Delhi Court Allows Stem Cell Therapy For 2 Children Suffering From Autism

The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed two children suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to undergo stem cell therapy for treatment of their condition.

The family members of the two children had approached the high court earlier this year with a petition after their treatment was stopped by their doctors on account of a recommendation by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of National Medical Commission (NMC), which said the use of stem cell therapy shall amount to professional misconduct.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said there was no law banning the use of stem cell therapy for ASD and even the NMC is yet to take a final decision on the recommendation.

"No fruitful purpose would be served by stopping the treatment that is going on at present and therefore the petitioners are permitted to continue the treatment," the bench, also comprising Justice Sanjeev Narula, said.

Listing the matter for further hearing on October 3, the court also asked the NMC to take a final decision on the recommendation.

"This is an interim order. We don't want treatment to stop right now," the court said.

It, however, clarified the treatment shall be at the risk of the petitioners.

Two expert doctors from AIIMS, who were present during the proceedings to assist the court, told the bench that stem cell therapy is allowed as a mode of treatment only for blood cancer and its use for treating ASD was currently at an experimental stage.

They said more research was required about the use of the therapy for ASD before it is prescribed as a treatment. As of now, even the therapy protocol was not clear, the doctors said.

One of the petitioners, a doctor herself, submitted stem cell treatment for her daughter should not be stopped as she has shown "great improvement" after taking it.

The petitioners were aggrieved by the recommendation of the EMRB dated December 6, 2022, which said the use, promotion and advertisement of stem cell therapy shall amount to professional misconduct.

The petitioners argued the recommendation was proving an impediment in the treatment of the first petitioner's grandson and the second petitioner's daughter, who suffer from Global Developmental Delay with Autism, developmental disorders that affect social and cognitive growth.

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G20: Taj Hotel Delhi Gears Up To Welcome World Leaders With Special Cuisine

As the national capital gears up to host world leaders at the G20 Summit under India's Presidency, many of the top hotels have been booked to welcome the delegates for the event.

One such is the Taj Hotel, where the preparations are in full swing. A special cuisine has been designed by the top hotel, which includes millet in various dishes.

"We are presenting both Indian and foreign components in food to the foreign delegation. As PM Modi told us to keep a focus on millets, we are including millets as an ingredient in many cuisines," says Chef Surendra Negi.

"We have kept both Indian as well as Western desserts as well," Negi added.

Meanwhile, another chef at the hotel told ANI, "An arrangement for 'Thaalis' has also been made for the guests who promote Indian cuisine and food..."

"Some items in the menu are also kept keeping in mind the international year of millets," he said, adding "We even have desserts made of millets like ragi laddoos and barley kheer."

With a plan to serve more than 500 dishes to the foreign delegates, which include Indian and other International dishes, there will also be the use of millet in many dishes. More than 120 chefs are working on the menu.

With high levels of minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc and other vital nutrients, Millets are a treasure trove of health benefits. Millet is a common term for categorizing small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals.

India produces all the nine commonly known traditional millets viz. Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet, Foxtail Millet, Proso Millet, Little Millet, Barnyard Millet, Browntop Millet and Kodo Millet.

The government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the proposal of India was supported by 72 countries.

India is all set to host the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi from September 9-10. World leaders will arrive in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit. Notably, India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

Muktesh Pardeshi, who is the Special Secretary and the head of operations and logistics of India's G20 secretariat, in an exclusive interview with ANI said that New Delhi is geared up with its preparations for the summit.

Speaking to ANI, Muktesh Pardeshi said, “We are days away from the event, an event we have been preparing from Day 1. We took over the presidency of G20 on December 1 last year, and since then we have been preparing for this mega event, the Leader's Summit…G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union. Plus, we have given special invitations to nine more countries and some international organisations. There will be approximately 40 plus delegations that will arrive at the leader's level.”

“So, we will have Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and top officials of different delegations, representing different countries. We are gearing up, we are giving final shape to the programme,” he added.

The Special Secretary said that New Delhi has a twin agenda to showcase Indian culture, crafts and cuisine. He added that an experience panel has been created for delegates to experience how UPI payments are made, how the CoWin app was developed and how 1 billion people were connected with Aadhar. 

He also informed that the catering at the Convention Centre is being done by the ITC and there is a lot of focus on cuisine, menu planning as well and service aspects.

“The catering at the Convention Centre is done by the ITC which is a leading hotel chain. They have created a large team comprising of shapes and other associates to not only have the menu ready but also the service experience impeccable. So there's a lot of focus on both the cuisine, the menu planning as well as the service aspect. And we have selected one of the best hotel chains for the purpose you want them to explore the street food of India,” he said.

Muktesh Pardeshi said that the G20 Summit will have three sessions and all these sessions will be held around the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He said that India will hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil in the concluding session on December 10.

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Lawyer Shot Dead In Ghaziabad Court Complex, Brother-In-Law Arrested

A man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly murdering his brother-in-law, who was a lawyer, in his chambers on the tehsil court complex in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad a day back, police said.

Manoj Chowdhary alias Monu Jaat was eating lunch in his chambers around 2 pm on Wednesday when two men entered the room and fired at him. He died on the spot.

The victim's wife, Kavita Chowdhary, lodged a complaint against his brother-in-law Amit Dagar, his brother Nitin Dagar and other accomplices Madan Dagar, Anuj and Paloo alias Amit. She alleged that all five were present on the court premises at the time of the shootout.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was lodged against the five people under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder) and 120B (Conspiracy) among others, police said, adding that the incident was the fallout of a family dispute.

Amit Dagar, Nitin Dagar and Paloo were arrested Thursday morning and police seized a countrymade pistol, one used and two live cartridges and two cars from them, Additional Police Commissioner (ACP) Yogesh P told reporters.

He said Amit Dagar told police during interrogation that he had a tiff with his wife Sarita Chowdhary as she had been living with her brother Manoj Chowdhary. The man alleged that his wife had planned to sell his house in Duhai village and a flat in Chiranjiv Vihar costing around Rs 1.5 crore, the ACP said.

Amit Dagar admitted that he tried to convince his wife not to sell the properties and even called her on Raksha Bandhan to come back home which she refused, the official said.

The accused also confessed that after none of his efforts bore fruit, he hatched a plan to eliminate Manoj Chowdhary and shot him dead on Wednesday, the ACP added.

He said the other people named in the FIR will be arrested soon.

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1 Dead, Over 4 Lakh Affected As Flood Situation Remains Grim In Assam

Assam's flood situation remained grim with over four lakh people affected and one fresh fatality reported as the water level in River Brahmaputra maintained a rising trend in several places on Thursday, according to an official bulletin.

One person was washed away in the floodwaters in Golaghat district, taking the death toll in this year's deluge to 16.

The Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger mark at Dhubri, Goalpara, Guwahati, Tezpur and Nematighat, the bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

The total population affected due to floods increased to 4,03,313 in 19 districts as against the previous day's 3,40,937 in 22 districts.

Darrang was the worst affected with 72,852 affected, followed by 72,427 in Nalbari, 61,238 in Majuli, 57,420 in Golaghat and 44,181 in Morigaon.

Altogether 3,031 people have taken shelter in 125 relief camps while the authorities of the affected districts are distributing relief through 116 distribution centres.

In Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 camps have been inundated by the floodwaters, according to the forest department.

A total of 2,31,088 animals have been affected in the current wave of the flood, the bulletin said.

Altogether 25 roads were damaged in Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Majuli, Morigaon and Udalguri districts.

Large-scale erosion was also reported in Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Majuli, Nalbari, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.

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Defaced Passport Covers Not Acceptable: Official

The Ministry of External Affairs has issued a stern advisory to combat the growing misuse of Indian Passports as advertising platforms, a senior official said here on Thursday.

It highlighted the alarming trend where travel agents have been defacing the cover of Indian Passports by pasting their agency or company stickers, said Dasari Balaiah, Regional Passport Officer and Head of MEA Branch Secretariat, Hyderabad in a release.

The practice not only undermines the sanctity of the passport but contravenes Union Government guidelines pertaining to passport maintenance, it said.

"The outer cover of the Indian Passport carries the national emblem with the Ashoka Chakra on it and incorporates several security features aimed at ensuring its authenticity and integrity. Pasting adhesives or promotional stickers by agents can mask the national emblem and tamper with the security features and can be compromised--preventing verification of authenticity," the release said.

It may also cause difficulties in assessing the genuineness of the passports and thereby lead to issues for Indian travellers at immigration points, the release added.

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Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines Join India In Rejection Of China's "New Map"

Governments of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan on Thursday joined India in rejecting China's new national map, issuing strongly worded statements accusing Beijing of claiming their territory.

China published a new version of its national map on Monday to correct what Beijing has in the past referred to as "problematic maps" that it claims misrepresent its territorial borders.

India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China over its so-called "standard map" laying claim over Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin, and asserted that such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.

The External Affairs Ministry also rejected China's claims as having "no basis".

"Just making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while reacting to the Chinese move.

The Philippine government on Thursday slammed China's 2023 edition of its so-called "standard map" that still shows swaths of Philippine features in the West Philippine Sea.

The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources issued on August 28 a controversial map that includes the nine-dash line, now a 10-dash line, that supposedly shows China's boundaries in the South China Sea.

"This latest attempt to legitimise China's purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a statement.

Daza said the 2016 Arbitral Award has already invalidated the nine-dashed line and called on China to abide by its obligations under UNCLOS.

"(The award) categorically stated that 'maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line' are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China's maritime entitlements under the Convention," Daza was quoted as saying by the official Philippine News Agency.

"The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," she added.

Manila had already protested the publication of a Chinese national map in 2013, which also placed parts of the Kalayaan Island Group or Spratlys within Beijing's "national boundaries".

The Malaysian government said on Thursday that it will send a protest note to China over the latter's claims on the South China Sea as outlined in the 'China Standard Map Edition 2023', which also covers Malaysia's maritime areas.

Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the move was a follow-up step taken by the government over the matter.

"This has been our practice (when dealing with issues like this)... and based on the statement issued by Wisma Putra yesterday, the next step includes sending a protest note," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Malaysia does not recognise China's claims in the South China Sea, as outlined in the "China Standard Map Edition 2023," which also encompasses Malaysia's maritime areas.

The map holds no binding authority over Malaysia, it said in a statement.

The Vietnamese government also criticised China's latest provocation.

Vietnam strongly reiterates its consistent stance on the sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), and resolutely rejects any maritime claims of China that are based on the "nine-dash line" in the East Sea, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said on Thursday.

Hang made the statement while answering reporters' questions regarding Vietnam's response to China's release of the so-called "standard map 2023" which covers Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, the official Vietnam News Agency reported.

The issuance of the map as well as China's "nine-dash line" claim show a violation of Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, as well as Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters as stipulated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), she stressed.

Therefore, the sovereignty and maritime claims based on the "nine-dash line" as reflected in the map are void and violate international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS, the spokeswoman said.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday rebuked China's new "standard map" by saying Taiwan has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Foreign ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu told Taiwan News that "Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country that is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan. These are universally recognised facts and the status quo in the international community." Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry indicated it was not budging on the map issue.

"China's position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear. The competent authorities of China routinely publish standard maps of various types every year, which aims to make standard maps available to all sectors of society and raise public awareness of the standardised use of maps.

"We hope parties concerned can view it in an objective and rational light," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question on Thursday when sought his comment on the protests from countries like India, Malaysia as well as the Philippines against this new Chinese map. 

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Mamata Banerjee's "Khela Hoga" Call Ahead Of INDIA Bloc's Mumbai Meet

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said "Khela Hoga" meaning the "game is on" as the opposition parties huddle up in Mumbai ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo is on a visit to Mumbai for the third meeting of the INDIA bloc.

Speaking to reporters after tying 'rakhi' to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his residence on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Mamata Banerjee said, "Hoga hoga, khela hoga."

On the number of seats, the TMC seeks to win in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC chief said, "Many". 

Earlier in the day, the West Bengal Chief Minister met Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan at their residence in Mumbai. 

"I am happy today. I met 'Bharat Ratan' of India Amitabh Bachchan (Mamata Banerjee called Amitabh Bachchan Bharat Ratan) and also tied him rakhi. I love this family. They are the number one family in India and they have a lot of contributions also...I also invited him to attend Durga Puja and International Film Festival," she said after the meeting.

The meeting will discuss the alliance strategies for the Lok Sabha election and the seat sharing in the states. A new logo of the INDIA alliance is also likely to be launched.

As the race for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls hots up, top Opposition leaders from at least 26 INDIA parties will meet in Mumbai for its third meeting and on the same day. INDIA or 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance' is a group of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress.

The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting is slated to be in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.

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iPhones Worth Rs 65 Lakh Stolen From Warehouse In Pune, 1 Arrested

A 32-year-old man was arrested in Pune on Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a warehouse in Pune district and stealing iPhones worth Rs 65 lakh, police said.

Accused Tophajul Khurshid Shaikh, a resident of Jharkhand, was Arrested by the Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai police's crime branch from Masjid Bunder area, an official said.

He had allegedly broken into a warehouse in Wagholi area near Pune on July 15 and stolen at least 105 iPhones.

Shaikh was handed over to Lonikand police station in Pune district which is probing the case, the official said.

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All About Geetika Srivastava, First Woman To Lead Indian Mission In Pak

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad will soon be headed by a woman diplomat, a first since Independence. Geetika Srivastava, a 2005 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will be India's new charge d'affaires in Islamabad. 

Ms Srivastava is likely to take up her assignment in Islamabad soon, news agency PTI reported quoting a person familiar with the matter. She will take over the office of charge d'affaires from Dr M Suresh Kumar.

5 points on Geetika Srivastava

– Ms Srivastava is presently serving as joint secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) headquarters. 

– In charge of MEA's Indo-Pacific division, she takes care of India's multilateral diplomacy with ASEAN, IORA and others.

– Earlier, she served a two-year tenure at the Indian Embassy in China where she also learnt Mandarin.

– She has also served as Director in the IOR Division of the MEA as well as a Regional Passport Officer in Kolkata.

– Ms Srivastava is the latest addition to the “Female Diplomatic Club.” Her appointment comes soon after the United Kingdom (UK) posted its first woman envoy in Pakistan.

Both Indian and Pakistani High Commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi are headed by their charge d'affaires. This came after Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties following India's decision in August 2019 to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Since then, there has been no full-time high commissioner in Islamabad and New Delhi. Only the middle-level diplomats have been posted as charge d'affaires.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has named Saad Warraich as the new charge d'affaires for India. Saad Warriach will replace Aizaz Khan, the current charge d'affaires at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. It is also reported that the two countries have already exchanged diplomatic visas for the new positions by both parties.

In the last 76 years, India has always been represented by male diplomats in Pakistan. Since 1947, when New Delhi sent Sri Prakasa as the first Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad, there have been 22 heads of mission. Ajay Bisaria, the last Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad, was withdrawn following Pakistan's decision to downgrade the diplomatic ties with India. This came after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

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Scrapped Article 35A Took Away Fundamental Rights: Chief Justice Of India

The Supreme Court on Monday prima facie agreed with the Centre's submission on pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir is "subordinate" to the Indian Constitution, which is on a higher pedestal.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, however, did not seem to be in agreement with the plea that the Constituent Assembly of the erstwhile state, which was disbanded in 1957, was in reality a legislative assembly.

Without naming the two mainstream political parties of the erstwhile state, the Centre said citizens have been misguided that the special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir were "not discrimination but a privilege".

"Even today two political parties are before this court defending Article 370 and 35A," the solicitor general told the top court on the 11th day of hearing the litany of pleas challenging the abrogation of the constitutional provision which bestowed special status to the erstwhile state of J-K.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said there is enough material to show that the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir is subordinate to the Constitution of India and the constituent assembly of J-K was in reality a legislative assembly making laws.

"At one level, you may be right subject to rejoinder arguments from the other side (petitioners' side) that the Constitution of India is really a document which lies on a higher platform than that of the Constitution of J-K," the bench also comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant said.

It told Mehta that it would be difficult to accept the second limb of the argument that the Constituent Assembly (CA) of J-K was, in reality, a legislative assembly as proviso to Article 370 specifically mentioned that it (CA) brought certain subjects into the fold of the state upon its approval.

Mehta, said, "The Constituent Assembly of J-K was for all purposes functioning as the state legislature apart from framing a subordinate document called 'the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir' also made legislations by passing several laws." He said the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, in the exercise of its limited powers, approved and adopted the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir which was nothing but a "legislative piece" for internal governance with the overarching application of the Indian Constitution.

The solicitor general further submitted that the effect of Article 370 was such that by the administrative act of the President and the state government, any part of the Constitution of India with respect to J-K can be amended, altered or even "destroyed" and new provisions can be created.

He said that after the 42nd amendment, the words "Socialist" and "Secular" were not made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Even the word "Integrity" is not there. Fundamental duties were not there, which exists in the Indian Constitution.

"The Jammu and Kashmir Constitution provided for a separate provision for permanent residents of J-K in Article 7. It removed references to Scheduled Tribes from Article 15(4). Other Articles 19, 22, 31, 31A and 32 were applied with some modifications…," Mehta said.

He referred to another contentious provision, Article 35A, of the Indian Constitution that gave special rights to only permanent residents of the erstwhile state and said it was discriminatory, to say the least.

"Under the provision (A-35A), people like sanitation workers working in the erstwhile state for decades were not given equal rights like that of permanent residents of J-K.

"This discrimination continued till the provision was abrogated in 2019. Non-permanent residents of J-K were not able to purchase lands, could not avail scholarship, employment in the state government," he said, urging the court to look into issues from the "eyes of people".

CJI Chandrachud deciphering Mehta's submissions said that by enacting Article 35A, they took away fundamental rights of equality, liberty to practice profession in any part of the country and even granted immunity from legal challenges and the power of judicial review.

"People were misguided by those - who were supposed to guide them - that this was not a discrimination but a privilege. Even today two political parties are before this court defending Article 370 and 35A," the Solicitor General said.

Mehta submitted that the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir needed to be repealed because it could not co-exist with the Indian constitution.

"On November 21, 2018, the legislative assembly of the state was dissolved but there was no contemporaneous challenge by any political party or any citizen or leader.

"Till, today there is no challenge to the dissolution of the assembly," he said, adding that despite there being no challenge, arguments were made by the petitioners' side that the action was "arbitrary".

Mehta added that on June 20, 2018, under Section 92 of the J-K Constitution, the Governor's rule was imposed in the state due to the failure of constitutional machinery in the state and only one petition challenged it after 14 months.

"No political party challenged the governor's rule or dissolution of the assembly. We are being called at midnight in this court for a hearing on forming governments, but here there are no challenges.

"Yet, arguments have been made that how can the governor dissolve the House. I am unable to understand the hollowness of the arguments," he submitted, adding that in J-K, Governor's rule has been imposed eight times and President's rule three times.

The hearing remained inconclusive and would continue on Tuesday.

On August 24, commencing their arguments in support of the abrogation of Article 370, the Centre had asserted there was no "constitutional fraud" in annulling the provision that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Several petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh - were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019.

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Civil Service Aspirant Dies By Suicide In Rajasthan: Police

A girl, preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh allegedly died by suicide on Saturday, officials said.

According to Vedpal Singh, Circle Inspector, Hanumangarh, the dead has been identified as Priyanka.

"A girl died by suicide yesterday. She had been living in a girls' hostel along with other girls since June and was taking online classes for IAS preparation...We have found a note and we are examining it. We have sent the body for post-mortem and have registered a morgue based on a report given by her father... Further investigating the case is underway," Vedpal Singh, Circle Inspector, Hanumangarh.

The police said that the dead had been living in a girl's hostel with other girls since June and was taking online classes for the preparation of UPSC.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Notably, suicide cases among students are rising in Rajasthan, the state government has been alerted and come on a war footing to avert these types of incidents.

Recently, amid the rising suicide cases among students in Rajasthan's Kota, state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot formed a committee that would submit a report on students' suicide. As many as 22 students have died by suicide in the last eight months in Rajasthan's Kota.

Earlier, referring to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on student suicides, Ashok Gehlot said, "According to NCRB, around 13,000 students died by suicide in 2021. Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of suicides with 1,834 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,308), Tamil Nadu (1,246), Karnataka (855) and Odisha (834). The problem can be solved with a collective effort."

The number of such suicides in Rajasthan was 633, which is less than in other states, but the state government is 'serious and sensitive' towards the issue, an official statement said.

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7 Injured In Mass Shooting At Caribbean Festival In Boston: Police

At least seven people were hospitalized after a mass shooting at a Caribbean festival in Boston early Saturday, the police said.

None of the seven had life-threatening injuries, they added.

"Firearms have been recovered and arrests made," the police from the northeastern city said in a brief statement.

An earlier advisory from Boston police warned that traffic would be impacted by a pair of parades Saturday linked to an annual Caribbean carnival, with one beginning at 6:30 am (1030 GMT) and a second hours later.

Police said they received a first call about shots being fired at 7:44 am.

Unverified social media posts appeared to show people running from a chaotic street scene, with some falling to the ground.

One person died during last year's Caribbean festival, local media reported.

Mass shootings have become disturbingly common across the United States, with easy access to firearms in most states.

On Friday night, two women were wounded by gunfire in Chicago while at a major league baseball game between the White Sox and the visiting Oakland Athletics.

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PM Modi To Address B20 Summit India Tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the B20 Summit India 2023 here on Sunday. His office said the Summit has brought policy makers, business leaders and experts from across the world to deliberate and discuss the B20 India Communique. The B20 India Communique includes 54 recommendations and 172 policy actions for submission to G20, it said.

At 12 noon tomorrow, 27th August, I will be addressing the B20 Summit India 2023. This platform is bringing together a wide range of stakeholders working in the business world. It is among the most important G20 Groups, with a clear focus on boosting economic growth.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 26, 2023

The Business 20 (B20) is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community. Established in 2010, B20 is among the most prominent engagement groups in G20 with companies and business organisations as participants.

The B20 works to deliver concrete actionable policy recommendations to spur economic growth and development, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The three-day summit started on August 25 and its theme is R.A.I.S.E - Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable businesses. It is being attended by over 1,500 delegates from about 55 countries.

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Free Trade Agreement With UK Very Close To A Final Call: Finance Minister

A free trade agreement is very close to a final call with the UK while negotiations for a trade pact with Canada are expected to conclude soon, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.

Speaking at the B20 Summit India 2023, organised by CII, the minister said India has already signed trade pacts with Australia, the UAE and several other countries.

"FTAs should actually encourage you (global investors) to be in India," she told the gathering of global leaders.

"An FTA agreement is very close for a final call with the UK and I think negotiations with Canada are also progressing and I expect that to come to a conclusion sooner than later," Sitharaman said.

She further said the finance ministry and commerce ministry are working closely on trade agreements with different countries.

"The fact that at this stage we are tying up the agreement with one of the Western developed countries shows that India is opening up for a lot more ... Mutually we should benefit from agreeing with each other," she added.

Meanwhile in Jaipur, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the negotiations between India and the UK for the proposed free trade agreement are progressing and both countries are committed to concluding the talks as early as possible.

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Adani's Strategic Initiatives Enhance Credit Profile, Rs 2.36 Lakh Crore Worth Equity Deployed

In a significant milestone, the Adani Group through a series of strategic initiatives has increased its liquidity position at the portfolio level to finish with a cash balance of Rs 42,115 crore at the end of the June quarter, the company said in a statement today.

The portfolio companies diligently focused on bolstering their financial standing, ensuring a robust foundation for their ambitious projects, it said.

For the first time, the equity deployed increased to more than half the total assets - at 55.77 per cent; equity for FY23 was Rs 2.36 lakh crore against net debt of Rs 1.87 lakh crore.

The group had the highest-ever cash balance at portfolio level of Rs 42,115 crore - Rs 1,764 crore higher than at the end of the preceding March quarter.

For the first time, the portfolio's net debt to EBITDA (run-rate) fell below 3x - at 2.81x in the last 10 years.

The contribution from core infra and utility platform to Q1 FY24 portfolio EBITDA at more than 80 per cent lends high degree of stability and multidecadal earnings predictability.

Some of the key measures that contributed to this positive transformation include significant deployment of equity resulted in total equity increasing to 55.77 per cent of the total assets, as compared to 40.16 per cent at the end of FY19.

The equity deployed by the end of FY23 was Rs 2,35,812 crore, much higher than net debt of Rs 1,87,087 crore.

EBITDA and gross assets have grown at a much faster rate in the last four years (FY19 to FY23) at a CAGR of 18.13 per cent and 21.7 per cent, respectively. EBITDA in the June FY24 quarter increased by 42 per cent year-on-year and was more than 40 per cent of the entire FY23. As against these, net debt has grown at only 14.56 per cent CAGR, resulting in consistently improving leverages ratios.

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4 Killed In Fresh Russian Strike On Ukraine School

A Russian strike on a school in northeast Ukraine killed four people Wednesday, razing the building to the ground in the Sumy region that borders Russia in an attack that came as the war in Ukraine enters its 19th month.

Three civilians were also killed in Russia's Belgorod region while the capital Moscow was targeted by a drone attack for the sixth night in a row, with the war now hitting Russian territory daily.

In Ukraine's Romny village, 230 kilometres (140 miles) east of Kyiv, where the school attack hit, rescuers found the bodies of the school director, deputy director, secretary and librarian under the rubble.

"The number of victims of the Russian attack on the school in Romny has increased to four people," Ukraine's Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Four local residents passing by the school were wounded, Klymenko added.

The minister posted a photograph of a rubble-covered building, with a dozen rescuers clearing the site, with only one door left intact.

"In the photo, among the ruins of the school, there is a surviving entrance to the shelter. Unfortunately, people did not go down during the alarm to a safe place," Klymenko said.

He added that the "rubble removal operation has been completed."

The building was covered in bricks. Another photograph showed rescuers carrying a body bag.

Russian forces entered the Sumy region at the start of their invasion last year but were pushed back by Ukrainian forces.

It has since been spared from the fighting seen in other eastern regions but recently has increasingly seen deadly attacks.

- Three killed in Belgorod -

Moscow and other Russian regions were hit by more Ukrainian drone attacks Wednesday, as Kyiv vowed earlier this summer to "return" the war to Russia.

In the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, authorities said three civilians were killed by Kyiv's forces Wednesday.

"The Ukrainian forces launched an explosive device through a drone when people were on the street," Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

The region has been targeted by shelling, drone attacks and occasional cross-border incursions for months.

In Moscow's central business district -- Moscow City -- a drone attack crashed into a skyscraper and smashed a window, without causing any casualties.

Emergency services vehicles lined up along a street below a cluster of brightly lit skyscrapers.

Air traffic at Moscow's Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports was briefly halted, the TASS state news agency reported, citing the aviation services.

Drones were also downed outside Moscow -- in the Mozhaisky and Khimki districts -- Russia's defence ministry said.

In Khimki, Russian state media reported that the wreckage of a downed drone had partially collapsed the roof of a private house and damaged a non-residential building.

Later, Vladislav Shapsha, the head of the Kaluga region south of Moscow, said air defence systems in his region had fended off two drones.

- Black Sea attacks -

Both Russia and Ukraine have also ramped up attacks in the Black Sea since the July collapse of a UN-brokered deal aimed at ensuring safe navigation for civilian grain shipments from Ukraine ports.

"The Black Sea is the key to global food and, therefore, social stability," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a forum Wednesday.

"Crimea is the key to security in the Black Sea. You can't leave the keys in the hands of terrorists, and we won't."

Russia has consistently hit Ukraine's grain infrastructure, while Kyiv has targeted Crimea and Moscow's Black Sea Fleet.

Ukraine claimed it destroyed a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system in Crimea, annexed by Russia since 2014.

Its defence ministry posted a video of a massive explosion with a huge column of smoke billowing in the sky, saying it took place near the village of Olenivka on the Tarkhankut Peninsula and destroyed "the system, its missiles and personnel."

There were no immediate comments from Moscow, but Russian military bloggers said the attack highlighted flaws in Russia's defence capacities.

Kyiv said Wednesday that Russian strikes on its sea and river ports had destroyed 270,000 tonnes of grain in the space of a month and that a Russian drone had hit and damaged grain infrastructure in the southern Odesa region.

Kyiv also denied Moscow's claim on Tuesday that it had destroyed two Ukrainian military boats, including one carrying troops.

 

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Chilling Video Shows Police Rescuing Woman Chained To Floor Of US Home

A woman was found chained to the floor of a home in Kentucky for two days and was rescued by police. The footage of the dramatic rescue was captured on bodycam.

The police reached the location at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday after a neighbour reported hearing screaming. Louisville Metro police officers tried to break into the building by kicking down doors and windows, but the house was completely barricaded, the police said.

Moments later, the officer used a ladder to reach the second floor, where the window had been broken. The unidentified woman was sobbing hysterically as police reached her, reported the Independent. The woman was bolted to the floor with screws that were attached to a chain and secured around her neck by a MasterLock.

The police used an axe to break the chain which was bolted to the floor with screws. Rescuers later used bolt cutters to free the woman from the chain as she sobbed on the front porch of the home.

The suspect Moises May, 36, was arrested two days later. He was keeping the woman locked up following an argument that turned violent, according to reports obtained by WAVE3.

The reports further said that the woman had left the night of the argument but returned the next day to collect her belongings. The accused locked her inside a deadbolted room and took her phone.

May share a child with the woman. He is accused of chopping the woman's hair off with a machete, forcing her to strip down before he chained her to the floor and threatened to kill her.

"You're gonna get it tonight. I told you the next time you leave and don't come home, I'd kill you," May reportedly told her, according to the police report.

May has been charged with one count of kidnapping, intimidating a participant in the legal process, wanton endangerment, assault, terroristic threatening and harassment, the Independent reported.

His bond was set at $100,000 and he is scheduled to reappear in court on 28 August.

 

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All Schools, Colleges To Remain Close In Shimla, Mandi For 2 Days

Rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday and the meteorological office here issued a red alert predicting "heavy to very heavy" rainfall with isolated spells of "extremely heavy" rains in eight of its 12 districts during the night.

In view of the warning, Deputy Commissioners Aditya Negi of Shimla and Arindam Chaudhary of Mandi ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in their jurisdictions on Wednesday and Thursday. Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussian Sadiq said all educational institutions will remain closed on Wednesday.

The red alert was issued in the evening for parts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Una districts as rains on Tuesday triggered some landslides in Mandi and hamirpur districts and uprooted trees in other areas.

No casualties were reported in this fresh bout of rains, so far. Earlier this month, about 80 people died in rain-related incidents, including major landslides in Shimla.

The Met also issued an orange alert warning of "heavy to very heavy rains" on Wednesday and Thursday, and a yellow warning of heavy rain on August 25 and 26.

It has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 28.

Himachal Pradesh has received six per cent deficit rainfall in August so far. The seasonal rainfall was 752.1 mm against a normal rainfall of 550.4 mm, an excess of 36 per cent.

As many as 227 people have died in rain-related disasters in Himachal while 38 are still missing since the onset of monsoon on June 24. Over 12,000 houses have been completely or partially damaged, according to the state emergency operation centre.

As per its data, the state has suffered losses of about Rs 8,100 crore and the loss estimates are still pouring in. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has claimed that the state has suffered losses of Rs 10,000 crores. 

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Russian Teens To Learn How To Operate Military Drones In Schools

Russian teenagers will learn how to operate and counter military drones in the upcoming school year, according to a curriculum published Monday by the education ministry.

Moscow announced last November it was re-introducing Soviet-style military training for children from 2023, as it presses ahead with its nearly 18-month offensive in Ukraine.

The drone course, which will be offered to pupils aged 15 to 17, comes as Russian territory is targeted by almost daily Ukrainian drone attacks and as their use becomes pivotal in the conflict.

According to the education ministry's website, pupils will gain "an understanding of the ways in which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used in combat".

They will also "perform practical tasks on drone piloting" as well as "learn the algorithm to counter enemy drones".

"The introduction of such a program in schools will make it possible to systematically prepare our citizens for a possible confrontation with the enemy," lawmaker Sergei Mironov said in November 2022 as he advocated for the reintroduction of the training.

The revised military program also includes a module dedicated to Kalashnikov assault rifles, hand grenades and shooting.

Since Moscow launched full-scale hostilities against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian authorities have led a sweeping campaign to boost patriotism at school.

Schools have been ordered to play the national anthem and hoist the flag at the start of each week.

The Kremlin also introduced classes -- dubbed "important conversations" -- that teach World War II revisionism, Russian values and Moscow's official narrative about its troops "protecting" compatriots in Ukraine.

 

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Opposition Bloc INDIA Likely To Unveil Logo At Mumbai Meet On September 1

The logo of opposition INDIA alliance is likely to be unveiled during the front's meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, sources said on Sunday.

Approximately 80 leaders from more than 26 political parties are expected to attend the third meeting of the INDIA alliance in the country's financial capital, they said.

At present, 26 parties are part of the grouping and a few more are set to join the alliance during the two-day meeting, the sources added.

The logo of INDIA alliance may be unveiled on September 1 before the beginning of the day-long deliberations, according to them.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, known by its abbreviation INDIA, is an opposition front announced by the leaders of 26 parties to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to challenge the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

This opposition bloc's first meeting was held in Patna in June and the second in Bengaluru last month.

The leaders of the INDIA front, including chief ministers of five states, as well as former Congress president Sonia Gandhi are expected to arrive in the metropolis before 6 pm on August 31, the sources said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will host dinner for the visiting dignitaries at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in suburban Mumbai on August 31. The next day, the meeting will take place at the same venue followed by a press conference, they said.

Lunch will be hosted for the opposition leaders by the Congress party's state and Mumbai units, they added.

According to the sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may visit the state Congress headquarters Tilak Bhavan in central Mumbai after the meeting on September 1.

Naseem Khan, who is a working president of the Maharashtra Congress, said all the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Ashok Chavan are engaged in micro-level planning to ensure that the meeting is a success.

"The visitors will be accorded a traditional welcome on their arrival at the hotel. All leaders have been holding regular meetings as part of the preparations," he said.

The meeting held on Sunday was attended by Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut, Congress leaders Varsha Gaikwad, Milind Deora and Naseem Khan, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Narendra Verma, among others.

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They Placed A Spy Cam In Gujarat Official's Office. Here's What Happened Next

A resident additional collector, a deputy mamlatdar and one more person were charged for allegedly placing a spy camera in the office of the collector of Anand district in Gujarat to trap him and get him to clear some files, a police official said on Saturday.

The case was registered by Anand district police on a complaint from the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) against resident additional collector Ketki Vyas, deputy mamlatdar JD Vyas and one more person, the official said.

The accused had installed a spy camera in the office of DS Gadhvi, who was suspended as Anand district collector on August 9 on charges of "misconduct and moral turpitude" based on the video captured by the spy camera.

"The accused procured a video showing him in a compromising position with a woman and used the clip for extortion purpose to clear some files," ATS Superintendent of Police Sunil Joshi said.

The three have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence in order to commit extortion), 354 (C) (voyeurism), 66 (E) (to capture, publish or transmit image of private area of a person without his or her consent), and 67 (A) (publish or transmit in the electronic form material containing sexually explicit act) as well as provisions of Information Technology Act, he said. 

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Man Arrested For Sexually Abusing Nephew In Delhi

A 44-year-old man was Saturday apprehended for allegedly sexually abusing his 17-year-old nephew in south Delhi's Kotla Mubarak Pur, police said.

The police received a PCR call from the accused's wife regarding the incident, they added.

When a police team reached the spot, the caller woman, a slum resident in Sewa Nagar, produced her husband before them and accused him of sexually assaulting her sister's son, a senior police officer said.

The victim was taken to AIIMS hospital for medical examination, the officer said.

A case has been lodged against the accused under Sections 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act, he said.

The accused has been apprehended and further investigation is underway, the officer added. 

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X Will No Longer Let You Block Other Users, Says Elon Musk

Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, will no longer allow users to block others on the platform. The new owner announced this in response to a user's query about blocking or unmuting someone. Replying to the same, the billionaire stated that blocking, as a "feature" will be removed completely. 

"Block is going to be deleted as a "feature", except for DMs," he said in a tweet. In another tweet, he stated that "It makes no sense".

It makes no sense

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023

The microblogging platform describes block as "a feature that helps you control how you interact with other accounts on Twitter. This feature helps people in restricting specific accounts from contacting them, seeing their Tweets, and following them." Several users use the feature if someone is harassing, threatening or stalking them on the microblogging site.

In other tweets, Mr Musk suggested that the app users should use the "mute" feature instead of blocking. "You will still be able to mute accounts and block users for DMs," he said in a post.

However, it is to be noted that the mute feature "allows you to remove an account's Tweets from your timeline without unfollowing or blocking that account. Muted accounts will not know that you've muted them and you can unmute them at any time," as per the description on the platform's website. Essentially, muted profiles will remove the person's posts from your timeline, however, they will still be able to view and reply to your posts, unlike blocking, where you prevent the user from viewing your posts. 

Users can also set their account settings to private where they can control who sees and replies to their posts. The company mentions it on their website, "When you sign up for Twitter, your Tweets are public by default; anyone can view and interact with your Tweets. If you protect your Tweets, you'll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny."

This decision has created a stir on the social media platform with many users condemning the move. 

"WHAT. No,this is a SUPER bad decision. Look,no one is owed access to other people's stuff here. You cant be serious,Elon. Dude,you just caused some SERIOUS damage," said a person.

"This is a terrible idea," said another user.

A third person added, "Now I hope zuck wins."

"That's really the end then," commented a person.

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Punjab Police To Identify, Seize Properties Of Big Drug Smugglers

Punjab's Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla on Friday directed the police commissioners and district police chiefs to identify and forfeit properties of big narco smugglers caught with commercial quantities of drugs.

This year as many as 30 properties worth Rs 12.99 crores were seized and forfeited by the Punjab Police, he said.

According to an official statement, Mr Shukla directed CPs/SSPs to identify and forfeit properties of big narco smugglers caught with commercial quantities of drugs.

Mr Shukla also chalked out a foolproof strategy with the Border Security Force (BSF) to completely break the supply chain of drugs and to counter the drone operations, which have emerged as the new modus operandi to smuggle drugs from across the border.

Recently, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had vowed to make Punjab a drug-free state by the next Independence Day.

The Special DGP accompanied by IG Frontier Headquarters, BSF Jalandhar Dr Atul Fulzele was holding a joint coordination-cum-review meeting with senior officials of BSF, Punjab Police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other central agencies at Frontier Headquarters of BSF at Jalandhar to further strengthen the security at the state border to prevent the cross border smuggling.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Pradeep Yadav, DIG Ferozepur Range Ranjit Singh Dhillon and six DIGs of BSF were among the other senior officials, who attended the meeting, the statement said.

Giving a call for total synergy and teamwork between BSF and Punjab Police, Arpit Shukla said both the elite forces should work as one team and activate good old human intelligence by gathering and sharing real-time information.

He said the chief minister had already sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the installation of CCTV Cameras in the border areas to further strengthen the second line of defence and keep vigil against drug smugglers and anti-social elements.

Additionally, Rs 10 crore are being spent to strengthen the police infrastructure including police stations, he said, while adding that additional police force and vehicles are also being provided to the police deployed near the border.

Notably, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav had already announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone for providing information on drone movement leading to the recovery of weapons/narcotics.

Arpit Shukla ordered DIG Police, Border Range and DIG Ferozepur Range to direct SSPs of border districts to ensure staying overnight in the border villages at least once or twice in a month as part of the confidence-building measure. 

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Congress' Key Appointments In Madhya Pradesh, UP

Effecting an organisational shake-up, the Congress on Thursday appointed former MLA Ajay Rai as the chief of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit and Randeep Surjewala as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

Also, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed Mukul Wasnik as general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, replacing Raghu Sharma.

Mr Surjewala, who is the in-charge of Karnataka, has been given the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh, replacing Jai Prakash Agarwal.

Mr Kharge appointed Ajay Rai, an upper caste Bhumihar who had unsuccessfully contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi in 2014 and 2019, as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect, replacing Dalit leader Brijlal Khabri.

Mr Rai, who was an MLA for about 20 years between 1996-2017, had been in the BJP and the Samajwadi Party before joining the Congress in 2012.

"The party appreciates the contribution of the outgoing PCC president Brijlal Khabri, Ex-MP, and all the zonal presidents," the party said in a statement issued by general secretary organisation KC Venugopal.

Randeep Surjewala was recently appointed as a senior election observer by the party in Madhya Pradesh which goes to polls later this year.

An organisational overhaul of several state units of the Congress is underway and more appointments are likely to be made in the coming days.

Earlier this month, the Congress set up screening committees to finalise candidates for the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana later this year.

The setting up of the screening committees followed the appointment of election observers for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

The Congress is seeking to wrest control from the BJP in Madhya Pradesh.

The party is holding poll strategy meetings for every state in order to prepare for next year's Lok Sabha elections.

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"We Build Our Navy To Secure National Interest, Not To Compete": Navy Chief

Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar has dismissed conversation about competition with China when it comes to the fleet-building capacity and plans of the Indian Navy.

"When we build a navy, we build it to secure our own national interest. We don't build it to compete with any other country. It's a question of maritime national interest that we have that we need to protect, preserve and promote," Admiral Kumar told reporters in Kolkata on the sidelines of the launch of the stealth guided missile frigate Vindhyagiri at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.

"We have a maritime security perspective plan which has just got updated in 2022, and it's a 15-year plan and as per that we are progressing our capability development," Admiral Kumar added.

"We are looking at everything being built in India. As of today we have only two ships being built elsewhere. Rest all are being built in India. When you talk of a ship, there are three components. Float, move and fight. When it comes to float, we are 95 per cent indigenisation," Admiral Kumar said, focussing on the Make in India agenda of the Indian Navy.

Admiral Kumar also spoke about the plans of the second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) after the successful commissioning of INS Vikrant last September.

"Now, we are very confident of the aircraft integration bit as well as development of the carrier. We have just started the case for a repeat order. It is a work in progress. It will take time, but now we have the expertise in India to build it. Cochin Shipyard has got the requisite experience. We are working on the case as of now," he told reporters in response to a question from NDTV on the plans for building a second aircraft carrier in India.

Taking about the Indian Navy's plans for acquiring unmanned vessels, Admiral Kumar said, "Those of you who have been following the Ukraine-Russia conflict will be aware of the effect of drones and drone warfare that is happening. We already have drones or remotely piloted aircraft. There is work happening on a remotely piloted surface craft which is being worked upon by GSL. It has reached a certain stage of trials. Now the underwater unmanned vehicle is also under development. We are forming a remotely piloted squadron. It's under development. We have a certain number of these craft, and we look forward to increasing their capability," Admiral Kumar said.

Talking about naval cooperation with India's neighbour Bangladesh, Admiral Kumar said,  "We have taken forward this idea of cooperation with Bangladesh in shipbuilding. This has gained traction. We started this about a year or year-and-a-half back. We are looking at some sort of joint venture or a collaboration between a shipyard in Bangladesh and a shipyard in India like, GRSE where you can build common purpose offshore patrol vessels or tugs or even warships like frigates and so on. This is being taken forward."

"We are very closely cooperating with Bangladesh because they are our neighbour. So much of naval cooperation is there between the Indian Navy and the Bangladesh Navy, and now we are looking at these shipbuilding aspects also. We have a very good relationship with all the countries in the region, especially in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region)," Admiral Kumar added.

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''Stealing Electricity'': Man Claims His Boss Yelled At Him For Charging Phone At Work

Needless to say, all jobs include some level of stress. However, a person can feel an added amount of stress if the workplace is toxic, and the boss is unsupportive and insensitive. These days, several employees have been sharing accounts of their professional lives on social media, including the challenges they face at their workplaces.

One such employee shared a rather bizarre situation he faced at his workplace. In a Reddit post that is going viral, a user who goes by the name of @Melodic-Code-2594, shared that his boss yelled at him for charging his phone at work, accusing him of ''stealing the company's electricity for personal use.''

He wrote, ''My boss got onto me today for charging my phone at work, saying I'm stealing the company's electricity for personal use. What do you guys think? I'm not on my phone all day or anything I just sometimes forget to charge it at night before I go to bed. It's a desk job''

See the post here:

Is charging your personal phone while at work considered stealing electricity?
by u/Melodic-Code-2594 in antiwork

Needless to say, Reddit users were left aghast and slammed the employee's boss. 

One user said, "Your boss is a douchebag. Saying that's stealing company electricity is like saying breathing is stealing company air or drinking from a water fountain is stealing company water.''

Another commented, ''Tell him you won't charge your phone at the office but you won't be taking any calls from the office on it as then the company is stealing your talk time and battery life.''

A third said, ''Tell him the 3 cents it takes for you to charge your phone is nothing compared to what he's stealing by not paying you all enough.''

"Tell your boss don't flush the toilet after use because it stealing company water," joked a fourth. 

The user later edited the post and revealed that he came to know that his boss is being let go at the end of the month.

He added, ''Just found out today through an announcement to the team that our boss who made this comment to me is being let go at the end of the month. Probably why he was lashing out.''

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Russia Says "Eliminated" Ukrainian "Saboteurs" At Border

Russia's FSB security service said Wednesday it had "eliminated" a group of four Ukrainian fighters who tried to cross into Russia's western Bryansk region from northern Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.

The announcement came a day after Moscow said it had prevented Ukrainian militants from infiltrating the Bryansk region, which has regularly seen similar attacks.

"The FSB of the Russian Federation and forces of the defence ministry in the border Starodubsky district in the Bryansk region prevented an attempt to infiltrate the territory of the Russian Federation," Russian news agencies carried the FSB's statement as saying.

"Four saboteurs were eliminated."

The Starodubsky district lies in the western corner of the Bryansk region, not far from the border with Moscow-allied Belarus.

The FSB claimed the group had "foreign weapons and explosive devices" and said they were planning "provocations and sabotage actions on Russian territory."

In June, the Russian region of Belgorod saw the largest incursion since the beginning of the offensive in Ukraine.

Drones and shelling were used in the assault, raising questions about the strength of Russian border defences.

Ukraine has usually denied responsibility for the attacks, blaming instead Russian partisan groups opposed to President Vladimir Putin.

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"India Has Gained New Strategic Strength In Recent Years," Says PM Modi

India has gained new strategic strength in recent years and its borders are now more secure than ever, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday even as he highlighted efforts to modernise the military and make it "young and battle ready" to confront future challenges.

In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi also reiterated his government's unwavering resolve to ensure national security amid the current global security scenario.

"India has gained a new strategic strength in recent years and today our borders are more secure than ever," Modi said.

He said a number of military reforms are being undertaken to modernise the armed forces and make them young and battle ready to deal with future challenges.

The government last year rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the short-term induction of soldiers. The scheme is aimed at bringing down the age profile of the three services.

Under the Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14 last year, the three services are recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

For 2022, the upper age limit was extended to 23 years.

The prime minister also emphasised that the people of the country feel safe today as there has been a drastic decline in the number of terrorist attacks.

When the country is peaceful and secure, new goals of development are achieved, he said.

The prime minister also referred to the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme and said it was implemented by his government as soon as it came to power.

"The OROP was a matter of respect for the soldiers of our country. We implemented it when we came to power. Rs 70,000 crore have reached the ex-servicemen and their families today," he added.

Modi extended the Independence Day wishes to the Armed Forces personnel at the borders, who ensure that the country is secured and its interests are safeguarded.   In the last few years, the government has taken a series of measures to bolster the combat capabilities of the armed forces.

A series of initiatives were taken to enhance the country's military prowess following the border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The government has also been focusing on strengthening the border infrastructure in the last few years.

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has always been a peace-loving nation, but that does not mean that it would spare those who cast an evil eye on it.

In his address, Modi also referred to the Vibrant village programme.

"We have started a program of Vibrant Border Village in the border villages of our country. Till now the vibrant border village was said to be the last village of the country," he said.

"We have changed the whole thinking. It is not the last village of the country, the one visible on the border is the first village of my country," he added.

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Government Hospitals In Maharashtra To Provide Free Services From Today

Free treatment and screening or testing facilities became available at government hospitals in Maharashtra from August 15, officials said.

An order to this effect had been issued on Saturday.

All services at the hospitals run by both the state government and civic bodies will be free, it said.

But the order is not applicable to hospitals under the control of the Maharashtra Medical Education and Research Department.

A complaint can be lodged on toll-free number 104 if a government hospital covered under the order charges a fee.

Among other things, common tests and screenings such as X-ray, ECG, blood tests and CT scans will be free. If medicines are not available at the OPD, they shall be purchased locally (by the hospital) and given to patients, the order said.

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Manipur To Mission 2047: PM Modi's 15 Mantras In Independence Day Speech

In his 10th Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid down his vision for the country's development and his government's plan to make India a developed nation by 2047.

Here are the 15 mantras in his 90-minute speech:

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"Amrit kaal is Kartavya Kaal"

On a day that marked the culmination of the government's Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75 years of Independence, Prime Minister equated Amrit kaal with Kartavya kaal -- meaning the "time of duty". He said the decision of today will bear fruit over 1,000 years.

"Mission 2047"

Setting a target of 2047 to make India a developed nation, the Prime Minister said the next five years will be crucial to ensure that the country's aspirations are met by the time it celebrates 100 years of Independence.

"Demography, Democracy, Diversity"

The Prime Minister underlined how India's demographic strength, coupled with its democracy and diversity, can help power its development journey. The convergence of these three can fulfill the country's dreams, he said.

"Nation First"

The Prime Minister said putting the nation first forms the basis of every decision of his government. The centre, he says, aims to ensure that every single penny of taxpayers' money is used for their welfare.

Mission Against "3 Evils"

Taking a veiled swipe at Opposition forces, the Prime Minister said the country's mission should be to eradicate the evils of corruption, dynasty and appeasement which he said will be hurdles to its goals.

"Three Guarantees"

The Prime Minister spelt out three guarantees - to ensure India is among the country's top three economies, easy loans for building homes and 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras for medicines at low costs.

"2 Crore Lakhpati Didi"

Praising the role of women self-help groups in taking development and welfare measures to remote corners, he said it is now his goal to make "2 crore lakhpati didis" by empowering women. He said the government will take steps to achieve this goal.

"Policy Clear, Intent Clean"

The government, the Prime Minister said has its policies clear and its intent clean to ensure all-round development. Only a policy of ensuring everyone's well-being can help us become a developed nation, he said.

Emphasis on Regional Languages

The Prime Minister said the centre is taking steps to ensure higher studies in regional languages. He thanked the Supreme Court for its steps to make operative part of judgments available in regional languages.

"Solution Through Peace"

The Prime Minister today started his speech by assuring a solution to the unrest in Manipur, where 150 people have been killed over the past few months. The centre and state government are working to ensure peace in the northeastern state, he said. 

"From Cooperation To Collaboration"

The Prime Minister said his government has already set up a Ministry for Cooperation and that it aims to further build on its efforts, to make a gradual movement from cooperation to collaboration.

Vishwakarma Yojana

The centre will launch a 'Vishwakarma Yojana' next month with an allocation of at least Rs 13,000 crore for those with traditional skills. This scheme, he said, will focus on skilled workers such as barbers, goldsmiths and washermen, he said.

"One Earth, One Family, One Future"

Stressing how India helped out other countries during the Covid pandemic, the Prime Minister said, "India is the world's friend who does not think just about itself. After Covid, India advocated for 'One Earth, One Health' approach," he said.

A Promise For Next Year

Prime Minister said people gave him an opportunity in 2014, reposed their trust in 2019 and if the people's blessings are with him, he would return to Red Fort and address the nation next year too. Lok Sabha polls are due next year.

"Embrace Challenges"

Towards the end of his speech, the Prime Minister also shared a short poem. The lines laid down his government's plan for the country and exhorted it to embrace challenges and make India prominent worldwide.

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Foxconn Sees Potential To Invest Billions Of Dollars In India: Top Official

Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn sees potential of investing several billions of dollars in India if it gets to completely implement its plan, a top official of the company said.

Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) Chairman and CEO Young Liu during the company's second quarter earnings call on Friday said that the company's Indian arm has achieved the turnover of close to USD 10 billion on an annual basis and there is a lot of investment potential in India.

"Foxconn annual revenue was USD 200 billion. From the perspective of India's potential market size and if we can fully implement our plans there, several billion dollars in investment is only the beginning." He said Foxconn operates about nine campuses in India.

"Total size will be equivalent to more than 500 football fields. We have over 30 factories in India. The turnover, business size, roughly USD 10 billion annually. We have over 20 dormitories that shelter tens and thousands of employees that work with Foxconn in India," Young Liu said.

He said questions around India have been coming up during investors' calls since the last two quarters, which indicates there is a positive energy in the country. "I have said before that our capex this year will grow from last year. That outlook has not changed," Young Liu said.

During the presentation, CEO Young Liu pointed out that since Foxconn entered India, its revenue, number of employees, and investment scale have grown exponentially.

Mr Liu said that at present, Foxconn is mainly engaged in the information and communication technology assembly business and going forward, Foxconn will actively deploy work in the area of key components to raise its competitiveness in India.

In addition to existing operations in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Foxconn will also deploy in Karnataka, Telangana and other states.

Through close cooperation with central and local governments, Foxconn will plan to establish industrial parks and optimize the business environment in terms of infrastructure, policies and laws, Foxconn said during the earnings presentation.

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Panel Formed To Achieve Gender Equality In India's Civil Aviation Sector

Civil aviation regulator DGCA has set up a four-member committee to provide suggestions for achieving gender equality in the aviation sector in India.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an order on August 10, 2023 stating that the objective of this committee is to suggest steps that DGCA should take to bring gender equality in the aviation sector.

The four senior officers appointed as members of the committee are Survita Saxena, Director (Operations); RP Kashyap, Director (Training); Pavan Malviya, Deputy Director (Administration); and Kavita Singh, Deputy Director (Aircraft Engineering Directorate).

They are supposed to formulate norms and submit them to DGCA which the regulator will further circulate among aviation stakeholders to adopt and bring in practice for gender equality.

"The committee will submit its report/recommendation within six months from the date of its constitution," the order said.

The initiative is in line with the commitment of International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) which aims to promote participation of women and achieve an aspirational goal of 50-50 (women-men) by 2030 at all professional and higher levels of employment in the global aviation sector.

Aviation professionals, operators and stakeholders have lauded the constitution of the committee and said the move will help create new opportunities for women in this field.

They said that the Indian aviation sector already has a fair presence of female workers in certain professional categories such as pilots.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also acknowledged this fact in his address to the nation from Lal Quila on the 77th Independence Day when he said that India has the highest number of women pilots in the world.

However, experts said that there is still a huge scope to encourage and skill women to join and contribute their role in the business of flying.

Radha Bhatia, Chairperson, Bird Group, who heads non-profit organization Women in Aviation India Chapter (WAI), said that promoting gender equality in the aviation industry is undoubtedly crucial.

"It's essential to prioritize the inclusion of women, even though India boasts the highest percentage of women pilots globally at 15 per cent. However, this figure still leaves significant room for improvement. The current representation of women in the pilot community, though noteworthy, falls short of the goal of true equality," Ms Bhatia told PTI.

She added, "Achieving gender equality requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders involved. This collective endeavour encompasses airlines, airports, ground handlers, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, as well as support services. It's essential to extend this initiative to include immigration processes, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), customs and ATC as women representation is low in these departments." Consulting & research firm CAPA - Centre for Aviation, in May 2022, in its reports titled 'Gender Diversity and Corporate Performance in Aviation' said that the share of women on boards of top 15 countries is 19 per cent in India whereas France has the highest, ie, 49 per cent.

It also said that although female participation in the labour force is relatively low across the world, India lags way behind many other countries.

The report stresses the need to address the supply side to achieve meaningful progress as the legal and institutional framework, designed to provide equal opportunity, access and resources for women, alone can't help.

Ajay Ahlawat, a retired group captain who served the Indian Air Force for several years before coming into civil aviation, felt that the data related to female participation in various roles in the aviation sector lacks integrity.

"Since there are no mandatory disclosure norms of gender specific workforce related data in the aviation industry in India, many aviation companies do not regularly report the strength of female workforce. Therefore, numbers cited in various journals are based on anecdotal data," Mr Ahlawat said.

According to him, for the committee of experts to make qualitative recommendations, it would need access to accurate, updated and verifiable data for as of now, a comprehensive study on the women workforce within the aviation industry is lacking.

Radha Bhatia also said, "It's imperative to gather such data for a more informed approach. The need to encourage gender equality was also emphasised by the prime minister during his recent Independence Day speech. Therefore, data collection is important. To address this, all departments should take the initiative to collect this vital information and submit it to the Civil Aviation Ministry which is the nodal agency." Despite the challenges, Pulak Sen, Founder Secretary General, MRO Association of India, is quite optimistic with the current trend as he said, "I can see more and more women are entering the aviation sector in India and I believe women are a workforce to reckon with in times to come."

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US Woman Pours Mountain Dew Over Herself To Erase DNA After Killing Roommate

A woman in the United States accused of killing her 79-year-old roommate doused herself in Mountain Dew to erase any forensic evidence from her body, New York Post reported. Nichole Maks, 35, allegedly killed her roommate, beating and stabbing him to death in the home they shared.

As per the investigators, she then set the house on fire trying to conceal evidence, and fled the scene. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they extinguished the fire and found a man lying on the floor dead. The victim had blunt force trauma to the back of his head, and multiple stab wounds in his torso, the affidavit said.

The dead man's landlord told police Maks was his other tenant, but she was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the police recovered a bloody knife near the victim's body and two cell phones, while blood spatter was also found on the walls, Fox News reported. 

Officials later located the woman barefoot, and disheveled outside a nearby restaurant and when they confronted her, she ''dropped a knife and a hammer'' at their feet.

She denied knowing the victim and said she was homeless. When she evaded other queries and gave contradictive statements, Daytona Beach police took her into custody for questioning.

The police then told Maks that they had a warrant and would take a sample of her DNA. She then requested a Diet Mountain Dew. Officers said she began to procrastinate while drinking the soda. When an officer tried to grab it from her, Maks doused herself with the soda, pouring it over her body and hair.

However, her DNA was later found on the handle of a knife found lying next to the victim's body. 

She is being held in Volusia County Jail without bond and is scheduled for a court appearance on September 5.

A recent study from North Carolina State University indicated that sucralose, a common artificial sweetener found in Diet Mountain Dew and other sodas can break down the genetic material that makes up DNA. 

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India, UAE Undertake First-Ever Crude Oil Transaction In Local Currency

The first-ever crude oil transaction under the newly implemented Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system took place on Monday between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The transaction involved the sale of about 1 million barrels of crude oil.

Both Indian Rupees and UAE Dirhams were used for the transaction, Indian Embassy in the UAE said in a press release.

India and UAE have a strong oil and gas relationship and the UAE is a key partner for India's energy security. Petroleum and petroleum products form the backbone of bilateral trade between India and the UAE.

UAE is the fourth largest source of crude oil and the second largest source of LNG and LPG for India. Last year, USD 35.10 billion worth of petroleum products were traded between the two countries, accounting for 41.4 per cent of total bilateral trade, the release said.

The LCS mechanism has been established under the historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a framework mechanism for using local currencies for cross-border transactions exchanged on 15 July 2023 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

This is India's first-ever LCS and is expected to reduce transaction costs and time and increase reliance on local currencies. This will further add to the preferential terms accruing from CEPA. Traders can choose the payment currency based on mutual agreement.

Further, the surplus balance in local currencies can be used for investing in local currency assets like corporate bonds, Government securities, equity markets etc. LCS is likely to have a transformational impact not only on the bilateral economic relationship but in larger economic engagements across the world, the press release from the Indian Embassy in UAE said.

While today's oil transaction was the second major transaction under the LCS, the first transaction took place on 15th July, the day of the exchange of the MoU. It involved the sale of 25 Kg Gold from a leading UAE gold exporter to a buyer in India invoiced at approximately Rs 12.84 crore.

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"Bengal Was Once Cradle Of Renaissance": JP Nadda's Swipe At Trinamool

BJP national president JP Nadda on Sunday said West Bengal, once a cradle of the country's renaissance, is now lagging behind because of TMC misrule.

Criticising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for establishing a "jungle raj" in the state, Nadda said she should stop behaving like a "champion of democracy" nationwide.

Reacting to Nadda's claim of Bengal lagging, the Trinamul Congress said Mamata Banerjee government had ushered a new era of development in Bengal.

"West Bengal was once the cradle of the renaissance of the entire nation. It was Bengal which showed the path to the entire nation. But in the last few decades, Bengal has been lagging behind. After years of misrule by the Left regime and then by the TMC, Bengal now tops the charts in crime against women, corruption, and unemployment," Nadda said at a party programme here.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the country forward and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking the state backwards. The misrule of the TMC has led to Bengal lagging by several years," he said.

Nadda said "jungle raj" is going on in the state under the TMC regime.

"People are not allowed to speak. There is no democracy in Bengal. Complete anarchy is going on. But Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee talks about democracy in the country and is acting as if she is the champion of democracy. She should first look at her own backyard as she and her party are prevailing over complete lawlessness and jungle raj in the state," he said.

The BJP national president also mocked political parties "which bred on dynasty politics and asserted that dynasty politics is a bane for democracy.

"We are fighting regional parties, which have turned into dynastic outfits. These parties neither have any principles nor policies.

"Be it in Jammu and Kashmir, where you have the JKNC and the PDP or in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and West Bengal... everywhere you will find dynasties," he said, adding that these regional outfits lack "principles".

Regarding the ruling TMC, Nadda said it is a party of "Pisi-Bhaipo (aunt-nephew)".

Nadda, lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership abilities, said, "he has scripted a new development story for India" in the last nine years.

Nadda's remarks drew a sharp reaction from the TMC, which said that BJP has become a cradle of dynasty politics.

"While @JPNadda raises the bogey of dynastic politics against opposition parties, @BJP4India stands as a monument to hypocrisy, nurturing a crop of dynastic leaders in its own backyard," the AITC said in a post on X, earlier Twitter.

"PM @narendramodi's cabinet has 15 ministers who are either product of dynastic politics or are building their own. About 12% of BJP's 395 parliamentarians (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha included) are dynasts. It's about time that this facade of righteousness is shattered!" it further said.

Reacting to the BJP chief's claim of Bengal lagging, AITC said the Mamata Banerjee government had ushered a new era of development in the state.

"Contrary to @JPNadda's misleading claims, the leadership of Hon'ble CM @MamataOfficial has ushered Bengal into a prosperous era: During 2022-23(Apr-Nov), the growth of WB's Index of Industrial Production was 7.8%. Schemes like Utkarsh Bangla, Kanyashree Prakalpa and Sabooj Sathi have received international recognition. Disseminating false information won't alter the truth, Mr. Nadda. Bengal's ascent continues unabatedly!" the party said in a post on X.

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