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Four children including a girl aged between nine and 14 drowned in a tank under Yacharam police station limits on Sunday, police said. The children belonging to different families drowned one by one in the tank while trying to save the previous one, Yacharam Police Inspector S Lingaiah said. He said the bodies were fished out with the help of local divers and the District Collector has announced Rs 50,000 ex-gratia each to the kin of the deceased, he added.

A day after 26 people died after a tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond here, a station house officer was suspended for dereliction of duty, a senior official said on Sunday. The tractor-trolley was on its way to Ghatampur after the passengers attended a 'mundan' ceremony at the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur when the accident took place near Bhadeuna village under the Saadh police station limits on Saturday evening. "The SHO of Saadh police station has been suspended for dereliction of duty. The rescue operation is complete, and post-mortem examination of the deceased was conducted at night. The cremation of the deceased is going on at the Deori Ghat in Maharajpur," District Magistrate Vishak G told PTI.

A digital solution (QR codes) has been launched for Bengaloreans to provide first aid care and medical services to people with cardiac emergencies. The QR codes are posted at all traffic signal junctions in the city for use during medical emergencies, according to Manipal Hospitals which launched it with the support of the civic body BBMP ('Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike'), and Bangaluru City Traffic Police. These codes can help the concerned/ affected person connect to the emergency number, from where at a single click, the person will be directed to ambulance service, the multi-speciality healthcare chain said. The initiative, that would enable a quick "shift around" during emergency, was launched on the occasion of the World Heart Day last week.

Favourable geology, open data access, supporting policy regime and ease of doing business were the major drivers to attract potential US players to invest in India’s energy and petroleum growth wave during a two-day investors meet held. The investors meet from September 28-29, showcasing the lucrative fiscal policies and conducive environment of energy and petroleum (E&P) sector, that has seen a paradigm shift in policies aimed at attracting investors for investment was organised by Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and facilitated by Houston Consulate General of India.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday promised Rs 40 per day for the upkeep of every cow in Gujarat and a shelter home for non-milching cattle in every district of the state if the Aam Aadmi Party is voted to power. Kejriwal's announcement is a renewed push to counter the ruling BJP in Gujarat and attract Hindu voters, as per political experts. The Aam Aadmi Party national convener also claimed that the BJP and opposition Congress have united to "cut into the AAP votes" as according to an "IB report", his party will form the next government in the state. "In Delhi, we give Rs 40 per cow per day. The Delhi government gives Rs 20 and another Rs 20 is given by the municipal corporation. If the AAP is voted to power in Gujarat, then we will provide Rs 40 per cow per day for their upkeep," Kejriwal said at a press conference in Rajkot.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's plans to foray into national politics are on track and the details are expected to be made public on the auspicious occasion of 'Vijayadasami' on October 5, ruling TRS sources said. The particulars of the plan are being worked out and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) could be renamed. The rebranded outfit may not be declared as a national party immediately, they said on Saturday. The party would highlight the welfare schemes being implemented in Telangana like 'Rythu Bandhu' investment support scheme for farmers and 'Dalit Bandhu' (Rs 10 lakh grant to every Dalit household to start any business or trade) and question as to why such measures are not being implemented in the country, they said.

Assam's famed Kamakhya temple, nestled atop the Nilachal hills, is buzzing with devotees as full-fledged Durga Puja festivities are underway after a lull of two years. The hills remained silent during the last two years as the temple doors were closed for visitors even as all rituals associated with the fortnight-long worship of the goddess were performed on a rotational basis by a group of selected priests, Kamakhya Devalaya president Kabindra Sarma told PTI. Kamakhya temple, revered as a major seat of Shakti worship, observes the annual Durga Puja rituals, locally known as 'Pakhuvapuja', for a fortnight or 'paksa' unlike the rest of the country where it is celebrated for 9-10 days.

Gangster Deepak Tinu, one of the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, escaped from police custody in Punjab's Mansa district, official sources said on Sunday. They said a manhunt has been launched to nab Tinu, who escaped on Saturday night when he was brought on a production warrant from Goindwal Sahib jail in another case by the Mansa police, they said. Tinu is a close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, also an accused in the murder case of the Punjabi singer. When asked about the incident, Inspector General, Bathinda Range, Mukhwinder Singh Chhina told PTI over phone, "We are working on it, police parties are on the job and we will catch him soon." Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29.

At least two persons were arrested in connection with the recent twin blasts in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, officials said on Sunday. The blasts inside two parked buses within a span of eight hours on September 28 and 29 took place at a time when security forces have been put on high alert across the union territory in view of the scheduled two-day visit of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, beginning October 4. While two persons were injured in the first blast that took place in a bus near a petrol pump at Domail Chowk at around 10.30 pm on September 28, there was no casualty in the second explosion which also ripped apart a stationary bus at the old bus stand Udhampur at around 6 am the next morning. The officials said over a dozen suspected persons were rounded up for questioning during the investigation and two of them were arrested in connection with the blasts. Further investigation in the case is going on, the officials added. 

Persistently high inflation remains a key policy concern for the Reserve Bank, which has raised rates aggressively so far this year, but the pressure might ease next fiscal assuming normal rains and further normalisation of global supply chains without any exogenous shocks, according to an RBI report. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expects retail inflation to come under control at 5.2 per cent in the next financial year beginning April, down from 6.7 per cent it has forecast for the current year. "For 2023-24, assuming a normal monsoon, a progressive normalisation of supply chains, and no further exogenous or policy shocks, structural model estimates indicate that inflation will average 5.2 per cent," RBI said in its 'Monetary Policy Report September 2022'.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge has the experience to strengthen the Congress and would emerge as a clear winner in the party presidential poll, while his rival in the race Shashi Tharoor belongs to the "elite class". “Kharge has a long political experience. He has a clean heart, he comes from the Dalit community and (Kharge contesting election) is being welcomed everywhere,” he told reporters after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the secretariat. Gehlot, one of the proposers of Kharge, said Tharoor is also a good man and has good thoughts but he is from the elite class.

Four people were killed and 25 others injured when the bus they were travelling in turned turtle in Hazaribag district, a senior police officer said. The incident occurred late on Saturday when the bus driver, while negotiating a sharp turn, lost control of the vehicle near Bahumar, around 110 km from state capital Ranchi, Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said. The bus, carrying mostly pilgrims, was on its way to Odisha from Gaya via Hazaribag, he said. The injured have been shifted to Hazaribag Medical College and Hospital, the SP said, adding that the condition of five has been stated to be “serious”. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed his condolences and heartfelt sympathies to US President Joe Biden over the loss of lives and devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. Hurricane Ian slammed into the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida as a major Category 4 hurricane earlier in the week before crossing the peninsula out over the Atlantic Ocean and then striking the US Southeast seacoast as a Category 1 hurricane.  The death toll in Florida from Hurricane Ian has risen to 47. "My sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to @POTUS @JoeBiden for the loss of precious lives and devastation caused by Hurricane Ian," Modi tweeted.  "Our thoughts are with the people of the United States in these difficult times," the prime minister said. 

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All lights at Rani Kamalapati railway station in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal switch on whenever a train reaches its platform. But once the train leaves, 70 per cent of the lights automatically turn off. This "30-70 per cent circuit automation" system is among the energy conservation initiatives taken by the Bhopal division of West Central Railway (WCR) to save power and cut cost, an official told PTI. Besides, a solar energy plant at WCR's Bina station in the state is the first-of-its kind of the Railways to provide electricity directly to the overhead equipment (OHE), he claimed.

Union home minister Amit Shah will begin his three-day packed schedule visit to Jammu and Kashmir on October 3. Officials said the Union Home Minister has a busy schedule ahead of him during his visit to the Union Territory. "The Union Home Minister will arrive in Jammu around 5 p.m. tomorrow (Monday). He will meet delegations of Gujjars/Bakarwals and Yuva Rajput Sabha in the evening." His schedule for October 4 and 5 includes paying obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district. Shah will lay foundation of several developmental works and will also visit Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla districts where he will meet various delegations.

A new regulation that came into force in Poland Saturday requiring pregnancy information to be uploaded to the national digital system has raised concerns among women's organizations that it could be another means for the conservative government to control women's lives. Women's groups suggest the Health Ministry regulation would enable authorities to monitor pregnancies as another means of control in the country with a very strict anti-abortion law. The ministry had denied this, saying the regulation stems from European Union directives and will help doctors treat patients by providing them with vital information quickly.

Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday. Several fights between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province’s Malang city after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2. The brawls that broke out just after the game ended late night Saturday prompted riot police to fire tear gas, which caused panic among supporters, said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta. Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly. More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said. He said the death toll is likely still increasing, since many of about 180 injured victims’ conditions were deteriorating.

A strong US-India defence partnership rooted in shared democratic values is critical to advancing US' interests in the Indo-Pacific, three American senators have said in a legislative amendment that urges the Biden administration to encourage New Delhi to accelerate its transition away from Russian weapons. Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, along with Senators Jack reed and Jim Inhofe, in the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, says that India faces immediate and serious regional border threats from China, with continued military aggression by the Chinese people along the India-China border.

Northern Coalfields Ltd on Saturday said it has produced 64 million tonne of coal, registering a 19.8 per cent growth in the first half of the 2022-23 financial year. The miner had produced 53.44 million tonne of coal in the year-ago period. The Singrauli-based subsidiary of Coal India said its dispatch also grew by 16.1 per cent year-on-year in the first two quarters of the current fiscal. The company dispatched 66.82 million tonne of coal in the April-September period as against 57.55 million tonne achieved in the corresponding months last year. NCL has fed powerhouses with 60.80 million tonne of coal, which is 91 per cent of the total dispatched to consumers till date, the miner said in a statement. "The company has been entrusted with the prime responsibility of fulfilling the energy aspiration of the country and exhorted every miner of the company for concerted efforts to make the nation self-reliant in the coal sector," NCL CMD Bhola Singh said. NCL has been entrusted with the production and dispatch of 122 million tonne of coal each in the current financial year.

An old bridge constructed in the early 90s in the Chandani Chowk area here was demolished through a controlled implosion in the early hours of Sunday, officials said. The bridge on Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH4) in the Chandani Chowk area of the city was demolished at 1 am on Sunday. Following the demolition, several earthmover machines and trucks were pressed into action to bring down the hanging structures and lift away the debris. The razing of the bridge was part of an ambitious Chandni Chowk development project that is aimed at improving the traffic situation at the key junction. A multi-level flyover will come up at the junction and the work towards that effect is undergoing.

The government has given approval to Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days wage to eligible non-gazetted railway employees for the financial year 2021-22, an official statement said on Saturday. The decision is likely to benefit around 11.27 lakh non-gazetted railway employees. This, however, excludes RPF/RPSF personnel, it said. This payment will be made before Dussehra/puja holidays, bringing smile to lakhs of families ahead of the festive season. The financial implication of payment of 78 days' PLB to railway employees has been estimated to be Rs 1,832.09 crores. The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB is Rs 7,000 p.m. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days, the statement said.

At least 26 people were killed and several critically injured when a tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond near a village in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, District Magistrate Vishak G Ayyar said. Most of the victims were women and children, the DM said, adding that the toll is likely to go up. The incident occurred in the evening near Bhadeuna village located within the Saar police station limits, a senior official said. Talking to PTI over the phone, Ayyar said the death toll has gone up to 26.