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Poll Parties Of 1st Phase Airlifted To Snow-Bound Pockets In J&K's Kishtwar

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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Poll Parties Of 1st Phase Airlifted To Snow-Bound Pockets In J&K's Kishtwar

Jammu:

Authorities on Friday airlifted the first batch of 189 polling officials and 69 police personnel to the snow-bound pockets of Marwah and Warwan in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said.

Kishtwar falls in Udhampur-Kathua parliamentary constituency, which is going to polls on April 19 to decide the fate of 12 candidates, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

Marwah, Warwan and Machail are the remotest areas of Kishtwar, which normally remains cut off for nearly four months following five to 10 feet snowfall during winter. On Thursday, a total of 188 security personnel were airlifted and deployed in 34 polling stations and strong rooms in these areas.

The officials said District Election Officer Devansh Yadav has made the arrangement with supervision and approval of Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, for the safe transportation of polling parties, election logistics and materials to 34 polling booths, including 19 in Marwah, 12 in Warwan and four in Machail.

Taking into account the weather forecast, the advance departure of polling parties, security personnel, EVM and other materials has been done, they said.

The officials said that political parties have been informed in advance of the movement of persons and materials, while five intermediate strong rooms have been established for the secure storage of EVMs, enhancing the efficiency of the electoral process.

The reparations are in full swing, with elaborate security measures in place, including the deployment of IAF’s Mi-17 helicopters for transportation of polling officers and the establishment of helipads, they said.

The officials said the dispatch of polling staff will continue in a phased manner, prioritising the far-flung areas, snow pockets like Marwah, Warwan and Machail through airlift and ensuring an effective and foolproof transportation plan for other areas as well through coordinated and comprehensive efforts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"If You Go To Other Country…": S Jaishankar's Modi Ki Guarantee Assurance

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'If You Go To Other Country...': S Jaishankar's Modi Ki Guarantee Assurance

S Jaishankar emphasised that India-US relations were strengthened due to PM Modi’s credibility. (File)

Pune:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday emphasised that the 20,000 children who came back from Ukraine were “Modi ki Guarantee,” adding that foreign policy is not just for diplomats, but has an impact on every person’s life.

During an interaction with the young generation of Pune on the launch of the Marathi translation of his book: “Why Bharat Matters” he discussed about India’s global rise and improved opportunities on Friday.

“Today’s world is globalised, and it means that whether you believe it or not, the world will come to your door. In the last three years, we have seen the Covid pandemic. It started somewhere else; who thought it’d reach India…and will turn our lives,” EAM S Jaishankar said.

He further said that today, the world is connected in terms of technology and mobility.

“During COVID also, we couldn’t stop the people, who were affected by COVID from coming back to India and the virus spread,” he stated.

S Jaishankar further highlighted that people sometimes, while visiting other countries, and dealing with conflicts and tensions, get stuck there.

“Sometimes, people also visit the countries, dealing with conflicts and tensions, and you can get stuck in such situations like when the around 20,000 students got stuck in Ukraine in 2022,” he noted.

Stating another example, S Jaishankar underscored the Russia-Ukraine war and said that when it began, western countries pushed everyone to halt the import of Russian oil. However, India did not stop importing oil from Russia.

“Another example is when the Ukraine-Russia war began, western countries pushed everyone, especially India, to not import oil from Russia. If we had come under pressure and stopped importing oil from them…then petrol and things related to it would have become expensive in our country,’ he added.

Earlier this week, S Jaishankar, while addressing a press briefing in Bikaner, reaffirmed that petrol prices were lower because New Delhi dared to purchase oil from Moscow.

Further, S Jaishankar emphasised that India-US relations were strengthened due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s credibility.

EAM shed light on Apple’s decision to make iPhones in India, and said, “Our mobile phones were made because our relations with the US got stronger due to the credibility of PM Modi’s that we would make it easier to do business…the combination of diplomacy and economic policy, hence Apple decided to make iPhones in India instead of China,” he said.

While interacting with the youth, S Jaishankar also talked about India’s initiative to make vaccines here during the COVID pandemic.

“Me and the health minister contacted every vaccine producer and supplier and asked them where their supply chain was. This supply chain used to come from around 40 countries, adding that if these chains do not integrate from 40 countries to India, we cannot make the vaccine,” he said.

S Jaishankar added that at that time, the US restricted that, until they were done with their work, they would not send vaccines to other nations.

“At that time, the US has restricted that, until our work is done, we won’t send vaccines to other countries. Then we went to the US and requested them, made them understand that this was for everyone’s benefit, and asked them to support us,” he said.

S Jaishankar emphasised, “Foreign policy is not just for diplomats…it has an impact on every person’s life.’

He further said that today, if Indians visit abroad, they can go with the “Modi Ki Guarantee”.

“If you go to some other country for travelling or holidays and something happens, today you can go there with “Modi ki guarantee. 20,000 children who came back from Ukraine were modi ki guarantee,” he said.

In 2022, under “Operation Ganga” in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion, as many as 18,282 Indians were evacuated, Minister of State for MEA, V Muraleedharan, said during a Lok Sabha session in December last year.

The MoS MEA also stated that in 2023, under Operation Kaveri, a total of 4,097 people (including 136 foreign nationals) were evacuated. As many as 1,343 people including 14 OCI card holders and 20 foreign nationals were also evacuated by India during the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Germany Urges Its Citizens To Leave Iran As War With Israel Looms

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Germany Urges Its Citizens To Leave Iran As War With Israel Looms

Tensions escalated in middle east after 7 Iranian members killed in a Israeli strike in Syria.

Berlin:

 Germany warned its citizens to leave Iran, saying that there was a risk both of a sudden escalation in Tehran’s existing tensions with Israel and that Germans might be at risk of arbitrary arrest in the country.

“In the current tensions, especially between Israel and Iran, there is a risk of a sudden escalation,” the Foreign Office wrote in a fresh travel warning issued on Friday. “It cannot be excluded that air, land and sea transport routes could be affected,” it added.

“German citizens are at concrete risk of being arbitrarily arrested and interrogated and being given long prison sentences. Dual citizens with Iranian and German nationality are especially at risk,” the Foreign Office said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Italian Designer Roberto Cavalli Dead At 83

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Italian Designer Roberto Cavalli Dead At 83

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli died Friday at 83.

Rome:

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, whose penchant for python and flamboyant animal prints made him the darling of the international jet set for decades, died Friday at 83, news media said.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that the designer died at home in Florence, the city where he was born, after a long illness.

First seen in the 1970s on stars such as Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot, his skin-baring, eye-popping styles were still favoured years on by later generations of celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez.

Cavalli had a taste for Ferraris, fat cigars and tailored shirts unbuttoned to expose his tanned chest. He married a Miss Universe runner-up, owned a purple helicopter and a Tuscan vineyard, and was on a first-name basis with Hollywood A-listers.

Born November 15, 1940 in Florence, Italy’s premier leatherworking centre, Cavalli was known for his use of printed leather and stretchy, sand-blasted jeans.

The designer was tapped in 2005 to update the Playboy Bunnies’ scanty uniform — true to form, he introduced one version in leopard print.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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IPL 2024 Points Table: LSG's Loss vs DC Is CSK's Gain

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IPL 2024: LSG lost to DC by 6 wikcets at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.© BCCI

Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk scored a belligerent half-century on his IPL debut after spinner Kuldeep Yadav dazzled with the ball as Delhi Capitals thrashed Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. It was Ayush Badoni’s 55 not out off 35 balls that steered a sruggling LSG to a respectable 167 for 7 after Kuldeep (3 for 20) sizzled with a three-wicket haul. Fraser-McGurk (55 off 35 balls) and skipper Rishabh Pant (41) struck a 77-run partnership to take the match away from the hosts and secure DC’s second win of the season.

The win helped DC gain a spot and rise to the ninth position in the points table. Royal Challengers Bengaluru thus slipped to the bottom spot.

Meanwhile, loss to LSG meant that they slipped to the fourth spot with Chennai Super Kings rising to the third position.

See the updated IPL 2024 points table here:

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

RCB’s Virat Kohli has the Orange Cap with 319 runs while MI’s Jasprit Bumrah has the Purple Cap with 10 wickets from 5 matches.

Orange Cap List:

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

Purple Cap List:

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

Kuldeep Yadav, who bagged the Player of the Match award against LSG on Friday said, “Was tough when I wasn’t fit. Got injured first game and was difficult to see the team struggling in the middle overs. Credit goes to Patrick to maintain my fitness and get me ready quickly. All three were important wickets, it was crucial to get wickets in the middle overs to control the run rate. I liked the first and second wicket, I have played a lot against Pooran and the execution for that was right. I was clear with my plans, just the length matters for me as a spinner. Very clear and confident with my skills. Whenever I feel the DRS call is 50/50, I try to push for it but when it is more 60/40 then I tend to listen to Rishabh. As a bowler, you obviously want to take the DRS whevever possible.”

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Notre-Dame Restoration Nears Completion 5 Years After Devastating Fire

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Notre-Dame Restoration Nears Completion 5 Years After Devastating Fire

On the evening of April 15, 2019, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames.

Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games.

On the evening of April 15, 2019, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched with horror as the medieval building burned. 

Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the cathedral’s restoration to lift the nation’s mood – and his government’s approval ratings. 

“Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” Macron said in his 2024 New Year speech.

It remains unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.

“A firefighter told me ‘Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don’t manage to put out that fire, it will all go to ruin’,” remembered Patrick Chauvet, the former Notre-Dame chief priest.    

The facade held, but the damage has needed five years of intense stabilisation and restoration works. 

The pride of those working on the project shines through. 

“This is the construction work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in all its three-dimensionality, that’s quite exceptional,” Emma Roux, an artisan working on the iconic stained glass windows, said. 

The re-opening is scheduled for December, and is currently running on schedule, according to the official leading the project. 

“We are on time and on budget,” Philippe Jost said last month at a Senate hearing. 

Jost told lawmakers that the project had so far cost 550 million euros ($587 million), funded in part by massive donations, including from luxury sector billionaires Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. So much money has been donated that there will even be funds left over for further investment in the building, he said. 

“An additional 150 million euros should be made available and – provided the approval of our sponsors – it will be used to restore the cathedral and tackle problems that predate the fire, which mainly concern the exterior stonework,” Jost added. 

Jost, 63, a trained engineer who spent much of his career in the defence ministry, took over the job after his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, died in a hiking accident in August 2023. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

NIA court sentences 4 naxals to rigorous imprisonment for assaulting Kerala Police officer

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The NIA court in Kerala’s Ernakulam sentenced the accused today. Earlier, the four naxals were convicted on April 9.

Published Date – 12 April 2024, 10:49 PM


NIA court sentences 4 naxals to rigorous imprisonment for assaulting Kerala Police officer


New Delhi: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday sentenced four naxals to rigorous imprisonment in connection with a 2014 case relating to assault, threat and arson against a senior Kerala Police officer.

The NIA court in Kerala’s Ernakulam sentenced the accused today. Earlier, the four naxals were convicted on April 9.

Accused Roopesh has been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment along with Rs 2.35 lakh fine, while accused Kanyakumari has been sent to six years of rigorous imprisonment with Rs 1.05 lakhs fine. Both of them were convicted under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Accused Anoop, who was convicted only under UA(P) Act will undergo eight years of rigorous imprisonment with fine of Rs 60,000, and accused Ibrahim has also been punished for offences under UA(P) Act to six years rigorous imprisonment besides fine of Rs 40,000. The case was originally registered by Vellamunda police in Kerala and re-registered by the NIA on January 2, 2016.

Eight accused were identified, of whom one, Ajitha alias Anu, was subsequently killed in an exchange of fire, while two others, Mahesh alias Jayanna and Sundari, are absconding. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been declared against each of the absconders. The incident had occurred on April 24, 2014, at about 10.30 pm, when, in pursuance of the conspiracy hatched by eight persons, including five naxal activists, had formed an unlawful assembly with deadly weapons, including AK-47 rifle.

They had trespassed into the house of AB Pramod, Senior Civil Police Officer of Kerala Police. They trained guns at him, threatened to kill him if he helped police in anti-Maoist operations and asked him to resign from his job. They committed mischief by setting his motorcycle on fire and also pasted pamphlets of proscribed terrorist organisation in his house, calling for armed revolution against the Government of India. The first chargesheet was filed against three accused, including Roopesh, who had led the assailants. They were charged under various sections of the IPC and UA(P) Act, besides the Arms Act. On January 30, 2018, a supplementary chargesheet was filed against the trio, in addition to other co accused, under relevant sections of the IPC and UA(P) Act.

India

Drug User Murdered, Dismembered, and Partially Eaten By UK Couple: Report

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Drug User Murdered, Dismembered, and Partially Eaten By UK Couple: Report

The couple are on trial for the murder of Simon Shotton.

A couple in Bournemouth, England, are on trial for the murder, dismemberment, and partial cannibalism of a drug user.

The body parts of the victim, 48-year-old Simon Shotton, were discovered by passersby in August of last year, according toThe Metro. The prosecution alleges that the couple, Debbie Pereira and Benjamin Atkins, killed Shotton and then dismembered him with a saw from a hardware store. They also allege that Atkins bragged about eating parts of the victim.

The couple were arrested after a leg was found on the beach. The police traced the leg back to Shotton through his phone records, which led them to Pereira. A search of their home uncovered more body parts, and a covert recording device in their police van captured Atkins talking about disposing of the arms.

In her police interview, Pereira denied any role in the murder and claimed that Atkins said he would take the blame for the whole crime if he admitted to cannibalism. The trial is ongoing.

Prosecutor Paul Cavin KC, who opened the trial at Winchester Crown Court, said, ‘A search officer followed what he described as ‘the smell of death’ to a hedgerow, where he discovered a substantial black suitcase.’

According to the prosecutor, there were ‘flies’ on this suitcase as well as a’stench of death that was immediate and intense’. Inside, they discovered ‘a headless human torso’.

India

"More Than My Entire Education": Man Shares Playschool's Rs 4.3 Lakh Fees

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'More Than My Entire Education': Man Shares Playschool's Rs 4.3 Lakh Fees

The user stated that playschool fee exceeds the total expenses he incurred for his education.

A resident of Delhi recently took to social media platform X to express his concern about the excessively high fees charged by his son’s playschool. He stated that the yearly cost of his son’s playschool is greater than the total amount he paid for his own education.

Akash Kumar, a chartered accountant by profession and actively engaged in full-time trading, posted a screenshot of the playschool’s fee structure along with a caption that reads, “My son’s playschool fee is more than my entire education expense. I hope vo ache se khelna seekhle yaha! (I hope he learns to play properly here.)”

For the academic year 2024-25, the fee structure for the educational institution includes a one-time non-refundable registration fee of Rs 10,000 and an annual recurring fee of Rs 25,000. Additionally, there are four terms spanning from April 2024 to March 2025, each requiring a fee payment of Rs 98,750. Summing up all these components, the total fee for the academic year amounts to Rs 4,30,000.

The post instantly went viral and has garnered nearly 1 million views by now, with numerous users commenting on it.

“How different is education? Does the fee guarantee any good education or upbringing? If not, are you just paying for facilities?” commented one user.

“Many multinational companies are paying less than this as an annual salary to freshmen. I want AI to disrupt this industry,” wrote another user.

“Recently, I discussed this trend with a friend who owns a high-end school with luxurious amenities. I asked if he really thinks fancy buildings or facilities are needed for children’s education. He explained that it wasn’t really a matter of our preference but rather that of the parents. Parents often ask why their school lacks amenities offered elsewhere (at other expensive schools). This pressure creates a constant need to upgrade and stay competitive. However, he emphasised that for the best education, what truly matters is having the best teachers, not lavish infrastructure,” commented a third user.

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India

"Privileged Pedigree Being Held Accountable To Rule Of Law": Vice President

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'Privileged Pedigree Being Held Accountable To Rule Of Law': Vice President

Mr Dhankhar said the concept of equality before the law has been strengthened in the past few years.

New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said a “privileged pedigree” is resisting the rule of law that makes them accountable, as he targeted those who take to the streets when a legal process is set in motion against them. He said the last few years have witnessed a transformational change that has strengthened the concept of equality before the law.

“Everyone is accountable to law. There was a time when some thought they were beyond the reach of law,” he said, addressing a book release event at his official residence here. It was the first event to have taken place after Dhankhar moved to the newly built ‘Vice President’s Enclave’ near North Block recently.

One direct outcome of equality before the law, the Vice President said, is that inequalities have been “contained”.

“Privileged pedigree have been compulsorily made to be accountable to the rule of law. There is bound to be resistance to it, because when people are used to being treated very differently, when they are assured by upbringing or otherwise that they have some kind of immunity to law,” he said.

He said when the law takes its course, people should go for legal remedies. “Unfortunately, when legal process is set in motion, I don’t understand why people should take to the streets … We must not take to the streets,” he said.

He said the Indian judicial system is robust, efficient and fearless and those who feel they have been wronged should approach courts.

“No one is above the law. Everyone is amenable to law, accountable to law. You cannot get away from law. If in a society, when someone gets away by engaging in transgression of law, he is a sole beneficiary but the entire society suffers,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)