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Tuesday, 5 September 2023

Manipur: Meitei diaspora writes open letter to PM Modi, urges him to restore peace

New Delhi: With Manipur gripped by ethnic violence since May, hundreds of Meiteis from around the world have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.

In their letter titled ‘Urgent Plea for Immediate Intervention to Restore Normalcy and Harmony in Manipur’, Meitei NRIs and Meiteis of Indian origin urged Modi to visit Manipur and meet the people affected by this “senseless violence and ongoing turmoil”.

As India prepares to host the G20 summit, the “persistence of violence” in Manipur threatens to undermine these achievements, they said.

Over 1,300 people signed the open letter within 48 hours, which was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.

“As India makes significant strides in development and prepares to host the G20 summit, the persistence of violence in Manipur threatens to undermine these achievements. The ongoing violence in Manipur has fractured the social fabric of the state,” the letter said.

“As custodians of the aspirations for a united and harmonious Manipur and India, we earnestly implore you to take resolute measures to prevent further escalation of the situation. The people of Manipur deserve lives free from fear, where they can thrive in an atmosphere marked by peace, stability and safety,” it said.

The Meiteis urged Modi to personally engage with the chief minister of Manipur and the authorities concerned to restore normalcy in the state.

“The innocent people of Manipur have borne the burden of suffering beyond imagination and it is our collective responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being,” the letter said.

“As the leader of our great nation, you have the power to shape the destiny of our Manipur and illuminate the path of effective governance, empathy and bring in the much-needed unity of the people of Manipur. We humbly request you to visit Manipur and meet the people affected by this senseless violence and ongoing turmoil,” it said.

Modi’s presence in Manipur, the letter said, will bring hope and a sense of security to those affected by the violence.

The turmoil has also put Manipur’s farmers, the backbone of the society, in grave jeopardy, it said.

“The tragic incidents of farmers being attacked highlight their predicaments. For instance, on 29 August 2023, Salam Jotin, a 37-year-old farmer was shot by a long-range sniper gun while working in his field at Naranseina, Bishnupur district.

“The situation has been exacerbated by the displacement of many farmers currently forced to live in relief camps. Manipur is on the verge of a conflict-induced famine and starvation as farmers are not able to work in their fields despite the presence of security forces for their protection,” it said.

Thousands of students have also been forced to discontinue their education due to the violence, depriving them of opportunities to realise their aspirations. The repercussions of this reverberate beyond individual lives, impeding the progress and prosperity of society, it said.

“Putting an end to senseless violence becomes paramount in preserving the dreams and ambitions of our youth,” it added.

The letter said there are “intricate complexities inherent to the Manipur society – the Meiteis, the Nagas, and the Kuki communities, each with their own unique identities and aspirations”.

“However, the pivotal role of your esteemed office is to serve as a binding force that ensures the protection and progress of every Indian citizen. By initiating meaningful dialogues among these communities, you hold the key to nurturing understanding and collaboration, paving the way for peaceful coexistence,” it said.

Copies of the letter have also been sent to Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.


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Kane Williamson set to captain NZ in World Cup after progress in injury recovery



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Monday, 4 September 2023

Rishi Sunak rules out a quick-fix trade deal with India

London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out a quick-fix trade deal with India, making it impossible to get an agreement over the line in time for this week’s G20 summit in Delhi – and possibly even by next year’s elections, the media reported.

Multiple sources close to the negotiations have told The Guardian the UK prime minister has rejected the idea of an “early harvest” deal, which could have lowered tariffs on goods such as whisky but would not have dealt with trickier subjects such as professional services.

The decision has scuppered any chance of an agreement being struck this week, before the prime minister meets his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in the Indian capital this weekend.

Many now believe a deal is impossible before both countries hold elections in 2024, although some in government still believe it could be reached later this year, The Guardian reported.

It means the prospect of a UK-India free trade agreement, long held up as one of the biggest possible opportunities for Britain after Brexit, remains distant.

One government source said: “There was talk last year of a deal by last Diwali, but that was only going to happen if it was a shallow deal based around a limited number of goods. Kemi Badenoch (the trade secretary) and Rishi Sunak have decided they don’t want to go down that route and so have taken a deadline off the table.”

Another person close to the negotiations added: “India wants to do an early agreement on goods, but the risk is that instead of being the start of a wider trade agreement, that becomes the end point and the UK doesn’t get any of the more fundamental things it wants.”

Those close to the talks say agreements have been reached in some key areas, such as the need for India to cut tariffs on whisky and cars and for the UK to remove those on textiles and other goods.

The Sunday Times reported earlier this month that India was prepared to reduce tariffs on scotch whisky by a third to 100 per cent in return for tax breaks for Indian workers in the UK – though British officials say exact figures have not yet been agreed.

This might have been enough to sign a slimmed-down trade agreement this week, according to sources, but Sunak and Badenoch have rejected such an idea for fear it will make the goal of a more wide-ranging deal impossible, The Guardian reported.

There are still significant areas of disagreement when it comes to the comprehensive deal under negotiation.

India has long pushed for more visas for Indian students and for employees of Indian companies. The Home Office does not want such terms being placed within the trade agreement itself, although sources indicate a separate deal could be reached on immigration.

The UK says it has already shown flexibility on visas, more than doubling the number of work visas it gives to India each year since the country left the EU.

But the government is reluctant to change the rules on who can enter, especially in the case of students, The Guardian reported.

However, there are also more fundamental issues facing reaching an agreement.

The UK is pushing for greater intellectual property protections for companies trading in India, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, where western companies fret about their drugs being produced much more cheaply by Indian laboratories.

Meanwhile, India wants to limit the proportion of UK goods that can be produced outside the UK, as a way of preventing other countries benefiting from the agreement indirectly, The Guardian reported.


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If Trump is the nominee, I will support him: Ramaswamy

Washington: Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy said on Sunday that while he expects to become the party’s nominee for the November 2024 US elections, but will vote for Donald Trump if the former president secures the nomination.

Appearing on a Sunday talk show, the 38-year-old Indian American entrepreneur also expressed his intention to pardon Trump, who currently faces an array of legal challenges, should he be elected as President of the United States.

“If Donald Trump’s the nominee — yes, I will support him, and if I’m the president, yes, I will pardon him because that will help reunite the country. But it’s not the most important thing I’m going to do as the next president. It is the table stakes for moving this country forward,” Ramaswamy told ABC news.

Following his impressive performance in the inaugural Republican primary presidential debate last month, Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, has experienced a surge in popularity, competing alongside fellow Indian American rival Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina.

Ramaswamy is notably the sole Republican presidential hopeful to openly endorse Trump, who is facing multiple charges and is currently out on bail, and his ‘America First’ policies, including stances on issues like climate change.

“My bottom line is that I will vote for the person who I think is best positioned to move this country forward. I do not think that’s Joe Biden. I do not think that is whichever other puppet, Kamala Harris or anybody else, that they roll out after Joe Biden,” he said.

Ramaswamy said while he may have disagreements with several of his Republican counterparts on various issues, he firmly believes that any of them would be more effective than Biden or Harris in steering the US towards progress.

“That is my arbitrator when I cast my vote for who the next president is — who’s going to serve the interests of the American people? That’s not some sort of commitment driven by vengeance or grievance. It is driven by a commitment to our purpose as citizens of this country.

“That’s what we need to revive in the United States, our civic spirit, remembering that even the ‘America First’ movement is bigger than Donald Trump. It is bigger than me. It is bigger than one political candidate,” he said.

Ramaswamy said the ‘America First’ movement belongs to the people of the US, the same people who still retain the power to elect their next president, and he aims to preserve this system rather than see it replaced by a federal police state determining the nation’s leadership, “and I stand by that without apology”.

Ramaswamy said he is in the US presidential race because he expects to be the Republican nominee and lead the country forward.

The Indian American candidate reiterated his opinion that many of the charges against Trump are politically motivated that set a detrimental precedent for the United States.

“I do not want to see us become a banana republic where the administrative police state uses police force to eliminate opponents from competition. That’s not the way it works,” he said.


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Centre approves 30 railway projects for Telangana: Kishan Reddy

Telangana: Kishan Reddy dares KCR for debate on Indian economy

Hyderabad: The Central government has decided to take up 30 railway projects including 15 new railway lines in Telangana with a total outlay of Rs 83,543 crore, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, the Union Minister alleged that due to the “non-cooperation” of the ruling BRS government, works on laying over 700 km railway tracks have been stalled.

“We (the Centre) have asked the state government to speed up the land acquisition for railway projects. We seek the state government’s support for projects such as Phase II of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) in Hyderabad. The state government has been non-cooperative,” Reddy, who is also Telangana BJP president, alleged.

Despite the “non-cooperation” from the state administration, the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working for development of Telangana and welfare of the people, he said.

Recently, the Railways gave approval for modernisation and redeveloping 40 railway stations in Telangana and the Prime Minister virtually laid foundation for 21 of them, Reddy said.

The Central government has released Rs 2,300 crore towards redevelopment of 40 stations, he added.

The Union Minister said between 2004 and 2014, the UPA government approved only five projects and a total of Rs 10,192 crore was sanctioned for laying only 714 km of new railway lines, whereas the Modi government approved 30 projects that includes laying of 5,239 km of new railway lines in Telangana.

He further said before 2014, only 17 km new railway line was laid every year and now under Modi government it has gone up to 55 km.


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Rajnath Singh to flag off third phase of BJP’s ‘Parivartan Yatra’ from Jodhpur on Monday

Jodhpur: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will flag off the third phase of the BJP’s ‘Parivartan Yatra’ from poll-bound Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on September 4, the party said on Sunday.

The yatra will pass through 51 constituencies of the Jodhpur division, Nagaur and Ajmer, covering a distance of 2,574 km in 18 days. It will culminate in Jodhpur on September 21, the BJP’s Jodhpur unit said in a release.

The yatra will cover 33 constituencies in six districts of the Jodhpur division — Jaisalmer, Barmer, Sirohi, Jalore, Pali and Jodhpur. It will also pass through 10 constituencies of Nagaur district and eight constituencies of Ajmer district.

During the yatra, 45 public meetings will be held and the final one will be held here on September 21, the BJP said.

BJP national secretary and Rajasthan co-incharge Amrita Rahatkar and Jodhpur division incharge Jagveer Chhaba had recently visited Jodhpur to oversee the preparations for the yatra.

The party has asked its workers and leaders to arrange transport for the public meetings and bring people from their constituencies to attend them.

Assembly elections are due in Rajasthan later this year.


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Rohini panel report on OBCs likely to be major trump card for BJP in election year

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is expected to consider a report by the Justice Rohini Commission regarding the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

This report was submitted to President Draupadi Murmu in July.

If the government decides to implement its recommendations, it could be a trump card towards a major OBC outreach by the ruling BJP with Lok Sabha elections just months away.

The issue is connected to the future of over 40 per cent of the country’s total voters, namely the OBC voters, and it’s poised to become a hotly debated political matter.

In 2017, the Centre had set up a commission under the leadership of Delhi High Court’s retired Chief Justice G. Rohini with the main objective to identify all Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and categorise them into sub-categories.

According to reports, the recommendations in the report are compartmentalised into two parts. The first part of the report deals with the equitable and inclusive distribution of the OBC reservation quota. The second part of the report focusses on data pertaining to the identification of 2,633 backward castes currently listed in the country, their proportional representation in the population, and the benefits they have received from reservation policies thus far.

It is likely to effect changes in the conceptual framework and practical implementation of the OBC reservation policy that has been in place for the past 40 years. As per reports, the panel says that the intention behind categorising different castes and sub-castes is not to establish a new hierarchy among OBCs, but to ensure equal opportunities for all by placing them on a level playing field. Basically it focusses on equality of all castes and sub-castes.


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US Open: Carlos Alcaraz’s unique brand of talent is evident in his abilities at the net



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Sunday, 3 September 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit in Delhi

Future of technology can’t be shaped by few countries & companies: MoS IT

New Delhi: It is almost certain that Chinese President Xi Jinping is going to skip the G-20 Summit in India next week and Premier Li Qiang is set to represent China at the conclave, people familiar with the development said on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi his decision not to attend the Summit in-person as he has to focus on the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The Russian President had skipped the Bali summit of G20 in November last year as well.

Many leaders in the past skipped the G20 summits for various reasons and it does not reflect anything about the host country, they said.

In its capacity as the current president of G20, India is hosting the annual summit of the influential grouping in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.

“The Chinese President is not travelling to India for the G-20 Summit,” said one of the people cited above, adding that Premier Li is likely to represent China at the Summit.

President Xi is also skipping the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits in Jakarta next week.

Li is likely to travel to India after attending the East Asia summit in Jakarta. In 2021, Chinese President Xi did not travel to Italy to participate in the G20 summit due to China’s COVIND-19 restrictions.

There is no official word either from China or from India on who will represent Beijing at the upcoming G20 summit.

From 2008, there were 16 physical summits of the G20, and one virtual summit (Saudi Arabia, 2020). There were two summits each in 2009 and 2010.

Out of these 16 physical summits, except the first three summits in 2008 and 2009, there has never been a single occasion from 2010 till now when every country has attended at the Heads of State (HOS) or Heads of Government (HOG) level, the people cited above said.

“The level of attendance at global summits varies from year to year. In today’s world with so many demands on the leaders’ time, it is not always possible for every leader to attend every summit,” said one of the sources.

The people cited above said there have been six occasions – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017 – in G-20 summits when the representation was below HOS/HOG-level from any one member country.

There were five occasions when the representation was below HOS/HOG-level by two countries, they said.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).


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One nation, one election panel: N K Singh’s journey from IAS to RS, BJP to Finance Commission



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Saturday, 2 September 2023

SC denies PIL allegations of Congress leaders’ corrupt practices in Karnataka polls

Observing that there has to be harmony and comity between communities, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to constitute a committee to look into the cases of hate speech.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a plea alleging that Karnataka Congress party leaders and their agents distributed gift cards to voters in several constituencies ahead of the 2023 assembly polls in the state.

The PIL was filed by Gautham Gowda and Prasad K R who unsuccessfully contested the elections on BJP ticket.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala asked their counsel to approach the Karnataka High Court instead.

The CJI said the apex court cannot investigate the claim that money was distributed in the elections.

“Do you expect us to now go there and investigate? There are already enough laws and guidelines on this subject. You can go to the high court..,” the bench said.

The duo alleged in their petition that Congres leaders indulged in “corrupt practices” during the elections in as many as 42 constituencies.

They claimed plastic gift cards were distributed to voters with a promise that they can encash a certain amount if Congress candidates win the election.


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Neeraj Chopra reveals he was under the weather and fatigued while competing at Zurich Diamond League



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Friday, 1 September 2023

Mumbai’s real estate market surges; 10,990 properties registered in August



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AIIMS director directs to provide seamless services to beneficiaries under AB-PMJAY

AIIMS director directs to provide seamless services to beneficiaries under AB-PMJAY

New Delhi: The Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), M. Srinivas, has taken note of the issues being faced in the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) at the premier institute in Delhi and directed to provide seamless health services to the beneficiaries.

Srinivas issued the direction during a meeting convened to discuss and tackle the issues hampering the effective execution of the AB-PMJAY at AIIMS.

The issues Srinivas discussed with the key stakeholders and experts included biometric authentication at discharge, reducing local purchases and
reimbursement process optimisation, among others.

“The need for mandatory biometric authentication at the time of patient discharge was stressed. Nursing staff have been directed to ensure that PMAMs (Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras) at the Ayushman Kendra are informed, and authentication is carried out before patients are discharged. Accountability measures for non-compliance were emphasised,” AIIMS authorities said on Thursday.

On reducing local purchases, the hospital said, “Efforts were focused on minimising local purchases for PMJAY beneficiaries through in-house mechanisms and rate contracts.”

The AIIMS Ddirector urged all the stakeholders to collaborate and resolve the challenges faced in AB-PMJAY implementation to provide seamless healthcare services to the deserving beneficiaries.

AB-PMJAY provides a health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation services. It provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiaries at the point of service.


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Student’s death sparks rampage during exam in Bihar’s Samastipur.

Student dies during examination in Bihar's Samastipur, fellow examinees go on rampage

Patna: Students of a college in Bihar’s Samastipur went on a rampage after a student died in an examination hall on Thursday.

The students of Sant Kabir College claimed that victim Amit Kumar collapsed inside the examination hall due to excessive heats and humid conditions.

He might have become a victim of dehydration as there was no drinking water and fans in the examination centre.

Amit Kumar, a student of BA first year, and was giving the examination of Hindi.

Following the incident, students vandalised college properties as they protested against the ill-equipped college administration.

Local police reached the venue and managed to restore normalcy after long negotiations.

Sant Kabir College is affiliated to the Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhaga.

Following the student’s death, the university has cancelled the first and second paper of examination.

Local police sent the dead body for a post-mortem examination to find out the actual reason of death. “Dehydration could be the reason for his death but cardiac arrest cannot be ruled out,” said an officer of Samastipur district.


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Bihar: Five children drown in pond; CM announces ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh

Aurangabad: Five children drowned in a pond in Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Thursday, officials said.

The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when they went to take a bath in the pond in Sonarchak village in Salaiya police station area after celebrating Raksha Bandhan.

The deceased have been identified as Shubham (11), Neeraj Kumar (12), Dheeraj (10), Prince (12) and Amit (12). All of them were residents of Sonarchak village.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.

Aurangabad Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vijayant said, “According to the villagers, after getting ‘rakhi’ tied by their sisters, the five children went to take a bath in the pond. Some people heard some noise from the side of the pond. When they went there, they found that the five children had drowned. By the time the children were pulled out, they were already dead.”

Alleging that the police reached the spot very late, angry locals blocked the main road of the village. Later, they were dispersed by the law enforcers.


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BJP dubs INDIA meet ‘fight for survival’, TMC says saffron party ‘nervous”

BJP

Kolkata: The BJP on Thursday dubbed the third meeting of the INDIA opposition bloc as a “desperate attempt” for survival and asserted that there is no vacancy for the PM’s post in 2024.

The remarks drew sharp reactions from the TMC, an important ally of the opposition bloc, which said the comments reflect the “panic that has set in the opposition camp.”

The third meeting of INDIA began in Mumbai on Thursday to discuss its strategy to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections due next year and inclusion of new allies.

A two-day meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is being held in the financial capital of the country.

Senior BJP leader and MP Dilip Ghosh said the opposition bloc of parties with divergent views and interests reflect their desperate attempt to protect their identities.

“This is a desperate attempt by the opposition parties to protect their identities. We have seen such opportunistic attempts in 2014 and 2019 and also the results. The CPI(M) and Congress should first explain whether they support the corruption of TMC in Bengal. The people of this country trust BJP regarding good governance and national security, and there is no vacancy for the PM’s post,” he said.

The BJP leader said the meeting of opposition parties is more of a “fight for their own survival” than fighting against the BJP.

Reacting to BJP’s remarks, senior TMC leader Santanu Sen said the saffron camp is perplexed by the opposition parties coming together.

“The saffron party is nervous after seeing that the opposition bloc going from strength to strength. The days of BJP’s misrule in the country are numbered,” he said.

Meanwhile, the TMC shared a post on social media platform X, saying the country is marching towards a brighter future with the INDIA opposition alliance.

“Marching towards a brighter future! #INDIA leaders have come together to discuss ideas for our nation’s betterment,” the AITC posted on X with a collage of pictures of party supremo Mamata Banerjee with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee and Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge.


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BIAL postpones terminal 2 international operations to September 12



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Thursday, 31 August 2023

Delhi Police denies permission to TMC rally on October 2

Kolkata: TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday said that the Delhi Police has denied permission to the party to hold a rally in the national capital on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

“We had applied, to hold a rally, with the Delhi Police as per the norms. The main rally was supposed to be on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Besides we had also sought permission for a detailed agitation programme at Ramlila Maidan from September 30 to October 4. We wanted to make arrangements for accommodation of our workers. But Delhi Police has denied us the permission. The denial is merely on political grounds,” Ghosh said.

He said that the formal application for the rally was sent to the Delhi Police on August 23.

“While denying the permission, the Delhi Police has informed us that we should have made the application much before,” he said.

He said that they will not be able to suppress the voice of Bengal through such undemocratic means.

“The Union government is scared of the fact that Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee were supposed to be present at the rally. The permission for the rally has been denied out of that fear,” Ghosh said.

The TMC had called for a rally in the national capital during party’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21.

The call for rally on October 2 was given as a mark of protest against the union government for holding back central funds due to the West Bengal government under various centrally sponsored schemes.


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Once-in-a-decade Super Blue Moon wonders luna lovers



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Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Google’s Duet AI now available in Gmail, Docs & more

Google’s Duet AI now available in Gmail, Docs & more

San Francisco: Google on Tuesday rolled out its Duet AI assistant across all of its Workspace apps, including Gmail, Drive, Slides, Docs, and more.

According to Aparna Pappu, GM and Vice President, Google Workspace, Duet AI for Google Workspace is now generally available and people can get started with a no-cost trial.

“With over 3 billion users and more than 10 million paying customers who rely on it every day to get things done, Google Workspace is the world’s most popular productivity tool,” she said.

Google will charge $30 per user for access to Duet for large organisations.

“We’re putting Duet AI in Google Meet to help ensure you look and sound your best with studio look, studio lighting, and studio sound,” said Pappu.

Duet AI can capture notes, action items, and video snippets in real time with the new “take notes for me” feature and it will send a summary to attendees after the meeting.

Google Chat now makes that a whole lot easier with a refreshed user interface, new shortcuts, and enhanced search that let you stay on top of conversations.

“You can also chat directly with Duet AI to ask questions about your content, get a summary of documents shared in a space, and catch up on missed conversations,” said the company.

“We’re also making it easier to build larger communities across Chat, with support for up to 500,000 participants,” it added.

The company is partnering with a growing list of trusted technology providers to help users simplify workflows and tap into innovative tools.


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New survey shows world views India positively

New survey shows world views India positively

Washington: A new poll conducted among people in more than 23 countries showed that India is generally viewed favourably by the world.

The poll also found that while most Indians said their country’s global influence has grown stronger in recent years, the rest of the world disagreed, and either saw no change in India’s standing or saw it get weaker.

At home in India, the 24th country polled for this survey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a commanding double-digit lead over his key challenger for premiership, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress.

The multi-nation poll was conducted by the Pew Research Center to assess India’s image in the world in the year of India’s presidency of the G-20, whose leaders will congregate in a few days in New Delhi for their annual summit.

Pew polled 28,250 people in 23 countries between March and May, and 2,611 in India, over phone and Internet and in face-to-face interviews.

The survey report released on Tuesday showed that a median of 46 per cent of the respondents held a favourable view of India and a median of 34 per cent held an unfavorable view.

Views about India were most positive in Israel (71 per cent), followed by the United Kingdom (66 per cent), Kenya (6 per cent), Nigeria (60 per cent), South Korea (58 per cent), (Japan (55 per cent), Australia (52 per cent), the United States (51 per cent) and Canada (47 per cent).

Holding a positive view of India did not, however, translate to believing India’s global clout is growing.

Only 29 per cent of the Israelis, 34 per cent of the respondents in the UK, 32 per cent in Japan and 23 per cent in the US said India’s clout has grown in recent years. In contrast, 68 per cent of Indians polled for the survey said their country’s global influence has grown in recent times.

Countries that did not view India positively were led surprisingly by South Africa (51 per cent saw India unfavorably), the Netherlands (48 per cent), Spain (49 per cent) and Austria (45 per cent).

In India, Prime Minister Modi turned in a chartbusting lead of 17 percentage points over Rahul Gandhi with 79 per cent to 62 per cent; he was also way ahead of other Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The poll was started just before Rahul Gandhi was removed from the Parliament for his conviction in a defamation case (he has since been reinstated) and wrapped up before the Karnataka election results that gave a new thrust to the Congress party and its leader.

This poll may not be an updated reflection of the mood in India, having been conducted three months and many critical developments ago.

In other findings of the survey, Indians said they believed both the US and Russia — and they had a positive view of the country and its leader Vladimir Putin — had grown in influence in recent years. Four in 10 Indians said they felt China’s influence has grown stronger in contrast to three in 10 who said it has become weaker.

Views about Pakistan were predictably hostile. About seven in 10 Indians have an unfavorable view of Pakistan, with 57 per cent of them being very unfavorable towards Pakistan.

Merely 19% Indians have a favorable view of their western neighbors.


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Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Poll machinery in AP not allowed to functioning freely: Chandrababu to CEC

AP govt is run by maniacs, liars and corrupt criminals: Naidu

New Delhi: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday, August 28, approached the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over ‘large irregularities’ in the voter’s list and on the ‘blatant violation’ of the poll panel guidelines.

In an 11-page letter submitted to the CEC, Chandrababu brought to the notice of the poll panel that the ruling dispensation was mounting huge political pressure on the election machinery, which is not allowed to function independently.

Pointing out various violations in the summary revision of the electoral rolls, the TDP supremo made an appeal to the poll panel to initiate necessary steps to conduct free and fair elections scheduled for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly next year.

“The TDP has made several representations to the Election Commission (EC) with regard to the by-polls to the Tirupati Lok Sabha seat and various other issues including revision of electoral rolls,” Chandrababu said.

In the letter, Chandrababu further stated that the poll panel had delayed action on several other matters. “This delay was due to the extraordinary political pressure from the ruling party,” he said. “The administrative machinery has been silenced with registering cases, transfers, and filing Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) inquiries.”

He alleged that the local body elections held in 2020-21 were almost made unanimous using political and muscle power along with a brutal police force. “When some candidates ventured out to file their nominations they were either kidnapped or were forcibly shifted to unknown places from the premises of the respective returning officers. The officials were forced not to issue necessary certificates to the contesting candidates,” he alleged.

“The state election commissioner, an IAS officer of the rank of the special chief secretary, was hounded, humiliated, and publicly abused in filthy language with cabinet ministers taking the lead,” Chandarbabu stated in the letter. “This act of intimidation to such a senior officer pushed the whole official machinery into submission.”

He said, the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) had filed over 100 FIRs and subjected hundreds of political leaders to custodial torture, but did not file even a single chargesheet till now. “Even a Member of Parliament from the ruling party was not spared when he criticised the state government’s policies,” the former CM mentioned in the letter.

“The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Chittoor has foisted cases under Section 307 Indian Penal Code (IPC) against 450 persons, while the SP of Annamayya district registered an FIR invoking the same section 307 against the leader of the opposition who is dignitary and under the protection of the National Security Guard (NSG). The police is, thus, succumbing to pressure and is committing illegal activities,” he alleged.

Notably, a 10-member team comprising officials from the Election Commission of India, led by former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi, had audited Andhra Pradesh voter list before the last Assemble eclections, following allegations by the YSRCP that about 59 lakh entries in the voters list were duplicate.

The allegation was significant as there are about 3.67 crore eligible voters in the state, which meant that the alleged ‘fake voters’ constituted about 16 per cent of the total electorate.


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Rupee term loan document executed for GatiShakti rail corridor project in Chhattisgarh

Rupee term loan document executed for GatiShakti rail corridor project in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: In a major development in PM GatiShakti rail corridor projects in Chhattisgarh, rupee term loan documents were executed between the Central Bank of India under sole banking and the promoters, i.e., South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), Ircon International Ltd (IRCON), CSIDC and CERL on Monday, towards development of second phase of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd (CERL).

The total debt exposure in this financial contract will be of Rs 1,349 crore.

This concludes the documentation process of achieving financial closure of the project, which is a major milestone.

The CERL is a subsidiary company of the SECL (with 64 per cent stake) formed as a joint venture with IRCON (with 26 per cent stake) and the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC), representing the state government, with 10 per cent stake).

The CERL project is planned with the specific purpose of constructing rail infrastructure in the state. This project is being implemented based on the Joint Venture (JV) model of PPP projects under Concession Agreement (CA) with the Railways Ministry and is notified as ‘Special Railway Project’ to provide national infrastructure for a public purpose with high priority accorded by the Centre.

CERL is planned in two phases. The Phase I of CERL is majorly commissioned and is facilitating evacuation of coal from Mand Raigarh coalfields. The CERL Phase-II project with a project length of 62.50 km from Dharamjaygarh to Korba is planned to provide the critical rail link between CERL Phase-I which stretches from Kharsia to Dharamjaygarh with Spur line up to Pelma and three feeder lines (124.80 km) and CEWRL which stretches from Gevra Road to Pendra Road (Main Line of 135 km).

This will provide an alternate rail route for transportation of coal to the northern parts of the country, as it will provide a link from Kharsia to Pendra which will facilitate surplus coal movement of Mand-Raigarh Coalfields and Basundra Coalfields to the northern and western power houses of the country.


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Odisha CM announces cash award for javelin thrower Kishore Jena



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Spanish soccer federation asks UEFA for suspension in apparent leverage play to protect Luis Rubiales



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No Question Hour, private member resolutions ignored, both sides question Manipur Assembly one-day Session



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Vinicius Jr sidelined for several weeks with thigh injury



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Monday, 28 August 2023

US military aircraft crashes off Australia’s coast

US military aircraft crashes off Australia's coast

Canberra: A US military aircraft crashed off the coast of Australia’s Northern Territory on Sunday when it was participating in a training exercise.

The Boeing V-22 Osprey was participating in a training exercise at 9:43 a.m. local time on Sunday when it went down on Melville Island, approximately 60 km north of Darwin, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, there had been no confirmed fatalities, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported air medical service CareFlight transported three injured passengers, one of whom was in critical condition, to the Royal Darwin Hospital.

In a statement, Australia’s Department of Defence said that all personnel on board the aircraft were Americans.

“Initial reports suggest the incident involves US defence personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved,” a spokesperson said.

“At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved.”

More than 2,000 troops are participating in the annual Predator’s Run training exercises in the Tiwi Islands.


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Decoding Prannoy: Big smashes, muscle power and sowing doubts into opponents



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Sunday, 27 August 2023

India, US discuss ways to give impetus to growing partnership, investment flows

7.2 per cent GDP growth historic despite global situation: Goyal

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Saturday discussed ways to promote trade and investments between the two countries.

In a message on social media network X (formerly known as Twitter), Goyal said he held a bilateral meeting with the US counterpart Tai.

“Discussed key bilateral issues of mutual interest and explored ways to give further impetus to the growing India-US partnership through enhanced trade and investments,” he said.

An official has recently said that both countries are looking at ending their last trade dispute related to poultry in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Besides they are also looking at enhancing the partnership by permitting companies in both countries to participate in each others’ government procurement.

In July, India and the US mutually resolved six trade disputes pending at the WTO, in line with the commitment made by the two countries during the US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June.

During Modi’s US visit in June, a joint statement said that the prime minister had expressed India’s interest towards being recognized as a Trade Agreements Act-designated country by the US to further enhance the integration of both economies and promote bilateral trade and investment.

In this regard, the two sides have welcomed the initiation of discussions at an official level on issues related to bilateral government procurement.

The poultry case was filed by the US against India in the WTO in 2012. India has lost the dispute both at the panel as well as the appellate body levels. It was ruled against India that New Delhi’s ban on imports of poultry products from the US was inconsistent with global norms.

As India was not able to implement the decision within the stipulated time frame, the US demanded compensation. After that, both countries are discussing ways to resolve the case mutually.

The US is the largest trading partner of India. In 2022-23, the bilateral goods trade increased to USD 128.8 billion as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22.

Further, Goyal also held a bilateral meeting with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch on the proposed free trade agreement between the two countries.

“Discussed ways to add further momentum to the India-UK free trade agreement negotiations for a mutually beneficial deal,” he added.

Negotiations for the agreement, which aims to boost trade and investment, have reached the last stage.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also met Badenoch and discussed bilateral investment and FTA.

Earlier in the day, Sitharaman met European Commission Executive Vice-President V Dombrovskis and discussed bilateral economic and financial issues of mutual interests.

Goyal also co-chaired the third High Level Dialogue (HLD) along with Valdis Dombrovskis here.

During the meeting, both sides took stock of ongoing three negotiations on India-EU Free Trade Agreement; Investment Protection Agreement; and a Geographical Indications Agreement.

They also discussed the market access issue of both sides and reviewed the progress made so far under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).

In a separate statement, Valdis Dombrovskis said that the EU is India’s second-largest trading partner but there is still a lot of untapped potential.

He said that India would gain from tapping into the “world’s biggest” single market.

There is a clear political willingness on both sides to make faster progress, he said adding the two sides must now use this momentum to bridge major gaps.

“We need to see good progress in terms of investment protection – important to attract further European investment to India,” he added.

India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations on June 17 last year after a gap of over eight years on the proposed agreements on trade, investments and Geographical Indications (GI).

India had started negotiations for a trade pact with the EU in 2007, but the talks stalled in 2013 as both sides failed to reach an agreement on key issues, including customs duties on automobiles and spirits and the movement of professionals.

India’s merchandise exports to EU member countries have increased to USD 74.5 billion in 2022-23 from USD about USD 65 billion in 2021-22. Imports also rose to USD 60 billion in 2022-23 from USD 51.4 billion in 2021-22.

The EU accounts for about 17 per cent of India’s total exports and about 8.5 per cent of the country’s total imports.

Besides greater market access for its products like textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, the Indian industry is looking for easy access for skilled professionals in the EU markets. On the other hand, the EU side has an interest in areas like auto, digital trade, sustainability and financial services sectors like banking and insurance.


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Bruno Fernandes seals comeback win for Man Utd over Forest



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Tuesday, 22 August 2023

Samsung unveils world’s first gaming title featuring HDR10+ GAMING standard

Samsung unveils world's first gaming title featuring HDR10+ GAMING standard

Seoul: Samsung Electronics on Monday announced the launch of the world’s first gaming title featuring the High Dynamic Range (HDR) 10+ GAMING standard created by HDR10+ Technologies LLC.

The new title, “The First Descendant” was developed by Nexon and will be unveiled at Gamescom 2023, the company said in a blogpost.

“The open beta test of ‘The First Descendant’ will begin on September 19, allowing gamers around the world to experience the more realistic HDR gameplay firsthand.”

HDR10+ GAMING provides gamers with the ultimate HDR game experience through deeper colour, contrast and brightness.

It also enables a more accurate depiction of details in dark shadows and bright highlights, allowing users to fully engage in their gaming adventure. “

We’re thrilled to join forces with NEXON, a true pioneer in video games, to introduce the world’s first HDR10+ GAMING title, ‘The First Descendant’,” said Seokwoo Jason Yong, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

“This is a gaming milestone that goes beyond mere technological advancement; it represents Samsung’s continued commitment to enhance the gaming experience as technology evolves.”

HDR10+ GAMING supports an optimised experience that eliminates the hassle of adjusting numerous manual settings.

It also enables enhanced gameplay with near-instant responses through low latency and variable refresh rate support.

Additionally, the standard provides developers with tools that allow consistent and reliable HDR gaming experiences across all HDR10+ GAMING displays.

The First Descendant is “set to provide gamers with one of the most responsive, accurate and frictionless HDR gaming experiences to date”, the company said.

This partnership with Nexon reinforces the South Korean firm’s unwavering commitment to providing superior visual experiences that go beyond entertainment and media consumption.


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Hockey: PHF sacks entire coaching staff of Pakistan men’s team ahead of Asian Games



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Monday, 21 August 2023

YouTube Music for Wear OS now lets users browse songs in playlist, albums

YouTube Music for Wear OS now lets users browse songs in playlist, albums

San Francisco: YouTube Music for Wear OS now allows users to browse the songs in a playlist or album.

Since launch, when users selected an album or playlist in the YouTube Music Wear OS app, it would lead them to a minimalistic page containing only the name and two buttons: one for downloading and the other for playing, reports 9To5Google.

Now, the same page displays a list of all songs, enabling users to choose and play a specific track.

To add some visual appeal, blurred album artwork is presented in the background.

Also, when selecting a song from a playlist, the listener’s queue becomes that playlist, similar to what happens on phones.

“However, if you pick a track from an album, it basically starts a radio station, and the next expected song in said album does not play,” the report said.

Meanwhile, on August 15, YouTube had introduced a new ‘Samples’ tab for the music streaming service which helps users to find new music.

“Powered by the world’s largest catalogue of music videos, this personalised feed will explore the depths and breadth of the YouTube Music library so that there’s always something new to listen to,” the company said.

Each immersive clip provides users with a glimpse into the artist, the video, and the feel of the song. Users can simply swipe vertically to experience a new song, making music discovery fun and effortless.

With each sample, users can quickly add the song to their collection, share it with friends, create their next favourite playlist, start a new radio station, watch the full video, visit the album page, or even use the song to create their own Short.


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Praggnanandhaa heads into tiebreakers against Caruana after sturdy draw with white in semifinal Game 2



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In Palm Springs, where rain is rare, residents brace for Hilary’s downpour



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Sunday, 20 August 2023

After TN, Karnataka to file appeal over release of Cauvery water in apex court

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday directed the Advocate General to file the state’s appeal before the Supreme Court on August 21 regarding the release of Cauvery river water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu had approached the Supreme Court with a plea to direct Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily for standing crops.

Karnataka has been maintaining that it will be able to release water to Tamil Nadu taking into account its needs like drinking water and standing crops in the Cauvery basin areas citing scarcity due to deficit monsoon rains.

“The Advocate General was invited to today’s cabinet. He has been directed to file the state’s appeal before the Supreme Court on Monday,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.

Briefing reporters about the cabinet decisions, Patil said, “He (AG) has been asked to file an appeal with all the detailed information based on the existing situation.”

Not willing to share any details, the minister in response to a question said, “As we are filing an appeal before the Supreme Court, I don’t want to indulge in any discussion, as the court should not say you have told the press and you are coming before us.”

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Water Resources department, following Tamil Nadu approaching the SC, had on Tuesday said Karnataka would release 10 tmc ft of water from the Cauvery basin to the neighbouring state, while maintaining that the state doesn’t have sufficient water in dams to meet its requirements like drinking water and agriculture due to deficit monsoon.

On Friday, he said the Karnataka government has written to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) requesting it to review the order directing the state to release 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu on a daily basis for the next 15 days.

Responding to a question on the opposition BJP calling for ‘Mandya bandh’ next week in protest against the release of water to Tamil Nadu, Patil said: “The Chief Minister has already expressed his intention to call an all-party meeting to discuss Cauvery issues. As the all-party meeting will be happening, there is no need for any protest or agitation. I request everyone to maintain peace as there will be an opportunity to discuss (the issue) at the meeting.”

The date of the all-party meeting will be announced soon, he said.


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World Cup: R Praggnanandhaa draws Fabiano Caruana in first game of semifinals



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Saturday, 19 August 2023

Rahul Gandhi interacts with youth in Leh

Leh: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is in Leh, on Friday asserted that the foundation of freedom in India is the Constitution of India.

He also accused the BJP and the RSS of placing its own people in the key parts of the institutional structures.

While interacting with youths here, Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Leh on Thursday afternoon said, “India got freedom in 1947 and the foundation of freedom in India is the Constitution of India.”

He said that the Constitution has certain rules. “So, how do you put the Constitution into action? The way you put the Constitution into action is by setting up institutions that support the vision of the Constitution. The Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Planning Commission, forces, all these elements.”

“Now what is happening … when you attack the Constitution directly? Now what the BJP and RSS is doing that it is placing its own people in the key parts of the institutional structures,” he said.

“They will place their own people, for example if you go to ministers of the government and ask them are you actually making the decision in the ministry and then they will tell you that there was a gentleman an OSD from the RSS, who we have to work with and to decide what happens in our ministry.”

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi also watched a football match in Leh and interacted with the people.

According to party leaders, Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Ladakh till August 25 will be visiting Dumra valley on Saturday and on Sunday he will be visiting the Pangong Tso Lake on Sunday and also offer tribute to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary.

He will then go to Kargil and address a public meeting there and during his trip he will be interacting with the people of Ladakh.


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Shafali stars with bat as India thrash Thailand by 94 runs in Asia Cup opener

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