Breaking News, August 18 | HIGHLIGHTS

The resident doctors' association (RDA) of AIIMS on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for enactment of a central law via an ordinance to protect healthcare workers and institutions across the nation. The body has also urged for restoration of law and order at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and killed.

Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rakesh Pal, who played a key role in boosting his force's operational prowess, died at a hospital in Chennai on Sunday following a cardiac arrest, officials said. Pal had taken charge as the 25th Indian Coast Guard (ICG) chief on July 19 last year.

Expressing anguish over the Kolkata rape-murder incident, over 70 Padma awardee doctors have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding quick enactment of a special law to deal with violence against healthcare personnel and implementation of improved safety protocols in medical facilities.

Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Home Department have failed in providing security after "bomb-like substances" were recovered from at least 10 places, following ULFA(I)'s claims of planting 24 bombs.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday termed as an "anti-national step" the government's move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry, alleging that the reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs is being "openly snatched away" by such an action. The former Congress president also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh instead of the Union Public Service Commission".

A 46-year-old man, reportedly a driver of an Uttar Pradesh minister, was found hanging in a state guest house in Bareilly on Sunday, police said. The incident took place in a guest house of the Public Works Department (PWD) located in Civil Lines of Bareilly district headquarters, they said.

The National Conference will announce its candidates for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the notification for the first phase of the three-phased polls, the party's vice president Omar Abdullah said here on Sunday.

The notification for the first phase is scheduled to be issued on August 20. Polling is scheduled to take place on September 18.

Kashmiri girls have woven rakhis for the soldiers posted along the Indo-Pak border ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival. Instructor Waseem Pattan said, "The girls have weaved more than 200 rakhis from the past two days. These rakhis will be tied to our soldiers on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan so that they don't feel that they are away from their sisters."

An FIR has been registered in Kanpur's Panki Police Station regarding the derailment of the Sabarmati Express train on August 17 at around 2:27 am. The FIR finds mention of a huge thing on the railway track, seeing which the loco pilot applied emergency brake but till then the block hit the cattle guard leading to derailment.

NCP MLA Rajendra Shingne has claimed that due to troubles faced by a cooperative bank with which he was associated, he had to side with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar after the party split last year.

Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by Sharad Pawar. Shingne on Saturday shared the dias with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at a programme in Wardha.

Head-on collision between a bus and a Max vehicle in the Salempur police station area of ​​Bulandshahr claimed 9 lives. As many as 25 passengers were travelling in the car. The police sent the injured to the district hospital with the help of villagers and took custody of the bodies. The bodies were sent for post-mortem. Agitated mob blocked the road.

Manish Sisodia held a meeting with party officials and formulated a strategy for the assembly elections. Gopal Rai shared information about the campaigns being run by AAP in view of the assembly elections:

• Workers' conference is going on in 70 assembly constituencies, MLAs will give the report of their four and a half years of work to the workers
• After the auto dialogue held in the party office, auto drivers also have new energy, auto dialogue will be held all over Delhi
• Soon booth mapping of party workers will be done in all the assembly constituencies

Police have arrested a 69-year-old man for allegedly raping a teenage girl in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, an official said on Sunday.

The incident took place under Beohari police station limits on August 14 and was reported to police the next day, he said.

The family of the injured child has accused the doctors of not giving the correct information about the child's health. Meanwhile, angry people created a ruckus in the vegetable market at Mukherjee Chowk, demanding for hanging of the accused. The ruckus and protest are continuing.

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Thailand's new PM Ing Shin. He took to X and said, "Congratulations Ing Shin on your election as the Prime Minister of Thailand. Best wishes for a very successful tenure. Look forward to working with you to further strengthen the bilateral ties between India and Thailand, that are based on the strong foundations of civilisational, cultural and people to people connect."

A 34-year-old cycle rider, named Rajesh, was killed in a hit-and-run case when a Mercedes car hit him yesterday morning near Ashram. The Delhi police seized the vehicle and the accused has been detained

An Air India cabin crew was assaulted by an intruder in the Radisson Hotel in Heathrow, London. Speaking about the incident, AIr India said, "Air India accords foremost priority to the safety, security and wellbeing of our crew and staff members. We are deeply anguished by an unlawful incident of intrusion at a hotel, operated by a major international chain, that affected one of our crew members. We are providing all possible support to our colleague and their broader team, including professional counselling. Air India is also working with the local police to pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law, and with the hotel management to ensure such incidents are not repeated. We request that the privacy of those involved is respected."

After the stone pelting and chaotic violence broke out in Nashik during the protest over the attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus in the wake of Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the Nashik police swung into action and arrested 20 people so far.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia as part of his 'Padyatra' campaign met people of his Patparganj constituency on Saturday, and alleged the BJP's "conspiracy" to keep him in jail till the Delhi Assembly polls failed due to the blessings of Lord Hanuman.

The former deputy CM of Delhi, without naming any party leaders, said the central government agencies registered such cases against him and Kejriwal that are registered against terrorists and drug mafia.