LIVE! AI Kochi-Gatwick flight cancelled due to tech snag

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Sun, 01 October 2023

AI Kochi-Gatwick flight cancelled due to tech snag

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23:00 Police raid bar in K'taka, detain students after birthday party videos go viral

The police conducted a raid at a bar in Manipal of Udupi district after pictures and videos of a party shared by students went viral on Instagram.

The gathering took place within the jurisdiction of Manipal police station where students were found smoking hookah, consuming alcohol and partying without proper permission at a local bar in Vidyanagar near Manipal.

The students had posted images of the party on their Instagram profiles.

Later, during their weekend patrolling, the police led by the Manipal circle inspector raided the bar and detained the students for questioning.

The owner of the bar has been charged for allowing a DJ party without the necessary permission, police sources said.

The police have identified that the students involved in the incident are from various parts of the country and are studying at a prestigious college in Manipal.

Further investigation is on, sources said. -- PTI

An Air India flight from Kochi to Gatwick was on Sunday cancelled following a technical fault in the aircraft that was noticed just minutes before it was set to take off, an airline source said.

The AI 149 flight, which was scheduled to take off with 252 passengers on board at 2.15 pm, returned from the taxiway at 2.30 pm and everyone was deboarded as the aircraft was checked for the cause of the technical fault, the airline source said.

As the aircraft was not found fit to undertake the flight today, it was cancelled and those not wishing to reschedule their trip or avail of seats in other airlines were issued a full refund and an appropriate monetary compensation, the source said.

"We are trying to accommodate passengers (those who do not want to cancel their tickets) on other airlines and have arranged hotel accommodations for them as well as those who are unable to return to their homes today," the source said.

"Since Air India accords top priority to safety issues, our engineering team went for a thorough check. But then the aircraft could not be restored for flying. So the flight regrettably had to be cancelled. We took all care of the passengers," the source added. -- PTI

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan

21:59 Pak ex-PM Imran Khan, his aide Qureshi named principal accused in cipher case

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been named "principal accused" in a case related to the alleged disclosure of state secrets, a media report said on Sunday.

The Federal Investigation Agency on Saturday filed a charge sheet in the Special Court established under the Official Secrets Act, declaring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Khan and vice chairman Qureshi "principal accused" in the case, Dawn newspaper reported.

Both Khan and Qureshi are currently detained in jail on judicial remand. Khan, 70, was arrested in August after the case was filed against him for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing a secret diplomatic cable (cipher) sent by the country's embassy in Washington last year in March.

Qureshi, 67-year-old former foreign minister, was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the foreign minister.

Khan and Qureshi have been placed in column 3 which describes the names and addresses of the accused sent for trial, the paper said.

The FIA invoked in the charge sheet sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act which may lead to a death sentence, or two to 14 years' imprisonment if proven.

While the investigation agency cited 27 witnesses in the charge sheet, the paper said that about a dozen of them would be produced in the witness box.

The FIA has also attached the transcript of Khan and Qureshi's speeches made on March 27. -- PTI

A view of the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple, Palani, TN/ANI

21:19 Mobile phones banned inside TN's Palani temple

The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department has banned mobile phones inside the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple from Sunday.

The world-renowned Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple is visited by devotees not only from Tamil Nadu but also from other states.

For a few days now, some people have been taking pictures of the Navabasanam moolavar idol, golden chariot, and golden tower in Palani Murugana temple during the festival season and spreading them on social media.

In this case, a public interest case was filed in the Madurai bench of Madras high court to ban the carrying of mobile phones to the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple.

The court heard the case and ordered the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department to ban the carrying of cell phones in the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple.

As per the court order, cell phone cameras have been banned at the Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy from October 1, so the temple administration has informed devotees that they should not bring cell phones, photos, or video recording devices to the temple.

Separate centres where devotees can drop off their mobile phones are being set up at three locations, including Padha Vinayagar temple, rope car, and winch train facilities.

Devotees can pay Rs 5 to safely keep their phones at the centres. -- PTI

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has cancelled his sermons on October 2 and 3 as he is suffering from a "persistent cold", his office said.

"In the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's personal physicians, His Holiness will take rest due to a persistent cold," a statement said.

"In view of the scheduled teachings from October 2 to 4, which were requested by Taiwanese devotees, we have requested Gaden Tri Rinpoche to give the introductory teachings for the first and second days. We kindly request everyone's understanding," the statement said.

The 88-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to visit Sikkim on October 11-12.

He will give a sermon at Salugara, West Bengal on October 15 before his tour to Karnataka in November. -- PTI

The police have booked two doctors from a hospital here in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl right outside the medical facility allegedly after being removed from there by the staff.

The FIR against doctors Ravi Yadav and Nivita of Radha Swami Hospital was registered on Saturday at the Ghiror police station under section 304 (culpable homicide) of the IPC, superintendent of police Vinod Kumar said.

The police said on Sunday that in his complaint, Girish Yadav alleged that his daughter Bharti died after doctors administered her a "wrong injection".

A post-mortem examination by a panel of doctors has revealed septic and infection as the cause of the girl's death, they said.

A disturbing video, which went viral on social media earlier this week, showed the seemingly lifeless girl collapsing over the seat of a motorcycle as a woman accompanying her cries -- apparently on realising that the girl had died.

The girl died on September 27 and the hospital's licence was suspended and the premises were sealed the next day.

Uttar Pradesh deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also handles the state's health department, has ordered action against the private hospital.

The district's chief medical officer RC Gupta said Bharti, a Class 12 student, was brought to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon when she complained of fever.

"The girl died outside the hospital, shortly after being removed from there," he said. -- PTI

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20:30 2 doctors save baby with breathing issues on Delhi-bound flight

A baby with congenital heart disease developed severe breathing issues during a Ranchi-Delhi flight when two co-passengers, both doctors, came to the child's rescue.

IAS officer Dr Nitin Kulkarni, also a doctor by training, and a doctor from Ranchi Sadar Hospital gave oxygen supply using a mask meant for adults and other drugs as emergency medical assistance.

After the flight landed after an hour, a medical team took the baby under their care and provided oxygen support.

The parents were taking the baby to AIIMS, Delhi for treatment of the baby's heart condition.

On Saturday, twenty minutes into the Indigo flight, the air crew made an emergency announcement seeking medical assistance from any doctor on board for a baby in distress.

Kulkarni, presently the principal secretary to the Governor of Jharkhand and Dr Mozammil Pheroz from Sadar Hospital, Ranchi came forward to save the child.

"The mother was crying as the baby was gasping for breath. Me and Dr Mozammil took over care of the baby. Oxygen was supplied through an adult mask as somehow no baby mask or cannula was available, Dr Kulkarni said.

"We checked the medical records. The baby suffered from a congenital heart condition, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). They were going to AIIMS for it," he said.

He said that injection Theophylline was given from the drugs kit. The parents were carrying injection Dexona, which proved very helpful, he said. -- PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday appointed party leader Ajay Maken as the new treasurer of the party with immediate effect.

"Congress president has appointed Maken as the treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, with immediate effect," party general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said in an official communication.

Maken, considered a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi will be replacing Pawan Kumar Bansal.

"The party appreciates the contribution of the outgoing Treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal."

Maken, a former Union minister, had earlier served as Delhi unit chief and was also a minister in Sheila Dikshit's government in Delhi. -- ANI

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20:05 2 teachers from Bengal, Andhra shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize 2023

Deep Narayan Nayak, a primary school teacher from West Bengal, and Hari Krishna Patacharu, an English teacher from Andhra Pradesh, have made it to the top 50 shortlist for the 2023 Global Teacher Prize unveiled in London recently.

The shortlist for the $1-million annual prize, organised by Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO and in strategic partnership with UAE-based global philanthropic organisation Dubai Cares, was selected from over 7,000 nominations and applications from 130 countries around the world.

The prize is open to working teachers who teach children who are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and eighteen.

Nayak, a teacher at Tilka Manjhi Adivasi Free Primary School at Jamuria in Asansol, was selected for his innovative teaching methods that have transformed the lives of underprivileged children facing educational and social challenges.

Amidst the pandemic, he turned mud walls into blackboards and roads into classrooms, bridging the digital divide for marginalised students.

His focus on educating parents, eradicating superstitions, and addressing learning disabilities has empowered both children and communities, the Global Teacher Prize said in a statement.

Nayak's initiatives extend beyond education, tackling issues like malnutrition, child exploitation, and environmental sustainability and his Raster Master' project offers a global roadmap for inclusive education, addressing pressing post-COVID challenges.

Patacharu, a teacher at ZPHS Ilavaram at Bhattiprolu Mandal in Guntur district, was chosen for his work as an English teacher and embarked on a mission to overcome language barriers and enrich his students' lives.

The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Sunday said it has written to the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration for an inquiry into a recent incident of "anti-national" slogans being scribbled on the walls in the campus.

The students' outfit has also demanded that the administration take immediate action to identify those responsible and fix accountability for not being able to stop such cases.

"Being a student organisation, we are gravely concerned about the frequent anti-Bharat slogan-writing incidents on the JNU campus. Yesterday, some students captured pictures of slogans like 'Indian-Occupied Kashmir', 'Free Kashmir', 'Bhagwa Jalega', etc. on the School of Languages building wall," the letter read.

The administration painted the walls clean on Sunday morning after it was brought to its notice and photos of the walls went viral, Vikas Patel, ABVP secretary for JNU, said. -- PTI

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19:31 Vistara starts direct flight from Delhi to Male

Vistara on Sunday started direct flights from the national capital to Maldives' capital Male, and Air India announced that it will commence non-stop services between Kochi and Doha from October 23.

Both airlines are part of the Tata Group.

"In addition to the 7x weekly service between Mumbai and Male, which has been getting very good response since its launch in March 2021, we are pleased to introduce our second route connecting this exquisite beach destination with Delhi," Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said in a release.

In a separate release, Air India said it would start a daily non-stop service from Kochi to Doha from October 23.

The flight, to be operated with an A320 neo aircraft, will offer 162 seats, including 150 economy and 12 in business class seats.

Air India also operates a direct daily flight from Kochi to Dubai.

According to another release, Air India has launched a limited period sale, offering attractive fares on all India-US routes.

The airline operates 47 non-stop flights every week from Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai to New York, Newark (New Jersey), Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco. -- PTI

Six people were arrested in connection with the "kidnapping and killing' of two Manipuri youths, which led to violent protests in the northeastern state last week, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said in Imphal on Sunday.

The government will ensure the maximum punishment, including the death penalty, for them, Singh said.

"I'm pleased to share that some of the main culprits responsible for the abduction and murder of Phijam Hemanjit and Hijam Linthoingambi have been arrested from Churachandpur on Sunday.

"As the saying goes, one may abscond after committing the crime, but they cannot escape the long hands of the law. We are committed to ensuring maximum punishment, including capital punishment, for the heinous crime they have committed," the chief minister posted on X.

The two youths, a man and a girl, had gone missing on July 6. Photos of their bodies surfaced on September 25.

Following this, violent protests by students rocked the state capital on September 26 and 27.

A mob tried to attack the ancestral house of the chief minister on the night of September 28, but security forces foiled the attempt. -- PTI

Helped by improved compliance, GST collections increased by 10 per cent to over Rs 1.62 lakh crore in September, crossing the Rs 1.6 lakh crore mark for the fourth time during current financial year.

Gross GST revenue collected last month was Rs 1,62,712 crore.

Of this, Central GST was Rs 29,818 crore, state GST was Rs 37,657 crore, integrated GST was Rs 83,623 crore (including Rs 41,145 crore collected on import of goods) and cess was Rs 11,613 crore (including Rs 881 crore collected on import of goods).

The revenue in September 2023 was 10 per cent higher than the GST revenue of Rs 1.47 lakh crore in the same month last year, the finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"During the month, the revenues from domestic transactions (including import of services) are 14 per cent higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year. It is for the fourth time that gross GST collection has crossed Rs 1.60 lakh crore mark in FY 2023-24," it said.

Gross GST collection in the first half (April-September) of FY24 stood at Rs 9,92,508 crore, an increase of 11 per cent from the year-ago period. -- PTI

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday appointed interim vice-chancellors for six state-run universities, an official said. Bose is the Chancellor of state-run universities in West Bengal.

The governor named Professor Achintya Saha as the interim VC of Murshidabad University, Professor B B Parida for MG University, Professor Nikhil Chandra Ray for Coochbehar Panchanan University and Professor Rathin Bandyopadhyay for Alipurduar University, he said.

Bose also appointed Professor Dilip Maity as interim VC of Biswa Bangla University and retired IPS officer C M Raveendran as interim VC of North Bengal University, he added.

The Educationists Forum, a pro-TMC platform of former VCs and senior university professors, described the latest appointments as an "open defiance of the power and authority of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India", while accusing the governor of continuing "illegalities in the sphere of higher education". -- PTI

17:54 No fight in NCP, says Supriya Sule in Nagpur

Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule on Sunday said that there is no fight in the party adding there is no question of the symbol 'going away'.

MP Sule said that the party was founded by senior leader Sharad Pawar and it is obvious that the symbol should remain with him.

"There is no fight in the NCP... The party was established by Sharad Pawar 25 years ago... From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, everyone knows NCP means Sharad Pawar. NCP national president is Sharad Pawar, and the Maharashtra state president is Jayant Patil. There is no question of it (the symbol) going away. The party was made by Sharad Pawar, so the symbol should remain with him it is obvious," Supriya Sule said while speaking to reporters in Nagpur.

Ajit Pawar earlier in July approached the Election Commission staking claim to the NCP and the party symbol amid the feud between the two factions of the party.

Later, the Election Commission wrote to both factions of the party accepting that there had been a split in the party.

The Commission has set October 6 as the date of the first hearing in the dispute.

In July the Commission issued a show-cause notice to NCP group led by Sharad Pawar following a petition filed by the Ajit Pawar faction.

The petition claimed that Ajit Pawar should be declared NCP president and should be allotted the party's watch symbol as per the provisions of the symbols order, 1968, reports Prafulla Marpakwar.

Ajit Pawar had filed the petition before the ECI on June 30, and while he was sworn in as deputy chief minister on July 2, his notice reached the ECI office on July 5. -- ANI

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17:39 BJP meet today for Raj, Chh'garh poll candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a central election committee meeting on Sunday in the national capital to finalise candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national president JP Nadda, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other members of the election committee, will take part in the meeting, which is scheduled to be held at 8 pm on Sunday.

"Candidates for about 60 to 70 seats in Rajasthan will be discussed while those for 31 seats in Chhattisgarh will be approved today," a source said.

Earlier, the BJP held a CEC meeting on September 13 to discuss the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections at the party's headquarters in the national capital.

Top leaders, including Nadda, Amit Shah, and other members of the committee, as well as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, took part in the meeting. -- ANI

Twelve students were injured after a private school bus overturned near Mhow town in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, police said.

The incident took place when the bus was going from Indore to Maheshwar, a police official said, adding four of the students were critically hurt.

Eight buses of an Indore-based private school were going to Maheshwar via Mhow and Jaam Ghat on Sunday morning, Badgonda police station in-charge Kailash Solanki said.

At around 9 am, when the buses were passing through Jaam Ghat, the driver of one of the buses lost control over the wheels at a sharp curve, he said.

The bus overturned, resulting in injuries to 12 students of classes 10 and 12, he said.

Four students were critically injured and referred to Indore.

They were undergoing treatment at a private hospital, the official said. -- PTI

A Delhi court has allowed Devendra Darda, son of former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda and an accused in three coal scam cases, to travel abroad from October 2 to 12 for business purposes.

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj allowed Devendra to travel to UAE and Sweden, noting that he never abused the permissions given in the past to visit abroad and followed all terms and conditions.

Devendra along with his father was recently awarded a four-year jail term by a trial court in a case related to irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh.

The jail term was later suspended by the Delhi high court, pending an appeal against the trial court order.

The accused was given permission to visit abroad on several occasions in the past but he never abused such permission and followed all the terms and conditions imposed by the court while granting such permission.

"Therefore, in the considered opinion of this Court, the applicant is entitled to travel abroad from UAE and Sweden," the judge said.

In the order passed on September 27, the judge directed the accused to furnish fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) of Rs 20 lakh each in the three cases. -- PTI

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16:53 IMD issues orange alert for 7 Odisha districts, fishermen warned not to venture into sea

The India Meteorological Department has issued an Orange alert for Odisha's seven districts, and fishermen have been warned not to venture in the sea till October 2.

Senior Scientist of IMD, Bhubaneswar Sanjeev Dwivedi said, "IMD has issued orange alert, heavy to very heavy rainfall warning for Odisha's seven districts for during 24 hours. Along with it, the rainfall intensity likely to increase on October 2 and 3. Fisherman has been warned not to venture into sea areas till October 2."

Odisha's Khurda district has received highest maximum 138 mm amount of rainfall during last 24 hours.

Earlier Umashankar Das (senior Scientist, IMD) said, "There is low pressure area over North West Bay of Bengal. The North coastal Odisha has experienced widespread rainfall in the last 24 hours. Balasore has recorded 113 mm of rainfall. 12 stations have reported heavy rainfall and we are expecting this activity to continue till October 3. We are expecting windfall 40 to 50 kmph in North Bay of Bengal, West Central Bay of Bengal of Odisha coast till October 2. On October 3 we are expecting rainfall to be concentrated on Northern part of Odisha." -- ANI

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he will be in New Delhi on October 6 to present his side to the Election Commision of India during a hearing in connection with the split of the party.

Everyone knows who is the party founder, Pawar told reporters at Junnar in Maharashtra's Pune district, adding that he has got summons and he will remain present for the hearing.

The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split on July 2 after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra.

Both groups have petitioned the ECI for the party name and symbol.

"What the common man thinks is important. Some people have taken a different political stand and I don't want to comment on it as it is their right in a democracy. But, Maharashtra and the rest of the country know who is the founder of NCP. There is truth in what my people say that the situation is favourable to us," Sharad Pawar said.

"Those who have joined hands with the BJP cannot belong to the NCP. We don't accept compromise in such a manner," he said.

Pawar also said the next course of action of the opposition INDIA bloc will be finalised in the next few days. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday teamed up with fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuriya in a cleanliness exercise as part of his call for everyone to undertake sanitation measures for an hour on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

"Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe," Modi posted on X along with a video.

The video shows the prime minister and Baiyanpuriya wielding brooms and cleaning and picking up trash.

Besides Modi, several other BJP leaders, including Union ministers, took up cleanliness programmes in different parts of the country.

Home Minister Amit Shah participated in Ahmedabad while BJP chief JP Nadda did so in Delhi.

People from all walks of life responded to the prime minister's appeal and participated in the hour-long "shramdaan (voluntary labour)".

According to the Union housing and urban affairs ministry, more than 9.20 lakh sites across the country were adopted for the mega drive.

In a recent episode of "Mann Ki Baat", Modi appealed for "one hour of shramdaan for swachhata" on October 1 by all citizens and said it would be a "Swachhanjali" to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary. -- PTI

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15:51 Bihar sees 6,146 dengue cases in September, highest in last five years

Bihar is witnessing an alarming rise in dengue cases, with 6,146 cases reported in September, the highest for the month in the last five years, according to the health department's data.

The state had reported 6,421 cases this year, of which 6,146 were reported only in September, three times the 1,896 registered in September last year.

As many as 416 cases were reported in the state on Friday, with Patna recording the most at 177, followed by Munger at 33, Saran (28), Bhagalpur (27) and Begusarai (17).

According to the National Center for Vector Borne Disease Control of the Union health ministry, seven dengue deaths have been reported in Bihar till September 17 this year.

As per the health department's data, a total of 13,972 cases were reported last year.

As many as 295 people were undergoing treatment at 12 government hospitals till September 30, including 127 at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Bhagalpur, 39 at VIMS in Pawapuri and 28 at Patna Medical College and Hospital. -- PTI

Kannada film actor Nagabhushan

15:29 Kannada actor held for mowing down woman; husband critical

Kannada film actor Nagabhushan has been arrested, as a speeding car allegedly driven by him rammed into a couple, killing a 48-year-old woman, and critically injuring her 58-year-old husband, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at Vasanthapura Main Road in Bengaluru on the night of September 30.

According to the police, Prema S (48) and Krishna B (58) were walking on the footpath, when the accused, driving his car from Uttarahalli towards Konanakunte Cross, allegedly knocked them down, before crashing into an electric pole.

They said he was driving the car in a "rash and negligent" manner.

The severely injured couple were rushed to a private hospital.

While the woman succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital, her husband is is undergoing treatment. -- PTI

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that two police officers were injured after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in front of the ministry building in Ankara, Al Jazeera reported.

Yerlikaya said two attackers were behind the explosions in front of the ministry building.

He said that one of terrorists blew himself and the other was "neutralised."

The attack comes as Turkish authorities have been conducting operations against ISIL (ISIS) members, according to Al Jazeera report.

In a post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Yerlikaya stated, "At around 09.30, 2 terrorists who came with a light commercial vehicle in front of the entrance gate of the general directorate of security of our ministry of internal affairs, carried out a bomb attack."

He further said, "One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other terrorist was neutralized. During the fire, 2 of our police officers were slightly injured. I wish a speedy recovery to our heroes. Our fight will continue relentlessly until the last terrorist is neutralized." -- ANI

Celebrated Manipuri actor Rajkumar Somendra, popularly known as 'Kaiku', has said both the Kuki and Meitei communities should hold a joint meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to thrash out differences.

The actor, who had recently quit the primary membership of the BJP, told PTI in an interview that many people have been rendered homeless and many more lost their livelihoods because of the ongoing conflict in the state, and it was time to work for peace.

"Representatives of both the warring communities should come together and meet Amit Shah and discuss all the pricking points and resolve the differences," Rajkumar said.

"Many people have become homeless and jobless, and it was getting extremely difficult for them to survive," he said.

For the last five months, the Meitei and Kuki communities have rioted against each other, resulting in the deaths of more than 175 people.

Thousands have been rendered homeless and forced to live in make-shift refugee camps.

The actor said the condition of small-time artistes of the state was "deplorable' without work.

"The artistes have no work, and it has become almost impossible for them to sustain their families. In fact, the condition of the common people across the state has become extremely tough," he said. -- PTI

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14:34 Shivaji's 'Tiger Claws' set for return to India from UK

The Victoria and Albert ( V and A) Museum is all set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government next week, which will see 17th century Tiger Claws' weapon believed to have belonged to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj make a journey back to India for an exhibition.

During a protracted military engagement in 1659, the legendary Maratha leader held metal claws, or wagh nakh, concealed in his hand and is said to have disembowelled his opponent Afzal Khan the commander of the opposing Bijapur army.

It is believed, though unverified, that the set of claws then came into the possession of James Grant Duff, an officer of the East India Company who was appointed Resident or political agent of the Satara state in 1818 and gifted to the V and A by a descendant.

The V and A looks forward to welcoming senior leadership from the Maharashtra government, to sign a memorandum of understanding, a V and A spokesperson said.

"The story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's triumph over Afzal Khan is legendary, so we are delighted that the Tiger Claws' will return to India as part of the 350th anniversary events where they can be enjoyed as part of the celebrations. We hope that their display might also enable new research into their history and look forward to working in partnership with colleagues in the months ahead as we develop plans for their display," the spokesperson said. -- PTI

Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti on Sunday assumed charge as deputy chief of Naval Staff.

He succeeds Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, who retired after more than 38 years of illustrious service, officials said.

Vice Admiral Sobti was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1988, and is a navigation and direction specialist.

In his career spanning over 35 years, he has held a variety of command and staff appointments -- both ashore and afloat.

The flag officer has commanded INS Nishank, a missile boat, INS Kora, a missile corvette, and guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata.

In his staff tenures, he served in the directorate of staff requirements and directorate of personnel, and as the naval attache at the Indian embassy in Moscow.

On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral in 2019, he was appointed as the deputy commandant and chief instructor at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, and subsequently as the flag officer commanding of the Eastern Fleet.

On elevation to the rank of Vice Admiral in 2021, he took over as director general of 'Project Seabird' under which India is developing the Karwar naval base. -- PTI

A Janpad Panchayat president was found hanging at her home in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur city, the police said on Sunday.

Prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide, superintendent of police Devendra Patidar said, adding a probe was on into the incident.

Pooja Dadu (30), who was the Khaknar Janpad Panchayat president, was found hanging at her home in Sanjay Nagar at 11.30 pm on Saturday, the official said.

She was the daughter of former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA (from Nepanagar) late Rajendra Dadu, BJP district president Manoj Ladhve said.

After getting information, senior BJP leaders, including Lok Sabha member Gyaneshwar Patil, reached the spot.

Ladhve said the reason behind the extreme step was not yet known and the police were conducting a probe into the incident.

Pooja Dadu's elder sister Manju Dadu is currently vice-president of the Madhya Pradesh Mandi Board, party sources said. -- PTI

Two young doctors died on Sunday when the car they were travelling in plunged into river Periyar at Gothuruth near Kochi, the police said.

Advaith (29) and Ajmal (29), both working at a private hospital in the district, died in the accident that occurred at around 12.30 am on Sunday.

Three others who were travelling with them sustained injuries and are under treatment at a hospital nearby, they said.

The police said the driver apparently reached the area following the directions of the Google maps and suspects that the heavy rains and low visibility led to the accident.

The condition of those undergoing treatment is said to be stable.

The locals rushed to the spot to rescue and informed the fire service personnel and the police. -- PTI

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13:10 AFSPA extended in 4 Assam dists, withdrawn from 4

The Assam police on Sunday said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA has been extended in four districts of the state for six more months.

At the Assam Police Day 2023 celebrations in Guwahati, DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh said the 'disturbed area' tag, which allows enforcement of the AFSPA, has, however, been withdrawn from four other districts.

"From today, only four districts in Assam will have AFSPA. These are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo," he said.

The AFSPA has been withdrawn from Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao with effect from October 1, Singh said.

The Assam government had last extended the 'disturbed area' notification under the AFSPA for another six months with effect from April 1 in these eight districts. -- PTI

An aircraft of the Indian Air Force with six persons on board made an 'emergency' landing at a village in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Sunday due to a technical snag, a police official said.

The pilot and the five crew members are safe, Berasia police station inspector Narendra Kulaste, who was at the spot, told PTI over phone.

The incident took place at around 8.45 am, he said.

The aircraft, of IAF's III HU unit, made the "emergency" landing in a sugarcane field near a lake in Dungariya village, nearly 60 km from the Bhopal district headquarters, he said.

The aircraft, on way to Jhansi from Bhopal, developed a technical fault, the official said.

A team of the IAF has reached the site to fix the technical problem. Another team of technicians is expected to reach Dungariya village from Nagpur shortly, he added. -- PTI

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12:35 Commuters protest against train detention; traffic hit on Mumbai suburban section

Traffic on the Central Railway's main line was affected for about 45 minutes on Sunday as commuters agitated at Diva in Maharashtra's Thane district adjoining Mumbai over the detention of an express train after the derailment of a goods train, an official said.

Four wagons of the goods train derailed on the Panvel-Kalamboli section of Palghar district on Saturday afternoon.

The 12133 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Mangaluru Express was detained due to the goods train derailment ahead, Central Railway's chief public relations officer Dr Shivraj Manaspure said.

Due to the detention of the express train, its passengers agitated at Diva (in Thane district) due to which the main line traffic (CSMT-Kalyan route) also got affected from 9.05 am to 9.50 am, he said.

The main line traffic got restored at 9.50 am after the agitation ended, the official said.

Thane Government Railway Police's senior inspector Pandhari Kande claimed railway authorities were planning to divert the train through Pune.

The passengers were opposed to it and agitated, he said. -- PTI

The India meteorological department on Sunday issued a 'red' alert for Goa, forecasting heavy rains in the coastal state over the next 24 hours.

The nowcast weather warning issued by the IMD predicted moderate to heavy spells of rain accompanied with winds of speed 40 to 50 kilometres per hour gusting to 60 kmph.

The IMD said clouds were present in the morning over Pernem, Tiswadi, Bardez, Bicholim and Sattari (all in North Goa district) talukas of the state. More clouds are approaching from the Arabian Sea.

"More talukas are also likely to get affected as clouds are moving generally in the north-eastern direction," the IMD said.

The State Disaster Management Authority has activated its control rooms in both the North and South Goa districts.

Extremely heavy rains are forecast for Goa in the next 24 hours.

Members of the public are advised not to venture into waterlogged or flood-prone areas, the SDMA said.

Drishti Marine, the state government-appointed lifesaving agency, advised people not to venture into the sea due to the high water levels and rough weather conditions. -- PTI

Two men died and one was injured due to electrocution after a tableau carrying a Ganesh idol came in contact with an electricity transformer in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara city, the police said on Sunday.

The incident took place at around 9 pm on Saturday in Tara Colony when the idol was being taken for immersion in a procession, an official said.

The tableau mounted on a tractor came in contact with an 11 kV (kilo volt) transformer, Superintendent of Police Vinayak Verma said.

Three persons were injured due to the electrocution.

Two of them, identified as Sanjay Choure (22) and Rahul Thakur (38), died, while a 30-year-old injured man was undergoing treatment, he said.

A probe was on into the incident, he added. -- PTI

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11:36 30 kg heroin seized in J-K's Ramban, two arrested

The police have recovered 30 kg of heroin worth crores of rupees from a Punjab-bound vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said on Sunday.

Two suspected narcotic smugglers were arrested following the recovery from Banihal area along Jammu-Srinagar national highway during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the officials said.

They said the heroin, smuggled from across the border, was being taken from north Kashmir to Punjab.

A police party headed by Banihal station house officer Mohammad Afzal Wani intercepted the private vehicle and made the recovery, the officials said. -- PTI

Pic: Sankarshan Thakur on X

11:29 Sankarshan Thakur is Telegraphs new editor

Sankarshan Thakur, whose bio on X describes him as itinerant-writer with The Telegraph, has just been given a leg-up at the Kolkata-based newspaper.

Starting today he takes over as the editor, and the previous incumbent R Rajagopal, the brain behind the newspaper's front page that has remained stingingly critical of the Modi government, has been elevated as editor at large.

Sankarshan, son of veteran journalist Janardan Thakur, is an expert on Bihar's politics and dramatis personae, and has authored books on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his friend turned foe turned friend Lalu Prasad Yadav.

He has had a long association with the Telegraph, and has also done stints at the Indian Express and Tehelka.

Some of Sankarshan's finest writings have come from the field, and one hopes that his new responsibilities will leave him with enough time to continue to narrate accounts from the hinterland.

11:19 KCR to again skip Modi's programme in state

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will skip Prime Minister Narendra Modi's program in the state on Sunday.

Telangana Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav confirmed to ANI that he will receive Modi upon his arrival and will participate in the official programmes.

By this, it will be the sixth time in a row CM KCR has skipped from participating in prime minister's events in the state, since February 2022.

Earlier in April this year, CM KCR skipped PM Modi's program even after he was invited following the protocol neither did he receive the PM at the airport upon his arrival.

Modi had then said in his address that he is 'pained by the non-cooperation' of the KCR government.

Modi is scheduled to visit the state today and will visit Telangana today and lay the foundation stone of multiple developmental projects worth more than Rs 13,500 crore.

'Around 2:15 PM, Prime Minister will reach Mahabubnagar district, where he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple developmental projects worth more than Rs 13,500 crore, in important sectors like road, rail, petroleum and natural gas and higher education. During the programme, the prime minister will also flag off a train service through video conferencing,' Prime Minister's Office said.

Prime Minister's Office said that PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of key road projects that are part of the Nagpur -- Vijayawada Economic Corridor.

PMO further stated that the Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation a road project -- 'four laning of 59 km long Suryapet to Khammam section of NH-365BB' which is built at a cost of about Rs 2,460 crore.

"The project is a part of Hyderabad -- Visakhapatnam Corridor and is developed under Bharatmala Pariyojana. It will also provide better connectivity to Khammam district and coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh," an official statement said.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of important oil and gas pipeline projects will be done during the programme.

PMO added that he will also lay the foundation stone of the 'Multi-Product Petroleum Pipeline of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) from Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad (Malkapur)'.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate 'five new buildings of the University of Hyderabad' i.e, School of Economics; School of Mathematics and Statistics; School of Management Studies; Lecture Hall Complex '" III; and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication (Annexe). -- ANI

Stop stubble burning and get special treatment at government offices. The Gurdaspur district administration has come up with this novel idea to curb crop residue burning, one of the major reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution in the national capital region in October and November.

Farmers who abstain from stubble burning will be recognised as environment protectors ('vatavaran de rakhe') and given appreciation certificates. By showing it, they can avoid queues at government offices. Not just farmers, villages which report zero stubble burning in the harvesting season will also get the 'vatavaran de rakhe' certificates and will be prioritised for any development project.

The window for sowing wheat, a Rabi crop, is very short after paddy harvest. Hence, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue and prepare the sowing of the next crop.

With about 31 lakh hectares of paddy sowing area, Punjab produces around 180 lakh to 200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw every year.

Of this, 120 lakh tonne is disposed of through in-situ and ex-situ management methods. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, the brain behind the 'vatavaran de rakhe' initiative, said the aim is to motivate farmers to refrain from burning paddy stubble which leads to air pollution.

"The 'vatavaran de rakhe' certificate holders will enjoy certain privileges at government offices they visit for any work. The certificate holder will not have to wait in a queue. If they come to meet me or any government official for any work, they will not have to wait," he said.

If any village reports zero stubble burning, it will get funding for any development project on a priority basis, the deputy commissioner said, adding the certificates will be given in November.

Aggarwal said that he was getting positive responses from farmers for this initiative.

Gurdaspur district alone generates 10 lakh tonnes of stubble and the administration has made plans to manage the same through in situ (mixing crop residue in fields) and ex situ (using stubble as fuel) methods. It identified 55 hotspots and initiated a massive awareness campaign to curb stubble burning.

The district administration has made efforts to tie up with some companies to collect stubble to be used as fuel. Efforts are also being made to set up stubble pellet units which can be used by brick kilns for fuel, Aggarwal said.

In the 2022 Kharif season, Punjab had seen a 30 per cent drop in stubble burning over the previous year. The state agriculture department will provide 24,000 crop residue management machines across the state during the harvest season to check stubble burning.

These machines include super SMS, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, mulcher, smart seeder, zero till drill, surface seeder, super seeder, crop reaper, shrub master for in situ management, and baler and straw rake for ex situ management.

Under the Rs 350 crore paddy straw management plan, the state agriculture department is targeting zero-stubble burning incidents in Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Mohali, SBS Nagar and Malerkotla districts. -- PTI

The India-United States relationship is at an all-time high and the Modi government is going to take it to a different level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, stressing that like the Chandrayaan, bilateral ties will go to the moon and even beyond.

Jaishankar's remarks came as he addressed several hundred Indian-Americans gathered at the India House from various parts of the US to attend the 'Celebrating Colours of Friendship' event organised by the Embassy of India in Washington, DC on Saturday.

"There is one clear message today that our relationship is at an all-time high. But as they say in America, you ain't seen anything yet. So, we are going to take this relationship to a different level, to a different place," he said at the largest-ever gathering of Indian-Americans at the India House.

Jaishankar said that the success of the G20 could not have happened without the support of the US.

"As the host, when things go well, the host always gets the credit. It's reasonable. But, the G20 could not have come together if all the members of the G20 did not work for its success," he said.

"I think particularly, I must say, because I'm in this country today, the contribution, the support and the understanding that we got from the United States to make a successful G20, I think that is something I would certainly like to recognise in public in Washington DC," Jaishankar said amidst loud applause from Indian- Americans.

So, it may have been our success in a literal way, but I think it was the G20 (nations) success. To me, it was also a success of the India-US partnership. Please keep giving this partnership the support it needs, the support it deserves and the support it expects. And I can promise you that this relationship, like the Chandrayaan, will go to the moon, maybe even beyond, he said.

Jaishankar said that the human bond between the two countries makes the bilateral relationship unique.

"Countries do business with each other. Countries do politics with each other. They have military ties, they do exercises, and they have cultural exchanges. But when two countries have that deep human bonding, that's a completely different ballgame. That is today the defining characteristic of our relationship," he said.

He said the contribution of the diaspora in building the bilateral relationship is something fantastic.

"There are no words that can capture it. It is on that foundation that today we are looking ahead for...a new hope on the horizon...So, I think when we look at the horizon, we really see fantastic possibilities out there, and it's the community which is going to deliver on that," Jaishankar said.

The minister said the India of today is different from what it was earlier.

"I want to share with you that this is truly a different India for which I speak. It is an India, which as you heard from others, is capable of the Chandrayaan-3 mission," he said.

"It is an India which was able to pull off the most spectacular G20 and prove those who said that we will not be able to get 20 nations, I don't want to say quarrelling nations but 20 countries with different positions, to come to the table together," he said.

"This is an India, which showed during Covid that it could not only look after its own people but could extend its hand to more than a hundred countries across the world," he said.

"Today, the fastest rollout of 5G is happening in India. I want to say in many ways, if there is a spring in our step, a confidence in our voice, a sort of squaring of our shoulder, there are very good reasons for it," he said.

"Because it is built today on 10 years of hard work...There are domains where our capacities have doubled or tripled," he said. -- PTI

Full-service carrier Vistara has said it had to cancel one of its flights from Kolkata to Delhi scheduled for Sunday in order to operate additional flights for passengers stranded in Kolkata and Port Blair.

'Vistara Flight UK747 operating from Kolkata to Port Blair and the return flight UK787 on 30 September 2023 were cancelled due to bad weather in Port Blair. We are operating one additional flight on the two sectors on 01 October 2023 for the stranded customers in the two cities,' an airline spokesperson said in a statement late on Saturday.

'In order to accommodate these additional flights, we had to take the difficult call of cancelling one of our flights scheduled to fly from Delhi to Kolkata and then back to Delhi,' the spokesperson said.

The statement came against the backdrop of Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien mentioning the flight cancellation in the context of the party's proposed protests on Monday and Tuesday in the national capital.

'First, they abruptly cancel special train services from Kol to Del to prevent those who were to travel to participate in protests on Oct 2 & 3, demanding 10s of 1000s of crores owed to Bengal by BJP Union govt. Now a flight gets cancelled! Try as you might, we WILL TAKE YOU ON,' he said in a post on X on Saturday.

He also shared a screenshot of the details about the cancelled Vistara flight which was scheduled to depart from Kolkata at 6.45 pm to Delhi on Sunday.

According to the Vistara spokesperson, the airline is in touch with all the affected customers to offer them alternate options, including offering them seats on the next flights, basic availability, or refunds and deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to the customers. -- PTI

Ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee meeting, the party's top guns held meetings in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the upcoming assembly poll in Rajasthan.

The party's central election committee meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

This comes days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda held meetings with the party's Rajasthan leadership in Jaipur last Wednesday that went late into the night.

According to sources, hectic parleys began on Saturday with the party's Alwar MP Balak Nath meeting Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi at his residence in New Delhi.

Joshi has been recently appointed as the party's in-charge for elections in Rajasthan.

After some time, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal reached Joshi's residence and their meeting lasted for about three hours, sources said.

Soon after Meghwal left Joshi's residence, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje visited the Union minister. Joshi later visited Nadda at his residence and after some time both left together.

Later BJP leaders Arun Singh, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pointsman in the BJP, the party's Rajasthan unit chief C P Joshi, MP Kailash Choudhary, Rajendra Rathore and other leaders held a meeting at Nadda's residence. -- PTI

Photo: @MMuizzu on X

08:22 'Pro-China' Muizzu wins Maldivian presidential polls

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Mohamed Muizzu, won the Maldivian presidential elections on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported citing local media.

This was the second round of polling after no candidate emerged clear winner in the first round.

Muizzu had emerged as the frontrunner in the first round with around 46 per cent votes, followed by Ibrahim Solih's 39 per cent.

Al Jazeera reported citing several local media platforms that Muizzu has won with more than 53 per cent of the vote, after the tallying of results of all 586 ballot boxes.

After the thumping win, the Maldives president-elect delivered a brief statement at his party's headquarters, thanking all those who voted for him and calling on the government to release former President Abdulla Yameen, who is serving an 11-year jail sentence on a corruption conviction.

"Today is a very happy day. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the Maldivian people. This outcome today is a huge encouragement for us in our pursuit to build a better future for our country, and to ensure the sovereignty of our nation," Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.

"Yameen, the leader of the PPM, must be released," Muizzu said.

"The President has the power to transfer [Yameen] home imprisonment. And doing so, I believe, is the best action that can be taken in our nation's interests," he added.

Notably, Muizzu and his party are considered 'pro-China' because of the huge Chinese loans taken by the country under the previous PPM government.

After the results, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih conceded defeat in Saturday's run-off vote and congratulated Muizzu.

'Congratulations to the winner of the presidential election @MMuizzu. Thank you for the beautiful democratic example shown by the people in the elections. Thank you to the MDP and AP members who worked together and to all the people who voted for me,' he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Muizzu is currently serving as the mayor of the capital, Male. He holds a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was the Minister of Housing in former President Abdulla Yameen's cabinet.

Notably, Solih's defeat marks the first time Maldivians have voted out a liberal democratic government in favour of an authoritarian challenger since the country held its first multi-party elections in 2008, Al Jazeera reported.

The outcome also marks a stark reversal of fortune for Solih, who won the last election in 2018 by a landslide, amid widespread anger over human rights abuses and corruption under his predecessor. -- ANI

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