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India.com
16 hours ago
- General
- India.com
Meet woman who did not go to coaching, secured AIR 1 in IIT PhD entrance, cracked UGC-NET, NIMHANS, also topped Class 12th board exam; she is…, hails from..
It is often believed that no obstacle is too big to overcome with real commitment and hard work. Damini Singh Brar, a 26-year-old, from Sanjauli, a small town near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, demonstrates this belief. Damini Singh Brar has been able to overcome every hurdle because of her consistent focus to accomplish and work ethic that has allowed her dreams to become a reality while re-defining the meaning of academic success. Damini's commitment and innumerable hours of preparation enabled her not only to clear one of the most prestigious and difficult PhD entrance exams in the country, but to be at the top. She achieved All India Rank 1 in the PhD (Psychology) entrance at IIT Kanpur. Along with it, she also topped the PhD entrance exam of another leading institution in India, IIT Delhi. Damini topped the PhD entrance exam in Psychology at IIT Kanpur, claiming the All India Rank 1, as well as being ranked first in the PhD entrance exam at IIT Delhi. She has now decided to pursue a PhD at IIT Delhi, one of India's top institutes. But there's more! Damini also cleared (written exam) the test for PhD admissions for NIMHANS, Bengaluru and was invited for the interview. Earlier in 2024, she cleared the UGC-NET exam in Psychology in her first attempt, and this adds to her stack of achievements. You may find it hard to believe, but Damini was able to clear all such tough exams on her own and without coaching classes. She studied diligently through self-study, without attending any coaching classes. After hearing about her accomplishments, it's clear how brilliant she is academically. She was always an exceptional student. Damini does not just hold this status as an exceptional college graduate. She achieved her schooling as a top student in Shimla, then continued that as a topper in her Class 12 board exam. She consistently performed well from a very young age. After completing Class 12, Damini enrolled in Lady Shri Ram College for graduation in English Honours, which is one of the well-known colleges affiliated with Delhi University (DU). After that, she went on to complete her Master's in Applied Psychology from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, which is one of India's leading institutes in the field of social sciences. It's important to notice that Damini comes from a poor family background. Her father Rajneesh Brar is a Sanitary Inspector with the Shimla Municipal Corporation, and her mother Meera Brar is a homemaker. Despite being from a poor family background, with few resources, she has made her family and hometown proud through her own hard work and effort. Everything she has achieved has been through her own doing. Today, Damini is an inspiration for millions of students in the country.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
After reports that Chicago is ‘next' in Trump's militarized crackdown, mayor warns president to respect Constitution
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday condemned the latest threats from Republican President Donald Trump to target Chicago with federal troops, warning that such a move would be swiftly challenged in the courts amid an ongoing wave of pro-immigrant demonstrations. Johnson derided the reported comments from a senior Trump official who vowed that 'Chicago is next, if they go too far.' The mayor said he does not believe the federal government has that power. It was the mayor's latest response to ongoing signs from the White House that it is considering targeting Chicago with a military response after mobilizing the National Guard in Los Angeles. 'It's just another sort of example of his animus towards working people,' Johnson told reporters at a City Hall news conference. 'I think it's important that the President respects the Constitution. If you're asking me if this president is going to work with city leaders, it's clear that he's not interested in doing that.' Johnson, a progressive first-term mayor, has been among the Trump administration's highest profile domestic targets over the last several months. The most explosive point of contention has been Chicago's sanctuary policy for immigrants, mirroring similar laws in other blue cities and states that the president's team continues to blame as an obstacle in his bid to enact the largest deportation operation in American history. The mayor noted the federal government was not expected to give the city advance notice if it indeed deploys troops in Chicago. He did not elaborate on what the city's plans would be, beyond announcing the CTA's plans to disseminate resources from its 'Know Your Rights' immigration campaign across more than 400 digital displays and highlighting that much of this next fight would be via legal challenges. 'There's a great deal of resistance in this city around a host of things with the Trump administration. … Whether it's in the courts or whether it's in the streets or it's with public policy, we're going to continue to defend and stand up for working people,' Johnson said. 'As far as what this administration has been allowed to get away with, we have put forth lawsuits, which we've seen some success there.' Johnson's Corporation Counsel, Mary Richardson-Lowry, added 'we think it is a violation of the Constitution to deploy troops or National Guard, absent authority under the Constitution' that is reserved by the governor, not the federal government. Richardson-Lowry also addressed reporting from the Tribune last week that the city did comply with one subpoena from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE has subpoenaed two city departments: the clerk over its municipal ID program CityKey, and Streets and Sanitation over employment eligibility forms. The city provided some documents in the latter summons, a spokesperson for Johnson's Law Department said on Friday. On Tuesday, Richardson-Lowry stressed that none of those records contained personal information. 'There was another administrative warrant category for Streets and San, where under federal law we had an obligation to at least provide a listing, and that information was provided without the kind of detail,' Richardson-Lowry said. The city didn't hand over any documents with the other ICE subpoena, for CityKey records, the Johnson administration has said. On Friday evening, a week after the Tribune reported that ICE subpoenaed the clerk's office for personal information of applicants to the ID program that is often used by noncitizens, the city clerk took down the online application for CityKey. During the first Trump administration, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot also rebuked threats by the federal government to deploy the military in the face of civil unrest over the police murder of George Floyd. Though there was still some federal troop presence in the city, it paled in comparison to the crackdown Trump was teasing then — and enacting in Los Angeles now, with thousands of federal National Guard and Marine troops deployed there. Conservatives have long desired use of the National Guard to quell violence in liberal-leaning cities such as Chicago, with Trump leading the rhetoric. He posted to Truth Social on Sunday, 'We must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.' A hearing on California's lawsuit seeking to compel the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to the state was scheduled Tuesday in a federal appeals court.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
After reports that Chicago is ‘next' in Trump's militarized crackdown, mayor warns Trump to respect Constitution
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday condemned the latest threats from Republican President Donald Trump to target Chicago with federal troops, warning that such a move would be swiftly challenged in the courts amid an ongoing wave of pro-immigrant demonstrations. Johnson derided the reported comments from a senior Trump official who vowed that 'Chicago is next, if they go too far.' The mayor said he does not believe the federal government has that power. It was the mayor's latest response to ongoing signs from the White House that it is considering targeting Chicago with a military response after mobilizing the National Guard in Los Angeles. 'It's just another sort of example of his animus towards working people,' Johnson told reporters at a City Hall news conference. 'I think it's important that the President respects the Constitution. If you're asking me if this president is going to work with city leaders, it's clear that he's not interested in doing that.' Johnson, a progressive first-term mayor, has been among the Trump administration's highest profile domestic targets over the last several months. The most explosive point of contention has been Chicago's sanctuary policy for immigrants, mirroring similar laws in other blue cities and states that the president's team continues to blame as an obstacle in his bid to enact the largest deportation operation in American history. The mayor noted the federal government was not expected to give the city advance notice if it indeed deploys troops in Chicago. He did not elaborate on what the city's plans would be, beyond announcing the CTA's plans to disseminate resources from its 'Know Your Rights' immigration campaign across more than 400 digital displays and highlighting that much of this next fight would be via legal challenges. 'There's a great deal of resistance in this city around a host of things with the Trump administration. … Whether it's in the courts or whether it's in the streets or it's with public policy, we're going to continue to defend and stand up for working people,' Johnson said. 'As far as what this administration has been allowed to get away with, we have put forth lawsuits, which we've seen some success there.' Johnson's Corporation Counsel, Mary Richardson-Lowry, added 'we think it is a violation of the Constitution to deploy troops or National Guard, absent authority under the Constitution' that is reserved by the governor, not the federal government. Richardson-Lowry also addressed reporting from the Tribune last week that the city did comply with one subpoena from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE has subpoenaed two city departments: the clerk over its municipal ID program CityKey, and Streets and Sanitation over employment eligibility forms. The city provided some documents in the latter summons, a spokesperson for Johnson's Law Department said on Friday. On Tuesday, Richardson-Lowry stressed that none of those records contained personal information. 'There was another administrative warrant category for Streets and San, where under federal law we had an obligation to at least provide a listing, and that information was provided without the kind of detail,' Richardson-Lowry said. The city didn't hand over any documents with the other ICE subpoena, for CityKey records, the Johnson administration has said. On Friday evening, a week after the Tribune reported that ICE subpoenaed the clerk's office for personal information of applicants to the ID program that is often used by noncitizens, the city clerk took down the online application for CityKey. During the first Trump administration, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot also rebuked threats by the federal government to deploy the military in the face of civil unrest over the police murder of George Floyd. Though there was still some federal troop presence in the city, it paled in comparison to the crackdown Trump was teasing then — and enacting in Los Angeles now, with thousands of federal National Guard and Marine troops deployed there. Conservatives have long desired use of the National Guard to quell violence in liberal-leaning cities such as Chicago, with Trump leading the rhetoric. He posted to Truth Social on Sunday, 'We must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.' A hearing on California's lawsuit seeking to compel the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to the state was scheduled Tuesday in a federal appeals court.
News18
30-05-2025
- Business
- News18
Why Is Moscow Pushing To Revive The Russia-India-China Troika Now?
Last Updated: Moscow has renewed its call to revive the Russia-India-China trilateral, dormant since the 2020 Galwan clash. But its timing and what it stands to gain tell a bigger story THE BIG PICTURE For the first time since 2020, Russia has openly called for reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral format. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a security conference in Eurasia in the city of Perm on May 29, said the 'time has come" to restart RIC meetings, adding that, in his view, India and China have reached an understanding on easing border tensions. 'I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries," Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS. Big Statement by Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says 'it seems to me that the time has come to revive this Russia, India & China Troika" — Siddhant Mishra (@siddhantvm) May 30, 2025 The RIC platform, originally launched in the late 1990s, has remained dormant since the deadly Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020. While Russia had hinted at trilateral engagement during the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024, Lavrov's latest pitch marks the most explicit call to formally revive the RIC mechanism since Galwan. Lavrov's renewed pitch signals much more than just a procedural revival — it reflects Moscow's shifting diplomatic calculus amid changing global alignments. So, why now? What is driving Russia's push? And where does India fit into this strategic triangle? Here's a detailed look. The RIC grouping was first proposed by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov as part of Moscow's vision for a multipolar world order. Over the years, it has convened more than 20 times at various levels, bringing together foreign ministers, trade officials, economic agencies, and security experts from the three Asian powers to foster dialogue on a range of issues. However, after the Galwan clash led to a sharp deterioration in India-China relations, the platform effectively went dormant. WHY IS RUSSIA PUSHING NOW? A Tentative Thaw Between India and China The primary obstacle to RIC's functioning has always been India-China tensions. However, the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in Kazan (October 2024) marked a significant shift. The two leaders reached an understanding aimed at easing the border standoff along the Line of Actual Control, which had remained a major flashpoint since the 2020 Galwan clash. The widely circulated handshake between Modi and Xi was also seen as a public signal of improving ties. Russia sees this tentative easing of tensions as an opening to revive RIC, hoping that both Delhi and Beijing may now be more receptive to moderated dialogue under Moscow's watch. Russia's Growing Anxiety Over India's Western Alignment Since Galwan, India has steadily deepened its ties with the United States, Japan, Australia — particularly through the Quad — as well as newer groupings like I2U2 and multiple Western defence partnerships. This growing alignment with Western powers, especially in defence, technology, and supply chain domains, has deepened Moscow's anxieties about India drifting further into the Western camp. For Russia, reviving RIC offers a way to keep India engaged within a non-Western multilateral space, while allowing Moscow to retain its role as a balancing player between its two key Asian partners. The NATO Factor: A Direct Warning Lavrov directly accused NATO of attempting to 'lure India into anti-China intrigues", describing it as a 'large provocation" that India is fully aware of. This is one of Russia's clearest acknowledgements of how it views NATO's expanding interest in the Indo-Pacific region and India's growing engagement with Western security groupings. Through RIC, Moscow is signalling its desire to keep India engaged in Eurasian multilateralism and prevent it from being drawn too deeply into the US-China competition. The Ukraine war and sweeping Western sanctions have pushed Russia to deepen its engagement across Asia. However, as Moscow's economic and diplomatic dependence on China has grown, so too have its long-term strategic concerns about being overly reliant on Beijing. By seeking to revive RIC, Russia is attempting to balance its Asian partnerships, maintain diplomatic space with India, and continue projecting itself as an independent power centre within the evolving Eurasian order. With India's growing global profile and China's rise, Russia risks being increasingly sidelined in Asia's strategic balance. The revival of RIC allows Moscow to project continued relevance as a power capable of influencing dialogue between Asia's two major players. It also aligns with Russia's broader vision of strengthening non-Western institutions that can serve as alternatives to Western-led alliances. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR INDIA? For India, this renewed Russian pitch presents both opportunities and challenges. While New Delhi maintains strong historical ties with Moscow, deep distrust persists with China due to unresolved border disputes. India's foreign policy rests on its ability to maintain strategic autonomy, avoiding being locked into any single camp, whether Western or non-Western. If RIC discussions are revived, India could engage while continuing to maintain its partnerships with the United States, Quad members, and other emerging alliances. THE BOTTOM LINE Lavrov's call to revive RIC is about more than simply restarting old meetings. It reflects Russia's broader effort to navigate shifting global alignments, counterbalance growing Western influence in Asia, and reassert its diplomatic weight as a Eurasian power broker. For India, the revival of RIC is another test of its ability to walk the tightrope between multiple global partnerships, unresolved regional tensions, and its long-standing pursuit of strategic autonomy. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : galwan clashes india russia china Sergey Lavrov Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 30, 2025, 15:25 IST News explainers Why Is Moscow Pushing To Revive The Russia-India-China Troika Now?
Tokyo Reported
22-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Shizuoka couple suspected of smuggling cocaine, meth, ketamine in mail
AICHI (TR) – Law enforcement has arrested a couple living in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture over the alleged smuggling of cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine from Spain via international mail, reports NHK (May 21). According to Nagoya Customs, Colombian national Joel De Moya Duque Said, 54, and his wife, 29-year-old Rina Kikuchi, have been accused of violating the Stimulants Control Act. In March, the couple are suspected of smuggling 200 grams of cocaine, 100 grams of kakuseizai (methamphetamine) and 50 grams of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine through an envelope and bag mailed from Spain for commercial purposes. The illegal drugs have a combined street value of more than 10 million yen. Police have not revealed whether the two suspects have admitted to the charges, citing it would be an obstacle to the investigation. Police are investigating how the drugs were obtained.
