External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that Japan has had a huge impact on India and in many ways, Japan is an "exemplary moderniser' for India. Speaking at the India-Japan Forum in the presence of Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Jaishankar said: "What really does Japan means to India? Japan is in many ways the exemplary moderniser... It is an example of relevance. It’s also a country for which there is a lot of goodwill in history. Today under PM Modi, we also had great modernisation. A self-reliant India."  "Japan is a natural partnership in this modernising India. Japan has truly unleashed the revolution in India. The Suzuki revolution! The second revolution was the metro revolution. The third revolution is the high-speed rail in making. The fourth revolution is in critical and emerging technologies and semiconductors," he added. Jaishankar listed out examples of the impact that Japan has made in India in terms of technology and the four main revolutions from Japan that had created an impact in India. "I think Japan has truly unleashed a number of revolutions in this country. There is the Maruti revolution where it wasn't just the Suzuki car coming in. It was an entire lifestyle, it was thinking, it was an industrial culture which got changed," Jaishankar said. "The second revolution was the metro revolution. I think it's had a very profound impact on the urban infrastructure of India. The third revolution is in the making, which is the high-speed rail," the external affairs minister said. Jaishankar said that once the high-speed rail project would be completed, people will see in India what an enormous ripple impact it has even on the social habits of people. "The fourth revolution which I see on the horizon is emerging in critical technologies and the semiconductor sphere. I believe that there is a huge potential for us to work on," Jaishankar said. "If put cumulatively, Japan's had a very powerful impact on manufacturing in India, on our urbanization process, on the organization of logistics in this country," the external affairs minister said.  The Japanese Foreign Minister had arrived in New Delhi earlier on Thursday. Jaishankar and Yoshimasa Hayashi held the 15th India-Japan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on Thursday. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The two ministers engaged in comprehensive discussions covering a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional, and global significance. They highlighted the importance of further strengthening India-Japan partnership based on shared values and principles.  The ministers emphasized the importance of achieving the target of JPY 5 trillion Japanese investment in India in the period 2022-27. They explored potential areas of collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors; resilient supply chains; and digital public infrastructure, among others. During the meeting, the ministers also expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of defence and security cooperation, including regular exercises and staff talks between all three services. In this context, they discussed a way forward to deepen defence equipment and technology co-operation. The ministers exchanged views on regional and global issues of interest.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is a scenic natural place to visit in Assam. It is known for holding the highest density of Greater One Horned Rhinoceros in India. As Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is located near Guwahati, a busiest city of Assam, it is a popular getaway destination in the weekend among the Guwahatians. Besides the state animal of Assam, you can also spot some beautiful fauna like leopard, wild water buffalo, monitor lizard, wild boar, capped langur, porcupine, pangolin etc. Meanwhile, bird lovers can also have a whale of time in the sanctuary as it is home to around 375 species of winged creatures. As per reports, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary , which consists of the Rajamayong Reserve Forest and Pobitora Reserve Forest, has 22 species of mammals, 27 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians, 41 species of Pisces also. The 38.81 sq.km. of wildlife haven which is situated in the district of Morigaon, also provides elephant and jeep safaris to tourists. To enjoy the view of wildlife in a hassle free manner, it is always wise to book tickets online via the website https://pobitorasafari.in/ There are high chances that  the last minute rush at the ticket counters in the afternoon might cause you to unfortunately miss the exciting safari trip if you don’t book your tickets online. A great way to unwind from the hectic lives and soak in some fresh air away from the maddening crowd would be to escape into a place where flora and fauna exist in harmony with each other and that type of spot is a wildlife sanctuary or a national park. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary , a scenic place to visit in Assam , is also a great location for your kids to enhance their knowledge. If you are a lover of nature, you must surely take time out to enjoy this scenic natural place called Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary when in Assam. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary , which is a family friendly scenic place to visit in Assam , is also a great spot to bring elderly persons for a relaxing vacation. How to Reach- The nearest airport from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati which is situated at a distance of 62 km The nearest railway station is Jagiroad Railway Station located at a distance of 31 km from the wildlife sanctuary The nearest bus is the Mayong Bus Stop in Mayong Bazar area of Morigaon. It is located 2.5km away from the wildlife sanctuary. Where to Stay – There are a number of resorts and hotels locate near Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. You can choose any of it for enjoying a night amidst the lap of nature and can even enjoy fresh hot meals there and gossip with your fellow travelers to your hearts content. Source: Northeast Now

Now-a-days, Low vision has become a common phenomenon around the world. Most of the people are suffering from this complication. Eye problems are mainly two types. Some can't see near things, some can't see far things. As a result, you have to use glasses or contact lenses. But most of the cases, people do not like to use glasses. But there are some natural ways through which you can easily improve your eyesight. Let's know some simple natural ways to improve eyesight- There are some eye exercises that help to keep your eyes healthy. Through this, the blood circulation in the eyes increases. Which reduces the pressure on the eyes and keeps the eyesight good. Eye exercises are not very difficult. For example, you can rotate your eyes clockwise and anticlockwise for a few seconds. By blinking occasionally, You can rest your eyes. You can blink your eyes for 20 to 30 seconds. It is better to do these exercises twice a day. Almonds contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin-E and antioxidants. Which plays an important role in increasing eyesight. This things also help to improve your memory. So you can eat Almonds to increase your eyesight. With a glass of milk, you can drink almond paste. The ancient Romans called Fennel the herb of eyesight. The nutrients and antioxidants in this herb slow down the progression of cataracts in the eyes and help to keep the eyes healthy. There are different species of fennel that can improve eyesight. You can make its paste or powder and consume it. You can also eat it mixed with milk every night. To improve your eyesight, Amalaki is known as a powerful remedy. Amalaki is one of the sources of vitamin C. This fruit is enrich with antioxidants and other powerful nutrients. Which helps to improve eyesight. Vitamin C increases the function of retinal cells. Mix a few spoons of Amlaki juice in half a cup of water and drink it twice a day. To maintain good eyesight, Your Food list should be healthy. Nutrients like vitamins A, B, E, D, C, beta carotene and amino acid are very good for your eyes. Vegetables are also good for your eye health. Spinach, Corn, Beetroot, Eggs, Nuts and Fatty Fish help to improve eyesight naturally. You can keep these food item in your diet list.

The SARS-CoV-2, better known as COVID-19 is mired under controversy about whether it was a man-made disaster or a natural pandemic, writes Thu Dao, a Hanoi-based journalist and worked as a content manager and strategist at Foreign Affairs Newsdesk in Tuoi Tre in Indo-Pacific Center for Strategic Communications (IPCSC). There are good reasons to be concerned about Chinese work in biotechnology that could be unethical and alarming. Although Beijing has never admitted to a developed bio-weapons programme, in the past China has reportedly produced biological weapons that include weaponized ricin, botulinum toxins and causative agents for anthrax, cholera, plague and tularaemia in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 that declares the development, production, and stockpiling of bio-weapons a war crime, reported IPCSC. Historically, some of the most devastating global pandemics in the past have emerged from China e.g. the plague or Black Death that ravaged Africa, Asia and Europe from 1346 to 1353 and claimed around 200 million lives. The 1918 influenza pandemic often referred to as the "Spanish flu" and considered the deadliest pandemic of the century killing 50 million people globally had originated in China, a year before. Moreover, a recent report (Dec 14, 2022) on the origins of COVID-19 released by Republicans on the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) has concluded that SARS-CoV-2 may have been developed as a biological weapon by China, said Thu. The committee assessed that China's PLA's Fifth Institute of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) has a long history of working with bio-weapons programmes and coronaviruses. China itself had declared in 2006 that the Fifth Institute specialized in conducting research on SARS corona-viruses. The Institute works in close collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). A review of academic research on the PubMed database shows that Fifth Institute scientists have extensively published research on corona-viruses including work conducted with the WIV suggesting a close integration of medical science with military research. It is worth noting that there are two known Chinese biological weapons production facilities; one in Beijing and a second in Lingbao, Henan province. The Lingbao plant is near Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus that caused COVID-19 first emerged. Hence the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 as a biological weapon cannot be ruled out, said Thu. In recent years, the PLA's medical institutions such as the Fifth Institute have emerged as major centres for research in gene editing and other new frontiers of military medicine and biotechnology. There are also reports that Chinese military virologists collected dangerous viruses from wild animals around the world, or stole them while posing as co-researchers, as they did from National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada, reported IPCSC. Meanwhile, data of the extensive Chinese collection of viruses were hidden offline or withdrawn from international databases. Even data about the Mojiang Miners affected by COVID-19 like lethal pneumonia was collected but suppressed and misrepresented as a fungal infection. China has also been leading the world in the CRISPR gene-editing technology and the number of trials on humans. It is learnt that China in a joint collaboration with Pakistan is doing research titled "Collaboration for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Studies Biological Control of Vector Transmitting Diseases" at a Biosafety Level 4 facility lab (BSL-4), where the most dangerous and infectious agents are being supposedly tested and developed, reported IPCSC. The DSTO is located at Chakala cantonment, Rawalpindi and is headed by a two-star General. This joint collaboration is certainly not for scientific experiments but to weaponise pathogens. Those in the intelligence and scientific community warn that by using Pakistan, China has outsourced a highly contagious network of laboratories where antigens a hundred times more infectious than Covid could be created. In view of the above, international organizations must keep a watch on the development, production and stockpile in the field of biological weapons, said Thu. Countries engaged in offensive or defensive bio-weapons programmes should come under scrutiny and thorough inspection of their laboratories and facilities from a safety level point of view must be carried out to keep future pandemics at bay in order to avoid large-scale devastation as has been in the case of COVID-19.  Source:  ANI

India's biggest Yoga Centre has been constructed in village Mantalai in the Chenani Tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur. The village, which is located on the Himalayas in the sal forests' lap, the village, which has a peripheral view of both the plains as well as hills, which will serve the International Yoga Centre at the banks of the Tawi river. This river, also known as Suryaputri, originates from the Kailash Kund glacier. It is believed that the river's presence relieves the person from life's maladies and Chenani town gives positivity, besides releasing energy that heals. As the Tourism Ministry in the Government of India has sanctioned Rs 9,782 crore for this, the International Yoga Centre has been given a modern outlook with swimming pools, business convention centres, helipads, spas, cafeteria and dining halls, cottage-designed eco-lodge huts with solarium, gymnasium auditoriums, battery operated cars, meditation enclaves and a lot more. Notably, 90 per cent of the Centre's construction has already been completed so far. As many as Rs 52 crore have also been nominated for the infrastructural and other development of the Katra-Vaishno Devi under the scheme of the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD). The Centre in Mantalai and the Katra tourism, both are likely to boost the economic prospects of the state and reignite the passion for a spiritual rise. The Ministery of Ayush is also working on a series of projects to promote the world's holistic oldest healthcare system in the Union Territory with the scheme-- one, medicinal plant conversation in the forests, and the development of herbal gardens at home for promoting the use of herbs in daily life. The region at a high altitude also creates the right conditions for growing the world's rarest kinds of herbs. For popularizing the value of the aforesaid projects, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir has set up 100 herbal gardens at the Government of India-sponsored schools and the ones recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Board. A Rs 100 crore project with the name 'The Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants' is also being established at Bhaderwah in the Doda district, stressing the children's need to learn the natural ways of living to prevent the early onset of various diseases. The Indian government is also building an Ayurvedic Medical College at Jammu's Akhnoor with a budget of Rs 16.19 crore, a government Unani Medical College and Hospital at Ganderbal Kashmir worth Rs 32.50 crore, and 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals in Kupwara, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Kathua, and Samba. All these projects aim at publicising the Union Territory as a Medical Tourism destination with the upcoming six specialized Ayush wellness centres at Katra, Patnitop, and Mansar areas of Jammu, and Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg areas of Kashmir. J-K holds special value to embrace spiritual tourism in the country as Jammu is the city of temples while Kashmir is locally known as Rish-ver, the abode of saints (Rishi). Further, to upgrade the 370 Ayush Dispensaries and Ayush Health and Wellness Centres (AHWC) Rs 16.3 crore were allocated to the UT in November, as they provide consultation on Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Yoga, Unani and Siddha practices. As per the reports, impressed by the achievements and spade works performed by the Directorate of Ayush in J-K in the last three years, the Indian government under the National Ayush Mission increased the approved funds from Rs 15 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 72 crore in 2022-23. The Centre's vision for the J-K is to establish a holistic wellness model and to provide informed choices on ancient traditional Indian medicine to the public. They also want the youth of J&K to recognize the value of their land. Source: ANI

In Pakistan, Climate change has emerged as a key concern with the outburst of the Shishper Glacier and the flood in Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan raising concerns in the country. The impact of the change in Pakistan is getting dangerous and the country needs to make necessary arrangements and preparedness to deal with any natural calamity with measures to have proper disaster control and reduce the intensity of damage with the help of advanced technologies. The record-high April temperatures in Pakistan melted glaciers faster than normal, triggering a flash flood last Saturday in a village in the northern region of the country that wiped out part of a key bridge and damaged homes and buildings. According to reports, several weather stations set record highs for April. Jacobabad hit its warmest daytime temperature at 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 Celsius) on April 30; the Karachi airport reached its warmest nighttime temperature at 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius), also on April 30, The Washington Post reported. Footage making rounds on social media showed the large wave of water sweeping away a chunk of the bridge as onlookers ran for safety. Regarding the collapse of a bridge on the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan Prime Minister asked the officials to prepare an alternative route, according to Dawn. The glacier flood not only caused harm to the bridge but also submerged houses, hundreds of canals of agricultural land, trees, water supply channels, and two hydropower projects, reported Dawn. Pakistan has been gripped by extreme heat episodes over the past two months. Dawn newspaper reported that, in the 2020 report of the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is the fifth most highly vulnerable to global warming and climate change country. Many studies suggested that temperature increase would shift Pakistan’s cropping season and could “potentially permanently eliminate” the viability of growing some crops. They also indicated that extreme weather events would have serious short and long term adverse effects as they contributed to poverty and malnutrition, food insecurity, stress on water resources, lower nutritional quality of major cereals and livestock productivity, forced migration and boost viral outbreaks in both human and animal population. Source: The Print

Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is facing serious environmental challenges due to rampant exploitation of natural resources and deforestation by Islamabad.  Locals in occupied territory have raised concern over the indiscriminate felling of trees for timber as it is leading to environmental degradation and unusually warm temperatures in the illegally-occupied region. Former administrator of Muzaffarabad District Council Khursheed Hussain Kiyani blamed the rampant destruction of natural resources that left the already fragile ecology on a brink, but the Pakistan government has continued to ignore their plight.   “The conservation of trees is important. The felling of trees is leading to hot temperatures. The tree felling should be stopped. It is the most important issue to preserve the forests,” he said. “Lot of promises were made that the government will create artificial lakes in the region, but no lakes were constructed,” he added.   Kiyani also voiced concern that the government has failed to make provisions for accommodation and other facilities to attract tourists to the region. Locals blame it on the poor power supply and bad roads, and the tourism sector in the region has failed to realize its true potential under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.   Pakistan has unrestrainedly misused the natural resources of the occupied region and has constructed several dams and diverted the natural flow of rivers. It has even allowed the timber mafia to operate openly in the region and cut trees rampantly. The local residents have even protested against the discriminatory policies of Islamabad for misusing the region’s natural resources for its own gain. Source: ANI

India is not considering authorizing booster COVID-19 doses yet as many in the country has been naturally infected and the government believes two doses of a vaccine offers sufficient protection for now, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. As vaccine supplies have increased, some doctors and public health experts in India have urged the government to start a booster program for the most vulnerable like many Western nations have done. But authorities will instead concentrate on having most of India's 944 million adults complete a two-dose vaccination by January before shifting their focus to a big expansion in exports, said the sources who are involved in vaccine-policy discussions. So far, 81% of India's adults have received at least one dose while 43% have had two doses. Vaccination for people under 18 has not yet begun. "The priority is to fully immunize the adult population," said one of the sources. The sources declined to be named as the matter was still being discussed by policy makers. "A big majority has been naturally infected, and for them two doses are enough. That's why we are seeing that even after recent festivals, cases are not rising." The source said that once most adults have had two vaccine doses, the government could make boosters optional. The health ministry did not respond to a request for comment. India reported the most COVID-19 case and death figures in the world in April and May and government surveys have shown that nearly 70% of Indians were naturally infected by July. The country has so far logged 34.5 million infections - the most after the United States - with more than 465,000 deaths. Although India celebrated two of its biggest festivals, Diwali and Durga Puja in October and November, infections have fallen to multi-month lows. Many Western countries are expanding their booster programs, even for people without compromised immunity - a policy which the World Health Organization has heavily criticized. Indian vaccine companies like the Serum Institute of India, which produces licensed versions of the AstraZeneca and Novavax shots, expect the government to allow boosters sometime early next year. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories says it is in talks with India's drug regulator to sell Russia's Sputnik Light as a booster dose. Indian states had more than 216 million vaccine doses in stock as of early Monday. India's vaccine output has more than tripled since April to around 300 million doses a month. Source: Business Standard  

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, all the investigation reports of home ministry, Gazipur district administration and prison directorate have mentioned the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed as ‘natural death’. He said this at a press conference organized at the home ministry on Thursday. The Home Minister said, but still the autopsy report is not submitted, final information will be available after getting that. On February 25 writer Mushtaq Ahmed died while being imprisoned at Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur. Criticism has arisen following his death. After the incident Security Service Division of the home ministry formed a five-member investigation committee to ascertain whether there was any negligence of the jail authority in connection with the death of Mushtaq Ahmed. AH   

Bangladesh’s resolution entitled “Natural Plant Fibers and Sustainable Development” has been adopted recently by consensus in the plenary of the Second Committee of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The resolution was tabled in September 2019 in this committee and after several rounds of exhilarating as well as contentious negotiations, the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh could achieve consensus of all member states of the UN for this resolution, according to a press release received in Dhaka on Friday. Along with India, China, Russia, Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Turkey, Egypt, and Nigeria, 68 countries have co-sponsored the resolution, it added. During the adoption of the resolution, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Ambassador Masud Bin Momen said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the current Government of Bangladesh has been adopting bold policies aiming at transforming the agriculture sector, promoting rural development, empowering the marginalized people and protecting smallholder farmers and small- scale producers”. In continuation to that, Bangladesh took the lead to highlight the potential economic, social and environmental benefits of the natural plant fibers such as Jute which is fondly called the Golden Fiber in Bangladesh, he added. UN Ambassador Masud hoped that the resolution will pave the way for fostering scientific research, development and cooperation at national, regional and global levels to ensure, in addition to its traditional use, the high end, value-added and innovative use of all lesser known natural plant fibers. He thanked the member states across the region for their support in adopting the resolution. This is the first resolution in the UN General Assembly that features the challenges as well as the potential of Jute and other natural plant fibers as economically viable, socially beneficial and environmentally sustainable agricultural products, the release said. The resolution primarily focuses on jute and other natural fibers such as Abaca, Coir, Kenaf, Sisal, Hemp and Ramie which are lesser known to the international community and reiterates that the promotion of these fibers would contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. From now on, the resolution will be discussed in the Second Committee of the General Assembly biennially, the release added. Source: BSS AH