"Trump Running Scared": Kamala Harris' Campaign On Fox News Debate Offer

Kamala Harris's campaign branded Donald Trump "scared" Saturday after he proposed to change the presidential debate schedule ahead of a rally in Georgia where he will try to halt the vice president's surging momentum in her bid to become America's first woman president.

In an overnight post on his Truth Social app, Trump said he was willing to debate Harris on the conservative Fox News network on September 4, while declining to participate in a previously scheduled debate on ABC.

Trump pitched the idea before going to a rally in Atlanta, where he will gather supporters in the same arena where Harris addressed an excited crowd of some 10,000 just this Tuesday.

Trump said he had "agreed" to the debate plan with Fox. And he said it would take place in Pennsylvania -- a crucial swing state in the US presidential electoral system -- in front of a live audience.

The Harris campaign dismissed this as "games."

"Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out," Harris's campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "He needs to... show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10."

The proposal to confront Harris on a network that has long supported him was the latest Trump effort to recapture the initiative in a campaign that had been entirely focused on a rematch against 81-year-old Joe Biden, until he dramatically dropped his reelection bid on July 21.

Since then, Harris, 59, has reenergized the Democratic base almost overnight.

She has raked in donations, reassembled the team behind Barack Obama's two historic election victories, and neutralized the solid lead that 78-year-old Trump had built against Biden in opinion polls.

On Friday, she secured the official Democratic nomination, backed by near unanimous party support.

Harris is due imminently to announce her vice presidential pick, with the popular governor of key state Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, a frontrunner. On Tuesday, she is set to launch a countrywide tour with her yet-to-be-named running mate.

Rally in battleground state

Late Saturday, Trump will be joined by his own vice presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance, at the rally in Georgia -- another battleground state that will help decide who wins the Electoral College majority on November 5.

Trump lost narrowly to Biden there in 2020 and the state was at the center of his unprecedented attempts to overturn the results of the election and refusal to accept defeat.

The size of Harris's rally on Tuesday was a warning sign to the Trump campaign, which has long touted its ability to draw thousands of passionate supporters, in contrast to Biden's usually meager crowds.

The situation is a remarkable turnaround in a campaign where Trump had been appearing to gather force while Biden -- hurt by a disastrous debate performance in June and mounting voter concerns over his mental acuity -- was steadily slipping.

Harris's rapid entry has left the Trump campaign scrambling -- and Trump now the oldest presidential nominee in US history.

Adding to the changed dynamics, Harris is vying to become the first woman president and the first of Black and Indian biracial heritage.

Trump drew gasps at a convention of Black journalists this week when he claimed that Harris, who has identified closely with her Black roots all her life, was only pretending.

"She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black," he said.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/NXUDtdh

Common Man "Fed Up" With Court Proceedings: Chief Justice's Push For Lok Adalats

Noting the plight of common men who are "fed up" with court proceedings, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted on Saturday the importance of Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

He stressed that the judicial process is a punishment for litigants, due to which they often desperately look for settlements to end tiresome litigation by accepting settlements even below their legal entitlements.

The CJI also cited several cases which were settled in the Special Lok Adalat. He cited a motor accident case in which the claimant was ready to settle the case for lower compensation despite being entitled to enhancement.

"Parties are ready to accept any sort of settlement because they want to get out of the system," said the CJI.

Speaking at the commemoration function of the Special Lok Adalat, CJI said, "Log itna trast ho jate hain court ke mamlon se wo koi bhi settlement chahte hain... Bas court se dur kara dijiye (People are so fed up with the matters of the court that they just want a settlement). This is also a problem that we see as judges. This process is the punishment and that is a cause of concern for all of us as judges."

He said there is a need for institutionalising the process of dispensing justice through Lok Adalats.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also attended the event and said that mediation is a part of Indian culture. He said Lord Krishna attempted to mediate between the Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata.

The Supreme Court today organised a commemoration function for the Special Lok Adalat week that began on July 29 and ended on August 2.

During this week, the court heard Lok Adalat matters every afternoon in an attempt to settle cases.
Lok Adalats are an essential part of the judicial system, facilitating alternative dispute resolution to expedite and encourage amicable settlements.

As per the Supreme Court, the number of cases selected for the Special Lok Adalat was 14,045. 4,883 cases were listed before the Lok Adalat benches and 920 cases were disposed of.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/hMBjCkD

Not Possible To Locate People Under Landslide Debris Using Space Tech: ISRO Chief

In view of the recent natural disasters like the landslide in Kerala, where many people are trapped under debris, ISRO chairman S Somanath on Saturday said only a certain depth of filtration is possible with space technology and could not be relied on for finding the victims.

The ISRO chief was answering a question in this regard in the outreach programme organised by ISRO, #asksomanathisro on Instagram.

“There are limitations of space-based sensors to locate objects that are buried under debris, which is currently an issue. It is not possible to detect what is deep under the ground from space. A certain depth of filtration is always possible by radar signals, but it is not possible to find, say, underground channels or petroleum deposits and deep minerals,” added Mr Somanath.

Answering another question during #asksomanathisro, on the Space Flight Agreement with NASA-identified service provider announced on August 2, through which two ‘Gaganyatris' will train to be backup mission pilots, Mr Somanath talked about what it could mean to ISRO.

“The process of going to the International Space Station itself gives you so much learning. One of our astronauts is going to be trained in the whole ground process of preparation. That will tell us how one should prepare Gaganyatris for the Gaganyaan mission,” said Somnath.

According to him, when Gaganyatris really go through the flight experience, working with international crew who are already up there, it will really give them the type of knowledge and skill, which will make ISRO ready for India's mission.

The ISRO chief also spoke about the initial failures of ISRO, which eventually paved the way for its successes.

“We have had enough share of our failures, and all those failures are behind us. But it is particularly important to look back at failures and understand why they failed in the first place. It is also important to speak about them,” said Mr Somanath.

“One of our first launches, the PSLV failed. The first launch of SSLV failed, we also could not soft land on the moon with the Chandrayaan 2. They were all realities and when a failure occurs, we have a very solid mechanism within the organisation to understand and go through the analysis of the failure and then find the reason why it failed,” said the ISRO chief.

This is how ISRO learns how to mitigate those failures, he added.

“So, as a space scientist, I can tell you that it is crucial when one engineers systems to ask oneself how it can fail and follow this with appropriate design interventions,” said Mr Somanath.

He also said that he is excited about the very first National Space Day to be celebrated on August 23, to honour the historic landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the southern side of the moon on August 23, 2023.

During the one-hour session that saw about 2,000 people log in, Somnath also answered technical questions about the functioning of certain missions.

He also answered many queries on how a civil engineer or a person with a background in life sciences or biology can pursue a career in space science.

The session is held once a month and usually on a weekend.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/oVv8bUi

Abandoned Homes Being Looted, Say Wayanad Landslide Survivors

Residents of landslide-devastated villages in Kerala's Wayanad district who were forced to flee their homes have reported thefts from their abandoned properties, prompting police to increase night patrols.

The displaced residents suspect that thieves might be taking advantage of the state's biggest humanitarian crisis to steal valuables.

Some of the affected people have urged the authorities to identify and punish those who enter the area at night with the intention of stealing.

"We are the ones who have lost everything in the tragedy," an affected person told reporters.

"We had abandoned our homes to ensure our safety during the landslide tragedy. But when we returned to check the state of our home after that, we found the doors broken open." He complained that thieves had even targeted their room in the resort where they are currently staying and stolen their clothes.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the authorities said that police patrols had been launched in the disaster-hit areas, including Chooralmala and Mundakkai.

"Action will be taken against those who enter the affected areas or homes of the victims at night without permission," the statement said.

"No one is allowed to enter the affected areas or homes, either in the name of rescue operations or otherwise, without police permission at night," it said.

As rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas of the district entered their fifth day, rescuers unearthed more bodies and body parts, bringing the death count to 215, with around 206 people still reported missing. 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/zfwOKdA

Couple Sends "You're Not Invited" Cards To Family Members, Assigns Tasks To Invited Guests

A soon-to-be-married couple left a family member taken aback after sharing their decision to send "you are not invited cards" to the people who didn't make the cut on their wedding guest list. In Reddit's popular forum, Wedding Shaming, one cousin shared their reaction to the surprising news, explaining that the couple is planning a "small garden wedding" at a location five hours away from where everyone lives and has chosen to keep the guest list small due to their tight budget. Because of their wedding size, the bride and groom were forced to make cuts from their guest list. So, rather than leaving the uninvited bunch without a word, the couple sent out cards. 

"I just found out that the wedding couple are sending 'cards' to people that are not invited that they are getting married soon and 'you are in our hearts on this special day' BEFORE the wedding," the Redditor wrote. 

"Their excuse is for the sake of 'curiosity and thinking of them.' But what I don't understand is why send this BEFORE the wedding. It would make more sense AFTER and send it out to them," they added.

Wedding guest setting up for the Wedding & You are not Invited Cards
byu/joyousfoodie inweddingshaming

What's more, the Redditor said that guests invited to the wedding would be assigned tasks after the ceremony. Unless you're in the bridal party, you'll need to help set up for the reception. "Once the ceremony is done the wedding party will leave to take photos while the GUESTS set up the tables for the reception," the cousin explained. "I was like what??? They never ASKED if people are willing to do that as if they just dictated people what to do," they wrote. 

"Where is the respect, etiquette and morals. They said that financially they cant hire people to set up but they had almost 2 years to save and what did they do to save? They went travelling instead of saving for the wedding," the cousin said. They also wrote that bride and groom assigned their parents errands to take care of on their big day. Additionally, the bride is planning to invite friends to her bridal shower who won't be invited to her wedding. "Wish me luck on this upcoming wedding," the original poster finished.

The Reddit post was shared a few days back. Since then, it has accumulated more than hundreds of upvotes. In the comments section, users agreed that the couple's actions are off-putting. 

Also Read | Delhi Lawyer Shares His "Worst Experience" With Amazon After Ordering iPhone 15. See Post

"What they are planning sucks and is rude and that's reason to not attend. If you do want to go to see family and to see a possible train wreck, make it clear that you aren't going to help set anything up," wrote one user. "I am always looking for excuses not to go to a wedding, and this one would be a jackpot," commented another. 

"I guess the wedding will be smaller than expected because I would definitely send my regrets. Wow - just unbelievable," expressed a third user. "Depending on if you would like to see the family and are otherwise healthy. Go and setup a few tables. Later when they ask about what happened to their gift, say you thought that was the gift," suggested another. 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/hAT9YKN

2.08% Of Rs 2000 Notes, Valued Rs 7,409 Crore, Still To Be Returned: RBI

About 2.08 per cent or Rs 7,409 crore of the withdrawn Rs 2,000 banknotes have not yet been returned to the RBI, about ten months after the deadline to deposit or exchange them at bank branches were over.

This essentially means 97.92 per cent of the total value of the high-value Rs 2,000 banknotes are back in the banking system by the end of July 2024, the Reserve Bank of India said in an update on Thursday.

The total value of Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, the date on which RBI decided to withdraw the banknote.

The last day for the public to avail of exchange or to deposit high-value Rs 2000 banknotes at the banks was October 7, 2023. However, the window for depositing and/or exchanging the Rs 2,000 banknotes continues to be available at the 19 issue offices of the RBI.

Those 19 RBI issue offices are in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, and Thiruvananthapuram.

People from within the country can send Rs 2,000 banknotes through India Post from any post office to any of RBI Issue Offices for credit to their bank accounts in India.

The Rs 2000 banknotes continue to be legal tender.

The Rs 2000 banknote was introduced in November 2016, primarily to meet the currency requirements of the economy expeditiously after the withdrawal of the legal tender status of all Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes in circulation at that time.

The objective of introducing Rs 2000 banknotes was met once banknotes in other denominations became available in adequate quantities. Therefore, the printing of Rs 2000 banknotes was stopped in 2018-19.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/WXw2ylh

Mumbai Man, 19, Holds Girl's Hand, Says "I Love You", Jailed For 2 Years

A special POCSO court in Mumbai has sentenced a 19-year-old man to two years rigorous imprisonment for holding the hand of a minor girl and saying 'I love you'.

The special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) court judge, Ashwini Lokhande, held that the words uttered by the accused certainly outraged the modesty of the 14-year-old girl. 

The court, in its order passed on July 30, pronounced the accused guilty of harassment under the IPC.

The accused was, however, acquitted of charges under the stringent POCSO Act.

As per the prosecution, the minor girl's mother had lodged a complaint with the Sakinaka police station in September 2019. The complainant told the police her daughter went to a nearby shop to buy tea dust, but returned home crying.

Upon enquiry, the girl told her mother a man accosted her on the first floor of the building, held her hand and said 'I love you', according to the complaint.

The young man pleaded not guilty to charges brought against him. During the trial, the prosecution examined four witnesses, including the girl and her mother, to establish the guilt of the accused.

The accused claimed innocence and defended himself, claiming he was having an affair with the girl and she herself called him to meet on the day of the incident.

The court, in its order, however, noted that if the girl had an affair with the accused, she would have not narrated the incident to her mother under fear.

Further, when the girl's mother went to confront the accused after the incident, he threatened and asked her to "do whatever she wanted", the judge observed.

The evidence of the girl and her mother is corroborated with each other. Nothing material has come on record to rebut their evidence, contended the court.

Moreover, the suggestion regarding the love affair of the girl with the accused was denied by both these witnesses (minor girl and her mother), the court said, adding their evidence inspires confidence.

"It is established that the accused applied criminal force to the victim by holding her hand while she was proceeding to bring tea dust. The words uttered by the accused certainly outraged the modesty of the victim who was 14 years old at the time of the incident," the judge noted.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/cVtv7eR