Chandrababu took vendetta politics to the next level’: Jagan over YSRCP office demolition

 

'Chandrababu has taken vendetta politics to next level': Jagan over demolition of YSRCP office

The under-construction YSR Congress Party headquarters office at Tadepalli in Guntur district was demolished by civic authorities early on Saturday for alleged illegality. Activities Construction demolished.

Mangalagiri Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC) authorities started the demolition using excavators and bulldozers around 5.30 am.

The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) had issued notices to opposition parties over alleged illegal construction work. The YSRCP moved the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the CRDA office. A party spokesperson claimed that the court had ordered a stay on all demolition work and that the YSRCP's lawyer had conveyed this to the CRDA chief.

According to CRDA and MTMC officials, the YSRCP office was constructed on the premises of the Irrigation Department. There were allegations that the land used as a boatyard was rented out for a nominal amount during the previous YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

There were also allegations that the construction had begun without taking permission from the CRDA and MTMC.

Former Chief Minister and YSRCP Chairman Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy condemned the actions of the TDP-led government. In his contribution to X, he said that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has engaged in political retaliation. He said that the autocrat has bulldozed the YSRCP headquarters in defiance of Supreme Court orders. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that with these actions, Naidu has sent a message about what his government will be like in the next five years. However, the YSRCP leader said that henceforth the party will not succumb to these threats and political vendettas. He vowed to fight in the name of the people and appealed to all democratic forces in the country to condemn these acts of Chandrababu Naidu.

Israel pounds Gaza as UN calls for embargo, U.S. urges restraint

 

Israel pounds Gaza as UN calls for embargo, U.S. urges restraint

Several Israeli air strikes in the central and northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens of others, according to local medics, while tanks deepened their invasion into Rafah in the south, residents said.

Israeli planes struck a house in Al-Nuseirat camp, killing two people and wounding 12 others, while tanks shelled areas in Al-Maghazi and Al-Bureij camps, wounding many others, health officials said. Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij are three of Gaza's eight refugee camps.

In Deir al-Balah, a city packed with displaced people in the central Gaza Strip, an Israeli air strike killed one Palestinian and wounded several others on Thursday, medics said.

In a joint statement, special rapporteurs, independent experts, and working groups of the UN Human Rights Council urged countries and arms manufacturers to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, even if they are conducted under existing export licenses.

These companies include BAE Systems, Boeing, Caterpillar, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.

"These companies risk contributing to serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by supplying weapons, components, parts and ammunition to the Israel Defense Forces," the experts said.

US urges restraint amid tensions between Israel and Lebanon

On Friday, Al Jazeera Arabic reviewed video footage showing an airstrike by Hezbollah forces on a military facility in the northern Israeli city of Metulla. Al Jazeera Arabic said the attack on what appeared to be Israeli radar and communications infrastructure may have been carried out by a Hezbollah attack drone.

The attack came amid escalating cross-border clashes between Israeli and Hezbollah forces. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed to Israeli officials during a meeting on Thursday the importance of avoiding further escalation in Lebanon amid the Gaza war, according to the State Department.

NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine

NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine
NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine

 

Amid uproar over allegations of irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG exams and cancellation of the UGC-NET entrance test, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday cancelled the June edition of the National Eligibility Exam of the Joint Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission and postponed the Joint CSIR-UGC-NET, a test conducted to determine eligibility for Junior Research Fellowships and admission to doctoral courses in science. The central government on Friday announced stringent laws to eradicate cheating and malpractice in competitive exams. The laws provide stringent penalties, including a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rs 10 crore, for those involved in these offences. Here are 10 points on the NEET and UGC-NET exam paper leak controversy: CSIR is the national testing agency in the loop over the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam after the

exam paper leak was discovered online - The UGC-NET exam has been postponed citing unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. "The June 2024 joint CSIR-UGC-NET examination, scheduled to be held from June 25, 2024 to June 27, 2024, is postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. Any rescheduled conduct of the survey will be announced on the official website at a later date," the NTA said in a notification.

Congress has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government over the development. "Yet again, NTA examination has been postponed, this time for CSIR-UGC-NET. "NTA has clearly become a traumatic institution for the youth of Narendra," said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The CSIR-UGC-NET exam is conducted twice a year in June and December and is computer-based in five subjects including chemistry, earth, atmospheric, marine and planetary sciences, life sciences, mathematics and physics. The results pave the way for admission to all premier institutions offering doctoral programs in these fields, including the IITs and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs). Over 200,000 students were expected to appear for the exam. Over 175,000 students appeared for the exam in December last year.

Meanwhile, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Cheating Practices) Act, 2024 was announced by the Personnel Ministry on Friday evening. The provisions of the Act came into force on June 21, four months after President Dhruv Padi Murmu gave his assent. "In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 2 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Cheating Practices) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby fixes June 21, 2024 as the date of examination. The provisions of the Act shall come into force," the announcement said.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on February 9 and in the Lok Sabha on February 6. It received presidential assent on February 12. The scope of the Act includes exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), railways, bank recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA). According to the Act, those involved in organised crime related to scams will be punished with five to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of at least Rs 10 crore.

The BJP government has ordered a CBI probe into the cancellation of the UGC-NET exams. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the exams were cancelled after authorities found the issues on the dark web. The document will also be shared on Telegram, he added.

He said the paper leak was a systematic failure of the NTA. The government has set up an expert committee to recommend reforms to the inspection agency. "The paper leak is a systematic failure of the NTA. A reform committee will be set up and I will ensure that measures are taken," he said.

The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to stay counselling for the NEET exam. After 67 students secured perfect 720 marks in one of the toughest exams in the country, medical students alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam. There has also been dissatisfaction with the good results. The agency has asked over 1,500 students to retake the medical exam.

Authorities have arrested four people, including a medical student, in Bihar for allegedly leaking papers for the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the government over allegations of rigging in competitive exams. "In the last five years, 43 cases of recruitment exam papers have been leaked in the country. Under the BJP rule, document leaks have become a national issue in our country and have so far ruined the future of millions of young people. India is the youngest country in the world. We have the largest youth population." Instead of making these youth skilled and competent, the Bharatiya Janata Party government is weakening them,” she alleged.

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June 22, 2024 at 07:51AM
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June 22, 2024 at 08:13AM

If there were a full-scale war, could Hezbollah’s missiles and drones destroy Israel’s famous Iron Dome?

 

        Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system is seen intercepting rockets launched from the Gaza Strip

If there were a full-scale war, could Hezbollah’s missiles and drones destroy Israel’s famous Iron Dome?

While the Iron Dome has proven to be an excellent defense, it is not invulnerable. It can only handle a fraction of incoming bombs and is also vulnerable to high-pressure missiles. Hezbollah’s vast arsenal and history of blowing up the Iron Dome give Israel and its allies reason to worry.

Israel has been at war with Iran-backed Hezbollah for the past eight months. But the intensity escalated two weeks ago. On June 12, a day after a Hezbollah leader was killed in an Israeli offensive in Lebanon, the group fired a missile into northern Israel.

On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that a decision would be taken to wage an all-out war with Hezbollah. Military experts and political analysts are now worried about whether Israel's famous Iron Dome defense systems can withstand Hezbollah's arsenal of jets and advanced missiles. Chapter

What is the deficiency of Iron Dome? Could Hezbollah use these to undermine defenses? Let's explain. Chapter

What is Iron Dome? How does it work?

Iron Dome is an advanced air defense system built by Israel to intercept and destroy short-range rockets, artillery and mortars. It was launched in 2011 and has since become the basis of Israel's defense strategy. The system uses radar to detect incoming threats and fires missiles to intercept them before they can cause damage.

Iron Dome has three main components: search and tracking radar, battle management and weapons management (BMC), and missiles. When radar detects an incoming projectile, it calculates its path and determines whether it poses a threat to residents or critical infrastructure. In such a situation, the BMC reduces the risk of damage on the ground by bringing in one or more missiles to intercept the airborne threat.

The system's reported success rate of 90 percent is impressive, making it a model for other countries looking to strengthen their defense capabilities. Being resistant to many threats gives Israeli citizens a sense of security, especially in areas frequently targeted by rockets. Chapter

What is the deficiency of Iron Dome?

Although Iron Dome is widely praised for its effectiveness, it is not a fake.

Capacity Limitation: A major flaw lies in capacity limitation. While machines have the capacity to control many people, which can be frightening, there is a threshold beyond which they can do enough. This happened last October, when Hamas fired nearly 5,000 rockets into Israel.

High-precision munitions: CNN quoted Israeli officials as saying that some Iron Dome batteries could be more effective if Hezbollah launches a large-scale attack using high-precision weapons, which could be important for disease prevention. It can be hard to resist.

Failure to intercept negative: The most difficult part of intercepting missiles is the need to destroy the warhead. If the interceptor hits the rear end of the missile, this will only cause the missile to have no motor tube, which does not affect the damage from the head. The only effective intervention is to destroy the rocket's large rock, as this will prevent it from reaching the ground and exploding. Article

Can Hezbollah take advantage of these shortcomings?

Hezbollah could become Israel's Iron Dome battery. Three US officials said they are very concerned that Iran-backed forces could interfere with the weatherization of northern Israel in the event of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, CNN reported.

Trump promises Green Card to graduates

 

Softening his stance on immigration, Donald Trump has promised to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges to prevent them from returning to their home countries like India and China where they become multibillionaires.

Former US President Donald Trump, in the sharpest u-turn on the immigration issue, has promised to provide "automatic" green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges. Trump said this in reference to Indian and Chinese students, who he claimed are "superbright" who graduate from top American colleges and become multibillionaires. His statement is considered a sharp departure from the anti-immigrant rhetoric he typically uses on the campaign trail. The Republican candidate for the upcoming US elections statement is also seen as a counter to what his contender Joe Biden had promised citizenships to lakhs of migrants. Trump, however, always supported a merit-based legal immigration system.    

What I want to do and what I will do is --you graduate from a college, I think you should get a Green Card automatically as part of your diploma, a Green Card to be able to stay in this country. And that includes junior colleges too,” Trump, 78, said in the “All-In” podcast. A Green Card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document showing a person has permanent residency in the United States. The podcast was hosted by four venture capitalists: Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg, three of whom are immigrants.

Trump's remarks came as he was pressed by Calacanis to “promise us you will give us more ability to import the best and brightest around the world to America.” Trump, the presumptive candidate from the Republican Party, also lamented “stories where people graduated from a top college or from a college, and they desperately wanted to stay here, they had a plan for a company, a concept, and they can’t — they go back to India, they go back to China, they do the same basic company in those places... and they become multi-billionaires employing thousands and thousands of people, and it could have been done here," he said.

"Let me just tell you that it's so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools. and lesser schools that are phenomenal schools also. And what I wanted to do, and I would have done this, but then we had to solve the COVID problem because that came in and, you know, sort of dominated for a little while, as you perhaps know,” Trump said in response. Trump reiterated his first-term policy, about foreign students getting a Green Card after receiving a degree from a higher education institution in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field.

Any graduate can get a green card: Trump

“Anybody graduates from a college, you go in there for two years or four years, If you graduate or you get a doctorate degree from a college, you should be able to stay in this country," Trump said. "We force the brilliant people, the people that graduate from college, the people that are number one in their class from the best colleges, you have to be able to recruit these people and keep the people,” he asserted. Somebody graduates at the top of the class; they can't even make a deal with the company because they don't think they're going to be able to stay in the country. "That is going to end on day one,” Trump announced.

NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine

NEET row, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine

 

Amid uproar over allegations of irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG exams and cancellation of the UGC-NET entrance test, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday cancelled the June edition of the National Eligibility Exam of the Joint Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission and postponed the Joint CSIR-UGC-NET, a test conducted to determine eligibility for Junior Research Fellowships and admission to doctoral courses in science. The central government on Friday announced stringent laws to eradicate cheating and malpractice in competitive exams. The laws provide stringent penalties, including a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rs 10 crore, for those involved in these offences. Here are 10 points on the NEET and UGC-NET exam paper leak controversy: CSIR is the national testing agency in the loop over the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam after the

exam paper leak was discovered online - The UGC-NET exam has been postponed citing unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. "The June 2024 joint CSIR-UGC-NET examination, scheduled to be held from June 25, 2024 to June 27, 2024, is postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. Any rescheduled conduct of the survey will be announced on the official website at a later date," the NTA said in a notification.

Congress has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government over the development. "Yet again, NTA examination has been postponed, this time for CSIR-UGC-NET. "NTA has clearly become a traumatic institution for the youth of Narendra," said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The CSIR-UGC-NET exam is conducted twice a year in June and December and is computer-based in five subjects including chemistry, earth, atmospheric, marine and planetary sciences, life sciences, mathematics and physics. The results pave the way for admission to all premier institutions offering doctoral programs in these fields, including the IITs and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs). Over 200,000 students were expected to appear for the exam. Over 175,000 students appeared for the exam in December last year.

Meanwhile, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Cheating Practices) Act, 2024 was announced by the Personnel Ministry on Friday evening. The provisions of the Act came into force on June 21, four months after President Dhruv Padi Murmu gave his assent. "In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 2 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Cheating Practices) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby fixes June 21, 2024 as the date of examination. The provisions of the Act shall come into force," the announcement said.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on February 9 and in the Lok Sabha on February 6. It received presidential assent on February 12. The scope of the Act includes exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), railways, bank recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA). According to the Act, those involved in organised crime related to scams will be punished with five to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of at least Rs 10 crore.

The BJP government has ordered a CBI probe into the cancellation of the UGC-NET exams. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the exams were cancelled after authorities found the issues on the dark web. The document will also be shared on Telegram, he added.

He said the paper leak was a systematic failure of the NTA. The government has set up an expert committee to recommend reforms to the inspection agency. "The paper leak is a systematic failure of the NTA. A reform committee will be set up and I will ensure that measures are taken," he said.

The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to stay counselling for the NEET exam. After 67 students secured perfect 720 marks in one of the toughest exams in the country, medical students alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam. There has also been dissatisfaction with the good results. The agency has asked over 1,500 students to retake the medical exam.

Authorities have arrested four people, including a medical student, in Bihar for allegedly leaking papers for the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the government over allegations of rigging in competitive exams. "In the last five years, 43 cases of recruitment exam papers have been leaked in the country. Under the BJP rule, document leaks have become a national issue in our country and have so far ruined the future of millions of young people. India is the youngest country in the world. We have the largest youth population." Instead of making these youth skilled and competent, the Bharatiya Janata Party government is weakening them,” she alleged.

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June 22, 2024 at 07:51AM

India advances light attack helicopter program

 

Thanks to its high altitude performance, the Light Attack Helicopter (LCH for short) is a key aviation platform for the Indian Army. A large-scale purchase of this type of helicopter is underway after the Indian Ministry of Defence published a tender. The

tender was awarded to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the developer and manufacturer of the 5.8 tonne LCH Prachand. The tender included 156 helicopters, including 90 for the Indian Army and 66 for the Indian Air Force. The publication of the

tender was confirmed by HAL in a stock exchange announcement dated June 17. Once negotiations and contract signing are completed, the contract value is expected to be more than 450 billion rupees (about $5.4 billion). Former Indian Navy test pilot and aviation commentator Sanjeev Kumar told Defense News that the tender is "an important milestone in India's journey to build tailor-made helicopters for the Indian military." He said the LCH Prachand is "probably the only attack helicopter that can penetrate attack power from sea level to very high altitudes." It can take off and land at an altitude of 5,000 meters, making it ideal for operations along India's mountainous borders with China and Pakistan. The LCH's armament includes Mistral air-to-air missiles, up to four 2.75-inch (70 mm) FZ231 missile pods, a nose-mounted M621 20 mm cannon, and the future Dhruvastra air-to-surface rocket.

Though the LCH is considered a domestic design, the domestic share was only 45% for the 15 limited edition LCHs produced in 2022-2023. HAL's target, however, is to achieve a 55% local share for the 156 series-produced helicopters.

Following the news, HAL shares rose 6.5% to a record high of Rs 5,582.80.

Defence News contacted HAL seeking more information on the tender but had not received a response by the time of going to press.