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The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday banned the sale of halal-certified products after Lucknow police booked some organisations for providing forged certificates to retailers. “In the interest of public health, production, storing, distribution and sale of halal certified edible items banned in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect,” the official order stated. Uttar Pradesh | Food Commissioner’s Office issues order, “In the interest of public health, production, storing, distribution and sale of halal certified edible items banned in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect.” pic.twitter.com/G9GXLPj83n — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 18, 2023 The move comes after Lucknow police on Friday registered a case against a company and a few other organisations for allegedly exploiting people’s religious sentiments to boost sales by providing forged halal certificates. According to a separate UP government decree, pharmaceuticals, medical gadgets, and cosmetic items bearing hal...

As Telangana is set to hold Assembly elections on November 30, The Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the BJP manifesto in Hyderabad on Saturday and promised free crop insurance to farmers through PM Fasal Bima Yojana, besides providing 4 gas cylinders free of cost annually to Ujjwala beneficiaries, free laptops for girl students who are entering undergraduate degree or professional college courses and free Ram Mandir and Kashi Yatra for senior citizens among others. He said that the assurances made in the manifesto were ‘PM Modi guarantee’ to the public. According to the party’s manifesto, BJP has decided to officially commemorate Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17th every year. “We will observe August 27 as Razakar Horrors Remembrance Day to pay homage to the martyrs of Bairanpally and Parkal. Further, on assuming office, will establish a museum and a memorial in Hyderabad, to document the brave struggle of the people of Telangana against the Razakars and the Nizams,” B...

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a brief stopover in Singapore on Saturday during his return journey from Indonesia. During his visit, Singh paid respects to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by placing a wreath at the Indian National Army (INA) marker, as announced by the defence ministry. The Defence Minister had recently concluded a two-day trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he participated in a meeting of the 10-nation ASEAN and engaged with some of its dialogue partners. According to the ministry’s statement, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose himself proposed the construction of a monument to honour the “Unknown Warriors” of the INA, laying the foundation stone in July 1945. Singh acknowledged this legacy by paying homage at the INA Memorial marker in Singapore, expressing heartfelt tributes to the INA’s ‘Unknown Warriors’ in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Paid homage at the INA Memorial marker in Singapore. My heartfelt tributes to the ‘Unknown Warriors’ of the INA. pic.twitter...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the BJP would ensure a free visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya for all the residents of Telangana if the saffron party was voted to power in the coming assembly elections. Addressing an election rally at Gadwal, he alleged that the Congress has hindered and delayed the construction of the Ram temple for the last 70 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed the ‘Bhumi Puja’ of the temple and the ‘pran pratishtha’ would be done on January 22, 2024, he said. Shah urged the gathering to elect the BJP to power in Telangana and said the party-led government would arrange the darshan of Lord Ram in Ayodhya free of cost to all. Targeting the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS government in Telangana, he said it gave religion-based reservations to Muslims, which is “unconstitutional”. The BJP has decided to abolish religious reservation and increase the quota to OBCs and STs, should it form the next government in the state, he said....

One of the only methods to save the nurse from Kerala on death row in Yemen is to negotiate a deal involving “blood money” with the kin of the victim, said the lawyer who has requested a Delhi court to allow her mother to travel to the country. Nimisha Priya faces the death penalty for the murder of a Yemeni national and their Supreme Court has dismissed her appeal. A direct negotiation with the victim’s family now remains the only way forward under the Shariah law prevalent in Yemen, lawyer Subhash Chandran said. However, that too is easier said than done. “There is a travel ban to Yemen since 2016 due to which Indian citizens cannot visit Yemen without the permission of the Indian government. So we are not able to reach out to the victim’s family for the blood money negotiation,” said Chandran, who is part of the forum comprising politicians, businessmen, activists, and expatriates seeking justice for Nimisha. “Blood money” is the compensation to be decided by the victim’s family ...

On Saturday morning, there was a slight improvement in the air quality of New Delhi, shifting from the ‘severe’ category to ‘very poor.’ The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital decreased from 461 on Friday at 7 am to 398 this morning. Despite this marginal improvement, residents found little relief as a dense and toxic haze continued to envelop the city. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India) reported an AQI of 398 at Ghazipur at 7:15 am on Saturday. #WATCH | Delhi: Air quality in ‘Very poor’ category; drone visuals from Ghazipur (Visuals shot at 08:00 am) pic.twitter.com/gVrBX6HMoS — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2023 Expressing concern over the escalating air pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai sought the intervention of the Centre on Friday to address the city’s deteriorating air quality. Rai highlighted that this situation extended beyond Delhi, affecting 12 districts in Haryana, 14 locations in Rajasthan, ...

In his address at the BJP’s Diwali Milan programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grave concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos. He deemed it a “big concern” and announced measures to combat the rising threat. PM Modi disclosed that he has directed the ChatGPT team to actively flag deepfakes and issue warnings when such manipulated videos circulate on the internet. “During the times of Artificial Intelligence, it is important that technology should be used responsibly,” he asserted, highlighting the need for ethical AI practices. “I saw a video recently where I was singing. People who like me forwarded it,” he said addressing journalists at BJP’s Diwali Milan programme at the party’s headquarters here. The Prime Minister urged the media to play a role in educating the public about the potential dangers of deepfake technology. He emphasized the responsibility of all stakeholders, including technology developers and media outlets, to ensur...