Month: August 2024

Double Olympic medallist in shooting, Manu Bhaker, expressed her feelings after receiving a warm welcome at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Wednesday following the shooter’s outstanding performance. Bhaker will return to Paris on August 10 as she is the flag bearer of the Indian contingent during the closing ceremony of the games.

Bhaker’s coach, Jaspal Rana, also accompanied her. Bhaker showed a glimpse of her medals to the fans who welcomed her.

“I am so happy to get so much love here…” Bhaker told ANI

Bhaker said that she was happy to be back and eating Indian food, something she missed at the Paris Olympics.

“It feels great the way I was welcomed at the airport and the hotel. I am very happy that the people of the country are supporting me like this. I have brought home 2 medals and a lot of inspiration and motivation to work harder in the future. At the time of the event, I was only thinking about my game and not about the medal. I could not eat Indian food for a long time but after coming here to Delhi, I had aloo paratha,” she said.

Bhaker brought her A-game to Paris and broke numerous accolades to claim two bronze medals in the Summer Games.

The Paris Olympics has been a redemption for the 22-year-old shooter. During the 10m air pistol qualification round in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, her gun malfunctioned, which led to a loss of time.

She was left with a very short amount of time to carry out her quota of shots. She missed the top-eight finish required to qualify for the final round and finished in the 12th spot.

Bhaker opened India’s medal tally in the ongoing Olympics after she secured third place in the women’s individual 10m Air pistol event, becoming the first-ever woman shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. Following that, Sarabjot Singh and Bhaker won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol (mixed team) event, which was India’s first-ever shooting team medal.

She had a shot at returning with three medals from Paris. But in her final event, she narrowly missed out on the historic grand treble and finished fourth in the women’s 25m pistol shooting event. She missed out on the opportunity to become the first Indian to win three medals at the Olympics.

Bhaker is the first athlete from the Indian contingent after independence to get two medals in a single edition of the Paris Olympics.

Earlier in the 1900 Olympics, Norman Pritchard won two medals while representing India, both silver in the 200m and 200m hurdles.

Bhaker also joined an elite group of athletes to have multiple individual medals at the Olympics: PV Sindhu (badminton silver at Rio 2016 and bronze medal at Tokyo 2020) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics). (ANI)

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The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday took over the Delhi coaching centre deaths case, in which three UPSC aspirants drowned in the basement in Old Rajinder Nagar, officials said.

A senior CBI official informed that the agency has taken over the case by registering an FIR into the matter and all documents about the investigation have been handed over by Delhi Police to CBI.

“After the initial formalities, the CBI team will soon be visiting the spot where the incident took place for a detailed investigation into the matter,” the official said.

On Aug 2, the Delhi High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI. The court was unsatisfied with the investigation done by Delhi Police in the case.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rouse Avenue Court Delhi issued notice to CBI after hearing the bail pleas of four co-owners of the basement. Principal District and Session judge Anuj Bajaj Chandana issued notice to CBI after noticing that the process of transfer of the case, as instructed by the High Court, was not completed, and called for a status report from the CBI.

The accused have been booked Under sections 105,106(1), 115(2), 290, 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 in an FIR registered at Police station Rajinder Nagar on July 27. The accused were arrested on July 28.

On August 5, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance on the issue related to safety norms in the coaching centres. A bench of justices, Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that such institutes have become “death chambers” as the top court was hearing the petition filed by the Coaching Federation of India.

The court took note of the recent incident in the Old Rajinder Nagar in Delhi and orally said, “These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. You are taking away the lives of young ones coming from different parts of the country.”

The court said that recent unfortunate incidents taking the lives of some of the young aspirants who joined coaching centres for their career pursuits are eye-openers for all. The court further suggested that such institutes shall operate through online classes until they fully comply with the fire and safety norms under the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, read with Unified Building Bye-Laws of Delhi, 2016. (ANI)

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Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday speaking in Lok Sabha on the landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad urged the Central government to declare it a “national disaster”, provide a comprehensive rehabilitation package for those affected and enhance the compensation given to people.

“I visited Wayanad with my sister some days back and saw firsthand the devastation, pain, and suffering resulting from this tragedy. More than 200 people are dead, and many are missing, but the eventual casualty count is expected to be over 400,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress leader commended the work of various departments who were working in the search and rescue efforts in the area.

“It is nice to see that all communities came together and helped,” he said.

“I urge the Union Government to Provide a comprehensive rehabilitation package, enhance the compensation that people are receiving and declare the Wayanad landslides a national disaster,” Rahul Gandhi said in the lower house of Parliament.

Gandhi commended the work of the Union and Kerala state government along with personnel of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, Navy, Cost Guard, Fire Department and others and assistance from the neighbouring states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Rescue operations by the Indian Air Force, Army and state authorities are underway in the landslide-affected Wayanad region of Kerala on Wednesday.

The rescue and relief operations in landslide-hit areas of Kerala’s Wayanad entered their ninth consecutive day on August 7.

“Collaborative rescue operations conducted by the IAF, IA and state authorities are ongoing in the landslide-affected Wayanad region. A specialised team of soldiers, along with the Army, was airlifted by an IAF from Kalpetta to Chaliyar River,” PRO Defence Kochi posted on X.

Wayanad’s Chooralmala and Mundakkai were hit by massive landslides on July 30, claiming over 300 lives and creating widespread property damage.

Earlier today, a special team consisting of six trained Army personnel, four SOGs (Special Operation Groups) of Kerala Police, two Forest Officers and a dog squad left for the Sunrise Valley of Soojippara waterfalls in Wayanad to carry out a search operation.

“In continuation of yesterday’s. operation, today we are also sending a team. We are including a cadaver dog and its handler. It is a 13-member team. We want to go some more downstream. Yesterday, 4 kilometres were covered. Today, we are trying to cover some more areas. We will maximum try to cover downstream,” Taposh Basumatary, Superintendent of Police, SOG, told ANI.

On Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government will ensure world-class rehabilitation in the landslide-hit areas of the Wayanad district, which will serve as an example.

Addressing a press conference, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “We will ensure world-class rehabilitation. Our goal is to implement a resettlement model that can serve as an example for the nation and the world.”

The Kerala CM further highlighted that government employees and teachers have come forward to contribute at least 5 per cent of their salary to the CM disaster relief fund.

Highlighting the total funds in the CMDRF, Vijayan stated, “From July 30 until Monday, we have received Rs 53.98 crores in the disaster relief fund.” (ANI)

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Union Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday dismissed Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s claims about the removal of the Preamble from NCERT textbooks and said that there is “no question” of altering the Preamble.

Responding to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s claims, Nadda affirmed the Modi government’s commitment to safeguarding the Constitution, despite not having personally reviewed the textbooks.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP government of removing the Preamble from NCERT textbooks.

“It has been reported that the Preamble of the Constitution was removed from the NCERT books. The preamble has been removed from NCERT textbooks, it was printed in the books earlier. The Preamble is the soul and spirit of the Constitution,” Kharge said.

Referring to the November 25, 1949, Constituent Assembly speech in which it was said, “We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. A political democracy can not last unless their lives are at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean, it means a way of life that recognises liberty, equality, and fraternity. As the principles of life, these principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity are not to be treated as separate items in the Trinity. They form a union of trinity in the sense that, to avoid, and diverse from the other.”

He criticised the government for allegedly erasing statues of Dr BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi and tampering with the Constitution.

“BJP since its election removed statues of Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr BR Ambedkar and then is editing the Constitution. Warns that people will not accept it. The RSS and BJP are forcing their communal ways of thinking on the citizens of India. The step taken by the NCERT is not right ” he added.

The accusation sparked loud protests from the Treasury benches, and Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar intervened during the debate.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “Nothing will go on record. The last four minutes will be deleted. Please, everyone, take your seats. The leader of the house will speak after that.”

“If the Leader of the House and the Leader of Opposition speak, they should be heard about repatriation. What they speak chair is their to look into this,” he added.

Kharge said the government should issue a clarification and take back its steps “concerning the Constitution.” Kharge was also seen showing a newspaper clipping, but the Chairman said “The paper will not be shown.”

Responding to LoP Kharge, BJP’s leader of House JP Nadda said Kharge had raised the issue on the basis of reports and without ascertaining from the original source, which is the textbook in this case, and it raises questions on his wisdom.

“They should have credible sources and should not base their speeches on hearsay; newspaper clippings are not sources; sources are textbooks. I have not seen NCERT books or seen the changes, but with full responsibility, I want to say that the Modi government has full respect for the Constitution and there is no question of tinkering with the Preamble. I can give my guarantee that the government is committed to the Constitution and Preamble; we started celebrating Constitution Day,” Nadda said.

He also referred to the imposition of an Emergency and the repeated dismissal of opposition state governments by the Congress.

“The worst day for the constitution was in fact June 25, 1975,” he added.

Nadda referred to Kharge’s remarks about the RSS and said it has patriotic people connected to the grassroots.

“You tried to prohibit RSS twice, but RSS came out even stronger, it is a nationalist organisation, that works to serve the country. Bharatiya Janata Party poori takat ke sath Maa Bharti ke seva mai Modi ji ke leadership mai lagi hai. The Preamble has been protected, will be protected,” Nadda said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan firmly refuted allegations that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution has been removed from NCERT textbooks.

In a tweet, Pradhan stated that these claims have no basis and emphasised that, under the National Education Policy (NEP), the NCERT has given due importance to various aspects of the Indian Constitution, including the Preamble, Fundamental Duties, Fundamental Rights, and the National Anthem. (ANI)

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Shortly after India received a huge setback at the Paris Olympics with the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the 50 Kg women’s wrestling final, the grappler was consoled by Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.

In a post on X, Bindra said “Completely gutted. Sometimes you dont need a gold medal to be a true champion to people….”

Earlier, PM Modi consoled Vinesh after she was disqualified from the competition for breaching the 50 kg weight mark.

“Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India’s pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head-on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you,” the PM posted on X

As per sources, the Prime Minister spoke to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha and sought firsthand information from PT Usha on the issue and the options India has in the wake of Vinesh’s setback. The Prime Minister asked the IOA President to explore the full range of options to help Vinesh’s case.

He also urged PT Usha to file a strong protest regarding her disqualification if that helps Vinesh, the sources said.

Vinesh was scheduled to take on United States’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the Gold Medal match. A statement issued by the Indian Olympic contingent said that Phogat had tipped the scales above the 50 kg mark and was disqualified.

“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50 kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50 kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand,” the statement read.

Vinesh Phogat had entered the Gold Medal bout after beating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night. (ANI)

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Veteran actor Kamal Haasan has announced that he will not be hosting the upcoming eighth season of ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’.

Taking to his X account, Haasan shared that he needs to step away from the show due to prior commitments in cinema.

In his statement, he wrote, “Dear Viewers, With a heavy heart, I wish to inform you that I will be taking a small break from our journey that began 7 years ago. Due to prior cinematic commitments, I’m unable to host the upcoming season of Bigg Boss Tamil.”

He also expressed his gratitude towards the audience, saying, “I have been privileged to reach you in your homes. You have showered me with your love and affection, for which you have my everlasting gratitude. Your spirited and passionate support of the contestants is at the core of what makes Bigg Boss Tamil one of the best television reality shows in India.”

Reflecting on his experience, Haasan added, “Personally, being your host has been an enriching association, where I have honestly shared my learnings. I will always be grateful for this learning experience. I sincerely thank each one of you and the contestants in the show for our time together. Lastly, I would like to thank the wonderful team at Vijay TV, as well as every crew member who has been involved in making this enterprise a grand success. I am sure this season will be yet another success (sic).”

Kamal Haasan has been a part of ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’ since it first aired in 2007. The actor has consistently hosted every season of ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’. The new host for ‘Bigg Boss Tamil 8’ has yet to be announced. (ANI)

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the government will ensure world-class rehabilitation in the landslides-hit areas of the Wayanad district that will serve as an example.

Addressing a press conference, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “We will ensure world-class rehabilitation. Our goal is to implement a resettlement model that can serve as an example for the nation and the world.”

Kerala CM further highlighted that government employees and teachers have come forward to contribute at least 5 percent of their salary to the disaster relief fund.

On the funds for CMDRF, Vijayan said, “Government employees and teachers have come forward to contribute to the disaster relief fund. We have communicated with organization leaders, and they have indicated that at least five days’ salary will be donated. Those willing to contribute should provide a letter to their respective heads of institutions.”

He further informed that financial and medical assistance will be provided to the workers in the landslide-hit areas and stated, “The migrant workers in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas are safe. The Labour Board will provide medical and financial assistance to both plantation workers and migrant workers…

Highlighting the total funds in the CMDRF, Vijayan stated, “From July 30 until yesterday, we have received Rs 53.98 crores in the disaster relief fund.”

Kerala CM further asserted that the government is ensuring quality supplies to the victims and workers and around 1,174 personnel from various forces have been deployed for the search operations.

“We must ensure the quality of food supplies provided to rescuers and workers. People in school camps need to be relocated. We will provide opportunities to retrieve valuable items from homes in the disaster-affected area. The legal aspects of demolishing hazardous buildings will be examined. Only rescue personnel should be allowed in the disaster-affected area. A total of 1,174 personnel from various forces have been deployed for the search operations. The Public Works Department will assess the damage to buildings to determine compensation, and experts will evaluate which buildings need to be demolished,” said Vijayan.

Adding further to it, Vijayan said, “It has been one week since the Wayanad disaster. We have conducted a thorough search operation, leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to locate the missing persons. Intensive search operations were carried out today from the epicentre of the landslide. Officially, 224 people have been confirmed dead.”

Earlier in the day, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Committee (KCBC) has decided to build 100 houses under the leadership of the Kerala Catholic Church for those who lost their homes due to landslides in Churalmala, Mundakai and Kozhikode Vilangad areas in Wayanad.

The decision was taken in an August 5 meeting chaired by President Cardinal Basilios Clemis Katholika Bawa at Mount St. Thomas in Kakanad.

All dioceses, monastic communities, church institutions, individuals and systems of the Kerala Catholic Church are working jointly on the disaster management plan. (ANI)

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US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has announced Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate on Tuesday.

Walz, 60, emerged from a list of probable candidates who had better recognition and came from politically advantageous states.

Taking to X, Harris stated, “I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work.”

Walz also made a post calling it the “honor of a lifetime.”

“It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!” he said.

Harris also changed her profile cover photo on the X platform, with ‘Harris Walz’ on a blue background.

The “chemistry” between Kamala Harris and her newly selected running mate, Tim Walz, was “really important and it really clicked for both of them,” CNN reported citing a source.

“The time they spent together when Walz was campaigning for reelection in 2022, and when they visited the abortion clinic in March this year, apparently made a big impact. Then on top of that, the Harris campaign, like all of us, saw how energizing Walz was for the base. They saw how popular he is in Minnesota after passing a historic, progressive agenda here. The vetting on Walz went extremely well. So like people are saying, kind of a Goldilocks situation. Every element was just right,” the source said.

Walz spent more than two decades in the Army National Guard, which included a deployment overseas after the 9/11 attacks, working as an educator and coach, before shockingly defeating a six-term Republican incumbent congressman in 2006, a wave year for Democrats, CNN reported.

Walz remained when the tide rolled out, re-elected to the typically red district repeatedly until he left to run for his current job in 2018.

The six years of Walz in charge of Minnesota have seen a remarkable series of political and social upheaval. Initially, the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the murder of George Floyd by a White police officer, which set off global anti-racist demonstrations.

Walz navigated it all – alongside more usual complaints over wasteful spending – well enough that, by the beginning of 2023, he was leading a Democratic trifecta in the state government, according to CNN.

According to CNN, picking Walz underscores the Harris campaign’s focus on a path to victory that puts a premium on the “blue wall” states of the Midwest.

Minnesota is slightly outside that sphere, but Walz, once a high school football coach, has evolved during his time in office into something of a progressive populist folk hero – the exact kind of pugilistic voice that Democrats taking on Trump is keen to highlight.

Harris’ team had whittled down a field of Democratic talent to a shortlist of about six men. She was reported to have met with each of the contenders over the weekend, The Hill reported.

According to the New York Times, the Vice President viewed Walz as an ‘Everyman figure’ from Minnesota whose Midwestern-dad-vibe balanced out her Bay Area background, according to three people familiar with the vice president’s thinking.

Harris secured her party’s nomination for president, earning the support of 99 per cent of the 4,567 delegates who cast ballots at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

This came after President Joe Biden quit the presidential race amid mounting concerns over his age, particularly after his poor show in the debate with Donald Trump in June.

On the other hand, Trump, who is eyeing a comeback to the White House after a bitter exit in 2020, has named JD Vance as his running mate in the race. He is a venture capitalist and acclaimed author of the best-selling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ (ANI)

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Amid an ongoing standoff with China, an Indian Army Strike Corps is holding a big exercise involving all major fighting elements in the Ladakh sector including armoured formations and other assets there.

The exercise will be reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi during his visit planned this week, defence officials told ANI.

The exercise will help the Indian Army validate the new concepts and technology infusion in modern-day warfighting, they said.

The Strike Corps has been attached to the Northern Command in recent years and has been working towards developing new warfighting concepts required in the high latitude areas.

India and China have been engaged in a military standoff for over four years and multiple rounds of talks at military as well as political levels have not yielded much results in ending the standoff.

The Indian Army has deployed over 500 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the area since 2020 and has built infrastructure at a very fast pace there.

The Indian side has deployed over 50,000 troops to match the Chinese deployments across the Line of Actual Control to prevent any further attempts by the Chinese to alter the status quo there.

India has pushed for large-scale infrastructure development for troops as well as civilians in the area to help them stay there comfortably in the fight against harsh winters there. (ANI)

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