Daily Current Affairs

Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 Knives are out in the Congress over a section of dissenters making daily public statements against the leadership, with Punjab party president Sunil Jakhar on Sunday becoming the first Congress functionary to publicly demand action against the out of line people. "The Congress president will have to draw a line somewhere. Strong action must be taken against party persons, no matter how senior, who continue to needle the leadership daily even after our president Sonia Gandhi graciously told them she bore no ill-will against anyone. These dissenters are aware that the Congress is going through difficult times. They think they are untouchables and can continue to exploit the party's predicament. They must be dealt with sternly," said Jakhar days after another veteran Ambika Soni demanded disciplinary action against letter writers in the meeting of the Congress Working Committee. Jakhar also slammed the dissenters fo...

Ahmedabad, August 31 The rise in number of Covid-19 cases should not be a cause of concern as long as the number of serious patients and deaths due to the disease remain low, say public health experts in Gujarat. They are of the view that the new cases being reported daily should be categorised as mild, moderate or severe to better understand the pandemic. "We are finding new cases every day, but the first thing we need to know is how many of them are serious," said Dileep Mavalankar, Director of the Gandhinagar-based Indian Institute of Public Health. "The government should report how many new patients have been put on oxygen or ventilator support...we are reporting low mortality," he said. The new cases should be divided into three categories- mild, moderate, if a patient needs oxygen, and severe, if he/she needs ventilator support, he said. In a recent study, Mavalankar found that between March and July, the percentage of deaths due to COVID-19 compared to ...

New Delhi, August 31 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was admitted to the AIIMS here on August 18 for post-COVID care, was discharged on Monday morning, sources said. The AIIMS had said in a statement on Saturday that "he has recovered and is likely to be discharged in a short time". On August 2, Shah, 55, had said on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He had undergone treatment at Medanta Hospital and was discharged after he tested negative for the disease. He was later admitted to the AIIMS following complaints of fatigue and body ache. PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2QGbn0Y

New Delhi, August 31 The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Monday its verdict on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan, convicted for contempt of court over his two tweets against the judiciary. A Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra will pronounce its verdict against Bhushan, who faces simple imprisonment of up to six months or with a fine of up to Rs 2,000 or with both as punishment under Contempt of Court Act. On August 25, the top court was urged by senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan to show "judicial statesmanship" and not make Bhushan a "martyr" by punishing him for contempt over his tweets criticising the judiciary, after the activist-lawyer rejected fresh suggestions from the court for an apology. As the top court reserved its verdict on the sentence to be awarded to Bhushan, Justice Arun Mishra, who presided over a three-judge bench, at the fag end of the nearly three-hour-long hearing had asked why he cannot seek ...

New Delhi, August 30 The Congress on Sunday questioned the "alacrity" exhibited by the Centre in ordering a CBI probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput case and sought investigation into alleged BJP links of Sandeep Ssingh, producer of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is under the scanner in a related drugs case. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi asked who in the BJP is trying to "save" Ssingh, who produced "PM Narendra Modi", the posters of which were unveiled by the then Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis. Singhvi alleged that the film producer who claimed to be Rajput's close friend made 53 calls to the Maharashtra BJP office in the last few months. "Who he was seeking security from," Singhvi asked. He said political parties do not get into Bollywood matters. "But if a suspect is linked to the ruling party, the country wants to know who is he connected to and who in the BJP is trying to save Ssingh. Was Ssingh the rea...

Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 Knives are out in the Congress over a section of dissenters making daily public statements against the leadership, with Punjab party president Sunil Jakhar on Sunday becoming the first Congress functionary to publicly demand action against the out of line people. "The Congress president will have to draw a line somewhere. Strong action must be taken against party persons, no matter how senior, who continue to needle the leadership daily even after our president Sonia Gandhi graciously told them she bore no ill-will against anyone. These dissenters are aware that the Congress is going through difficult times. They think they are untouchables and can continue to exploit the party's predicament. They must be dealt with sternly," said Jakhar days after another veteran Ambika Soni demanded disciplinary action against letter writers in the meeting of the Congress Working Committee. Jakhar also slammed the dissenters fo...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 While most members of the ginger group that recently demanded radical organisational reforms in the Congress are busy defending their positions, at least one signatory to the letter is finding support, although marginal, to run for the post of Congress president. The Congress unit of Thiruvananthapuram has already launched a social media campaign in favour of Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor. The campaign started on August 19, just a few days after Tharoor and 22 others wrote a letter dated August 7 to Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanding a full time active party chief. The viral post inviting support for the ex-minister has since received 3.2K likes, 5.6K shares and 303 comments. Interestingly, a few comments under the Tharoor post also favour Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh as Congress president while many support Rahul Gandhi as well. Congress leaders are not amused by such a campaign of Tharoor supporters. Congress chief whip in Lok S...

New Delhi, August 30 The Congress today said once party president Sonia Gandhi had asked everyone to move on letting bygones be bygones it was not proper for anyone to comment in organisational affairs. Reacting to Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal consistently speaking to the media defending their letter, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "I am not speaking about individuals, individual press conferences or reports. Nobody is censored to speak. But, once the Congress chief has spoken on the issue its letter and spirit must be observed in every way." — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/31Fjt06

New Delhi, August 30 Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his monthly radio address "Mann ki Baat" on Sunday lauded the country's canine brigade and specifically mentioned about two dogs — "Sophie" and "Vida". The two brave dogs were awarded the Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Cards on August 15. Sophie and Vida received this honour because they performed their duties diligently while protecting their country, the PM said. Military sources said Vida, belonging to an Army dog unit under Udhampur-headquartered Northern Command, was instrumental in the timely detection of five mines and one grenade buried underground, preventing possible casualties and injuries to soldiers. Sophie of the Special Frontier Force (bomb disposal squad) saved lives by sniffing out the presence of initiator/accelerant which could have been hastily used to fabricate an IED (improvised explosive device), they said. "Such canines have played a very important role in th...

New Delhi, August 30 The delimitation commission, set up to redraw the constituencies of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, will visit the north-eastern states and the Union Territory after preparing a "broad framework" of the delimitation exercise, officials said. The commission will also seek views and inputs of its "associate members" — a group of Lok Sabha members and MLAs — after drawing up the broad framework. "First the broad framework has to be developed on carving out constituencies based on the 2011 Census. Only then would the delimitation commission visit the states to meet locals. Once the framework is drawn, it would also interact with associate members to seek their views and inputs," said an official aware of the developments. The delimitation panel will redraw the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of the four north-eastern states and work on increasing the Assembly seats of the Union Territory of Jamp...

New Delhi, August 30 The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its verdict on the quantum of punishment for activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who was held guilty of contempt of court on August 14 for scandalising the judiciary through his tweets against Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and four former CJIs. A Bench had reserved its order on August 25. A defiant Bhushan had refused to apologise, saying an insincere apology would amount to "contempt of my conscience and of an institution that I hold in highest esteem". — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3b9frjL

Mumbai: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar's building at Peddar Road has been sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a precautionary measure amid the Covid pandemic. The 90-year-old singer's family said the building was sealed as it housed many senior citizens. It said everyone was safe and the exercise was mandatory to take precautions. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2EISmZl

Kolkata: Featuring of a Sikh soldier on the homepage of the British Army website has gladdened Sikhs, many of whom are posting the link on their Facebook pages. "The Sikhs, wherever they go, leave a mark by their good work. Chamandeep's story also shows how versatile the community members are," said Jagmohan Singh Gill, Punjabi Sahitya Sabha chief. "Sikhs have been an integral part of the British Army. It is good to see the story of a Sikh soldier on the British Army homepage," said Bhupinder Singh Bashar, a poet. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2YL2M19

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 Haryana withdraws lockdown order The Haryana Government has withdrawn the orders to keep shops and shopping malls, except those dealing in essential goods and services, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays after the Centre issued the guidelines for Unlock 4.0, said state Home Minister Anil Vij on Sunday. The country's Covid-19 caseload today topped 3.5 million, barely eight days after crossing 3 million infections. Setting a global record for the highest single-day surge for the second consecutive day —- with 78,761 cases on Sunday —- the Covid load has reached 35,42,733 while 27,13,933 persons have been cured. The daily cases stood at 76,472 on Saturday. The death toll has reached 63,498 with 948 people dying in the past 24 hours. In a positive sign, the case fatality rate dropped below 1.8 per cent to 1.79 per cent today with recoveries surging to 76.61 per cent. The active cases now stand at 7,65,302, which is 21.60 per cent...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 The Covid-19 outbreak has left the government with no option but to defer the completion date for conducting the first phase of the Census-2021 and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR). Sources said the first phase of both exercises was scheduled to be over by September 30, but now, it might be delayed by a year. They said though a final decision on new dates had not been taken yet, it was for certain that these could not be undertaken in 2020 in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country. A senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official, however, said: "At present, the government's priority is not Census. The entire machinery is involved in containing the pandemic. The delay by even a year in conducting Census and NPR would not have any adverse impact." The Indian Census is one of the largest administrative and statistical exercises in the world, with the involvement of more than ...

M Aamir Khan Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 30 Involved in attacks, radicalising youth As per police records, the killed terrorists were part of groups involved in planning and executing several terror attacks in Kashmir LeT commander Saqib Bashir, one of the slain ultras, was involved in radicalising youth and luring them into the terror fold Three militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit (LeT) and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the counter-insurgency unit of the police were killed during a nightlong encounter in the Pantha Chowk area on the outskirts of the city. One of the three slain militants was an LeT commander, who was active for the past year and a half. According to the police, he was involved in several attacks on the security forces besides weapon-snatching and luring youth to join militant ranks. "All three were from the LeT. One of them was their commander and he was involved in terror activities for the past year and a half," Di...

Tribune News Service Jammu, August 30 A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was today killed in fresh shelling by Pakistan troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district. According to official sources, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation using small arms at Khanger, Kalsian and Bhawani along the LoC. "Our troops responded to the enemy fire. In the incident, a Naib Subedar was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries," said Lt Col Devender Anand, PRO (Defence), Jammu. The deceased soldier was identified as Naib Subedar Rajwinder Singh, a resident of Goindwal Sahib village in Amritsar's Khadoor Sahib tehsil. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. This is the eighth casualty due to shelling in Poonch and Rajouri over the past three months. Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2YOyTNQ

New Delhi, August 30 Reacting sharply to Pakistan hailing the recent Gupkar Declaration in which six political parties of Jammu and Kashmir vowed to fight collectively against the abrogation of Article 370, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today asserted: "We are not anyone's puppet." He said Pakistan had always abused mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, "but now suddenly they like us". The former CM was replying to a query on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's statement that the declaration issued by the NC, PDP, Congress and three other parties was not an "ordinary" occurrence. "Let me make it clear that we are not anyone's puppet, neither New Delhi's nor of anyone across the border. We are answerable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and will work for them," he said. To a question on cross-border terrorism, he said, "I would urge Pakistan to stop sending armed men into Ka...

New Delhi, August 30 Eighty years after the first unit of the Army Air Defence (AAD) was raised during the British rule in Mumbai, the Corps of the AAD has decided to change its Raising Day to match it with the date the unit was raised by the British. The AAD will now observe its Raising Day on September 15, instead of January 10. It was on January 10, 1989, that the Corps AAD was bifurcated from the Corps Artillery and was formed as a separate unit. In July 1940, Sir Claude Auchinleck, commander-in-chief of the British Indian Armed Forces, took a decision to raise anti-aircraft units in India with Indian troops. On 15 September, 1940, a group of British officers under Major RA Ronald raised the 1st Technical Training Battery. This group formed the nucleus of the 1st Indian anti-air regiment at Colaba, Mumbai. Immediately, a unit was dispatched to defend oilfields in Digboi, Assam. The remaining troops sailed to Malaya and Singapore to protect assets against the anticipated Japane...

Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service Bathinda, August 30 Modus operandi Money was charged from the beneficiary patients, whose e-cards were generated by these hospitals Two files were made — one for treatment on cash payment and the other for making claim under the scheme Also, dummy entries were made to bungle funds After Adesh Hospital, Bathinda, was delisted last week, five more hospitals have been de-empanelled for allegedly embezzling funds under the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme. Even while charging patients, these hospitals had been wrongly claiming insurance from the government. Besides, dummy entries were made to bungle funds. The hospitals delisted are Astha Hospital (Bathinda), Akashdeep Hospital (Amritsar), Jindal Ortho Hospital (Mansa), Verma Hospital (Amritsar) and Garg Nursing Home (Moga). More hospitals are under the scanner, say sources. A notice issued to Adesh Hospital on August 22 said money was charged from a beneficiary patient, whose e...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 30 Advocating increased use of local products as a way to "Atmanirbhar Bharat", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday suggested people utilise a new crop of apps developed in the country and also purchase locally manufactured toys. Recalling a recent app innovative challenge, the PM in his Mann Ki Baat address said it was a good sign for self-reliance. From around 7,000 entries, some two-thirds of them were made by youth of tier 2 and tier 3 cities. "This is a very auspicious indication for self-reliant India, for future of the country. You will definitely be impressed on seeing the results of the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" app innovation challenge. After a lot of scrutiny, awards have been given to around two dozen apps in different categories," he added. Stating that the global toy industry is worth over Rs 7 lakh crore, PM Modi said, "India's share is meagre and asked the toy manufacturers to go vocal for ...

New Delhi, August 30 Students and alumni of various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have launched a portal to help JEE and NEET candidates with transportation facility, officials said. Travelling concerns have been raised by students on social media amid the Covid-19 risk. Besides, many candidates have moved to different cities during lockdown and hence are at far off locations from the examination centres. "During the Covid-19 crisis, one of the major concerns among students is regarding difficulty in reaching the exam centres. Students and alumni of IITs have promptly come forward and launched a dedicated portal to connect with good samaritans who may want to help the needy candidates. The portal called "Eduride" will ease burden of commuting for the candidates, especially from remote locations and poorly connected areas," IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao said. "After registration of alumni, volunteers and candidates, the portal will connect appro...

Chennai, August 30 India and Russia were today declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad as the final was marred by Internet disconnection and server malfunction. Initially, Russia were declared winners after two Indian players (Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh) lost out on time in the final after suffering a disconnection with the server. India lodged a protest against the controversial decision that was then reviewed and gold medals awarded to both teams. This was the first time the FIDE, the international chess federation, was holding the Olympiad online, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In an official statement, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said the global Internet outage severely affected several countries, including India, so a decision was made only after a careful examination. Legendary Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand shared his excitement by tweeting: "We are the champions!! Congrats Russia!" Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju congratulated the In...

Mangaluru, August 30 Eminent agriculture journalist and editor of the Kannada farm journal 'Adike Patrike', Manchi Srinivasa Achar, died at a hospital here after a brief illness, family sources said. Achar, 74, who died on Saturday, is survived by wife, son and a daughter, they said. He was former president of Puttur-based All India Areca Growers Association. He also served as the president of the Farmer First Trust which published Adike Patrike from Puttur for more than three decades. Achar was one of the trustees of the Mangaluru-based arecanut research and development foundation. In a condolence message, CAMPCO president S R Satish Chandra said Achar was a prominent voice for the cause of arecanut growers at the highest level. PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3b7VTMo

New Delhi, August 30 India's COVID-19 tally zoomed past 35 lakh just a week after it crossed the 30-lakh mark, with a record single-day spike of 78,761 cases while recoveries surged to 27,13,933 on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases rose to 35,42,733, while the death toll climbed to 63,498 with 948 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The recovery rate has increased to 76.61 per cent while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.79 per cent. There are 7,65,302 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 21.60 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's COVID-19 cases rose from 20 lakh to 30 lakh in 16 days, 10 lakh to 20 lakh in 21 days while it had taken 59 days for the cases to cross the 10 lakh-mark. It took 110 days for COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh while just 59 days more to go past the 10-lakh pos...

Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh/Mumbai, August 30 Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was questioned by the CBI for the last two days over the death of her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, has been summoned by the agency again on Sunday. The actress and her brother Showik Chakraborty have arrived at the DRDO Guest House in Santacruz, Mumbai. On Saturday, Rhea was questioned for over seven hours in connection with the death of Sushant. Rhea, who arrived at the DRDO guesthouse around 1.30 p.m., was quizzed by CBI's Superintendent of Police Nupur Prasad, and left around 8.20 p.m. with a Mumbai Police escort. According to CBI sources, Rhea was questioned about the claim that she used to splurge on shopping using Sushant's credit card according to the statement of Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani. "However, Rhea, during her questioning, kept on refuting the allegation of spending a lot from Sushant's credit card," a source said. The source added that Rhea was also q...

Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, August 30 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday began the 68th edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' with assuring the nation that even though the country is battling at various fronts, the country can fight it together. We have seen unprecedented restraint, simplicity in our festivals during COVID times, says PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat address. He began his speech with the importance of toys in a child's life. Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3lAa4iq

Mainpuri (UP), August 30 In a second such incident in a week in Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit widow and a man, both belonging to the same community, were publicly shamed for having a relationship. Their heads were tonsured, faces blackened and were made to wear a garland of shoes while attempts were also made to disrobe the woman. The incident took place in Nagla Gurbaksh village on Friday night. Both of them, however, were rescued by police in time. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. Based on a complaint lodged by one of the victims, the police arrested three persons on Saturday. Mainpuri Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar said a case has been registered against 16 people, including 10 unidentified women, under the IPC Sections 499 and 500 (defamation), 269 and 270 (negligent act likely to spread infectious diseases) and section 506 (criminal intimidation). He said a search was on for the remaining accused. The locals have claimed that the duo was in a relation...

Lucknow, August 30 The wife and son of a senior railway officer found shot dead in a posh area of Uttar Pradesh capital have been allegedly killed by the minor daughter, police said. The double-murder was reported from the high-security Guatampalli area on Saturday, police said. Police have come up with some shocking revelations about the murder of the wife and son of Rajesh Dutt Bajpai, executive director in the Railway Board. According to the police, Bajpai's minor daughter shot her mother and brother dead. Commissioner of Police, Sujeet Pandey said: "Rajesh Dutt Bajpai is posted in the Railway Board as Executive Director and resides in Delhi. Bungalow number one on Vivekananda Marg in Gautampalli was occupied by his wife Malini, son Sarvadatta and 16-year-old daughter." As soon as the information of the incident was received, the police officers including DGP reached the spot. The site of the incident was sealed. Six police teams were formed to carry out an inves...

Guwahati, August 30 The Assam government would send to the Centre soon the report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted for preparation of modalities for granting of the ST status to the six ethnic communities of the state, said Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. He also said that the proposed Autonomous Council for the Moran community would start functioning shortly. The Chief Minister said this in a meeting with a delegation of various organisations of the Moran Community in Guwahati on Saturday. The six communities are Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Chutia, Matak, Moran and Tea tribes. Sonowal said the state government was making sincere efforts to solve the issues affecting the Moran community and the GoM constituted by the state government for preparation of modalities for granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the six communities had initiated consultations with all stakeholders and would soon submit its report, which would then be sent to the Union Government. The Chief...

New Delhi, August 29 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on August 18 for post-Covid care, has recovered and is likely to be discharged in a short time, according to hospital authorities. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah is admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, for post-Covid care. He has recovered and is likely to be discharged in a short time," the AIIMS said in a statement. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2D9n1y2

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 After implementing one-nation-one-ration card, the government is now exploring the possibility of having a common electoral roll for the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections to avoid discrepancies and bring uniformity in the voter list. At present, the Election Commission prepares the electoral roll or voter list for the Lok Sabha and Assembly poll. The state election commissions, which are altogether separate bodies as per constitutional provisions, hold elections for local bodies such as municipalities and panchayats in their respective states based on their own voter lists. Trimming expenses Money is spent on the same exercise twice. Often discrepancies have been noticed when names of voters go missing from voter lists In a letter written to the government in November 1999, the Election Commission had said that separate rolls prepared by the EC and State ECs "not only created confusion among the electors because their n...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today said it had frozen Rs 46.96 crore of companies involved in a Chinese online betting racket. The agency said it conducted searches at 15 locations across Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Pune under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act-2002 (PMLA) in the case related to illegal betting. An ED official said, "Searches were conducted at the registered offices of the companies, their directors and chartered accountants involved in running online betting apps from websites, which are hosted from outside India." Modus operandi Initially, dummy Indian directors were used to incorporate the companies and, after some time, Chinese nationals travelled to India and became directors in these companies During the course of search, the ED seized 17 hard disks, five laptops, phones, crucial incriminating documents and also froze Rs 46.96 crore kept in four HSBC Bank accounts. The ED official ...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 Police officers can't register FIRs, make arrests, prosecute or investigate in regard to cognisable offences under Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which deals with the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs and cosmetics, the Supreme Court has ruled. A Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, however, said its ruling "that police officers don't have the power to arrest in respect of cognisable offences under Chapter IV of the Act will operate with effect from the date of this judgment".The verdict, having serious implications in drugs cases being investigated by the police, came on an appeal filed by the Centre challenging a ruling of the Allahabad High Court that had quashed an FIR registered by the police with respect to an offence registered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The top court said with regard to cognisable offences mentioned under Chapter IV of the Act, arrests could be made by the...

New Delhi, August 29 The NIA has arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Shabeel Ahmed, who is believed to be a close relative of the 2007 Glasgow airport attack mastermind. Agency officials said the accused was arrested last night after he was brought back to India from Saudi Arabia. They said Ahmed had moved from Bengaluru to Saudi Arabia in 2010-11.He is a cousin of UK airport attack mastermind Kafeel Ahmed, the officials said, maintaining that after getting his remand from a special NIA court here, he would be taken to other places, including Bengaluru, for further investigation. The officials said Ahmed was also wanted in a case registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2015 and was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court on July 12, 2016. In August 2017, Indian agencies had brought in another Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) suspect Syed Mohammed Zishan Ali from Saudi Arabia. He is believed to be married to Ahmed's sister. — TNS Source:- The Tr...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 In her second public appearance today since the Congress Working Committee meeting that trashed a letter by some Congress workers seeking a visible full-time party president, Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the BJP government for trying to "muzzle the voice of the people". Attending the virtual ground-breaking ceremony of the new building of Chhattisgarh assembly, Sonia, without naming the Centre directly, said dictatorial forces appeared to be trumping the democratic ones. "Dictatorship appears to be trumping democracy these days. What do these people want? They want that everyone — our youth, our tribals, our poor, our women — should remain quiet. They want to muzzle the voice of India," she said, urging the Bhupesh Baghel-led government in Chhattisgarh to work with the interests of the last man in mind. The legislative assembly building was a marker of democracy and its rich traditions. "But we have to save democracy...

New Delhi, August 29 BJP President JP Nadda today held a meeting with party MPs, including ministers, from Bihar to assess the ground situation before going for seat-sharing talks with the NDA allies ahead of the Assembly poll in the state. During the deliberations, the BJP president is learnt to have asked the party MPs to take the onus of ensuring the NDA's candidates' victory in the elections, likely to take place in October-November. The BJP chief also asked the MPs to camp in at least 60 panchayats next month. "The MPs have been asked to celebrate the birthday of PM Narendra Modi on September 17 as Sewa Diwas (service day) by camping in their respective constituencies and ensuring that relief material reaches those affected by Covid-19 and floods," said a senior BJP functionary. Nadda is likely to start campaigning in the state after the Covid-19 restrictions are eased by the state administration, said the BJP functionary. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https:...

New Delhi, August 29 Taking a dig at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her "Act of God" remark on the economy, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday asked "the FM as the Messenger of God" to "please answer" how to describe the "mismanagement" of the economy before the Covid-19 pandemic. Sitharaman on Thursday said the economy has been hit by the pandemic, which is an "Act of God", and it will see a contraction in the current fiscal.Chidambaram said, "If the pandemic is an 'Act of God', how do we describe the mismanagement of the economy during 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. Before the pandemic struck India?" "Will the FM, as the Messenger of God, please answer?" the former Finance Minister asked on Twitter. In a series of tweets, the senior Congress leader also slammed the Centre for asking states to borrow more. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3jsSv1S

New Delhi, August 29 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted an international gold smuggling racket on Friday with the arrest of eight passengers at the New Delhi railway station. As many as 504 gold bars with foreign markings were recovered from their possession. The gold bars, valued at Rs 43 crore, were found hidden in the specially tailored cloth vests worn by the eight men, who were travelling on the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express using fake Aadhaar cards, an official said. "Intelligence inputs indicated that the recovered gold bars carrying foreign markings were smuggled into India from Myanmar through the international land border at Moreh in Manipur and the smuggling syndicate operating from Guwahati was attempting to dispose of the contraband in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, which have thriving markets for the yellow metal," a senior DRI official said. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3b8Zr0S

New Delhi, August 29 The Congress today wrote to Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg over the alleged pro-BJP bias and threatened legislative and judicial action in the matter. Congress general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal wrote, "In light of the new revelations and evidence, we urge you to let us know what steps your company is planning to take to investigate these matters and draw a plan of action to stem the rot in your India operations." — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3b7IeoG

Mumbai, August 29 Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting the suicide of film star Sushant Singh Rajput, reached the DRDO guest house here for the second consecutive day on Saturday for questioning by the CBI. Earlier in the day, the CBI requested the Mumbai Police to provide security to the actor and the cops acted on the request. Rajput's flatmate Siddharth Pithani, cook Neeraj Singh, domestic help Keshav, manager Samual Miranda and accountant Rajat Mewati were already being quizzed by the CBI team since Saturday morning at the guest house. On Friday, Rhea was interrogated by thea agency for more than 10 hours and was allowed to return home under police escort, as a large number of media personnel were present outside her building. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/31FsDJV

New Delhi, August 29 India today pulled out of a multi-nation military exercise hosted by Russia in which Chinese and Pakistani troops too were expected to participate. With tensions brewing, India did not want its military seen alongside that of China and Pakistan. This decision was taken at a high-level meeting where External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat were present. It was decided that with India locked in a military conflict with China in eastern Ladakh, it could not be business as usual. China has stalled all efforts to disengage along the Line of Actual Control. Jaishankar and General Rawat also took into account the worsening global Covid-19 situation. India and China clashed in the Galwan valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian troops lost their lives while the Chinese suffered an undeclared number of casualties. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Russia on September 4-6 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence M...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 The Ministry of Defence has moved to change the pattern for appointing military and civilian officers on important administrative posts at the armed forces headquarters. A high-level committee has been set up to identify which posts at the administrative level required only employees with military experience. This is in line with the recommendations of a committee of experts to enhance combat capability and re-balance defence expenditure of the forces. The other aspect studied by the panel was utilisation of civilian employees posted at the armed forces headquarters (AFHQ). Panel to decide... Which administrative posts are occupied by civilian staff, but require military field experience Will interact with branches of services' HQ, inter-service organisations Will collate data on authorised amp; actual strength of AFHQ in respective services Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has okayed setting up of the committee headed by L...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 29 As India on Saturday recorded world's highest single-day rise of 76,472 Covid cases, the government cited 76.47 per cent recovery rate and 1.81 per cent case fatality rate to stress that the country had made tremendous strides in containing the infection. After the total cases rose to 34,63,972 today and the toll reached 62,550, the Group of Ministers (GoM) reviewing the pandemic met for the 20th time to take stock of the situation. As many as 1,021 deaths have been reported in 24 hours. Addressing the meeting, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said national recoveries had reached 26,48,998 and seven in every 10 patients had been discharged. 'Oxford vaccine in Phase-III trials' VK Paul, head of the National Covid Vaccine Administration Taskforce, told the Group of Ministers that the Oxford vaccine candidate developed by Serum Institute of India was in Phase-III trial in Maharashtra and a few other states. TNS He said the global...

New Delhi, August 29 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on August 18 for post-Covid care, has recovered and is likely to be discharged in a short time, according to hospital authorities. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah is admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, for post-Covid care. He has recovered and is likely to be discharged in a short time," the AIIMS said in a statement. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/32AQhGF

New Delhi, August 29 The rainfall India received during August this year has been the highest for the month in the past 44 years, according to the IMD data. Until August 28, the month recorded 25 per cent surplus rainfall. It has also surpassed the previous highest rainfall in August, which was recorded in 1983. In that year, August had recorded a 23.8 per cent excess rainfall. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the country had recorded a 28.4 per cent excess rainfall in August 1976. The country has so far recorded 9 per cent more rainfall than normal. Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Goa have recorded excess rainfall, while Sikkim has recorded a large excess. Many states witnessed floods as rivers swelled. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the overall storage position of the reservoirs in the country till August 27 was better than the corresponding period last year. It was also better than the average storage for the last...

Agra, August 28 Rhea Chakraborty, who is emerging as the main suspect in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, has an Uttar Pradesh connection. Rhea, according to sources, spent few years of her schooling at the Catholic school in Agra. Rhea's father was in the Army Medical Corps who continuously moved from one city to another, and during one of these postings between 2002 and 2007, he was in Agra. Rhea, during this period, studied at the St Clare's Senior Secondary School, one of the top-rated schools in Agra. She studied in this school for about four years, from class V to IX. Rhea's schoolmates in Agra remember her as an outgoing girl who was into sports and extra-curricular activities. A schoolmate claimed that she was part of the school parliament as a class representative and a lot of seniors were her friends. One of her former teachers recalled that Rhea was an 'active' student and good in studies. "She had a lot of confidence and one could see tha...

New Delhi, August 29 Lauding sportspersons who have represented India and made it proud, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government was making numerous efforts to popularise sports and support sporting talent in the country. In a series of tweets to mark National Sports Day, he also urged everyone to make sports and fitness exercise a part of their daily routine. "National Sports Day is a day to celebrate the remarkable achievements of all those exemplary sportspersons who have represented India in various sports and made our nation proud. Their tenacity and determination are outstanding," he said. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player whose birth anniversary is celebrated as National Sports Day, and said his magic with the hockey stick could never be forgotten. "Government of India is making numerous efforts to popularise sports and support sporting talent in India. At the same time, I urge everyone...

Sandeep Dikshit Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 28 Opposition states are coordinating moves to approach the Supreme Court under Article 131 to avoid the chaos that could be created by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's offer to individually allow them to borrow the shortfall in GST dues from the RBI, said sources here. The sources said at least nine states were in consensus but some among them felt they should first exhaust the political option of approaching the President and the Prime Minister. Although Sitharaman had done her sums while announcing that out of the shortfall of Rs 2,35,000 crore, only Rs 97,000 crore was due to the states and the rest was lost due to "hand of God", the sources said some states felt the issue should be best contested in the political domain while the question of borrowing could be explored legally. Delhi cannot come on board as it is not allowed to borrow from other sources. Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3jm...

Lucknow, August 29 Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Satish Mahana said on Saturday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and isolated himself at home. Mahana requested those who have come in contact with him in the past few days to get their coronavirus tests done. "After initial symptoms of COVID, I got myself tested yesterday (Friday) and the report came positive," the infrastructure and industrial development minister tweeted. "I have isolated myself at home on the advice of doctors." PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3jqAYXX

New Delhi, August 29 India's COVID-19 tally raced past 34 lakh with a single-day spike of 76,472 cases while the number of recoveries surged to 26,48,998, pushing the recovery rate to 76.47 per cent on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry. The total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 34,63,972, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 62,550 with 1,021 people succumbing to it in a span of 24 hours, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.81 per cent in the country. There are 7,52,424 active coronavirus cases in the country currently, which account for 21.72 per cent of the total caseload, the data showed. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and the 30-lakh mark on August 23. PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/32BEBDB

New Delhi, August 29 A single-day spike of 76,472 infections and 1,021 fatalities has pushed India's COVID-19 caseload to 34,63,972 on Saturday, the Health Ministry date read. The death toll in the country has climbed to 62,550. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 7,52,424 while 26,48,998 people have recovered, the Union Health Ministry said. PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2YKvaR6

New Delhi, August 29 Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday took a dig at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her 'Act of God' remarks on the economy, saying will "the FM as the Messenger of God" answer how the "mismanagement" of the economy before the coronavirus pandemic should be described. Sitharaman on Thursday had said the economy had been hit by the pandemic, which is an 'Act of God', and it would see a contraction in the current fiscal. Taking a swipe at Sitharaman over the remarks, Chidambaram said, "If the pandemic is an 'Act of God', how do we describe the mismanagement of the economy during 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. Before the pandemic struck India?" "Will the FM as the Messenger of God please answer?" the former finance minister asked. Chidambaram also slammed the Centre for asking states to borrow more to make up for revenue losses due to pending GST dues. He asserted that the two opt...

New Delhi, August 29 India has received the highest rainfall in August this year since 1976 — 25 per cent more than the average, after recording 10 per cent less downpour than the average in July, thus setting a new record after 44 years, the IMD said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) however, has forecast that the monsoon may slow down in September. "The forecast so far has been correct regarding the monsoon. The distribution of monsoon across the country has been better and consistent. There was strong rainfall in August, but in September, the monsoon may gradually weaken. However, areas that received less rain may see increased rainfall," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told IANS. The latest IMD report said: "From August 1 to 28, India has received 296.2 mm of rainfall while the average rainfall during the month is 237.2 mm. Thus, the country has received 25 per cent more rainfall in August than the average. "Previously in 1976, the month ...

Aurangabad, August 29 Students of a Zila Parishad-run school in a remote village of Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, who have been learning the Japanese language, have received help straight from the Land of the Rising Sun. A professor based in Tokyo has sent several sets of books to help these students learn Japanese in a better way. Gadiwat village, located around 25 km from Aurangabad city, came into focus after students from the local Zila Parishad -run school started learning Japanese through a social media platform and speaking that foreign language. In September last year, the school decided to launch a foreign language programme, under which students from Classes 4 to 8 were asked to choose a language they would like to learn. Most of them chose Japanese as they were interested in robotics and technology. A local Japanese expert then started teaching Japanese online free of cost. Currently, 70 students are learning the language. Talking to PTI, Zila Parishad educati...

KV Prasad Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 28 Underscoring India's commitment towards growth in relations with Africa, New Delhi said the country's businesses can benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement that is gathering pace. From $5 bn to $69 bn From a modest $5 billion in 2001, India's bilateral trade with Africa now stands at $69 billion, recording a 12 per cent year-on-year growth India has so far implemented over $6.4 billion under the Lines of Credit of the overall $10 billion committment made at the 2015 India-Africa Forum Summit Characterising the proposed pact as a 'game changer' Rahul Chhabra, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs said more and more African countries were joining the agreement and a huge opportunity could come in a few months time. Till date, 30 of the 54 countries have ratified it. "Making Africa resilient for Indian business should be followed up by making Indian busi...

New Delhi, August 28 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today called for creation of global mechanisms to shut down the structures supporting terrorism. In a clear reference to Pakistan, he said international pressure has eventually compelled a state complicit in "aiding, abetting, training and directing" terror groups and associated criminal syndicates to "grudgingly acknowledge" the presence of wanted terrorists and organised crime leaders on its territory. He was speaking at the 19th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture organised by The Energy Research Institute. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/31D9YhN

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 28 The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a nationwide crackdown against the sale of adulterated edible oils to determine the quality of the products in the market. In a first, the FSSAI has initiated a pan-India survey of branded and unbranded oil samples and 4,500 samples have been collected between August 25 and 27 across states and UTs covering 16 varieties, including mustard, coconut, palm, olive and blended oils. Hilly and remote terrains of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu as well as Andaman have been included in the survey to ensure wider distribution of the sample size. The samples have been drawn from hypermarkets and supermarkets, retail and grocery stores and national and local brands have been covered. "The survey has been conducted by the State Food Safety officials. At least 50 samples were collected from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. Six to eight samples each have b...

New Delhi, August 28 The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking to defer the Bihar Assembly poll due to Covid-19, saying the pandemic can't be a ground for postponing elections. "How can we ask the Election Commission of India to not hold elections? Covid cannot be a valid ground for postponement of elections," a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan told petitioner Avinash Thakur. The Election Commission would consider everything, it said, terming the petition "premature" as notification for the Assembly poll was yet to be issued. Thakur had sought a direction to the Chief Election Commissioner to postpone the elections due to the pandemic on the ground that the Representation of the People Act provides for the deferment of poll in extraordinary situations. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/2YLSOwD

New Delhi, August 28 The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on a petition challenging to validity of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutes Act, 2004. A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice; and Ministry of Minority Affairs to respond in six weeks to the PIL filed by Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. Hehas sought statewise determination of minority status on the basis of population for the purpose of administering educational institutions. Upadhyay wanted the top court to direct the Centre to frame guidelines for identifying minorities at the state-level. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/32yEbxL

Lahore, August 28 A court in Pakistan has sentenced to prison three leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, an organisation accused by India and the US of masterminding the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The accused are Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Salam and Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki. The men were associates of Hafiz Saeed, who was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison in February. Saeed and his associates also face a further slew of cases for allegedly financing militant activities, while Iqbal and Makki have already been convicted in several cases. — Reuters Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3gEBdwH

New Delhi, August 28 The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed a plea by Mehul Choksi, an accused in the nearly $2 billion PNB scam, to conduct pre-screening of Netflix documentary, 'Bad Boy Billionaires'. Justice Navin Chawla declined to grant relief to Choksi saying a writ petition for enforcement of a private right cannot be maintainable. The court, however, granted him the liberty to raise the issue in a civil suit. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case. — PTI Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/3jtKlpF

New Delhi, August 28 Covid-19 cases in India today surged to 33,87,500 with a record single-day rise of 77,266 infections. Recoveries, however, continued to improve with the national disease discharge rate reaching 76.28 per cent. The death count reached 61,529 with 1,057 persons dying in 24 hours. The national fatality rate, however, dropped to 1.82 per cent, slowly inching towards the goal of 1 per cent. The Health Ministry said active cases were now only 22 per cent of the total, while the recoveries exceeded active cases by over 18 lakh. "Over the past five months, more than three-fourths of Covid-19 cases have recovered and less than one-fourth are active now. With more patients recovering and being discharged from home isolation and hospitals, India's cure count is nearing 26 lakh with 60,177 persons discharged in 24 hours," the ministry said. — TNS Source:- The Tribune https://ift.tt/32At3Ar

London, August 28 Britain's World War II spy, Noor Inayat Khan, on Friday became the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a memorial Blue Plaque at her former family home in central London. The Blue Plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honours notable people and organisations who were connected with particular buildings. Khan's plaque has gone up at 4 Taviton Street in Bloomsbury, where she lived before she left for Nazi-occupied France in 1943 as an undercover radio operator for Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE). Noor, the daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan and a descendant of the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, went on to be killed at Dachau concentration camp in 1944, having revealed nothing to her captors, not even her real name. "When Noor Inayat Khan left this house on her last mission, she would never have dreamed that one day she would become a symbol of bravery," said Shrabani Basu, historian and ...

Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 28 Students can't be promoted without holding final-year examinations by September 30, as fixed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Supreme Court ruled today. Edit: Final-year exams on course "The state and university cannot promote the students in the final year/terminal semester without holding final-year/terminal examination," a three-judge Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan said, refusing to quash the UGC's July 6 revised guidelines. " Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM 'Weighing options' I have told our Education Minister to look into the possibility of holding final-year exams before Durga Pujahellip; We are just saying the pandemic can put lives of students at risk. " The top court made it clear that the UGC's July 6 guidelines cannot be ignored as just being an advisory. However, it ruled that a state disaster management authority can postpone final-year examinations ...