The Indian government has invited the US president Donald Trump to be the chief guest at next year's Republic Day celebrations. The Indian government is awaiting the US government's response where the latter has indicated that Trump administration is favourably considering the invite that was sent in April this year. The invite was reportedly followed up with multiple rounds of diplomatic talks. The Narendra Modi government hosted Trump's predecessor Barack Obama at the Republic Day celebrations in 2015.
If Trump accepts the invite, his visit will likely be more dramatic and closely-watched than Obama's was, considering his mercurial nature and the uncertain India-US ties at the moment.
The invitation to the Trump administration comes amid differences with US over trade tariffs, India's ties with Iran and New Delhi's proposed deal with Russia over S-400 defence missile system. In June, after US piled pressure on India to cut oil imports from Iran, New Delhi agreed to take all necessary steps including engagements with relevant stakeholders to ensure its energy security, even as the government has asked oil firms to start exploring alternative sources. The move came after US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley during her trip to India said that New Delhi should rethink its ties with Iran. The US reportedly told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to "zero" by 4 November or face sanctions, making it clear that there would be no waivers to anyone.
The India-US ties also took an uncertain turn when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled the crucial '2+2' dialogue in June. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were earlier scheduled to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis on 6 July. But on 27 June, Pompeo spoke to Sushma to express his "regret and deep disappointment" at the US having to postpone the dialogue. They, however, agreed to reschedule the meet at a later date. If Trump accepts the invitation, some of the misunderstanding between the two countries can be resolved.
Sonal Mansingh, Rakesh Sinha among 4 nominated to RS
Classical dancer Sonal Mansingh and columnist Rakesh Sinha are among the four persons nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha. Sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra and farmer leader Ram Shakal have also been nominated. The new nominations have been made to fill the vacancies caused due to the retirement of nominated members Sachin Tendulkar, Rekha, Anu Aga and K Parasaran. The President can nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha "from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service." The nominated members have six-year term. The other sitting nominated members include boxer Mary Kom, columnist Swapan Dasgupta, advocate K.T.S. Tulsi, economist Narendra Jadhav and BJP members Subramanian Swamy, Roopa Ganguly, Suresh Gopi and Sambhaji Chhatrapati. We can expect that these experts will add more depth to the debates and discussions inside the house.
MLA chargesheeted in Unnao rape case
The CBI has filed its first chargesheet against Unnao BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the rape case. In April, a case against Sengar was registered by the Uttar Pradesh police where he was booked under IPC Sections 363 for kidnapping, abduction of woman, rape, criminal intimidation and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. As per the case, the MLA has allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl who had gone to the MLA's residence along with a relative for seeking a job last year. The girl had been running from pillar to post and even tried self-immolation in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence alleging police inaction.
Her father who had gone to Delhi to attend the court hearing on April 3 for registration of the case was allegedly abused and beaten up by the accused in front of his house during which he sustained serious injuries. He was also booked under arms act by the local police and put in jail where he succumbed to injuries in the absence of treatment on April 8. During investigation, all the accused named in the FIR were arrested and they are presently in judicial custody. "Further investigation in this case to look into the roles of others, including an MLA and officials is continuing," he said. The CBI action will be eye-opener for others that however powerful they may be they cannot escape the law. They may be able to delay justice for some time but ultimately law will catch up with them.
SGPC objects to Sunny Leone's web series
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has objected to Bollywood actress and one-time porn star Sunny Leone’s upcoming web series ‘Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone’. SGPC’s additional secretary and spokesperson Diljit Singh Bedi said, “Kaur is a very respectable and exalted name given by Sikh gurus to Sikh women. A person who didn’t follow the teachings of Sikh Gurus shouldn’t use the word Kaur as this could hurt Sikh religious feelings. Sikhs will not allow her to use it. She should tender a public apology.”
President of the Istri Akali Dal, Bibi Jagir Kaur, said, “She is using the word Kaur for making her biopic a success, unaware of the fact that the same could hurt Sikh religious sentiments.” It shows that you cannot use respectful titles for your personal gains.
Century's longest lunar eclipse on July 27-28
A total lunar eclipse will occur on July 27-28 with a totality duration of 1 hour 43 minutes, the longest in this century, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said. The partial eclipse of the Moon will begin at 11:54 pm (Indian Standard Time) on July 27. The Moon will be gradually covered by the Earth's shadow and the totality phase will begin at 1 am on July 28. The total eclipse will last up to 2.43 hours. Then the Moon will start to gradually come out of Earth's shadow and partial eclipse will end at 3:49 am IST on July 28.
In this particular eclipse, the Moon will pass through the central part of the Earth's umbral shadow. Furthermore, the Moon will be at apogee, the farthest from the Earth in its orbit, on July 27 and will be moving at a slower speed in its orbit. This slower moving full Moon will take longer time and greater distance of Earth's umbral shadow cone to travel. Such long duration of total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on July 16, 2000 for totality duration of 1 hour 46 minutes and another one on June 15, 2011 for totality duration of 1 hour 40 minutes. The entire eclipse will also be visible from all parts of India. The eclipse will also be visible in the region covering Australia, Asia, Russia - except the northern part, Africa, Europe, east of South America and Antarctica.
On July 27, the red planet Mars, will also be at opposition, meaning that the Sun and Mars will lie opposite to each other, with the Earth in the middle. This will result in Mars coming close to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than normal and it will be seen from evening to dawn towards the end of July. The brighter Mars will remain very close to the eclipsed Moon in the sky on July 27-28 and can be spotted very easily with the naked eye. However, the red planet will reach closest to the Earth on July 31. The planet Mars comes at opposition at an average interval of 2 years and 2 months when the planet comes close to the Earth and becomes brighter.
Booking an entire first class flight to avoid disturbance
Bollywood playback singer Mika Singh booked the entire first class in an Emirates Airlines carrier while flying to Dubai since he wanted to travel alone and avoid any disturbances. Singer Shaan too shared a video on Twitter, as a reply to Singh, where he was seen mimicking Singh's voice and declaring that he was following Singh's footsteps in booking all the lanes of the bowling arcade for his family. What a waste of money.
Two NRI devotees donate £1.35 mn to Tirumala temple
Two US-based entrepreneurs donated 1.35 million pounds to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. The NRI devotees, originally hailing from Andhra Pradesh, donated the huge cash offerings as a fulfilment of their vow. The offerings were made in the presence of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Putta Sudhakara Yadav, Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister N Amaranatha Reddy, and other officials. While one of them, Ika Ravi had made an online donation of £1 million from his US account, the other Srinivas Guttikonda personally handed over the donation of £350,000 to the temple. Guttikonda also requested the TTD to utilize his offering for TTD-run public welfare trusts, including free pilgrim meals, hospital, and a children's orphanage in Tirupati. It is a welcome step that those who have made a fortune is donating for a common welfare.
Hope for 3,500 Indian workers stranded in Kuwait
Kindling hope in the mind of 3,500 Indian workers stranded in Kuwait since June 2016 when their salaries were stopped, the Supreme Court in India has sought the view of the Centre on what steps were being taken to rescue them. Waiting for their dues from their employer Kharafi National, a Kuwait-based infrastructure and contracting company, their visa expired, making their stay in Kuwait illegal. They fear they could be jailed any moment for overstaying on a foreign land.
The workers hailing from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are without food, shelter, money, medical facilities and are eking out their existence on food offered by some gurdwaras and philanthropic bodies. Giving six weeks to the MEA and the home ministry, a bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi sought their response on the plea to take urgent steps to save the suffering Indian workers and ensure that they get their due salaries, besides sending immediate financial help to bring them back to India.
Several representations to the Indian embassy in Kuwait and the Centre have fallen on deaf ears. Minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar met the protesting workers in September last year and promised help. But nothing has changed for these workers. Except that Nowhera Shaik, a Hyderabad-based activist and businesswoman, has now taken up their cause and moved the SC pleading for its intervention.
Every country in the world protects its citizens, be it in their own land or abroad, and it is the prime duty of the Centre to not only work for the welfare of its citizens but also protect their precious lives whether they are in India or in a foreign land, her lawyers Vineet Dhanda and JP Dhanda submitted to the court. It is high time for the government of India to wake up and do the needful to protect its citizens from hardships.
