
Shashi Tharoor reacts to Colorado attack: ‘No place for terror in our countries'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation that has been apprising other nations about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, expressed concern over the attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying terrorism has no place in India and the United States.
"Members of the Indian MPs' delegation learnt with concern about the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, today. We are relieved there was no loss of life. We all share the Secretary of State Marco Rubio's view that 'terror has no place' in our countries,' Shashi Tharoor posted on X.
The remarks came after a man allegedly carried out a violent attack in Boulder on Sunday (local time). Tharoor's delegation is currently in Brazil and is scheduled to travel to the United States on Tuesday.
The attacker set several people on fire near a courthouse in downtown Boulder, Colorado, authorities said. At least six people, aged between 67 and 88, were injured and taken to the hospital, according to the FBI.
The probe agency has charged 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman in connection with what it described as a 'targeted terror attack,' according to Fox News. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said early evidence suggests the act was ideologically driven.
Boulder police chief Steve Redfearn said officers were called to the scene around 1:26 pm local time after reports of a man with a weapon attacking people.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attacker was shouting "Free Palestine" during the assault.
The attack took place near an event organised by "Run for Their Lives," a group that holds events to call for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the investigation and said agents are working with local law enforcement. 'We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado,' he posted on X.
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The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Sulphur-cleaning device in coal plants not necessary: Central scientific committee
A high-powered committee of experts, chaired by Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) Ajay Sood, has recommended that India do away with a decade-long policy of mandating equipment, called Flu Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units, in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs), according to documents perused by The Hindu. These FGD units are required to be retro-fitted in TPPs to cut harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. While 92% of India's 600 TPPs have not yet installed FGD units, the recommendation would exempt about 80% of them from needing to install such equipment. The limited number of vendors capable of installing such equipment in India, the high installation costs, the potential rise in electricity bills, and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been some of the reasons historically cited by the Power Ministry, the overseer of India's TPPs, for plants' inability to adhere to previous deadlines. In theory, the costs of non-compliance could run to crores of rupees in fines, though these have not materialised thanks to deadline extensions. 'FGD not necessary' However, this was the first time that multiple arms of the government congregated to deliberate on whether FGDs were required in the first place. Their verdict draws on three reports by the CSIR-NEERI, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The lead scientists of these three institutions – each 'supported' by different arms of the government – were at the meeting on April 23, along with representatives from the Office of the PSA, the Union Power Ministry, and the NITI Ayog. They were all largely unanimous that FGD 'was not necessary.' The guiding principles informing the committee's recommendation are that: SO2 levels in ambient air across the country are around 10-20 micrograms/cubic metre, well below India's air quality norms of 80; Indian coal is low in sulphur; SO2 levels in cities near plants with operational FGD units do not differ significantly from those without these units, and all of these were anyway well below permissible levels. The committee opined that concerns about sulphates – a potential by-product when SO2 emissions reach certain atmospheric levels, thus forming particulate matter (PM) – are unfounded. They cited an analysis of 5,792 PM samples across the country, which found 'low elemental sulphur' content (max 8 micrograms/m3 after outlier removal) which was deemed 'insignificant — for considering PM removal as a benefit of FGD.' FGDs may worsen carbon emissions One argument mentioned in the report was that using FGDs might result in additional carbon dioxide emissions and accentuate global warming. 'Installing FGDs in all TPPs by 2030 will increase the Auxiliary Power Consumption (APC) of the TPPs, thereby adding approximately 69 million tons of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere (2025-30) while reducing SO2 emissions by —17 million tons. Adding more long-lived CO2 emissions while removing short-lived SO2 emissions by installing FGDs indiscriminately in all TPPs in India despite the low Sulphur content of Indian coal will enhance global warming.' On the other hand, given that burning coal is India's primary source of electricity, India's annual SO2 emissions has risen from 4,000 kilotonnes in 2010 to 6,000 kilotonnes in 2022. By comparison, Indonesia, a source of imported coal to India has averaged about 2,000 kt in the same period, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank. This is when India's emission standards, at 100 micrograms/m3 (thus requiring FGD), is lower than Indonesia's 800. Environment Ministry 'studying' order Those who attended the meeting included the Secretary, Minister of Power and three other senior officials; Secretary, Environment and Forests and two other officials; four officials of the Office of the PSA; representatives of the NITI Ayog, Central Electricity Authority (the power regulator), Central Pollution Control Board, and academicians. A detailed questionnaire to the Power Ministry was unanswered until press time. Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Environment Ministry, told The Hindu that his Ministry was 'studying' the order. India has 180 coal-fired thermal power plants, each of them with multiple units. The 600 TPPs, depending on their size, age, proximity to densely populous cities, and background pollution levels, were given different timelines by the Environment Ministry to comply with the FGD installation requirements. Deadlines have been shifted three times, with the most recent extension coming on Dec 31, 2024. Major population centres The committee, according to the minutes of the meeting seen by The Hindu, will 'recommend' to the Power and Environment Ministers that only power plants located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region and other cities with a million-plus population be required to install FGDs. These are called Category A plants. There are 66 such plants, and only 14 of them have installed FGDs. Currently, all these plants are required to comply by 2027. Plants within a 10-km radius of 'Critically Polluted Cities' or 'Non Attainment Cities', called Category B plants, would be eligible for exemption on a 'case by case' basis, on a joint review by the Central Electricity Authority or Central Pollution Control Board. There are 72 such plants, with only four having installed FGD. These plants currently have a deadline of 2028. The remaining 462 plants all come under Category C, of which 32 have installed FGDs. These plants have been given a 2029 deadline, but the committee has now recommended that Category C plants be exempted completely, along with some units in Categories A and B which were set up at least 20 years ago. 'Will not affect public health' 'The key common point in these studies is that fitment of FGDs in all TPPs in India is not necessary to comply with the NAAQ (National Ambient Air Quality) standards whose compliance is essential to safeguard public health. While all TPPs must comply with the December 2015 stack emission standards for PM pollution and freshwater consumption, the SO2 stack emission standards can be relaxed to ensure that they are in conformance with the NAAQ standards which are notified by CPCB, keeping in mind the human health and other aspects. This way, TPPs may be able to comply with these standards without fitting FGDs. Since the existing NAAQ standards (for ambient SO2) must be complied with, this change will not affect human health in India,' the committee concludes. Currently, State governments or affiliated companies run a majority of the Category A TPPs, whereas private authorities hold the highest share in Categories B and C.


Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pak aimed to bring India to its knees, but folded in 8 hours, says Chief of Defence Staff Gen Chauhan
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India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
BJP's CR Kesavan slams Rahul Gandhi, calls Congress party of
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan launched a blistering attack on Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, accusing him of cowardice and hypocrisy. He alleged that Congress has a legacy of appeasement and weak leadership. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's recent comments critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kesavan said, 'The Congress party, ever since Nehru's days, has been hyphenated with cowardice. Rahul Gandhi says don't be afraid, but he himself is afraid to release the contents of 51 cartons of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru, which rightfully belong to the nation.' Questioning Gandhi's transparency and courage, Kesavan challenged him to make the letters public. 'Why is Rahul Gandhi being a coward and not disclosing what's in those letters? If he wants to talk about courage, he should revisit the 1923 Naba incident, where his great-grandfather Nehru admitted in his autobiography that he had deserted his colleagues and behaved like a coward,' Kesavan said. Taking a swipe at the Congress leader's international image, the BJP spokesperson cited former US President Barack Obama's autobiography, in which Obama allegedly described Rahul Gandhi as 'nervous' and having 'an unformed quality.' He also criticized the Congress-led UPA government's response to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. 'Obama clearly says that the Manmohan Singh government resisted attempts to retaliate against Pakistan because the Congress party was afraid of anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of the 26-11 attacks. Look at the cowardice of the Congress party and their appeasement politics.' Referring to recent military operations, Kesavan said Gandhi's remarks insulted the armed forces. 'Rahul Gandhi, with his statements and his bitterness for the Prime Minister, has only further insulted our armed forces and their courage, and he has also discredited Operation Sindhu. But regardless of what doomsday and naysayers like Rahul Gandhi may state, the entire world is lauding Operation Sindoor for striking a decisive blow at the root of global terrorism. Operation Sindoor and the valour of our armed forces under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji will be written in the golden letters of India's history,' he said. His remarks come in the wake of Rahul Gandhi's recent attack on the BJP-led government over alleged US mediation. Addressing Congress workers in Bhopal, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Modi 'surrendered' after receiving a call from US President Donald Trump. He contrasted Modi's reaction with former PM Indira Gandhi's stance during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He also attacked the BJP-RSS, alleging that if slight pressure is exerted on them, 'they run away out of fear.' 'Now, I understand RSS-BJP well. If slight pressure is put on them, they run away out of fear. When Trump called Modiji-'Modiji kya kar rahe ho, Narender-Surrender and with 'ji hazooor', Narenderji followed Trump. In the 1971 war, Seventh Fleet (came from the US), Indira Gandhi said I will do whatever I have to do. This is the difference.' Rahul Gandhi also attacked the BJP-led government in a post on X. 'Since the Independence movement, they have this habit of writing letters of surrender.' 'Trump's phone came and Narendraji immediately surrendered. History is witness, this is the character of BJP-RSS, they always budge. India had bifurcated Pakistan in 1971 despite the threat by the United States,' Rahul Gandhi said in his post. 'The 'babbar sher' and 'shernis' of Congress fight the Superpowers, they do not bow,' he added. US President Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for stopping hostilities between India and Pakistan after New Delhi's effective response to Islamabad's aggression following precision strikes on terror infrastructure. India had conducted Operation Sindoor early on May 7 and hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India effectively responded to subsequent Pakistan aggression and pounded its airbases. India and Pakistan agreed to stop military action following a call made by Pakistan's DGMO to his Indian counterpart. (ANI)