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President Murmu to attend State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

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ANI
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Droupadi Murmu
Image: ANI / President of India Droupadi Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu will visit London, UK from September 17-19 to attend the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of the Indian government.

“Queen Elizabeth II, the former head of state of the UK and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations passed away on 8 September. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences at the demise of Queen Elizabeth II.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on 12 September to convey India’s condolences. India also observed a day of national mourning on Sunday, 11 September,” read the Ministry of External Affairs statement.

The statement added in the 70 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, India-UK ties have evolved, flourished and strengthened immensely. She played an important role in the welfare of millions of people worldwide as Head of the Commonwealth.

The British Queen breathed her last at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8. The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world.

The UK has entered a period of official mourning, with tributes pouring in worldwide. King Charles III was proclaimed as the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8.

Moreover, the national anthem of Britain will now again shift back to “God Save the King” after the Queen’s demise.

UK authorities had devised Operation London Bridge to manage events during the first 10 days between the Queen’s death and the funeral.

They had thought of Operation Unicorn in case the queen died in Scotland. The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and there will be a committal service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York – who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Maha: Godown gutted in major fire in Thane district; none hurt

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PTI
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Fire brigade representative image
Image for representative purpose

A godown was gutted in a major fire on Wednesday in Purna village near Bhiwandi city in Thane district of Maharashtra, Fire Brigade officials said.

No casualties are reported in the incident.

The fire erupted in the godown of an agri technology company located in the Arihant compound at around 6: 30 AM, they said.

At least six fire engines and water tankers from Bhiwandi, Thane, and Kalyan brought it under control after six hours, a civic official said, adding that cooling operations are underway.

The cause of the blaze is not known, officials added.

US Senator thinks Facebook and Twitter may need a license to operate

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Reuters
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Image for representative purpose 1
Image for representative purpose

US Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican critic of social media companies like Meta’s Facebook and Twitter, saidthat he wants create a way to regulate, and perhaps license, social media companies.

Graham said that he was working on a measure — he did not say what form it would take — with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican. Graham could not be reached for further comment and Warren and Hawley did not immediately return a call for comment.

At a hearing to discuss security lapses at Twitter, Graham said the companies were allowed to become internationally powerful with few restrictions on what they could and could not do.

He also expressed concern that the Federal Trade Commission seemed to have few tools in their regulatory toolbox to rein them in.

Social media platforms are not licensed and “you can’t sue them,” Graham said, noting “if you drive a car, you need a license, if you sell real estate, you need a license.”

Graham’s plan could include regulations that would put limits on what speech the companies could take down while also requiring them to be tougher about criminal use of the networks and foreign interference.

“If somebody takes your content down you’ll have an appeal process,” he said at a Congressional hearing.

Graham spoke at a hearing whose main witness is Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a famed hacker who served as Twitter’s head of security until his firing. Mudge said some Twitter employees were concerned that the Chinese government would be able to collect data on the company’s users.

Big tech companies appear to have few friends in Congress with Republicans angry about what they perceive as the companies stifling conservative voices while Democrats believe that foreign interference on Facebook contributed to former President Donald Trump’s win in 2016.

Police arrested six persons for assaulting monks in Sangli.

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ANI
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sangli police
SP Dixit Gedam, Sangli/ Image: ANI

The Maharashtra Police have arrested six persons accused of assaulting four monks on suspicion of them being child-lifters in Sangli.

“Yesterday in Lavanga village, some monks were assaulted by the villagers. Police reached there and took them to the hospital,” said Dixit Gedam, Superintendent of Police, Sangli.

“Taking suo moto cognizance the police has registered an offence under which six accused persons have been arrested,” Gedam added. The SP further assured that a probe into the matter is underway and more accused are likely to be arrested soon.

Notably, the matter came to light after a video of the incident started surfacing on the Internet as the monks themselves have not registered any official complaint regarding the incident to the police here.

“We have not received any complaint or a formal report, but are looking into the viral videos and are verifying the facts,” said Dikshit Gedan, Superintendent of Police, Sangli.

The incident took place while the monks from Uttar Pradesh were going for ‘darshan’ to Pandharpur in Solapur after returning from a pilgrimage at Karnataka’s Bijapur.

They were attacked by villagers in Sangli after they asked a child for some help. The villagers mistook them and started thrashing them after a ruckus.

The monks belonged to Panch Dashnam Juna Akhada in Mathura, who were on their pilgrimage to various places.

Mumbai Indians elevate Zaheer Khan and Mahela Jayawardene to new central roles

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PTI
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Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan
Image: Twitter / Screen grab

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday elevated former players Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan to new roles of global head of performance and global head of cricket development respectively.

The appointments were part of MI’s central expansion plan. According to an MI statement, Jayawardene will be providing senior leadership to the group’s cricket operations worldwide, including overall strategic planning, the creation of an integrated global high-performance eco-system, as well as responsibility for each team’s coaching and support structures.

He will work closely with the team’s head coaches to ensure synergies, a consistent brand of cricket and implementation of best practices set by the franchise.

Zaheer, on the other hand, will be responsible for player development, building MI’s robust programme around talent identification and grooming and adopting the same across geographies, which has been core to the franchise’s philosophy and success.

Each geography comes with its unique set of challenges and Zaheer’s elevated role will play an important part in helping MI teams across the globe. “It is an absolute honour for me to lead MI’s global cricket operations.

Mrs Ambani and Akash’s leadership and guidance have made MI the most valued global cricket franchise and I am very happy to see MI grow globally. I look forward to this new responsibility to build a strong cohesive global brand of cricket,” Jayawardene said.

“I am humbled to take on this new role and thank Mrs Nita Ambani and Akash for their faith in me. MI has been home for me as a player and as a coaching team member, and now as we embark on a new journey.

I look ahead to working closely with all the stakeholders in the global network to unearth new potential that can join the family,” Zaheer added. Jayawardene served as the head coach for MI, while Zaheer was the director of cricket operations.

Karnataka: Mother and son were found hanging at their house

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ANI
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dead representative 2
Representative Image

A mother and son were found hanging at their house at Hosaguddadahalli in Karnataka. The duo has been identified as Laxmamma (48) and her son Madan (13).

“The information was received around 2.15 pm at the limits of Byatarayanapura police station, wherein it was reported that Laxmamma and her son Madan were found hanging from the window at their house at Hosaguddadahalli,” said Lakshman B Nimbaragi, Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Bengaluru.

He further said that the bodies have been shifted to the Victoria hospital. The DCP added that the reason for the “suicide” is yet to be ascertained and they are looking into the matter.

Further details are awaited.

Gujarat wasn’t even in competition for Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, claims Maha opposition leader Danve

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PTI
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Ambadas Danve 1
Image: Screengrab / Twitter

A day after Gujarat bagged a mega Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve claimed Gujarat did not have the infrastructure required for it and hence was not even in competition for the project.

“Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka were competing for the Foxconn-Vedanta semiconductor manufacturing plant. It requires a very high-end technology environment, hence these three states were competing with each other,” Shiv Sena leader Danve told media.

“Gujarat does not have such infrastructure, hence it was not even in the competition. How come a project which requires information technology-related industries around it land in Gujarat?” he wondered.

A joint venture of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government on Tuesday to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

Vedanta-Foxconn would invest Rs 1,54,000 crore to set up the facility, which would create one lakh job opportunities, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had said after the MoU was signed.

The opposition in Maharashtra had on Tuesday slammed the Eknath Shinde-led government for “losing out” on the big-ticket project.

Danve on Wednesday said he spoke to former Maharashtra industries minister Subhash Desai, who had held discussions with Vedanta and Foxconn officials for setting up the project in the state.

He said during a meeting with Vedanta group Chairman Anil Agarwal in May 2022, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government (comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) had informed him about providing all clearances for the project.

“However, Agarwal smilingly made a concluding remark that he needs to get the proposal cleared from the Union government as well. His remarks made everybody nervous,” Danve claimed.

“Now, we know what was the meaning of that sentence,” he added.

7 cops suspended in Bihar’s Begusarai

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ANI
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bagusarai
Pic Credit ; ANI

A day after a person was killed and nine others sustained injuries in separate firing incidents in Begusarai district, Bihar Police on Wednesday suspended seven police officials.

Addressing media persons, Additional Director General of Police (HQ) Jitendra Singh Gangwar said, “Prima facie, our patrolling party was on the streets. Still, they either could not stop the criminals or could not do the checking. In this connection, seven Police officials have been suspended with immediate effect.”

Asked about the attackers, ADG Gangwar said CCTV footage captured the assailants and police are verifying their identities. He said some people have been detained and police are questioning them.

“Checking was done all through the night. Neighbouring districts were alerted. A separate investigation team has collected CCTV footage. The criminals can be seen on them. We are verifying. A few people have been detained and they are being questioned,” added the officials.

One person died while nine others sustained injuries in separate firing incidents at different locations on Tuesday in Bihar’s Begusarai, according to a police official.

Superintendent of Police, Yogendra Kumar said that the police are checking the CCTV footage to ascertain the perpetrators.

As per police, two bike-borne assailants are behind the firing incidents in which several people are reported to be injured.

“Two persons with bullet injuries have been brought to the hospital,” said the doctor in the Government hospital in Teghra.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Oppn continues protest against time cap for supplementary questions in Assam assembly

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PTI
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Assam Assembly
Image for representative purpose | Assam Legislative Assembly website

Opposition Congress on Wednesday staged a walk out in the Assam assembly for the second consecutive day over reduction of time for supplementary queries during Question Hour.

Other opposition members also joined them in alleging that time and means for them to speak about problems faced by people were being reduced by the BJP-led government.

As the House witnessed repeated noisy scenes over the issue, the state government conceded that the time limit for supplementary queries can be revisited.

A decision at the assembly’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Monday to allot five minutes for supplementary queries for each question during the Question Hour has led to the latest stand off between the two sides.

Previously, the number of supplementary questions was confined to allowing two MLAs besides the main questioner, but no time limit was fixed.

When Speaker Biswajit Daimary disallowed supplementary queries during the Question Hour, citing the five-minute rule, Congress MLAs briefly walked out of the House in protest.

“We are not being allowed to speak. If this is the case, we can just sit at home and watch the proceedings online,” Congress MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha said outside the House.

AIUDF legislator Ashraful Hussain added, “Our party had so many important points to raise, which are well within the rules of the House. But, we are not given the opportunity.” Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, who was suspended for the duration of the Question Hour for “disrupting proceedings”, also alleged that voice of the opposition was being stifled.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said: “The decision was taken at the BAC meeting. If needed, the next meeting can discuss it once again.”

8 Cong MLAs, including former Goa CM Kamat, LoP Lobo joined BJP

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ANI
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cong mlas 1
Image: ANI

Eight Goa Congress MLAs including former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa on Wednesday.

All the eight MLAs Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes joined BJP after meeting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the Assembly complex in the day.

“We have merged with BJP with a majority of 2/3rd to strengthen the hands of PM Modi and CM Pramod Sawant… ‘Congress Chhodo, BJP ko Jodo’, said former Congress MLA Michael Lobo.

Meanwhile, Goa CM Sawant also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that “Congress Chhodo Yatra will begin from Goa now” while welcoming the leaders.

The BJP already holds a majority of 25 in the House of 40 of which its own 20 MLAs with two others from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three independent leaders.

After the joining of eight Congress MLAs, its count will rise to 33. The development came amid Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra to combat the BJP-led Centre and awaken the country’s people to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation, and political centralization.

The Yatra includes Padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Days ago, on September 4, Gujarat Youth Congress President Vishwanathsinh Vaghela resigned from his post which is considered to be a major jolt for the party.

On September 2, party leader Rajinder Prasad, who is also the son of late Master Beli Ram Sharma from Nowshera, Rajouri, resigned from all posts and the primary membership of the party.

Prasad blamed the ‘coterie’ system for being a reason for the ‘demise’ of the party. In recent months, Rajinder Prasad and several high-profile leaders have quit Congress.

The exit of veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Congress, months before the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, as well as the general elections in two years’ time, dealt a huge blow to party.

Jaiveer Shergill, who is a lawyer by profession and was one of the prominent ones among young Congress leaders, on August 24, tendered his resignation claiming that the vision of the decision-makers no longer was in sync with the aspirations of the youth.

Earlier this year in May, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, a prominent face of the G-23 group of dissenting leaders, resigned from the party and filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections as an independent candidate backed by the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar too parted ways with the Congress in May this year. Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar in February also resigned from Congress after a long association of 46 years with the party.

Back in May, Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel had quit the party after he felt that he was being “ignored”.

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