Thursday, September 10, 2026
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Actress Sonal Chauhan helps in rescue of injured baby bird at her residence

New Delhi (NVI): An injured baby Common Tailorbird was rescued by Wildlife SOS from Bollywood actress Sonal Chauhan’s residence in Greater Noida.

In a heart-warming tale of compassion, Bollywood actress Sonal Chauhan, famed for her role in the movie ‘Jannat’, reached out to the Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit on finding a baby bird in her garden.

The bird’s injuries required immediate medical attention and it is currently undergoing treatment, the Wildlife SOS said in a statement.

When the actress noticed that the bird had fallen from its nest and was struggling to fly, she took to Twitter to report the incident and reached out to Wildlife SOS.

After a call to the NGO’s 24×7 emergency helpline, a Wildlife SOS rescuer was immediately dispatched by the conservation charity. The bird, identified as a Common Tailorbird had injured its left leg so the rescuer had to gently pick up the bird and place it in a transport carrier, the NGO said in a statement.

The bird is currently under the care of Wildlife SOS.

“Wildlife SOS was extremely prompt. In the moment where I couldn’t find any vets, they promptly responded to me on Twitter and that is what kept us hopeful. It’s good to see what they’re doing as most birds are not given that much attention. It was a great experience and I wish them all the best. Wildlife SOS is doing a great job,” Sonal Chauhan said.

The Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) is a songbird that is popular for its nest made of leaves “sewn” together. The bird has been immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as Darzee in the ‘Jungle Book’, and is a rather common resident in urban gardens. Common tailorbirds form long-term bonds and remain in one location year-round. These highly active birds fit between trees and shrubs, and sometimes hop on the ground to forage for insects.

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO & Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said, “We are extremely grateful to Ms. Sonal Chauhan for reaching out to us immediately for aid. It is heartening to see her compassion for animals. This sets a great precedent, encouraging others to reach out in case of encounters with urban wildlife like birds, reptiles & small mammals.”

Wasim Akram, Deputy Director – Special Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “The baby bird has possibly fallen from a fair height and broken its leg. Birds have tiny, often hollow bones that are prone to sprains and breakage. Treating an injured bird is a greatly sensitive matter and requires professional medical treatment.”

-ARK

Sit-in at Gilgit Baltistan’s Hunza valley enters 3rd day for release of political prisoners

New Delhi (NVI): It’s the third day of protests at Aliabad in Hunza valley of Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, as protesters have been demanding the release of their loved ones including several political activists who have been languishing in Pakistan jails for years.

Braving cold weather, protestors including women, children and elderly, continued with their peaceful sit-in at Aliabad. They have said that they will continue the sit-in till the unconditional release of all political prisoners in G-B including  Baba Jan, Iftikhar Karbalai and others.


This is in continuation of a massive protest rally that was held two days back by families of political prisoners who remain in Pakistan’s illegal custody for raising their voices against oppression by Islamabad and ISI.

Baba Jan, who has been serving sentence behind prison bars for 6 years now. Reportedly, he is the longest-serving political prisoner in occupied Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan.

Several political and Human Rights activists have demanded the release of these political prisoners and extended their support to the movement.

National Equality Party JKGBL (NEPJKGBL) has also extended its support to the protesters in their fight for the release of their loved ones who are under forcible detention and enforced disappearance for years at the hand of Pakistan.

“Aliabad sit-in enters the third day. National Equality Party JKGBL #NEPJKGBL supports this sit-in, we give commitment that this peaceful sit-in will continue till the unconditional release of all political prisoners in #GilgitBaltistan. 90 years in prison, just for demanding BHR!,” tweeted Prof. Sajjad Raza, Chairman of National Equality Party of Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir Gilgit Baltistan (PoJKGB).

Political and Human Rights activists have condemned for long the illegal detention of people from the region who have been arrested merely for criticising the Pakistan government or military.

-ARK

Indigenous defence capabilities are foundations to enduring peace: Rajnath

New Delhi (NVI): In the wake of India-China border face-off, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that self-reliance and indigenous defence capabilities are the foundations to enduring peace.

“We are a peace loving country. We remain committed to peace and stability across the world, we also remain committed to the belief that Self-Reliance and indigenous defence capabilities are the foundations to enduring peace,” Rajnath said while addressing the Ambassadors’ Round Table Virtual conference on Aero India 2021.


In his virtual address on the upcoming Aero India exhibition, the Defence Minister talked about various reforms taken by the Government.

According to an official release, the major reach-out effort by the Defence Ministry was attended by 200+ invitees comprising Ambassadors, Heads of Missions and Defence Attaches of over 75 countries. The huge participation indicated the growing stature of the 13th mega biennial event, to be held in Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru from February 3-7, next year, as per the official statement.

Addressing the conference, Rajnath said that Aero India-21 aligns with India’s vision to be among the top five countries of the world in defence and aerospace industries, with active participation of public and private sector fulfilling the objective of Self-Reliance as well as requirements of other friendly countries.

“Aatmanirbhar Bharat was the centerpiece of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and towards this, Ministry of Defence has announced numerous government reforms such as increase in FDI to 74% through automatic route, the Defence Acquisition Procedure -2020, revised Offset guidelines to promote Investment in India for co-development and co-production as also formulated the draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 (DPEPP 2020) during the preceding pandemic months to steer the vision as also for ease of business,” Rajnath said in his address.

Rajnath said that India’s Aerospace and defence sector has matured and is exploring mutually beneficial partnerships with friendly countries to set up manufacturing industries in India and defence equipment produced in India to be exported abroad.

He further stated that “Aero India-21 will showcase Government’s intent to achieve a turnover of USD 25 billion with exports of USD 5 billion in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025”.

The Defence Minister also urged the ambassadors to impress upon their leadership and Industry captains of their respective countries and defence industries to participate in Aero India-21 in a big way so as to “dive deep into the strategic and business opportunities available in India with the aim of establishing strategic partnerships”.

On the occasion, he also released the official Aero India 2021 inaugural film

The theme of the event ‘The runway to a billion opportunities’, encompasses the gamut of Aerospace and Defence manufacturing including opportunities in the civil aerospace domain. The Defence Minister expressed confidence that Aero India-21 will demonstrate India’s ability to take the lead and further build on our strengths in the post COVID world.

Department of Defence Production gave a detailed presentation on all aspects of Aero India-21 and built in assurances to be compliant with COVID-19 stipulations. The Government of Karnataka also gave a presentation informing the participants about the preparedness of the state to conduct the show in a controlled and safe environment.

Chief Minister of Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa also addressed the audience and assured them that Government of Karnataka would make all necessary preparations towards safe conduct of the Aero India-21 in February 2021 at Bengaluru keeping in mind the safety of the participants and in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.

Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Yesso Naik; Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar also addressed the gathering and echoed the resolve of the Ministry of Defence to steer the indigenous defence industry as one of the pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat and invited the Foreign delegates to Aero India-21, as per the official statement.

-ARK

Cabinet ratifies ban on 7 hazardous chemicals listed under Stockholm Convention

generic medicines
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar

New Delhi (NVI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today ratified ban of seven Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) listed under Stockholm Convention.

“With today’s decision India is sending out a positive message to the world that we are active in this area & we do not tolerate health & environmental hazard”, said the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar at a press briefing in New Delhi.

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from POPs, which are identified chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in living organisms, adversely affect human health/ environment and have the property of long-range environmental transport (LRET), according to a statement by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development. POPs are listed in various Annexes to the Stockholm Convention after thorough scientific research, deliberations and negotiations among member countries, the statement added.

Considering its commitment towards providing safe environment and addressing human health risks, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the ‘Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, on March 5, 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The regulation inter alia prohibited the manufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals namely (i) Chlordecone, (ii) Hexabromobiphenyl, (iii) Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE), (iv) Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE), (v) Pentachlorobenzene, (vi) Hexabromocyclododecane, and (vii) Hexachlorobutadiene, which were already listed as POPs under Stockholm Convention.

The Cabinet’s approval for ratification of POPs indicates the resolve of the Government to take action on POPs by implementing control measures, develop and implement action plans for unintentionally produced chemicals, develop inventories of the chemicals’ stockpiles and review as well as update its National Implementation Plan (NIP).

The ratification process would enable India to access Global Environment Facility (GEF) financial resources in updating the NIP.

The Cabinet further delegated its powers to ratify chemicals under the Stockholm Convention to Union Ministers of External Affairs (MEA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) in respect of POPs already regulated under the domestic regulations thereby streamlining the procedure.

-CHK

Kyrgyzstan PM resigns as election results annulled after mass protests

New Delhi (NVI): Opposition groups in Kyrgyzstan made grabs for power today, as the country’s Prime Minister resigned, a day after protestors stormed a building that houses the Central Asian country’s parliament and presidential offices, alleging vote-rigging, according to local media reports.

Following the huge political chaos, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Kubatbek Boronov, has resigned, as per the reports. The violent protests in the wake of elections in Kyrgyzstan has left the country in political turmoil.

After Boronov’s resignation, Sooronbai Jeenbekov called for all-party talks today, reiterating his willingness to mediate.

Local media tweeted pictures of protesters inside President Sooronbai Jeenbekov’s office, located in a building known as the White House in the capital Bishkek.

The demonstrators also freed former President Almazbek Atambayev from a jail cell in the country’s national security committee building, according to media reports.

Atambayev had been jailed after falling out with President Jeenbekov and was arrested on corruption charges. They also released imprisoned politician Sadyr Japarov, Radio Free Europe reported.

In the past 15 years, two presidents have been overthrown in Kyrgyzstan. It’s longtime ally Russia has expressed concern over the protests that spread across the country in the wake of Sunday’s vote.

Kyrgyzstan, which borders China, also hosts both a Russian military airbase and a large Canadian-owned gold mining operation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Moscow is monitoring the situation and hoped that democratic process would be restored soon. According to reports, China’s foreign ministry has also expressed concern about the situation.

Two establishment groups emerged victorious in Sunday’s election after total 16 parties took part in the vote. However, 11 refused to accept the results and following the discontent, the protests grew after which the election commission annulled the vote.

-ARK

Cabinet approves reforms in natural gas marketing

New Delhi (NVI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms’, taking another significant step to move towards gas based economy.

The objective of the policy is to prescribe standard procedure to discover market price of gas to be sold in the market by gas producers, through a transparent and competitive process, permit Affiliates to participate in bidding process for sale of gas and allow marketing freedom to certain Field Development Plans (FDPs) where Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom, according to a statement by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

Briefing the media after the meeting, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) will suggest an e-bidding platform for users.

The move is expected to attract investors and help India’s push for a gas-based economy.

Pradhan said the decision will help increase domestic gas production by an additional 40 million standard cubic meters a day (mmscmd), from the current 80 mmscmd.

The policy aims to provide standard procedure for sale of natural gas in a transparent and competitive manner to discover market price by issuing guidelines for sale by contractor through e-bidding. This will bring uniformity in the bidding process across the various contractual regimes and policies to avoid ambiguity and contribute towards ease of doing business, the statement added.

Further, post the latest decision, the producing company cannot participate in the bidding process, while affiliate companies can participate in the bidding process.

The policy has also permitted Affiliate companies to participate in the bidding process in view of the open, transparent and electronic bidding. This will facilitate and promote more competition in marketing of gas. However, rebidding will have to be done in case only affiliates participate, and there are no other bidders.

It will also grant marketing freedom to the Field Development Plans (FDPs) of those Blocks in which Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom.

The whole eco-system of policies relating to production, infrastructure and marketing of natural gas has been made more transparent with a focus on ease of doing business. These reforms will also help in creating employment opportunities in the gas-consuming sectors including MSMEs, CCEA added.

The domestic production will further help in increasing investment in the downstream industries such as City Gas Distribution and related industries.

“The Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) which is investor driven acreage auction process, has increased substantial acreages in the country. No blocks were allocated between 2010 and 2017 which has impacted the long term viability of the domestic production. Since 2017 more than 1.6 lakh sq.km area under 105 exploration blocks have been allocated,” the statement added.

-CHK

UN refugee chief tests Covid-19 positive

Filippo Grandi

New Delhi (NVI): The UN Refugee Agency High Commissioner Filippo Grandi today announced that he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Taking to Twitter, Grandi said, “I am engaging with UNHCR’s Executive Committee from home as I have to isolate after testing positive to COVID-19. I only have mild symptoms and hope to recover soon.”

He advised people to always remember the importance of washing hands and maintaining social distancing. “A reminder of the importance of washing hands, keeping distances and wearing masks”, Grandi tweeted

The UN refugee chief contracted with the infection two days after leading the first two days of the agency’s main annual meeting.

He kicked off UNHCR’s weeklong Executive Committee meeting in Geneva on Monday and told the participants of the media via video-link that he would need to continue following the event from home.

-RJV

Cabinet approves revised cost for Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor Project

New Delhi (NVI): The Union Cabinet today approved the Ministry of Railways proposal for revised cost estimate for construction of Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor Project at an estimated cost of Rs 8574.98 crore.

The announcement was made by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal during a cabinet meeting, alongside Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Dharmendra Pradhan.

Goyal in a virtual briefing said, the Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor Project will ease traffic congestion, enhance urban connectivity & provide a cleaner mobility solution to lakhs of daily commuters.

“This project will take mass rapid transport to new heights in Kolkata and will be completed in 14-15 months,” he added.

The total route length of the project is 16.6 km, comprising 12 stations. This will include construction of a metro corridor between Salt Lake Sector-V to Howrah Maidan in West Bengal.

However, the project is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle Kolkata Metro Rail Corp. Ltd set up under ministry of railways.

In an official statement, the Ministry of Railways said that the pre-pandemic target for completion of their project was December, 2021.

“Efforts are being taken to minimise the impact of pandemic on completion of the project. The project includes immense technological challenges like tunnel below river Ganges which is the 1st transportation tunnel in India under any major river as well as Howrah Station which is one of the deepest Metro stations in India,” it added.

The mega project will create transit connectivity between business district of Kolkata with industrial city of Howrah in west and Salt Lake City in east through a safe, accessible and comfortable mode of public transport.

“Since this corridor connects three most important parts of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area i.e. Howrah, Business area of Kolkata and New Settlements in Salt Lake it is going to revolutionize the mass rapid transport in Kolkata and adjoining Howrah and Bidhanangar,” the statement said, adding that, this will connect important landmarks like Howrah, Sealdah, Esplanade and Salt Lake Sector-V which is an IT hub,”

It will also integrate multiple modes of transport like the Metro, Sub-urban Railways, ferry and bus transport by constructing interchange hubs.

-RJV

2 women win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for genome editing

New Delhi (NVI): The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing.”

They discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision.

They are the first women to share the prize without a male collaborator.

A panel at the Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced the recipients.

The prestigious Nobel award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1,118,000), courtesy of a bequest left 124 years ago by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.

On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded with one half to Roger Penrose and the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for advancing our understanding of black holes.

On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice and British-born scientist Michael Houghton for discovering the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus.

-CHK

Modi wishes Putin on his 68th birthday

India and Russia can place troops, fighter planes, warships on each other’s territory
PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin (File Pic)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over a phone call today and extended greetings to the occasion of the latter’s 68th birthday.

PM Modi recalled his long association and friendship with Putin, and appreciated the personal role that he has played in nurturing the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

Both the leaders agreed to remain in touch over the coming days, including on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Modi invited Putin to India, after the normalisation of the public health situation.

Earlier on September 17, Putin had wished PM Modi on his birthday and lauded his personal contribution to the strengthening of strategic partnership between India and Russia.

-CHK

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