Month: October 2023

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged President Droupadi Murmu to accord assent to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Under Graduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 and sought exemption from NEET based medical selection process as it is ‘detrimental’ to students.

“I wish to draw your kind attention to the need to expedite the granting of assent to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, which has been pending for presidential assent for more than a year,” the Chief Minister wrote in his letter.

Stalin pointed out that since the NEET-based medical selection process is detrimental to students from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, the state has opted for selection for MBBS course based on the marks obtained by the candidates in Class 12.

“Considering the fact that the NEET-based medical selection process is against the students from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, Tamil Nadu nas opted for the MBBS selection process through the +2 marks,” he wrote.

Batting for the earlier criteria for selection of candidates for the MBBS program, Stalin wrote, “This process had served our State’s interests well in the past but had to be discontinued due to the Union Government’s introduction of NEET and subsequent changes in Union legislation.”

Stalin said that the Tamil Nadu Admission to Under Graduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 was thereby passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on September 13 based on the recommendations of the Justice AK Rajan Committee.

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, popularly known as the Anti-NEET bill, was supported by all parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), except for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The bill was introduced after a 19-year-old medical aspirant died by suicide at his home in Salem hours before the NEET exam.

NEET is the all-India level entrance examination for undergraduate medical courses. This year, the exam was held on September 12 across the country. (ANI)

The United States on Friday imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting key Hamas-linked officials, financial networks and Iran-based organisations that were involved in the funding of the terror group.

The US Treasury Department informed about the sanctions following the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.

“Today’s action targets additional assets in Hamas’s investment portfolio and individuals who are facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas-affiliated companies. Treasury is also designating a Hamas official in Iran and members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as a Gaza-based entity that has served as a conduit for illicit Iranian funds to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),” the statement by Treasury Department read.

US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said that Washington is committed to dismantling Hamas’ funding and won’t hesitate to take further actions.

“Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to dismantling Hamas’s funding networks by deploying our counterterrorism sanctions authorities and working with our global partners to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system,” Adeyemo said.

He added, “We will not hesitate to take action to further degrade Hamas’s ability to commit horrific terrorist attacks by relentlessly targeting its financial activities and streams of funding.”

One of the major names sanctioned by the US is Khaled Qaddoumi, who is a Jordanian national and longtime Hamas member who is the representative of Hamas to Iran, and acting as a liaison between Hamas and the Iranian government.

Qaddoumi works to maintain strong relationships with Iran by attending delegation meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials and praising Iranian support for Hamas, including its provision of weapons, the statement read.

The US has also sanctioned Turkiye-based company Trend GYO, designated in May 2022 as part of Hamas’s investment portfolio, which is a key component of Hamas’s global asset holdings which had previously been estimated to be worth over USD 500 million. Trend GYO currently has three primary shareholders; Turkiye-based Alaeddin Senguler, Gulsah Yigidoglu, and Arwa Mangoush.

“As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 per cent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked,” the department stated.

It added, “Treasury remains committed to enabling the flow of legitimate humanitarian assistance supporting the basic human needs of vulnerable populations, while continuing to deny resources to malicious actors. Accordingly, OFAC sanctions programs contain provisions for legitimate humanitarian support to vulnerable populations, including authorizations for certain humanitarian transactions in support of nongovernmental organizations’ activities”. (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari has been sentenced to 10 years by a Ghazipur MP/MLA court in a murder case.

In addition to the imprisonment, the former MLA has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh. The former MLA was convicted by the same court on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ansari’s associate Soni Yadav has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.

Ghazipur’s additional district government counsel (criminal) Neeraj Srivastava said that in connection with that case, both the accused were pronounced guilty yesterday and today arguments on the quantum of the sentence were held.

“A case was registered against Mukhtar Ansari and his aide Sonu Yadav in 2010. The court sentenced Mukhtar Ansari to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakhs on him. Sonu Yadav was sentenced to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment with the imposition of a fine of Rs 2 lakhs,” he added.

The sentence came in the murder case of police officer Kapil Dev Singh lodged in 2009. The same year, Mukhtar Ansari was accused of trying to murder another policeman, Mir Hasan.

Mukhtar Ansari was booked under the Gangsters Act for the third time by Ghazipur police in 2009 after he was found accused in two cases including a case of murder of Kapildev Singh lodged with Karanda police and an attempt to murder Mir Hasan of Muhammadabad police station area.

A gang chart was prepared in 2010 by combining both the cases and a case was registered under the Gangster Act.

Earlier on October 15, the Enforcement Directorate attached lands, a building and bank deposits worth more than Rs 73.43 lakh as part of the money laundering investigation against Mukhtar Ansari.

A five-time MLA Ansari has also been charged with the murder of a Congress leader in 1991 and in August same year, the Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai’s house. (ANI)

A Muslim outfit in West Bengal’s Asansol held a protest march against the atrocities by Israel on Palestine and the atrocities committed by Israel at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

This comes amid the backdrop of Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent retaliation by Israel. Earlier in August Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as they fired grenades and tear gas at Palestinian worshippers in a raid.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Asansol district president Danish Aziz took out a huge rally in support of Palestine under the banner of Ahle Awam. The protesters raised slogans of Palestine Zindabad, waved Palestinian flags and protested against Israel by wearing black bandages.

After offering Friday prayers, Aziz organized a huge rally and took out a rally on foot for about two kilometers from Rabindra Bhawan to the District Magistrate’s office.

Many protesters were seen wearing Palestine flag stickers on their cheeks. Along with this, they also waved the tricolor of India and raised slogans of Hindustan Zindabad.

“The Government of India and the Government of West Bengal should support Palestine, stand with them and help them save Al-Aqsa Mosque. They should not support America because America is supporting Israel,” Aziz said.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending his support to Israel, Aziz said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should support Israel. The Muslim community has been greatly hurt by the tweet made in support of Isreal.”

“Through this rally we are trying to tell not only West Bengal but also the Modi government that they should support Palestine. Stand up and help them save Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he added.

This was not the first time Danish Aziz wanted to make a statement on the Palestine issue. Earlier this month, Aziz was about to take out a rally under the banner of Ahle Awam and give a deputation against Israel in the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate office in support of Palestine. However the Asansol South Police Station detained him and took him into custody.

In August, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi shared a photo of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque in a post on X. “Hands of GAZA,Falasteen Zindabad. Violence Murdabaad (done mainly by Israel or any Group/organisation). Masjid e Aqsa Aabad Rahe,” he said. (ANI)

Pakistani singer Atif Aslam is winning hearts with his befitting response to the fans who threw money at him during his live concert in the US.

A video has been doing the rounds on the internet in which an enthusiastic fan is seen coming closer to the stage and throwing money at Atif. The fan’s act did not go down well with the ‘Tera Hone Laga Hoon’ singer.

"My friend, Donate this money, don't throw it at me, this is just disrespect to the money" How calmly he requested and gave a message to the jahil pakistanis who made this thing a culture. What a man he his, one and only undisputed pakistani star whom you should admire @itsaadee pic.twitter.com/KOSvUMvSha

— Faizi (@faizanriaz7_) October 24, 2023

Atif paused his concert and politely called the fan up to the stage and said, “My friend, Donate this money, don’t throw it at me, this is just disrespect to the money.”

Atif’s composed response left netizens in awe.

Heaping praise on him, a social media user wrote, ” He is a true gentleman. He knows how to teach people a lesson without offending them.”

“He did it without being rude. Love him,” another user commented.

Meanwhile, Atif this year completed two decades in the music industry. This year also became extra special for him as he and his wife Sarah became parents to a baby girl.

Announcing the arrival of the little one, Atif in March wrote, “Finally the wait is over. The new queen of my heart has arrived..Both baby and sarah are fine Alhamdulilah. Please do remember us in your prayers Ramadan Mubarak from Halima Atif Aslam 23/03/2023 #ramadan.”

Sarah and Atif got married in Lahore on March 29, 2013. They are also parents to two sons Abdul Ahad and Aryaan Aslam. Apart from Pakistan, Atif is quite popular in India. He has sung many songs in Bollywood films including Tere Sang Yaara from Rustom, Tu Jaane Na and Tera Hone Laga Hoon from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Main Rang Sharbaton Ka from Race 2. (ANI)

The Election Commission of India officially announced actor Rajkummar Rao as its ‘National Icon’ on Thursday to promote voter education and turnout.

The actor signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the poll body at Akashvani Bhawan in the national capital today.

Sharing his excitement for the new responsibility, Rao told ANI, “It’s a big responsibility. It’s a huge honour. I’m very, very honoured to be honest. I’m very touched. And of course, now it’s a responsibility to motivate people, especially our youth to come out and vote. It’s one of the most important aspects of democracy. So it’s very important for all of us to go out and cast our vote…A lot of things are in plan (to make that happen).”

Earlier, speaking at the event, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv Kumar said, “Once you become a judge in democracy by voting and in the electoral process, this passion will come in your actions also. You will understand the power of democracy.”

“Today, the participation of our women in voting is more than that of men. Certainly more in at least 20 states. You (Rajkummar Rao) have shot in the area of Chhattisgarh, where the people are very low on the Human Development Index. There are also a few vulnerable tribal groups, which are a total of 75 in the country. We have made a difference because this is part of making the entire electoral roll inclusive and participatory. We will include all the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) as voters,” Kumar said.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that elections are scheduled in 5 states and the poll body has registered 100 per cent of voters in these states. “It is necessary for all young persons to immediately get into the habit of voting,” Rajiv Kumar said.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that elections are scheduled in 5 states and the poll body has registered 100 per cent of voters in these states. “It is necessary for all young persons to immediately get into the habit of voting,” Rajiv Kumar said.

Five states- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram- will go to polls on different days from November 7-30, while the counting of the votes in these five states is scheduled on December 3.

These elections will set the stage for the semi-final of the 2024 general election.

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

Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Friday touched down in Mumbai to attend the opening night of the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023.

In the videos captured by Mumbai-based paps, Desi girl can be seen making their way towards the departure of the airport.

For her airport look, she opted for a black crop top, paired with a long shrug and matching pants.

For glam, Priyanka went for a neutral look and kept her tresses open.

She also greeted paps waiting for her at the airport with folded hands and posed for them.

After arriving in Mumbai, she shared a view from her car ride on Instagram story.

On Thursday, Priyanka shared her excitement to get to India.

Taking to Instagram story, Priyanka shared a picture featuring her passport and her official papers.

Sharing the picture, she wrote, “It’s been a minute Mumbai. Cannot wait.”

Before heading for Mumbai, Priyanka shared a picture from her car ride with her daughter Malti Marie.

The little one was seen holding Priyanka’s hand. Their faces were not visible.

Sharing the picture, the actor dropped Earth and a heart emojis.

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival returns with an impressive list of some of the top films from around the world with over 250 films spread over 10 days.

The festival will be held at the Jio World Centre, a convention, theatre and concert hall complex in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.

It will run from today (October 27) to November 5.

The curation boasts over 40 World Premieres, 45 Asia Premieres, and 70+ South Asia Premieres, with a record-breaking number of 1000+ submissions for the South Asia programme.

The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition. It aligns with the festival’s new vision to become a hub for South Asian and South Asian Diaspora cinema and talent. This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films.

Apart from Priyanka, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, Kamal Hassan, Mani Ratnam, Luca Guadigno, Hansal Mehta, Ektaa Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Anurag Kashyap, Manushi Chillar, Ali Fazal and other prominent celebrities, patrons and film-makers from the industry will grace the event.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka recently came up with ‘Citadel’, which was created by The Russo Brothers. The action-packed show revolves around two elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka) of the global spy agency ‘Citadel.’

She will share screen space with John Cena and Idris Elba in ‘Heads Of State’. ‘Nobody’ filmmaker Ilya Naishuller is directing off a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, with an initial draft by Harrison Query based on Query’s original idea. (ANI)

Makers of the upcoming action thriller film ‘Animal’ on Friday unveiled its new track ‘Satranga’.

Taking to Instagram, production house T-series shared a poster of the song which they captioned, “Presenting #Satranga #NeyVeyRey from #Animal.”

Sung by Arijit Singh, ‘Satranga’ delves deep into the strains and differences that can test the bond of a couple played by the talented Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. The track also marks yet another collaboration between Arijit Singh and Ranbir Kapoor, who boast of a proven track record of delivering chart-toppers.

Composed by Shreyas Puranik and penned by duo of Siddharth and Garima, ‘Satranga Re’ doesn’t shy away from exploring the more complex aspects of love. The track mirrors Animal’s central theme of revealing different facets of the human personality and provides a glimpse into the film’s engaging and thought-provoking narrative that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of mainstream cinema.

Helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga ‘Animal’ stars Ranbir, Rashmika, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in the lead roles and is all set to hit the theatres on December 1.

The film will be released in 5 languages- Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Makers recently unveiled the film’s first track ‘Hua Main’ featuring Ranbir and Rashmika which received decent responses from the fans.

Sung by Raghav Chaitanya, ‘Hua Main’ is penned by the renowned Manoj Muntashir and composed by Pritam.

The song depicts Ranbir and Rashmika’s wedding journey. From Ranbir teaching his love interest how to fly a plane to the two locking lips in front of the family. The beautiful part of the song is when the couple arrives in a snow-covered region and exchange garlands.

The makers unveiled the official teaser of the film on the occasion of Ranbir’s birthday.

The teaser begins with Ranbir and Rashmika’s on-screen characters talking about children. She asked if he “thought about kids” and he replied, “I want to be a father”. To this, she said, “you won’t be like your father”. He replied, “My father is the best father in the world, don’t ever go there.” He tells her to ask about anything and he will be “honest”

The video shows the troubled relationship of Ranbir with his father. Anil Kapoor is seen having a heated argument with his son and he slaps him on the cheek. Ranbir is shown as an innocent guy and he is also depicted as a fierce and rebellious character. (ANI)

‘Bigg Boss 11’ contestant Hina Khan recently posted a picture on her social media and shared her health update with her fans.

Taking to Instagram, Hina shared a mirror selfie in which she could be seen donning hospital clothes and with a bandage on her hand.

She captioned the picture, “Spread Love and happiness”. She added, “No matter whr u are, what state of mind you are in, if u find a mirror; do not miss to click a mirror selfie.”

Hina has been hospitalized at the Kokilaben Hospital, in Mumbai.

However, the actor didn’t reveal the reason behind her hospitalization.

Hina became a household name with her role as Akshara in the popular television show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. She was also a part of Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2, in which she played the antagonist Komolika. However, she quit the show after a few months. She also participated in television reality shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi season 8 and Bigg Boss 11.

Hina recently gathered all the eyeballs as she walked the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week 2023 in New Delhi.

Speaking to ANI, she talked about how she feels walking the ramp.

She said, “It feels nice. Fashion is always my comfort zone. I really feel nice whenever I get the opportunity to walk the ramp, for that matter just to simply dress up. When I was told about it, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity…I really looked forward to this match and this whole show. It went very well and I got a lot of compliments.” (ANI)

The Punjab Government, under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, undertook measures to address the issue of paddy straw burning in the state, said a press release based on Satellite Data by Punjab Remote Sensing Centre.

The Punjab Government’s persistent efforts have yielded impressive results and the number of fire counts has reduced from 5798 in 2022 to 2704 in 2023 which is a 53 per cent decrease, said the official statement.

The tracking of the number of fire incidents is done starting from 15th September every year.

According to the official release, Punjab is a state with 31 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation, generating a considerable 20 million tonnes of paddy straw and to address this challenge, the government adopted a comprehensive approach, implementing initiatives across both in-situ (on-field) and ex-situ (off-field) paddy straw management, driving behavioural change and communication and monitoring the implementation of initiatives through stringent review and monitoring.

The state emphasised and focussed on long-term, sustainable solutions.

The press release further mentioned that in-situ management initiatives include the provision of crop residue management (CRM) machines to farmers at an 80 per cent subsidy for farmers groups and a 50 per cent subsidy for individual farmers.

In September, well in advance of the harvesting season, the state sanctioned the procurement of 24,000 machines, with 16,000 of these already in use by farmers.

Furthermore, an allocation of 7.15 Crores was made to districts for the establishment of custom hiring centres in each block, ensuring that CRM machines are provided to small and marginal farmers free of cost.

Presently, the state has 1.35 lakh CRM machines, and concerted efforts are underway to maximise their utilisation. The state has set up a system in place to track the utilisation of these machines and weekly reviews are being conducted by the high-level officials to ensure maximum utilisation of machines.

The State has introduced an efficient and cost-effective addition to the CRM machines, namely the surface seeder, and it has been purchased by 500 farmers, said the official statement.

The in-field interventions to utilise the paddy straw have been complemented by the state’s push to set up industries consuming the straw to produce cleaner fuel and this effort aligns with the state government’s policy to create an industry-friendly environment and expand the industrial units in the state, added the official statement.

According to the press release, Driven by the government’s incentives and streamlined processes for the setting up of industries, industries utilising the paddy straw in the state have significantly increased their consumption of paddy straw, with a growth of 23.4 lakh MT since 2022.

The administration has also taken greater initiatives by mapping all industries with baler aggregators and providing adequate land for straw storage. Regular communication has been set up with all the industries to ensure a seamless supply of the straw and avoid any operational issues faced by the units.

Additional government initiatives encompass directing brick kilns to replace 20 per cent of coal with paddy straw pellets and offering 25 crore fiscal incentives to the first 50 boilers using paddy straw as fuel, said the official release.

The land is being provided by the Department of Rural Development on a lease basis for 33 years to industries committed to using paddy straw and the government is also actively promoting a PPP model for purchasing large balers, offering a 65 per cent subsidy up to 1 crore for setting up paddy straw supply chains, added the official release.

In addition to providing an enabling environment for change, the state is also taking enforcement measures to monitor and control the situation effectively.

The press note said that daily on-site visits are conducted by 8,000 nodal officers, appointed to verify the fire incidents and a data-backed approach is being adopted to monitor fire incidents at the village level on a daily basis.

The Mann Government is determined to achieve and exceed its targets and will work continuously on these initiatives to minimise stubble burning and provide clean air for millions of citizens, said the official statement. (ANI)