News updates: Union WCD Minister criticises Bengal CM, urges her to focus on women's safety

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10:25 PM

Floods in Yemen kill at least 33 people, damage more than 200 homes

Floods that swept through a district in northern Yemen this week have killed at least 33 people and damaged more than 200 houses, a local official said.

 

Heavy rains that began Tuesday as part of Yemen's monsoon season have caused major flooding and unleashed rockslides in the Melhan district of Al-Mahwit province.

 

The floods have killed 33 people, destroyed 28 houses and caused cracks in 200 others, Ali al-Zikam, secretary-general of the local council of Al-Mahwit province, said late Wednesday on Facebook. The flooding also swept away five cars and left several people missing, he said.

 

Yemen's Red Crescent said Thursday that 38 people are still missing, and that the agency is actively looking for them.

 

The magnitude of the disaster in al-Mahwit is substantial, " the agency said.

9:02 PM

More than 1,000 killed in Bangladesh violence since July

Violence that erupted in Bangladesh during last month's anti-government protests killed more than 1,000 people, the interim health ministry chief said on Thursday, making it the bloodiest period in the country's history since its 1971 independence.

9:01 PM

Germany says to limit migrant benefits after Solingen attack

8:58 PM

Heavy rain in Delhi, maximum temperature dips to 4-year low for August

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Thursday settled six notches below normal at 28.8 degrees Celsius -- the lowest for August in the last four years -- following heavy rain, the weather office said.

 

The maximum temperature on Wednesday had settled at 34 degrees Celsius.

 

The observatory at Safdarjung, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded 77.1 mm rainfall in the 24 ended at 8:30 am.

 

The weather station at Lodhi Road recorded 92.2 mm rainfall while Ridge registered 18.2 mm, Palam 54.5 mm and Ayanagar 62.4 mm during the same period, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

 

According to IMD parameters, rainfall between 2.5 and 15.5 mm is considered 'light', 15.6 mm-64.4 mm 'moderate', 64.5-115.5 mm 'heavy', 115.6-204.4 mm 'very heavy' and more than 204.5 mm 'extremely heavy'.

 

Delhi in August so far recorded 378.5 mm rainfall -- the city's highest in 12 years.

8:51 PM

PM Modi arrives at the BJP headquarters to attend the party's CEC meeting for Haryana Assembly elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the BJP headquarters to attend the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting for the Haryana Assembly elections

8:50 PM

Case against 122 persons over clash between Sena (UBT)-BJP supporters at Rajkot fort

Police in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district has registered a First Information Report against 122 supporters of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP in connection with the clash at Rajkot fort during Aaditya Thackeray's visit, officials said on Thursday.

 

The FIR named 42 persons identified from CCTV footage. The other 80 accused were yet to be identified and police were examining the footage closely to ascertain every person's identity and role in the incident, said an official.

 

The case for rioting and disobedience of prohibitory orders was registered late Wednesday night on the complaint of a police personnel who was among the cops injured in stone-pelting during the clash, an official said. No arrest has been made in the case yet. A forensic team also visited the spot on Thursday. The fracas began when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and BJP MP Narayan Rane and his son Nilesh Rane arrived with their supporters at the fort at Malvan almost at the same time on Thursday. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj which stood on the fort collapsed on Monday, nine months after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident has started off a huge political row in Maharashtra.

8:27 PM

Azerbaijan eyes 250,000 Indian visitors this year

Good connectivity and ease of getting visa have boosted traveller footfall from India to Azerbaijan and the country is looking at 250,000 Indian tourists this year, Azerbaijan Tourism Board CEO Florian Sengstschmid said on Thursday.

The country has seen 1,502,695 visitors from India January to July this year, 31 per cent higher than the year-ago period.

Azerbaijan had welcomes 50,000-55,000 Indian travellers in the first seven months in 2023, Azerbaijan Tourism Board CEO Florian Sengstschmid told PTI over phone on the sidelines of Business+Leisure Travel and MICE (BLTM).

Last year, 115,000 travellers from India visited Azerbaijan, which was part of the former Soviet Republic and spans Asia and Europe.

"The main reason for this increase in Indian travellers to Azerbaijan is due to the good connectivity between Baku and India. Currently we have 11 flights flying from New Delhi to Baku and weekly 3 flights from Mumbai.

8:24 PM

Doctor's rape-murder: Union WCD Minister criticises Bengal CM, urges her to focus on women's safety

Lambasting West Bengal Chief for "attempting to protect the culprits" of the rape-murder of trainee doctor, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi on Thursday urged Mamata Banerjee to focus on women's safety.

 

Speaking exclusively with ANI, Annapurna Devi said, "The incident that happened in Bengal is very tragic. Regarding this incident, the Chief Minister of Bengal, who is herself a woman, should have immediately taken cognisance and taken action against the culprits. But instead, it seems that she is somehow trying to cover it up and attempting to protect the guilty."

 

On Mamata's letter to the Prime Minister, Devi said, "Recently, she wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. Today, when the women's helpline, which is run entirely by the Government of India, is not implemented in Bengal. If the women's helpline were implemented, then if any woman faced any trouble, she could call, and that call would be transferred to emergency number 112, after which necessary action would be taken in an integrated manner. Perhaps this could have helped a lot of people."

8:24 PM

Reality show to select Indian space traveller on Blue Origin mission

TV show producer Banijay Asia has tied up with Space Exploration and Research Agency for a reality show to send an Indian into space on a future Blue Origin New Shepard mission.

 

Recently, SERA announced India as a partner nation for their human spaceflight programme aimed at giving an opportunity to citizens from countries with few or no astronauts to travel into space.

 

"We're embarking on an unprecedented journey with SERA to create a reality format that transcends the ordinary. It's a privilege to document this journey of an ordinary Indian space traveller and show how this programme will not only transform their life but also democratise space travel more broadly," Deepak Dhar, Founder and Group CEO, Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India said in a statement.

 

The format will capture the drama, disappointment, and joy as the shortlisted individuals participate in various challenges that test their mettle and readiness for space travel, a company statement said.

7:52 PM

One person killed, 8 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in Poonch

One person was killed and eight others were injured when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.

The incident took place on the Mughal road at Chandimarh area, they said.

Nine people were injured in the incident. Upon receiving information, the police reached the spot and rushed the injured to the hospital, they said.

One person, identified as Yasir , among the injured, died on the way to the hospital. Others are undergoing treatment, they added.

7:51 PM

Russia's Putin to visit Mongolia on Sept 3, news agencies say

7:11 PM

LIC hands over Rs 3,662 cr dividend cheque to govt

State-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on Thursday handed over a dividend cheque of Rs 3,662.17 crore to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

 

The cheque was presented by Siddhartha Mohanty, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of LIC to the finance minister in the presence of M P Tangirala, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance.

5:31 PM

I have spoken against BJP, not medical students or protests, clarifies Mamata Banerjee

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that disinformation is being spread regarding speech at a party event yesterday. Taking to X, the TMC supremo further said that she supports the students' protest against the murder-rape case of the Kolkata doctor that has sparked nationwide outrage.

5:14 PM

Sakshi Malik's memoir to be out in October

One of India's top women wrestlers Sakshi Malik will come out with her memoir in October in which she gives an "honest account" of her life -- the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Published by Juggernaut Books, "Witness" is co-authored by Jonathan Selvaraj.

In her fiery memoir, Malik tells her story beginning from childhood, introduction to wrestling in Rohtak, win in the Rio Olympics, post-Olympics journey, struggles and triumphs over injuries and self-doubt, and finally, the most recent public battle with the administration of Wrestling Foundation of India (WFI) that has played out on the streets of New Delhi.

5:14 PM

China seeks public views on transportation of cooking oil after food scandal

China will solicit public opinion on a proposed mandatory national sanitary standard for the bulk transportation of edible vegetable oil by Sept. 2, the country's market regulator said on Thursday.
 

This came after China fined state stockpiler Sinograin and six more firms a total of about 11 million yuan ($1.54 million) over the use of fuel tankers to transport cooking oil in a scandal that eroded confidence in food safety regulations, state media reported.

4:45 PM

Odisha Congress MLAs seeks governor's intervention to enhance quota for ST, SC, OBCs

Congress legislators in Odisha on Thursday sought the intervention of Governor Raghubar Das to enhance reservation quotas for SC, ST and OBCs in technical and medical education in the state. Congress MLAs have been raising the issue in the state Assembly for the past few days. Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati on Thursday again raised the issue during zero hour and demanded a ruling from the Speaker.

4:42 PM

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Air India Express

Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express for non-payment of compensation to passengers for cancelled flights.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out an inspection as per Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2024 of scheduled domestic operators in June. This was in respect of norms pertaining to facilities and compensation that are to be provided to passengers.

4:25 PM

Punjab cabinet decides panchayat polls not be fought on party symbols

The Punjab cabinet on Thursday decided to amend rules to hold elections for sarpanch and panch without symbols of political parties, state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said. The move is aimed to "further strengthen" the mutual brotherhood in villages, he said. "Earlier, sarpanch and panch elections could be fought on political party's symbol. But the cabinet decided that now the upcoming panchayat polls will be contested without the symbol of political parties," Cheema said.

4:24 PM

SC seeks bank statement of accused to ascertain transactions in Jharkhand land "scam"

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the bank statements of an accused to ascertain the financial transactions related to the sale of 4.55 acre land of the Indian Army in Ranchi allegedly by creating false property documents. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is out on bail, is also an accused in a money laundering case arising from the alleged land scam.

4:11 PM

EC seeks report from UP CEO on SP allegation of bias in posting of booth-level officers

Taking cognisance of complaints from the Samajwadi Party, the Election Commission has sought a detailed report from the Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer over allegations of bias in posting of officials belonging to certain communities ahead of bypolls in the state, news agency PTI reported today.

3:54 PM

Govt to unveil new simplified pension application form for retiring employees

The Centre will unveil a new simplified pension application form for its retiring employees on Friday, according to an official statement. The Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW) had vide its notification dated July 16, 2024 released the simplified pension application "Form 6-A", it said.

3:29 PM

Supreme Court seeks bank statement of accused to ascertain transactions in Jharkhand land 'scam'

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the bank statements of an accused to ascertain the financial transactions related to the sale of 4.55 acre land of the Indian Army in Ranchi allegedly by creating false property documents. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is out on bail, is also an accused in a money laundering case arising from the alleged land scam.

 

3:24 PM

Taking hard stand to fight climate change not always practical in a democracy: Union minister

Many initiatives to combat climate change rely heavily on public support and taking a hard stand may not always be very practical in a democratic country, Union minister Kirti Vardhan Singh said on Thursday. Addressing ASSOCHAM's Environment and Carbon Conference here, Singh -- the minister of state for environment -- said a forward-thinking chief minister of Karnataka was promptly voted out after he decided to put a tax on "water usage for the farmers".

2:52 PM

Reliance aims to create world's lowest AI inferencing cost, says Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani announces Jio AI Cloud Welcome offer, offering 100 GB of free cloud storage to Jio users.

2:49 PM

Reliance to set up gigawatt-scale AI-ready data centres at Jamnagar, in Gujarat, says Mukesh Ambani

Reliance Jio targeting 100 million home broadband customers with 30 million additions every month, says Mukesh Ambani. 

2:45 PM

Reliance AGM 2024 LIVE news: Thanks to Jio, India is now the world's largest data market, says Mukesh Ambani

This past year, we completed the pan-India roll out of Jio True 5G, Mukesh Ambani said today.

2:43 PM

Reliance AGM LIVE: Jio developing suite of tools,platforms called Jio Brain, says Mukesh Ambani

Jio Brain enables us to accelerate AI adoption across Jio, driving faster decisions, more accurate predictions, and better understanding of customer needs, Mukesh Ambani said today.

2:31 PM

Reliance now a net producer of technology; transforming into a deeptech company, says Mukesh Ambani

We are not in business of short-term profit & hoarding wealth; in business to create wealth, energy security for the nation, Mukesh Ambani said today. Reliance has now become a net producer of technology; transforming into a deeptech company, Mukesh Ambani stated today at Reliance AGM. 

2:29 PM

India one of biggest growth engines in the world, remains brightest beacon, says Mukesh Ambani

India one of biggest growth engines in the world and not just a carriage; remains brightest beacon, says Mukesh Ambani at Reliance AGM. Birth of AI has opened up opportunities to address complex problems facing humans, says Mukesh Ambani at AGM of Reliance Industries Ltd. 

2:27 PM

Reliance AGM 2024 LIVE Updates: Jio platform reported PAT of Rs 20,000 crore in FY24, says Mukesh Ambani