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Rajasthan CM Gehlot files apology affidavit in HC, tenders ‘apology’ for remarks on judiciary

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The bench of Justices M M Shrivastava and Praveer Bhatnagar posted the matter for the next hearing on November 7, allowing the petitioner to file his rejoinder to the chief minister’s affidavit

Published Date – 09:31 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


Rajasthan CM Gehlot files apology affidavit in HC, tenders ‘apology’ for remarks on judiciary

File Photo

Jaipur: In an affidavit filed Tuesday in the Rajasthan High Court, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tendered an “unconditional apology” for his remark suggesting that there was “rampant corruption” in the judiciary.

The affidavit was in response to a petition filed by an advocate over Gehlot’s remark on August 30 that had triggered outrage in the lawyers’ community.

Gehlot had suggested then that some judges were delivering judgments drafted by lawyers. “Corruption is rampant in the judiciary today. I have heard that some lawyers themselves take the judgement in writing and the same judgement is pronounced,” he told reporters.

The bench of Justices M M Shrivastava and Praveer Bhatnagar posted the matter for the next hearing on November 7, allowing the petitioner to file his rejoinder to the chief minister’s affidavit.

“The answering respondent submits that he has the utmost regard for the majesty of law and the judiciary. He has not knowingly or unknowingly made any statement to undermine the dignity of law or courts. The answering respondent has full faith in judiciary,” Gehlot said in the affidavit filed on his behalf.

However, if the court feels that the statement attempted to lower the dignity of the judiciary among people, “the answering respondent tenders his unconditional apology for the same”, it added.

The affidavit said he has been reading what many former judges of the Supreme Court have said about corruption in the judiciary. It added that members of the public meeting him about their grievances have also highlighted “corrupt practices” in the judiciary.

“This has greatly anguished the respondent,” it said.

Some published articles on the judiciary were also attached with the Congress leader’s reply.

High court lawyers and those working in the lower courts in Jodhpur had observed a day-long strike over Gehlot’s remark. The CM had later backtracked, saying the comment did not reflect his “personal opinion”.

World

Amid India’s diplomatic offensive, Trudeau says ‘not looking to escalate’ tensions

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Trudeau was speaking as he arrived to attend the Liberal caucus meeting here on Tuesday, in wake of India seeking removal of 41 diplomats by October 10, following which it would revoke their diplomatic immunity, the CBC reported

Published Date – 09:23 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


Amid India’s diplomatic offensive, Trudeau says ‘not looking to escalate’ tensions

File Photo

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said his government is “not looking to escalate” diplomatic tensions with India but did not say if his government would engage in a tit for tat response as the latter asked Ottawa to pull out 41 diplomats.

Trudeau was speaking as he arrived to attend the Liberal caucus meeting here on Tuesday, in wake of India seeking removal of 41 diplomats by October 10, following which it would revoke their diplomatic immunity, the CBC reported.

To a question if his government would retaliate on the diplomatic front, Trudeau contended his government would try to keep working with India. “We’re not looking to escalate, as I’ve said, we’re going to be doing the work that matters in continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time,” he said.

Bilateral ties between the two countries have nose-dived recently, after Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the assassination of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. Trudeau said Canada’s diplomatic relationship with India is “going through an extremely challenging time” and that the ongoing dispute between the two countries has made it “important for us to have diplomats on the ground working with the Indian government there to support Canadians and Canadian families”, the CBC said.

He said that his government is taking the diplomatic dispute “extremely seriously” and is going to continue to try and “engage responsibly and constructively” with India to sort it out. Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he is very concerned about India’s decision to ask for the removal of Canadian diplomats and that his party will “monitor the situation” to protect Canadians here and abroad.

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Russia says Ukraine shells border village with cluster bombs

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A US Air Force staff checks pallets of 155 mm shells ultimately bound for Ukraine.

Russia says Kiev has fired cluster munitions at a village near the border with Ukraine, leaving several houses destroyed.

The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces fired the banned weapons at the village of Klimovo.

No casualties are reported in the shelling of the village, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a Telegram message.

Russian officials in Bryansk and other regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly accused Kiev of indiscriminate shelling of the region.

Ukraine has received cluster munitions from the United States, but it had pledged to use the banned munitions only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers and not against civilians.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries.

The cluster bombs, known as Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM), can contain dozens of smaller bomblets, dispersing over vast areas, often killing and maiming civilians.

Those that fail to explode can pose a danger for decades.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Kiev against the use of the banned weapons, saying his country had “sufficient stockpile” of the weapons, and that Moscow “reserved the right” to use them “if they are used against us.”

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Asiad: Lovlina Books Olympics Berth; Narender, Preeti Sign Off With Bronze

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World champion Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) locked an Olympic quota for herself by moving into the final while Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Narender Berwal ( 92kg) signed off with bronze medals at the Asian Games on Tuesday. Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, cleverly managed her bout against Asian Championship silver medallist Baison Manikon of Thailand to win by an unanimous 5-0 decision and remain in the hunt for a gold medal in the continental showpiece. Preeti, whose father is an assistant sub-inspector in Haryana Police, put up a good show but lost 0-5 to reigning flyweight champion China’s Chang Yuan. She has already secured an Olympic quota.

(Asian Games 2023 Medals Tally | Asian Games 2023 Full Schedule)

Narender went down 0-5 to Olympic and world championship medallist Kamshybek Kunkabayev of Kazakhstan in the semifinal to miss out on an Olympic quota.

In a bizarre incident, Sachin Siwach lost his 57kg quarterfinal 1-4 bout to Lyu Ping in three minutes and 7 seconds after the Chinese sustained a cut on his forehead following a clash of the head between the two boxers.

Ping had won the first round 4-1 and when it was clear he couldn’t continue boxing due to the bleeding, the judges decided to rule the bout in favour of the Chinese.

In the first bout of the day, both southpaw boxers showcased their high skill and ring IQs in the opening three minutes. While Preeti looked to poke and peck with a right hook, the Chinese kept landing right hooks.

At one point, the 19-year-old Indian landed a double jab, followed by two right hooks and two body shots to score crucial points. But Chang replied aggressively with a right cross and a flurry of jabs.

The Chinese boxer was cleaner with her punches and the four of the five judges ruled in her favour in the opening round.

In the second round, Preeti dialled up the intensity, trying to break Chang’s defence. But the Chinese, who enjoyed the crowd support, defended well, moving around the ring.

Chang was warned a couple of times for hitting behind the head of Preeti. Having done enough, the Chinese boxer continued to defend in the final three minutes to take the win.

In the 75kg semifinal, Borgohain controlled the bout by using her long reach and kept landing straight punches.

Trailing after the opening round, Manikon went all out in the next three minutes only to lose steam in the final round. Borgohain was the fresher of the two in the final round and just evaded whatever little punches Manikon threw at her.

After landing a few blows early on, Narender went into his shell. The Kazakh boxer asserted his authority taking the round 5-0.

In the next six minutes Kunkabayev showed more urgency, landing punches at will as Narender looked clueless. Trailing on all cards, the Indian was probably trying to go for a knockout but that punch never came.

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

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Hyderabad

How KTR demolished Modi’s lies in one stroke

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KT Rama Rao dismantled the castle of lies that Modi had built during his two visits to the State this week and what the BJP had been projecting itself as all these years.

Published Date – 09:59 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


How KTR demolished Modi’s lies in one stroke



Hyderabad: Raising the political heat in Telangana by several notches with what could be the sharpest rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegations, Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday in fact dismantled the castle of lies that Modi had built during his two visits to the State this week and what the BJP had been projecting itself as all these years.

Rama Rao’s retort, in fact, exposed the political gimmicks and lies the BJP has been peddling all along, right from its actual situation where it was fast losing political allies, to the opportunistic politics Modi and BJP have been indulging in over the last nine years.

Pointing out that anyone who was not friends with Modi would be attacked with a barrage of lies, Rama Rao cited the PM’s claim that Chandrashekhar Rao had asked to join the NDA, when truth was that no one would want to join a sinking ship like the NDA.

He cited the instances of the Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (U), TDP and the Shiromani Akali Dal parting ways with the NDA to prove his point.

Modi’s changing statements with each State too were touched upon.

“He goes to Bengal and calls Mamata Banerjee the most corrupt Chief Minister in the country. When in Odisha, he targets Naveen Patnaik and calls him corrupt. He visits Meghalaya and Sangma becomes the most corrupt chief minister for him. A week later, his party takes part in his swearing-in ceremony and both form the government together,” Rama Rao said, exposing how Modi contradicted even his own statements.

On the allegation of dynasty politics, one which Modi has repeatedly been attacking everywhere, Rama Rao said Modi must be suffering from selective amnesia.

When Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal was his deputy. Modi had no issues with them and joined hands with them. He had no problem when Mufti Mohammed Syed’s daughter Mehbooba Mufti allied with the BJP, nor did he talk about ‘parivarwad’ when N Chandrababu Naidu was the CM of Andhra Pradesh and his son Lokesh was a cabinet minister since they were part of the NDA. He also forgot about dynasties when Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray joined the Shiv Sena, or when HD Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy supported the NDA.

Rama Rao also pointed out how Modi was selective even in matters of corruption. What happened to the case against Hemant Biswas Sharma? Did the case disappear after his joining the BJP, he asked, also citing the instances of CM Ramesh and Sujana Chaudhary in Andhra Pradesh, or Narayan Rane and Jyotiraditya Scindia, all of whom joined the BJP and found the cases against them being forgotten.

Turning the spotlight on Modi’s integrity as well, Rama Rao pointed out how the PM had refused a JPC probe into the Adani row and how the Sri Lanka government had openly said Modi lobbied for a Rs.6000 crore power project for Adani.

World

Jamaica: Over 60 school kids hospitalised after eating cannabis candy

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Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams, informed CNN that none of the affected children, aged 7 to 12, appear to be in critical condition, according to doctors

Published Date – 09:45 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


Jamaica: Over 60 school kids hospitalised after eating cannabis candy

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Kingston: More than 60 elementary school students were hospitalised after inadvertently consuming cannabis-laced candy, CNN reported citing officials.

Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams, informed CNN that none of the affected children, aged 7 to 12, appear to be in critical condition, according to doctors.

The consumption of the candy led to symptoms of vomiting and hallucination among the children, as disclosed by Minister Williams on X.

Some of the children had to receive intravenous drip.

Williams expressed her concern, saying, “Over 60 primary school students had to be taken to the hospital. Parents, please beware!!” She emphasised the potency of the product, noting that one child claimed to have consumed only a single piece of candy.

The minister added that she had visited the hospital where the children were being treated and commended the efforts of the doctors and nurses, who were diligently working to ensure the students’ recovery.

In her post on X, Williams included a photograph of the candy, which was packaged in a rainbow-colored wrapper.
The packaging prominently displayed that the product contained Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as delta-8 THC, a psychoactive compound found in the Cannabis sativa plant, which includes both marijuana and hemp varieties, as explained by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. This substance is known to have psychoactive and intoxicating effects, according to the US agency, CNN reported.

Additionally, the candy package featured a government warning on the back, indicating that it should be kept out of reach of children and was not intended for use by individuals under 21 years of age. It was clearly stated on the packaging that the product had not received FDA approval.

Jamaica had decriminalised cannabis for individuals over 18 years old in 2015, with possession of 2 ounces (56 grams) or less considered a minor offense, CNN reported.

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First-Ever Space Debris Fine Issued By US Over Improper Satellite Disposal

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First-Ever Space Debris Fine Issued By US Over Improper Satellite Disposal

With satellites now crucial for GPS, collisions pose significant risks on Earth. (Representational)

Washington:

US authorities said they have issued a “breakthrough” first-ever fine over space debris, slapping a $150,000 penalty on a TV company that failed to properly dispose off a satellite.

On Monday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) came down on Dish for “failure to properly deorbit” a satellite called EchoStar-7, in orbit since 2002.

“This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission, which has stepped up its satellite policy efforts,” the FCC, which authorizes space-based telecom services, said in a statement.

As the geostationary satellite came to the end of its operational life, Dish had moved it to an altitude lower than the two parties had agreed on, where it “could pose orbital debris concerns,” the FCC said.

The commission said Dish, a US satellite television provider, pledged in 2012 to elevate the satellite to 300 kilometers (190 miles) above its operational arc.

But with fuel running low, it retired the satellite at an altitude just over 120 kilometers above the original arc.

“As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments,” said FCC enforcement bureau chief Loyaan Egal.

“This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules.”

The FCC said the settlement “includes an admission of liability from the company and an agreement to adhere to a compliance plan and pay a penalty of $150,000.”

In a statement Tuesday, Dish appeared to counter the FCC over disposal requirements, and argued that the commission’s enforcement arm made “no specific findings that EchoStar-7 poses any orbital debris safety concerns.”

“As the Enforcement Bureau recognizes in the settlement, the EchoStar-7 satellite was an older spacecraft that had been explicitly exempted from the FCC’s rule requiring a minimum disposal orbit,” a Dish spokesperson said in a statement.

“DISH has a long track record of safely flying a large satellite fleet and takes seriously its responsibilities as an FCC licensee.”

Collision Risks

The US aviation regulator, FAA, recently announced its intention to reduce space debris by requiring private companies to dispose of the upper stages of rocket launch vehicles by, for example, returning them to the Earth’s atmosphere or moving them to a less congested “graveyard orbit.”

The new regulation, which has yet to be definitively adopted, already exists for government space missions.

“If left unchecked, the accumulation of orbital debris will increase the risk of collisions and clutter orbits used for human spaceflight and for satellites,” the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The European Space Agency estimates that around one million pieces of debris larger than a centimeter — big enough to “disable a spacecraft” — are in Earth’s orbit.

They are already causing problems, from a near-miss in January last year involving a Chinese satellite, to a five-millimetre hole knocked into a robotic arm on the International Space Station in 2021.

With satellites now crucial for GPS, broadband and banking data, collisions pose significant risks on Earth.

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

Hyderabad

PM Modi dedicates first 800 MW unit of Telangana Super Thermal Power Project to nation

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Speaking on the occasion, PM said that the second unit of the project would start operations soon.

Updated On – 09:43 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


PM Modi dedicates first 800 MW unit of Telangana Super Thermal Power Project to nation

PM Modi launching the first unit of the Telangana Super Thermal Power Project of NTPC through virtual mode from Nizamabad on Tuesday.

Peddapalli: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the first 800 MW unit of the Telangana Super Thermal Power Project of NTPC to the nation through virtual mode from Nizamabad on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, PM said that the second unit of the project would start operations soon. Once the second phase was completed, the total installed capacity of the project would be increased to 4000 MW. This project was the most modern power plant of NTPC in India, he said.

Ntpc

Phase-I of Telangana Project is being established at an approved cost of Rs.10,998 crore on land available on the premises of NTPC’s existing Ramagundam station and would supply 85 percent of its power to Telangana.

Being a pit head power station with ultra supercritical technology, the project will also help Telangana with low-cost power. Further, being the most efficient power station of NTPC in India, it will reduce specific coal consumption and CO2 emissions, making it one of the most environmentally compliant power stations in India.

India

Nuh violence: Cong MLA Mamman Khan gets interim bail in remaining cases, to be released Wednesday

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Congress MLA Mamman Khan, arrested last month in connection with the July 31 Nuh violence, was granted interim bail by a court here on Tuesday in two cases.

Published Date – 09:36 PM, Tue – 3 October 23


Nuh violence: Cong MLA Mamman Khan gets interim bail in remaining cases, to be released Wednesday

Congress MLA Mamman Khan, arrested last month in connection with the July 31 Nuh violence, was granted interim bail by a court here on Tuesday in two cases.

Nuh: Congress MLA Mamman Khan, arrested last month in connection with the July 31 Nuh violence, was granted interim bail by a court here on Tuesday in two cases. Khan, however, will have to spend Tuesday night in jail as the release order did not reach the prison authorities till 6 pm, officials said.

He is expected to be released Wednesday morning, they added. According to police officials, the sessions court granted him the relief till the next date of hearing on October 18.

Of the four FIRs registered against him, the legislator had already been granted bail in two cases by another court here Saturday but he remained in prison as the hearing in the other two was scheduled for October 3.

On Tuesday, he was granted interim bail by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ajay Sharma. “The court granted him interim bail till October 18 in two pending cases in FIR number 137 and 148 registered at the Nagina police station,” Khan’s counsel Devla said. Police earlier said Khan, the MLA from Ferozpur Jhirka here, was accused of provoking people and inciting violence.

He was arrested on September 15. Devla said the prosecution claimed that some data had been deleted from the mobile phone of the MLA and sent the device to a laboratory to recover the data. “So the next hearing on the regular bail plea will be held on October 18.

We are furnishing the bail bond and Mamman Khan will be released from jail soon,” he said. A religious procession led by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs in Nuh on July 31.

Six people were killed in the incident and the ensuing communal violence. A cleric was killed in an attack on a mosque in adjoining Gurugram as the violence spilt over. The Congress’ Haryana unit alleged that the MLA’s arrest was a “political witch-hunt” and demanded a judicial probe into the Nuh violence under the supervision of a high court judge.