Page 657 - Video Gallery

Watch: Joint mountaineering expedition 'Pulkit' climbs towards summit of Mt Khangchengyao

Kangchenjunga (Sikkim), Aug 20 (ANI): The joint mountaineering expedition 'Pulkit' of Eastern and North Eastern Frontiers ITBP climbed towards the summit of Mt Khangchengyao (6889 M) in North Sikkim, on August 14. The 32-member team was led by Digvijay Singh, DC.

B Sriramulu, KS Eshwarappa and others BJP leaders take oath as K'taka Cabinet Ministers

Bengaluru (Karnataka), Aug 20 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expanded his ministry on August 20 by inducting 17 ministers in the first phase. CN Ashwath Narayan and Govind M Karjol took oath as Karnataka Cabinet Ministers in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, KS Eshwarappa and B Sriramulu also took oath as Karnataka Cabinet Minister. They all took oath in the presence of Governor Vajubhai Vala and CM Yediyurappa. This will be the first-ever expansion of Yediyurappa's ministry after he assumed office on July 26 and proved his government's majority on the floor of the Assembly on July 29.

CM Kamal Nath pays tribute to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary

Bhopal (MP), Aug 20 (ANI): Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath paid tribute to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20. Today is 75th birth anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. While speaking to mediapersons, he said, "On the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, we all remember him because he gave a new direction to India."

We are replacing our high-end obsolete weapons with indigenously developed ones: BS Dhanoa

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): IAF Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa attended a seminar in Delhi on August 20, where he said that soon indigenous technology will replace obsolete war fighting equipments. Dhanoa said, "We cannot wait for indigenous technology to replace obsolete war-fighting equipments, neither it will be prudent to import every defence equipment from abroad. What we are doing is replacing our high-end obsolete weapons with indigenously developed ones. This will boost our in-house defence manufacturing. However, to win the war, we also need some high-end, high-tech items, which we have to import. This gives us balanced air force with a long term ability to develop and manufacture straight of war air-craft and systems."

Recent offensive strike against terrorist outfits speaks volumes about reach of Indian Armed Forces: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended a seminar in Delhi on August 20, where he spoke about the need of advancement in technology for Indian Air Force. Rajnath Singh said, "Indian Air Force is a technologically advanced and extremely potent force, the recent offensive strike against terrorist outfits in our neighbourhood speaks volumes about the reach and lethality of the formidable arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Indian Air Force needs to keep pace with the advancement in technology for enhancing operational capabilities.". He also said, "On Kargil War Diwas, our honorable Prime Minister also emphasised on the modernization of armed forces."

We approve the proposal for providing test facilities of govt entities to private defence sector: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended a seminar in Delhi on August 20, where he announced that Ministry of Defence has approved the proposal for providing test facilities of government entities to the private defence sector. Rajnath said, "I am happy to share that we have just approved the proposal for providing test facilities of government entities to the private defence sector. A formal government order is to be issued, this has removed various bottlenecks which used to come in way of using test facilities by private entities." He also said, "Easy access to these test facilities to the private sector will go a long way in helping the industry."

Incessant rain leads to flood in Punjab's Anandpur Sahib, crops damaged

Anandpur Sahib (Punjab), Aug 20 (ANI): Incessant rain led to flood in Lodhipur village of Punjab's Anandpur Sahib on August 19. The crops were damaged due to heavy downpour. Houses in the low lying areas of the village have also been flooded. Normal lives have also been affected. Several parts of the country including Kerala, Bihar and Gujarat are submerged due to heavy rainfall.

CM Baghel flags off 'Sadbhavna run' on the occasion of birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi

Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Aug 20 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel paid tribute to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20. Later, he flagged off and participated in 'Sadbhavna run' on the occasion of 75th birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Congress leader PL Punia along with school children also participated in the 'Sadbhavna run' event.

Crocodile rescued by forest officials in Gujarat's Vadodara

Vadodara (Gujarat), Aug 20 (ANI): Yet another crocodile was found in Gujarat's Vadodara. Forest Department reached at the spot to rescue the crocodile. Several crocodiles have been rescued from various states during the flood. There is a possibility of more crocodiles in the region.

MNS withdraws 'bandh,' says Raj Thackeray directed to ensure that public should not suffer

Thane (Maharashtra), Aug 20 (ANI): Enforcement Directorate has summoned Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to appear before investigating officer. Speaking on this issue MNS leader Avinash Jadhav said, "We declared a bandh in Thane on Aug 22 after ED summoned our chief Raj Thackeray. But I received a call from Raj Sahab and he has asked not to do anything that might create problems for public. So we have decided to withdraw the bandh."

Congress leaders pay tribute to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20. Today is 75th birth anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Meanwhile, former president Pranab Mukherjee also paid tribute to the leader.

10 cows found dead in cow shelter in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon

Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh), Aug 20 (ANI): 10 cows were found dead in a cow shelter on August 20. The mishap took place in Barbaspur village of Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon. It was alleged that the cows were locked in a room for a long time. While speaking to mediaperson ASP UBS Chouhan, said, "Post-mortem report will reveal if the cows have died of suffocation or starvation. Probe will be done."

Engine of Visakha Express gets detached, runs without coaches in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 20 (ANI): The engine of Visakha Express got detached from its coaches between Narsipatnam and Tuni railway stations on August 19. Visakha Express plies between Bhubaneswar to Secunderabad. The engine travelled at least 10 km without coaches. The official, however, could not explain the reasons for the uncoupling of the engine and the bogies when the train was on the move. Investigation is underway in this regard.

Spotify rolls out upgraded Premium Family Plan with explicit content filter

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Spotify announced an upgraded Premium Family Plan, featuring an explicit content filter on August 19. The Explicit Content Filter setting allows parents to control the content settings for all accounts on their plan. The Spotify Premium Family Plan offers on-demand access to 450,000 podcast titles and 50 million tracks of ad-free music. The latest update is available in Ireland and will be rolled out to all markets with Premium Family this fall.

High alert over possible presence of Afghan-origin terrorists in MP's Jhabua

Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh), Aug 20 (ANI): The security has been tightened up in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua on August 19 amid speculation of terror threat. There is high alert over possible presence of Afghan-origin terrorists in the state. The alert has been sounded in bordering districts of Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Ratlam, Mandsaur, Neemuch and Agar-Malwa. After the high alert was sounded, police have started heightened checking at around 10 security checkpoints. The police are also conducting search operations in trains which are coming from Rajasthan and Gujarat into Madhya Pradesh.

12-foot-long python rescued in Odisha's Rayagada

Rayagada (Odisha), Aug 20 (ANI): A 12-foot-long python was rescued in Odisha's Rayagada district on August 19. Python was rescued from Gayatri Nagar area of Rayagada. The python was later handed over to the forest department which released it in a forest.

Charred body of woman found at her in-laws place in UP's Shravasti

Shravasti (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 20 (ANI): The charred body of a woman was found at her in-laws place in Uttar Pradesh's Shravasti district on August 19. The incident took place in a village under Bhinga police station limits of Shravasti district. Her family members alleged that she had been given triple talaq by her husband. While speaking to ANI, Police official said, "First Information Report (FIR) has been registered and body is sent for the postmortem. Teams have also been formed to arrest the accused in this case." Meanwhile, father of the deceased added, "My daughter had been given triple talaq by her husband over phone a month ago. Later, he had said that he is ready to take her in as his wife only after 'halala'. Now, she (my daughter) is dead." Triple Talaq Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on July 30 criminalising men for divorcing by uttering talaq thrice.

Man booked for thrashing pregnant wife, giving triple talaq in Chhattisgarh's Korea

Korea (Chhattisgarh), Aug 20 (ANI): A man was arrested for thrashing his pregnant wife and also giving her triple talaq in Chhattisgarh's Korea district on August 19. He was booked under Manendragarh police station limits of Korea district. While speaking to ANI on this matter, Police official said, "She (victim) was beaten up by her in-laws and husband. Case is registered against him under Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 and Indian Penal Code (IPC)." Meanwhile, while speaking to media, the triple talaq victim added, "Since five years I was being thrashed by my in-laws and husband. Today also I was beaten up and he (my husband) gave me triple talaq." "When I told him he will have to give me money for our children, he refused, threatened me and threw me out. I am pregnant," she further stated. Triple Talaq Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on July 30 criminalising men for divorcing by uttering talaq thrice.

Substance in brown coal may aid in combating viruses

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Scientists have identified biologically active molecular components of humic substances extracted from coal, and discovered substances with antiviral activity against the tick-borne encephalitis virus. The study was published in the journal 'Scientific Reports'. Natural multicomponent mixtures, such as humic substances found in soil, peat, and coal are a significant source of biologically active compounds. Understanding their composition and extracting active components can be a great help in creating new drugs. However, finding a specific compound in these environments is a highly challenging task that requires advanced methods capable of differentiating and separating one substance from another. The study revealed that humic substances inhibit the reproduction of a dangerous human pathogen, tick-borne encephalitis virus. The authors relied on high-resolution mass spectrometry to study the composition of humic samples and chemoinformatics to analyse their find

Expert panel submits Direct tax code report to FM Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi, Aug 19 (ANI): Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) submitted its Direct tax code report to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Task force headed by Akhilesh Ranjan, Member of CBDT submitted the report to the Finance Minister on August 19. New direct tax code will replace the existing Income Tax Act of 1961. The proposals in the draft code are aimed at bringing more certainly to taxation of personal and corporate income as well as capital gains.