During his visit to Venezuela, the Iranian oil minister is set to discuss different issues including the export of Iran’s engineering services, the construction of extraterritorial refineries, and the overhaul of refineries.
During the past 20 months, the volume of oil exchanges between Tehran and Caracas has reached nearly $4 billion, which is considered a great achievement.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the people in the Gaza Strip are starving to death due to the constraints imposed by Israel on the delivery of humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.
The WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said on Wednesday that the risk of famine was already high and on the rise.
“This is a population that is starving to death, this is a population that is being pushed to the brink,” Ryan said.
The WHO official said efforts to bring aid into Gaza are constantly disrupted and that the space for humanitarian intervention was being constrained in “every aspect.”
Major donor Western countries have announced the suspension of their aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The UN says cutting the “lifeline” 2 million people in Gaza depend on is a “collective punishment.”
“The civilians of Gaza are not parties to this conflict and they should be protected, as should be their health facilities.”
Ryan said the people in Gaza “are right in the middle of a massive catastrophe.”
The WHO official further said access to proper nutrition has become a major issue in the Gaza Strip, with the calorie count and the quality of nutrition consumed by the people having dropped sharply. Populations are not supposed to survive indefinitely on food aid, he said.
“It’s supposed to be emergency food aid to tide people over.”
“And if you mix a lack of nutrition with overcrowding and exposure to cold through lack of shelter… you can create conditions for massive epidemics.”
“And we’re seeing them,” Ryan said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ryan pointed to the dramatic reduction in the number of operational health facilities in Gaza.
On Wednesday, the head of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that cutting funds to the UN Palestinian refugee agency would entail “catastrophic consequences” for people in Gaza. “No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need.”
“We appeal for these announcements to be reconsidered,” Ghebreyesus said.
Ghebreyesus also said the WHO was facing continued “extreme challenges” in propping up Gaza’s health system. “Over 100,000 Gazans are either dead, injured, or missing and presumed dead.”
The members of the Youth Congress also staged a protest outside the Mayor’s office in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Published Date – 31 January 2024, 11:16 PM
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Priyanka Kakkar said on Wednesday that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will take part in the party’s protest at the BJP office in Delhi in connection to the high drama witnessed in the Chandigarh Mayoral poll results.
The AAP leader termed the Chandigarh mayoral polls “unconstitutional, illegal, and immoral.” She also accused the BJP of practising “electoral malpractices” to win the polls.
“Yesterday, the BJP won the Chandigarh mayoral polls in an unconstitutional, illegal, and immoral manner. Everything was captured by the camera. If the BJP can do such things just to win the mayoral polls, think what kind of electoral malpractice it can do in the election in which 90 crore people cast their votes,” Kakkar said.
“Delhi CM Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann will take part in the party’s protest at the BJP office in Delhi on February 2 against this,” she added. Meanwhile, CM Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress will move to the Supreme Court regarding the Chandigarh Mayoral poll results.
He also called the Chandigarh Mayoral poll “an example of murder of democracy.” “Whatever happened yesterday is an example of the murder of democracy. The budget is coming tomorrow, let’s see what Punjab gets. Aam Aadmi Party Punjab and Congress will move to the Supreme Court against the mayoral election”, CM Mann said.
The members of the Youth Congress also staged a protest outside the Mayor’s office in Chandigarh on Wednesday. There was a rift between the protestors and the police at the spot.
Youth Congress workers were heard chanting the slogan ‘Bhrastachar band karo’ (Stop the corruption). However, the police detained the protestors after a while.
A hearing was also held today in the Punjab Haryana High Court regarding tampering with the results of the Chandigarh Mayor election. In the Punjab Haryana High Court, Kuldeep Kumar, who was the mayoral candidate from the AAP and Congress, was being represented by Advocate General of Punjab Gurminder Gary.
Advocate Anil Mehta was representing Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. After hearing this entire matter, Punjab Haryana High Court gave three weeks’ time to Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and Chandigarh Administration to file their reply in this matter.
Now the next hearing of this matter will be on February 26. The BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was declared the Mayor of Chandigarh on Tuesday after he won the mayoral polls with 16 votes against the 12 votes bagged by Congress-AAP candidate Kuldeep Tita.
Eight votes were declared invalid. Eight votes, which were declared invalid in the Chandigarh Mayoral polls, have led opposition leaders to raise allegations of rigging with Congress and AAP, attacking the BJP-led central government over the issue.
Rising student suicides in Kota is a cry of hopelessness and guilt, a pointer to a society that does not seem to care
Published Date – 31 January 2024, 11:59 PM
On the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an annual interaction with students preparing for board exams, was exhorting parents not to treat children’s ‘report card’ as their own ‘visiting card’, yet another tragic news came in from Kota, the country’s coaching hub in Rajasthan. An 18-year-old girl took her life, unable to cope with the academic pressure. Her heart-wrenching suicide note, addressed to her parents, exposes the toxic ecosystem that is playing havoc with young minds. It is also a cry of hopelessness and guilt, a pointer to a society that does not seem to care. An exacting examination system, parental expectations, an individual’s limitations and the debilitating fear of loss can take a heavy toll. The failure to recognise these factors and then to reduce the tragedy of a young person to mental health challenges amounts to shying away from harsh truths. If the vulnerabilities and emotional needs of teenage students are ignored by those who play an important role in their lives, such tragedies will keep happening. Suicide is the number one cause of death among those aged between 15 and 30 years. What is more appalling is that student suicides are reduced to cold statistics and society is becoming increasingly numb to these tragedies. The Rs 12,000-crore coaching industry of Kota is quite heartless when it comes to students’ welfare. It would be naïve to expect this highly competitive and profit-driven industry to reform itself overnight or become empathetic to students’ emotional needs.
Kota has become a killing field where dreams die at the altar of unreasonable expectations fuelled by parental and peer pressure. The perfunctory measures taken by the Rajasthan government to regulate their functioning appear to have no impact as suicides continue unabated. The combination of rigorous test preparation, long study hours and parental expectations exert great pressure on the mental well-being of students. Nearly two lakh students from all over India are enrolled in Kota’s coaching centres to pursue their dreams. Every year, the coaching institutes hold roadshows with garlanded students perched atop jeeps. However, the media highlights the success stories of only those who make it to elite institutions while the struggles and miseries of thousands of aspirants remain untold and unaddressed. The entire education ecosystem that puts a premium on success and shuts the doors on alternative career avenues is to be blamed for the sorry state of affairs. For students, many from modest economic backgrounds, a lot is at stake. A recent study revealed that four out of ten students in Kota were struggling with depression and eight out of 10 were anxious or stressed. There is a growing need for comprehensive mental health support and guidance to address the crisis. Successive governments have failed to take corrective steps to arrest the ominous trend.
The victim Sneha Latha Devi (60) was residing at a building in Domalguda along with her husband Mahesh Kumar and son. Their relatives stay on the other floors of the five storied building.
Published Date – 31 January 2024, 10:13 PM
Hyderabad: An elderly woman was murdered on Wednesday at Domalguda allegedly by her servant who later decamped with gold ornaments, silver articles and cash.
The victim Sneha Latha Devi (60) was residing at a building in Domalguda along with her husband Mahesh Kumar and son. Their relatives stay on the other floors of the five storied building.
On Wednesday morning, Mahesh and his son went for work and around 5 pm, they called Latha Devi to enquire about her well being. When the woman did not answer the phone calls, Mahesh asked the relatives to check at the house.
“The woman was found tied to a chair and mouth was gagged with a cloth. We suspect the servant Mahesh, who is from Bihar had killed the victim and escaped after collecting the expensive ornaments and cash from the house,” said Domalguda police.
On a complaint, the Domalguda police reached the spot and started investigation. The clues team visited the spot and police also deployed a tracker dog to help them identify the killer.
Senior police officials visited the spot. A case is registered and special teams formed to investigate into the case.
File photo of Virat Kohli
With the Indian team 0-1 down and multiple senior players missing, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif understandably worried the Test series against England will unfold. While Virat Kohli pulled out of the first two matches against England due to a personal reason, the likes of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are set to miss the second Test in Vizag because of their respective injuries. Though India have a string of impressive youngsters to step up and deliver, Kaif is keeping his fingers crossed, hoping for Virat’s quick return.
When asked about the player who can step up on Kohli’s absence, Kaif feels the likes of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all have the potential to deliver.
“What I feel is that an Indian ODI team is playing Test cricket at the moment. Be it Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, or Shubman Gill, all are strokemakers. Gill loves to hit shots, but doesn’t have much confidence in his defence. So he has to make adjustments to his defensive technique to see off good bowling spells. Even Shreyas Iyer is an aggressive player,” Kaif told the Times of India.
Kaif also feels the likes of Sarfraz Khan, who received his maiden Test call-up ahead of the Vizag encounter, could get a look in. But, the former India star knows it will be difficult for the Indian batting unit in the absence of Kohli, Rahul and Jadeja.
I hope it isn’t too late till Virat Kohli comes (after the second Test). Dhruv Jurel or in his current form, even Sarfaraz Khan can get a look in. But in the absence of KL Rahul and Jadeja, the Indian batting will weaken, no doubt about that. Axar may have to bat at No.8 and that’s why I feel Washington Sundar can get a look-in because they want batting till No. 9,” he said.
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Following instructions from Irrigation minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao, NSP officials released 1,000 cusecs of water to the left canal at 5.30 pm
Updated On – 31 January 2024, 07:17 PM
Nalgonda: Water was released to left canal of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) on Wednesday for drinking water purposes.
Following instructions from Irrigation minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao, NSP officials released 1,000 cusecs of water to the left canal at 5.30 pm. for drinking water requirements of of Khammam district. As water in Paleru reservoir in Khammam reached dead storage level , there was a drinking water shortage in the district.
Officials said the State government had issued instructions for release of water to left canal of NSP to solve the drinking water problem in Khammam. A total of 6000 cuses of water would be released to the left canal. The water would reach Paleru reservoir, from which the water would be drawn for drinking water purposes.
The rebels say the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. (File)
Dubai:
Container shipping through the Red Sea has dropped by nearly one-third this year as attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels continue, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.
“Container shipping… has declined by almost 30 percent,” said Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia department, adding that “the drop in trade accelerated in the beginning of this year”.
The Iran-backed Huthis have launched more than 30 attacks on commercial shipping and naval vessels since November 19, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The rebels say the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians and in protest of the Israel-Hamas war that has been raging in the Gaza Strip since October.
The IMF’s PortWatch platform indicates that the total transit volume through the Suez Canal was down 37 percent this year through January 16 compared with the same period a year earlier.
The canal connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
Huthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.
“The level of uncertainty is extremely high and the developments will determine the extent of change and shift in trade patterns in terms of volume but also in terms of sustainability,” Azour told reporters in an online briefing.
“Are we on the verge of major change in trade routes or is it temporary because of the increase in costs and the deterioration of the security costs?”
Revised regional outlook
The United States heads a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping, and is seeking to apply diplomatic and financial pressure by redesignating the Huthis as a “terrorist” group.
The Red Sea is particularly vital for European trade.
Last week the European Union’s trade commissioner said maritime traffic through the Red Sea shipping route had fallen by 22 percent in a month because of the rebel attacks.
The European Union is pushing to launch its own naval mission in the Red Sea to help protect international shipping.
EU countries have given initial backing to the plan and are aiming to finalise it by a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers on February 19.
The United States and Britain have launched repeated strikes against Huthi capabilities in Yemen, but the Iran-backed movement is still able to hit vessels.
Wednesday’s IMF briefing came as the Washington-based fund released a revised economic outlook for countries in the Middle East and North Africa due to the Israel-Hamas war.
The IMF now sees the economies of the region expanding 2.9 percent this year, a decrease of half a percentage point from its October forecast.
The economic downturn in the occupied West Bank and the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and was “immense”, said Azour.
In 2023, real GDP growth in Gaza and the West Bank was estimated to have dropped to about minus six percent, the IMF said, adding it reflected a nine percentage points downgrade from its October outlook.
“We project that the economy will keep on contracting in 2024 if there is no fast and quick cessation of hostilities and reconstruction,” Azour said.
For emerging market and middle-income economies in the region, total funding requirements over 2024 were projected to $186 billion, the IMF said, up from $156 billion in 2023.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
According to these new guidelines, to ensure students get enough time to sleep and pursue recreational activities, coaching duration is expected to get restricted to not more than five hours a day
Published Date – 31 January 2024, 11:47 PM
Hyderabad: In a breather for the Intermediate students who slog long hours under pressure and stress in corporate colleges to crack competitive exams such as JEE and NEET, the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TS BIE) is mulling over implementing guidelines for the regulation of coaching centres that were notified recently by the Centre.
To alleviate stress and anxiety among students who, under pressure, are resorting to extreme measures, a series of measures are being planned from the next academic year. As per the guidelines, institutions offering coaching classes will be barred from enrolling students below 16 years of age besides charging exorbitant fees.
According to these new guidelines, to ensure students get enough time to sleep and pursue recreational activities, coaching duration is expected to get restricted to not more than five hours a day and coaching classes would not be allowed to conduct classes early in the morning or too late in the evening.
“We have received guidelines and preliminary discussions have been done. We have come across some interesting points that can be implemented for the well-being of students. Further discussions will be done in the Board meeting before the final call is taken,” an official said.
Apart from weekly off for both students and tutors, the institutions have been asked not to hold assessment tests or examinations on the day after the weekly off.
Further, institutions have been asked to organise sessions on life skills, scientific temper and evidence-based thinking, fitness and wellness, besides emotional bonding and mental well-being among students and faculty members.
Yoga initiative for students in junior colleges
Hyderabad: Students of the Government Junior Colleges are set to embrace the practice of Yoga from the next academic year. This initiative is aimed at cultivating a holistic well-being among students by incorporating Yoga into their daily college routine.
The Commissionerate of Intermediate Education has drawn up plans to implement Yoga classes as part of the Vidyanjali initiative of the Central Government. According to officials, Kaas Foundation has come forward under the initiative to extend Yoga classes by appointing yoga instructors in the junior colleges.
Further, the Commissionerate is also in talks with Foundation for taking up maintenance activities, including scavenging, in the government junior colleges.
Clashing practical exam dates can be changed now
Intermediate students appearing for practical examinations commencing Thursday can seek change in their exam date if it is clashing with other examinations.
The TS BIE extended this provision as the JEE Main is scheduled for Thursday and NCC B Certificate exam on February 3 and 4.
Students seeking change in their practical examination date should submit an application to the district Intermediate Educational Officer or TS BIE duly mentioning the reason along with a hall ticket of the appearing examination.
The Intermediate practical exams will be held in three spells from February 1 to 15. A total of 4,16,766 second-year intermediate students are expected to take the practical exams. Similarly, 4,78,527 first-year intermediate students registered for the English practical examination scheduled for February 16.
Iran’s top diplomat has held talks with his Saudi counterpart on the Gaza war and its spread to the region, with the two sides stressing the need for an end to Israeli atrocities.
A statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Faisal bin Farhan voiced concern over the continuation of the regime’s atrocities against the oppressed Palestinian people and discussed the necessity for the halt of the war and removal of blockade on Gaza and the return of calm to the wider region.
The two ministers also discussed the situation in the Red Sea, which has been a scene of Yemeni military’s attacks on Israel-linked ships and also US-UK strikes on the Arab country.
The two sides also discussed the course of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
“The two sides expressed satisfaction about [the level of] bilateral ties and stressed the development and deepening of the two countries’ cooperation in fields of interest,” the statement read.
Resumption of Umrah pilgrimage discussed
Amir-Abdollahian also raised the issue of obstacles in the way of Iranians seeking to perform the Umrah pilgrimage and stressed the need for acceleration of efforts to pave the way for Iranians to visit Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah rituals after an eight-year break.
He also invited his counterpart to travel to Tehran.
Iran stopped sending Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia after two Iranian teenage boys were harassed in an airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah in March 2015.
That came nearly a year before the two countries cut their diplomatic relations over incidents affecting Saudi missions in two Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad.
Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed relations under a China-brokered normalization agreement signed in March.
Iran initially announced in December that the first Umrah pilgrims would travel on December 19 following an agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to allow the pilgrimage to take place.
However, this flight and subsequent ones were canceled due to Riyadh failing to provide “necessary final permits” for the entry of Iranian planes into Saudi airports, according to Iranian officials.
Iran has cited technical problems as the reason preventing Iranian Muslims from making the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Umrah, known as the lesser pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year and is not deemed compulsory in Islam.
