India to send helicopter unit to UN peacekeeping mission in Mali

by Argus News

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India will send a helicopter unit to the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali, which is facing with a crisis as several countries have withdrawn or announced plans to withdraw from it, according to a UN spokesperson.

United Nations, Nov 24: India will send a helicopter unit to the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali, which is facing with a crisis as several countries have withdrawn or announced plans to withdraw from it, according to a UN spokesperson.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday that the utility helicopter unit from India that is to be deployed in March will "provide much-needed support to our forces and are critical for early warning and rapid response to protect civilians".

Bangladesh and Pakistan will each be sending an armed helicopter unit to the operation known as Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

India does not have troops deployed with MINUSMA, but 18 Indians worked with it as of September.

Haq added, "The UN continues to discuss with member states the deployment of new assets and plans to fill longer-standing gaps in addition to those resulting from recent announcements" of withdrawals.

MINUSMA, set up in 2013, has 17,622 personnel.

Several countries have pulled out of or announced plans to withdraw from the operations in Mali, where the government is battling Islamist terrorists.

MINUSMA is one of the deadliest operations having claimed the lives of 292 peacekeepers.

France completed its withdrawal earlier this year and it was followed by Egypt in August.

Germany said that it was withdrawing its personnel, who numbered 595 in the latest UN roster, from MINUSMA by May next year.

Britain is also pulling out its 249 personnel.

Ivory Coast also said that it would discontinue the participation of its personnel, who numbered 898, in MINUSMA when the current deployment ends because of a separate dispute with the Mali government over the arrest of its soldiers who went there on a mission unconnected to the UN.

(IANS)

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Navy Day 2023: Defence Chiefs Lay Wreaths At War Memorial In Solemn Ceremony

by Manisha Das

New Delhi, Dec 2: In a solemn ceremony ahead of Navy Day, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar paid their respects at the National War Memorial. The top military brass laid wreaths in a gesture of remembrance, honouring the sacrifices of our brave soldiers.

The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on December 4 to commemorate "Operation Trident," the Navy's audacious attack on Karachi harbour during the 1971 War. This year the Indian Navy marks the day with an Operational Demonstration at the Sindhudurg Fort in Maharashtra on December 4.

"The Indian Navy will display its operational prowess and capabilities through an 'Operational Demonstration' covering a spectrum of naval operations by ships and aircraft at the iconic Sindhudurg Fort on the western seaboard of India on December 4, 2023. The event, hosted by Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, will be witnessed from the Tarkarli beach by senior Centre and State government officials, military dignitaries and the local populace. The event aims to celebrate and glorify our rich maritime history and shed the colonial practises," according to a press release from the Ministry of Defence.

The 'Operational Demonstration' is being organised to celebrate the valour and courage of the personnel and their resolve to achieve the impossible under adverse circumstances. The event will also showcase the Indian Navy's state-of-the-art ships and aircraft to the general public and online viewers through a live telecast.

"Built in the year 1660 by the Maratha Ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Sindhudurg Fort boasts of India's rich maritime history and also meets the Navy's requirement to conduct an operational demonstration with its frontline assets," the release stated.

The event will witness the participation of 20 warships along with 40 aircraft, comprising MiG 29K and LCA Navy, as a major attraction, along with combat beach reconnaissance and an assault demo by the Marine Commandos of the Indian Navy.

The other major attractions include a performance by the Naval Band, a continuity drill and hornpipe dance by the SCC cadets. The event will culminate with the illumination of ships at anchorage, followed by a laser show at Sindhudurg Fort.

"This is the first time that the Indian Navy will be organising a mega event that is not taking place at any major naval station. The location of the Sindhudurg Fort is 550 km from Mumbai and about 135 km from the naval station at Goa. All out efforts have been made by the Navy, along with the state government and local administration, to showcase these events," as per the release.

"Navy Day celebrations are aimed at fostering greater outreach, renewing maritime consciousness amongst our citizens and highlight the Navy's contributions towards national security," it added.

(ANI)

"IPL Is The Best Make In India Brand Post-Independence": League Chairman Arun Dhumal

by Manisha Das

Bengaluru, December 2: The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal hailed the league as the best 'Make in India' brand post-independence.

Arun Dhumal was speaking during the RCB Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet India in Bengaluru held this week.

While talking about the fan insights and engagement of IPL and its franchises, Dhumal said, "We work as a team with all franchises, we are all partners. We have seen at the recently held World Cup games, that they (fans) were there for Team India, but at the same time, they were rooting for RCB also, which is a great thing and we are very proud of that. Personally, I feel IPL is the best Make in India brand we can think of post-independence."

The media rights for the IPL have grown from Rs 6,000 crores to INR 48,000 crores and the league is only second to the National Football League (NFL) across all sporting leagues in the world. Dhumal believes the widespread popularity and success of the league will act as a catalyst in its evolution over the next 10 years, as per a press release from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights to go somewhere close to USD 50 billion by around 2043. Going forward, we need to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement, and keep making it better in terms of the quality of games. Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the Women's Premier League taking it to a different level for women's cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

Because of the way it has been happening for the last 15 years, it is only going to get better," he said.

RCB Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet India brought together the biggest game changers from across the sporting world, offering a truly global perspective on the present and future of the sports industry and how India can become a powerhouse in the business of sports.

Dissecting the role of IPL in earning India a different reputation from the entire world, Dhumal commented, "IPL is the most-watched cricket league in the world. We have fans across the world and when they come to watch, they get to see the diversity and culture of India.

They will watch a match up North down South, East to West, because teams are spread all across the country. We are a very diverse country in terms of different states, different cultures, and different languages being spoken but this is one platform which is rooted so well that you are able to showcase in India to the globe."

(ANI)

X To Target SMBs For Ads After Musk’s Outburst Against Big Brands

by Manisha Das

San Francisco, Dec 2: After Elon Musk’s outburst against big advertisers like Disney this week, X is reportedly aiming to tap small and medium businesses (SMBs) to offset the advertising loss from big companies.

A new report by The Financial Times has claimed X will now turn to SMBs to shore up revenue after Musk angered big brands by supporting antisemitic content.

“Small and medium businesses are a very significant engine that we have definitely underplayed for a long time," a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“It was always part of the plan, now we will go even further with it,” the company added.

Musk has warned that the loss of big advertisers would spell the end of X.

The X owner stunned the world when he told advertisers to "go f*** yourself" earlier this week, after some top companies pulled advertising on his platform over his endorsement of anti-Semitism.

Speaking at The New York Times' DealBook Summit, when Andrew Ross Sorkin asked the X owner about pauses in advertising, Musk replied: "Don't advertise."

"You don't want them to advertise?" Sorkin asked him.

"If somebody's going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money? Go f*** yourself," Musk said.

"What this advertising boycott is going to do is kill the company. And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company, and we will document it in great detail," he told the audience.

Musk also apologised for what he called his "dumbest" ever social media post on Semitism.

Meanwhile, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said that the platform is enabling an information independence that's uncomfortable for some people.

“We're a platform that allows people to make their own decisions. And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street — and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you,” she posted on X.