Author: Hasit Patankar

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is coordinating an international search effort to locate a missing Chinese fishing vessel that is believed to have capsized in a remote area of the Indian Ocean. The area of the search is located approximately 5,000 kilometers northwest of Perth. The vessel, which media has identified as Lupenglaiyuanyu No 8, triggered an alarm at 5:30am AEST on Tuesday, May 16, when AMSA received a distress beacon signal. Media reports indicate that the ship carries a crew of 39 individuals from various nationalities. Later on Tuesday, the bulk carrier Navios Taurus reported sighting an upturned hull within the…

Protesters from a fishing community blocked attempts by India’s Adani Group to restart work on a $900 million transhipment port in south India, a company spokesperson said on Saturday, prolonging a deadlock that has stalled the port’s development. Construction at Adani’s Vizhinjam seaport in Kerala state on the southern tip of India has been halted for more than three months after protesters, mostly Christian and led by Catholic priests, erected a large shelter blocking its entrance, saying the port’s development had caused coastal erosion and deprived them of their livelihoods. The Adani Group, led by the world’s third-richest man Gautam Adani, attempted to move heavy…

An oil tanker company heavily involved in moving Russian oil lost industry standard insurance for its fleet after falling foul of a Group of Seven price cap relating to the transportation of the nation’s barrels. Gatik Ship Management lost so-called protection and indemnity cover that was provided by the American Club, a person familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified discussing sensitive information. The cover protects against risks including collisions and spills. The cover was terminated because the American Club was informed that Gatik intended to transport barrels bought at prices above the threshold, the person said. The…

Beijing has warned Pakistan that future terror attacks on Chinese nationals working on CPEC projects will have an adverse impact on “all weather friendship.” After investing upwards of USD 48 billion in 52 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Beijing has decided to do hard talk with visiting Pakistan military leadership this month and warned that there would be serious repercussions on “milk and honey” ties if Islamabad failed to prevent attacks Chinese nationals and interests in the Islamic Republic. This blunt message was delivered to Pak ISI Chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum in Beijing earlier this month and has been…

Fireworks are set off over the illuminated Golden Temple in celebration of the Vaisakhi, a Sikh harvest festival, in Amritsar district of India’s northern Punjab state, on April 14, 2023. (Str/Xinhua) Fireworks are set off over the Golden Temple in celebration of the Vaisakhi, a Sikh harvest festival, in Amritsar district of India’s northern Punjab state, on April 14, 2023. (Str/Xinhua) A man lights lamps at the Golden Temple in celebration of Vaisakhi, a Sikh harvest festival, in Amritsar district of India’s northern Punjab state, April 14, 2023. (Str/Xinhua) Fireworks are set off over the illuminated Golden Temple in celebration…

India’s northeastern state of Assam has created history with the largest-ever Bihu dance performance at a single venue, officials said Friday. The performance at the Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati, the main city of Assam, on Thursday evening made it to the Guinness World Records. According to officials, 11,304 dancers and drummers performed Bihu dance. The largest ensemble of 2,548 Assamese drum players also performed with the dancers breaking the previous world record of 1,356 drums. The performers from all over Assam performed the feat in the presence of an adjudicator from the Guinness World Records. The artists tried to create…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday cut India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the financial year 2023-24 (April 2023-March 2024) by 20 basis points to 5.9 percent. The IMF’s latest forecast is lower than the country’s central bank Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) GDP projection of nearly 6.4 percent during the financial year 2023-24. In its World Economic Outlook report, the IMF also lowered India’s GDP forecast for the financial year 2024-25 to 6.3 percent from 6.8 percent it had predicted in January this year.

At least seven persons died and five were injured after a huge tree fell on a temporary shed made of tin sheets in Akola district of India’s southwestern state of Maharashtra, a local police officer said on Monday. The victims had gathered for a religious ceremony outside a temple when the incident occurred. As many as 35 people were trapped under the rubble after the tree fell on the temporary structure amid heavy rainfall and strong winds in the area on Sunday evening. Local people along with district officials carried out the rescue work and pulled out the victims from…

Former leader of India’s main opposition Congress party Rahul Gandhi on Monday filed an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence in a criminal defamation case related to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A court in the western Indian state of Gujarat has extended his bail until April 13 when the next hearing is to be held. Last month the court sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison for his 2019 comments on Modi’s surname during an election rally. Following his conviction, the lower house of the Indian parliament (locally known as Lok Sabha) disqualified the former president of the…

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday said that before they follow the decisions of US courts, the Indian courts are required to consider the difference in the nature of the laws applicable in the respective countries. A bench of Justices MR Shah, CT Ravikumar, and Sanjay Karol said that the three verdicts pronounced in 2011 which held that mere membership of a banned organisation will not incriminate a person unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence and does an act intended to create disorder or disturbance of public peace by resorting to violence “is not a good law.” The…