Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Gaza Has Become A "Graveyard" For Thousands Of Children: UN
The Gaza Strip has become a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations said Tuesday, as it feared the prospect of more dying of dehydration.
Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 others, according to Israeli officials.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said the strikes have killed more than 8,500 people, mainly civilians.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said there was a risk that the number of child deaths directly from bombardment could become eclipsed.
"Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight," UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in a statement.
"The numbers are appalling; reportedly more than 3,450 children killed; staggeringly this rises significantly every day."
"Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It's a living hell for everyone else."
He said the more than one million children living in the Gaza Strip were also suffering from a lack of clean water.
"Gaza's water production capacity is a mere five percent of its usual daily output. Child deaths -- particularly infants -- to dehydration are a growing threat," he said.
UNICEF is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, with all access crossings into Gaza opened for the safe, sustained and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid, including water, food, medical supplies, and fuel.
"And if there is no ceasefire, no water, no medicine, and no release of abducted children? Then we hurtle towards even greater horrors afflicting innocent children," said Elder.
"There are certainly children who are dying who have been impacted by the bombardment but should have had their lives saved," Elder told reporters in Geneva, via video-link.
He said that without greater humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, "then the deaths from the attacks, they could absolutely be the tip of the iceberg".
Elder said that according to figures from health faculties in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, some 940 children were missing.
UN humanitarian agency spokesman Jens Laerke added: "It's almost unbearable to think about children buried under rubble, but (with) very little opportunity or possibility for getting them out."
The World Health Organization said people in Gaza were dying not just from direct bombardment.
"We have 130 premature infants that are dependent on incubators, of which 61 percent approximately are in the north," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.
"It's an imminent public health catastrophe that looms with the mass displacement, the overcrowding, and the damage to water and sanitation infrastructure."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Monday, October 30, 2023
2 Loyalists Of Eknath Shinde Resign As MPs Over Maratha Quota Issue
Shiv Sena MPs from Nashik and Hingoli in Maharashtra, both loyalists of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, have resigned in support of the Maratha reservation demand.
Hingoli MP Hemant Patil submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha secretariat in New Delhi on Monday, while Nashik MP Hemant Godse sent his resignation letter to CM Shinde.
"As Lok Sabha Speaker was not present in his office, my resignation letter was submitted to the office secretary. I have also received an acknowledgement," Patil told a Marathi news channel in New Delhi.
Notably, he decided to step down when he was stopped by agitators in Yavatmal who asked him to clarify his stand on the reservation demand. Patil drafted his resignation letter on the spot and handed it over to the agitators.
Reacting to NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) working president Supriya Sule's jibe that his resignation was a stunt, Patil said, "'I am not born in Nehru-Gandhi family. There two-three generations are in power. They would have taken the initiative (to grant quota)", he said, adding if leaders are concerned about Marathas, they should resign.
"Several leaders from the Maratha community went on to become chief ministers but the community didn't get anything," he added.
In Nashik, Shiv Sena MP Godse drafted his resignation letter when Maratha protesters observing a fast asked him to clarify his position on the issue.
He sent the resignation letter to CM Shinde and appealed to him to grant reservation to the Maratha community as soon as possible.
"For the last many years, the Maratha community has been striving to get the reservation. Earlier, the reservation for the community didn't survive in the court. After becoming the chief minister, you (Shinde) focused your attention on the issue of the reservation.
"After you took oath in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's bust at Dussehra rally to provide reservation to the Maratha community, members of the Maratha community felt assured," the letter stated.
Godse said the government could not solve the reservation issue in the time limit given by Jalna-based quota activist Manoj Jarange, whose indefinite fast for reservation entered the sixth day on Monday.
"The health of Manoj Jarange is deteriorating with each passing day. Considering the strong feelings of the Maratha community, I am resigning as the Member of Parliament," Godse stated.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Sunday, October 29, 2023
Watch: British Envoy Plays Cricket With Girls School Team In Lucknow
British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, is currently in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to witness this India vs England face-off. Prior to the match, Mr Ellis engaged in a friendly cricket session with students from the Prerna Girls School.
In the video, Mr Ellis is seen wearing and England cricket jersey while gearing up to face the ball. The next attached to the clip, shared by ANI on X (formerly Twitter), read, “Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India plays cricket with the students of Prerna Girls School in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.”
#WATCH | Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India plays cricket with the students of Prerna Girls School in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/HNwMdJQJVh
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2023
In another video, Mr Ellis is seen engaging with the students. He greets the girls with "namaste" and wishes them a "good morning." In addition to the students, he also interacts with the coach, organisers, and the scorekeeper.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India played cricket with the students of Prerna Girls School in Lucknow. He also interacted with the students. pic.twitter.com/FKHlxi1mse
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2023
Speaking about his visit to Lucknow and the India vs England match, Mr. Ellis told the news agency, "I'm very excited to be in Lucknow. It's the most beautiful city. I am a little anxious about the game because India are playing very well and England are not playing so well. But I hope that we're going to see a really tight game. There are some great players on both sides and it's just a pleasure to be here in Lucknow."
"I think India looks the best at the moment. Australia are coming through nicely. I think they look strong as well. South Africa's batting is superb, probably India would be the favourite, I would think... I'm very excited for today's match. I've seen England and India play many times before. It's usually a good game, so I hope we'll have the same today," he added.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: On the India vs England match in Lucknow today, Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India says, "I'm very excited to be in Lucknow. It's the most beautiful city. I am a little anxious about the game because India are playing very well and England are… pic.twitter.com/Dst2nV7OCI
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2023
India vs England is hosted by the Ekana International Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
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Saturday, October 28, 2023
US Mass Shooter Was "Hearing Voices, Suffering From Paranoia": Police
Police in Maine said Saturday that the man who gunned down 18 people at a bar and a bowling alley and later committed suicide, suffered serious mental health issues, but was able to buy weapons legally because he had never been forcibly committed to treatment.
The body of Robert Card, a 40-year-old army reservist, was discovered Friday night inside a tractor trailer near a recycling center where he used to work, said Maine public safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck. Card had shot himself.
Investigators are still struggling to determine Card's motive for carrying out Wednesday's massacre in the town of Lewiston.
However, Mike Sauschuck said that Card had reportedly been hearing voices and suffering from paranoia.
"Clearly there's a mental health component to this," Mr Sauschuck told reporters.
Investigators found a "paper-style" note that Card had left to a loved one which contained a password to his phone and bank account information, Mr Sauschuck said, adding that the note had the tone of a suicide letter.
Card was found in possession of three weapons, one of them a long gun, all purchased legally because he had never been forcibly committed to a mental institution.
Despite the apparently clear mental health issues and a reportedly recent psychiatric evaluation undergone by Card, "a background check is not going to ping that this individual was prohibited," Mr Sauschuck added.
A 'coward's way out'
The discovery of Card's body ended a massive two-day manhunt, which had this quiet city of 38,000 people on lockdown with businesses and schools closed and residents terrified.
Sauschuck acknowledged the help Card's family provided to the investigation, saying among the first people to call the police and identify the suspect were his family members. "This family has been incredibly cooperative with us," he said.
Lewiston finally breathed a sigh of relief with businesses beginning to open and people appearing on the streets Saturday.
Guadalupe Hursch, 49, a stay-at-home mother said she was happy that the ordeal was over. "Relieved. Relieved," Hursch told AFP, adding that she also felt sorry for Card's parents.
A local resident by the name of Danica who was buying coffee at a drive-in said she was "very afraid" in the aftermath of the shooting and was now happy Card was dead, but at the same time wished he had first been brought to justice.
"I think he took the coward's way out of doing it by suicide," Danica, who declined to give her last name, told AFP. "I think he should be held accountable for his crimes."
She added: "It's a very terrible thing and it's going to take a long time to get back up to be where we were before."
In a statement issued shortly after Card's body was discovered Friday night, President Joe Biden vowed to renew efforts to curb gun violence in the United States.
"Americans should not have to live like this," Joe Biden said. "I will continue to do everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic."
President Biden said the shooting brought "a tragic two days -- not just for Lewiston, Maine, but for our entire country."
Authorities on Friday identified the victims, ranging from a husband and wife in their 70s, to a 14-year-old boy killed alongside his father.
This latest shooting is one of the deadliest in the United States since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people
Mass shootings are alarmingly common in the United States, a country where there are more guns than people and where attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance.
The United States has recorded over 500 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed.
Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms.
The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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US Model Found Dead Inside Fridge Had Cocaine, Alcohol In Blood: Autopsy
The body of a Los Angeles model was found in her downtown apartment last month stuffed in a refrigerator, with her wrists and ankles tied and mouth gagged, according to the latest autopsy report obtained by the New York Post. 31-year-old Maleesa Mooney was found dead in her luxury apartment on September 12. The LA County Medical Examiner's Office had ruled her death "homicidal violence" earlier this month, but the grizzly details of how her remains were discovered in her apartment were released on Friday in an autopsy report obtained by The Post.
According to the outlet, Ms Mooney had been beaten and bound before being stuffed into her own refrigerator. The autopsy also revealed blunt force trauma to parts of her body and her toxicology tests showed traces of cocaine and alcohol in her system.
"The blunt force traumatic injuries observed at autopsy are generally not considered acutely life-threatening on their own," the medical examiner wrote in the autopsy report. "However, based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in a violent physical altercation prior to her death. Given this, the role that drugs and/or alcohol may have played in Ms. Mooney's death, if any, is uncertain," the report added.
No arrests have been made in the case, PEOPLE reported.
Also Read | 25-Year-Old Brazilian Makeup Influencer Dies After Mystery Disappearance Online
The 31-year-old was found dead in her apartment last month after her mother called cops to perform a "welfare check" on the model. When officers entered the apartment, they found a pool of blood beneath her body, which was "wedged in the refrigerator," the outlet reported.
Based on the blunt force injuries found all over her body and the condition she was found in, the officials deemed the manner of her death a homicide. There also is evidence that the model was strangled, the officials said.
Ms Mooney's sister, Pauline, told PEOPLE that her sister was two months pregnant when she died and had always wanted to be a mom. "She was super excited and I know she really wanted a kid, and it's something that she has always talked about," she told the outlet. She also said her late sister's boyfriend was "heartbroken" about the incident.
Meanwhile, Ms Mooney's death spurred fear in local residents, especially after another model in the downtown LA area was found dead in her apartment. But despite similarities in the two cases, police have said that the two incidents are not related.
Nichole Coats' family members feared their 32-year-old daughter also was murdered, but an autopsy report released on Tuesday showed she had died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and alcohol.
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Friday, October 27, 2023
Priyanka's Look For The MAMI Event Prompts This Reaction From Nick Jonas
Priyanka Chopra, who landed early this morning in Mumbai to attend the opening ceremony of the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023, revealed her look for the night. Priyanka Chopra is the chairperson for this year's edition. The former Miss World chose a white bodycon gown for the occasion. Needless to say, she looked stunning as ever. Priyanka shared a few images on Instagram in which she can be seen posing against a piano. Priyanka Chopra opted for a halter neck gown and minimal accessory look. She kept her hair tied in a top bun. She also completed her look with an embellished coat. Priyanka's gown was from the shelves of designer Tony Ward. Priyanka wrote in the caption, "Opening night. Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival @mumbaifilmfestival." Priyanka's husband Nick Jonas was absolutely bowled over by her look. He commented, "Damn" and dropped a few fire emojis. The Internet was also impressed by Priyanka's sartorial choice. A user commented, "So pretty." Another user wrote, "Omggg The Diva." Take a look at Priyanka Chopra's pictures here:
This is how Priyanka owned the red carpet. Take a look:
In the morning, Priyanka was seen in a crop top and shrug. The actress greeted the paparazzi stationed at the Mumbai airport with a bright smile and folded hands. Speaking of the MAMI Film Festival, it will be held at the Jio World Centre in the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. See Priyanka Chopra's photos from the Mumbai airport here:
Priyanka Chopra was spotted attending husband Nick Jonas' many of the concerts in the US in the last couple of months. Priyanka also took daughter Malti Marie to a recent concert. An Instagram fan page shared several clips, showing Nick holding Malti Maries's hands from the stage while the toddler was seated on Priyanka's lap. All this was during Nick's performance on stage. The viral clip also showed Malti Marie grooving and clapping with her father, while the actress was smiling her heart out after watching it all. Take a look:
Priyanka Chopra was last seen in Love Again. The actress shared screen space with Celine Dion and Sam Heughan. She will next be seen in Heads Of State, alongside John Cena and Idris Elba.
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World Cup Points Table: What Loss Against SA Means For Under-Fire Pakistan
The Pakistan cricket team's disappointing show at the Cricket World Cup 2023 continued on Friday as they were defeated by South Africa in a thriller at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Babar Azam-led side came agonisingly close to victory but were ultimately defeated by just one wicket. As a result, Pakistan are sixth in the points table and with just four points from six matches, they will find it extremely difficult to book their berth in the knockout stages. On the other hand, South Africa claimed the top spot as they leapfrogged the unbeaten Indian cricket team. While both sides have 10 points in the competition, South Africa have the better Net Run Rate (NRR). New Zealand are third at the moment while Australia and Sri Lanka are fourth and fifth respectively.
Here is the updated Cricket World Cup 2023 points table:
South Africa defeated Pakistan by one wicket in a tense finish to push their Asian rivals to the brink of elimination from the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday.
South Africa bowled out Pakistan for 270 and then returned to overhaul the target, scoring 271 for 9 in 47.2 overs with Aiden Markram top-scoring with a 93-ball 91.
Earlier, opting to bat, skipper Babar Azam made a 65-ball 50, while Saud Shakeel scored a run-a-ball 52. Shadab Khan also chipped in with a 36-ball 43.
However, Pakistan couldn't build partnerships as South Africa managed to take wickets with Tabraiz Shamsi (4/60) emerging as the most successful bowler.
Marco Jansen (3/43), Gerald Coetzee (2/42) and Lungi Ngidi (1/45) shared six wickets among them.
(With PTI inputs)
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"Concocted Story": Temple Priest On Priyanka Gandhi's 'PM Envelope' Claim
The priest of Bhilwara's Devnarayan temple on Friday accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of concocting a story about an envelope of donation dropped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi containing only Rs 21 and denied giving any statement about it.
The Election Commission on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the Congress general secretary over her "envelope" remarks related to the Prime Minister's temple visit. The action came a day after the BJP filed a complaint against her.
Priyanka Gandhi, the BJP noted in its submission, told a public meeting in Dausa on October 20 that she saw on TV that when an envelope of donation made by PM Modi at a temple was opened, it carried only Rs 21. She added that she had seen the news and was not aware whether the claim was true or not, the BJP's complaint read.
The priest, Hemraj Poswal, issued a statement on Friday saying he never gave any statement about any envelope dropped by Prime Minister Modi.
Mr Poswal alleged that some local leaders "planted" the news in the local media in order to tarnish the image of 'Sanatana Dharma', the temple and Prime Minister Modi.
"Recently, in rallies in Dausa and Jhunjhunu, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi presented a concocted story and mentioned an envelope, hurting the religious sentiments of the followers of 'Sanatana Dharma' and those of Lord Devnarayan," he said.
The priest said there were thousands of Devnarayan temples in the country and asked whether Priyanka Gandhi or any member of the Gandhi family ever visited one. He also asked how much the Gandhi family has donated during visits to temples.
Praising former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, he said that during her tenure, a panorama of Lord Devnarayan was made by spending Rs 4.25 crore.
Religious sentiments should not be hurt for political gain, he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Ex Cricketer Azharuddin In Congress' 2nd List Of Candidates For Telangana
Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, late folk singer Gaddar's daughter GV Vennela and ex-MPs Madhu Yashki Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy were among the prominent names in the second list of 45 candidates announced by the Congress on Friday for the November 30 Telangana assembly polls.
Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who quit the BJP on Wednesday and rejoined the Congress today has been fielded from Munugode which he had represented earlier.
Mr Reddy's resignation from Congress to join the BJP led to a bypoll in Munugode last year which he had lost.
Mr Azharuddin, who had represented Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha earlier, will contest from the posh Jubilee Hills constituency in Hyderabad.
Former MPs Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Ponnam Prabhakar would be contesting from LB Nagar in Hyderabad and Husnabad in Siddipet district respectively, while Gaddar's daughter Vennela would be making her electoral debut in Secunderabad Cantt-SC constituency.
Former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who had recently quit the ruling BRS and joined the Congress, will contest from Khammam.
Former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who had also resigned from BRS and joined the Congress, has been fielded from Palair.
With this, the party has so far declared 100 candidates for the Telangana assembly polls.
The state has 119 assembly constituencies.
Earlier in the day, the Congress leadership deliberated upon the names of candidates for the Telangana assembly polls at a crucial meeting of the party's Central Election Committee in Delhi.
Chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the meeting was attended by former party chief Sonia Gandhi, besides members of the committee and Telangana leaders, including PCC chief A Revanth Reddy. The Congress had also held a meeting of the CEC for Telangana on Wednesday.
The Congress is seeking to replace the BRS government in the state.
In the earlier list, the party fielded Pradesh Congress chief Anumula Revanth Reddy from Kodangal assembly seat while CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu from Madhira-SC seat.
Revanth Reddy is currently the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Malkajgiri parliamentary constituency.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Thursday, October 26, 2023
"Manipur Crisis Not Religious Conflict": Indian-American In Congressional Hearing
The Manipur crisis is a complex web of internecine conflict marked by violence, mistrust, socio-political tensions and a deadly trifecta of insurgency, narcotics and illegal infiltration, which pose significant threats to India's national security, but is not a religious conflict between two communities, an Indian-American scholar told a US Congressional hearing.
Rajshree Keisham, an Indian-American scholar, said the projection of the Meitei-Kuki ethnic clash as a religious conflict by some sections "not only ignores the complex social fabric of Manipur, but also heightens tensions."
"... Efforts have been made to portray this communal conflict in reductionist terms, projected to the world as the Hindu majority prosecuting the Christian minorities. This oversimplification not only ignores the complex social fabric of Manipur, but also heightens tensions," Ms Rajshree said in the Congressional hearing, adding the attempts to project the Manipur ethnic violence as a religious one is a "classic case of Hinduphobia".
"The majority-minority debate should be examined in terms of the intersectionality of time, space, and context. For example, Christians are a minority in India, but they are a majority in the northeastern region," said the Indian-American scholar, who holds a PhD in Sociology specialising in Gender Studies and Socio Anthropology.
Over 180 people have died and thousands internally displaced after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 following a protest by the Kuki tribes over the Meiteis' demand to be included under the affirmative action Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Ms Rajshree said Manipur's diversity is its strength, as within the Hindu community in the state, there are other ethnicities including people from Punjab, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Nepal and more. Similarly, the Christian community includes Nagas, Kuki and also Meiteis. "This diversity is not a source of division, but a testament to the harmonious coexistence that has characterised Manipur for generations," she said.
She pointed out some social activists and religious leaders of the Christian community have strongly denied the Manipur violence was based on religious lines.
"Mizoram activist Alinery Lian-Luwang told the UN that 'the narratives peddled by international media that the Manipur conflict is of religious nature, holds no ground'," Ms Rajshree said, referring to the speech by the activist at a general debate at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"... The Archbishop of Mumbai categorically mentioned, and I quote, 'It is given a religious twist, but it is not a religious conflict between two religions, it's between two tribes, and we must now not do anything that will worsen the situation'," Ms Rajshree said at the Congressional hearing organised by HinduACTion, and Namaste Shalom Multi-Faith Alliance to address rising antisemitism and Hinduphobia in both the US and Canada.
"In recent times, there has been an alarming surge in attempts to exploit the Manipur conflict as a platform for propagating Hindu hate. This disturbing trend has found traction among certain factions... in the United States, who have strategically exploited religious sentiments to further their divisive agenda. What is even more concerning is the convergence of some radical Islamist groups in the United States, who have appropriated and aligned themselves with this cause. They perceive this situation as a prime opportunity to tarnish the image of Hindus on a global scale," Ms Rajshree said.
In August, three months after the Manipur violence began, a speech by the leader of a Canada-based Kuki-Zo tribes group from Manipur over the ethnic violence back home had sparked a massive controversy. The event was held at the same gurdwara in Canada's Surrey, whose chief and Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified people in June.
Lien Gangte, the Canada chapter chief of the North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA), in his address condemned what he called "attacks on minorities in India" and asked Canada for "all possible help".
NAMTA had posted a video of the event on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) on August 7. It deleted the videos much later when the row between India and Canada surfaced following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that "Indian government agents" were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar.
India's anti-terror body the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 30 said it is investigating a transnational conspiracy case involving terrorist leaders in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The NIA statement came after a terror accused, Seiminlun Gangte, was arrested and charged with conspiring with Myanmar- and Bangladesh-based leadership of terror outfits to wage war against India by exploiting the ethnic unrest in Manipur.
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"Whatever My Boys Could Do, Daughter Could Too": Nita Ambani On Succession
For girls to learn that they are equal to boys, they have to see that at their homes, says Nita Ambani, wife of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani, on how they never differentiated among their three children who in the succession planning have got equal share of the Reliance empire.
Mukesh and Nita Ambani have three children -- twins Isha and Akash, 32, and Anant, 28.
The three have recently been inducted on the board of India's most valuable company and are being groomed to take over its three almost equal verticals.
Isha, who is married to Anand Piramal, son of Piramal Group's Ajay and Swati Piramal, is being groomed for retail, Akash for digital/telecom and Anant for new energy business.
In an interview with CNBC International, Nita Ambani spoke about her family life, including the relationship with husband Mukesh.
"We have learnt so much from each other. Mukesh, as I say, has the floodlights in life... he thinks far ahead of his times. While I get into the meticulous details, he calls it the spotlights," she said.
Stating that she always tells her children that the single-most important decision is choosing the right life partner, she said, "I am so blessed to have Mukesh, who's my best friend and my life partner." "And, you know, we've enjoyed the journey of life, raising our children and our grandchildren," she said.
She says the couple still loves doing the same thing that they used to when they were young.
"So he takes me for a drive, we love listening to Hindi music, eating street food, I love my 'bhel' on the road and he loves his 'dosa idli'.
"So, we still love doing what we used to love doing. So these are the values that we kind of really live every day of loving our family, respecting our elders, being honest, humble, I think not much has changed," she said.
On children, she said Isha, who too is a mother of twins, was hands on for the launch of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) -- a first-of-its-kind, multi-disciplinary cultural space in the sphere of arts in Mumbai.
"And now she's leading our retail (business)," she said.
"But I think for girls to learn that they are equal, they have to see that (at) their homes they have mentors who know that they're not anything less than boys. I have never differentiated between Isha and Akash and Anant. Whatever my boys could do, my daughter could do too." And this has been reflected in the succession at Reliance. Though Isha is married into Parimals, she is getting an equal share in the business as her brothers.
"Akash, Isha and Anant and a whole lot of the young generation is going to be the next leadership for Reliance and for India.
"In all three of them, I see different qualities. In Anant, my youngest, I see a compassionate young man who believes in conservation, in making the world a better place," she said.
"Akash is leading the digital revolution through Jio. Isha is leading retail besides taking active interest in Reliance Foundation. All three of them are very, very committed to working in Reliance. They have their own strengths," she said.
She tells her children to concentrate on their strengths and make them stronger. "Nobody's born perfect or nobody can be perfect. And it is okay to make mistakes. You learn much more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. Be humble, Be compassionate. Treat people with respect. And I'm very happy for the new young generation that is growing at Reliance," she added.
A Bharatnatyam dancer, Nita said the inspiration to set up NMACC came when she visited Australia for the Cricket World Cup and saw the Sydney Opera House.
"At that time, I thought, why can't India have something like this of its own? So the idea really sparked off at that time in Australia. And it's taken us now a decade to bring this to life." Nita, who is a member of the International Olympics Committee, said India is absolutely ready to host the Olympics. "Just like we would love to have the Olympics in India, the Olympics also cannot ignore the 1.4 billion people of India." She also heads Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Ltd.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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US Teacher Arrested For Sending Nude Pics, Videos To 16-Year-Old Student
A 25-year-old teacher from Missouri is facing six felony charges for allegedly exchanging nudes with a 16-year-old student. Rikki Lynn Laughlin of St. James, Missouri allegedly asked for nudes from her victim via Snapchat and sent him her naked videos and pictures.
As per Newsweek, Laughlin has been charged with one count each of attempted statutory rape, possession of child pornography, tampering with a witness, tampering with physical evidence, promoting obscenity in the first degree, and furnishing pornographic materials to a minor, authorities said.
The teacher pursued the relationship with a student and the 16-year-old did not want to engage with her.
According to KSDK, The Maries County Sheriff's received a tip from a Phelps County detective last week about an alleged inappropriate relationship involving Laughlin.
As per the probable cause statement, a detective interviewed a teenage boy, and he revealed that Laughlin had sent him nude photos and videos of herself. He also shared that he also exchanged nudes of himself with the teacher.
The authorities further revealed that Laughlin had asked the teen to delete her videos and photos because other people at school were talking about them and she feared that she could go to jail for it.
The detective interviewed Laughlin the same day and she admitted that she was talking with the student over Snapchat. The teacher said she did not know that the victim was a minor until the day before the interview. The age of consent in Missouri is 17 years old.
According to court documents, her bond was set at $100,000.
School district Superintendent Tim Webster without naming Laughlin confirmed the news. "The District takes these matters seriously and reported allegations to appropriate outside agencies, including law enforcement,” Webster told KSDK in a statement.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we do not tolerate any policy or law violations within our educational community,” he added.
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Israel Finds Itself Increasingly Alone As Anger Grows Over Gaza
Jordan's Queen Rania Al Abdullah was offered a chance to express horror at the Oct. 7 Hamas killing and abduction of Israelis.
How did she feel, she was asked in a CNN interview, "as an Arab, as a Palestinian, a human being, a mother?"
The monarch launched into an impassioned denunciation of Israel's subsequent bombing of Gaza and the West's "double standard," juxtaposing what happened in southern Israel with what is occurring in Gaza. "Are we being told it is wrong to kill an entire family at gunpoint but it's OK to shell them to death?"
The interview, greeted with fury in Israel, is part of a growing disconnect between how the Jewish state views the conflict, and how it is seen by the rest of the Middle East and many further afield.
Inside Israel, a powerful sense of foreboding was evidenced by a new poll showing 64% of Israelis now fear for their physical safety. Hamas continues to fire rockets and missiles into the country every day while militants try to sneak in via land or sea. Security officials believe some of those who entered on Oct. 7 may be in hiding in preparation for a second attack.
Outside of Israel, many see things differently. On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said of the Hamas killings that they "did not happen in a vacuum," adding, "The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, was so outraged at the notion that Hamas' violence needed this context that he called on Guterres to resign. The sentiment wasn't limited to those on the right of Israeli politics. "Dark are the days when the United Nations Secretary General condones terror," opposition leader Benny Gantz posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Germany, which has been quick to show its support to Israel in the days since the Oct. 7 attacks, made a point of rejecting its ally's demand. "The UN secretary general has of course the trust of the German government," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.
Israelis don't deny that the events of Oct. 7 - when 1,400 were killed and another 200 people abducted - require context. But for them, that context is not the mistreatment of Palestinians. They see the attack by Hamas as an extension of anti-Semitic assaults through the centuries.
The Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem, known as Yad Vashem, issued a statement in response to Guterres, saying Oct. 7 was different from the Holocaust only "because Jews have today a state and an army. We are not defenseless and at the mercy of others. However, it puts to test the sincerity of world leaders, intellectuals and influencers who come to Yad Vashem and pledge 'Never Again.'"
There has been a parade of Western leaders through Tel Aviv offering solidarity and support. This follows a visit by President Joe Biden who came offering billions in military aid and referred to painful Jewish history.
After that visit, Israelis felt understood. They believed that their plan to destroy Hamas would gain world sympathy as they publicized gruesome videos the killers themselves took of slaughter and abuse.
As Israeli fighter jets took to the skies over Gaza and bombarded it, killing thousands, that sympathy has come with qualifications they did not expect.
Rescuers search the site of collapsed buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday canceled a visit to Israel that was meant to take place later this year and added, "Hamas isn't a terror organization but is instead a group of liberators and mujahideen defending their land and people. We will never allow for the killing of children." Turkey also paused plans for energy cooperation with Israel.
Elsewhere in the Muslim world, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that no Muslim leader expects the events in Gaza to be resolved easily. Why? "Israel has become too arrogant with the support of the US and Europe," he said. "It is the level of insanity to allow people to be butchered, babies to be killed, hospitals to be bombed, and schools to be destroyed. It is the height of barbarism in this world."
Israel refers to Hamas as the new ISIS, and has vowed to destroy the militant group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.
"Saying that Hamas is the new ISIS is not only analytically inaccurate but also carries the risk of making all residents of Gaza vulnerable targets," said Lina Khatib, the Director of the SOAS Middle East Institute in London. "Arabs and Muslims are widely rejecting this simplistic and dangerous characterization."
Many world leaders are calling for a ceasefire that would allow for more aid to get into Gaza, although some describe it as a "humanitarian pause." On Tuesday, eight trucks got in, followed by another 17 on Wednesday, according to Israeli officials, who said every truck was checked by their officers to make sure nothing was going in to help Hamas.
The aid that's arrived so far is "a drop in the ocean," said Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, earlier this week.
In Israel, as concerns grow that Hezbollah may enter the war from Lebanon to its north, some speak of leaving for the US or Europe, at least for a period. But others say the anti-Israeli demonstrations across Western cities make them feel even less safe abroad than at home.
This is a fight, many say, for the Jewish homeland, a second war of independence. But what that will create internally remains unclear. Gun license applications, officials report, are poised to triple.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was taken captive by Hamas at a music festival, spoke at the UN and asked why there wasn't more agitation over the abducted. "Where is the world?" she said in anguish. "Where are you?"
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Congress Complains To Poll Body Against Amit Shah, Himanta Biswa Sarma
The Congress on Wednesday lodged complaints against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with the Election Commission, alleging that their remarks during the Chhattisgarh assembly poll campaign violated the model code of conduct.
A delegation of Congress leaders met the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners and presented to them eight different memorandums of poll code violations in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
The delegation comprised AICC general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, party leader Salman Khurshid, AICC state in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakre, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Revanth Reddy, former TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and CLP leader (Telangana assembly) Bhatti Vikramarka.
In its complaint against Mr Shah, the Congress told the EC that the home minister claimed in a speech in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon on October 16 that "...Bhupesh Baghel's government, for appeasement politics and vote bank politics, lynched Chhattisgarh's son Bhuneshwar Sahoo and got him killed..." Mr Shah further said that the BJP had pledged to bring Sahoo's killers to justice and "in his honour, we are fielding his father Ishwar Sahoo as a candidate in the elections", the complaint stated.
The opposition party alleged that these statements and claims are in blatant violation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The Congress' complaint against Assam Chief Minister Sarma pertained to a speech he delivered in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha on October 18 while campaigning against Congress candidate Mohd Akbar.
In his speech, the Congress alleged, Mr Sarma said, "If one Akbar comes to some place, he calls 100 Akbars. So, send him off as soon as possible, otherwise the land of Mata Kaushalya will get defiled."
The complaint stated that Mr Sarma subsequently levelled allegations against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, saying, "Today, the tribals of Chhattisgarh, who are dear to us, are being encouraged to convert their religion on a daily basis. And when someone raises their voice against it, Bhupesh Baghel ji says 'we are secular'. Is beating up Hindus your secularism? This country is a country of Hindus and will belong to Hindus. Do not teach us secularism, we do not need to learn secularism from you." Congress leaders claimed that these statements and claims highlight a clear-cut intention to incite sections of society against one another.
In another complaint, the Congress alleged the central government issued orders directing civil servants and Indian Army soldiers to promote achievements of the BJP dispensation.
"These acts of politicising the conduct of civil servants and Army soldiers violate the model code of conduct and the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964," the party said.
The Congress also submitted a complaint against Govind Singh Rajput, the BJP candidate from Surkhi, Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh.
The party sought his disqualification, alleging that he had publicly stated that he would pay Rs 25 lakh to incharges of booths where the maximum number of votes would be cast for the BJP.
The Congress also submitted a complaint against "unlawful" transfer and posting of police officers in Telangana. It claimed these officers were transferred before the completion of two-and-a-half years of their tenure, as mandated by the EC.
It also complained against election duties being assigned to officers in Telangana who publicly support a specific political party.
"The Indian National Congress has consistently highlighted, exposed and documented electoral malpractices and brought them to the attention of the ECI for action and redressal.
"Through this process, the INC has ensured the deletion of lakhs of bogus voters across states, ensured the registration of FIRs against political actors engaging in electoral malpractices, ensured the transfer of officials acting in violation of the law and also secured campaign bans against repeated offenders who flout the law," the Congress said in its memorandum to the poll panel.
Mr Khurshid said as the electoral process begins, "the mudding of the waters by people from other political parties must be immediately curtailed and immediately put to an end".
The Union home minister, the chief minister of Assam and other leaders travelling to different states have taken up "divisive and hurtful" issues that would inevitably divert people's attention from the issues that should be considered important for an election, and cause division and polarisation amongst the voters, he said.
"To have a level playing field and for people to be able to decide fairly and objectively... we hope genuinely that the Election Commission will be able to do something about this," the former union minister said.
Former TPCC chief Reddy said the Congress brought to the EC's notice that elections "have probably become the most corrupt in the state of Telangana from the time this BRS party has come to power".
"We have requested the Election Commission of India to intervene strongly to ensure free and fair elections," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Man Sells "Energy Drink" Made From Urine On Amazon, Company Reacts
In a rather bizarre incident, Amazon allowed a user on its e-commerce site to sell bottles of its drivers' urine that were marketed as an energy drink, according to a Channel 4 documentary. In the documentary, titled "The Great Amazon Heist", filmmaker and past prankster Oobah Butler claimed that he collected discarded bottles of Amazon drivers' urine to sell on the e-commerce platform and titled it 'Release'. He stated that the drink emerged as the top-selling in the "Bitter Lemon" category of Amazon, and revealed that the product was made from bottles or urine that he found discarded near Amazon fulfillment centers.
In his documentary, which aired on Thursday, Mr Butler said that he collected the discarded bottles of urine from the Amazon delivery drivers, and then repackaged them and marketed them as a yellow-coloured drink, the Telegraph reported. Separately, speaking to WIRED, he said that it was "surprisingly easy" to get the product listed on the site. He even claimed that Amazon's algorithm moved the bizarre product into its drinks category on the site after he had put it in the "Refillable Pump Dispense" category.
Mr Butler got some of his friends to purchase the product and felt "initially really excited and found it very funny". However, he added that when real people started trying to buy the product, he felt a bit "scared". Mr Butler reportedly claimed that he never sold the item to any real customers.
Also read | NASA Unable To Remove Remaining Asteroid Sample From Container, Working On New Ways
Mr Butler said that he decided to make the documentary and list the bottles on Amazon to help shed some light on the company's impact on society, which includes its workers who stated that they were forced to urinate in bottles so that they could meet strict deadlines. He even spoke to some workers who said that they would be urinating in bottles to meet delivery deadlines on the e-commerce site.
However, reacting to the story of "Release" being sold on the e-commerce site, Amazon said that a distorted picture of their process has been shown to the world. According to Vice, an Amazon spokesperson said that it was a "crude stunt" and that the company has "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed". No "genuine customer" brought the product, they added.
"Safety is a top priority for Amazon and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations," stated the spokesperson.
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Monday, October 23, 2023
Two Planes Nearly Collide Mid-Air Amid Storm Above Portland Airport
Two airplanes had a terrifying near miss after almost colliding with each other in the stormy skies above Portland International Airport last week. The close call came when an Alaska Airlines flight tried landing on a runway next to where a SkyWest plane was taking off on Monday, The Independent reported. A YouTube video by the channel VASAAviation caught the terrifying moment and shared a visual simulation of the Alaska flight heading towards the SkyWest plane over the Portland airport during a storm.
The two planes allegedly came within approximately 250 vertical feet of each other, the outlet reported. Notably, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a near-midair collision occurs when planes are less than 500 feet from each other.
The FAA, which is now investigating the incident, said that the pilot of the Alaska Airlines plane was going to land, but initiated a go-around when it almost collided with the Skywest flight.
"While attempting to land at Portland International Airport, the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 1299 initiated a go-around due to wind and turned towards SkyWest Airlines Flight 3978, which had just departed," the FAA said in a statement, adding, "An air traffic controller instructed the Alaska Airlines pilot to turn away from the SkyWest aircraft."
In the clip released by the YouTube channel, the audio from the person in air traffic control became panicked as it tried to warn the Alaksa flight to change direction when it became dangerously close to the other plane mid-air.
The controller told the Alaska flight to follow the "runway heading" path, while the Skywest flight was told to turn right as it left the runway. The seemingly confused pilot on the Alaska flight then repeated the instructions meant for the other flight and started to turn right into the path of the plane that had just taken off.
At this point, the air traffic controller appeared to grow flustered and give increasingly frantic directions. He even misidentified the Alaskan flight as "1298". Ultimately, the Alaska flight was reportedly rerouted to an airport 150 miles away and wasn't able to land in Portland.
Also Read | UK Man Dies After One Year Of Complaining About Night Sweats
Both airlines released statements downplaying the incident. According to The New York Post, Alaska Airlines believes a safe level of separation was maintained. "The crew of Flight 1299 followed cockpit indications and reacted immediately to increase separation from the other aircraft," an Alaska spokesperson said, adding, "The aircraft maintained a safe amount of lateral separation throughout the entire event".
Separately, SkyWest also stated that "at no point was the safety of the flight compromised".
It is not known how many people were aboard the two aircraft. The FAA has said they are still investigating how close in proximity the two airplanes had got to each other.
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Sunday, October 22, 2023
Saturday, October 21, 2023
"Bill Clinton Offered $5 Billion To Stop Nuclear Tests": Nawaz Sharif
Hours after his homecoming, Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif highlighted the achievements of his tenure and recalled how he gave a "befitting reply" to India's atomic explosion by conducting nuclear tests in 1998 despite being offered USD 5 billion by then US president Bill Clinton not to do so.
Sharif, 73, returned home on a special flight from Dubai, ending a four-year self-imposed exile in the UK, to head his party and try to secure a record fourth term in the general elections expected to be held in January.
Wearing a light blue kurta pyjama, a maroon muffler and a black coat, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo flew in from Dubai to Islamabad on the 'Umeed-e-Pakistan' chartered plane at around 1:30 pm local time.
He reached Lahore, considered a stronghold of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, to address a massive rally, "I am meeting you today after several years, but my relationship of love with you is the same. There is no difference in this relationship," he told the cheering crowd. "The love I am seeing in your eyes, I am proud of it." Sharif recalled the huge pressure he faced from foreign governments in 1998 when Pakistan wanted to respond to India's nuclear test.
"There will be record present in the Foreign Office that Clinton offered me USD 5 billion [...] this happened in 1999...I could have been offered USD 1 billion too, but I was born from the land of Pakistan and it did not give me permission to accept what is against Pakistan's favour.
"Tell me, if someone else would have been in my place, you know who, could he have said this in front of the American president," he said, taking a dig at his main rival Imran Khan.
"We conducted the atomic test and gave India a befitting reply for conducting nuclear tests," he said in his nearly 60-minute speech at the PML-N rally at the Minar-e-Pakistan.
"So, do we get punished for this? Are verdicts announced against us for this reason?" he said.
Nawaz Sharif said he never betrayed his supporters nor did he shy from any kind of sacrifice. He recalled how fake cases were framed against him, his daughter and his party leaders. "But no one abandoned the PML-N flag." "Tell me, who are they who separated Nawaz Sharif from his nation? We are those who built Pakistan.
We made Pakistan an atomic power. We brought an end to load-shedding." He compared how roti costs way higher today than when he was in power. "Was I ousted for this reason? What is this decision? You are the public, you tell, do you agree with this decision?" The PML-N supremo lamented how the country was in a dire state today but at the same time vowed to redirect Pakistan to the path of growth.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Friday, October 20, 2023
"Rahul Gandhi Speaking Of Dynasty Is Joke Of The Millennium": KTR
With voting for the Telangana elections just over a month away, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi has made regional pride the centrepiece of its campaign amid attacks of corruption and dynastic politics from the BJP and the Congress. The party's working president, KT Rama Rao, who had said Andhra landlords were the villains during the last elections, has trained his guns on the ghulams (servants) of Gujarat and the Delhi durbar (courtiers) this time around.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Friday, Mr Rao also rubbished allegations from both the BJP and the Congress of his party siding with the other and said the BRS is nobody's B-team, but Telangana's A-team.
"The entire statehood movement of Telangana was predicated on two things - self-respect and pride. The Prime Minister comes to Hyderabad and says one Gujarati (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) relieved you from the clutches of the Nizam and another Gujarati (PM Narendra Modi) will relieve you from KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's) dictatorial rule," Mr Rao, who is also the son of KCR, said.
"We also have to invoke pride and we also have to remind people that the ghulams of Gujarat here in Telangana - the BJP folks - have not done much in the past nine-and-a-half years and we have to speak about their track record as well. Same is the case with the Delhi durbar. Rahul baba comes here and starts saying things like family rule and dynasty, which probably has to be the joke of the millennium," he added.
Mr Rao, who is a minister and holds the information technology portfolio, among others, said people from Gujarat and Delhi don't do their homework before coming to Telangana and he and his party have to remind them from time to time that the Telangana statehood agitation was a matter of great self-respect. "One of the most important tenets of that movement was pride, and you cannot come and insult us like that," he said.
Asked about election-related seizures in Telangana touching Rs 243 crore in just ten days, Mr Rao blamed the Congress and said that money had been seized from one of its former corporators in Bengaluru. When it was pointed out that the seizure was in Karnataka, he said a lot of people have common businesses in Karnataka and Telangana.
"A few builders have told me that the Karnataka government has started charging an extra election tax - Rs 500 per square foot - and they are telling the builders directly that the money is being used for supporting and funding the Congress party in Telangana elections. That is where the money is being caught, the root," he alleged.
To a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that KCR had bankrolled the Karnataka Congress campaign and the Congress is now returning the favour, Mr Rao said, "The PM is very good at scripting these brilliant narratives and brilliant stories. Unfortunately, none of them see the light of the day. He is the same man who promised bullet trains by 2022, five-trillion dollar economy by 2022 , farmer income doubling by 2022. I am not even going to refer to the Rs 15-lakh jumla."
"So the fact is that no matter what the PM or Rahul Gandhi would like to believe, we are neither the B-team of the Congress nor the BJP, we are the A-team of the people of Telangana and we will continue to remain steadfastly neutral and equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP. This bipolar situation that they want to create, that this country has to lean either on the BJP or Congress, is not something that we subscribe to. We certainly don't endorse their view or ideology," he asserted.
The BRS, earlier known as the Telanagana Rashtra Samithi, has ruled in Telangana since the state was formed in 2014. The Assembly election will be held on November 30 and counting will be held on December 3.
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Released 2 American Hostages On "Humanitarian Grounds": Hamas
Gaza's ruler Hamas said Friday its armed wing has released two American hostages, from around 200 captives abducted in attacks by the militant group in Israel on October 7.
"In response to Qatari efforts, (Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons," Hamas said in a statement posted on Telegram.
The Islamist group did not detail how or when the hostages were released.
The Israeli military said earlier Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive.
"The majority of the hostages are alive. There were also dead bodies that were taken... to the Gaza Strip," an army statement said.
The military said more than 20 hostages were minors, while between 10 and 20 were over the age of 60.
There are also between 100 and 200 people considered missing since the Hamas attacks, the army added.
On October 7, the Palestinian militant group carried out a deadly assault on Israel, the worst in the country's 75-year history, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has responded with a relentless bombardment that has killed at least 4,137 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Anand Mahindra Shares US Salesperson's Reaction To India-Made iPhone 15
After Apple and Samsung, Google also announced its plan to start manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India with the latest model to be rolled out next year. Reacting to this news, industrialist Anand Mahindra shared an interesting story about his made-in-India iPhone. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the business tycoon expressed pride and excitement in owning a smartphone manufactured in our country. He also talked about the reaction of a salesman in the United States when he informed that his iPhone 15 was made in India.
It all started with a post on X by a page called Indian Tech and Infra. "Google to start manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India, beginning with the latest model which will be rolled out in 2024," the caption of the post read. Mr Mahindra re-shared this post along with his story.
"I recently was in a Verizon store in the U.S to get a local sim and proudly informed the salesperson that my iPhone 15 was made in India. It was a particular pleasure to see his raised eyebrows!" he wrote, adding, "I also have a Google Pixel. I will switch to the India-made version when it's out. So I'll be able to tell them my Pixel is made in India too... But there probably won't be any raised eyebrows at that time because by then, India will have been globally acknowledged as a manufacturing powerhouse".
I recently was in a Verizon store in the U.S to get a local sim and proudly informed the salesperson that my iPhone 15 was made in India. It was a particular pleasure to see his raised eyebrows! I also have a Google Pixel. I will switch to the India-made version when it's out. So… https://t.co/QouFIOSu1M
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 20, 2023
The post was shared by Mr Mahindra just a few hours ago and since then it has accumulated more than 1.3 million views and over 21,000 likes. Internet users were quick to react. While some found Mr Mahindra's emotions relatable, others were simply impressed by Google's recent announcement.
"That's an impressive moment to share! It's exciting to witness the rise of India as a manufacturing powerhouse, and the choice to support locally-made products is commendable," wrote one user. "That's a great story Sir! It's interesting how the origin of your phone can spark conversations and highlight the growing reputation of India in the global manufacturing industry. It's indeed impressive to see India's rise in this regard! said another.
Also Read | Two WhatsApp Accounts on One Phone: Meta's New Solution for Users
"That's great to hear about your India-made iPhone and your future plans with the Google Pixel! India's growing role in global manufacturing is indeed impressive," commented a third user. "love this story! It's so exciting to see India becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, and I'm proud to know that Google is playing a role in that. I can't wait to switch to an India-made Pixel when it's out in 2024," added another.
Meanwhile, Google on Thursday announced its plans to start manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India. This announcement makes Google the latest smartphone brand to start manufacturing its handsets in India. Rivals Samsung and Apple also assemble some of their smartphones in the country.
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Thursday, October 19, 2023
After Nitish Kumar's 'Praise', BJP Says Doors Closed For Him
The opposition BJP in Bihar on Thursday said that its doors were "closed" for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who dumped the saffron party a year ago, stripping it of power in the state.
State BJP President Samrat Choudhary made the averment to this effect in reply to queries from journalists about the Janata Dal United leader's address to the convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari.
Speaking in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Mr Kumar had freely spoken of the tussle he had with the then Congress government at the Centre for getting a university approved for Motihari, where Mahatma Gandhi had launched the Champaran Satyagraha.
Without mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi by name, Mr Kumar acknowledged that the project saw the light of the day only after a change of guard "in 2014" as the UPA government "initially refused and after much persuasion agreed in principle but did not move forward".
The occasion was also marked by Mr Kumar swearing by his "lifelong personal friendship" with Radha Mohan Singh, the local BJP MP who held the crucial agriculture portfolio in the first Modi cabinet.
When Mr Choudhary was asked about Mr Kumar's remarks at the convocation ceremony, the BJP leader uttered the Bihari proverb "doodh bhaat", often used to mock childish behaviour.
"Only yesterday we saw the CM trying to act chummy with the governor while sharing the stage on a solemn occasion," said Mr Choudhary, referring to the launch of "Fourth Agriculture Roadmap".
Mr Kumar had, while speaking at the function, turned towards Governor Rajendra Arlekar and said, "You may be the Centre's appointee but I have nothing against it".
Mr Choudhary, however, said, "Nitish Kumar should be grateful towards Narendra Modi not just for the central university but also for financial assistance to the tune of billions of rupees".
He also said "Mr Kumar should thank PM Modi" for his current tenure.
"The PM lived up to his promise of supporting the JDU leader for another term in office though the latter's party was drubbed in the assembly elections," Mr Choudhary said, adding that "as far as his talk of personal friendship with any BJP leader goes, we need to assert that our party is run on the basis of policy and not personal equations".
"Our Home Minister Amit Shah has made it clear that our doors are closed forever for Nitish Kumar," Mr Choudhary said.
Notably, after dumping the BJP in August last year, Mr Kumar had survived in power as a result of an alliance he formed with the Mahagathbandhan, comprising arch-rival Lalu Prasad's RJD, Congress and three Left-wing parties.
Charging the BJP with trying to destabilise the JDU while in alliance, Mr Kumar had vowed to defeat the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by bringing together opposition parties across the country.
His efforts culminated in the formation of the INDIA coalition.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Devendra Fadnavis Reacts After Wheelchair-Bound Woman's Complaint On X
Virali Modi, a disability rights activist, and India's first wheelchair-using model, took to X on Wednesday to share her disappointing experience at a registrar's office in Mumbai. The activist revealed that she went to get married at the Registrar's Office in Khar, Mumbai on October 16 but the office was on the second floor with no access for disabled people. With no lift available, she had to be carried up two flights of stairs for the process. More so, the stairs were steep and railing was loose and rusty and no one offered any help to her.
Her tweet read, ''PLEASE RT! I am disabled and I got married at the Registrar's Office in Khar Mumbai on 16/10/23. The office was on the 2nd floor WITHOUT a lift. They wouldn't come downstairs for the signatures and I had to be carried up two flights of stairs to get married.'' She also shared pictures showing her marriage certificate.
See the tweet here:
PLEASE RT!
— Virali Modi (@Virali01) October 18, 2023
I am disabled and I got married at the Registrars Office at Khar Mumbai on 16/10/23. The office was on the 2nd floor WITHOUT a lift. They wouldn't come downstairs for the signatures and I had to be carried up two flights of stairs to get married. pic.twitter.com/ZNCQF3gJRY
She went on to reveal that her agent who was handling her marriage registration paperwork was aware of her disability.
She further wrote, ''How is this fair? What happened to the Accessible India campaign? Just because I'm a wheelchair user, do I not have the right to get married to someone I love? What if someone had slipped and what if I had fallen on my wedding day? Who is responsible?''
She said that she's disheartened that her country's government as well as citizens are unable to accommodate her disability. ''My faith in humanity has been destroyed by this ordeal. I am not a piece of luggage that needs to be carried up two floors. I am a human being and my rights matter,'' she added.
Ms Modi further said that her country must accommodate her needs and those of other disabled citizens. ''This is extremely unfair, unprecedented, and unexpected. My rights matter! This was a government building and the people in charge of running this country should lead from the front,'' she concluded.
Her viral tweet caught the attention of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who said that he would personally take cognizance and corrective and appropriate action. ''First of all many congratulations on the new beginnings and I wish you both a very happy and beautiful married life! Also, I really am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. I have personally taken cognisance and will take corrective and appropriate action,'' he wrote.
First of all many congratulations on the new beginnings and wishing you both a very happy and a beautiful married life !
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) October 18, 2023
Also I really am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.
I have personally taken cognisance and will take corrective and appropriate action. @Virali01
Several people on the internet also empathised with her and highlighted the importance of inclusive facilities and services for disabled people. One user wrote, ''Congratulations on your wedding! It is extremely appalling and sad to hear about the ordeal that you had to go through on your special day. I am determined to personally look into this to ensure that no one else has to face the same in future.''
Another said, ''Our public infrastructure overall needs to be more disabled friendly.''
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also wrote, '' This is absolutely shameful by the Registrar's office. Will definitely take this up.''
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On Camera, Man Runs Car Over 5 On Footpath In Mangaluru, 1 Woman Killed
Five people walking on a wide footpath in Karnataka's Mangaluru were hit by a speeding car around 4 pm today. A woman died and four people were seriously injured in the horrific hit and run case.
Visuals from a surveillance camera around 4 pm showed people walking on a wide, less crowded footpath near the Mannagudda junction in Mangaluru. A white Hyundai Eon, driven by Kamalesh Baldev, recklessly maneuvered the and hit five people - two women and three girls, on the footpath, the police said.
The car coming from behind, first hit four people and then ran over a woman before hitting another woman who tried to run to safety as the car approached her, visuals showed. The accused driver rams the car and breaks a pole on the footpath and dragged the woman for a few meters before she hit the divider.
In six seconds, the accused rammed the car into five, killing one woman and injuring four including three girls and then drove off. He parked the car in front of a car showroom and went to his house. The man along with his father went to the police station, the cops said.
Vehicles stopped and people rushed to the spot to help the injured. One person managed to get up but was limping after surviving the crash. Two people, who looked seriously injured, were taken in an auto to the hospital.
Twenty-three-year-old Roopashri died in the accident and one woman and three girls suffered injuries.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code including a case of causing death by negligence.
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