Breaking News, August 14

Residents of three tribal villages in Odisha's Nabarangpur district on Sunday alleged that their farmland and huts were set on fire by members of a forest protection group engaged by the state government.

Security has been stepped up across Chhattisgarh, especially in Maoist-affected areas, in view of the Independence Day celebrations, police said on Sunday. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will hoist the national flag at the Police Parade ground in Raipur on Monday morning and receive the guard of honour by different units of security personnel, officials said.

Palestinian gunman opened fire at a bus near Jerusalem's Old City early Sunday, wounding eight Israelis in an attack that came a week after violence flared up between Israel and militants in Gaza, police and medics said. Two of the victims were in serious condition, including a pregnant woman with abdominal injuries and a man with gunshot wounds to the head and neck, according to Israeli hospitals treating them.

A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol early Sunday and then began firing gunshots in the air from the burning car before fatally shooting himself, police said. The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street and 2nd Street in Washington.

On the eve of Independence Day, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs awarded 42 personnel from the Maharashtra police force with Police Medal for Gallantry, three with President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and 39 others with Police Medal for Meritorious Service.

A 22-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her boyfriend over some dispute in Mumbra area of Maharashtra's Thane city, police said on Sunday. The police on Saturday nabbed the accused Altamash Munewar Dalvi (23) from Thane railway station, an official said.

A strong explosion at a fireworks storage area tore through a popular market in Armenia's capital on Sunday, killing at least one person, injuring 36 others and setting off a large fire. More than three hours after the early afternoon blast at the Surmalu market, firemen labored to put out the blaze that sent a towering column of smoke over the center of Yerevan. Rescue workers and volunteers in civilian clothes searched for victims who might be trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted metal.

Two men were arrested for allegedly raping a minor in the Bisalpur area here, police said on Sunday.

Saudi energy company Aramco said Sunday its profits jumped 90% in the second quarter compared to the same time last year, helping its half-year earnings reach nearly $88 billion. The increase is a boon for the kingdom and the crown prince's spending power as people around the world pay higher gas prices at the pump while energy companies rake in top earnings.

Shiv Sangram Party leader and former member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinayak Mete was killed after a vehicle hit his car on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Sunday morning, officials said. He was 52.

Border Security Force (BSF) extended Independence Day greetings to Pakistan Rangers on Sunday at the international border near Kutch and Banaskantha districts of Gujarat and Barmer district of Rajasthan.

Pakistani soldiers were killed and an army officer was injured in an attack on security forces in the restive Balochistan province, the military said on Sunday.

A loaded truck collided with a passenger bus in Pakistan's Punjab province, killing at least 13 people, including children, rescue officials said. The bus had a head-on collision with a sugarcane-laden truck coming from the opposite direction in Rahim Yar Khan district, some 400kms from Lahore on Saturday evening, according to the rescue officials.

The meteorological department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts in the southern part of West Bengal owing to a depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal on Sunday.

Seven armed militants of the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) were arrested from different parts of Manipur ahead of Independence Day, police said on Sunday. The Assam Rifles received inputs on Saturday morning about a plot to target government installations and security forces with explosives during the Independence Day celebrations, Superintendent of Police of Thoubal district H Jogeshchandra said at a press conference. "A joint team of Thoubal district police and 16 Assam Rifles rushed to Yairipok Bazaar, cordoned off the area and began a search operation," he said. "Similar operations were also carried out at multiple places in Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching and Thoubal districts," he said. The security forces arrested seven militants, and also held a minor with weapons and explosives, the officer said.

India and Bangladesh should ignore minor irritants and continue strengthening their close relations as the two nations engage in a joint war against terrorism, said Shantanu Mukharji, IPS (Retd), a security analyst specializing on South Asia and terrorism . The two sides also need to guard against external actors who may be working to jeopardize the interests of both sides, Mukharji, who has been National Security Advisor to Mauritius, told PTI in an interaction.

Ahead of Independence Day, the Punjab Police on Sunday claimed to have busted a Pakistan ISI-backed terror module and arrested four persons. Three hand grenades, one IED (improvised explosive device), two pistols and 40 cartridges were recovered, it added. The operation was carried out jointly by the Punjab Police and the Delhi Police. “Ahead of #IndependenceDay, Punjab Police foils major terror threat and busts Pak-ISI backed terror module, with help of Delhi Police. 4 module members associated with Canada-based Arsh Dalla & Australia-based Gurjant Singh arrested,” the Punjab Police tweeted.
“Three hand-grenades (P-86), 1 IED & 2-9mm pistols along with 40 live cartridges have been recovered,” it said in another tweet.

The BJP on Sunday demanded action against the owner of a private school after a minor Dalit boy died in Rajasthan's Jalore district after being allegedly beaten up by a teacher for touching a water pot. Nine-year-old Indra Kumar Meghwal died on Saturday allegedly after he was beaten up by the teacher for touching a water pot in the school.The accused teacher, Chail Singh (40) has been arrested. BJP state president Satish Poonia charged that such incidents happen when the state government and chief minister are weak.

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Salman Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and was able to talk, a day after the Mumbai-born author was stabbed, in what US authorities said was a "targeted, unprovoked, preplanned" attack. Rushdie, who faced Islamist death threats for years after writing "The Satanic Verses", was stabbed by a 24-year-old New Jersey resident identified as Hadi Matar, a US national of Lebanese origin, on stage on Friday while he was being introduced at a literary event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. "@SalmanRushdie off ventilator and talking! Continued prayers from all @chq," Chautauqua Institution president Michael Hill said in a tweet on Saturday night. Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, also confirmed the news to the US media.

Assam has registered over 17 per cent fall in fresh COVID-19 cases with 126 more people testing positive for the infection and one more person losing his life due to the infection, the National Health Mission (NHM) said. The state's positivity rate, however, increased to 2.97 per cent as 4,238 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Saturday, the daily media bulletin said. Assam had recorded 152 cases and 2.78 per cent positivity rate against the testing of 5,512 samples on Friday. Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises the Guwahati city, reported 32 fresh cases against 19 infections on the previous day. It has recorded a total of 1,59,561 infections so far.

Six people were killed after a car and a tempo collided head-on in Maharashtra's Beed district on Sunday morning, police said. The accident took place around 5.30 am on Manjarsumba-Patoda highway, they said. As per preliminary information, a family from Jiwachiwadi village in Kej tehsil was going in the car to Pune to attend a marriage ceremony when their vehicle and the tempo hit each other, a police official said. Five members of the family and one other person were killed, the official said. Police had to use a crane to separate the two vehicles, he said. A process was on to identify the deceased, the police added. 

There has been no improvement in the condition of popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava as he remains on life support in the intensive care unit of AIIMS here, hospital sources said on Sunday. The 58-year-old stand-up comic was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday. He underwent an angioplasty the same day. "Srivastava remains critical and on life support. There has been no improvement in his condition. He continues to be unconscious. He suffered brain damage after heart attack," the source told PTI. On Friday night, Srivastava's family released a statement on his official Instagram page, saying the comedian's condition is "stable".

Haryana has seen a jump in COVID-19 cases during the past one month, with the state reporting about 20,000 infections and 23 fatalities due to the disease during this period. There has also been a nearly three-fold jump in the number of cases being reported per day in the state. While Gurugram district has been the worst-hit, Faridabad, which also falls in the National Capital Region, has also seen a jump in the cases over the past one month. The cumulative cases in the northern state have jumped from 10,19,732 as on July 10 to 10,39,937 on August 11, showed the data of the state health department.

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Shiv Sangram party leader and former member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinayak Mete died when a vehicle hit his car on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Sunday morning, an official said. He was 52. Mete was a staunch supporter of reservation for the Maratha community. The accident took place around 5.15 am near Madap tunnel under the jurisdiction of Rasayani police station in neighbouring Raigad district, the official said.
Mete, another person and his driver were in the car while they on way to Mumbai from Pune, he said. A vehicle hit their car near the Madap tunnel and all of them received serious injuries, the official said. They were rushed to private hospital at Kamothe in Navi Mumbai where Mete was declared dead, he said. The former MLC, who hailed from Beed district of Marathwada region, was a supporter of Maratha reservation.

BJP leader Kuljeet Singh Chahal and the director of the Delhi Gymkhana club are among six persons booked for taking out a 'Tiranga Yatra' without permission when there was a security deployment drill for VIP movement, officials said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Amrutha Guguloth said on Saturday that, "They had taken out the march without permission when the deployment of VIP carcade rehearsal is in place." Tiranga Yatra is being taken out across the country to mark the 75th anniversary of India's Independence. The case has been registered at Tughlaq Road police station under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the officials said. Chahal, who is Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary, said he has no information regarding the case filed in connection with the Yatra. 

The foreign ministry of the Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan has welcomed India's diplomatic presence in Kabul and promised to ensure security to the Indian mission in the Afghan capital. In a statement on Saturday, it said India's diplomatic presence in Afghanistan would result in the completion of "unfinished projects" that India had initiated and the commencement of new ones. The statement said Afghanistan "welcomes India's step to upgrade its diplomatic representation in Kabul." In June, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a "technical team" in its embassy in the Afghan capital.

The water level in the Yamuna receded below the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi on Sunday and is likely to dip further, officials said. The flood control room said the water level dipped from 205.88 metres at 8 pm on Saturday to 204.83 metres at 8 am on Sunday.  The river had breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres around 4 pm on Friday following heavy rain in the upper catchment areas, prompting authorities to evacuate around 7,000 people from low-lying areas. The water level fell below the danger mark around 2 am on Saturday.

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A local policeman was killed late Saturday night in a militant grenade attack in J&K's Kulgam district. Police sources said that militants hurled a grenade at a police party in Qaimoh area of Kulgam district late Saturday night. "The grenade exploded, injuring a policeman, Tahir Khan who belongs to Mendhar in Poonch district of Jammu division. "He was shifted to government medical college hospital in Anantnag town where he succumbed to injuries," sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he was overjoyed and proud of the amazing response to the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' movement. He also said a record participation was being seen from people across different walks of life in the campaign. "Overjoyed and proud of the amazing response to the #HarGharTiranga movement. We are seeing record participation from people across different walks of life," Modi said in a tweet. This is a great way to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, he said.

A war room will soon be set up in Lucknow to curb the menace of copying in exams, Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay said on Saturday. "All the examination centres will be connected to the Lucknow-based war room for ensuring transparency in examination," Upadhyay said. He said the condition of lecturers in self-financing colleges is miserable as they are not getting adequate pay. To overcome the anomaly, a meeting of representatives of lecturers and management committees would be called in September in Lucknow, he added. Upadhyay said the new National Education Policy will change the education scenario since it blends ancient Indian culture with modern developments in education. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is holding an open forum to rename the disease monkeypox, after some critics raised concerns the name could be derogatory or have racist connotations. In a statement on Friday, the UN health agency said it has also renamed two families, or clades, of the virus, using Roman numerals instead of geographic areas, to avoid stigmatisation. The version of the disease formerly known as the Congo Basin will now be known as Clade one or I and the West Africa clade will be known as Clade two or II. WHO said the decision was made following a meeting of scientists this week and in line with current best practices for naming diseases, which aims to "avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups, and minimise any negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare".

BJP leader Dinesh Sharma on Saturday said Bihar will witness a repeat of unsuccessful "Chacha-Bhatija" and "Bua-Bhatija" partnerships in Uttar Pradesh and the countdown for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "political exile" has begun with the JD(U) and RJD joining hands again. "The countdown for 'rajnitik vanvaas' (political exile) of Bihar Chief Minister Kumar has started and it will complete in the next Lok Sabha elections," former deputy chief minister Sharma told reporters here. He said Bihar will witness a repeat of Chacha-Bhatija and Bua-Bhatija experiments in Uttar Pradesh, referring to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's unsuccessful alliances with his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) in the 2022 Assembly election and Mayawati of the BSP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

A 21-year-old woman from Delhi has alleged that she was molested by an acquaintance at a guest house in Gurugram, officials said on Saturday. An FIR has been registered at the Sector 50 police station under section 354 of the IPC based on her complaint. According to the complaint, the incident took place on July 30, the day the woman attended a party with some friends. She alleged that the accused, a resident of Noida, touched her inappropriately at the guest house where she was staying after the party. The woman said she immediately objected to the behaviour of the accused and went home in Delhi. "On the next day, I filed a complaint with Delhi Police and also complained to the National Commission for Women through e-mail. But Delhi Police told me that this incident happened in Gurugram, so a complaint should be lodged in Gurugram only," she wrote. Sector 50 police station SHO Rajesh Kumar said, "We are investigating the matter and action will be taken as per the law."