Category: News

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, a leading name in India’s telecommunications sector, has unveiled JioSpaceFiber, the country’s first satellite-based gigabit broadband service, marking a step in connecting remote regions of India with high-speed internet. 

According to a press release by Reliance Jio, this launch was showcased at the India Mobile Congress on Friday, as Reliance Jio seeks to extend high-speed broadband services to areas that were previously inaccessible. JioSpaceFiber will soon be available throughout India at highly competitive prices.

Reliance Jio already serves more than 450 million Indian consumers with high-speed broadband services, and with the introduction of JioSpaceFiber, it aims to make digital inclusivity a reality for every household.

This satellite-based service, added to its existing offerings of JioFiber and JioAirFiber, ensures that consumers and businesses can access reliable, low-latency, high-speed internet and entertainment, regardless of their location.

The satellite network will also bolster mobile backhaul capacity, thereby expanding the reach and scalability of Jio’s True5G network even in remote areas.

For this ambitious endeavour, Jio has partnered with SES, tapping into the latest in medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite technology.

Leveraging SES’s O3b and new O3b mPOWER satellites, JioSpaceFiber is set to revolutionize the broadband industry by providing scalable and cost-effective internet access across India, all while guaranteeing reliability and flexibility.

To showcase the capabilities of JioSpaceFiber, the service has already been connected to four of India’s most remote locations: Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Nabarangpur in Odisha, and ONGC-Jorhat in Assam.

Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, highlighted the significance of this launch, saying, ” Jio has enabled millions of homes and businesses in India to experience broadband internet for the first time. With JioSpaceFiber, we expand our reach to cover the millions yet to be connected”.

Ambani further said, “JioSpaceFiber will allow everyone, everywhere, to fully participate in the new digital society with gigabit access to online government, education, health, and entertainment services”.

John-Paul Hemingway, Chief Strategy Officer at SES Networks, shared his excitement about the partnership, stating, “Together with Jio, we are honoured to support the Government of India’s Digital India initiative with a unique solution that aims at delivering multiple gigabits per second of throughput to any location in India”.

Hemingway added, “Our first fibre-like services from space are already deployed today in parts of India, and we cannot wait to see how this will lead to digital transformation even in the most rural parts of the country.”

Reliance Jio’s JioSpaceFiber marks a pivotal moment in India’s digital transformation, promising to extend high-speed broadband access to even the most remote parts of the country, aligning with the vision of a truly Digital India. (ANI)

The Congress Election Committee meeting on Telangana started on Friday at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office in New Delhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge chaired the CEC meeting. Party’s prominent leaders like Sonia Gandhi, and Salman Khurshid along with others were present at the meeting.

However, Rahul Gandhi did not attend the CEC meeting today. This is the second consecutive meeting that the Congress leader has skipped.

The meeting will focus on finalising candidates for the remaining seats in the poll-bound state, Telangana.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress’s poll in-charge Manikrao Thakare held a screening committee meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said all decisions on the remaining seats would be finalised during the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Thursday.

“Today, there was a screening committee meeting in which discussions were held about various matters with regard to the upcoming elections. We will put forth all the suggestions from this meeting at the meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) tomorrow. At the meeting, we held discussions on all the seats. The list of candidates for the remaining seats would be declared after the CEC meeting.”

“However, all such decisions would be taken by the CEC. Our responsibility is merely to put forth our views and suggestions before the CEC,” he added.

The Congress is likely to release its second list of candidates, comprising 35-45 names, for the Telangana state Assembly polls after the meeting of the CEC. 

The list is likely to include former MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, who quit the BJP on Thursday, and will join the Congress today. Reddy is likely to contest against Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. 

The Congress had declared its first list, of 55 candidates, on October 15. 

In the previous Assembly election in 2018, the BRS won 88 of the 119 seats, hogging 47.4 per cent of the total vote share.

The Congress came in a distant second with just 19 seats.

The counting of votes for Telangana Assembly will be held along with those of four other poll-bound states on December 3. (ANI)

India’s stalwart batter Virat Kohli who surprisingly stepped up to finish off injured Hardik Pandya’s over during the World Cup clash against Bangladesh was once again seen bowling in the nets ahead of the upcoming match against England.

As India continues to gear up for the much-awaited clash against the defending champions Kohli and many other batters were seen bowling in the nets.

Along with the players who form India’s usual bowling set-up which includes Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, the likes of Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Kohli also bowled a few deliveries as well.

The Indian Cricket Team reached Lucknow on Wednesday to play their sixth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Rohit Sharma-led ‘Men in Blue’ are coming into this full confidence as they are still unbeaten in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. India currently stands in the top place in the tournament’s standings with 10 points and has a net run rate of +1.353.

In India’s previous encounter against New Zealand, the ‘Men in Blue’ put the Kiwis to bat first. Rohit Sharma’s side was off to a good start, reducing New Zealand to 19/2 in powerplay.

But a partnership of 159 runs between Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra (75 in 87 balls, with six fours and a six) helped NZ come back in the game. However, India made a comeback in later stages, bundling out Kiwis for 273 runs in 50 overs.

Shami (5/54) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) was also fine with the ball. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj took a wicket each.

In the run chase of 274, India started off well with a 71-run opening stand between skipper Rohit Sharma (46 in 40 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Shubman Gill (26 in 31 balls, with five fours).

India did lose Shreyas Iyer (33), KL Rahul (27) and Suryakumar Yadav, but Virat Kohli (95* in 104 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) and Ravindra Jadeja (39* in 44 balls, three fours and a six) guided India to a four-wicket win with two overs to spare.

India World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

England World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes. (ANI)

The Election Commission of India on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over his speech during the Chhattisgarh poll campaign in Kawardha.

The Election Commission in the show-cause notice mentioned that certain parts of Himanta Biswa Sarma’s speech on October 18 have been found to be “prima facia violative”.

The EC has asked Assam CM Himanata Biswa Sarma to be present before 5pm on October 30, 2023.

“You are hereby called upon to show cause by 17:00 hrs of 30th October 2023, (Monday) as to why appropriate action of violation on Model code of conduct should not be taken against you.”, the notice read.

The notice further mentioned that in case of the absence of the BJP leader, the Election Commission will take appropriate action or decision.

The Election Commission show-cause notice comes a day after Congress leaders made a complaint to the Election Commission accusing the Assam CM Himanat Biswa Sarma of violating the model code of conduct in his speech during Chhattisgarh campaigning.

Himanta Biswa Sarma while campaigning in Kawardha, made a statement which stirred a row.

“When one Akbar arrives in a particular location, he brings along a hundred Akbars. Therefore, it is crucial to remove him swiftly or else the sanctity of Mata Kaushalya’s land will be compromised”, he said addressing an election rally.

This comes as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released its fourth and final list of candidates for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, fielding party leader Rajesh Agarwal from Ambikapur constituency against state Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo.

The first phase of polling for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 7 and the remaining 70 seats in the state will go to polls on November 17. The counting of votes will be done on December 3. (ANI)

The IDF’s Gaza Division, together with the Borders Directorate and the Technology and Logistics Division in the Ministry of Defense have been working non-stop since the beginning of the fighting, and under fire, to repair and return to service the parts of the Gaza border fence that were damaged on October 7.

As part of the joint effort named “Returning Eyes to Gaza,” the sites were scanned and cleared of charges alongside the installation of new systems and measures in the area. The work on the observation and IT capabilities there is almost fully completed.

Commander of the IDF’s Rehabilitation and Maintenance Center, Lt. Col. Tomer Schreiber: “We have all mobilized for the benefit of the mission and we will operate at all hours of the day and in any area that is required. We will continue to work together in cooperation in strengthening control of the area.”

The commander of the 414th battalion, Lt. Col. Ofir Abram: “During the last few weeks we have been restoring the observation array, under threat and during combat in a mission-oriented and determined manner. Our forces work at all times with the aim of restoring the means, locating the enemy and destroying him.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced that the number of evacuees from communities near Gaza and the Lebanese border staying in state-run hotels stands at 125,000.

The evacuees are expected to remain in the hotels at least through the end of the year. (ANI/TPS)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday released its first list of 23 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan.

The party has fielded Harish Raheja from Ganganagar, Dhanna Ram Meghwal from Raisinghnagar (SC), Mahant Roopnath from Bhadra, Rajendra Mavar from Pilani (SC) and Vijendra Dotasara from Nawalgarh.

Rajesh Verma has been fielded from Khandela, Mahender Mandiya from Neem Ka Thana, Ashok Sharma from Srimadhopur and P S Tomar from Amber constituency among others, according to the first list declared by the party.

Earlier in the day, Congress released its third list of 19 candidates for the November 25 Rajasthan assembly elections, taking to 95 the total number of nominees declared by the party so far.

The party has fielded Shoba Rani Kushwah from Dholpur, Rajendra Prateek from Sikar, Wajib Ali from Nagar, Harish Chandra Meena from Deoli-Uniara, Heera lal Darangi from Jhalod (ST) and Lakhan Singh Meena from Karauli, among others, according to the third list declared by the party.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its second list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections with former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to recontest from Jhalrapatan.

The party declared 83 candidates in the second list which has some prominent names including former Rajasthan BJP president Satish Punia, who has been fielded from Amber constituency.

The BJP is seeking to oust Congress from power in Rajasthan.

Congress won 99 seats in the 2018 elections in the 200-member state assembly. BJP won 73 seats.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3 along with four other states which will go to the polls next month. (ANI)

Over the years, the Income Tax Department has prioritised several initiatives to ensure taxpayers’ ease of compliance and transparent tax administration. In line with transparency in its functioning, the Department has released the Time Series Data of Direct Taxes and Income Tax Return Statistics in various tranches from time to time, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

The data shows that the number of ITR filings has shown a consistent upswing over the last few years. The returns filed by individual taxpayers have increased from 3.36 crore in Assessment Year (AY) 2013-14 to 6.37 crore in AY 2021-22 registering an overall increase of 90 per cent, added the statement.

During the current fiscal too, 7.41 crore returns have been filed for AY 2023-24 till date, including 53 lakh new first-time filers. This is an indication of the widening of the tax base subsequent to various reform measures put in place by the Department.

In fact, while the overall number of returns filed by individual taxpayers has shown an increase over the years, there has also been an increase in the number of returns filed by individual taxpayers across various ranges of gross total income.

In the range of gross total income up to Rs 5 lakh, the number of returns filed by individual taxpayers has increased from 2.62 crore in AY 2013-14 to 3.47 crore in AY 2021-22 registering an increase of 32%. This range of income includes individuals having income below the taxable limit who may not be filing returns, mentioned the official statement.

While In the range of gross total income of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, the number of returns filed by individual taxpayers from AY 2013-14 to AY 2021-22 has registered an increase of 295% and 291% respectively, read the statement further.

The above data is clearly indicative of a robust growth in the gross total income of individuals across different income groups subsequent to AY 2013-14. The overall impact has been reflected an increase in net direct tax collections from Rs.6.38 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs. 16.61 lakh crore in FY 2022-23.

This has been made possible due to the taxpayer-friendly and taxpayer-oriented progressive policies adopted by the Government. The Department is committed to ensure transparency in processes, efficiency in administration and concerted efforts at building trust with taxpayers and stakeholders. (ANI)

Actor Suriya Sivakumar has announced his next project, ‘Suriya 43,’ alongside Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Varma, and Nazriya Fahadh.

Suriya took to X and wrote, “Dear all we are excited! Joining hands with @Sudha_Kongara again in a @gvprakash musical, his 100th! SO looking forward to working with my brother

@dulQuer & the talented #Nazriya & the performance champ @MrVijayVarma Glad @2D_ENTPVTLTD is producing this special film! #Jyotika @rajsekarpandian #Suriya43.”

Dulquer also announced the project on Instagram. He captioned the video, “An alluring and exciting journey. Thrilled to be a part of #Suriya43 with this stellar team.”

Suriya and Sudha Kongara are returning for ‘Surya 43,’ following the 2020 film Soorarai Pottru, which earned him a National Award for Best Actor.

Meanwhile, Vijay Varma was last seen in the movie ‘Jaane Jaan’ that has received positive response. It starred Kareena Kapoor. The movie has been selected as the opening film of The Himalayan Film Festival 2023. Helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, ‘Jaane Jaan’Jaan’ also stars Jaideep Ahlawat.

Dulquer, on the other hand, was recently seen in the web series ‘Guns & Gulaabs’ alongside RajKummar Rao and Gulshan Devaiah.

Helmed by Raj & DK the series streamed on the OTT platform Netflix.

Apart from that, his recent theatrical release was ‘King of Kotha’ which received decent responses from the audience.

He will be seen in the upcoming multi-lingual film ‘Kaantha’.

Dulquer Salmaan will not only headline ‘Kaantha’ but will produce it in collaboration with ‘Baahubali’ star Rana Daggubati.

‘Kaantha’ will be released in the Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil languages. (ANI)

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Delhi on Thursday sentenced 10 years of imprisonment to Syed Maqbool, one of the accused in the Indian Mujahideen conspiracy case.

Maqbool was previously convicted on September 22, 2023, by the special judge of the NIA special court in the national capital. He is the fifth accused among the total of 11 against whom sentence has been pronounced.

A resident of Maharashtra’s Nanded, Maqbool was arrested in the case on February 28, 2013, for his active involvement with members of Indian Mujahideen based in Pakistan and India and involvement in the crime and conspiracy.

NIA investigation revealed that the accused maintained close ties with key figures of the Indian Mujahideen, including Riyaz Bhatkal, who is based in Pakistan, and Imran Khan and Obaid-Ur-Rehman, who are located in India. “They hatched a conspiracy to carry out explosive attacks at various locations within India, with Hyderabad being a primary target. Extensive reconnaissance of important sites, including those in Hyderabad, was also conducted.”

The case pertains to the conspiracy hatched by the members of the Indian Mujahideen, a group responsible for organizing a series of devastating blasts across the country, said the NIA.

These acts of terror include the Varanasi blasts on March 7, 2006; the Mumbai serial blasts on July 11, 2006; the Uttar Pradesh courts serial blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad, and Lucknow on November 23, 2007; the Hyderabad twin blasts on August 25, 2007; the Jaipur serial blasts in 2008; the Delhi serial blasts in 2008; the Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26, 2008; the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore in 2010; and the Hyderabad twin blasts in 2013.

Earlier, on July 12 this year, four accused, namely Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, and Obaid-Ur-Rehman, were found guilty under sections 18, 19, 38(2), and 39(2) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case. They were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.

In March 31st this year, charges were formally framed against the aforementioned accused individual, along with ten others, including Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, Zia-Ur-Rehman, Tehsin Akhter and Hyder Ali. The sentencing was done by the learned NIA Special Court in New Delhi under sections 121 and 122 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as sections 17, 18, 19, 21, 38, 39, and 40 of the UA(P) Act.

The trial in this case, pertaining to the remaining six accused persons named above, who face a range of charges under the IPC and the UA(P) Act, is ongoing. (ANI)

The Israeli fighter jets carried out overnight airstrikes over 250 Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip including a rocket launch site that was hidden between a mosque and kindergarten, Times of Israel reported on Thursday.

IDF has called this “another proof” that terror group Hamas uses “civilian sites for terror purposes”.

The sites struck by Israel included Hamas infrastructure, command centers, tunnels, and rocket launchers, according to the IDF.

The IDF said that the rocket launchers were “placed in the heart of civilian areas that fired toward Israeli territory throughout the war.”

It further said that the missile launch site is “located adjacent to a mosque and kindergarten, which is further proof that Hamas deliberately uses civilian sites for terror purposes.”

Israeli Air Force also said in a statement about attacking over 250 terror targets of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Terrorist infrastructure, combat tunnel shafts and launchers in a civilian environment; The Air Force attacked over 250 targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In the last day, fighter jets of the Air Force attacked more than 250 targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Air Force posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Among the targets that were attacked, were terrorist infrastructures, operational headquarters, terrorist tunnel shafts and rocket launchers placed in a civilian environment, which were used to shoot at Israel during the fighting.

Separately, the IDF said that the Navy forces struck a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch position in Khan Younis, Times of Israel reported.

IDF also posted a purported audio conversation between an IDF officer and Gazan civilian about Hamas terrorists not allowing civilians to evacuate towards Southern Gaza.

“LISTEN to an IDF officer in Unit 504 encourage a resident of Gaza to evacuate southward for their safety. Hamas continues to use the civilians of Gaza as human shields, not allowing them to evacuate,” IDF posted on X

Meanwhile, the families of 224 hostages have been notified about their keen being held in the Gaza by Hamas, Times of Israel reported.

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the military has so far notified the families of 224 hostages that their loved ones are being held in the Gaza Strip.

He said that the number is not final as the military investigates new information.

Notably, the number does not include four released hostages — mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Ra’anan, freed on Friday night, and elderly women Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper released on Monday night, Times of Israel reported.

Hamas launched a massive terror attack on Israel on October 7, which killed over 1400 people and left several more injured.

After this, Israel launched a strong counter-offensive against Hamas units in Gaza strip.

According to the health ministry of Hamas, the death toll in Gaza has crossed 7,000, Times of Israel reported. (ANI)