RIVANCH

Israel, Israel and Israel. We have completed two weeks of the deadly Israel-Hamas war – the toll has climbed to more than 4,000 people on both sides – and no one knows when it’s going to end. However, it’s not the only news that got us all worked up this week. Away from the glare of the war, big and significant events took place in India that caught our attention. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted its first test flight for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, there was also the same-sex marriage verdict delivered by the Supreme Court, which left many LGBTQ+ members and allies disappointed. Drama also caught up with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra in the cash for query scandal after a business tycoon alleged in an affidavit that she had granted him access to her Parliamentary login and allowed him to ask questions in lieu of buying her expensive luxury items and arranging logistics for her travels. As we sit back over the weekend, and try to unwind, here’s a

Gaganyaan mission: ISRO's first test flight launch postponed, 'vehicle safe'

The launch of the uncrewed flight test in the Gaganyaan Mission has been postponed for a lift-off on Saturday morning. ISRO chief S Somnath said, “The lift-off attempt could not happen today…engine ignition has not happened in the nominal course, we need to find out what went wrong. The vehicle is safe, we need to look at what happened…we will come back soon…the computer which is doing function has withheld the launch…we will correct it and schedule launch soon..” #WATCH | Gaganyaan’s First Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) launch on hold ISRO chief S Somnath says, The lift-off attempt could not happen today…engine ignition has not happened in the nominal course, we need to find out what went wrong. The vehicle is safe, we… pic.twitter.com/wIosu113oT — ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2023 This flight test vehicle abort mission will demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape system as part of the Gaganyaan mission. It will also test the safe landing in the Bay of Bengal a

Chhattisgarh Elections: Kejriwal, Mann, Sisodia, Sanjay Singh among AAP’s list of 37-star campaigners

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday released a list of 37-star campaigners for the Chhattisgarh Election. Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, party leader Manish Sisodia and other leaders have been on the list of 37-star campaigners for the election which is scheduled on November 7 and November 17 this year. Chhattisgarh is set to hold elections in two phases on November 7 and 17, with the counting of votes scheduled for December 3. The Congress party aims to secure another term in Chhattisgarh, with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel leading the charge. AAP releases a list of 37 Star Campaigners' for the Chhattisgarh Election Delhi CM & AAP National convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, party leader Manish Sisodia and other leaders have been named as star campaigners. pic.twitter.com/gwhri3WFcj — ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2023 from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/sjQS

In Images | Sneak peek at ISRO’s prep for Gaganyaan mission’s first test

India’s space odyssey continues. All eyes have turned to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as it gears up for the Gaganyaan mission – the country’s first human spaceflight mission. And as prep for this upcoming mission, expected to be launched mid-2024, ISRO will be carrying out the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) on Saturday (21 October) at 8 am. This test, scheduled to be held from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will demonstrate if the module in which the crew is housed can separate from the rest of the spacecraft and rocket in cases of emergency, and keep the astronauts inside safe. Also read: Gaganyaan: How ISRO’s astronauts are training hard for spaceflight As the countdown to this test begins, here’s a behind the scenes look at what’s being done for the monumental journey. The Gaganyaan Mission test flight will take place between 7 am to 9 am. The test will demonstrate the safety of the vehicle for the human space flight mission in future. The 21 October

PM Modi inaugurates priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor, flags off RapidX train 'NaMo Bharat'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor and flagged off RapidX train connecting Sahibabad to Duhai Depot. #WATCH | Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh | Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects the priority section project of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor through a VR headset. He inaugurated the priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor and flag off RapidX train – ‘NaMo… pic.twitter.com/pX7zUFP25O — ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2023 India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service RapidX, which is equipped with hi-tech features and a number of passenger amenities, will begin its operations from tomorrow. The priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor, between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot, has five stations — Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The segment from Duhai to Duhai Depot is a spur from the main corridor. The foundation stone for the RRTS Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut

What’s notable about high-tech RAPIDX trains to be unveiled by PM Modi today?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unveiling the priority section of the 82-km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) today (20 October). He will flag off the first RAPIDX train from Uttar Pradesh’s Sahibabad station. The 17-km priority section has five stations – Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The RAPIDX train services for passengers will kickstart on Saturday at 6 am. What is RRTS? How will it benefit commuters? Let’s take a closer look. RRTS explained RRTS, or RAPIDX, is India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service. The entire Rs 32,724-crore corridor covering Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be completed by June 2025. The RRTS project is executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture between the Centre and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Touted as India’s fastest inter-state transit system, the airconditioned RAPIX trains will

BJP announces list of star campaigners for Chhattisgarh assembly polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has compiled a list of its 40 most prominent campaigners for the November 1st Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the top of the list. Other names on the list include Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Mansukh Mandaviya, Darmendra Pradhan, and Smriti Irani. Anurag Thakur, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivaraj Singh Chouhan are also on the list of prominent campaigners. Elections in Chhattisgarh will take place in two phases, on November 7 and November 17. November 7 will see the first round of voting for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh, while November 17 will see voting for the remaining 70 seats. Raman Singh, the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, is running from the Rajnandgaon constituency in the second list of candidates the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued on October 10. In addition, the Congress has so far made public a

Why there's so much stress among students in IIT, asks father of IIT Kharagpur student found hanging in hostel room

Father of K Kiran Chandra, fourth-year student of electrical engineering at IIT Kharagpur, who was founding hanging in his hostel room, alleged his son was “stressed due to a project”. Talking to reporters, Kiran father Kethavath Chandra, said, “Why is there so much stress among students in IIT? He was stressed due to a project.” “My son was good at studies. In the three years of his engineering course, he did not have any backlog. But he was depressed over this project. He had spoken to his professor, but was dismissed and asked to complete the project in time. I spoke to him last on October 16. He told me he was studying and would speak later. This is not about ragging, but they (IIT) could have helped him,” Kiran’s father said. The victim’s family members also alleged that he was depressed over a project and had confided in his professor, who had brushed aside his apprehensions and asked him to complete it on time. The deadline for submitting the assignment was Tuesday, the day

WATCH: Mangaluru man drives over five people strolling on a sidewalk, one woman dies

In a hit-and-run case, a 57-year-old businessman ran over a woman and injured four other people who were strolling along the sidewalk. The incident captured in a street CCTV camera, occurred Wednesday afternoon in Gandhinagar area of Mangaluru city. The accused was identified by the police as Kamalesh Baldev, son of H.M. Baldev who happens to be commission and real estate agent, of Shivam Apartments, Alake. The deceased woman was identified as 23-year-old Roopashree, a resident of Kaana, near Surathkal. The injured women and daughters, Swathi, 26, Hithnavi, 16, Krithika, 16, and Yathika, 12, were not in danger. 🚨 Video: Viewers' discretion advised ⚠️ A 57-year-old businessman killed a woman and injured four others who were walking on the footpath, in a hit and run case at Gandhinagar in Mangalore on Wed, Oct 18. The driver, Kamalesh Baldev, ran his car over them and fled the spot. pic.twitter.com/hkMxzldENQ — Mangalore City (@MangaloreCity) October 19, 2023 When the inci

Monitoring developments in West Asia, keeping sharp watch on Chinese Navy's activities in IOR: Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said Wednesday that the Indian Navy is monitoring the developments in West Asia and also keeping a sharp watch on the Chinese Navy’s activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by the hour. Tripathi, who heads the crucial Western Naval Command, said the Navy is fully aware of Chinese activities in the IOR or the possible ripple effects of happenings in West Asia. “There is constantly at this point of time there is someone in the naval headquarters or the command headquarters working on what could happen after whatever is happening in West Asia (a reference to the Hamas-Israel conflict),” he said. He was replying to a host of questions in a session at the Global Maritime India Summit 2023. His statement came in the context of the escalating Hamas-Israel conflict. The vice admiral said as far as the Chinese are concerned, we are keeping a sharp watch on whatever they are doing in the South China Sea. “In the Indian Ocean, we are keeping a sharp watch as

Congress leader Naseem Khan writes to PM Modi, urges him to suspend bilateral trade with Israel

- October 18, 2023

Amid Israel-Hamas war, former Maharashtra minister and senior Congress leader Naseem Khan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to stand with Palestine from a humanitarian point of view and demanded that India should immediately stop all bilateral trade with Israel. With the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza (Palestine), I wrote a letter to our Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji requesting India to stand with Palestine from a humanitarian point of view. Ever since independence, India has always been against the injustice done to… pic.twitter.com/oqvAtbg989 — Arif Naseem khan (@naseemkhaninc) October 18, 2023 Deeply disturbed by the deaths of innocent citizens in the Gaza Strip, in a two-page letter, Khan said, “Indian government should immediately condemn inhuman bombarding on Gaza (Plaestine) which is killing thousands of innocent people and making them homeless.” “Right from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi,

'Big Day': IT Min Rajeev Chandrasekhar hails MoUs with IBM on Semiconductors, AI, Quantum Computing

- October 18, 2023

In a major milestone for India Semicon, IBM has signed an MoU with the Government of India on Semiconductors, AI and Quantum Computing. “This is certainly a very important day because these are the three of the four technologies that are going to shape the future of tech and innovation in the coming years – AI, Quantum (computing) and Semiconductor,” said IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, hailing the development and how it will be a massive opportunity for the tech sector in India, as well as for the people. VIDEO | “This is certainly a very important day because these are the three of the four technologies that are going to shape the future of tech and innovation in the coming years – AI, Quantum and Semiconductor,” says Union minister @Rajeev_GoI as IBM signs MoUs with the… pic.twitter.com/CEH870uf4h — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 18, 2023 “These three technologies represent tremendous opportunities for our academic ecosystems,, start-ups, and the broader opportu

'Those involved should be held responsible': PM Modi expresses shock over Gaza hospital attack

- October 18, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his shock after a strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians. PM Modi said, “Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured.” “Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible,” he added. Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern.… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 18, 2023 A massive blast rocked a hospital in Gaza city on Tuesday which was packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike for the blast, while

Does SC’s verdict on same-sex marriage allow states to enact its own laws?

- October 17, 2023

For many in India, Tuesday (17 October) was disappointing and a let-down after the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage. The five-judge Constitution bench, comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justices S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P S Narasimha and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, concurred that the court couldn’t take this decision and only Parliament could do so. “The court cannot grant LGBTQ+ people the right to marry, as that is a legislative exercise,” it said. While Tuesday’s decision was a disappointment, the apex court did offer a silver lining in its judgment, stating that that the states had the power to enact laws legalising gay marriages even in the absence of a central law. What does this part of the judgment mean? If implemented, how will it affect gay and queer people? We break it down and give you the answers. What did the SC say? In the same-sex verdict delivered by the apex court, the judges had opposing views on several matters, including

Same-sex marriage verdict: Govt, states, UTs should not bar queer people to get into union, says SC

The Supreme Court is pronouncing its verdict on same-sex marriage in India. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, while pronouncing the verdict, said that the Union Government, State Governments and Union Territories shall not bar queer people to get into a union. He noted that the Special Marriage Act cannot be held void and that it’s incorrect to say marriage is a static and unchanging institution. “Whether a change in the regime of the Special Marriage Act is required is for the Parliament to decide. This Court must be careful to not enter into legislative domain,” he said. The CJI said that homosexuality or queerness is not an urban concept or restricted to the upper classes of society. “The doctrine of separation of powers cannot stand in the way of the court issuing directions to protect fundamental rights. The court cannot make law but only can interpret and give it effect,” he said. The Special Marriage Act cannot be held unconstitutional just because it doesn’t

Will the Supreme Court recognise same-sex marriage? The case so far

On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court of India delivered a historic judgment decriminalising consensual same-sex relationships and declaring Section 377 as unconstitutional. Now five years later, on 17 October, the country awaits the apex court’s decision on whether it pens a new chapter in the rights for same-sex couples, and allows for equality in marriages. Today, a five-judge Constitution bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud will announce its verdict on same-sex marriages after it heard a batch of petitions in Supriyo@Supriya Chakraborty versus Union of India & Ors, which claim marriage equality in India back in May and had reserved their verdict following a 10-day hearing in the matter, which was live-streamed for all to see. As the nation and countless of members of the LGBTQIA+ community wait with bated breath for a favourable judgment, we take a look back at what was the case all about, who stands where on the matter and what it would mean for India t

MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi appointed India's Permanent Representative to UN

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been chosen to serve as India’s next permanent representative to the United Nations and other international institutions in Geneva. Bagchi is an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 1995 batch. In March 2021, Bagchi took over as spokesperson. The COVID-19 pandemic, the confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, India’s hosting of the G20 Summit in September of this year, and the accelerated pace of India’s contacts with numerous partners all occurred during his eventful tenure. “Arindam Bagchi (IFS:1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva,” an MEA release said. Bagchi is anticipated to begin the duty soon, according to the statement. According to media

Surendra Koli, Moninder Pandher acquitted: A look back at the gruesome Nithari killings that rocked India

The Allahabad High Court on Monday acquitted the key accused Surendra Koli and co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher in the infamous Nithari serial killings case in Noida. The High Court acquitted the culprits due to no direct evidence and witnesses. In connection with the Nithari case, Koli was convicted of raping and killing multiple children between 2005 and 2006 and received 10 death sentences. The appeals filed by Koli and Pandher challenging the death sentence imposed by the CBI court in Ghaziabad were accepted by a two-judge bench made up of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi. Defence counsel Manisha Bhandari told ANI , “The Allahabad High Court has acquitted Moninder Singh Pandher in the two appeals against him. There were a total of six cases against him. Koli has been acquitted in all appeals against him here.” Also read: Kerala ‘human sacrifice’, a ‘brain eater’ and other horrors of ‘cannibalism’ in India The horrific case Also referred to

Not just Gaganyaan, ISRO busy with various exploration missions in pipeline, says Chairman Somanath

ISRO has an ambitious lineup of exploration missions on the horizon, which includes journeys to Mars, Venus, and another lunar mission. In addition to these exciting plans, the Chairman of ISRO, S Somanath, mentioned the agency’s groundbreaking human spaceflight program during a recent conversation with reporters. Furthermore, ISRO has devised strategies for launching missions aimed at studying Earth’s climate and weather conditions. Chairman Somanath, who also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Space, revealed that ISRO is actively engaged in various scientific missions, such as communication and remote sensing satellites. Speaking about the Gaganyaan programme, he said the maiden TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for October 21. Elaborating about the upcoming missions undertaken by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, he said, “We have exploration missions. We have plans to go to Mars, Venus, and again sometime to the Moon. We also have programmes to look at the climat

Why death of Agniveer Amritpal Singh has trigerred a row