India reports 2,756 new COVID-19 cases takes total tally up to 4,46,12,013

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October 9, 2022

Maharashtra,Thane, Covid-19 — Maharashtra, Covid-19 | Image : Representative

India added 2,756 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,12,013, while the active cases dipped to 28,593, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll climbed to 5,28,799 with 21 fatalities which includes 16 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.75 per cent, the ministry said.

A decline of 658 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.15 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.28 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,40,54, 621, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

According to the ministry, 218.97 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. The five new fatalities reported in the last 24 hours include two from Maharashtra and one each from Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Public anger seen in Gilgit-Baltistan over Pakistan’s new taxation law

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ANI

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October 9, 2022

Pakistan,gilgit baltistan — Pakistan,Gilgit-Baltistan | Image : Representative/ANI

Public anger has risen in various parts of Gilgit-Baltistan against a new taxation law passed by the legislative assembly that will affect the common people already struggling with prolonged electricity shortage in the region.

The protesters, on Friday, said that the “Gilgit-Baltistan Revenue Authority Bill 2022” has imposed new taxes on 135 items, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The bill, that was passed by the assembly for the first time in August this year, was rejected by GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah in September.

Mehdi Shah had refused to sign the bill and returned it to the assembly for review, the Dawn report said.

According to the Pakistan daily, the bill was again tabled in the assembly and was recently passed for the second time, effectively turning it into law.

Shops in a number of districts remained closed while the traffic on roads was also minimal after the call of GB traders body and hotel association.

In the Nasirabad area of Hunza, where locals took out a rally on Karakoram Highway, the demonstrations held placards and chanted slogans against the new taxes. The protest was against the imposition of new taxes on the people of GB, said Masoodur Rehman, central traders’ body President of Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The imposition of taxes on 135 items will affect the poor people,” Rehman said. While pointing to the taxes imposed to over 100 items, the trade body chief said people were already suffering losses due to prolonged electricity shortage in the region.

According to Rehman, the Shehbaz Sharif government was imposing the taxes under various names without granting constitutional rights to the people of GB. He further warned, “This is a token protest, if the government doesn’t reverse the bill, the next course of action will be more aggressive.”

PM Modi will declare Modhera village of Gujarat as India’s first solar-powered village

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ANI

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October 9, 2022

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister — Image: Agencies

In a significant step towards promoting clean energy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Modhera, a village in the Mehsana district of Gujarat as India’s first solar-powered village on Sunday, said the state government.

Modhera is famous for its Sun temple.

According to the Gujarat government, which shared information in a series of tweets, over 1000 solar panels have been installed on the village houses, generating electricity round the clock for the villagers. Significantly they will be provided with solar electricity at zero cost.

The Gujarat government has said that it has ensured the sustainable implementation of various welfare projects in Gujarat, keeping in mind the Prime Minister’s vision of increasing the use of renewable energy in India.

A protected archaeological site, Modhera’s Sun Temple will get a 3-D projection facility on October 9.

The solar-powered 3-D projection will be dedicated by PM Modi and will educate visitors about the history of Modhera, the Gujarat government had said. As part of the project, heritage lighting has been installed on the temple premises. Witnessing the lighting, people can visit the temple from 6 pm to 10 pm. The 3-D projection will operate every evening.

Sun Temple is situated at Modhera in the Mehsana district on the river Pushpavati. It was built by King Bhima-I of the Chaulukya dynasty in 1026-27.

Election Commission froze symbol of ‘Bow and Arrow’ in Andheri east bypolls

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ANI

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October 9, 2022

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena,Election Commission — Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena | Image: Twitter

Amid row over Shiv Sena’s ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol claim, Election Commission (EC) on Saturday froze the symbol barring both the rival camps in the party from using it in the upcoming Assembly bypoll slated for November 3.

EC passed the interim order saying in Andheri East bye polls neither of the two groups shall be permitted to use the symbol “Bow and Arrow”, reserved for “Shiv Sena”.

The Commission’s ruling came amid the ongoing symbol war between the Uddhav Thackeray camp and rival Eknath Shinde camp. In its order, the Commission said, “In order to place both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests, and going by the past precedence, the Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current Bye-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute in the matter in terms of Para 15 of the Symbols Order:- Neither of the two groups led by Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde (Petitioner) and other led by Uddhav Thackeray (Respondent) be permitted to use the name of the party Shiv Sena simplicitor.” “Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol “Bow and Arrow”, reserved for “Shivsenal’; Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party Shivsena; and Both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections,” added the Commission.

Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year.

This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted the alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party BJP from MVA.Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray

“God sent me to finish off descendants of Kansa, corrupts and goons,” says Kejriwal

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

Arvind Kejariwal Gujrat Election — Image: PTI

Apparently targeting the ruling dispensation in poll-bound Gujarat and reacting to the posters that surfaced calling him “anti-Hindu”, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that he was born on Krishna Janmashtami and God sent him with a special task to finish off “descendants” of Kansa.

He alleged that the posters and banners have used insulting words for God adding that the people of Gujarat will not spare those who have used such words. “The people put the poster have used insulting words for God. They have insulted God. They hate me so much that they have not even spared God in the poster. I want to ask the people of Gujarat if they are going to spare those who have used such words. These people are the children of Kansa, who are insulting God,” said Kejriwal while addressing in Vadodara.

He further called himself a religious person and an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman. “I was born on Krishna Janmashtami and God has sent me with a special task to finish off the descendants of Kansa, the corrupts and goons,” said Kejriwal.

Trying to put an end to the controversy over alleged “anti-Hindu” statements by AAP’s Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam in Delhi. Gautam converted to Buddhism in a religious conversion event in which he allegedly denounced Hindu deities.

He further said that they (AAP) all will fulfil this task given by God. “We will work together to fulfil God’s desire. God is with me. People are with me. People want a change, which is why they are so freaked out,” he said.

The Delhi Chief Minister also chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Shri Krishna” slogans during his road show along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Earlier in the day, banners and posters calling Arvind Kejriwal “anti-Hindu” and showing him wearing a skull appeared in several cities of Gujarat.

AAP made its debut in Gujarat in the 2017 Assembly polls, but could not open its account. AAP’s hopes in Gujarat have been fuelled by its performance in the February 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls in which BJP won 93 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party bagged 27 seats and the Congress drew a blank.

Meanwhile, in the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress had given a scare to the ruling BJP by restricting its MLAs to 99 and winning 77 seats on its own. There are 182 assembly seats in Gujarat.

Notably, the party has been constantly making efforts to replace the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat.

Indian Air Force to set up weapon systems branch

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

Indian Air Force Weapon System Branch — Image: AP

In a historic step for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Government has approved the creation of a new branch, called the Weapon Systems (WS) branch, the Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.

The creation of the Weapon Systems branch would entail unification of all weapon system operators under one entity dedicated to the operational employment of all ground-based and specialist airborne weapon systems, the ministry said in a statement.

The branch would encompass operators in four specialised streams of Surface-to-Surface missiles, Surface-to-Air missiles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Weapon System Operators in twin/multi-crew aircraft. The branch will contribute immensely by enhancing the war fighting capability of the Indian Air Force, the Ministry of Defense said.

The Indian Air Force celebrated its 90th anniversary today in Chandigarh and featured a dazzling air display over the Sukhna Lake with as many as 80 aircraft. A new combat uniform was also unveiled today.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall VR Chaudhary, the chief guest, reviewed the parade and announced the creation of a new operational branch of the Air Force.

“On this historic occasion, it’s my privilege to announce that the government has approved the creation of a Weapon System Branch for the officers in the IAF. This is the first time since independence that a new operational branch is being created. This will essentially be for manning of force specialised streams of surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, remotely piloted aircraft, and weapon system operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft,” Air chief VR Chaudhary said.

Asserting that the combat potential of the Indian Air Force has to be sustained through the induction of modern fighter jets, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said his force has initiated steps to ensure that the squadron strength remains at the desired levels.

The statement by the IAF comes at a time when the force has gone down to 30 squadrons instead of the 42 squadrons sanctioned by the government for it to be able to combat China and Pakistan simultaneously.

Ben Kingsley to lead screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman ‘Violent Cases’

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

Ben Kingsley Violent Cases — Image: Reuters

Hollywood star Ben Kingsley is all set to star in the screen adaptation of ‘Violent Cases’, the first-ever graphic novel from Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.

According to Variety, the creative team behind ‘The Girl with All the Gifts,’ including writer Mike Carey, director Colm McCarthy, and producer Camille Gatin, will lead the project. Scary Monster, Lakeville Productions, and Foton. Pictures will also produce the film. Additionally, Carey contributed to “Lucifer” and other works in the Gaiman-created Sandman universe.

“’Violent Cases’ is a journey into the mind of Neil Gaiman, as a famous author recounts fragmented childhood memories and visits to an osteopath who once worked for Al Capone, weaving a dark and twisting tale about stories, our memory, violence and the ways we can’t escape our past,” reads the logline.

“I’m delighted to be working with this fantastic team on ‘Violent Cases,’ which for me is about the power and importance of storytelling, about how we negotiate the shadows cast by the father figures in our lives and above all about the right of our inner child to be heard,” said Kingsley.

McCarthy said, “Violent Cases’ is a wild, hallucinatory, yet thought-provoking and emotional comic. It’s so exciting to build a film from this incredible, genre-defining work.”

Carey added, “As an aspiring writer back in the late 80s reading ‘Violent Case’s was a revelation and a joy for me. Its darkness and playfulness defined a new approach to storytelling. Thirty-five years on, it’s still unique, and bringing it across into a new medium feels like discovering it again for the first time. Neil Gaiman redefined serialised comics with ‘The Sandman,’ but ‘Violent Cases’ was his and Dave McKean’s early masterpiece. It’s thrilling to be introducing it to a new audience, and taking its visual lyricism into a new medium.”

The osteopath will be played by Kingsley. Producing credits go to Carlos Enrique Cusco and Ari Taboada for Foton. Pictures, Camille Gatin and Colm McCarthy for Scary Monster, and Edmund Kingsley for Lakeville Productions.

ED arrests 1 person in Bank Fraud Case of Rs 99.74 crore by Deluxe Cold Storage

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

ED Bank Fraud Case — Representative Image

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) said on Saturday it has arrested one person in connection with the Bank Fraud Case involving Rs 99.74 crore by Deluxe Cold Storage & Food Processors Ltd.

The person named Gian Chand was arrested on 6th October and produced before the Special Court. The court has remanded him to ED Custody till 17th October 2022.

ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR dated 06.03.2020 registered by Central Bureau of Investigation, EO-I, Delhi against M/s Deluxe Cold Storage and Food processors Ltd, its Directors Amar Chand Gupta & others on the basis of allegations that directors of M/s Deluxe Cold Storage and Food Processors Ltd, in conspiracy with each other and other individuals indulged in the misappropriation of bank funds, criminal breach of trust, manipulation of books of accounts through fictitious entities and sister concerns of M/s Deluxe Cold Storage and Food processors Ltd and have routed funds through shell entities and siphoned off the funds from company’s accounts for their personal gains causing loss to the tune of Rs 99.74 Crore to the Public Sector Banks during 2015 to 2017.

The directors of Deluxe Cold Storage & Food Processors Ltd namely Amar Chand Gupta, Ram Lal Gupta and Raj Kumar Gupta are already in Judicial Custody in another case pertaining to Shree Bankey Behari Exports Limited.

The accused Gian Chand hatched the criminal conspiracy with the Directors of Deluxe Cold Storage & Food Processors Ltd for facilitating / accommodating bogus entries to the accused company in furtherance of the motive to siphon off the working capital fund and thereby caused loss to the exchequer.

Further investigation is under progress, the ED said in a statement.

key bridge connecting Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia hit by huge explosion

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

Russia Ukraine Bridge Explosion Crimea — Image: Twitter / @ClintEhrlich

A key bridge that connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was gutted in a fire sparked by a car bomb, authorities in Moscow said on Saturday.

Russia’s RIA state news agency said that a fuel tank was on fire on the Kerch Bridge, while Ukraine media reported an explosion.

Visuals from the bridge showed some carriages of a train on the Kerch bridge in Crimea being engulfed in a fire. Traffic has been suspended on the road-and-rail bridge.

“An object believed to be a fuel storage tank has caught fire on the Crimean Bridge, but the viaduct’s navigable arches sustained no damage, an aide to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, said as cited by the Russian news agency.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia said on Saturday that the bridge connecting Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was damaged in a blast, which occurred shortly after 6 am local time, caused a partial collapse of the road on the vehicle section.

It also triggered a blaze on a freight train on the parallel rail section, with seven fuel tanks catching fire, according to RT.

A ferry service across the Kerch Strait will be launched later today, Crimea’s Head Sergey Aksyonov said Russian media reported. The bridge was opened in 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia’s transport network.

The 19-kilometre (11.8 miles) bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.

As per some media reports, the Crimean bridge is a key target for Ukrainian forces who have been attacking Russian logistics.

Notably, Russia recently annexed four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The war between Russia and Ukraine appears to be entering a new phase after Kyiv dealt a big blow to Moscow’s grip after it recaptured 2,400 square kilometres of territory in the Kherson region in the south of the country “since the beginning of the full-scale war,” a senior Ukrainian official said Friday, reported media.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office said six settlements had been liberated in the Kherson district as well as 61 in the Beryslav district.

Tymoshenko said the evacuation of civilians continued amid massive destruction to critical infrastructure in towns like Arkhanhelske, Vysokopillia and Osokorivka, all of which saw weeks of heavy fighting and indirect fire. Demining is in progress, he added.

Ukrainian forces have been making steady progress in Kherson since beginning an offensive at the end of last month, and their successes have sparked rare criticism of Moscow’s war effort among pro-Russian figures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his forces’ counteroffensive in his evening address on Tuesday. “The Ukrainian army is making a rather fast and powerful advance in the south of our country in the course of the ongoing defensive operation,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address.

“Our warriors do not stop. And it is only a matter of time before we will expel the occupier from all our land.”

“Congress doesn’t have any ideology, BJP is only ideology-based party,” says BJP chief Nadda

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ANI

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October 8, 2022

The Congress does not have any particular ideology and the BJP is the only ideology-based and national party in India, said BJP president JP Nadda at the inauguration of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati which is the newly built BJP office.

Addressing a public meeting in Guwahati, Nadda said that BJP is the only ideology-based and national party in India. He was speaking at the inauguration of the newly-built State BJP office in the Basistha area.

“I congratulate the Assam BJP team on behalf of all party workers over the inauguration of the new BJP Office in the State,” he said.

He further said that BJP proposed to set up 512 offices across the country out of which 236 offices have been constructed and 154 offices are under construction. In the coming days, the BJP will have a grand office in the entire country including Assam and North East, Nadda said.

Spread over 95,000 square feet, the Assam BJP state headquarters- which is the party’s biggest office in the northeastern region is expected to be full of all modern amenities.

Hailing PM Modi’s tenure, Nadda said, “Under the leadership of Modi, our government has been following the economic model of Antyodaya. That is why, unlike any other political party in the country, BJP works with the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.”

He further said that not only the Medical Institutions but also the connectivity enhanced through developing the National Highways in Assam is leading the way for the North-East to progress. He called upon the party workers from North East states to utilize this office and contribute towards the holistic development of the region.

“No one had imagined that the institutes like AIIMS and the largest Center for Cancer will ever come to the Northeast, but this all has happened now and people of the state would not have to go to New Delhi for treatments,” Nadda said, adding that the party stands at that height because of the people’s hard work.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present there along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other BJP leaders. Amit Shah is on his three-day visit to the state starting from Friday.

As the part of his visit, Amit Shah, along with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday chaired a review meeting over the Assam floods in Guwahati.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 8.9 million people in the state have been affected by the flood and landslides that struck Assam this year.