Pak: Imran Khan summoned in ‘Toshkhana’ controversy

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August 8, 2022

imran khan 1 — Pak: Imran Khan summoned in 'Toshkhana' controversy 2

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a notice to former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Imran Khan in connection with the government treasure-house collection controversy and summoned him for a hearing on August 18.

The notice was issued to Khan after Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) filed a reference against him claiming that the ex-PM took most of the items from the treasure house “free of cost” during his tenure, Geo TV reported.

PDM filed the reference claiming that Khan had paid for only some items that he took home from the ‘Toshkhana’, but most items that he took from the government treasure-house was done so without paying for them.

In the reference, it was alleged that Khan did not disclose the gifts he took and concealed the information in his statements.

Reportedly, gifts received by government officials are to be reported immediately, to enable its value to be assessed. Only after an assessment is conducted can the recipient take away the gift, if he wants to keep it, after depositing a specific amount.

These gifts either remain deposited in the Toshakhana or can be auctioned and the money acquired through it is to be deposited into the national treasury

Last month, the former Pakistan Prime Minister sold three expensive watches from the government treasure-house collectively worth more than 154 million Pakistani rupees (Pkr) to a local watch dealer, media reports said.

Imran Khan reportedly earned millions of rupees from these jewel-class watches gifted to him by foreign dignitaries, The News International newspaper reported.

The most expensive watch worth over Pkr 101 million was retained by Khan at 20 per cent of its value after his PTI government amended the rules and settled the gift retention price at 50 per cent of its original value.

The PTI chief first sold the watches and then deposited 20 per cent of each in the government treasury, the Pakistan daily said citing documents and sale receipts.

It added that these gifts worth millions of rupees were never deposited in Toshakhana. In April this year, Shehbaz Sharif had accused his predecessor Imran Khan of selling Toshakhana gifts worth Pkr 140 million in Dubai.

“Imran Khan sold these gifts for Pkr 140 million in Dubai,” Shehbaz had said.

He said that the expensive gifts included diamond jewellery sets, bracelets and wristwatches. Shehbaz’s revelation came in response to a question regarding a petition seeking the details of the Toshakhana that had been filed in the Islamabad High Court on which then PM Imran Khan had commented that the details cannot be revealed as per the Official Secrets Act, 1923

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde will be visiting Nanded today

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ANI

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August 8, 2022

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is scheduled to visit Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Monday.

The visit comes on the heels of the expulsion of Shiv Sena’s Nanded district chief Umesh Munde and several other leaders for indulging in “anti-party activities”. Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday sacked Munde and others.

Shinde was in the national capital on Sunday to participate in the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In June, Shinde and several other Shiv Sena leaders had rebelled against the party leadership, leading to the fall of the 31-month-old Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which comprised the Sena, NCP and Congress.

Following this, on June 30, Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Days after, Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra stating that Eknath Shinde, who led the rebellion with party MLAs to bring down the MVA government had “backstabbed” him.

Earlier on July 22, a notice was served to the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction wherein the Election Commission had stated that Eknath Shinde and some other persons have sought to be recognised as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena and are claiming right over the election symbol, the application said.

The Commission had sought the Thackeray camp’s response by August 8.

On August 4, the Supreme Court said it may decide on August 8 whether to refer some issues involved in the Maharashtra political crisis to a five-judge Constitution bench.

A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli also asked the Election Commission of India not to decide the application filed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp for recognition as the ‘real Shiv Sena’ party and allotment of the bow and arrow symbol to it.

Stampede at Khatu Shyamji Temple in Rajasthan: 3 dead, 2 injured

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ANI

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August 8, 2022

At least three people were killed and several were injured at a stampede at the Khatu Shyamji Temple in Sikar early on Monday morning during the monthly fair.

Two injured have been shifted to a hospital in Jaipur. The three deceased were women. Police have reached the spot and are exercising crowd control.

A stampede took place at around 5 am at the entrance of the temple. Today, the 11th day of the lunar calendar is considered auspicious for darshan of Khatu Shyam Ji who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Krishna.

The temple is considered to be one of the most important pilgrim destinations in Rajasthan and sees huge crowds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his grief. “Saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at the Khatu Shyamji Temple complex in Sikar, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest,” the PM tweeted.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the loss of lives in the stampede and wished a speedy recovery of the injured.

Taking to Twitter, Gehlot wrote “The death of three women devotees due to a stampede in Khatu Shyamji Temple in Sikar is very sad and unfortunate. My deepest sympathies are with the bereaved family, may God give them strength to bear this loss and may the departed soul rest in peace.”

“Wishing a speedy recovery to the devotees injured in the stampede,” he said in a subsequent tweet.

Further details are awaited. Meanwhile earlier in April this year, three people were injured in a stampede-like situation at the ticket counters at the Tirumala shrine in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati.

Also, In January this year 12 people died in a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra.

‘Predator’ star Jesse Ventura praises ‘Prey’ Prequel as “thoughtful” and “creative”

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ANI

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August 8, 2022

preditor star — 'Predator' star Jesse Ventura praises 'Prey' Prequel as "thoughtful" and "creative" 6

Jesse Ventura, who starred in Predator, has nothing but good things to say about Prey, the long-running franchise’s prequel, on Hulu.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ventura, who portrayed Blain Cooper in the first Predator movie, praised star Amber Midthunder and director Dan Trachtenberg on social media on Hulu’s prequel.

“Great, great film,” Ventura wrote in a Twitter post-Saturday evening, highlighting the performance by Midthunder. “Welcome to the Predator family. [Director Dan Trachtenberg] thank you for making such a thoughtful, creative and wonderful film.”

Midthunder told Ventura that she was speechless when it came to expressing her gratitude, and Trachtenberg admitted that he was “on the floor.” Regards, sir. We appreciate you watching and thinking highly of what we did.”

Prey tells the Predator’s origin story in the Comanche Nation’s 300-year-old world. A talented female warrior named Naru (Midthunder) defends her tribe from one of the first highly evolved Predators to touch down on Earth.

Dakota Beavers, Dane Diliegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathia, Bennett Taylor, Mike Paterson, and Nelson Leis are featured in the movie as well

In his review of the movie, Frank Scheck stated, “Featuring a cast composed almost entirely of Native and First Nations actors, Prey has clearly taken pains to be as authentic as possible,”

Recently, Midthunder expressed to THR how crucial it was to her that Prey accurately and respectfully depicts Indigenous life, as reproted by The Hollywood Reporter.

“You very rarely get good representation good being accurate, respectful or something to be proud about,” she said. “This is the first time you get to see an Indigenous female action hero at the center of a film. That in and of itself is a really incredible statement.

Indian stock indices have started this week on a steady note

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ANI

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August 8, 2022

The Indian stock indices started the fresh week largely steady as the benchmark indices – Sensex and Nifty – traded in a range of (+/-) 0.1 from Friday’s closing.

Among the Nifty 50 stocks, 30 were in the green and the rest in red, National Stock Exchange data showed.

“Growth impulses in India are strong. Leading indicators like bank credit growth, capacity utilization in manufacturing, automobile demand etc suggest an economy in the strong rebound.

Financials, capital goods and construction are on a strong wicket. Pharma and FMCG are stable.

Robust jobs data in the US as well as for the IT sector,” said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Meanwhile, the rally in Indian stock indices has been continuing for the past three weeks on account of the return of foreign portfolio investors after nine long months as well as inflation seemingly plateauing.

Foreign portfolio investors becoming net buyers in Indian stock markets again after nine long months renewed the investors’ sentiment. In July, FPIs bought equities worth Rs 4,989 crore and became net buyers after nine months, National Securities Depository (NSDL) data earlier showed.

In the past one month, the indices – Sensex and Nifty – gained around 7-8 per cent each, respectively.

Notably, the Indian stocks recorded their best weekly performance during the week to July 22 marking its best week since February 2021.

On a macroeconomic front, this week will be jam-packed for investors as the focus of Indian stock market investors will now shift from monetary policy to inflation data, both in India and the US, expected later this week.

For the record, the monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India has unanimously decided to raise the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.40 per cent in order to contain the persistently high inflation.

The hike takes the repo rate above pre-pandemic levels of 5.15 per cent.

The three-day monetary policy committee meeting commenced on Wednesday.

Raising interest typically suppresses demand in the economy, thereby helping inflation to decline.

In line with the global trend of monetary policy tightening to cool off inflation, the RBI has so far hiked the key repo rates — the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks — by 140 basis points.

PM Modi assures speedy clearances to the state projects in Maha says CM Eknath Shinde

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PTI

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August 7, 2022

Eknath Shinde, PM Modi — Image: Agencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured speedy clearances from the Centre to development proposals and timely disbursement of funds to Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said here on Sunday.

He said the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in the state has now set a target of “Mission 48” for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and will work towards achieving that goal.

Addressing a press conference here, the Maharashtra chief minister also announced that projects such as building of farm pond (Jalyukt Shivar) and a grievance redressal portal ‘Aaple Sarkar’, which ran into delays during the previous government, have been put on fast track.

Shinde said the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ (our government) portal, a single window service delivery platform of all notified major and micro municipal services, will go live on August 15. “At present, 404 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the state will be onboarded on this portal in a staggered manner and new ULBs, which will be formed in future, will also be onboarded on this portal,” Shinde said.

He said Maharashtra has sent Rs 18,000-crore proposals related to projects, ranging from improving sanitation to revival of lakes, to the Centre. “We will get everything now, be it GST dues or funds from the Centre,” Shinde said, adding that the prime minister has assured him of speedier approvals to proposals from the state. Asked about BJP’s ‘Mission 48’, focusing on winning all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Shinde said the said mission was now that of the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

“Yes, we have ‘Mission 48’. Now that we have a Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state, it will work with renewed vigour for the welfare of the people. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis too has spoken about it,” Shinde said.

Interestingly, during his two-day visit to the national capital, Shinde preferred to stay at his son (who is Lok Sabha member) Shrikant Shinde’s residence instead of Maharashtra Sadan, the official state guest house on Kasturba Gandhi Road here.

Shinde, who was advised rest by doctors last week, is also learnt to have taken a short tour of the national capital during his two-day stay here.

Maharashtra will experience intense heavy rainfall for next 3-4 hours : IMD

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PTI

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August 7, 2022

Rainfall, Maharashtra — Image: Agencies/ Representative

Intense to very intense spells of rain are very likely to occur at places in the districts of Maharashtra during the next 3-4 hours, said the Indian Meteorological Department on Sunday.

According to IMD, Intense to very intense spells are predicted in the districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri. According to the data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the coastal state has received 677.5 mm of rainfall till July 31, which is 27 per cent more than its normal figures.

Earlier in July, Maharashtra reported 84 people dead and 66 others injured due to floods. As many as 249 villages have been severely affected due to floods in the Gadchiroli district, according to disaster management officials.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the flood-affected areas and promised to extend all possible help to people.

Maharashtra reports new Covid-19 cases of 1,812 and one death

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PTI

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August 7, 2022

Covid-19, Maharashtra,Mumbai — Image: Representative

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 1,812 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death, taking the tally to 80,59,732 and the toll to 1,48,139, the state health department said.

A day earlier, the state had reported 1,931 COVID-19 cases and nine fatalities The department also said 16 patients of BA.2.75 and three patients of BA. 4 and 5 sub-variants have been found in the state. All these cases are from Pune.

“Detailed epidemiological investigation of these cases is underway,” the health department report said. The tally of BA.4 and BA.5 patients has risen to 275 and of BA.2.75 patients to 250. Maharashtra is now left with 12,011 active cases.

Of the 1,812 cases, the highest 740 are from the Mumbai circle, followed by 336 in the Pune circle, 303 in the Nagpur circle, 156 in the Nashik circle, 95 in the Latur circle, 76 in the Akola circle, 64 in the Kolhapur circle, and 42 in the Aurangabad circle, it stated. The lone COVID-19 fatality in the state was reported in Mumbai city, the department said.

A total of 1,675 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of recoveries in Maharashtra to 78,99,582, the department said. Of the 12,011 COVID-19 patients in the state, the highest 2,924 active cases are in the Pune district, 2,734 in the Mumbai district, and 1,175 in the Nagpur district. Maharashtra’s current recovery rate is 98.01 per cent and the fatality rate is 1.83 per cent.

With 34,966 new coronavirus tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the number of samples tested so far in Maharashtra rose to 8,34,36,135, as per the report. Coronavirus figures for Maharashtra are as follows: Positive cases 80,59,732; fresh cases 1,812; death toll 1,48,139; recoveries 78,99,582; active cases 12,011; total tests 8,34,36,135.

CM Eknath Shinde seeks Centre’s aid in Agri, Education sectors; says state committed to effective rollout of NEP

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PTI

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August 7, 2022

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday urged the central government to increase the procurement limit for the minimum support price (MSP) be increased to 50 per cent of the production, and also sought its support in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).

Speaking at the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde highlighted the steps taken by the state for implementation of the NEP, and said his government was fully committed to effective rollout of this education policy.

He also said that the cost norms need to be revised to boost the horticulture sector. “In the mission for integrated development of horticulture, cost norms fixed in 2015 have not been changed.

Project cost is significantly increasing due to the rise in prices of cement, iron and other raw material and it is no more affordable to farmers,” he said. He added the procurement limit for the MSP be increased to 50 per cent of the production. On the steps taken by the state government for implementation of the NEP, he said the state has made substantial progress in achieving universal access to elementary education.

“The state is fully committed to effective implementation of the NEP and has taken definitive steps in this direction. The gross enrolment ratio of Maharashtra has improved steadily in the last decade. The state is also promoting online and distant learning programmes,” he said.

To make higher education affordable to everyone, the state government is providing scholarships to the needy students from backward castes and economically weaker sections, he said, adding that Maharashtra will achieve the target of 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio well before 2035.

The chief minister said transformation envisaged by the NEP can be effected through a massive capacity-building programme of faculty and supporting staff.

The state government has set up Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy for providing need-based training to teachers and academic leaders.

The state is also encouraging higher education institutions, Shinde said. Seeking Centre’s support in implementation of the NEP, he said the central government should prepare an incentive scheme for the institutions which are taking a lead in implementation of the NEP.

Final guidelines of the University Grants Commisison (UGC) should be issued as soon as possible, so that they can be implemented in a time-bound manner, Shinde said, while urging the Centre to provide financial assistance to technology institutions, computer labs, digital and virtual labs, equipment for animation, gaming.

Police registered a case against a gynecologist as panel doctors stated negligence in a case of death of a 26- year old woman

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PTI

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August 7, 2022

Police registered a case against a gynecologist after a panel of government doctors indicted her for negligence leading to the death of a 26-year-old woman post delivery at a private hospital in Jalna city of Maharashtra.

The erring doctor had gone for a morning walk leaving the woman patient with inexperienced nursing staff, a police official said on Sunday citing a report of the committee of senior doctors of Government Hospital and Medical College (GHMC) Aurangabad, which probed the matter.

The patient, Neha Lidhoriya, died of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) or heavy blood loss after giving birth on April 13, the police said. The woman was admitted in the hospital in Jalna on April 13, 2022, for delivery. “She delivered a healthy baby. On the morning of April 13, she suffered PPH while the woman doctor went for a morning walk leaving the patient with the inexperienced nursing staff. The erring doctor and nursing staff did not inform the patient about the need for blood,” a police official said.

“The doctor did not give proper information about the patient’s condition and the need for blood. As a result of which, Neha died of excessive blood loss,” he said.

The woman patient’s husband had filed a complaint at the Government District Hospital demanding an inquiry into the death of his wife.

The complaint was then referred to the GMCH panel. A case has been registered against the gynaecologist under section 304 (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway, the official added.