UAE ups profile at Indian Ocean group

[email protected] (Khaleej Times)
November 3, 2012

indianocean

New Delhi, November 3: The UAE is taking its green responsibility seriously and has offered to host the Indian Ocean Rim renewable energy forum next year. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, speaking at the 12th ministerial meeting of the association in Gurgaon on Friday, said UAE officials will discuss with the IOR-ARC secretariat on how to take the proposal forward.

The UAE is home to the International Energy Agency and much can be gained by the group in developing and promoting alternative forms of energy.

Dr Gargash also announced the UAE’s contribution of $500,000 to a special fund of the association. He said the country is committed to the group of 20 nations, with Comoros joining as a full member on Friday. “The IOR-ARC must show will and determination for tangible results,” said the minister. He said the organisation needs to be energised through improved coordination, and new projects in member countries.

He warned of the dangers of the eurozone financial crisis spreading to the region and said the group must shield itself with further investments and press ahead through sustainable growth. He mentioned the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Energy Week in January next year and said the UAE is taking the lead in tapping environment-friendly, sustainable sources of energy.

“We must promote cultural understanding and tolerance in this association with its diverse interests and rates of growth,” Dr Gargash said, and added the UAE’s efforts to host Expo 2020 will bring people and businesses together. He said the Indian Ocean Rim group of countries must interact more to grow and expand.

On maritime security, he said the UAE would continue to combat piracy and has been instrumental in bringing warring factions in Somalia together to tackle the problem at source. Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have fallen by 50 per cent since that meeting in June and with the formation of a new Somali government.

“There’s a lot more we can do. We must invest time and effort to further the interests of the group,’’ he said.

Growing together

Earlier, the meeting of ministers was inaugurated by Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who echoed Dr Gargash’s call for the 15-year-old grouping to show tangible benefits for the two billion people of these countries.

“There must be greater structure for people in the IOR-ARC countries to grow together,” said Khurshid. Job creation and security are important for the region to prosper, he said. He laid emphasis on economic cooperation, technology exchange, education and development of fisheries in the region. The minister even mooted a university for the Indian Ocean Rim.

India has contributed $1 million for projects being carried out by the association. China, which is a dialogue partner, chipped in with $100,000.

The Indian External Affairs minister said he is committed to maintaining the momentum of the grouping, but suggested a pragmatic approach for holistic development.

The IOR-ARC, which was formed in 1997, is an apolitical body with interests in maritime security, trade and investment, fisheries management, disaster risk reduction, academics, science and tourism. It has three projects in Iran and Oman on fisheries, science and technology and maritime transport.


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Agencies
January 25,2020

Jammu, Jan 25: People in Jammu and Kashmir expressed happiness over the restoration of mobile data services and internet access through fixed-line across the Union Territory on Saturday.

Speaking to ANI Jitendra Sharma, a resident of Jammu said, "The government has taken a good decision. People had been facing hardship for a long period and I think it will improve further."

"It is a big relief to people. People can finish their pending work. I hope that 4G services will also be resumed soon," said a resident of Kashmir.

The internet speed is restricted to 2G only.

"Access shall be limited only to whitelisted sites and not to any social media applications allowing peer to peer communication and virtual private network applications. Directions shall be effective from January 25 and will remain in force till January 31," the statement by the government read.

Earlier on January 15, 2G services were reinstated in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, and Udhampur for white-listed sites.

The Central government had suspended the internet in the region following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 last year, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and its bifurcation into two Union Territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

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Agencies
January 8,2020

New Delhi, Jan 8: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh has filed a complaint over the violence that took place at the varsity campus on Sunday.

"I am filing this complaint for the incident in which a mob conspired and acted with common intention to assault, intimidate and attempt to murder me, and request you to register an FIR and apprehend culprits at the earliest," the complaint read.

She said that on January 5, in the afternoon, she received information from students in the campus that some students affiliated to ABVP along with other unidentified men and women had gathered with weapons like rods, sledgehammers and lathis near Ganga Bus Stop.

"I along with Nikhil Mathew (MA Labour Studies) who was also present there, were surrounded by a group of persons of that mob most of whom were wearing masks. The mob of 20-30 persons dragged me behind a car standing near the 24*7 and surrounded me and despite my pleading did not let me go and attacked me with rods while I had fallen down. I remember that one of the people was of medium height wearing a brownish-red sweatshirt with UCLA written on it. I saw his face as he was facing me and did not have a mask on and can identify him if I see him," Ghosh wrote in her complaint.

"I was attacked by the above-mentioned persons collectively and was hit on the head multiple times with iron rods. I fell to the ground and my head started bleeding, and some of them kicked me and hit me with the rod on my hand and rest of the body including my head, chest and back."

"I am attaching with this complaint a copy of the MLC which details my injuries. Nikhil Mathew tried to save me but was also hit with an iron hammer and other weapons on his head and arms. The intention of the group of men and their acts was definitely to murder me and other persons associated with me," she said.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: A low pressure area formed over Arabian sea and Lakshadweep is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and reach coastal states of Maharashtra and Gujarat next week, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, said, "A low pressure area has formed over southeast and adjoining east central Arabian sea and Lakshadweep area. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours."

She added, "It is likely to move nearly northwards and reach near north Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts by 3rd June."

A low pressure area and a depression are the first two levels on the IMD's eight-category scale used to classify cyclones based on their intensity.

The weather bureau said that the sea condition will be very rough and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till June 4.

It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over south coastal Maharashtra for June 2-4, on north coast on June 2-3 and in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli on June 3-5.

IMD said that under the influence of likely formation of a low pressure system over Arabian Sea, conditions will become favourable from June 1 for onset of monsoon over Kerala.

The arrival date for monsoon in Kerala is around June 1 every year and in Maharashtra around June 10.

On Saturday, a private forecasting agency claimed that monsoon has already hit Kerala, but the assertions were quickly rebutted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

"The news about monsoon onset over Kerala in Social Media is not correct. Monsoon has not arrived over Kerala. The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge a"Stephen Hawking," saidAMadhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said that the formation of a low pressure system in Arabian sea and its movement towards Gujarat coast will bring moisture to Delhi-NCR and North West India from June 3.

Two storms are forming over the Arabian Sea, one lies off the African coast and is likely to move over Oman and Yemen, while the other is placed close to India.

The development comes almost ten days after 'Amphan' pummeled four districts of Bengal in the fiercest cyclone in the region in a century, that left 86 people dead and rendered ten million people homeless.

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kushal kumar
 - 
Monday, 1 Jun 2020

                      According  to  IMD  alert  appeared  in  some  newspapers  on  31  May  2020  ,  a  cyclonic  storm  is  brewing  in  the  Arabian  Sea  ,  which  is  likely  to  reach  coastal  districts  of  Gujarat  and  Maharashtra  by  3  June.  It  is  expected  that  the  these  States  would  take  more  care  and  appropriate  strategy  well  in  time  to  combat  the  likely  danger  to  the  coastal  districts  from  cyclonic  storm  designated  as   ‘Nisarga’.  In  this  context  ,  it  may  be  apt  to  refer  readers  to  this  Vedic  astrology  writer’s  predictive  alerts  in  article  -  “  Predictions  for  coming  year  2020  by  kushal  kumar”  -   published  last  year  2019   on  10 October   at   theindiapost.com/articles/predictions-for-coming-year-2020-by-kushal-kumar/.  The  related  text   of  the  predictive  alert   reads  as  follows  in  the  said  article  :-

“  The  next  three  months  from  April  to  June  2020  ,  appears  to  be  a  period  of  time  testing  ‘patience’   and  ‘ perseverance’   ,  introducing  several  parts  of  the  country  to  worrisome  concerns.  Coastal  States  of  India  ,  particularly  those  in  the  southern  part  ,  may  be  called  upon  to  take  more  care  and  appropriate  strategy  against  likely  cyclones  ,  storms  ,  floods  ,  coming  of  danger  via  sea  ,  landslide  and  damage  to  crops   during  April-June  in  2020.  Such  dates  of   month  of  May  as   6 , 7 ,  13 to 16  ,  25  and 26  may  be  watched  with  care.  Similarly  ,  the  dates  3 , 4 ,  11 to 13  ,  21 ,  22  and  26  in  June  2020  may  be  watched  with  care.  Coastal  States /UTs   such  as  Gujarat  ,  some  parts  of  Maharashtra  ……………………………………look  to  be  vulnerable.  It  may  be  apt  for  them  to  take  necessary  precautions  during  May-June ,  2020”. 

                    The  aforesaid  details  suggest  that  the  predictive  alert  of  this  writer   published  last  year  2019  on  10 October  ,  is  coinciding  with  the  alert  of  IMD  appeared  near  about  31 May  ,  2020. 

Kushal  kumar  ,

202- GH28 ,  Mansarovar  Apartments  ,

Sector 20  ,  Panchkula -134116  ,  Haryana.

1 June  ,  2020. 

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