is now part of Google Cloud,” said the company.

    Google also terminated 87 YouTube channels linked to the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA).

    “We terminated 4 YouTube channels as part of our investigation into coordinated influence operations. The campaign was sharing content in German that was critical of Ukrainian refugees,” the company added.

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    #Google #purges #YouTube #channels #linked #malicious #operations

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Iranian police seize over 1.2 ton of opium in two operations

    Iranian police seize over 1.2 ton of opium in two operations

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    Iranian police seize over 1.2 ton of opium in two operations

    Tehran: Iran’s police have seized 1,235 kg of opium in two separate operations in the capital Tehran and the southeastern province of Kerman, official news agency IRNA reported.

    Kerman’s anti-narcotics police forces seized 933 kg of opium concealed in a truckload of sand and manganese rocks when traffickers were preparing to transfer them overnight from the southeastern city of Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchestan province to Kerman, it reported on Sunday.

    Provincial police commander Abdolreza Nazeri told IRNA that the truck and the narcotics were confiscated, and one suspect was arrested, Xinhua news agency reported.

    In the other operation, Tehran’s anti-narcotics police seized 302 kg of opium from two sedans driving on a main highway toward the capital city.

    Five traffickers with criminal records were arrested in the surprise raid, said the report, citing Tehran’s chief anti-narcotics police officer Zargham Azin.

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    #Iranian #police #seize #ton #opium #operations

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BBC profits not commensurate with operations in India: Tax officials

    BBC profits not commensurate with operations in India: Tax officials

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    New Delhi: The income and profits shown by various BBC group entities are “not commensurate” with the scale of their operations in India and tax has not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities, the income tax authorities said Friday, a day after they ended a three-day-long survey operation against the British media organisation.

    The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a statement without identifying the company but said the survey was conducted at the business premises of group entities of a prominent international media company which is engaged in the business of development of content in English, Hindi and various other Indian languages, advertisement sales and market support services, etc.

    Officials said the statement pertains to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    The I-T department had launched the survey exercise on February 14 at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai and it ended after about 60 hours on Thursday night.

    The CBDT is the administrative authority for the tax department.

    The statement alleged various tax-linked irregularities against the London-headquartered company and accused it of using “dilatory tactics” during the course of the survey.

    “The survey revealed that despite substantial consumption of content in various Indian languages (apart from English), the income/profits shown by various group entities (of BBC) is not commensurate with the scale of operations in India.”

    “…the department gathered several evidences pertaining to the operation of the organisation which indicate that tax has not been paid on certain remittances which have not been disclosed as income in India by the foreign entities of the group,” the CBDT said.

    The BBC, after tax teams left their premises on Thursday, said they will “continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible.”

    According to the CBDT statement, the tax authorities found that the services of “seconded employees” were utilised by the BBC for which reimbursement has been made by the Indian entity to the foreign entity concerned.

    “Such remittance was also liable to be subject to withholding tax which has not been done. Further, the survey has also thrown up several discrepancies and inconsistencies with regard to Transfer Pricing documentation.”

    “Such discrepancies relate to level of relevant Function, Asset and Risk (FAR) analysis, incorrect use of comparables which are applicable to determine the correct Arms Length Price (ALP) and inadequate revenue apportionment, among others,” the statement added.

    According to I-T rules, transfer pricing “generally refers to prices of transactions between associated enterprises which may take place under conditions differing from those taking place between independent enterprises. It refers to the value attached to transfers of goods, services and technology between related entities”.

    It also refers to the value attached to transfers between un-related parties which are controlled by a common entity.

    It said the survey has led to unearthing of “crucial evidences” by way of statement of employees, digital evidences and documents which will be further examined in due course.

    It is pertinent to state that the authorities recorded statements of only those employees whose role was crucial including those connected to, primarily, finance, content development and other production related functions, the CBDT said.

    It accused the media organisation of using “dilatory tactics” during the surprise operation.

    “Even though the department exercised due care to record statements of only key personnel, it was observed that dilatory tactics were employed including in the context of producing documents/ agreements sought. Despite such stance of the group, the survey operation was conducted in a manner so as to facilitate continued regular media/channel activity,” the statement said.

    The survey prompted Opposition parties to denounce the I-T department action as they termed it “political vendetta”.

    The BJP had accused the BBC of “venomous reporting” while the Opposition had questioned the timing of the action that came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Operations at BBC offices ‘affront to freedom of expression'”: Global watchdogs

    Operations at BBC offices ‘affront to freedom of expression’”: Global watchdogs

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    New York: Global media watchdogs and human rights bodies on Tuesday criticised the Indian government’s income tax survey operations at the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, saying the action “smacks of intimidation” and was a “blatant affront” to freedom of expression.

    The Income Tax officials described the action as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion.

    Reacting to the Indian IT department’s action, the UK-based British public broadcaster said that it was “fully cooperating” with the authorities and hoped that the situation will be resolved “as soon as possible”.

    The New York-based independent non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the Indian government to stop harassing journalists.

    Its Asia programme coordinator Beh Lih Yi said: “Raiding the BBC’s India offices in the wake of a documentary criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi smacks of intimidation”.

    “Indian authorities have used tax investigations as a pretext to target critical news outlets before, and must cease harassing BBC employees immediately, in line with the values of freedom that should be espoused in the world’s largest democracy,” CPJ said in a statement.

    “The searches by the tax authorities of the offices of @BBCWorld in #Inde , 3 weeks after the censorship of his documentary on @narendramodi, constitute an outrageous reprisal. RSF denounces these attempts to silence any criticism of the Indian government,” Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) tweeted.

    Amnesty International tweeted: “These raids are a blatant affront to freedom of expression.”

    “The Indian authorities are clearly trying to harass and intimidate the BBC over its critical coverage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The overbroad powers of the Income Tax Department are repeatedly being weaponised to silence dissent. Last year, tax officials also raided the offices of a number of NGOs, including Oxfam India. These intimidatory acts, which undermine the right to freedom of expression in India, must end now,” it said in a statement.

    The South Asia Solidarity Group, a human rights organisation based in the UK, dubbed it a “blatantly vindictive move”.

    “In the wake of the government’s ban on sharing extracts or screening the documentary, this raid makes it clear that the Modi government will attack all those who criticise Narendra Modi, the BJP and those close to them,” said Mukti Shah, spokesperson for the group.

    In New Delhi, officials said the survey was being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, and alleged that the BBC had been served with notices in the past but was “defiant and non-compliant” and had significantly diverted its profits.

    The IT action against the BBC comes weeks after the broadcaster aired a controversial two-part documentary -“India: The Modi Question”- on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 2002 Gujarat riots.

    The Indian government has branded the two-part series a “propaganda piece”, designed to push a particular “discredited narrative”.

    “The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said at the time it was aired in the UK last month.

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    #Operations #BBC #offices #affront #freedom #expression #Global #watchdogs

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )