In a first, ferry service to connect India and Maldives

Agencies
June 9, 2019

Male, Jun 9: India and the Maldives have agreed to launch a passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between Kerala's Kochi and the Maldivian capital Male via Kulhudhuffushi atoll to strengthen connectivity between the two countries and boost tourism.

The initiative was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day state visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two sides for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea.

The distance between Kochi and Male is about 700 km, and between Kochi and Kulhudhuffushi atoll is 500 km.

Prime Minister Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Saturday directed officials to expeditiously work towards starting the regular passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between the two countries.

"I am particularly happy that we have agreed upon a ferry service between the two countries," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the Maldivian Parliament on Saturday.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the ferry service was discussed during the talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Solih.

"This is the first time we are going to begin passenger cum cargo services directly connecting the Indian mainland with the Maldives from Kochi via Kulhudhuffushi to Male," Gokhale said.

"Both the leaders emphasised the need to improve connectivity between the two countries through the establishment of enabling infrastructure and in this regard, directed their concerned officials to expeditiously work towards starting a regular passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between Kochi and Kulhudhuffushi and Male," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

This is Modi's first foreign visit after his re-election as Prime Minister in May, reflecting the importance India attaches to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

While Modi visited the Maldives in November 2018 to attend President Solih's swearing-in, this visit is the first by an Indian prime minister at a bilateral level in eight years.

The relations between India and the Maldives deteriorated after the then President Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 last year.

Some decisions by Yameen including the imposition of restrictions on work visas for Indians and signing of a new Free Trade Agreement with Beijing also did not go down well with New Delhi.

However, ties were back on track under Solih's presidency.

China views the Maldives as key to its Maritime Silk Road project in the Indian Ocean as it has already acquired Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

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News Network
October 26,2024

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Udupi, Oct 26: In a heartbreaking incident in Beejadi village near Kundapur in Udupi district, two young men were swept away by a powerful wave while swimming in the sea on Saturday morning. 

Santosh, 21, was pulled from the water by local fishermen and residents, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. Ajay, who was also caught in the wave, remains missing, according to Kundapur police.

The duo, along with friends Shreyas and Mokshith, had been staying at the Sahana Sun Caste Resort to attend a wedding. Ignoring warnings from locals about the dangers of entering the sea, the group ventured into the water. Around 9:30 a.m., a large wave suddenly engulfed them, sweeping Ajay and Santosh into deeper waters.

Police reported that Ajay hailed from Hangalli village near Kundapur, while Santosh was from Dasarahalli near Bengaluru. Expert divers have been dispatched to the scene in hopes of locating Ajay’s body.

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News Network
October 21,2024

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Mangaluru: Forest officials successfully captured a leopard that strayed into the kitchen of a house in Akkasaligara Keri, Mulki, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, during the early hours of Sunday, October 20.

Following multiple complaints from residents about leopard sightings, forest department officials had placed cages at various locations in Mulki. According to Deputy RFO Manjunath Ganiga, locals had reported spotting a leopard in the area, prompting the department to set up a cage about a kilometer from the affected house.

At approximately 10 p.m., the leopard entered the house and made its way into the kitchen. The family quickly locked the kitchen door and contacted the forest department for assistance. The forest officials, using a cage and a net, managed to trap the leopard around 2:45 a.m. The animal was later examined by veterinarians and released back into the wild.

Locals suspect that up to three leopards may be roaming the area.

The operation to capture the leopard was led by RFO Kiran Kumar, with assistance from Deputy RFOs Nagesh Billava and Manjunath Ganiga, along with forest department staff members Chandrashekar and Shankar.

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News Network
October 21,2024

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Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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