Grenade attack in Shopian
16 people, including four policemen, were injured in a grenade attack in a busy market area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said.
Terrorists hurled a grenade on security forces in Shopian town, resulting in injuries to at least 12 civilians and four cops, a police official said.
He said the area has been cordoned off and searches started to nab the attackers.
Terrorists have carried out a series of grenade attacks on security forces and politicians since last week.
Modi, Mattis pledge to continue strong US-India strategic partnership
India and the United States have pledged to continue their strong bilateral strategic partnership, the Pentagon said after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
Mattis met the prime minister on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 17th Asia Security Summit — also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue — in Singapore on Saturday.
“The two discussed the importance of the US-India relationship, and the role of both nations in cooperating to uphold international laws and principles, and to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific,” defence spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said here yesterday.
The two leaders “pledged to continue the strong US-India strategic partnership and affirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Davis said in a readout of the meeting. — PTI
RFID chips for keeping track of organoids
Researchers in the U.S. and Japan plan to use Radio frequency identification (RFID) chips for keeping track of organoids, samples of human tissue that mimic pieces of organs and are grown from stem cells. The organoids the researchers embedded with RFID chips functioned normally and withstood extreme conditions, suggesting that they could be a useful way to organize and identify the large quantities of organoids that are often needed in experimental situations.
Human organoids are a promising avenue for research into human development and disease because they replicate the structure, function, and phenotype of our organs in miniature in the lab. Grown from human induced pluripotent stem cells, they divide, differentiate, and self-assemble according to the growth programs of their corresponding organs. And particularly in medicine, they can illustrate the effects of certain drugs on our organs in ways that more traditional cell cultures cannot.
More work needs to be done to scale up the production of these hybrid organoids, and the research team is currently working to develop a system that could scan the radio frequency and fluorescence of an organoid at the same time. The team also hopes that other kinds of microchips could be integrated into organoids in the future and that RFID chips with sensing technologies could be used to record real-time data about the organoids.
biospectrumasia.com
13 Indian beaches will get the Blue Flag certification.
Environment-friendly, clean and equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists, 13 Indian beaches will soon get the Blue Flag certification. These beaches of Odisha, Maharashtra and other coastal states will be the first in not just India, but in Asia, to get the Blue Flag certification.
The Indian beaches are being developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an environment ministry’s body working for the management of coastal areas.
Project Head of SCIOM Arvind Nautiyal said that to make the beaches environment and tourist-friendly in accordance with the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to be plastic-free and be equipped with a waste management system.
They also have to ensure availability of clean water for tourists, have amenities of international standards for tourists and be equipped with facilities for studying environmental impact around the beach, he said.
Mr Nautiyal was speaking at a five-day conference, which was organised to commemorate the World Environment Day, about making the beaches pollution free.
He said that according to the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to strictly comply with 33 environment and tourism related conditions. There is not a single Blue Flag beach in Asia so far, he added.
The Blue Flag beach standards were established by Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985. The Blue Flag programme, which requires 33 standards in four areas to be met to make beaches environment-friendly, first started from Paris.
Within the next two years, almost all beaches in Europe were accorded the Blue Flag certification. This campaign spread outside Europe, to South Africa, in 2001.
Asia remains untouched by it till date. The environment ministry started a pilot project to develop the Indian beaches according to the Blue Flag standards in December 2017.
A senior ministry official said that 13 beaches from the coastal states had been chosen for the Blue Flag certification under the project. For this, these beaches are being developed in accordance with the Blue Flag beach standards under a Unified Coastal Areas Management Programme.
This project has two main aims. Firstly, to improve the aquatic habitat by cleaning the growing pollution and garbage in the Indian beaches. Secondly, to develop ecological tourism with constant progress and development of tourist facilities.
According to ministry sources, Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha’s Konark coast was the first to complete the tag certification process. It will be awarded the honour on the World Environment Day tomorrow.
Maharashtra’s Chiwla and Bhogave beaches are also being made a part of this initiative. Apart from these, one beach from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands each has been chosen as Blue Flag beach.
Met Dept advisory
Met department has issued a weather warning of thunderstorm, gusty winds and lightning at various places in the country today. According to the advisory, thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning are very likely at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Rayalaseema and Interior Karnataka and Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Heavy rain is also expected at isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
The advisory further said, heat wave conditions are very likely to occur at one or two pockets over West Rajasthan.
Indian Navy evacuated stranded Indians from Socotra island
Indian Navy today evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island in Yemen where they got stuck after cyclone Mekunu hit the area 10 days ago, forcing India to launch an operation to rescue them.
Indian Navy Spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said, the Navy evacuated the Indians as part of operation ‘NISTAR’ carried out off the coast of Socotra early today and embarked them at Indian Naval ship INS Sunayna to bring them back to India.
He said, the evacuated Indians were immediately provided with medical care, food, water and telephone facilities to call and reassure their families and all have been reported to be safe. He said, post evacuation, the ship is proceeding towards Porbandar.
Myanmar: Ready take back 700K Rohingya Muslim refugees
Myanmar today said it will take back all 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh if they volunteer to return.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Myanmar’s National Security Adviser Thaung Tun said, if you can send back 700,000 on a voluntary basis, we are willing to receive them.
Mr. Thaung Tun said Myanmar does not deny that what is unfolding in northern Rakhine is a humanitarian crisis. He said that while the military had the right to defend the country if investigations showed they had acted illegally, action would be taken.
Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in the country.
Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years.
Myanmar signed an agreement with the United Nations on Thursday aimed at eventually allowing the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.
Beijing’s military build-up in the South China Sea
New hotspots develop after the dragon drastically make an sweeping statement without a pinch of statesmanship and takes the powering state to head collision with its wings of economy and military spread across the region but US make a revealing statement.
Noting that the country’s armed forces are able and ready to defend all of its territorial claims, disputed or not, including those in the East China Sea, He expressed hope that all of the governments and militaries involved “act in a manner that preserves regional and global peace.”
Beijing will never allow a third country “separate any piece of Chinese territory from China at any time in any form,” General He said. “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has the determination, confidence and ability to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, unity and development interest.”
Chinese general Saturday lashed out at “irresponsible comments” on Beijing’s military build-up in the South China Sea after the US defence chief accused China of intimidation and coercion in the disputed waters. “Any irresponsible comments from other countries cannot be accepted,” Lieutenant General He Lei said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
It came just hours after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told the security summit that China’s military build-up and deployment of weapon systems in the contested sea was aimed at intimidating its neighbours.
China’s policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promises, it calls into question China’s broader goals,” the US Defense Secretary claimed on Friday, accusing Beijing of “intimidation and coercion.”
His broadside at a security summit in Singapore drew a sharp rebuke from a Chinese general, who lashed out at “irresponsible comments” on the contested sea and insisted Bejing was simply defending its territory.
Speaking just 10 days before President Donald Trump is due to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Mattis also said the US military continues to support diplomats pushing for the “complete, verifiable and irreversible” denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Beijing has deployed a range of military hardware including anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jammers across the South China Sea, where it has built islets and other maritime features into hardened military facilities, Mattis said.
China has also landed heavy bombers on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands.
“Despite China’s claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis told the Shangri-La Dialogue.
He also blasted Chinese President Xi Jinping for reneging on a 2015 promise made at the White House that Beijing would not militarise the island features in the South China Sea.
General He, who is deputy president at the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Science, made it clear that all the islands in question are “part of China’s territories,” noting that China has historical records proving its claim.
“It is undeniable that… there are soldiers that are stationed there and there are weapons that are deployed there. It is a symbol of China’s sovereignty,” the officer said. “The weapons have been deployed for national defense.”
The general further slammed Washington’s abuse of the freedom of navigation principle, noting that it is the “true root of the militarization of the South China Sea.”
“It is those that are shouting about ‘the militarization of the South China Sea’ who are militarizing the South China Sea,”He added. US military patrols and fly-bys “jeopardize China’s security and challenges China’s sovereignty,” the general explained.Chinese officer also slammed Washington’s pursuit of closer ties with Taiwan, which Beijing views as the violation of the One-China Policy. After Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act (HR 535) to extend ties between Washington and Taipei“at all levels,” Mattis, in his speech in Singapore, noted that the US commitment is to “provide articles and services needed for its self-defense.” Taipei has expressed interest in American M1A2 Abrams tanks, to serve as the island’s last line of defense against a hypothetical intervention by Beijing.
Beijing has deployed a range of military hardware including anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jammers across the South China Sea, where it has built islets and other maritime features into hardened military facilities. China has also landed heavy bombers on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. The Chinese general, however, said Beijing´s actions were aimed at “national defence”. “They are for the purpose of avoiding being invaded by others… As long as it is on your own territory you can deploy the army and you can deploy weapons,” he said.
China claims most of the resource-rich sea, through which $5 trillion in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Union Steel Minister interacts with stakeholders
New Delhi, 1st June 2018
Minister of Steel interacting with stakeholders
Union Minister of Steel, Birender Singh interacted with a group of stakeholders in New Delhi. In the freewheeling and open deliberation session, the Minister shared with them various initiatives, schemes and achievements of the Ministry. The participants included people from diverse backgrounds and age-mix, with interests, experience or expertise in steel and related industries. There were professors, engineers, former CMDs, students, social workers, and entrepreneurs in the round-table discussions.
Shri Singh spoke briefly about India’s rapid rise in the world steel scenario, polices rolled out by the Ministry and various projects of national importance where steel has been used. He also pointed out how the Ministry is taking concrete actions to ensure that steel used in India is cleaner, safer and healthier for every Indian. The Minster highlighted the progress made by India in different spheres of economy.
The address by the Minister was followed by a lively interaction. The participants sought answers to their queries about future roadmap, resource management and linkage of steel with the economy. They also shared their ideas and innovative suggestions on what more could be done to further improve contribution of steel sector to the society and the nation.
Shri Singh thanked the participants for taking out time and contributing their best to enable the Government in enhancing citizen engagement and participation in its plans and policies. They expressed their happiness in being given this opportunity to be apprised of the Government’s initiatives and efforts.
The session was part of the ongoing series of interactions being coordinated by MyGov, (Citizen Engagement Platform of GoI) named “FridayAtMyGov”.
Policy Boot Camp 2018
Policy Boot Camp 2018, the annual conclave on policy and governance by Vision India Foundation ( a policy think-tank and a nation-building movement founded by faculty and alumni of various IIT’s). Being the foremost of its kind in India, Policy BootCamp is known for its wide-ranging speaker’s profile and high-performing and aspiring delegation of young change makers. Now in its 4th edition, it will be held from 4th to 24th June 2018 in Delhi / NCR.
Also, for further details please feel free to contact me on +91 7000537085, +91 7587168737 (Suyash Pande).
Here are some of the key highlights about the Policy BootCamp :
About the Program:
Policy BootCamp is a 21-day immersive residential program focused on public policy, governance, leadership and nation-building. The Program is designed to provide a panoramic understanding to the delegates. It includes:
Engaging with politicians, bureaucrats, academicians, social workers, thinkers, policy entrepreneurs and more.Experiencing the spirit of India with workshops, community interactions, group exercises, ideation workshops, and fieldwork.Learning from India’s leading minds through seminars, interactive discussions, one-to-one interactions and implementation modeling.Connecting with future co-workers, peers, ground workers, policymakers, and various stakeholders of democracy.
You can get a sneak peek into the 2017 edition here.
About the Speakers :
Program is graced by 50+ Speakers including union ministers, parliamentarians, grassroots reformers, social leaders, academicians, impact investors, and young achievers. Policy BootCamp provides a platform for the brightest young minds to learn from and interact with the best and the most influential people in this space.
Here are some of the Speakers for Policy BootCamp 2018 :
Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Hon. Speaker, Lok SabhaSh. Piyush Goyal, Hon. Minister for RailwaysSh. Jayant Sinha, Hon. Minister of State for Civil AviationSh. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon. Minister of State, AgricultureSh. Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, President, ICCR, MP, Rajya SabhaSh. Anil Swarup, Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource DevelopmentPadma Shree Phoolbasan Bai Yadav, Maa Bamleshwari Janhit Kare SamitiDr. SY Qureshi, Former Chief Election Commissioner, Election CommissionLt. General Syed Ata Hasnain, Retd. Military Secretary, Indian ArmySh. Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary, Government of TelanganaKunal Kapoor, Actor, BollywoodDr. Rajeev Gowda, MP (Rajya Sabha) and Professor, IIM BengaluruSh. R Jagannathan, Chief Editor, SwarajyaDr. Madhu Purnima Kishwar, National Professor, ICSSRDr. R Balasubramanium, Professor, Cornell UniversitySh. Shrikanth Vishwanathan, Founder, JanagrahaDr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, Former Chief, ISRODr. Jayaprakash Narayan, Founder, Loksatta PartySh. Vikramjit Banerjee, Additional Solicitor General, Supreme Court of India Shri Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI
About the Delegates:
150 Delegates from all across the nation and abroad are selected through a 3-tier interview process to come together and stay on one campus for all 21 days. The delegation is a cohort of young thinkers and future leaders from diverse backgrounds including Civil Services aspirants, entrepreneurs, economists, engineers, public policy enthusiasts, social activists and many more.
Exclusive in-house events during Policy Bootcamp 2018
Antaram – a two-day education conference to be hosted at IIT Delhi on the 9th and 10th June 2018, Antaram features leading educationists, thinkers, practitioners, representatives of visionary schools across India, grass-roots leaders – teachers, principals, civil society representatives, education-entrepreneurs. Shri K Kasturirangan, Shri Anil Swaroop and Dr. Nomesh Bolia will be among the prominent speakers here.
Gearing Up Governance- a one day workshop with top-notch stakeholders exclusively for bootcamp participants to held at Nehru Memorial, Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi on 19th June 2018. Shri Jayant Sinha, Shri Gajendra Shekhawat, Shri Dilip Chenoy and Shri Dinesh Arora will be interacting with the youngsters in a row of various brainstorming sessions.
Deepening Democracy – a one day workshop to deliberate on nuts and bolts of governance at Nehru Memorial, Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi on 22nd June, 2018 will facilitate the young participants to understand the affairs and functioning system governance delivering offices. Shri Piyush Goyal will be explaining about the governance delivering mechanisms and will be answering the queries. Another panel comprising of OSDs (Officers on Special Duty) to different Chief Ministers will be sharing their experience with the system.
Looking forward to hosting you
Regards,
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