Breaking News, August 31

West Bengal law minister Malay Ghatak has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to Delhi in connection with the coal smuggling scam on September 14. 

Nepal’s suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana on Wednesday appeared before an impeachment committee of Parliament to present his clarification on several allegations levelled against him.
A total of 98 lawmakers belonging to the ruling coalition Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist had registered the motion of impeachment against Rana in February with 21 different charges.
Rana, 64, appeared before the Impeachment Recommendation Committee on Wednesday to present his clarification as per the impeachment procedure, officials said.
The recommendation committee on August 24 had decided to summon him for Wednesday to defend himself.
The House panel started recording Rana’s statement in the meeting room of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee at Singhadurbar, according to officials.
Journalists were not allowed inside the room except for taking photos and videos of the suspended chief justice.

three men were severely injured after their scooter was allegedly hit by a speeding truck here on Wednesday, police said.
The injured persons, identified as Yuvraj (23), Neeraj (22) and Deepak (24), are undergoing treatment at a hospital, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan said the accident took place near Tiranga Chowk at around 3 am.
The injured persons were shifted to Aakash hospital from where they were referred to AIIMS Trauma Centre, he said.
"We have registered a case under sections 279 (rash driving or riding) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code at Dwarka North police station. A registration number plate of the offending vehicle was found on the spot. Our teams are working to solve the case," the DCP said.
CCTV cameras installed in and around the scene of accident are also been scanned to identify the accused driver and establish the sequence of the events, police said. 

India has submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, emphasising that it is a step forward towards its long-term goal of reaching net-zero by 2070. In a cover letter accompanying the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on August 23, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India's NDC does not bind it to any sector-specific mitigation action or obligation. On August 3, the Union Cabinet approved the country's updated NDC, incorporating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Panchamrit' (five nectar elements) strategy announced at the Glasgow conference last year into enhanced climate targets. According to the updated NDC, India now stands committed to reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 per cent by 2030, from the 2005 level, and achieving about 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

An average of 82 people were murdered daily across India in 2021, while more than 11 kidnappings were reported every single hour during the year, according to latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. The rate of murder per one lakh population was highest in Jharkhand, while that of kidnapping and abduction in Delhi, NCRB's 'Crime in India 2021' report showed. A total of 29,272 cases of murder involving 30,132 victims were registered during 2021, showing a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent over 2020 (29,193 cases), showed the NCRB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has publicly reprimanded the officers concerned for the poor conditions of roads in Jodhpur. Gehlot said: "The roads of Jodhpur are very bad. Officers who do not wish to be transferred out of the district will have to fix the roads." "I have asked Minister Subhash Garg to take up the matter. You should be careful about the condition of roads in at least the Chief Minister's district as potholes even in Jodhpur will give out the wrong message." Gehlot was speaking at the foundation-laying-inauguration ceremony of development works in Jodhpur on Tuesday. "Many people working in the Municipal Corporation, JDA, are locals. They should feel for the place more as it is where they belong to. Since they are getting to work in their district shouldn't they also work towards the poor getting their rights? he asked.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Wednesday the government will consider importing goods from India after consulting its coalition partners and key stakeholders, as the cash-strapped nation seeks to stablise soaring food prices triggered by flash floods that have wrought havoc across the country. The idea to import edible goods from India was first floated by the finance minister on Monday, when the country's death toll crossed 1,100 and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and thousands of acres of crops were destroyed. “More than one international agency has approached the govt to allow them to bring food items from India through the land border. The govt will take the decision to allow imports or not based on supply shortage position, after consulting its coalition partners & key stakeholders,” Ismail said in a tweet.

A truck transporting iron on the outskirts of Indonesia's capital on Wednesday crashed at a bus stop in front of a school and killed at least 10 people, most of them elementary students. The students were waiting for a ride home after finishing classes when the truck smashed into a bus stop on the main road connecting the Bekasi area and East Jakarta. There were about 20 students at the scene, and those who were injured were taken to two hospitals. The truck also hit a telecommunications pole that fell down and crushed motorbikes and a pickup that was crossing the road. The driver of the pickup also died. Police detained the driver of the truck as part of an investigation, said Latif Usman, Jakarta police traffic director. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a virtual school and said students from across the country will be eligible for admission. The application process for the Delhi Model Virtual School (DMVS) began on Wednesday. The school is for classes 9-12. "The admission to the schooling platform will be open for students across India and they will also be prepared by experts for entrance exams like NEET, CUET and JEE along with skill-based training," Kejriwal said at an online media briefing. The chief minister said the first virtual school in the country will prove to be a milestone in the education sector.

Delhi Assembly proceedings were adjourned till Thursday following slogan shouting by ruling AAP MLAs who demanded a CBI probe into the alleged "Operation Lotus" by the BJP. As soon as the House assembled for a discussion on the confidence motion on Wednesday, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta asked Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to take up his calling attention motion, even as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi tried to raise the issue of alleged "Operation Lotus" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Members of both sides shouted slogans, prompting Birla to adjourn the House till 11.30 am. Gupta's calling attention motion concerned alleged corruption in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools.

AAP MLAs in Delhi will meet the CBI director on Wednesday to demand a probe into the alleged 'Operation Lotus' of the BJP to topple opposition ruled state governments, party leader Atishi said. A delegation of 10 AAP MLAs will meet the CBI director at 3 PM, Atishi said at a press conference. The AAP leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have claimed that the BJP targeted 40 MLAs of the ruling party in Delhi offering them Rs 20 crore each to switch sides. Atishi alleged that whenever the BJP loses assembly elections in any state, its 'Operation Lotus' begins with the use of the CBI and ED to corner the opposition government there. Thereafter, the ruling party MLAs are offered money and promised withdrawing cases against them if they left their party and joined the BJP, she alleged further. The BJP has dismissed the allegations. 

Four youths lost their lives in two separate accidents in Rajkot city, while two others got electrocuted in Kheda district in the past 24 hours. According to a Pandal decorator staff member, on Tuesday late evening while laying plastic sheets on the Ganesh Pandal near Geetanjali Square on Pij road, three staff members came in contact with a 66 KV power line passing over it. Two workers died on the spot and another suffered serious burns injuries. The injured man was rushed to a Nadiad hospital for treatment. Bodies have been sent for post-mortem at the Nadiad hospital.

The Delhi Assembly proceedings were adjourned till 11.30 am following uproar in the House on Wednesday. As soon as the House convened for discussion on the confidence motion, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta asked Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to take up his calling attention motion, even as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi tried to raise the issue of alleged "Operation Lotus" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Opposition MLAs protested against it. Both sides resorted to slogan shouting, prompting Birla to adjourn the House till 11.30 am. This is the third day of the special session that was disrupted with ruling AAP and BJP MLAs forcing adjournments. The session had begun on Friday. 

Iconic sites in Pakistans Sindh province such as the Mohenjo-Daro ruins, Kot Diji, Ranikot suffered widespread damage during the recent catastrophic floods. At Mohenjo-Daro alone, the record rain have damaged excavated areas and exposed the ones buried underneath by creating furrows in them, Dawn news reported. The accumulated water has seeped into the excavated areas, loosening the soil and resultantly tilting the walls. This site, among the primary surviving bastions of the Indus Valley Civilization as it dates back to 2,500 B.C., is one of the last remaining connections Pakistan has with prehistory, Dawn reported. The Mound of the Dead, one of Mohenjo-Daro's most iconic features, is covered in blue tarpaulin.

A case has been registered against Karnataka Tourism, Ecology and Environment Minister Anand Singh for allegedly threatening a family, whose members later attempted to immolate themselves, over a land dispute, police said on Wednesday. The FIR has been registered against the Minister and three others following a complaint lodged by D Polappa, under the Prevention of Atrocities Against SC-ST Act, and sections 504 and 506 of the IPC, they said.

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan will set-up its new state headquarters in Mansarovar area. A proposal for the land allotment has been cleared in a cabinet sub-committee meeting, official sources said. The cabinet sub-committee meeting on Tuesday was chaired by Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Dhariwal. The around 6,000 sq metre land is located on Shipra Path in Mansarovar which comes under the Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB). After clearance from the cabinet sub-committee, the RHB will further process the land allotment. A party spokesperson said the party had applied for the land for a new headquarters building in Mansarovar.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday said his ruling party will cut ties with the Unification Church following a widening scandal triggered by former leader Shinzo Abe's assassination last month. Widespread cozy ties between members of Kishida's governing Liberal Democratic Party, many of them belonging to Abe's faction, and the South Korean-born church have surfaced since Abe was shot to death while giving a campaign speech in July. The suspect arrested at the scene allegedly told police he killed Abe because of his apparent link to the church. In a letter seen by The Associated Press and social media posts believed to be his, the suspected gunman said he believed his mother's large donations to the church had ruined his life.

Ganesh Chathurthi was celebrated at the Idgah grounds here on Wednesday amid tight security arrangements, hours after the Karnataka High Court gave the go ahead for it. Amid chants of vedic hymns, Sriram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik along with his supporters installed the idol of Lord Ganesha and offered prayers on the occasion. “We performed the prayers within the legal framework. Some miscreants had attempted to stop us but we performed our Pooja, which is not only a matter of joy for the people of Hubballi but also across the north Karnataka,” Muthalik told reporters at the Pooja Pandal.

Asian stocks followed Wall Street lower on Wednesday after strong US jobs data fuelled expectations of further interest rate hikes and Chinese manufacturing activity weakened. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Oil prices rose nearly USD 1 per barrel. US government data on Tuesday that showed there were two jobs for every unemployed person in July appeared to support arguments the economy can tolerate more rate hikes to tame inflation that is running at multi-decade highs.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said India is showing intent as a problem solver despite not being a traditional contributor to global emissions. Addressing the opening ceremony of the G20 environmental and climate ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia, he also said the current pace and scale of climate finance from developed countries is not matching the global aspiration to combat climate change. "While India has not been a traditional contributor to global emissions, we are showing the intent in our actions to be a problem solver," he said. Yadav said the maximum impact of the climate crisis is being borne by the poorest countries and most vulnerable communities, which have contributed the least to the climate crisis and lack the technology and capacity and finance required to significantly alter the status quo.

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Jharkhand police on Wednesday arrested suspended BJP leader Seema Patra, wife of a retired IAS officer, on allegations of torturing her 29-year-old tribal help Sunita, police sources said. Acting on a tip-off from a government employee, the Ranchi Police had rescued the woman from Patra's residence last week and recorded the domestic help' statement on Tuesday before a magistrate, sources said. Patra had allegedly kept the woman captive in her residence in Ranchi's posh Ashok Nagar area for several years. Patra was suspended by BJP after a video of the woman, Sunita, narrating her ordeal, went viral on social media with demands for Patra's arrest. Governor Ramesh Bais too on Tuesday asked DGP Neeraj Sinha as to why no action has been taken against suspended BJP leader. Members of various tribal outfits visited Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) where the woman is undergoing treatment and met her on Tuesday. 

Rishi Sunak pledged to work "night and day" for the “best country in the world” as the election campaign to take over from Boris Johnson as the Conservative Party leader and the new British Prime Minister entered its final stage on Wednesday, with the very last hustings event set for London. Sunak reiterated his vision statement as the first British Indian to run for the top job at 10 Downing Street ahead of the final campaign event scheduled at a popular concert venue in Wembley on Wednesday evening. The former Chancellor will go head-to-head with his rival Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for one last time as they fight it out for any remaining Tory members yet to cast their ballots before voting closes on Friday evening.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will address a rally in Jammu on September 4, his first after quitting the Congress. The rally is planned on the day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is slated to address a 'Mehngai par Halla Bol' event in the national capital. With the timing of Azad's launch event in Jammu and Kashmir coinciding with Gandhi's rally, it will be seen if there are more fireworks on the day the former Congress chief addresses the mega event at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.

A three-story building under construction collapsed Tuesday in northwestern Nigeria, trapping shoppers in a busy neighborhood. Emergency response workers told the Associated Press that at least eight people have been pulled from the rubble and they were searching for more. The building in Kano state, northern Nigeria's commercial hub, was being constructed as a business center though businesses were already operating on the ground floor, said Nura Abdullahi, head of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency in Kano. So far, “no casualties yet (and) eight people have been rescued” from the rubble with varying injuries, Abdullahi said, adding that the rescue operation was continuing. Abdullahi said authorities have not yet confirmed the number of people trapped inside the structure.

A 36-year-old man was arrested for alleged killing a person who refused to give him Rs 100 to buy marijuana in west Delhi, police said on Tuesday. The accused has been identified as Lal Babu, a resident of Moti Nagar, they said. On Monday, police received information about a stabbing incident under the Shadipur Flyover Railway Track. Naseem Alam, who was injured in the incident, was taken to RML hospital where he was declared brought dead, a senior police officer said. During investigation, police checked the footage of CCTV cameras near the spot and identified Babu. The police nabbed him following a nearly two-hour long chase on foot, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Shweta Chauhan said. The accused confessed that on the intervening night Monday and Tuesday, he along with his associate Bhoma were sitting under the flyover and taking drugs, police said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday greeted people on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and wished that the spirit of kindness and brotherhood always prevail. "Best wishes on Ganesh Chaturthi. May the blessings of Bhagwan Shri Ganesh always remain upon us," he tweeted. He added, "Michhami Dukkadam! Samvatsari emphasises on forgiveness. May there be no ill-feelings towards anyone. May the spirit of kindness and brotherhood always prevail." Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across the country to mark the birth of the god of wisdom who is worshipped before beginning anything new. 

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday sought information from the West Bengal Board of Primary Education about the appointment of primary teachers since 2011 in connection with its ongoing probe into a school jobs scam, an official said. The ED wrote to the chairman of the board for soft copies of the appointments-related details by Thursday, he said. A source in the education body said officials concerned in primary schools in all the districts have been asked to furnish the information on time. The ED had earlier arrested suspended Trinamool Congress leader and former state minister Partha Chatterjee, and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore scam. 

The family of a 55-year-old woman who suffered a severe head injury recently donated her vital organs at the AIIMS here on Tuesday, which helped save the lives of four people, the hospital said. The deceased, Krishna, had gone for morning walk on August 27. A local, who knew her, saw her lying unconscious by the road and informed her husband. She was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre immediately and was admitted there with a severe head injury. On August 29, Krishna became brain stem dead despite best efforts to save her, doctors said. A team of doctors and transplant coordinators from the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO) counselled the family for organ donation. About six years ago, Krishna's youngest son-in-law, Kishan, had encountered a similar situation when his mother became brain dead after an accident and he and his family had donated her organs in Lucknow, a doctor said.

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight, after engine trouble halted the first countdown this week. Managers said Tuesday they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back. No one will be aboard, just three test dummies. If successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago. During Monday's launch attempt, one of the four main engines in the rocket's core stage could not be chilled sufficiently prior to planned ignition moments before liftoff. The three others came up just a little short. The chilling operation will be conducted a half-hour earlier for Saturday afternoon's try, once fueling is underway at the pad, officials said.

Russian news agencies are reporting that former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has died at 91. The Tass, RIA Novosti and Interfax agencies cited the Central Clinical Hospital. Gorbachev's office said earlier that he was undergoing treatment at the hospital. 

A man was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl, recording the act and sending it to her father, police said on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Gabbar, was booked under the IT Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, Inspector Bhupendra Kumar Balian, in-charge of Tajganj police station said. He recorded the heinous act in order to blackmail the victim, police said, adding that the accused is married. However, as the girl refused to be intimidated, the accused sent the video to her father who lodged a police complaint.