Lalu Prasad says “Modi ko hatana hai” as RJD returns to power in Bihar

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August 18, 2022

Aiming to hit another home run in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has slammed the “dictatorial” government at the Centre and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be ousted from power.

“We have to oust the dictatorial government. Hatana hai, Modi ko hatana hai,” RJD chief Lalu Prasad said on Wednesday when asked by reporters about the 2024 general elections, which the Modi-led central government is seeking to win for the third time.

Lalu Prasad returned to Patna from Delhi on Wednesday and met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the first time since RJD returned to power in the state where Kumar formed a new Mahagathbandhan government after breaking the alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswhi Yadav who is Lalu Prasad’s son took to Twitter shared pictures of the meeting between the two leaders. “Respected chief minister Nitish Kumar ji reached to meet the national president (RJD) Lalu Prasad Yadav,” Tejaswi tweeted. Tej Pratap Yadav and Rabri Devi were also present on the occasion. Before taking oath as chief minister, Nitish Kumar had spoken with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and discussed the political developments. Kumar and his deputy – RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav took oath on August 10.

Earlier, when Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with BJP, Lalu Yadav hailed Kumar for his decision to split from the NDA and reunite with the Mahagathbandhan to form the new government in the state.

In July, Lalu Prasad, who has been out from prison on bail from April last year in the fodder scam case, was admitted to the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi after he suffered a fracture in his shoulder.

The RJD leader was discharged on July 22. A total of 31 ministers were inducted into the Bihar cabinet from various parties that are part of the Mahagathbandhan or the Grand Alliance in the state. On August 16, the new Ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan at Raj Bhavan.

The RJD got 16 ministerial berths while the Janata Dal (United) got 11. From RJD, Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav’s brother Tej Pratap Yadav, Samir Kumar Mahaseth, Chandrashekhar, Kumar Sarvajeet, Lalit Yadav, Surendra Prasad Yadav, Ramanand Yadav, Jitendra Kumar Rai, Anita Devi and Sudhakar Singh and Alok Mehta took oath.

Congress legislators Afaque Alam and Murari Lal Gautam were inducted into the cabinet as ministers, while Hindustani Awam Morcha’s Santosh Suman was also sworn in.

The Bihar Grand Alliance has a combined strength of 163. Its effective strength climbed to 164 after Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh extended its support to Nitish Kumar. The new government is likely to prove majority in the Bihar assembly on August 24

Japan’s suicide rate spikes due to COVID pandemic

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ANI

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August 18, 2022

A new study has found that the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in over 8,000 excess suicide deaths in Japan between March 2020 and June 2022, news agency Kyodo reported on Wednesday.

A group of researchers compared the expected number of suicides based on past trends with the actual number of suicide deaths over the given period.

The team concluded that suicide mortality rose by 8,088 deaths during the pandemic. The most affected group were women in their 20s, who accounted for the largest increase, but even younger females saw a considerable rise in suicide rates. The research says that the pandemic caused 1,837 suicides of people in their 20s, while 1,092 of them were women.

Women aged 19 and younger accounted for 282 out of 377 pandemic-related suicides. “Women, who have more non-regular jobs than men, tend to be more affected economically, while young people are possibly more likely to be forced into isolation due to behavioral restrictions,” one of the researchers, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo Taisuke Nakata, told Kyodo.

Economic difficulties are believed to be the prime reason behind rising suicide rates in Japan, as suicide mortality tends to increase when unemployment is on the rise, the news agency said.

Fumio Otake, a specially appointed professor at Osaka University, called on the government to shift its policy by taking into account data such as the number of suicides.

“It is important to weigh the risks of curbing coronavirus infections against stopping social and economic activities,” said Otake, who is also a member of the government’s panel on COVID-19 measures said. He said it is necessary to relax measures, such as shortening the isolation period for infected patients to maintain socioeconomic activities.

Suicides in Japan have been decreasing annually since 2010. However, the downward trend reversed in 2020 and remained the same in 2021, according to government figures

20 dead, 40 injured in mosque explosion in Kabul

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ANI

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August 18, 2022

mosque blast kabul — 20 dead, 40 injured in mosque explosion in Kabul 5

An explosion at a mosque in the north of the Afghan capital of Kabul killed 20 people and injured 40 more, media reports said.

The blast reportedly took place in a mosque in the Khair Khana area during evening prayers.

“As a result of an explosion in a mosque north of Kabul, 20 people were killed and another 40 were injured,” an Afghan security source told Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

The Taliban claim they have full control of Afghanistan but the Islamic State continues carrying out attacks on civilians and police across the country.

The Taliban has not issued any statement on casualties, according to the Afghan news agency. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far. Among the dead is a top Islamic cleric named Amir Mohammad Kabuli.

Two weeks ago, two deadly blasts in Kabul took the lives of 10 people, injuring 40 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks. This blast comes on the heels of one year of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

Rights groups said the Taliban have broken multiple pledges to respect human rights and women’s rights. After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.

The New York-based rights group in its report said Taliban human rights abuses have brought widespread condemnation and imperilled international efforts to address the country’s dire humanitarian situation.

Telangana Minister, K T Rama Rao urged PM to interfere Gujarat government’s decision over Bilkis Bano Case

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ANI

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August 17, 2022

Telangana IT and Industries Minister, K T Rama Rao on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his intervention to repeal the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the case related to Bilkis Bano gang-rape and murder of her kin during 2002 riots.

Speaking with the agencies, the minister said that I request to PM to interfere and reverse this decision by Gujarat government.

“The decision of the state in this case is giving wrong message to the nation. I request to the Prime Minister to reconsider the law and order regarding these type of cases,” said the Minister.

Rao said that I totally agree with what our PM said from the Lal Quilla about women safety, but later on Independence Day evening, we witnessed a contrast in his sayings and actions when the decision to grant remission to 11 convicts came out.

“Recently a rape took place in Hyderabad, the perpetrators of the rape were minor and if an individual is capable of committing the crime as high as rape he should be tried as an adult. Today unfortunately Indian Penal Code when it comes to sexual harassment and sexual molestation is not very strong.” He said.

The Minister for Industries and IT also asked the PM to make necessary amendments to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) suitably so that no rapist can get a bail through judiciary.

“Not as a leader of opposition, but as an Indian citizen, I urge to our PM to mandate the Indian penal code, the Criminal Procedures Code and the Juvenile Justice Act,” he further said.

Rao also took Twitter to condemn this decision and said, “Dear PM Narendra Modi Ji, if you had really meant what you spoke about Respecting women, urge you to intervene & rescind the Gujarat Government remission order releasing 11 Rapists Sir, it is nauseating to put it mildly & against MHA order. Need you to show sagacity to the Nation.”

All the 11 life term convicts in the case were released as per the remission policy prevalent in Gujarat at the time of their conviction in 2008.

“Strong legislations are the only way to ensure Judiciary can deliver swiftly & perform at its best,” he added in another tweet.

In March 2002 during post-Godhra riots, Bano was allegedly gang-raped and left to die with 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter. She was five months pregnant when rioters attacked her family in Vadodara.

Four labourers died in a lightning strike in Andhra Pradesh

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ANI

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August 17, 2022

LIGHTNING REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE — Representative Image

In a tragic incident on Tuesday, four labourers died in a lightning strike in Bogolu village of Lingapalem Mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district.

It has been reported that three people also were injured and shifted to the hospital.

The police told that the thunderbolt fell on the labourers while removing the trees.

The deceased were identified as Kondababu (35), Dharmaraju (20), Raju (25) and Venu (18) and later, their bodies were sent to Eluru government hospital for postmortem.

Eluru Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma said, “Four labourers died on the spot. They were working in the district Reserve Forest when the incident took place.” Following the incident, a case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

The post-mortem is conducted and after that, the bodies will be handed over to their relatives.

KL Rahul feels great to come back to Zimbabwe as a captain

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ANI

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August 17, 2022

Ahead of his side’s first ODI against Zimbabwe, Indian captain, KL Rahul feels great to come back to Harare as a captain, a place where he made his ODI debut back in 2016.

India’s first ODI of three-match series against Zimbabwe will be played on Thursday in Harare.

“I feel really special (to be returning to Harare as a captain). My ODI and T20I debut happened here. I got a hundred in my first ODI. I have great memories here and am hoping to add some more to it. Coming back here as a skipper feels great, especially when you look back at your debut. You see how much you have grown as a player and person. I am hoping to play some good cricket here,” said Rahul in a press conference ahead of the match on Wednesday.

KL Rahul made his ODI and T20I debut in Zimbabwe back in 2016, though he scored a golden duck in his first T20I, he scored an unbeaten 100* on his ODI debut.

This was also the last time India played Zimbabwe. Rahul said that he has enjoyed his past 12 months as a cricketer and injuries are a “part of sport”.

The stylish batter said that he has learnt a lot from current captain Rohit Sharma and former captain MS Dhoni and does not want to be compared to them in any way.

“What they have done for the country, their numbers are far greater. I do not think anyone should be put into same bracket as them. When you play together for years, you tend to pick up the good qualities of your teammates. This is what I have done too. I am a calm person, I do not want to go out and be something that I am not. I try to be myself so that others can be themselves and express themselves,” he added.

Rahul also spoke about the backing he has received from the coach and team management. “It is important for any player that selectors, captain and coach back you so much. You feel confident. You are able to focus on what is important, your mindset is clear and you can focus on your game and skill. If someone is backing you, it becomes easy for a player. Players thrive when they are given a comfortable environment with confidence. One can go from being good to great as a player,” he said.

Rahul lauded Zimbabwe for their recent form. The hosts had recently captured ODI and T20I series by 2-1 against Bangladesh.

“We have looked through their team. For us, it is about focusing on our strengths and try enjoying our cricket. It does not matter who we are playing, we just want to give our best,” he added.

Rahul said it will be a challenge to manage players and bring out their best. “Everyone is at different stages of their career. Few are coming back, some are playing a lot. How do you manage their mindset, nervousness is a challenge. All have played so much cricket and they know exactly what they need to do. They have belief in their abilities. Deepak, Kuldeep and I were together at NCA. They have prepared well and I know it. They have a clear idea of what they need to do. For me, it is about managing and giving them comfort,” he said.

India’s tour of Zimbabwe will start on August 18 and go on till August 22. It will consist of three ODIs.

India squad for 3 ODIs: KL Rahul (captain) Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj and Deepak Chahar.

Rahul Gandhi will follow the same strategy that the Opposition had adopted in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections

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ANI

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August 17, 2022

The fight for the next Lok Sabha elections seems to be gaining pace with over a year yet to go.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is looking to up the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, for which he will follow the same strategy that the Opposition had adopted in 2014 which led to the downfall of the UPA government.

Rahul Gandhi will meet civil society people and organizations in Delhi on August 22 to listen to their issues and share their thoughts.

Gandhi will also discuss his Bharat Jodo Yatra and its purpose with people from civil society. Ahead of his Bharat Jodo Yatra starting from Kanyakumari on September 7, Rahul Gandhi will work with civil society to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 general elections.

Gandhi is going to meet organizations and individuals working for different sections of society before his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Some Congress leaders have started discussing this along with civil society members. Yogendra Yadav, Megha Patekar and other individuals and organizations have been contacted.

The rest of the people are also being contacted and invited to the August 22 meeting which is proposed in Delhi.

Notably, before 2014, many organizations under India Against Corruption created an atmosphere against the then Manmohan Singh government.

The then opposition BJP had raised the issues of corruption, and policy paralysis in the UPA government.

It was that period when a pan-India movement was launched. Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, retired army officers and bureaucrats along with Baba Ramdev also created an atmosphere against the UPA government.

It is said that RSS and many of its affiliated organizations were also working behind these movements.

On similar lines, Rahul Gandhi wants to meet the common people to build a narrative against the Modi government based on the work of the BJP government.

The Congress leader will bring up the issues in his speeches relating to the alleged misuse of constitutional institutions, unemployment, division in society, farmers’ issues and the state of the economy.

A separate logo, website and literature have also been prepared for the Bharat Jodo Yatra which will be launched on August 23.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also geared up for a fight in the 2024 polls as the party aims to win 35 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar after losing power in the state following Nitish Kumar’s exit from the NDA.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday exuded confidence in BJP’s record-breaking victory in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections and claimed that the party will touch the 350-seat mark.

“The way popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasing continuously in the country, it is evident that people want him to win again. In 2019, we increased to 314 from 282, I think this time this journey will end by going beyond 350. In Bihar, we have set a target of 35 seats. BJP will perform 100 per cent. History has been repeated before and this time it will be repeated again. It will be a new record this time,” said Shekhawat.

Express train got derailed in Maharashtra as it hits goods train

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Web Team

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August 17, 2022

On Wednesday the wheels of the express train came of the tracks in Gondia district of Maharashtra as the goods trains were hit from behind the express train after which four wheels came out of it.

As per the reports nobody was injured during this accident and this incident occurred around 1:20 am between Gudhma and Gondia railway stations and the locomotive pilot who was in operation of the train stated that he could not control the train due to which it has hit the container train which was halted ahead of that running train”

The train which met an accident with the container train is express train which is named as “ Bhagat Ki Kothi SF Express (20843) and it was not in control after which it had hit the container train which was ahead of the SF Express train.

In a report it has also stated during accident four wheels came out of the train after which train went off the tracks but no passenger faced any major issues and people who faced minor injuries were taken to the hospital.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lauds India for making a remarkable contribution in vaccine production

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ANI

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August 17, 2022

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that India has made a remarkable contribution over the decades in vaccine production and now supplies nearly 60 per cent of the world’s demand.

Addressing a book launch event, the finance minister said India has a singular contribution in terms of vaccine production which is being supplied to the world.

“Over the decades India has, of course, made a remarkable contribution nearly 60 per cent of all the vaccines which are used in the world are produced in India.

Therefore, India has a singular contribution to the world in terms of vaccination and that which is being produced and supplied to the entire world,” Sitharaman said.

In her speech, she also talked about how India contributed in providing immunity to the world, where she said, “India’s DNA has this temperament to be able to build something to bring an immunity into public life into citizens and the way in which it has progressed today to the extent that we could produce a vaccine during the COVID lockdown period and that vaccine was just saved so many of our lives.” She lauded the effort in the country for double vaccination of every citizen and mentioned that it is not easy to execute.

“Vaccine has just saved so many of our lives. And today we are very clearly double dosing every citizen, it is not easy, both to produce to also execute it at that scale,” she said.

Sitharaman was talking at the book launch of Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry.

The book is titled ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story – From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitry’. Union Finance Secretary T V Somanathan was also present at the event and said the book is written in a lucid and non-technical way, with anecdotes that make it very interesting to read.

Yadav has treated a very dry subject and made it interesting to read even to a layman.

The book essentially captures the “whole Government” approach, the untiring efforts of our scientists, entrepreneurs and health experts, accelerated regulatory approach and liberal financial support towards readying two India-made vaccines, Somanathan said.

The book also dwells on the changed perception of the world towards a new India, which is leading the globe in many areas. Vaccines are one such sector where India has become an undisputed leader.

Ex-BJP functionary Mohit Kamboj’s tweet hints at the imminent arrest of ‘big’ NCP leader

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PTI

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August 17, 2022

A social media post by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing functionary Mohit Kamboj implying that one more “big” Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader would go to jail soon sparked a row on Wednesday.

Opposition leaders said Kamboj’s tweet amounts to intimidating the people critical of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government.

“Save this tweet. One NCP big – big leader will meet Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh soon!” Kamboj tweeted.

NCP leaders and former ministers Malik and Deshmukh are in jail in Mumbai in connection with separate money laundering cases.

Kamboj’s tweet came against the backdrop of senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s critical remarks against the Shinde-led government.

As the tweet caused a row, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar told reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan here that Kamboj has tweeted in his personal capacity “but he has a strike rate of 100 per cent”.

Senior NCP leader and former state home minister Dilip Walse Patil said the practice of some spokespersons of the BJP making certain announcements and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following them up with action has become a “new normal in the last couple of years”.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole alleged blackmailing has become a “business as usual” for the BJP.

“The BJP uses probe agencies to target its opponents. Our fight will continue against such people,” he added.