Monthly Archives: August 2018

India’s foreign minister has blamed China for last year’s deadly skirmishes along their Himalayan border and warned of greater economic consequences unless peace was restored
Almost a year later, tensions remain high along the disputed boundary in the inhospitable Ladakh region, where at least 21 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed. Both countries still have tens of thousands of troops, and significant amounts of military hardware, deployed. Military officials have held 11 rounds of talks on troop withdrawals but progress has been slow.
Speaking at a Financial Times-Indian Express event on “India, China and the US: A New Geopolitical landscape?”, S Jaishankar said the Sino-Indian relationship was at a turning point. He added bilateral ties would continue to suffer until calm was restored on the border, which he described as the foundation of trade and economic links. “The relationship is at a crossroads and which direction we go depends? On?.?.?.?the Chinese side.
“If you disturb the peace and tranquillity, if you have bloodshed, if there is intimidation, if there is continuing friction on the border, then obviously it is going to tell on the relationship.” India retaliated against Chinese companies after the border bloodshed, banning hundreds of popular Chinese mobile phone apps. It also announced this month that it was starting 5G trials with a dozen companies, from which China’s Huawei and ZTE were excluded.
Jaishankar said India was “ready to compete” with China for influence in its neighbourhood and beyond, citing India’s interests “deep in the Indo-Pacific” as well as west towards Africa and Europe. “It’s not like I expect I will progress in world politics without contestation and without competition. “I am ready to compete — that is not the issue for me,” he added. “The issue is, how do I manage a relationship if the basis of the relationship has been violated by one side?” India has been battered by a second Covid-19 wave that has forced it to stop exporting vaccines, much to the frustration of its south Asian neighbours — and several African nations — that were depending on the country’s Serum Institute for their own inoculation programs.
But India’s struggle to contain the coronavirus crisis, and its inability to meet the international demand for its vaccines, has hurt its global standing and raised questions about its ability to compete with China. “India’s image has taken a beating,” said Uday Bhaskar, director of the Society for Policy Studies, a New Delhi think-tank. “India’s self-image is of a country deemed to be a leading power. But until this pandemic is over, I don’t think India would be counted among the big players.
You don’t have the capacity, you have to deal with your internal crisis.” In India’s absence, China is stepping into the vacuum, offering its own vaccines as an alternative to countries in India’s backyard. Jaishankar rebuffed suggestions that New Delhi would join any formal alliance with the US to contain China, and played down suggestions that the Quad — an informal group consisting of the US, Japan, India and Australia — was an incipient Asian NATO. “It is not cold war 2.0. You don’t have that kind of sharp military confrontation that cold war 1.0 did.”

Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary was on training sortie

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 21

An Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft crashed in a field near Langeana Kalan village, 24 km from Moga district headquarters, around 11.30 pm on Thursday, killing pilot Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary. 

The aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the mishap took place. The pilot was returning to Suratgarh in Rajasthan after the training sorties near Jagraon in Ludhiana, said Gurdeep Singh, SP (H), Moga.

The police got information about the incident around 11.30 pm when it was raining in the area. The police immediately rushed to the spot and started the search for the pilot. The body of the pilot was found at a distance of about 2 km from the MiG-21 crash spot, said the SP.

By the morning, senior officers of the Air Force from Halwara and Bathinda along with medical teams reached the spot. There was no other loss to property or human lives in the area when the aircraft crashed, said the SP.

A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash, sources said

98-yr-old’s gesture for fellow ex-servicemen wins hearts

Nonagenerian Lance Naik Kesho Lal Verma being honoured by Vajra Corps Station Commander Brig HS Sohi at his residence in Lal Kurti Bazaar, Jalandhar Cantt, on Thursday. Tribune photo

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 20

Defying his age and other constraints, a rare gesture shown by 98-year-old Lance Naik Kesho Lal Verma (retd) to walk down to the Sub Area Headquarters of Vajra Corps for handing over an amount of Rs1 lakh for Covid-affected fellow ex-servicemen has won everyone’s heart.

In return, he too received an overwhelming gesture from the Corps officials. The Station Commander treated him reverently and got himself snapped. The picture went viral last evening via the WhatsApp groups of veterans, who were also motivated to not just sit back at home during the Covid times and donate generously.

Reciprocating his gesture, Station Brig HS Sohi on Thursday went to his place at Lal Kurti Bazaar in Jalandhar Cantonment and felicitated him. He presented him a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fresh fruits. Later in the day, Col Dalwinder Singh (retd) from the District Welfare Office visited his place and took him to his office for another function to honour him.

The nonagenerian is seemingly quite fit as he did not have much difficulty in mobility though he wobbled a bit. He also seemed full of life despite solitude. He shared that he lost his only son, who was a naval officer, in 2011 and his family lives in Vishakhapatnam. Here he was living with his cook.

The veteran was born on November 22, 1922. He had served with Royal Indian Army Service Corps (MT), South East Asia Command, prior to the Independence and continued to serve the Indian Army until retirement in September 1965.

Recalling all dates and chronological incidents correctly at this age, Lance Naik Verma shared the journey of his life, “I originally hail from Arra village of Pakistan. I got inducted in army near Islamabad in November 1940. Thereafter, army took me to Pune. I did several trainings and even went to Burma. I used to serve as a driver for many officials, drove military ambulances and vehicles for ration supplies.”

On his donation, he said, “I draw a pension of Rs35,000 a month and have a reasonable saving. I wanted to utilise this amount for some good cause and hence though to donate for the well-being of my fellow brethren. 

91-year-old Milkha in home isolation, doing fine, says wife

Milkha Singh was following a strict routine during the lockdown to keep himself fit. File photo

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20

One of the fittest persons in his age group, Flying Sikh Milkha Singh tested positive for Covid-19 today.

The 91-year-old living legend is currently in home isolation at his Sector 8 residence and is responding well to the treatment. At the time of the filing of this report, he was not having any fever and was maintaining an oxygen saturation level of 95-97.

Last night, he had high fever and was straightway put in home isolation.

“He is responding well to the treatment. Doctors have asked us to focus on giving him more liquid diet. He is talking clearly and responding to all of us. He had a fever 101, but now has a normal body temperature,” said Nirmal Milkha Singh, his wife.

Responding well to treatment

He is responding well to the treatment. Doctors have asked us to focus on giving him more liquid diet. He is talking clearly and responding to all of us. He had a fever of 101, but now has a normal body temperature. —Nirmal Milkha Singh, wife

“I was very tense since I had never thought of anything like this happening to him. He follows a strict routine and is actively spreading awareness among the public. I pray to God for his speedy recovery,” she said. A team of PGI doctors is treating Milkha, while his daughter Mona Milkha Singh, who is a doctor at Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York and has been treating patients of Covid-19, is also monitoring his health.

His son, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, a four-time European Tour champion, is currently out of India and will return from Dubai later this week.

“One of our house helps had fever and later he tested positive for Covid. On Wednesday, we all (12 people) underwent testing and thereafter got to know about him. All others, including my daughter-in-law and grandson, have tested negative, but we are following Covid-19 SOPs,” said Nirmal Milkha Singh.

A regular at the Chandigarh Golf Club, the former Commonwealth Games champion and 1960 Rome Olympian had been following a strict routine during the lockdown to keep himself fit. Earlier today, he was invited to attend the opening of a mini-Covid care centre at the Sector 43 Sports Complex, which was inaugurated by UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore.

Celebratory scenes in Gaza; 244 people dead, including 65 children

Palestinians celebrate in the streets following a ceasefire, in Gaza City on May 21, 2021. Reuters

Gaza/Jerusalem, May 21

An Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday, but Hamas warned it still had its “hands on the trigger” and demanded Israel end the violence in Jerusalem and address the damages in Gaza Strip after the worst fighting in years.

US President Joe Biden pledged to salve the devastated Gaza. Aerial bombardment of the densely populated area killed 232 Palestinians, while rocket attacks killed 12 people in Israel during the conflict.

Palestinians, many of whom had spent 11 days huddled in fear of Israeli shelling, poured into Gaza’s streets. Mosque loud-speakers feted “the victory of the resistance achieved over the Occupation (Israel).”

Cars driving around East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah at dawn flew Palestinian flags and honked horns, echoing the celebratory scenes in Gaza.

In the countdown to the 2 am cease-fire, Palestinian rocket salvoes continued and Israel carried out at least one air strike.

Each side said it stood ready to retaliate for any truce violations by the other. Cairo said it would send two delegations to monitor the ceasefire.

The violence erupted on May 10, triggered by Palestinians’ anger at what they saw as Israeli curbs on their rights in Jerusalem, including during police confrontations with protesters at Al-Aqsa mosque during the Ramadan fasting month.

The fighting meant many Palestinians in Gaza could not mark the Eid al-Fitr festival at Ramadan’s conclusion. On Friday, throughout Gaza, postponed Eid al-Fitr meals were held instead.

In Israel, radio stations that had carried around-the-clock news and commentary switched back to pop music and folk songs.

Death toll

Gaza health officials said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded in aerial bombardments. Israel said it had killed at least 160 combatants.

Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12, with hundreds of people treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.

Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza, cast the fighting as successful resistance of a militarily and economically stronger foe.

“It is true the battle ends today but (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our hands are on the trigger and we will continue to grow the capabilities of this resistance,” said Ezzat El-Reshiq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau.

He told Reuters in Doha that the movement’s demands also include protecting Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and ending the eviction of several Palestinians from their home in East Jerusalem which Reshiq described as “a red line”.

“What comes after the battle of ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ is not like what came before because the Palestinian people backed the resistance and know that the resistance is what will liberate their land and protect their holy sites,” Reshiq said.

In Israel, relief was bittersweet.

“It’s good that the conflict will end, but unfortunately I don’t feel like we have much time before the next escalation,” Eiv Izyaev, a 30-year-old software engineer, said in Tel Aviv.

Amid growing global alarm, Biden had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek de-escalation, while Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations sought to mediate.

In a televised address on Thursday, Biden extended condolences to bereaved Israelis and Palestinians and said Washington would work with the United Nations “and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance” for Gaza and its reconstruction.

Biden said aid would be coordinated with the Palestinian Authority – run by Hamas’ rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, and based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank – “in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal”.

Hamas is deemed a terrorist group in the West and by Israel, which it refuses to recognise.

Power struggle

Analysts saw a key goal of Hamas’s rocket campaign as being to marginalise Abbas by presenting itself as the guardian of Palestinians in Jerusalem, whose eastern sector they seek for a future state.

Making the link explicit, Hamas named the rocket operation “Sword of Jerusalem”.

Abbas, 85, remained a marginal figure during the 11-day conflict. He secured a first telephone call with Biden during the crisis  – four months after Biden took office – but his western-backed Palestinian Authority exerts little influence over Gaza, and he made no public comment after the truce was announced.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, an Abbas appointee, said “We welcome the success of the international efforts led by Egypt to stop the Israeli aggression against our people in Gaza Strip,” in comments published by Palestinian media.

In perhaps a worrying sign for Abbas in his West Bank heartland, some Palestinians waved green Hamas flags in Ramallah, the seat of his government.

Hamas previously demanded that any halt to the Gaza fighting be accompanied by Israeli drawdowns in Jerusalem. An Israeli official told Reuters there was no such condition in the truce.

The State Department said that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken planned to travel to the Middle East, where he would meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and regional leaders to discuss recovery efforts.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Israeli and Palestinian leaders had a responsibility beyond the restoration of calm to address the root causes of the conflict,” he told reporters with serious dialogue.

“Gaza is an integral part of the future Palestinian state and no effort should be spared to bring about real national reconciliation that ends the division,” he said. Reuters

Encounter lasted around an hour, after which remaining Naxals escaped into dense forest

File photo for representation only.

Mumbai, May 21

At least 13 Naxals were killed in an encounter with police’s C-60 commandos in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra early on Friday, officials said.

The skirmish took place around 5.30 am in the forest at Kotmi in Etapalli, where the Naxals had gathered for a meeting, said Sandeep Patil, Deputy Inspector General of Gadchiroli.

“Based on specific inputs, the police party, comprising C-60 commandos, had launched a search operation in the forest,” he said.

However, the ultras spotted the police party and opened fire, following which the C-60 commandos retaliated, in which 13 Naxals were killed, he said.

 The encounter lasted around an hour, after which the remaining Naxals escaped into the dense forest, said Ankit Goyal, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli.

Bodies of the Naxals have been recovered from the spot and a search operation in the area is still on, he said. PTI

‘First time in life he complained of weakness, body ache’, says wife

Deepankar ShardaAdvertisement

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20

Milkha Singh, an athletic legend whose performance had earned him the title of Flying Sikh, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Though his condition is stated to be stable, he is learnt to be having 101 fever since Wednesday night. He is currently under home isolation, informed his wife Nirmal Milkha Singh.

Nirmal Kaur said that Milkha was checked by PGIMER doctors and they have given requisite medicines.

About her husband contracting the infection, she said, “A cook, who had been with the family for the last 50 years, reported high fever a few days ago.”    

 “He used to mostly stay here, but occasionally he used to go to his Kishangarh village here. A few days ago, he told our driver to check his temperature and he found him running a high fever.

“He had concealed from us that he had been running a fever for the past few days. He was sent home and tested positive,” she said.

She said a couple of days before Milkha’s COVID test was done, he had told her about feeling slight weakness.

“This was the first time in my life that he had complained of weakness and body ache,” she said.

Recently, the 91-year-old legend had called upon people to stay indoors during the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Last month, his daughter Mona Milkha Singh, who is a doctor at the Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York, had received applaud  for attending to emergency patients of coronavirus. His son, Jeev Milkha Singh, a four-time European Tour champion, had requested people to pay request to all frontline workers. Milkha had also donated Rs 2 lakh to UT Administrator for fighting the pandemic.

Chandigarh, May 19

A 99-year-old former soldier belonging to the British times has donated Rs 1 lakh to the Army for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The soldier, Lance Naik Kesho Lal Verma, visited the Sub-Area Headquarters in Jalandhar today and handed over a cheque to senior Army officers.

Speaking to The Tribune from his residence in Jalandhar Cantonment, Verma said he had spent 16 years in the Army after having enrolled in 1942. He had served with the erstwhile Royal Indian Army Service Corps and was deployed with the British Army’s South East Asia Command during the World War-II.

After leaving the Army, he was employed with the state-run Pepsu Roadways in Punjab. — TNS

Ex Servicemen wing President Gurjinder Singh Sidhu said the Service Selection Board had wrongly fixed the age limit for ex-servicemen applying for the post of jail wardens at 35 years. He said due to this a large number of ex-servicemen were not able to apply for the post and demanded that the age limit be extended to 42 years.

Sidhu said the Punjab government had announced 800 vacancies for jail wardens but under the present age limit condition ex-servicemen would not be able to apply for the same. Besides demanding an immediate change in the age limit, Mr Sidhu said the last date for applying for the posts should also be extended from the present May 31 deadline.