Thursday, September 10, 2026
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Taiwan engages jets as China intrudes its airspace during US official’s visit

New Delhi (NVI): China, which keeps an eye on Taiwan and opposes any official contact with it, today deliberately conducted an air exercise near the island, in a bid to intimidate it’s government on a day when a senior US official held talks in Taipei.

According to CNA, multiple Chinese warplanes crossed the sensitive mid-line of Taiwan, in an escalation of tensions between the two countries. Taiwan’s Air Force, which was ready for the move, also scrambled its jets in the air and gave warnings to the Chinese aircraft.

US Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taipei yesterday for a three-day visit. China had earlier announced that it would conduct combat drills near the Taiwan Strait. Pertinent to mention here that Beijing denounces the Taiwan Strait and claims it as a part of its territory.

Four J-10 single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft, four J-11 twin-engine jet fighters, and a number of J-16 tandem-seat twinjet multi-role strike fighters crossed the median line, the Taiwan Air Force said in a report.

Another two Xian H-6 strategic bombers accompanied by a number of J-16s entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, reports CNA.

A report by Taiwan’s Air force said that it broadcast warnings to the Chinese military aircraft to leave, and activated its air defense missile system tracking function.

The Chinese exercise was conducted by PLA’s Eastern Theater Command. China has also conducted the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently to test the level of integration of its different forces and weapons systems, according to PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesman Zhang Chunhui.

Meanwhile, apprehending “invasion” by China, Taiwan’s military has also been conducting exercises to test their capabilities in the near shore zones and to neutralise enemy forces on beaches and in other landing areas.

Meanwhile, apprehending “invasion” by China, Taiwan’s military has also been conducting exercises to test their capabilities in the near shore zones and to neutralise enemy forces on beaches and in other landing areas.

China has claimed that US is trying to control Beijing through Taiwan. The latest development also comes amid US-China tensions over a lingering trade war and coronavirus pandemic that originated the Chinese province of Wuhan.

Pertinent to mention here that Washington is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and most important international support.

-ARK

Activists denounce Pakistan’s plans to make Gilgit-Baltistan as its province

In July, Gilgit-Baltistan people had protested against Pakistan after they were denied proper access to internet for several months.

New Delhi (NVI): Under constant pressure from China, Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan’s status to that of a full-fledged  province, while brazenly ignoring India’s protests regarding Islamabad’s efforts to bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories.

The move has been criticised by Human Rights activists and experts who have said that it will be challenged on legal and constitutional grounds.

Several activists from Gilgit-Baltistan have also been protesting over the Imran Khan government’s move to forcibly turn the region into one of Pakistan’s provinces. This also comes when the people in G-B are living under one of the worst systems of governance in Pakistan with no basic human, political and economic rights.

“Gilgit Baltistan is a part of Ladakh province of the State of Jammu & Kashmir, since 1947 it’s under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. Pakistan can’t make it a province. Any such move from Pakistan shall be resisted worldwide & challenged on legal & constitutional grounds,” tweeted Prof Sajjad Raja, Chairman, National Equality Party, JKGBL (Jammu Kashmir Gilgit Baltistan and Ladakh), who has been raising his voice against Pakistan’s attempts to gain complete control on PoK which is a disputed territory.

According to a report in Pakistan media on Wednesday, Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would soon visit the region and make the formal announcement to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights.

The minister has also said that Gilgit-Baltistan would be given adequate representation on all constitutional bodies, including the National Assembly and the Senate.

Behind all this facade is an underlying truth that China has been pressuring Pakistan for several years now to incorporate Gilgit-Baltistan as a full-fledged province. China couldn’t afford to invest billions of dollars on a road that passes through a disputed territory claimed both by India and Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), linking China to Gwadar post in Balochistan province has an investment worth USD 60 billion dollars and Pakistan has to abide by Beijing’s policies under its ambitions Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since it is already facing the challenges of a dipping economy.

India has already protested against Islamabad’s efforts to bring material change in Pakistan occupied areas. In a statement issued in May this year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

Gilgit-Baltistan is a part of undivided Jammu and Kashmir and it was illegally occupied by Pakistan by military force in 1947. Since then, the mountainous region has been witnessing immense subjugation at the hands of Pakistan and its Army.

-ARK

Shopian encounter: Army says troops exceeded powers under AFSPA, initiates proceedings

July 18 Shopian encounter: Army completes summary of evidence
An encounter site in Kashmir (File Pic)

New Delhi (NVI): The Army today said that as per the inquiry conducted by it in the Shopian encounter, in which three youths were killed, the prima facie evidence indicates that the powers vested under the AFSPA act were “contravened” by the troops and that it has initiated disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act in the case.

After the July 18 encounter in Ashimpora area of Shopian, the Army had said that three militants were killed in an operation.

However, when there several social media posts claiming that the three youths killed were from Rajouri and were not militants, the Army took cognizance and ordered a thorough probe.

“The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Do’s and Don’ts of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as approved by the Hon’ble Supreme Court have been contravened,” said defence spokesman Rajesh Kalia.

“Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable,” Kalia said.

Days after the killings of three youths, their families in Rajouri had registered a police complaint that the pictures of three youths being circulated on social media are that of their wards and they had gone to Shopian to work as labourers.

“The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Op Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police,” the defence spokesman said while adding that the Army is committed to ethical conduct of operations.

“Further updates on the case will be given periodically without affecting due process of the law of the land,” he added.

COVID-19: All schools in Delhi to remain closed till October 5

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New Delhi (NVI): All schools in the national capital will continue to remain closed till October 5 in view of the rising number of the cases, the Delhi government today announced.

“All government and private schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online teaching and learning activities will continue as usual,” an official order issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) said. School principals are authorised to call “staff as per requirement for smooth conduct of online classes or any other work”, it said.

Previously, the government had said it would allow senior students to come to schools if they need any guidance from their teachers. But now the government has made it clear that there will be no partial reopening of the schools — not for any student.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

However, from September 21, schools in a few states are resuming as Centre has given a go-ahead in its Unlock 4 guidelines.

The national capital on Thursday recorded 4,432 new cases of the coronavirus disease.

-CHK

9.1 mn passengers have flown since domestic flights resumed in May: Puri

Philippines
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New Delhi (NVI): A total of 9.1 million passengers have flown since the domestic flights recommenced in May with 1.16 lakh passengers flying today, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

He said that the domestic aviation sector is nearly witnessing pre-coronavirus figures return with increase in the number of bookings.

“Domestic civil aviation operations continue smoothly. With 1,16,398 passengers on 17th Sept 2020, we are slowly flying towards the Pre-COVID figures. More than 9.1 million passengers have now flown since operations recommenced on 25 May 2020,” said Puri.

Ministry of Civil Aviation said a total of 2,759 flight movements took place across the country on 17 September and that over 2.33 lakh footfalls were recorded at airports across the country on 17 September.

1,376 flight arrivals took place across the country on 17 September, the ministry said.

Furthermore, Airports Authority of India (AAI) said on Twitter that a total of 31,861 passengers flew across the country from northern India on 17 September, making it “one of the progressive days” for AAI’s northern region airports since the resumption of domestic flights on May 25.

The government had earlier this month allowed airlines to sell seats up to 60 per cent of their seat capacity on domestic flights.

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay or firings of employees in order to conserve cash.

-CHK

Centre rushes team to Jammu to assist in containing Covid-19

India reports less than 50,000 daily Covid cases for 8th day
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New Delhi (NVI): The Centre has decided to send a high-level team from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to Jammu to help contain Covid-19, as the district has reported a surge in new coronavirus cases in the past few days, Union Health Ministry said today.

The team of experts comprises of S K Singh, Director, NCDC and Vijay Hadda, professor of pulmonary critical care at AIIMS-Delhi as its other member.

This comes after a special team led by Dr V K Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog visited Srinagar recently. The team had reviewed the status of preparedness for COVID-19 management with the district collectors of the valley.

The current central team will interact with the district collectors and health officers of Jammu and also visit hospitals in Bakshinagar and Gandhinagar.

“The team will support the state efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of the positive cases,” the Ministry of Health in a statement said.

The team will also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up, it added.

Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Jammu stands at 9,428. Of these, 3196 have recovered. COVID-19 deaths are reported to be 117, the ministry said.

There are 6,115 Active Cases in the district and the total cases one week ago were 6,878, it added.

According to the ministry figures, Jammu has been reporting doubling time of 15.4 days, while the recovery rate of 33.9 per cent and case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 1.24 per cent

The ministry informed that an ongoing effort to strengthen efforts of various state/UT governments for COVID-19 management, the central government has been deputing teams from time to time to visit.

“These teams interact with the state or Union Territory authorities and get a first hand understanding of the challenges and issues being faced by them so as to strengthen their ongoing activities and remove bottlenecks if any,” it added.

-RJV/ARK

First International Equal Pay Day 2020 calls to end gender pay gap

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New Delhi (NVI): Under an initiative of the United Nations, today the world is observing its first-ever International Equal Pay Day, with an aim to highlight the importance of ending sexual discrimination in relation to gender pay gap which refers to the difference in earnings between men and women in paid employment.

On November 15, 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming September 18 as International Equal Pay Day.

The resolution was introduced by the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), with the support of Canada, Australia, Germany, Panama, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland.

EPIC is led by the International Labour Organization, UN Women and partners. Its goal is to achieve equal pay for women.

The day is intended to promote further action towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value.

It is estimated that the gender pay gap is 23 per cent globally. According to Statistics Canada, on average, full-time working women in Canada earn 32 per cent less than men. This gap is wider for Indigenous women (35%), women with a disability (46%), and racialized women (33%). This gender pay gap is a major contributor to women’s poverty.

Women are paid less than men across the world. In India, women earn 19 per cent less than men, according to a survey conducted by Monster Salary Index.

It is imperative that we reflect upon this figure as it exposes the injustice meted out to nearly half of the Indian population.

Equal pay for equal work is a human right to which all women are entitled. As a society, it should be ensured that nobody is left behind due to discrimination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a gendered impact. Women disproportionally represent those in low-wage jobs and consequently are most at risk. This again displays the need for pay equity.

To recognize the first International Equal Pay Day, the Equal Pay International Coalition is hosting a virtual global Call to Action — Building back a better future of work by ensuring pay equity. The Call to Action is encouraging all labour market actors to take the necessary steps to ensure that equal pay is at the heart of recovery efforts worldwide.

-CHK

PM Modi inaugurates Kosi Rail Mega Bridge in Bihar

(Pic Via Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Ministers Narendra Modi today dedicated ‘Kosi Rail Mahasetu’ to the nation along with a dozen of other rail projects worth Rs 3,000 crore in Bihar, aimed at electrification of railways, promoting Make in India in this sector as well as providing employment in the same.

“Today, new history has been created in the field of rail connectivity in Bihar. The dozen of projects worth Rs 3000 crores including the Kosi Mahasetu and Kiul Bridge launched today will strengthen the rail network in the State,” PM Modi said in his virtual address while inaugurating the projects.

A new railway bridge on the Kiul River, two new railway lines, five electrification projects, one electric locomotive shed at Barauni and a third line project between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur are some of the other projects inaugurated by PM through video conferencing today.

He said that around 4 years ago, two Mahasetu connecting North and South Bihar were started, one in Patna and the other in Munger. “The commissioning of these two rail bridges, makes conveyance easier and comfortable for people between North & South Bihar,” PM said.

Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was also present at the event. He said that Kosi Rail Mega Bridge will not only connect two places but also help the state’s economy grow. “This will aid in the overall development of the state,” he said.

On the occasion, PM Modi said: “In Bihar today, most powerful electric engines of 12,000 horsepower are being made. Another big achievement for Bihar is that at present, more than 90 per cent of railway network is electrified. In the last six years, electrification of more that 3000 km of railway track has been done.”

The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore, was sanctioned by the Centre in 2003-04. The bridge also has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border.

-ARK

Google removes Paytm app from Play Store

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New Delhi (NVI): Google removed digital payments major Paytm app from its Play Store today for allegedly violating its gambling policies.

The search giant hasn’t specifically revealed the reason behind taking down the Paytm app, which has over 50 millions of active users in India. But in a blog posted today the Google cites policy on gambling.

According to the reports, in a blog post, Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy said that Google does not allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting.

“We don’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies,” Frey said in a statement.

Frey further said when an app violates these policies, the developer is notified and the app removed from Google Play “until the developer brings the app into compliance”. These policies protect users from potential harm.

“We actively engage with our developer community for feedback while we define and refine our policies. Together, we will continue to create a safe and secure mobile app ecosystem for everyone,” added the statement.

Acknowledging the issue, the company took to Twitter and wrote, “Paytm Android app is temporarily unavailable on Google’s Play Store for new downloads or updates. It will be back very soon.”

“All your money is completely safe, and you can continue to enjoy your Paytm app as normal,” it added.

Paytm’s main app has been taken down, however, other apps like Paytm for Business, Paytm Money, Paytm Mall and a few more are still present for Google Play.

This is the first time Google has removed the digital payments behemoth Paytm from the Play store. Meanwhile, the Paytm app for iOS is still available for download through Apple App Store.

-RJV

6.6 million white-collar jobs lost during May-August: CMIE

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New Delhi (NVI): Around 6.6 million white-collar professionals, including engineers, physicians and teachers lost their jobs between May and August during the coronavirus lockdown, washing away all employment gains made since 2016, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

The white-collar jobs employed in the country fell sharply to 12.2 million during May-August 2020, from a peak of 18.8 million during the same period last year.

According to CMIE, this is the lowest level of employment of these professionals since 2016 and all the gains made in their jobs over the past four years were washed away during the lockdown.

These white-collar salaried employees, including engineers, physicians, teachers, accountants, and analysts, were hardest hit due to large scale job losses during the lockdown months.

However, the lockdown did not impact white-collar clerical employees such as desk-work employees ranging from secretaries and office clerks to BPO/KPO workers, and data-entry operators, the CMIE report said.

Interestingly, the lockdown did not impact white collar clerical employees. These include largely, desk-work employees ranging from secretaries and office clerks to BPO/KPO workers, data-entry operators and the types.

Possibly, their work shifted to the Work-from-Home mode, says the report. This category of workers has not been seeing any growth since 2016. In fact, it has slid quite sharply since 2018 from about 15 million to less than 12 million by 2020. Interestingly, it did not slide any further during the lockdown.

Furthermore, the lockdown has hit the industrial workers’ job on a large scale too. “By a similar year-on-year comparison, nearly 5 million industrial workers lost their jobs. This reflects a 26 per cent fall in employment among industrial workers over a year,” as per the CMIE report.

The month of April saw a humungous job loss of 121 million. Also, the decline in employment of industrial workers is likely to be largely in the smaller industrial units, reflecting the distress in the medium, small and micro industrial units in recent times.

However, the relaxation of lockdown has brought some hope that the economy and business condition may improve.

-RJV/ARK

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