LIVE! WHO alert on cough syrups 'alarming': Expert

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Sat, 08 October 2022

WHO alert on cough syrups 'alarming': Expert

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22:17 WHO alert on cough syrups 'alarming': Expert

The World Health Organisation's recent alert linking cough syrups manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical firm to the deaths of children in Gambia is "alarming" and there are some missing links that need to be "investigated", an expert said on Saturday.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday issued an alert, saying four "contaminated" and "substandard" cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited could be the reason for the deaths in the West African nation.

The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

"The information from WHO that cough syrups manufactured by an Indian pharma company caused the death of 66 children due to the presence of ethylene glycol is alarming.

"There are, however, some missing links that need to be carefully ascertained and investigated," said Professor Y K Gupta, senior pharmacologist and vice chairman of the Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM).

Dr Gupta said the first death suspected to be due to the same reason was noted in July.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) received a communication from WHO on September 29 and the Indian government and the drug regulator immediately swung into action.

The letter was responded to instantly by seeking full details. Despite October 1 being a Sunday and October 2 being a national holiday, investigations were initiated, Dr Gupta explained.

"It is important to understand here that only new drug approval is granted by DCGI whereas license for manufacture and sale is given by state drug controller.

"In this case, the license for manufacture and sale was given by the state drug controller. The company was licensed to export only to this one country and not in any other country or in the Indian domestic market," he told PTI.

The other missing link is that of the 23 samples which were tested by WHO, ethylene glycol was found only in four samples, Dr Gupta said adding, "This is perplexing and needs clarification."

"Also, the importing country gets it tested as per defined standards or their pharmacopeia. It seems this was somehow missed," he said.

Indian regulations are very robust and have a zero tolerance policy in such matters. So one should not question the alertness of regulators, he said.

21:43 EC freezes Shiv Sena's 'bow and arrow' symbol

The Election Commission today barred both -- Uddhav Tahckeray and Eknath Shinde -- factions from using party name Shiv Sena and its 'bow and arrow' poll symbol.

According to the EC order, both factions can't use 'bow and arrow' symbol in the upcoming Andheri East by-polls.

Both groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current by-elections. Accordingly, both groups are hereby directed to furnish, latest by 1pm on 10th October, the EC order states.

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday expressed regret that none from the Gandhi family was running for the party chief's post and said he took the plunge on advice of all in the party.

As part of his campaign for the AICC presidential post, Kharge visited the headquarters of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in Vijayawada.

Kharge said he played a long innings in Karnataka politics and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 on the advice of current party president Sonia Gandhi.

"Election for the Congress president's post became inevitable as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka refused to take it up. So I have jumped into the fray for the president's post on the advice of all in the party," Kharge told reporters after addressing the AP Congress leaders.

"I served as Union Labour and Social Justice minister," he said and also mentioned his tenure as Congress party leader in Lok Sabha.

Kharge said he would implement the Udaipur Declaration of offering 50 per cent of party posts to those below 50 years of age, if elected as AICC president. He also said 50 per cent of seats in the 2024 election would be given to those below 50 years of age.

He took exception to the labelling of party leader Rahul Gandhi's ongoing foot march as 'Bharat Todo (split) Yatra'.

"It is indeed Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is the BJP that is dividing the country in the name of castes and religion," Kharge lashed out.

Have BJP or RSS leaders sacrificed anything for the nation, he questioned and said it was the likes of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi who laid down their lives for the country.

Kharge arrived in Vijayawada from Hyderabad where he earlier canvassed support for his candidature to the top party post. From the airport, he drove to the state Congress headquarters Andhra Ratna Bhavan. -- PTI

Aiming to boost its tally in the 2024 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has planned dozens of mega rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, covering the 144 Lok Sabha seats most of which it lost in 2019, and where it has been working to brighten its prospects.

Sources said on Saturday the party has prepared a 'cluster plan' to strengthen its standing in these seats.

In the first phase of the elaborate plan, several Union ministers were asked to visit these seats and hold meetings with BJP workers and people from different walks of life.

Last month, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had held a review meeting with the various Union ministers to assess the progress of the party's cluster plan.

"Now as part of phase 2 of the plan, it is being planned to hold dozens of mega rallies of the prime minister covering these 144 Lok Sabha seats to brighten the party's prospects on these seats in next Lok Sabha polls," a source said.

These include key constituencies held by Opposition parties such as Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli (Sonia Gandhi, Congress) and Mainpuri (Mulayam Singh Yadav, SP); Maharashtra's Baramati (Supriya Sule, Nationalist Congress Party); West Bengal's Jadhavpur (Mimi Chakraborty, TMC); Telangana's Mahabubnagar (Srinivas Reddy, TRS) and Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara (Nakul Nath, Congress).

The BJP top brass has set the target of winning a majority of the 144 Lok Sabha seats.

The party has also set up a committee which has been continuously monitoring the progress of this outreach exercise on these seats.

Most of these 144 constituencies include those the party had lost in the 2019 polls, but a few winning seats are also part of the list due to difficult demographic and regional factors, the sources said.

The BJP had won 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. -- PTI

The New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express was taken out of operation on Saturday after it suffered a snag in a traction motor that jammed its wheels and damaged their perfect roundness, a situation officials described as "flat tyre".

The officials said the semi-high speed train left New Delhi station at its scheduled time of 06.00 AM but it had to be withdrawn at Khurja station in Uttar Pradesh, just after travelling about 90 km.

All the 1,068 passengers had to be deboarded and shifted to a Shatabdi Express rake brought from Delhi for their onwards journey, which started around 12.40 pm.

''Varanasi Vande Bharat rake (Train no. 22436) has suffered a failure due to bearing defect in Traction Motor of C8 coach between Dankaur and Wair stations of North Central Railway," the Railways said in a statement.

"The bearing jam was rectified with assistance of NCR team. However, due to development of a flat tyre of 80 mm, the train has been moved at a restricted speed of 20 kmph up to Khurja...A detailed investigation of the failure will be done after taking the rake back to maintenance depot,'' the statement said.

A traction motor is an electric motor used for the propulsion of a system such as locomotives, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple units.

Traction motor bearings are key to the safe operation of high-speed trains, but they are also the most vulnerable component of the motor. An undetected bearing failure may cause serious accidents.

Hence, any fault in the traction motor may force the train to be suspended or induce safety accidents.

Officials said the train crossed Dadri station of North Central Railway at 06.38 hours.

When it was hurtling past the level crossing gate no 146, the gateman working there felt some friction in the 7th compartment from the rear SLR (Seating cum Luggage Rake) of the train and immediately reported the brake block jam.

The train, cruising at around 100 kmph, was then halted at Wair Station (Bulandshahar) at 7:30 am, 67 km from Delhi.

Later, after inspection of the wheel by the onboard technical staff, the train was taken 20 km further to Khurja Railway Station at a controlled speed.

"At aorund 12:40, all the 1,068 passengers were deboarded and shifted to a Shatabdi Express rake which was brought from Delhi for their onwards journey," an official said.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he was born on Janmashtami and God has given him a special task to finish off "descendants" of demon Kansa on a day posters calling him "anti-Hindu" surfaced in Gujarat.

Claiming that the posters and banners have used words which are insulting to God, the Delhi chief minister said that the people of Gujarat will not pardon those who have used such words.

"I would like to tell them that I was born on Krishna Janmashtami. And God has sent me with a special task-- to finish off these descendants of Kansa, to rid the public of corruption and hooligans," he said.

"We will work together to fulfil God's desire. God is with me. People are with me. People want a change, which is why they are so upset," he said on the first day of his latest visit to poll-bound Gujarat.

Banners terming Kejriwal "anti-Hindu" and showing him wearing a skull cap surfaced in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara cities on Saturday.

Along with Kejriwal's pictures, some banners carried lines like "I consider Hindu religion as madness", while some others had an "anti-Hindu Kejriwal go back" message. -- PTI

A newborn baby girl was rescued from a garbage dump in southwest Delhi and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, an official statement issued on Saturday said.

The baby, whose umbilical cord was attached, had been exposed to the rain, was extremely weak and in a hypothermic state, according to doctors at the Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj.

The baby was discovered from the Harijan basti at Rajokri village here and shifted for treatment to the emergency unit of the hospital by the local police, it said.

Two passerby discovered the baby and alerted the police, the hospital said.

The baby is currently in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a serious condition and is being assessed by doctors for any additional or underlying medical conditions, it said.

A team of doctors led by Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head of Department, Pediatrics, Fortis Hospital, took the baby in their care.

On preliminary examination, it appeared that the baby was born less than 24 to 48 hours ago, was looking blue and her body weight was only two kilograms, lower than the usual weight for a newborn, the statement said.

"The baby was drenched due to rain, extremely weak and in a hypothermic state with the umbilical cord attached. She appeared to be a preterm baby and her body temperature was 33 degree Celsius, lower than the normal 36.4 degree Celsius.

"Our team resuscitated her and wrapped her in warm clothing after cleaning her. She was then shifted to the neonatal intensive care unit," said Dr Nagpal.

He said they are monitoring the oxygen saturation level, correcting her blood sugar, and stabilized her.

"We are conducting a few tests to know whether she has any additional medical conditions or if there was any brain damage. The baby is responding to treatment which is a good sign," he added.

The residents said they were going for a morning walk when they saw the baby lying in the garbage dump almost with no clothes.

"We immediately informed the local police, who brought the newborn to Fortis Vasant Kunj. We will be happy to adopt the child, if possible, post her recovery," they said. -- PTI

18:41 PK told me to merge JD-U with Cong: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday claimed that poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor had asked him to merge his Janata Dal-United with the Congress.

Speaking to reporters in Sitab Diara, the birthplace of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan, Kumar claimed that Kishor was working for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"He came to meet me recently of his own accord. I did not invite him. He speaks so much but hides the fact that once he had asked me to merge my party with the Congress," said Kumar.

The chief minister was responding to Kishor's claim that he spurned a recent request by by Kumar to lead the JD-U.

"Let him speak whatever he wants. Whatever he says, does not make any sense. Four-five years ago, he had told me to merge with the Congress. Now, he is working for the BJP," said Kumar.

Kishor had on Tuesday claimed that Kumar had called him to his residence about 10-15 days back and asked him to lead JD-U.

"I said it is not possible. I cannot go back on the commitment I have made in return for any post," said Kishor.

Kishor, the founder of political consultancy I-PAC, was inducted into the JD-U in 2018 by Kumar and was elevated to the national vice-president's post within a few weeks.

However, a squabble with Kumar over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens led to his expulsion from the party in a couple of years.

In May, he announced the 'Jan Suraaj' platform, and is at present on a 3,500-km-long march that would cover every nook and corner of the state. -- PTI

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena will begin its mass outreach programme titled 'Mahaprabodhan Yatra' on Sunday from Thane, the stronghold of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose rebellion brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June.

The programme comprises a series of rallies across the state to garner support of the people and highlight their issues and also boost the spirit of workers, Sena leader Chintamani Kharkhanis told reporters on Saturday.

Incidentally, the posters of the yatra, with the slogan 'Aapla Maharashtra, Mahaan Maharashtra' will have images of both party founder late Bal Thackeray and Thane strongman later Anand Dighe, just like the publicity material used by the Shinde camp.

The yatra is beginning from Thane as it is the cradle of the "betrayal and revolt" in the party, local Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare told reporters, a reference to Shinde walking away with a majority of MLAs to bring down the Uddhav Thackeray government on June 29. -- PTI

The Enforcement Directorate has seized about Rs 1 crore in cash after raids conducted in connection with a money laundering investigation into the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said Saturday.

The searches were launched on Friday at about 35 locations in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Telangana's capital Hyderabad.

About a crore cash has been seized from a location during the raids conducted against liquor businessmen, distribution companies and linked entities, sources said.

Some digital devices and documents were also seized, they said without disclosing the locations of all the recoveries.

Premises linked to a director of a Delhi-based TV news organisation, who is also on the board of a Telugu daily, a city-based businessman whose company imports and distributes various alcoholic beverages and a former Punjab MLA were also searched by ED officials, they said.

The federal agency has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and last month arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company-Indospirit.

The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as an accused among others.

The scheme came under the scanner after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22.

He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

The ED has questioned AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak and minister Satyendar Jain, who is lodged in Tihar Jail, while the CBI questioned a number of people and arrested businessman, Vijay Nair.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said. -- PTI

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of the Medanta hospital in Gurugram and his condition remains critical, the hospital said on Saturday.

In a health bulletin, the hospital said, "Mulayam Singh Yadav ji's condition is still critical and he is maintaining vitals on life saving drugs, he is being treated in the ICU of Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, by a comprehensive team of specialists."

The bulletin was also shared by the Samajwadi Party on its official Twitter handle.

Yadav, 82, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday ordered a detailed inquiry into the road accident in Nashik wherein 12 persons were killed and 43 others injured after a private bus hit a trailer truck and caught fire.

Shinde also said instructions had been given to authorities to conduct a survey to identify "accident black spots" in Nashik city and the rest of the state.

The chief minister visited the spot of the accident at Nandur Naka on the Nashik-Aurangabad highway and later the district civil hospital, where most of the injured persons were admitted. He also interacted with the kin of the injured and the deceased persons.

Shinde said strict action would be taken against the people responsible for the tragedy after the inquiry.

"This is a big accident wherein 12 people have lost their lives. The government will take appropriate action to avoid the recurrence of such incidents. I have inspected the accident spot and ordered a detailed inquiry," he told reporters at the civil hospital.

The accident occurred at around 5.15 am when the bus, a 'sleeper coach' was coming from Yavatmal in eastern Maharashtra and headed towards Mumbai.

Instructions have been given to the Nashik district administration, divisional commissioner, and Nashik Municipal Corporation commissioner to conduct a survey of "accident black spots" in the city and prepare a report. Accordingly, measures will be taken in future, he added. -- PTI

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday voiced his disapproval of the Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheet against Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, his new ally, in a case pertaining to the latter's tenure as Railway Minister.

Talking to reporters in Patna before leaving for Sitab Diyara, birthplace of Jayaprakash Narayan on the occasion of the socialist leader's death anniversary, Kumar also lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for trying to put him in the dock over the Patna High Court order quashing quotas for OBCs and EBCs in urban local body polls.

"You all may recall what happened about five years ago which caused me to walk out of the alliance", said Kumar, with his deputy and Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav by his side, whose name had cropped up in another case which had led the Janata Dal-United leader to snap ties with the RJD.

"Nothing came of that case. Now that I am back in the alliance a new thing has started. Is this the way? (yeh koi tarika hai). It seems they are acting upon whims and fancies ", said the CM, now in the "Mahagathbandhan", indirectly referring to the allegation of political vendetta through probe agencies, often levelled against the BJP government at the Centre.

Kumar was responding to queries about CBI officials disclosing on Friday that a charge sheet has been filled against 14 people, including the RJD supremo, his wife and former CM Rabri Devi and eldest daughter Misa Bharti who is a Rajya Sabha MP.

Kumar, who is the longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar, was also asked about the BJP squarely blaming him for the Patna high court's adverse judgment which has put a spanner in the long overdue municipal polls.

"They are uttering falsehoods (galat bol raha hai)", said Kumar, pointing out that the state's system of quotas for OBCs and EBCs in the polls had been in place for over a decade and had been previously upheld by the high court as well as the Supreme Court.

"They (BJP) are also trying to escape their responsibility. For the entire period that I had an alliance with them, the urban development portfolio remained with them. I wonder whether they have become hostile towards the OBCs", said the wily leader.

"We will appeal against the order which relied on Supreme Court directions for reservations in some other states. We will underscore that in Bihar elections have been held in the past under the quota system we had. Categorisation of OBCs and EBCs, wherein Muslims too are covered, was done way back in the 1970s when our mentor Karpoori Thakur was the CM," he added. -- PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday sought five years' time to fully solve the perennial flood problem in Assam and said the government is striving to make the natural calamity a part of history.

Addressing a BJP workers' meeting after inaugurating the party's newly constructed state office here, Shah said an "ambitious" flood mitigation project is being prepared at the moment.

"In the BJP manifesto, we had promised an Assam free from terrorism, corruption and flood. We've already achieved the first two. Give us five more years, we'll make Assam free from flood," he said.

Almost every year, three to four waves of flood ravage Assam. The average annual loss due to the disaster is to the tune of Rs 200 crore, according to a state government website.

Shah stated that he has already discussed the problem at length with the various stakeholders on Friday evening and "an ambitious project" is being prepared under the aegis of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

"In five years, the flood will be history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to make Assam a flood-free state," he added.

The Union Home Minister also stated that the party believes in strengthening internal security so that laws like Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) are not needed in society and its application is already withdrawn from around 80 per cent of the Northeastern region.

"AFSPA is protection for army and security forces. Rahul Gandhi had announced that AFSPA would be withdrawn if his party's government comes to power. I had said that security forces need to be strengthened," he added.

Taking a dig at the Congress' ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Shah claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said goodbye to Assam during the 1962 India-China war and the grand old party had forgotten that Northeast even existed.

"This region is three times the size of UP and it was full of separatist and insurgent movements. The Congress watched silently the attempts to break NE. Only Modi worked for this place and united the NE.

"The Congress and those who went for (its) 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', please listen. This is an example of how Northeast was united without giving a single lecture," he added.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said industrialist Gautam Adani or Union Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, Rajasthan will welcome all because it requires employment and investment, said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

His remarks come a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party mocked the Congress after Gehlot praised Adani at the Invest Rajasthan Summit here.

"Be it Adani, Ambani or Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, we will welcome all. We want employment and investment," Gehlot told reporters after addressing the MSME Conclave at the summit.

Calling the BJP mocking his praise for Adani "unfortunate", Gehlot said, "I condemn this. Making this an issue will cost the BJP dearly."

On Friday, the BJP mocked the Congress after Gehlot lavished praise on Adani, the industrialist Rahul Gandhi often highlights to allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped only big businessmen. -- PTI

At least 125 meritorious students of Classes 10 and 12 board examinations in Chhattisgarh were felicitated and rewarded with a helicopter ride in Raipur on Saturday, an official said.

The state and district-wise toppers of Classes 10 and 12 board examinations were given joyrides in a seven-seater helicopter in keeping with the announcement made by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the public relations officer said.

This is for the first time that toppers of board examinations were being felicitated in such a unique manner, he said.

A felicitation programme was organised at Police Parade Ground here, the official said.

Earlier in May, the chief minister had announced that the top 10 meritorious students of Classes 10 and 12 board examinations will be rewarded with a helicopter ride.

Expressing gratitude, Varsha Dewangan of Raipur, who bagged the first rank in Raipur and 10th place in Chhattisgarh in the Class 12 board examination, said she was very excited during the ride and it was like a dream come true.

"It was a great pleasure and memorable moment for me to get a helicopter ride, as the place where I come from does not even have proper road connectivity and other facilities," said Devanand Kameti, a meritorious student of Class 10 from Naxalite-hit Narayanpur district. -- PTI

Washington Sundar on Saturday replaced injured Deepak Chahar in India's squad for the remaining two ODIs against South Africa.

The second ODI will be played on Sunday here with the Proteas leading the three match series 1-0.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee named Washington Sundar as replacement for Deepak Chahar for the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa.

"Mr. Chahar had a stiffness in his back after the third and final T20I against South Africa in Indore and did not feature in India's Playing XI in the first ODI in Lucknow," said the BCCI in a statement.

"He will now head back to the National Cricket Academy and will be monitored by the Medical Team there."

Chahar has been named in the reserves for the T20 World Cup.

India have fielded a second string squad in the ODI series at home with the main team already in Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup.

The 23-year-old Sundar, who has also had injures issues in his young career, last played an ODI in February earlier this year.

Sundar has played four Tests, four ODIs and 31 T20s for India.

India's ODI squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar. -- PTI

A key bridge that connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was gutted in a fire sparked by a car bomb, authorities in Moscow said on Saturday.

Russia's state news agency, RIA, said that a fuel tank was on fire on the Kerch bridge, while Ukraine media reported an explosion.

Visuals from the bridge showed some carriages of a train on the Kerch bridge in Crimea being engulfed in a fire.

Traffic has been suspended on the road-and-rail bridge.

"An object believed to be a fuel storage tank has caught fire on the Crimean bridge, but the viaduct's navigable arches sustained no damage, an aide to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, said as cited by the Russian news agency TASS.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia said on Saturday that the bridge connecting Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was damaged in a blast, which occurred shortly after 6 am local time, caused a partial collapse of the road on the vehicle section. It also triggered a blaze on a freight train on the parallel rail section, with seven fuel tanks catching fire, according to RT.

A ferry service across the Kerch Strait will be launched later today, Crimea's Head Sergey Aksyonov said TASS reported.

The bridge was opened in 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia's transport network.

The 19-kilometre (11.8 miles) bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.

As per some media reports, the Crimean bridge is a key target for Ukrainian forces who have been attacking Russian logistics.

Pakistani minister Abaidullah Baig

15:26 Terrorists briefly kidnap Pak minister

Terrorists demanding the release of their jailed accomplices set up blockades on one of the major arteries linking Pakistan's restive provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan, abducted a senior minister and several tourists, according to media reports on Saturday.

After successful negotiations, the kidnappers demanding the release of their accomplices, including those involved in the gruesome murder of foreigners in the Nanga Parbat area and other terrorist incidents in Diamer, later on Saturday released the minister, as well as the tourists, showed a video released by minister Abaidullah Baig after his release was confirmed.

The clip showed the minister in charge of the Ministry of Finance, Industries, Commerce, and Labour saying that he was kidnapped while on his way from Islamabad to Gilgit when terrorists blocked the road to press authorities for the release of their accomplices from jail.

Habibur Rahman, GB's most wanted militant commander who was accused of killing 10 foreigners in Nanga Parbat, and his accomplices blocked the road in Thak village of Chilas in Diamer on Friday around 4 pm, leaving travellers on both sides stranded, the Dawn newspaper quoted a source as saying.

Sources said the terrorists were demanding the release of their accomplices, including those involved in the gruesome murder of foreigners in the Nanga Parbat area and other terrorist incidents in Diamer.

The militants have also demanded the "imposition of Islamic laws, with no women sports activities" in the province.

However, it is unclear whether or not the demands of the militants were met.

The incident surfaced as Pakistan senators from both sides of the aisle on Friday sounded an alarm over the surge in terrorist activities by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, while a senator sought a briefing over a recent threat alert issued by the interior ministry about the heightened risk of terrorist attacks by the banned outfit.

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Raza Rabbani, on a point of public concern, asked Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to direct the interior minister to take parliament and the public at large into confidence about the present status of peace talks with the TTP.

The interior ministry had recently issued an alert over the increasing threat of terrorist attacks by the group or its factions after talks with the TTP broke down.

Congress presidential polls candidate Shashi Tharoor on Saturday dismissed talk of him withdrawing from the election, asserting that he never backs down from a challenge and "it is a fight to the finish".

Tharoor, who has been aggressively campaigning in the polls, also asserted that it was a "friendly contest" within the party that was taking place and he is here to stay the course.

Tharoor is set to take on Mallikarjun Kharge in the polls.

"There are rumours going around attributed to sources in Delhi that I am withdrawing (from the polls) today. Let me assure you, I don't withdraw from a challenge, never have all my life, never will," the MP from Thiruvnathapuram said in a video message on Twitter.

"This is a struggle, it is a friendly contest within the party, but it is a fight to the finish and I am here to stay the course. Please come and vote on October 17. For me, 'Think tomorrow, think Tharoor'," Tharoor said.

His remarks come on the last date for the withdrawal of nominations which is October 8.

According to a notification issued by the Congress, the process for filing nominations for the election was from September 24 to 30.

The polling will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday dismissed suggestions that the next party chief could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, asserting that both leaders in the fray -- Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor -- are people of stature and understanding.

Addressing a press conference in Karnataka's Turuvekere during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said he is not alone in the yatra and lakhs of people have joined it as they are tired of unemployment, price rise and inequality.

Asked about criticism from certain quarters that the next Congress president could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, the former party chief said, "Both the people who are standing (in the polls) have a position, have a perspective and are people of stature and people of understanding. I don't think either of them is going to be a remote control (chief) and frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them."

Gandhi also said that by nature he believes in 'tapasya' and wanted an element of suffering in this communication to people through the Bharat Jodo Yatra which seeks to cover a distance of about 3,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot.

He said spreading hatred and violence is an anti-national act and "we'll fight anybody who indulges in it".

"We are opposing the new education policy as it's distorting our history, traditions We want a decentralised education system," he added.

Bharat Jodo Yatra is not for the 2024 elections and the Congress wants to unite people against the division of the country being carried out by the BJP-RSS, Gandhi said. -- PTI

"This is the story of our American dream gone wrong," the grieving wife of an Indian-origin Sikh man killed along with three members of his brother's family, including an 8-month-old baby, has said.

Bodies of 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur, their eight-month-old child Aroohi Dheri and the baby's uncle, 39-year-old Amandeep Singh were found on Wednesday evening in an orchard after they were kidnapped on Monday.

The family, originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, was kidnapped at a business in Merced County, California.

Jaspreet Kaur, Amandeep's widow, said in a GoFundMe fundraiser that her husband and his brother had been in the United States for 18 years and supported not only their families in California but also their elderly parents back in India.

"This is the story of our shared American dream gone wrong," she wrote.

"Our loving family was violently taken away from us on October 3rd," the family's gofundme page said.

Kaur said her husband routinely donated food to the local food bank and never missed Sunday service in the local Sikh temple. They had a 9-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.

The family's gofundme page said the two brothers were "the primary bread earners for the family (and) supported their elderly parents." the appeal said.

Jaspreet has organised this fundraiser.

The suspect in the killing of the Sikh family has been arrested. He once worked for the family's trucking business and had a longstanding dispute with them that got "pretty nasty" and culminated in an act of senseless killing, authorities and a relative said.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party and its leadership saying he does not understand why Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and "his gang" hate Hindu and Hindutva so much.

The minister's remarks came after a video clip purportedly showing Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam at an event where hundreds took a pledge to convert to Buddhism while denouncing Hindu deities went viral.

In a series of tweets posted late on Friday night and on Saturday morning, Rijiju said, "I really don't understand the reason as to why Arvind Kejriwal and his gang hate Hindu and Hindutva so much."

"I can understand about Rahul Gandhi but Arvind Kejriwal....," the BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh said.

Every Indian should follow the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas', he added.

After the video of Gautam attending the event went viral, the BJP sought the minister's resignation, saying his comments highlight the hate the AAP has for Hindus.

Gautam responded by saying he was a "deeply religious person and would not even dream of insulting any deity through any action or word of mine". He also accused the BJP of spreading rumours and propaganda.

There has been no official reaction either from the AAP or the Delhi government, but sources in the party claimed the chief minister was "extremely displeased" with Gautam. -- PTI

12:44 IAF unveils new combat uniform

The Indian Air Force today unveiled a new combat uniform for its personnel during IAF's 90th anniversary celebrations in Chandigarh.

Earlier this year, Indian Army too switched to a digital camouflage uniform for its personnel.

12:25 'Chhello Show' director opens up on Oscar row

India's cinema culture is star driven so he can understand the "panic" over his film Chhello Show being chosen as India's official entry for the Oscars, says director Pan Nalin.

What he can't wrap his head around is accusations that it is a copy of Cinema Paradiso.

"What is disturbing is the false allegation which could seriously hamper our chances going forward. People have made comments without watching the film," Nalin told PTI.

The Gujarati language film is a coming-of-age drama about a young boy's romance with cinema in a village in Gujarat's Kathiawar region.

The film's suitability as a contender for best foreign film at the 95th Academy Awards has been called into question by several social media users who were rooting for RRR or The Kashmir Files.

Besides, Nalin has also been accused by the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees of plagiarism -- that Chhello Show is a copy of the 1988 Oscar-winning Italian-French film Cinema Paradiso.

"It must have been earth-shattering news for people who love certain stars," said the director in response to the extreme reaction to the movie's official selection by the Film Federation of India last month.

Titled Last Film Show in English, the film, starring debutant child actor Bhavin Rabari as Samay, premiered at the 2021 edition of the New York-set Tribeca Film Festival, which counts Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro as one of its founders.

"Our country is passionate about cinema so I don't blame people since many have not seen the film. At that time, they didn't know anything about it. Also, our cinematic culture is driven by stars, so there was panic," Nalin said.

"If it was a copy why would so many big studios around the world acquire it? Why would Robert De Niro's festival invite us to the red carpet opening?" he asked.

In June, he was invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) to join its director's branch as a member. Besides, big studios such as Shochiku (Japan) and Samuel Goldwyn Films (US) have bought the distribution rights of the film.

With Chhello Show set to be released in India next Friday by Roy Kapur Films, the director says he wants the movie to speak for itself.

"On October 14, people will know," he said.

Chhello Show is not just Nalin's love letter to the movies, It also serves as a reminder of analogue projectors amid cinema's rapidly increasing dependence on digital technology.

The Indian government has a moral duty to provide energy to its citizens and it will continue to buy oil from wherever it has to, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday, asserting that no country has told India to stop buying oil from Russia.

The Russia-Ukraine war has had a far-reaching impact on the global energy system, disrupting supply and demand patterns and fracturing long-standing trading relationships.

It has pushed up energy prices for many consumers and businesses around the world, hurting households, industries and entire economies of several nations.

India's crude oil imports from Russia have jumped over 50 times since April and now it makes up for 10 per cent of all crude bought from overseas.

Russian oil made up for just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India prior to the Ukraine war.

The Western countries are gradually bringing down their energy purchases from Russia following its attack on Ukraine.

"India will buy oil from wherever it has to for the simple reason that this kind of a discussion cannot be taken to the consuming population of India," Puri told a group of Indian reporters in Washington, adding that the government has a moral duty to provide energy to its people.

Responding to a question, he said India has not been told by anyone to stop buying oil from Russia.

"If you are clear about your policy, which means you believe in energy security and energy affordability, you will buy from wherever you have to purchase energy from sources," Puri said after his bilateral meeting with US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. -- PTI

Search efforts for the three missing mountaineers were hamstrung by heavy snowfall on Friday over the avalanche-hit site near the 'Draupadi ka Danda' peak.

Twenty-nine members of a team from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering had gone missing after an avalanche hit them on their way back from the summit, according to the NIM.

Twenty-six bodies have since been recovered and three are still missing.

Four out of twenty six bodies retrieved so far have already been handed over to their families. Efforts are on to bring down the rest.

With weather conditions obstructing the search efforts, relatives who have come to Uttarkashi from different parts of the country are getting impatient.

Aerial rescue operations can be resumed only after the weather improves, District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said. -- PTI

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11:03 Idol vandalised at temple in Bangladesh

Unidentified miscreants vandalised the idol of a deity at a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's Jhenaidah, prompting the police to launch a manhunt for the vandals, local media reported.

Authorities of the Kali temple in Dautiya village found the idol broken into pieces on Friday morning, news portal bdnews24.com quoted Sukumar Kunda, president of the temple committee as saying.

According to Amit Kumar Burman, the district's assistant superintendent of police, a case had been lodged and investigations began on Thursday.

Sukumar said miscreants broke into the temple under the cover of night and vandalised the idol.

The idol's head was found dumped on the road half a kilometre away from the temple, according to bdnews24.com.

This incident came a day after the 10-day annual Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh came to an end with the immersion of idols on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami or Dusshera.

This is not the first incident of vandalism in a temple.

On March 17, this year, the ISKCON Radhakanta Jeev temple in Dhaka was vandalized and idols were taken away.

Several devotees also were also reportedly beaten up by the vandals.

Amani Krishna Das, the public relations officer of ISKCON temple, told ANI: "More than 200 terrorists led by Haji Shafiullah attacked, vandalised and looted the ISKCON Radhakanta temple at 222, Lal Mohan Saha Street in Wari."

"The miscreants attempted to break the security wall of the temple," the ISKON official said.

On October 16, in 2021, a temple in Noakhali city in Bangladesh was vandalised and a devotee was killed by a mob, ISKON officials said. -- ANI

A ceremonial parade was held at the air force station here on Saturday morning on the occasion of 90th anniversary celebrations of the IAF.

Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari inspected the parade which was followed by a march-past.

Air-Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran was among senior IAF officers present on the occasion.

When the IAF chief arrived, an ensign formation performed by 3 Mi-17V5 helicopters, led by Wing Commander Vishal Jain, did a fly-past.

Nearly 80 military aircraft and helicopters will participate later in the day in an Air Force Day fly-past at the Sukhna Lake complex in Chandigarh.

The Indian Air Force is expected to put up a spectacular show with the range of aircraft at its disposal as part the celebrations.

It is for the first time that the IAF has decided to hold its annual Air Force Day parade and fly-past outside the Delhi-NCR.

President Droupadi Murmu and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the aerial show at Sukhna Lake. -- PTI

Members of the Vaishya community on Friday sought an apology from Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Khatik for allegedly insulting them and trying to divide Hindu society.

A controversy had erupted after Khatik, the state Jal Shakti minister, on October 4 allegedly said he was not a baniya's (the trading caste) son in a derogatory way.

Khatik had gone to Parikshitgarh to meet the family members of Deepak Tyagi who was beheaded last week by a man as he suspected him of being in a relationship with his daughter.

As he was addressing people gathered there, someone interrupted Khatik who lost his cool and responded, "Don't be arrogant, I may have become an MLA but still belong to the village. I am neither from the city nor a baniya's son (baniye ki aulad)".

After a clip of the incident went viral on social media, several Vaishya community members, including BJP leaders, condemned Khatik and sought his apology.

Members of the Vaishya Samaj Seva Samiti submitted a memorandum against Khatik to the DM and staged protest, saying if the minister cannot respect the community, then he need not insult it. -- PTI

Representational image/Indian Coast Guard/Twitter

09:50 Rs 360 cr heroin seized from Pak boat off Guj coast

The Coast Guard and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad have seized heroin worth Rs 360 crore from a Pakistani boat off the state coast, an official said on Saturday.

The CG and ATS personnel seized the boat Al Sakar which had 50 kg heroin on board, in the Arabian Sea, the official said.

The boat had six crew members and is being brought to the state's Jakhau port for further investigation, the official said.

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09:30 NCERT stalls national talent search exam scheme

The NCERT has stalled the National Talent Search Examination scheme till further orders, according to an official order.

The popular scholarship programme is funded by the ministry of education and hosted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

The scholarship exam is conducted annually in two stages -- stage 1 (state level) and stage 2 (national level).

"The National Talent Search Scheme is a central sector scheme fully funded by the ministry of education, government of India. NCERT is an implementing agency for the NTS scheme. The scheme was approved till 31st March 2021," the NCERT said in an official order.

"The further implementation of the scheme in its present form has not been approved and stalled until further orders," it said.

According to senior officials of the council, the ministry is reviewing the scheme with an aim to revamp it.

"Discussions are on to revamp the NTSE exam which include increasing the number of scholarships to benefit more students as well as increase the amount of scholarship," a senior NCERT official said.

He, however, did not comment on the timeline for the same. -- PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will begin their two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat from Saturday.

Both the Aam Aadmi Party leaders will jointly address a public meeting at Dahod town in tribal-dominated Dahod district on Saturday, the party's state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.

Later in the day, they will participate in a 'Tiranga Yatra' in Vadodara city, he said.

On Sunday, they will address a public meeting at Dharampur in tribal-dominated Valsad district, and then at Kadodara in Surat district.

During these two days, Kejriwal, who is AAP's national convener, and Mann will hold an important meeting with social and other leaders in the state to chalk out plans for the upcoming elections, Sorathiya added.

Assembly elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state are scheduled by the year-end. -- PTI

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09:06 CNG, piped cooking gas prices hiked by Rs 3

The prices of CNG and cooking gas piped to household kitchens in the national capital on Saturday hiked by Rs 3 each in step with rise in input natural gas prices.

The Rs 3 per kg increase in CNG price is the first hike in rates in over four months, while a Rs 3 per standard cubic metres increase in piped natural gas was the first raise in two months.

CNG in the national capital territory of Delhi now costs Rs 78.61 per kg, up from Rs 75.61 per kg, according to the information posted on the website of Indraprastha Gas Ltd -- the firm which retails CNG and piped cooking gas in the national capital and adjoining cities.

This is the 14th increase in price since March 7.

Rates were last increased by Rs 2 per kg on May 21.

In all, the CNG price has risen by Rs 22.60 per kg during this period.

Since April 2021, CNG prices have increased by Rs 35.21 per kg or 80 per cent, according to data compiled by PTI.

Simultaneously, the rates of gas piped to household kitchens, called piped natural gas, was increased to Rs 53.59 per standard cubic metre in Delhi from Rs 50.59 per scm, according to IGL.

It is the 10th increase in PNG rates since August 2021.

In all prices have gone up by Rs 29.93 per scm, or almost 91 per cent. -- PTI

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08:29 9-year-old boy apprehended for sacrilege in Punjab

A nine-year-old boy was apprehended on Friday on the charge of desecrating a religious text in a village in Hoshiarpur, the police said.

Mukerian deputy superintendent of police Kulwinder Singh Virk said granthi of the gurdwara in village Bishanpur Tarsem Singh noticed some torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib on October 5.

He immediately informed gurdwara committee president Amarjit Singh about it, the police official said, adding that CCTV footage showed a boy tearing the pages.

The boy was produced before a juvenile court, which sent him to a local bal sudhar ghar.

Further investigation is underway, the DSP said. -- PTI

Several parts of Mumbai faced waterlogging due to incessant heavy rainfall on Saturday morning.

"Generally cloudy sky with moderate to heavy rain/thundershower in the city and suburbs in the next 24 hours," said the India meteorological department on Saturday morning.

"Isolated heavy falls & thunderstorms/lightning very likely over Gujarat region 07th-10th; Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam from 07th-09th; Marathwada on 7th & 9th; Konkan & Goa and Telangana on 07th; Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal on 07th-11th; North Interior Karnataka, during 07th,09th & 10th; South interior Karnataka during 9th -- 11th; Kerala on 9th & 10th October 2022," the IMD added.

IMD predicted that Mumbai touched a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature likely to be 26-degree celsius. -- ANI

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08:14 10 killed, 24 hurt after bus catches fire in Maha

Ten persons were killed and 24 injured after a bus hit a truck and caught fire in Maharashtra's Nashik city early Saturday, the police said.

The accident took place on Aurangabad Road around 5 am, an official said.

The private bus, a 'sleeper' coach, had around 30 passengers.

It hit the truck at Nandur Naka and caught fire in a few minutes, the official said.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, the official said.

Most of those killed and injured were bus passengers, he said.

The truck was going from Dhule to Mumbai, he added -- PTI

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00:49 MP principal suspended over Mazar-like structure at school

The principal of a government school in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh has been suspended after it was found that an Islamic 'mazar' or enshrined tomb-like structure has been built there, a senior official said on Thursday.

Vidisha collector Uma Shankar Bhargava said a probe was ordered following media reports about CM Rise School and complaints that namaz was being offered at school premises.

The probe report said the complaint about namaz was baseless but there was a mazar in the school, she said.

Based on the collector's report, the Directorate of Public Instructions took disciplinary action against the principal and issued suspension orders, another official said.

The probe report blamed the principal for the construction of the mazar, he said.

But sources close to the principal said that an existing mazar had been renovated and there was no new construction.

The construction will be demolished, the collector said. -- PTI

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