Month: October 2023

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan on Tuesday shared a glimpse from her Halloween party along with her husband Saif Ali Khan and son Taimur.

Taking to Instagram, Kareena shared a picture on her stories which she captioned, “Kids favourite.”

In the picture, Kareena could be seen posing with her husband, kid and one of their friends.

Taimur donned a spooky skeleton outfit for the celebrations, while Saif opted for a black and white traditional outfit.

Kareena, on the other hand, wore a beige t-shirt paired with blue jeans. She tied her hair into a ponytail and was seen in a no-makeup look.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena recently attended the premiere of her film ‘The Buckingham Murders’ at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in a black dress with pink sleeves. She went for nude makeup and tied her hair in a bun. On the other hand, Karisma and Saif twinned in white. Karisma looked exquisite in a white saree, while Saif looked royal in a white kurta-pyjama with a white Nehru jacket.

‘The Buckingham Murders’ is helmed by Hansal Mehta, It also stars Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, and Keith Allen. It is written by Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor, and Raghav Raj Kakker and produced by Balaji Telefilms and TBM Films alongside Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Apart from this, Kareena will also be seen in director Rohit Shetty’s upcoming film ‘Singham Again’.

The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar. (ANI)

As mercury dips in the National Capital Region and air quality worsens, doctors have expressed concerns regarding the health of the people.

On Tuesday, the Air Quality Index crossed 350 in Delhi, which was the worst for this season so far.

Doctors are alerting patients and telling them measures to safeguard their health. Speaking to ANI, Dr Subhash Giri, Director, Lady Harding Medical College said that they are receiving a lot of patients due to side effects of pollution.

“These days we are getting a lot of patients due to pollution and it affects lung conditions. Pollution is also causing effects on our neuropsychiatric behaviour. Long-term pollution causes dementia. Overall every system of our body is affected due to pollution. We used to have roughly 10-15 patients in our emergency earlier, but now the patients have increased to around 40,” he said.

Dr Giri further urged the children and elderly to not expose themselves to the outside atmosphere frequently.

The maximum bad effect of pollution is on children, elderly people and pregnant women. Children, the elderly and pregnant should try to be within the house only. They should wear the mask when they go out of their house,” he said.

Vivek Chattopadhyaya, Principal Programme Manager, Air Pollution Control Cell, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said “The Air Quality Index today is in Very Poor category. It indicates that the air pollution level has gone up. This also says that our efforts have been a failure so far because the smoke from stubble burning has not even reached here yet. The pollution is rising due to causes in the city itself. The air has become still and its speed is slowing down causing an accumulation of pollution.”

He cautioned that if control measures are not implemented the air quality would enter Severe category.

“Right now, we need strictness with our control measures and that the action plan can be implemented across the city…There are a lot of sources of pollution in Delhi…The city has industries and commercial activity level is very high too. This is a landlocked city. When the air becomes still and the mixing height comes down, the pollution starts accumulating very close to the ground…The temperature is going down and the air is growing dense so pollution build up is taking place. If our efforts are not very successful the air quality can enter Severe category…”, said Chattopadhyaya.

Last week, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that a 15-point winter action plan is being implemented one by one to curb pollution.

“Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier announced a 15-point winter action plan to curb the pollution caused by vehicles, biomass burning, dust, etc. Now this winter action plan is being implemented on the ground one by one to reduce pollution in the national capital,” Rai had told ANI.

The Delhi Minister added that since one of the major causes of pollution is vehicles, they have started the ‘Red Light on, Gaadi off’ campaign on October 26.”Now the data says that in AQI the level of particulate matter (PM) 10 is decreasing and that of PM2.5 is increasing. This means that pollution caused by vehicles and biomass burning is increasing. For this, the ‘Red Light on, Gaadi off’ campaign has been started,” the Delhi minister had said. (ANI)

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday prohibited the publication or publicising of exit poll results from November 7 till November 30 evening in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states.

According to the poll body, the ban will remain in effect from 7 am on November 7 till 6:30 pm on November 30.

“The Election Commission, having regard to the provisions of sub-Section (2) of the said Section, hereby notifies the period between 7:00 am on 7th November 2023 (Tuesday) and 6:30 PM on 30th November 2023 (Thursday) as the period during which conducting and publishing or publicizing exit polls by means of the print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll in connection with the aforesaid General Elections and bye-election shall be prohibited,” the official notification issued by ECI read.

An exit poll is a survey that is conducted immediately after people have voted for their respective candidates. The tool helps in assessing the support for political parties and their candidates.

The election dates for the five states are as follows: Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25, and Telangana on November 30.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all the states. Of the five states, polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases.

The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates. These elections are crucial as they are taking place months before the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May next year.

According to the Chief Election Commissioner, nearly 16 crore voters are eligible to vote in these elections. (ANI)

A Kerala court on Tuesday sent the accused arrested in Kerala’s Kalamassery multiple blasts case to judicial custody till November 29.

The accused, identified as Dominic Martin, was produced in the court on Tuesday evening, from where he was remanded to judicial custody.

“The accused Dominic has refused legal assistance. The accused has been remanded till November 29, 2023, at district jail Kakkanad. The investigative officer has requested the Court to mask his face to enable the investigative procedures. Principal Sessions Court has allowed the request for the test identification parade,” officials said.

According to the Police, the accused is highly intelligent and hardworking. “He has a highly paid job. He was not brainwashed,” they said.

Earlier in the day, police took the accused Dominic Martin to his residence in Athani, Ernakulam, and recreated the scene as part of their probe into the multiple explosions incident to collect more evidence in the case.

The Kerala Police on Tuesday said that the blast was caused by a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The incident claimed the lives of three people and over 50 sustained injuries.

According to the police, the accused also has the bills for the items purchased for the IED blast. Wherever Dominic purchased the goods, he made videos in those places.

Kochi Police had arrested Martin on Monday based on a self-made confession video posted on Facebook claiming responsibility for the blasts at the Zamra International Convention Centre in Kalamassery where over 2,000 followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian sect, had gathered for a prayer meeting on Sunday.

Following the incidents, Chief Minister Vijayan announced a 20-member probe team to investigate the matter. (ANI)

The Number 4 Squadron known as “Oorials” of the Indian Air Force (IAF) based at Air Force Station Uttarlai (Barmer), Rajasthan is converting from the MiG-21 to the Su-30 MKI, marking a watershed moment in the history of the squadron which was operating the MiG-21 since 1966.

The MiG-21 was the first supersonic fighter in service of the IAF and was inducted in 1963 and has participated in all major conflicts since then. This change signifies the unwavering commitment of the Indian Air Force to modernise and at the same time protect the skies of the nation.

The formal induction of the new aircraft was marked by a ceremony at Air Force Station Uttarlai on 30 October. The ceremony featured a combined flypast by the MiG-21 and Su-30 MKI, which marked the last MiG-21 sortie for the squadron.

The ceremony was witnessed by the various military and civilian dignitaries in attendance. The conversion of this squadron to Su-30 MKI implies that the IAF now operates only two squadrons of the MiG-21. The IAF remains committed to phasing out the MiG-21 aircraft by the year 2025. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off a heritage train from Ekta Nagar here to Ahmedabad on the National Unity Day.

The first heritage train of Gujarat will facilitate the travel of passengers and tourists visiting the Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad.

The Prime Minister participated in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas-related events today on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India.

He paid tributes to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity on his birth anniversary and witnessed the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade.

The train has been introduced to make the journey of people visiting the Statue of Unity more memorable and to add a touch of nostalgia, a senior official said.

Chief PRO of Western Railway Sumit Thakur told ANI that the special heritage train will be an added attraction for the tourists visiting the Statue of Unity.

“With its unique heritage look, the passengers will be transported to the bygone era of ‘steam’ engine locomotives,” he said.

He said the train is intended to enhance the experience of tourists visiting the Statue of Unity, offering a unique, heritage-themed journey reminiscent of the era of steam engine locomotives.

“The train has various amenities and features such as panoramic windows with roller blinds, an air-conditioned restaurant dining car with teak wood dining tables and cushioned seats, interior panels crafted from natural teak veneered plywood and warm, natural white lighting,” he said.

The train houses modular toilets with high-quality fittings, GPS-based public address and passenger information systems, luggage racks similar to Tejas Express coaches and electrically operated automatic compartment sliding doors. The exterior walls are adorned with PU paint and theme-based vinyl wrapping, creating an ambience that resonates with the heritage theme, the CPRO added.

He said that another feature of the unique train is its flameless pantry equipped with stainless steel, electrically operated equipment and enhanced interiors, providing a luxurious experience to the passengers.

Apart from air-conditioned executive chair car coaches, the train’s dedicated restaurant car provides a fine dining experience.

The train has 144 seats and the fare, without meals, is Rs 885, officials said.

Ekta Nagar railway station connects passengers to the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue.

Officials said, the heritage train, a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, offers “a unique experience for travellers, combining history, modern amenities, and a glimpse into the bygone era of Indian railways”.

“This initiative is set to become a new attraction for tourists and enthusiasts alike, reliving the charm of traditional steam engine locomotives while connecting them to the marvels of modern engineering,” an official said. (ANI)

UN experts on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of women human rights defenders Neda Parwan and Zholia Parsi, who have been detained by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities for over a month.

The two human rights defenders are affiliated with the Women’s Spontaneous Movement. Neda Parwan’s husband and Zholia Parsi’s adult son have also been placed in custody. No reasons have been provided for their arrests, the experts said, but others have been arrested in similar circumstances for exercising their fundamental right to engage in peaceful protests.

“The release of Ms Parwan and Ms Parsi and their family members from detention is an urgent matter. After more than a month in detention, we are increasingly concerned about their physical and mental wellbeing,” the experts said.

They underscored the importance of upholding the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, a fundamental tenet enshrined in international human rights law and warned that individuals must not be deprived of their liberty merely for expressing dissenting views and for exercising their legitimate rights. Women human rights defenders are particularly at risk and are more likely to be targeted because of their gender.

“The Taliban seem to be continuing to intensify their restrictions on civic space, especially through silencing of the voices of women and girls, thus creating a chilling effect.” the experts said.

“We urge the de facto authorities to demonstrate respect for freedom of expression, freedoms of movement and association including the right to engage in peaceful protest, in line with Afghanistan’s international obligations under human rights instruments ratified by the State,” the experts said.

A month after their arrest, Neda Parwan and Zholia Parsi and their family members have yet to be charged with a crime or brought before a court. They have not been granted access to legal representation.

The experts welcomed the recent release of Mortaza Behboudi, an Afghan-French journalist, and Matiullah Wesa, the founder of the civil society organisation Pen Path, who ardently champions the right to education.

“We urge the de facto authorities to also release the women rights defenders and their family members without further delay, as there is no justification for their detention,” the experts stated. (ANI)

Amid the country’s ongoing war with Hamas, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian truce’ deeply flawed.

On being asked about India’s abstention in the UN vote as it did not condemn the Hamas attacks, Netanyahu responded by saying, “I think that resolution was deeply flawed and I am sorry to say that even many of our friends did not even… insist that there could be a flaw or a powerful condemnation of the horrors that were committed here…that there are horrors that no civilised country, including your country and so many others would tolerate…”

“…So I hope we don’t see a repeat of any of these kinds of resolutions,” he added.

Netanyahu also made it clear that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire, drawing parallels to the United States’ position after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He noted that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.

Netanyahu said, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities after the horrific attacks of October 7.”

“Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terror, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war. A war for a common future,” he said during the press briefing.

India abstained from voting on the Jordanian resolution which called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in Gaza as it did not specifically condemn the terror attack by Hamas.

However, it is pertinent to note that India was in favour of the Canadian resolution which had an added clause that condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas.

The Jordanian-led draft resolution was adopted by the General Assembly, with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. The 45 nations that abstained from voting on the resolution included Iceland, India, Panama, Lithuania and Greece.

The resolution was adopted during the UN General Assembly’s emergency special session on the Israel-Palestine crisis. The UNGA also demanded “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of lifesaving supplies and services for civilians trapped inside the enclave.

Notably, expressing deep concerns over the deteriorating security situation and the astounding loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, India at the UN urged both parties to “de-escalate, eschew violence.”

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Yojna Patel on October 27 in her remarks at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Emergency Special Session on the Israel-Hamas war said, “India is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation and the astounding loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict. The escalation of hostilities in the region will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. It is necessary for all parties to display the utmost responsibility.”

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages. Over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. More than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel. (ANI)

Asserting that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is destroying itself, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Aam Aadmi Party has been the biggest let-down in the political history of India.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Tuesday, BJP MP said that AAP alleges that the central government is trying to finish them. But AAP is destroying itself on their own.

“You will commit mistakes and do corruption, and if an investigation is being done, then you have a problem,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

He further said that Arvind Kejriwal has not said a single word of clarification on this scam so far.

“All the leaders of AAP including Arvind Kejriwal, Manisha Sisodia and Sanjay Singh used to say that this whole scam is false, but since February Sisodia has been in jail. His bail was rejected by a lower court, then the High Court and now it is being rejected by the Supreme Court. Till today, Arvind Kejriwal has not said a single word of clarification on this scam,” BJP MP further said.

BJP MP further alleged that such a massive scam cannot happen without the clear approval of Arvind Kejriwal.

Earlier the AAP had alleged that the BJP government at the centre was aiming to finish the party and the latest summon was proof of that.

“This is not very surprising… The way in which the BJP was conspiring to carry out this process, their goal is clear… They want to politically end Arvind Kejriwal. In the way in which AAP is expanding, PM Modi and the BJP were clear that it is becoming impossible to defeat AAP in a legal way in elections…. This is part of that conspiracy” said AAP leader Sandeep Pathak.

ED has summoned Arvind Kejriwal on November 2 for questioning in the Delhi Excise policy case.

Kejriwal was earlier summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April this year, in connection with the case.

However, Kejriwal was not named as an accused in the first information report (FIR) filed by the CBI on August 17, last year.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Manish Sisodia in connection with cases related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

The order was delivered by a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti.

However, the court directed to complete the trial in the case in six to eight months. The court also remarked that if the trial in the case proceeds at a slow pace, Sisodia can apply for bail again after three months.

The court, while refusing bail, also took note of the aspects regarding the transfer of a money trail of 338 crore, which is tentatively established. (ANI)

The Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra Lawyer on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that they are not pressing for any relief in the suit against media houses and social media intermediaries.

Noting this, the bench of Justice Sachin Datta asked Moitra’s counsel Samudra Sarangi to file an amended memo of parties while re-notifying the matter for December 5, 2023.

Advocate Sidhant Kumar appeared for a media house and submitted that since the plaintiff is not pressing for relief against the media houses, she must amend the suit accordingly as there are some averments against the media houses.

Earlier on October 20, 2023, the Delhi High Court adjourned TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s defamation plea against Nishikant Dubey for October 31.

On the last date, Nishikant Dubey’s lawyer Abhimanyu Bhandari submitted that a businessman had circulated an affidavit that he had given expensive gifts to the petitioner.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankarnaryan while pushing for an ad interim injunction told the court, “She’s a public figure with standing in the society…unfortunately she was a friend with Dehradari.”

While Senior Advocate Sankarnaryan appearing for Mahua Moitra, was putting forth his submisisons, Adv Jai Anant Dehradari, against whom also injunction was sought, objected to him appearing in the case.

Dehedrai appeared in person and told the court that Sankaranarayanan contacted him the night before and asked him to withdraw his CBI complaint in exchange for the dog. Following these submisisons, Sankarnaryan withdrew from the case.

Speaking to the media outside the court complex Gopal Sankarnaryan said “I have absolutely no comments except to say, because Jai (Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai) instructed me in a case, I had reached out to him yesterday and had asked him is there were any way of exploring a settlement. Jai had said that he would get back to me, but he didn’t. Today when I appeared, Jai personally said to me he had an objection to my appearance. I immediately withdrew and said that I don’t want to do this case.”

The Delhi High Court earlier had issued notices to the defendants on Moitra’s suit. Moitra is at the centre of a political storm after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that she had allegedly taken bribes from a business house to ask questions in Parliament.

Earlier Nishikant Dubey in his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, titled “Reemergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament” had alleged “‘serious Breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and a ‘Criminal Offence’ under Section 120A of IPC” by the Trinamool Congress MP.

Dubey claimed that an Advocate, Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided him with proof of a bribe. In her response to this letter, the TMC MP had said that she would welcome a probe by the speaker after he dealt with alleged breach of privilege by other BJP MPs. (ANI)