At least nine people were killed and 12 others injured during overnight clashes with police trying to clear a protest in restive southwest Myanmar, from where hundreds of thousands of members of the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority have fled an Army campaign.

The police fired on the crowd on Tuesday night when the protesters surrounded a police station in Mrauk-U after authorities had banned the public gathering, Efe news reported.

The demonstrators were commemorating the loss of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Mrauk-U, in Rakhine, which in 1785 was occupied by troops from Mandalay, the seat of Myanmar monarchy at the time.

The injured were taken to a hospital in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state.

Rakhine, one of the poorest states in Myanmar, is also home to the Rohingya community, the victims of an ethnic cleansing campaign led by the Myanmar Army, according to the UN.

The alleged persecution has forced more than 700,000 Rohingyas to flee in the last year and a half to neighbouring Bangladesh as refugees.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman defence minister to fly in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

Sitharaman occupied the back seat of the two-seater air superiority fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as it soared into the skies over Jodhpur from the city’s Air Force Station.

Dressed in flying overalls, Sitharaman met the air force personnel at the AFS and familiarised before her 30-minute sortie as a co-pilot.

Through the sortie, the Defence Minister took stock of the operational preparedness and combat capabilities of the IAF in the western sector.

Smt @nsitharaman takes off on the Su-30 MKI #RakshaMantrifliesSukhoi pic.x.com/xC51hjeCSa

— Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) January 17, 2018

The Sukhoi was flown by a Group Captain-rank officer.

“I had a very memorable experience,” Sitharaman said after alighting from the aircraft.

“It was a very smooth ride. The Group Captain made me feel at ease. This sortie shows the excellent training our fighter pilots receive,” she said.

The Defence Minister said that she is proud, thankful and grateful to all of the air force personnel.

She said that the Sukhoi crossed the speed of sound at Mach 1 and flew at an altitude of 8000 meters.

Ever since taking over as the Defence Minister, Sitharaman has been visiting military establishments, including forward areas, across the country to review combat readiness, operational preparedness and facilities for the personnel of the three forces.

Earlier this month, Sitharaman saw the might of the Navy by staying on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a licensed-produced Indian version of the elite Russian fighter jet. The fighter is designed for deep penetration into enemy territory.

In November 2017, the IAF successfully modified the fighter jet to launch the nuclear-capable BrahMos cruise missile from air.

Commissioned in 2004, the Sukhoi is the frontline fighter of the IAF and makes up 11 squadrons of the force. India plans to add two more Sukhoi squadrons to its fleet by 2025.

Six Indian leaders have flown in a Sukhoi before Sitharaman.

A P J Abdul Kalam — He was the first Indian head of the state to fly in a Sukhoi. The late Dr. Kalam flew in a Su-30 in June 2003. He was 74 years old at the time.

George Fernandes — In June 2003, George Fernandes became the first Indian defence minister to fly a Sukhoi. He was 73 when he took off in the jet from Lohegaon Air Force Station near Pune.

Pratibha Devisingh Patil — After flying in the fighter aircraft in November 2009 from the Indian Air Force Base in Lohegaon, then President Pratibha Patil became the first woman leader to fly in the frontline IAF fighter.

Rao Inderjit Singh — Rao Inderjit Singh was the MoS Defence when he flew in a Su-30 from Hindon air base in August 2015.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy — A trained pilot, the BJP leader flew a Su-30 in February 2015 at the Aero India show in Bengaluru.

Kiren Rijiju — In May 2016, the MoS Home flew in a Su-30 from Halwara airbase in Punjab.

All terror outfits have a militant and a political front and to deal with the menace of terrorism, both need to be addressed simultaneously, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue here, Rawat said strong curbs are put on the militant wing of terrorist organisations for their violent activities.

However, the political organisation of the outfits continues with its activities of indoctrination, spreading propaganda, generation of funds, including in the name of the NGOs, he said.

Both the militant and political fronts of terror groups need to be addressed simultaneously, Rawat said.

20 Saal is a Punjabi music video that was released on the official Youtube channel of record label Speed Records. It has been sung and written by Kambi Rajpuria and music direction to the song has been given by Sukh – E (Musizal Doctorz). 20 Saal now has been trending on Youtube in the 46th Position and has garnered more than seven million views in just five days of its release on the platform.

Meanwhile, the cinematic direction of the video has been done by Rupy Bains and it has been produced by Golden Sanghera. The music was made under the banner of True Roots Production and stars Kambi with Harkirt Singh Hanzra, Jasbir Gill, Harnoor Shergill, Harwinder Singh Sidhu and Rehmat Chahal, Mansimran Khela, Ridhi Verma, Ryan Verma.

20 Saal shares a sensible message through its lyrics and video and was reported to release a bit earlier than its original date. Kambi, who features in the video and wrote the lyrics to the song, actually debuted through a single track titled Suraj Nu Salaama that was released in 2014. He has had a 4-year on-going career in which he has sung close to 10 tracks, which include the songs like Desi Swag, Standard, Chal Koi Na and Changey Din.

20 Saal however was released after the singer was deported from Canada where he stayed for seven years during the buildup of his career. The singer also had taken to social media to share his side of the story and experience. Many high names in the Punjabi entertainment industry also took to social media to show their support for the artist.

Check out his music video here:

The Indian Under-19 cricket team competing in the ongoing ICC World Cup, along with coach Rahul Dravid, today attended the national hockey team’s clash against Japan in an invitational tournament here.

The team was in the stands when the hockey side hammered Japan 6-0 in a lopsided contest.

“India U-19 boys in attendance to show their support for @TheHockeyIndia men who beat Japan 6-0 at Tauranga, New Zealand #U19CWC,” the BCCI posted on twitter, along with two pictures of the young cricketers and Dravid.

India U-19 boys in attendance to show their support for @TheHockeyIndia men who beat Japan 6-0 at Tauranga, New Zealand #U19CWC pic.x.com/fcxgayLoEl

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 17, 2018

Dilpreet Singh and debutant Vivek Sagar Prasad struck a brace each in the hockey team’s victory. Rupinder Pal Singh and Harmanpreet Singh also scored in the game.

The Indian cricket team, which is through to the quarters of the World Cup after wins over Australia and Papua New Guinea, did not have a match today.

They will next be facing Zimbabwe in their last group clash on Friday.

You love wearing saris but the chilly winter deters you from opting the six-yard wonder, right? A new twist to your sari-draping tales will not just keep you warm this winter but will also make you stand out among a sea of Anarkali suits and gowns at weddings.

Ritika Taneja lists down some tips on how to drape your saris this chilly season

* A smart way to drape a sari in winters is to add layers to your ensemble. You can wear a jacket or long coat in silk or velvet that keeps you on top of your fashion game as well as keeps you warm. Choose a brocade, embroidered or sequined jacket that goes with your plain sari.

* Keep the sari and jacket contrasting or opt for different tones of the same color to keep your ensemble lively

* Look beyond woolen scarves to shield your neck from the chilly winds. You can wear a high-necked blouse or team your sari with a sweater. A sequined sweater or one with a little shimmer will beautifully complement your sari and add a distinct dimension to your ensemble.

* Club your formal black or grey blazer with a plain cotton sari and look on point at work

Natascha Tate, too have tips to share

* Trench it! You can totally look chic in a sari by layering it with a crisp and classy trench coat. You can also wrap around a knitted muffler to add heaps of style to your look. The attire is perfect for work-wear.

* How about a woolen turtleneck blouse! Pick any of your turtleneck sweaters and team them up with your favorite saris. Go for a contrast while pairing up woolen blouses for saris. You can team up your magenta turtleneck sweater with a powder pink sari.

* For sporting some extra fall, layer your saris with a woolen waterfall shrug. Go for wintery hues like taupe, fawn, navy or the classy black.

“Suggestions” on Air India’s strategic divestment are welcome but the proposed stake sale in the debt-ridden national carrier will go on, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has said.

On recent reports that a Parliamentary Panel might recommend to scuttle the divestment process, Raju said: “Members of Parliament are free to suggest. Whatever suggestion they give us, we will look at them. Recommendations, discussions on the issue are always welcome.

“However, I don’t think that anything will be called back. That’s not the way how government can work,” Raju told IANS in an interview at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, headquarters of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, here.

Recently, reports have pointed out that a Parliamentary Standing Committee might ask the government to suspend the divestment process and to give Air India at least five years to get back to its feet.

Currently, a ministerial panel is firming up the contours of the strategic divestment — of at least 51 per cent stake — in Air India and its subsidiaries.

“The (process) is going on, guided by the Alternative Mechanism, but I will not fix any timelines to it, especially for the decisions made on such levels, Raju said.

The ministerial group — Air India-specific Alternative Mechanism — headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is looking into the modalities to divest Air India.

Apart from modalities, the ministerial group has been mandated to decide on key issues such as treatment of Air India’s debt and hiving-off of its assets.

Last month, green Shakshuka had been appointed as transaction adviser to aid the government in the strategic divestment process.

The airline group is under a massive debt burden of Rs 50,000 crore, had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16, and is expected to report an improved operating profit margin for the last fiscal.

The national carrier got a new lease of life in April 2012, when the then UPA government approved a Rs 30,000-crore turnaround and financial restructuring package spanning up to 2021.

Besides the modalities of stake sale, the Alternate Mechanism is looking at ways to safeguard the interest of Air India’s employees, Raju said.

“Government will not like its employees to be at a disadvantageous position. Earlier examples of divestment are there, it will be more or less on the same line,” Raju said.

At present, Air India and its subsidiaries have nearly 20,000 employees with 11,500 being on the airline’s payroll.

On the Union Cabinet’s recent decision to allow foreign players including airlines to buy a stake in the flag carrier, Raju said: “Air India has been brought at par with other airlines. All Indian players are now equal.”

Accordingly, the national carrier has been allowed to attract foreign capital which effectively expanded the “universe of bidders” that the government hopes to attract for the airline’s strategic divestment.

Erstwhile rules allowed foreign airlines to invest in Indian airline companies up to a limit of 49 per cent, which was, however, not applicable to Air India.

Till now budget passenger carrier IndiGo has evinced interest in buying the airline’s international operations and its subsidiary Air India Express.

In addition, aviation industry majors SATS, Bird Group and Celebi have shown interest in buying Air India’s ground handling unit.

The two-day Bengal Global Business Summit organised by the state government has so far received new investment proposals worth Rs 2,19,925 crore, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here on Wednesday.

Addressing delegates on the concluding day of the meet, Banerjee said 50 per cent of last year’s business proposals and that of previous years are “in the process”.

According to the state government, the 2015 summit had fetched investment proposals of Rs 2.43 lakh crore and the 2016 edition received over Rs 2.5 lakh crore of investment proposals.

Over 2.35 lakh crore of business announcements were received by the state in the last edition of the summit.

Terming the fourth edition of the business summit a successful event, she said 1,040 B2B and 40 B2G meetings were held in the summit and 110 MoUs would be signed.

The next year’s summit will be held on February 7 and 8.

A Hong Kong court on Wednesday sentenced an activist to three months in prison for obstruction of justice during pro-democracy protests in 2014.

Joshua Wong, the youngest and best-known leader of the so-called “Umbrella Revolution”, would be going back to prison for failing to clear an area in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district that had been taken over by protesters in November 2014, Efe news reported.

“They can lock up our bodies, but they can’t lock up our minds,” said Wong, moments before appearing in court.

The 21-year-old activist, along with 15 others, had admitted to disobeying the judicial order which asked them to lift the blockade of streets which had lasted 79 days.

Another activist, Raphael Wong, was sentenced to four and a half months in prison for the protests which opposed China’s policies in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the country.

After the sentence, both activists had sought a suspension of the sentence, hoping to file an appeal against it.

The verdict in Joshua Wong’s case came a day after the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal postponed its decision in another case against Wong and other leaders over protests.

The court extended the bail of Wong, along with two others, Nathan Law and Alex Chow, in the case and postponed its verdict on appeals filed by them against prison sentences imposed last year for their role in the widespread protests.

All three were sentenced to community service in 2016 for their role in the demonstrations and for clashing with the police in front of the Chief Executive’s office and the Parliament during the Umbrella Revolution.

A petition by the Hong Kong government, which considered the punishments “too lenient”, led to a new ruling on August 17, which sentenced the leaders to between six and eight months in prison.

The protests were one of the biggest expressions of dissent against China’s policies in the region in the last few decades.

Following the instructions of the Election Commission, ahead of the assembly elections, the Tripura police chief has transferred 151 officers, including 20 offcers-in-charge (OC) of police stations, a senior officer said here on Wednesday.

“Twenty OCs among 151 police officers in the rank of sub-inspector and inspector have been transferred in different posts across Tripura,” the senior police officer said quoting the orders of the Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Sukhla.

The Election Commission, which is likely to announce the elections to the state assembly soon, earlier asked the state police authority to transfer those police officers who are posted in their home district or sub-division or in a place for more than three years.

A poll panel team led by Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain would arrive here on Thursday to review the preparedness of the Tripura assembly elections, due in next month.

Tripura, the country’s second Left-ruled state after Kerala, will see assembly polls in February to elect its new state assembly.

Two other northeastern states — Meghalaya and Nagaland, will have polling in the same period. The assemblies in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland have 60 seats each.

The five-year terms of the Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura assemblies would expire on March 6, 13 and 14, respectively.

The full Election Commission (EC) led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.K. Joti had visited all the three northeastern states earlier and reviewed the poll preparedness and also asked the state officials to ensure the conducive law and order situation for holding of assembly elections.

“The Election Commission has also asked the state authorities to arrest those people against whom warrants are pending,” the police official added.

Even before the announcement of the election schedule, all the political parties, including the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, have started hectic political activities and campaigning to woo the voters.

Rupinder Pal Singh and debutant Vivek Sagar Prasad struck a brace each as the Indian men’s hockey team thrashed Japan 6-0 in its opening match of the double-leg Four Nations Invitational Tournament here on Wednesday.

Apart from Rupinder (7′) and Vivek (12′, 28′), Dilpreet Singh (35′, 45′) and Harmanpreet Singh (41′) also scored in India’s win.

The team got off to a dominant start, controlling the ball rather swiftly, passing around neatly and quickly to penetrate the Japanese circle.

India won their first penalty corner of the game in the seventh minute and it was young gun Harmanpreet Singh, who stepped up to drag flick.

His attempt though was blocked but since the obstruction came off his body, India were awarded a penalty stroke.

Experienced drag-flicker Rupinder hardly broke a sweat in converting a stunning goal to fetch India a 1-0 early lead.

India’s second goal came in the 12th minute when debutant Vivek was quick to pick up a rebound and fiercely strike the ball past the Japanese goal keeper earning India a 2-0 lead.

Cargo handling activities have been affected at Paradip Port as employees of different stevedore companies started an agitation on Wednesday.

The protesting employees said they would only work for eight hours instead of 12 hours.

“We are being asked to work for 12 to 16 hours on a day. We could not give time to our families and other works. We want to work for eight hours as per the norms,” an agitating worker told media persons at Paradip.

Loaders, operators and helpers of various stevedore companies have joined the strike. They staged a dharna at the Gate-3 of the port.

An official of the Paradip Port Trust confirmed that cargo handling activities have been affected following the strike.

There is a huge opportunity for the US to export LNG to India and China in the next five years as they push to replace coal, the head of the International Energy Agency has said as he highlighted the growing importance of the two nations in the energy market.

Fatih Birol, executive director for the agency, said both India and China use gas at a minimum level.

Globally, the share of gas in the global energy mix is about 25 per cent, and in both these countries, it is less than or around 5 per cent only.

“So, there’s a big gap between the world average and them,” Birol told US lawmakers during a hearing on domestic and global energy outlook held by Senate Committee on Energy and natural Resources.

“And both of them are facing major challenges in terms of environment, namely, local pollution in the cities. And this is an issue for both of these countries and others — a reason for social unrest, in fact,” he said, insisting that there is a huge opportunity to export Liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India and China in the next five years.

“I am sure Asian region will be the primary destination for the US LNG,” he said.

China, Birol said, will overtake the US as the largest oil consumer around 2030.

“But stringent fuel-efficiency measures for cars and trucks, and a shift which sees one-in-four cars being electric by 2040, means that China is no longer the main driving force behind global oil use demand growth is larger in India post-2025,” he said.

“In fact, India is the largest contributor to demand growth to 2040 almost 30 per cent of total growth as its share of global energy use rises to 11 per cent,” Birol said.

India, he said, is pushing natural gas strongly to replace coal.

“But coal is also growing because, in India, as people having no access to electricity in India,” he said.

India has to build some power plants from coal, but also more and more natural gas, renewable energy and nuclear, he said.

“India is also very important, because their economic growth is very strong and they have a very, in my view, wise, sound energy policy,” Birol said.

“To be very frank, the Modi government is pursuing an energy policy which is very good for their people because, in a very short period of time, almost 11 years, they are bringing electricity to about 500 million people. That’s a big, big, big achievement,” Birol said.

“And they are using gas, they are using coal, they are using renewables — all of these technologies — much more diverse. And I expect the share of gas will increase significantly in India in the next years to come,” Birol said.

Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai has suggested that the IAS officials should be given training in specialised areas, like infrastructure and education, have a fixed tenure of three years and not be replaced frequently to allow them to deliver in the country’s progress.

He also said that the Indian civil service still attracts the “very best” of the people as it provides them “substantial” opportunities that have opened up within the country.

“I make a strong recommendation that there is a strong need to train civil servants in specialised areas, which are among other sectors of the economy which require specialised civil servants,” Rai said while responding to a question after delivering a lecture on “The Indian Civil Service: Has it Delivered?” at the Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies yesterday.

Rai is a distinguished visiting research fellow of the Institute and a former IAS officer who served as the 11th CAG of India, between January 2008 and May 2013.

He was appointed as the interim president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the Supreme Court of India in January last year.

“Specialise the civil servants, give them a tenure of at least three years and stop their frequent replacements.

Frequent replacements of civil servants, as it has been happening, affect their performance as they do not have enough time to settle into a job,” Rai said.

Replying to another question, the former CAG said that what the civil service is expected to deliver today is far more complex than it was earlier. “Sixty years ago was very fundamental.”

The former CAG also said the Indian civil service is definitely attracting talent which is, if not the best, is the very best or near the very best today.

This is because the opportunities that have opened up within the country are “very substantial”, he pointed.

Noting that the 2016 batch of civil servants had 11 people from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), he said, “They must have been the best for getting into IIM. It (civil service) still attract the best”.

Rai also said that if given an opportunity, he would join the civil service, as it gives fulfilment in serving and not the compensation or distraction of political interference in bureaucracy.