RIVANCH

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a product of Indian culture,” once said American actor Richard Gere. As we celebrate the PM’s birthday, he turns 73 this year, we take a closer look at how he has promoted Indian culture – through food, gifts and more – on the global stage, making the country proud. As Shiv Prakash wrote in The Indian Express , “PM Modi has worked tirelessly to re-establish respect for India at home and abroad.” Let’s take a closer look. Gift diplomacy and a boost to the arts Modi has made gift-giving a way to promote uniquely Indian art forms. At the recently-concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi, PM Modi made it a point of handing out a carefully crafted gift hamper to each of the world leaders in attendance. The special gifts represented the country’s rich history and treasures of nature, including a variety of handcrafted items and goods that are each steeped in centuries-old customs. Among the many items in the goodie bag , was the beautiful Sheeshamwood Sandook.

Four more workers, undergoing treatment in hospital after a service lift crashed at under-construction Amrapali Dream Valley Society in Greater Noida (West), died on Saturday . The death toll in the lift collapse in the group housing society has now climbed to eight, officials said. The lift of an under-construction tower of the society fell from the 14th floor around 8:30 am on Friday. At the time of the accident, there were nine workers in the lift. Four of them died yesterday, while others were undergoing treatment in a hospital. According to a police official, the service lift which was carrying the workers from the ground floor had a free fall from the 14th floor. The long-stalled project is being completed by the state-run NBCC. “Four workers had died after the incident on Friday. Five of them were admitted to the district hospital in a critical condition. Of these, four more have succumbed to the injuries while one worker is still undergoing treatment,” District Magistrate

The reconstituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) is meeting for the first time in Hyderabad on Saturday to finalise the strategy for the upcoming assembly elections in five states. However, at some places in Telangana posters have been put up that reads, “Corrupt Working Committee”. A video shared by PTI shows the poster has images and names of the members of CWC and their alleged involvement in scams. The poster has pictures and names of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Piyanka Gandhi, AK Antony and has mentioned about their alleged involvement in National Herald Scam. The poster has names and photos of a total of 24 senior Congress leaders, almost all the members of CWC, and a line below reads: “Beware of Scamgress Scammers.” VIDEO | Posters reading ‘Corrupt Working Committee’ put up in Hyderabad, Telangana ahead of today’s Congress Working Committee meeting in the city. pic.twitter.com/Tof9wGYkKy — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September

The government hiked special additional excise duty (SAED) on crude petroleum to Rs 10,000 per tonne from today. In the last fortnightly review on September 1, windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil was set at Rs 6,700/tonne. The government hiked special additional excise duty (SAED) on crude petroleum to Rs 10,000 per tonne from today. The windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil was set at Rs 6,700/tonne. The duty on jet fuel or ATF will be reduced to Rs 3.5/litre from Rs 4/litre currently.… pic.twitter.com/OnzTAlQLK8 — ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2023 Besides, the SAED or duty on export of diesel will be cut to Rs 5.50/litre, from Rs 6/litre currently. The duty on jet fuel or ATF will be reduced to Rs 3.5/litre from Rs 4/litre currently. SAED on petrol will continue at nil. India first imposed windfall profit taxes on July 1, 2022. With inputs from PTI from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/TM3oP2k FP Staff

One terrorist has been gunned down by security forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Saturday morning. According to Kashmir Zone Police, the encounter started on Saturday morning between terrorists and Army and Baramulla Police in forward area of Uri, Hathlanga in Baramulla district. #BaramullaEncounterUpdate : 01 terrorist killed. Search going on. Further details shall follow. https://t.co/22dP32S8dT — Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) September 16, 2023 Meanwhile, encounter in Anantnag entered its fourth day on Saturday. Loud explosions were heard and drones were pressed into service to locate the hideouts of terrorists in the region. As per information, the security forces were looking out for more terrorists in the area, as the Valley's police chief assured that the terrorists would be neutralised. Additional Director General of Police (Kashmir), Vijay Kumar, on Friday told PTI that the operation was launched based on specific inp

For the convenience of passengers, Indian Railways will roll out the first version of Vande Bharat sleeper train by March 2024. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has been working on creating Vande Bharat sleeper train. ICF also informed that Vande metro train will also be ready by end of 2023 and will be rolled out in January or February of 2024. Giving out details, BG Mallya, General Manager of Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai said: “We will be launching the sleeper version of Vande Bharat within this financial year. We will also be launching the Vande Metro in this financial year. And we will be launching this train for non-air conditioned passengers, which is called a non-AC push-pull train, which will have 22 coaches and a locomotive at either end. And that launch is going to happen before 31 October.” Vande Bharat sleeper trains “The sleeper version of Vande Bharat will be of 16 coaches – 11 AC three-tier coaches, 4 AC two-tier and 1 first AC,” Mallya informed.

With the rising cases of Nipah virus in Kerala, all educational institutes in Kozhikode, including schools, professional colleges, tuition centres, will remain shut till 24 September. Announcing the order, the district administration said online classes will, however, be held throughout the week for students in Kozhikode. Contact list of infected people shoots up Veena George, the health minister of Kerala, said the contact list of infected people has increased 1,080, while 130 new people have been included in the list on Friday alone. Of this 327 are health workers, she said. A total of 29 people in other districts are in the contact list of Nipah-infected people. Among them, 22 are from Malappuram, one from Wayanad and three each from Kannur and Thrissur, said Veena George. In the high-risk category, 175 are common people and 122 are healthcare workers. Nipah virus cases likely to go up in Kerala The Health Minister further informed that the number of people in the contact lis

IRS officer Rahul Navin was appointed as in-charge director of the Enforcement Directorate on Friday on the completion of tenure of the incumbent Sanjay Kumar Mishra, officials said. According to an official order, Navin, a 1993-batch IRS officer, will hold the charge till the appointment of a regular director or until further orders. Navin is currently the ED’s special director. The order stated that the President “is pleased to order the cessation of tenure of Sanjay Kumar Mishra…as Director of Enforcement in the Enforcement Directorate on 15.09.2023.” In July, the Supreme Court granted an extension of tenure to ED chief Mishra till September 15 but made it clear there will be no further extension The Supreme Court order came days after it had held as “illegal” two notifications by the Centre granting extension of service, for one year each time, Mishra as the chief of the Enforcement Directorate. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/916pcBv FP Staff

At least 175 people were killed and 1,108 others injured while 32 are missing in the ethnic clashes that have erupted in Manipur, the north-eastern state of India since early May. According to official figures, as many as 4,786 houses were set on fire and 386 religious structures vandalised. Addressing the media, IGP (Operations) I K Muivah said, “In this challenging time that Manipur is in, we can reassure the public that the police, central forces and the civil administration are trying round-the-clock to bring normalcy back.” Of the weapons that have been “lost”, 1,359 firearms and 15,050 ammunition were recovered, Muivah said on Thursday. A large number of arms and ammunition of the police have allegedly been looted by the rioters during the violence. As many as 5,172 arson cases were reported, Muivah said, adding, 386 religious structures – 254 churches and 132 temples – were vandalised. “Security barricades from Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district to Kangvai in Churacha

Kashmir is on edge. The operations in Anantnag following the death of three security personnel — including the commanding officer of the Army’s counterterrorist unit, 19 Rashtriya Rifles and a young deputy superintendent (Dy SP) of Jammu and Kashmir Police – has entered another day, on Friday morning. The gun battle in the forest region of Pir Panjal comes even as the bodies of Colonel Manpreet Singh (41), Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, and Major Aashish Dhonchak (34) were retrieved and airlifted to Srinagar. Dy SP Himayun Muzamil Bhat was laid to rest on Thursday, with the image of his father, retired Inspector of J&K Police Ghulam Hassan Bhat, laying a wreath on his coffin, turning everyone’s eyes moist. We take a closer look at how the security personnel are tightening in on the two terrorists they encircled on Wednesday and what’s expected to happen next. Manhunt underway Following the death of the three security personnel on Wednesday, the Indian Army along wi

On Thursday, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi requested Seattle Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the untimely murder of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula. Krishnamoorthi responded to a video of a Seattle police officer laughing about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian graduate student killed by a police car travelling at 74 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone. “The recording of a Seattle Police officer making light of her death and questioning the value of her life is disgusting and unacceptable. I urge the Seattle Police Department to pursue its investigation into this matter with the seriousness it demands,” Krishnamoorthi said. Jaahnavi, a youth student at Washington’s Northeastern University was struck at a pedestrian crossing on the night of 23 January 2023. In the video, Daniel Auderer, who is captured on body camera while discussing the fatal collision, can be heard saying, “Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 anyw

Congress MLA Mamman Khan, who has been named an accused in an FIR lodged after the 31 July Nuh violence, was arrested on Thursday, according to a report. According to an India Today report, citing Haryana Police, police have the phone call records and other evidence to back the move. Haryana’s Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabharwal told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that Khan was named an accused on 4 September after the evidence against him was properly evaluated. There was “ample evidence” against him, he later told reporters. The Ferozepur Jhirka MLA had moved the court on Tuesday, seeking protection from arrest while claiming that he was being framed in the case when he wasn’t even in Nuh the day the violence broke out. The MLA’s counsel told reporters after the hearing that Khan has only now come to know that he has been named in the FIR. The court said Khan can seek appropriate remedy “for protection of liberty in accordance with law”, according to the counsel. Ju

US and European corporations are transferring investment away from China and towards other developing economies, with India getting the great bulk of this diverted foreign money, followed by Mexico, Vietnam, and Malaysia, according to a report from Rhodium Group. These firms are abandoning the world’s second-largest economy even as its share of global growth rises, demonstrating how international investors are concerned about China’s business climate, economic recovery, and politics. According to the research, declared US and European greenfield investment in India increased by $65 billion, or 400%, between 2021 and 2022, whereas investment in China fell to less than $20 billion last year, from a peak of $120 billion in 2018. “Diversification is well underway,” the research organisation said, but acknowledging: “it will take years for advanced economies to achieve the objectives behind their ‘de-risking’ policies,” as China is so central to global supply chains. Low production cost

The Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A has decided to ‘boycott’ certain TV news anchors who they deem “biased” and think “communalise” news debates. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance  (I.N.D.I.A) will soon come up with a list whose debates and shows will be boycotted by the opposition parties. The decision was taken during the first meeting of the I.N.D.I.A Coordination Committee on Wednesday, where it authorised the Sub-Group on Media will draw up the names of anchors. “The coordination committee authorised the sub-group on media to decide upon the names of the anchors on whose shows none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives,” Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said. During the meeting, some members of the bloc pressed for drastic measures to avoid engaging with “biased” TV networks, according to a report by  Times of India . The first meeting of I.N.D.I.A Coordination Committee was held at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pa

The suspense is finally over. After over a week of discussions, deliberations and speculation about the agenda for calling a special session of Parliament – beginning on 18 September – the Centre has finally revealed what’s in store. Incidentally, the schedule for the special session came just hours after the government called for an all-party meeting on 17 September. Earlier, the Opposition had slammed the Centre for calling a special session of Parliament but not outlining a programme for it. The Congress’ Jairam Ramesh had earlier written on X, “Today is September 13. The five-day special session of Parliament will commence five days from now and nobody – barring One Man (ok, perhaps the Other One too) – has any sense of the agenda.” His views were also echoed by Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien, who wrote on the social media site: “Two working days to go before the Special Parliament Session begins and still not a word on the agenda. Only two people (seen as a reference to the P

The Security forces on Thursday encircled two Lashkar-e-Taiba holed up in a building in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag, said police. “Our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle two LeT terrorists,” said Jammu and Kashmir Police. #WATCH | J&K | Visuals from the Kokernag area of Anantnag where an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists, yesterday. Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DSP Humayun Bhat lost their lives during this ongoing operation. Our forces persist with… https://t.co/7Hb0aOHJPt pic.twitter.com/D1k3OVwnMP — ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2023 According to media reports, citing army sources, these terrorists have been entering the Valley via Nepal and their objective is to promote terror. The encounter has already claimed the lives of three army personnel, including a Colonel commanding a battalion and a Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police while one soldier was missing. Colonel Manpreet Singh

07:19 (IST) Chandrababu Naidu Arrest LIVE Updates Money trail clearly seen, says Andhra CID on Chandrababu Naidu's arrest Amid protests over the arrest of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Additional DG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday said the money trail is "very clearly seen" adding that it is a very clear case of government funds transferred and the project of purpose never happened. "In this case, a government corporation was formed and it was exclusively formed for this purpose of skill development and the proposal was moved by some private individuals...The money trail is very clearly seen," Additional DG of CID Sanjay told ANI.  In the midst of protests over the arrest of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Additional Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said on Wednesday that the money trail is “very clearly seen,” adding that it is a clear case of gov

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday contributed Rs 5 crore for relief and rehabilitation work in Himachal Pradesh — a state that witnessed damage to properties and loss of lives due to rain-induced flash floods and landslides during this year’s monsoon season. Nitish Kumar has contributed from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. In a letter to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday, Nitish Kumar said, “I am deeply distressed and saddened by the tragic loss of lives and large-scale damage done to the properties because of continuous rains during the current monsoon season in Himachal Pradesh. I convey heartfelt condolence to all the victims and their families. I am sending a contribution of Rs 5 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the relief and rehabilitation works in the affected areas.” He also expressed hope that people would recover soon from the losses under the “able guidance and leadership” of the Himachal Pradesh chief minist

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted warmly by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday at the party’s Delhi headquarters. A resolution praising JP Nadda on the “success of the G20 Summit” was adopted by his party. A resolution praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “historic and unprecedented” success of the G20 Summit was approved by the BJP parliamentary board. “G20 Summit monumental chapter in India’s diplomacy, transformative moment in how India perceived on global stage”, the BJP resolution read. “India’s G20 presidency will always be celebrated as ‘People’s G20’, a truly people-driven endeavour. G20 Summit brought world together on wide range of issues be it economics, geopolitics, technology and more” it added. “We, BJP karyakartas, extend our deepest appreciation and warm congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India for the successful G20 Summit held in New Delhi on 9-10th September, 2023,” the resolution read. “As representat

Madrassas in Uttarakhand will now teach Sanskrit to pupils as part of a “hybrid model” of education introduced by the state Waqf Board. The new model will also include an NCERT syllabus. The ambitious project will first be implemented in four madrassas. The madrassas chosen for the pilot project are Muslim colony of Dehradun, Rahmania Madrasa in Roorkee (Haridwar), Rehmannia madrassa in Khatima, US Nagar, and Jama Masjid madrassa at Ramnagar in Nainital district. “The Waqf Board in Uttarakhand has decided to implement the NCERT syllabus in the 117 Waqf Board Madrasas in the state. The NCERT Syllabus includes Sanskrit also. When our children can learn Hindi, English, Math, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Arabic, they can study Sanskrit too,” Chairman of Uttarakhand Waqf Board, Shadab Shams has said. #WATCH | Dehradun: Chairman of Uttarakhand Waqf Board, Shadab Shams says, “The Waqf Board in Uttarakhand has decided to implement the NCERT syllabus in the 117 Waqf Board Madra

Eleven people from Gujarat were killed and at least 15 injured when a trailer rammed into their bus from behind in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district early on Wednesday, police said. The bus was on its way from Gujarat to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh when the accident occurred around 4.30 am, they said. #WATCH | Rajasthan | 11 people killed and 12 injured when a trailer vehicle rammed into a bus on Jaipur-Agra Highway near Hantra in Bharatpur District, confirms SP Bharatpur, Mridul Kachawa. The passengers on the bus were going from Bhavnagar in Gujarat to Mathura in Uttar… pic.twitter.com/1nYUkj3J9z — ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) September 13, 2023 Expressing grief at the loss of lives and offering condolences to the victims’ families, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approves an ex-gratia of Rs 2 Lakhs each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who died

In Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri, security has been heightened as an encounter is underway between forces and terrorists in the Narllah area of the district. The encounter broke out in the Rajouri district of Jammu on Tuesday. A terrorist, believed to have links with LeT, was killed in the gunfight. #WATCH | Rajouri, J&K: Security heightened as an encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Narllah area of district Rajouri in Jammu. One terrorist neutralised; One Army jawan lost his life, and three others including one police SPO were injured in the… https://t.co/uaca8aeucQ pic.twitter.com/D3KIVouIJE — ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2023 An Indian Army jawan died in the encounter, while three more personnel, including a Special Police Officer (SPO), were injured in the exchange of fire. Army dog dies protecting solider  Making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, in keeping with the highest traditions of the Indian armed forces, a six-year-old army d

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was stranded in India for two days after the G20 Summit 2023 in New Delhi due to a technical snag in his aircraft, was offered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft to travel back, but he refused to accept the help. Sources to ANI said within a few hours after it was learned that Trudeau’s plane had developed a technical snag and was not in a condition to fly, the Indian government had offered the Canadian prime minister a plane of PM Modi. The Canadian government said it would opt not to avail of the offer of the Indian government to use PM Modi’s plane to fly back and instead said that they would wait for the technical snag to be corrected or wait for the backup plane that will take Trudeau back to Canada. On Monday, Trudeau was offered the services of Air India One for his return to Canada. The government of Canada declined the offer and responded to the Indian government almost after six hours, expressing their preference to

As many as 50 school children were hospitalised after they complained of stomach ache and vomiting allegedly after consuming mid-day meal at a primary school in Dumra block of Bihar’s Sitamarhi district on Tuesday. #WATCH | Bihar | Around 50 school children complained of stomach ache and vomiting allegedly after consuming mid-day meal at a primary school in Dumra Block of Sitamarhi district on 12th September. The children were referred to Sadar Hospital. Doctor says that all the children… pic.twitter.com/woCXGS9LP4 — ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2023 According to officials, the children were referred to Sadar Hospital where they are said to be stable. A doctor at Sadar Hospital said that children complained that a chameleon was found in the mid-day meal which was consumed by them. #WATCH | Dr Sudha Jha from the Sadar Hospital says, “They have complained that a chameleon was found in the mid-day meal. They had consumed the same food. All the children here are stable and symptom-

A 36-year-old man allegedly killed his wife with a knife inside their Delhi house over suspicions of her being unfaithful in marriage, cops reported Tuesday. The terrible incident occurred in front of their two daughters in Maujpur area, and one of them suffered an injury while trying to protect her mother, an official reported. The individual responsible for this act has been identified as Sajid. The police were alerted to the incident at around 1am on Monday through a PCR call reporting a stabbing incident in Vijay Mohalla. Joy Tirkey, the deputy commissioner of police (Northeast), stated, “In response, a team was dispatched to the scene where they discovered Nisha, the victim, with multiple stab wounds inflicted by Sajid at their residence.” A crowd gathered near the scene upon hearing the woman’s cries, but by that time, the perpetrator had fled. The woman had stab wounds on her neck, chest, and left hand. Despite being rushed to a hospital, she succumbed to her injuries, as per

Almost 45 days after communal riots broke out in Haryana’s Nuh, the Haryana Police has detained Monu Manesar, a well-known cow vigilante, in Gurugram for his alleged involvement in the clashes. He is also wanted in connection with a double murder of two Muslim men from Rajasthan, whose bodies were found in a car in Haryana in February. According to an NDTV report, Manesar has been detained under bailable sections of the Information Technology Act and will most likely get bail by evening. However, they will hand him over to the Rajasthan Police in the double-murder matter. Who is Monu Manesar, who has been linked to the clashes? What role did he play? We dig deeper and get you all the answers. Monu Manesar, the cow vigilante Monu Manesar, whose real name is Mohit Yadav, is a 30-year-old self-confessed cow vigilante. He joined Bajrang Dal as a district co-coordinator from Manesar in 2011 and earns a living by sub-letting rooms to labourers in the Manesar area. Earlier in February,

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday inaugurated 90 critical infrastructure projects developed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district and hailed the organisation for making difficult tasks look easy. VIDEO | Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates 90 critical infrastructure projects developed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district. pic.twitter.com/GPIPu0Qmnk — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 12, 2023 Addressing a gathering during the inauguration ceremony, the Defence Minister said, “… Your real achievement is that you made the difficult look easy, with your effort. The citizens of the country have stopped taking border area development as an achievement but it has become normal for them. Beginning an ambitious project and completing it on time is the new normal of New India….” #WATCH | Jammu, J&K: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “… Your real achievement is that you made th