UP Police busts fake currency racket in Bareilly

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August 26, 2022

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Uttar Pradesh Police busted a fake currency racket in Bareilly that was smuggling fake currency notes from Nepal and Bangladesh, on Wednesday.

The arrest has been made by the Fatehganj Paschimi police station, which comes under Bareilly Police.

A total of three dealers have been arrested and fake notes amounting to Rs 3,59,500 were recovered.

A total of 719 fake 500-rupee notes were recovered from the spot, which amounted to Rs 3,59,500, informed the police.

The three arrested people have been identified as Shiva and Shoaib from Pilbhit and Pushpendra Singh from Aliganj.

The case has been registered against them in the Fatehganj Paschimi police station. The intelligence units have also started an investigation regarding the case. It comes a day after the anti-drug cell of Imphal East Police busted a fake currency racket at Urup Kangthak village and Keirao village area, on Thursday.

The officials said that two persons have been arrested in the matter. Drugs and bundles of fake currency were also recovered from the gang.

Earlier on August 8, Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed Lok Sabha that the value of counterfeit notes detected in the banking system has reduced from Rs 43.47 crores in 2016-17 to Rs 8.26 crores in 2021-22 — a decline of around 80 per cent.

To counter the smuggling of fake notes, a joint task force is functioning between India and Bangladesh for building trust and cooperation for the exchange of information and analysis of smugglers of FICN.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Bangladesh to prevent and counter the smuggling and circulation of fake currency notes.

In addition, training programs are conducted for the police officials of Nepal and Bangladesh to sensitize them about smuggling or counterfeiting of Indian currency, the minister replied.

Uddhav Thackeray announces Sena’s alliance with Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade

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August 26, 2022

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday announced the party’s alliance with the Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade.

The development came as the Thackeray-led party is reeling under the impact of Eknath Shinde’s rebellion and the loss of power in Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters here, Thackeray said the alliance with Sambhaji Brigade was ideological and forged to uphold the Constitution and also regional pride.

He slammed the BJP for not adhering to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) ideology and said the Sambhaji Brigade comprises people who fight for ideology.

Thackeray also denied the allegation that he had called Chief Minister Eknath Shinde “contract CM”.

He will be touring the state around Dussehra and is currently focusing on building the organisation, the Sena chief said.

Over the last two months, he had been contacted by many parties which had an ideological affinity with the Sena and even the ones which were its polar opposite, he said.

These parties wished to come together to save regional pride and regional parties, he said.

Sambhaji Brigade chief Manoj Akhare said the organisation had formed its political wing in 2016.

The two parties have decided to come together and appoint a coordination committee for seamless functioning, he said.

Rinku Dhaka dismisses allegations of MLA Gopal Kanda’s involvement in Sonali Phogat’s death

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ANI

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August 26, 2022

Late BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat’s brother Rinku Dhaka, on Friday, dismissed allegations against Haryana MLA Gopal Kanda’s involvement in the former’s death.

“No, there is nothing like that,” Rinku said when he was asked by reporters about Gopal Kanda’s alleged involvement in the matter.

Sonali Phogat, 42, was declared dead at the St Anthony Hospital at Anjuna in North Goa on Tuesday morning. Her family questioned initial reports that she had died of cardiac arrest.

Her brother Rinku filed a complaint with the Goa Police alleging that his sister was raped and murdered by her assistant Sudhir Sangwan and his friend Sukhwinder. Dhaka alleged that “Phogat’s PA raped her after adding drugs to her meals”.

He also claimed that the actor had no plans to visit Goa and she was brought there as per a conspiracy.

“She had no plan to come to Goa. She was brought as per a pre-planned conspiracy. There was no movie shoot. Two rooms in the hotel had been booked only for two days. Film shooting was supposed to happen on August 24 but rooms were only booked for August 21-22,” Dhaka said.

After Dhaka’s complaint, new reports surfaced that claimed Gopal Kanda is helping Sangwan and Sukhwinder.

However, on Friday, Dhaka denied the allegation while speaking to the media in Haryana. Sonali Phogat’s post-mortem was done in Goa and as per Rinku, the post-mortem report showed four injuries and poison as the cause of death.

“A probe should be done as per the filed FIR. The post-mortem report says that her (Sonali Phogat) body has marks of injury,” Rinku Dhaka, brother of Phogat had said earlier.

However, Goa Police on Thursday said no sharp-edged injuries were found on the body of the actor. The Goa Police on Thursday also registered a murder case against two persons for their alleged involvement in the death of Phogat.

“Murder case has been registered against two persons in Anjuna Police Station. The probe in the case is underway. The deceased’s brother has mentioned the involvement of her PA and one other person. Post-mortem report expected in 1-2 hours. Victim’s body will reach Delhi tonight,” OS Bishnoi, Inspector General of Police, Goa had told to agencies.

Sonali Phogat, who rose to fame with her TikTok videos, contested the 2019 Haryana election as a BJP candidate but lost to then Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi (he has since joined the BJP). She also appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss in 2020.

Marsha Blackburn meets Taiwan president amid China tensions

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ANI

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August 26, 2022

us taiwan — Senator Marsha Blackburn, the latest US lawmaker to visit Taiwan, met the President of the self-governed island Tsai Ing-wen on Friday (Photo Credit: Blackburn Twitter)

Senator Marsha Blackburn, the latest US lawmaker to visit Taiwan, met President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday amid the rising tensions with China.

Blackburn arrived in Taiwan on Thursday after a series of high-level visits of US officials that set off military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

“Thank you, @iingwen, for your strong leadership in standing up against the Chinese Communist Party. The United States supports Taiwan and its freedom-loving people,” Senator Blackburn tweeted.

After she landed in Taipei, Blackburn applauded US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan alongside 25 other Republican senators.

She said that Taiwan is the strongest partner of the US in the Indo-Pacific Region. “Regular high-level visits to Taipei are long-standing US policy,” Blackburn said, adding that she will not be bullied by China into turning her back on the island. Blackburn arrived in Taiwan after stops in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

She was received by the director-general for North American affairs in Taiwan’s foreign ministry, Douglas Hsu at the airport, The Hill reported.

This latest visit comes in the backdrop of the US House Speaker’s visit to Taiwan earlier this month. This trip was the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years.

BWF World c’ship 2022: Chirag and Satwiksairaj become first Indian men’s duo to secure medal

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August 26, 2022

chirag shetty and satwiksairaj 1 — Image: PTI

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy made history on Friday by becoming the first Indian men’s pair to secure a medal in BWF World Championships after defeating Japanese duo of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the quarterfinals. Playing on court 2, the Indian duo won the match 24-22, 15-21, 21-14.

The first game was a thrilling, closely contested one but Chirag and Satwik emerged victorius 24-22.

The Japanese duo of Takuro and Yugo made a comeback in the second game. They downed the Indian duo 15-21 to make things even.

Chirag and Satwik faught valiantly but an exciting decider was set up. Shetty and Chirag were back to their absolute best in the final round and outplayed the Japanese winning the game 21-14 and sealing their semifinal spot.

It will also be India’s second medal at the Championships from a doubles pair. The duo has given India its 13th medal at the prestigious event.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj had stormed into the quarterfinals on Thursday defeating the Denmark duo of J. Bay and L. Molhede in their round of 16 match. It took only 35 minutes for them to eliminate their Danish opposition from the competition within two straight games 21-12, 21-10.

Earlier, in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, Chirag and Satwik had also won a gold medal in the men’s doubles category. They had defeated England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy 21-15, 21-13 in the finals.

BWF World Championships 2022 started in Tokyo on August 22 and will go on till August 28.

35-year-old woman gangraped in Jaipur police searching for accused

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August 26, 2022

harrasment — 35-year-old woman gangraped in Jaipur police searching for accused 7

A 35-year-old woman, who had gone to bring food, was allegedly gang-raped by 5 men in Jaipur on Thursday night.

The incident happened near the Jaipur Junction Railway station. The woman had gone out to bring food for her husband, who was drunk.

The five miscreants saw her and reportedly took her forcibly near the railway track. They reportedly tore up her clothes and then raped her one by one.

The woman was somehow able to reach the GRP Station half-naked. The police firstly provided her with clothes. After that, they also registered a case. A special team of the Commissionerate also reached the spot after learning about the incident.

Forensic Science Laboratory Division (FSL) officers reached the crime scene. The victim woman gave them information about the suspected offenders.

The team also collected evidence from the spot. Since then, the police have been conducting multiple searches in the city, but no one has been arrested so far. The Government Railway Police also issued a statement regarding the incident and informed about the investigation.

“A 35-year-old woman was allegedly raped near Jaipur Junction railway station yesterday. The Police and FSL teams have conducted an investigation at the crime site,” the Railway Police said

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigns from all party positions

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August 26, 2022

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday resigned from all positions of the Congress party including the primary membership of the party.

“The Indian National Congress has lost both the will and the ability under the tutelage of the coterie that runs the AICC to fight for what is right for India,” wrote Azad in his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi.

“It is therefore with great regret and an extremely leaden heart that I have decided to sever my half-a century-old association with the Indian National Congress,” wrote Azad in a 5 page resignation letter.

This latest high-profile exit from the Congress party comes after the polls for the Congress President were deferred. Azad’s resignation follows a series of exits of senior leaders from the party, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jaiveer Shergil, Jitin Prasada, amongst others.

This development comes just weeks after Azad resigned from the post of Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee, just hours after he was given the appointment. According to sources, Azad had refused to assumed the post of Chairman of the campaign committee citing “health reasons” and had conveyed the same to the Congress leadership, thanking them for the responsibility.

The move from Azad came at the time after disgruntled voices within the J&K unit of the Congress rose to a crescendo after the Congress leadership rejigged the whole unit. “We are unhappy as senior leaders were not consulted before taking a decision on J&K PCC chief. We have resigned from the party’s coordination committee as a protest against the recent announcements of the PCC chief. I have resigned from the Congress’ primary membership,” said former Congress MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar.

Pertinent to mention here, Ghulam Nabi Azad is one of the group of 23 leaders who were vocal about a leadership change in the Congress and not being dependent on the Gandhi family for every major decision of the Congress party

Saudi Arabia to invest USD 1 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan

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August 26, 2022

SA PAk — Saudi Arabia to invest USD 1 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan 10

Saudi Arabia has announced a USD 1 billion investment in cashstrapped Pakistan which is currently in a state of both economic and political upheaval.

This development came during a phone call between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, where he informed him of the Saudi King’s directive, in addition to discussing SaudiPakistani ties, as well as the regional and international issues.

“The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a directive to invest USD 1 billion in Pakistan, in confirmation of the Kingdom’s support of the Pakistani economy and the Pakistani people,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Thursday.

The Pakistan foreign minister welcomed the kingdom’s USD 1 billion investment in Pakistan. “Pleased to have a conversation with HH FM Faisal bin Farhan. Recalling fraternal bilateral ties, welcomed KSA commitment of USD 1 billion investment. in Pakistan.

Briefed my counterpart on damages caused by unprecedented floods, highly value solidarity expressed and KSAs all possible assistance,” Bilawal Bhutto said in a tweet.

This announcement regarding the fresh investment comes days after the State Bank of Pakistan informed about USD 4bn in financing for Pakistan from friendly countries.

“Pakistan will get USD 2 billion from Qatar, USD 1 billion from Saudi Arabia under the umbrella of deferred oil facility and USD 1bn investments from the UAE in various sectors,” Dawn quoted State Bank of Pakistan Acting Governor Murtaza Syed as saying.

HDFC Bank to pick around 10 pc stake in Go Digit Life Insurance

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August 26, 2022

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India’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank said it will acquire 9.94 per cent stake in Go Digit Life Insurance. Currently, Go Digit offers motor insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, property insurance, marine insurance, liability insurance, and other insurance products.

On Thursday, the private lender entered into an “indicative and non-binding term sheet” with Go Digit Life Insurance worth amount between Rs 49.9 crore to Rs 69.9 crore, in two tranches, by subscribing to eq

This deal is, however, subject to execution of definitive agreements whose terms and conditions are to be mutually agreed upon, and fulfilment of other norms, it added.

“The Company proposes to carry out life insurance business in India, subject to grant of certificate of registration by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India,” the filing said.

Recently, Go Digit General Insurance has recently filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for an initial public offering (IPO) that will include fresh issuance of equity shares and an offer-for-sale.

The Company proposes to utilize the IPO proceeds to augment its capital base and maintain solvency levels. “Our proposed deployment of the Net Proceeds has not been appraised and it is based on management estimates, current circumstances of our business and prevailing market conditions, which may be subject to change,” the DRHP document stated.

WHO to provide USD 4 million worth medical supplies to Sri Lanka

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August 26, 2022

who — WHO to provide USD 4 million worth medical supplies to Sri Lanka 13

The World Health Organization (WHO) has pledged to provide essential medical supplies worth USD 4 million to Sri Lanka.

In a congratulatory message to Ranil Wickremesinghe on being appointed as President, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged to deliver essential medical supplies valued at USD 4 million, according to Colombo Gazette

“To this end, I am pleased to inform you that I have tasked the WHO Health Emergencies Programme to take immediate action to meet the most urgent health needs of the people of Sri Lanka. In collaboration with WHO’s Regional and Country Offices, as well as the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries, WHO will procure and deliver essential medical supplies valued at USD 4 million. Procurement has already been initiated and the list, including delivery times will be shared through the WHO Country Office,” he said.

WHO Director-General also said that they have recognised the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the impact Covid-19 was having on the health system.

The WHO Director-General also said that the WHO will closely monitor the health risks to the population including the functionality and resilience of the health system and provide the necessary technical assistance to strengthen provincial health services, reported Colombo Gazette.