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"Hope US Meets Half Way, Do Things Conducive To Dialogue": China

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'Hope US Meets Half Way, Do Things Conducive To Dialogue': China

Biden administration has placed curbs on chip exports to China. (Representational)

Beijing:

China hopes the United States will “do more things” conducive to Sino-US dialogue, the foreign ministry said on Monday, days after Washington angered Beijing with accusations of information manipulation.

Communication between officials of both sides has increased in recent months, bringing some improvement in ties strained for years over issues such as Taiwan, the origins of COVID-19 and accusations of Chinese spying.

“We hope the United States will meet (us) half way, do more things that are conducive to Sino-US dialogue,” the ministry said in a statement.

China has always viewed two-way ties along the lines of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation, the ministry added.

The statement came in response to a Reuters request for comment on a message last week by US State Secretary Antony Blinken wishing “peace, happiness and prosperity” for the Chinese people ahead of Sunday’s National Day holiday.

Although Blinken welcomed China’s co-operation in tackling shared challenges on climate, public health, counter-narcotics, food security, and global macroeconomic stability, he made no mention of any co-operation on technology.

The Biden administration has placed curbs on chip exports to China, saying they aim to deny Beijing access to advanced technology that could further military advancements or rights abuses. China hit back with accusations of economic coercion.

A US state department report published on Thursday accused Beijing of ploughing billions of dollars annually into information manipulation efforts, prompting China’s foreign ministry to call the United States the true “empire of lies”.

Monday’s ministry statement made no mention of the earlier state department report, however.

Despite occasional sparks, expectations have been building that the recent rounds of high-level talks could help pave the way for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.

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

World

Foreign students facing severe accommodation crisis in UK: Report

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Students from countries like India and Bangladesh said trying to find an affordable home in London was extremely difficult because they do not have the references and payslips needed to secure a home, the BBC reported.

Published Date – 04:40 PM, Mon – 2 October 23


Foreign students facing severe accommodation crisis in UK: Report



London: International students in the UK have been hit by a severe housing crisis, with many forced to accept unsuitable living conditions amid rising rents and expensive university accommodation.

Students from countries like India and Bangladesh said trying to find an affordable home in London was extremely difficult because they do not have the references and payslips needed to secure a home, the BBC reported.

Nazmush Shahadat, who arrived in London from Bangladesh to study law, ended up sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other men as he found university accommodation too expensive and couldn’t find a house to live in.

“I never expected to live in a place like that — I still have my scars,” he told BBC.

“The first couple of months, I couldn’t videocall my family because I didn’t want them to see how I am living — that’s sad,” he said.

Shahadat added that he lived in a place where multiple bunk beds were crammed into a room and shift workers came and went, and he was often bitten by bed bugs, making it impossible for him to sleep.

With the rents in the UK going up by more than eight per cent overall this year compared with 2022-23, according to a Cushman & Wakefield survey, many foreign students are struggling to find affordable rooms.

The survey further said that fewer than one in 10 beds in major university cities are now affordable to the average student in receipt of maintenance loans and grants.

The UK is consistently increasing in popularity among international students with 679,970 international students pursuing their degrees in the country, according to 2021/2022 statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Numbering more than 120,000, Indian students make up among the largest international student communities in the UK.

Rashavh Kaushik from India, who will also be studying law this year, will be sharing a bedroom with another student.

For that arrangement, they’ve had to pay 16,000 pounds upfront and have had to get a guarantor to secure a place.

“It’s costly for us,” he told BBC.

“Universities are trying to recruit more and more international students partly because they pay a lot higher fees, but it means that some universities are expanding at a rate much higher than the local housing stock can deal with,” Nehaal Bajwa, from the National Union of Students (NUS), said.

Stating that international students are vulnerable to financial strain, the NUS has been calling for rent controls for students.

“You’re kind of open to exploitation because you don’t know your rights… Homelessness is a real threat,” Bajwa told BBC.

She earlier told news website Open Democracy that landlords ask overseas students to either pay six months’ rent upfront, or a guarantor/reference in the UK, earning 84,000 pounds.

“The current pressure on the housing market in the UK are being felt across society — including by students, and universities are working to ease this wherever possible,” Universities UK said in a statement.

The average private sector rent outside London has gone up to more than 7,600 pounds a year, which accounts for 77 per cent of the maximum student maintenance loan allowance, a Guardian report said.

“Universities are experienced in supporting students, and while we strongly recommend that students organise housing before travelling to the UK, any student facing difficulty should contact their university accommodation team as soon as possible,” Universities UK added.

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Bihar Caste Survey Results Out, Nitish Kumar Shares The Plan Ahead

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Bihar Caste Survey Results Out, Nitish Kumar Shares The Plan Ahead

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar congratulated the survey team for its work

Patna:

The publication of Bihar’s caste survey data this afternoon sparked sharp exchanges between the ruling coalition of Janata Dal United and Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Opposition BJP. While JDU leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav termed the publication of the report “historic”, leaders of the BJP called it an “eyewash”.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the publication of the report has coincided with Gandhi Jayanti and congratulated the survey team for its work. On what comes next, he said a meeting of the nine political parties in Bihar Assembly, who had unanimously voted in support of the survey, will be called soon, and they will be informed about the findings of the survey. “The caste survey has also provided information about the economic condition of various castes. Steps will be taken for the development of all communities on the basis of this data,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The BJP was among the nine parties that had backed the caste survey exercise.

RJD founder and former Chief Minister Lalu Yadav, too, welcomed the publication of the survey report and said the exercise was completed despite “BJP’s conspiracies and legal hurdles”.

“These figures will set a benchmark for the country in giving representation to deprived and oppressed sections and the poor as per their population and to make policies for their development,” he posted on X.

The central government, Mr Yadav said, should ensure that sections of the society get a share in development as per their numbers. “We will get a caste Census done when we form the government in 2024,” said the RJD leader, who is among the prominent faces in the Opposition’s INDIA bloc that plans to take on the BJP in the general election next year.

Mr Yadav’s son and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said the publication of the report is a milestone in a decades-long struggle. “This survey has not just provided caste-based numbers, but also given a context about their socio-economic condition. Now the government will ensure all-round development on the basis of this data,” he said.

Targeting the BJP, the Deputy Chief Minister added, “History is witness to how the BJP leadership tried to create hurdles. Bihar has set an example. Bihar has shown the way.”

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh termed the survey report an “eyewash”. “This survey is just going to spread doubts among the people,” Mr Singh said.

State BJP chief Samrat Choudhary said the party will study the report in detail and then share its opinion. He stressed that the BJP had firmly supported the survey. “The BJP had given its full support to this survey. We started the work when we were part of the government in Bihar,” he said.

On the findings of the survey, he said the numbers are in line with what they had expected. “But we will give an official response only after studying the methodology and mechanism followed in the survey,” Mr Choudhary said.

The findings of the caste-based survey are likely to trigger demands to increase reservation of OBCs, now capped at 27 per cent. According to the survey results, backward classes account of about two-thirds of Bihar’s population. The findings, which come months ahead of the general election, will also emerge as a key talking point in the run-up to the polls.

On whether he thinks quotas need to be increased in line with the survey findings, the state BJP chief said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar had introduced this provision for backward classes, then the Mandal Commission came, then Rohini Commission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently ensured that the various findings are studied. The government will ensure whatever action is required,” he said.

World

General Salami hails IRGC, Army unity, brotherhoods

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At the end of the national Sacred Defense Week and the days of commemoration of the birth of the Prophet of Islam Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH) and Unity Week, a group of commanders and high officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) convened for a gathering under the motto “Glory of Unity” at the Imam Hossein University in the northeast of Tehran, the Iranian capital on Monday.

Addressing the gathering, the IRGC commander described the Sacred Defense (defending the nation against the foreign-backed Baathist regime in the 1980-88 war) as an epic that went down in Islam’s history.

He hailed the unity and brotherhood between the ranks of the IRGC and Iranian army forces, saying that the unity between those two different Iranian armed forces on the battlefields during the imposed war was the unity of Islam’s forces. 

“Today, the unity and brotherhood between the Army and the IRGC is at its peak thanks to the command of the Commander-in-Chief [the Leader of the Islamic Revolution],” he underscored.

General Salami went on to note that the Iranian armed forces’ power has roots in the forces’ belief in “martyrdom” and Islamic values.

MNA/FNA14020710000302

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PM Modi Brings Up Udaipur Tailor's Grisly Murder To Target Ashok Gehlot

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PM Modi Brings Up Udaipur Tailor's Grisly Murder To Target Ashok Gehlot

Chittorgarh:

Questioning the Ashok Gehlot government’s performance on the law and order front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invoked the grisly 2022 murder of a tailor in Udaipur. “What happened in Udaipur, had someone even imagined something like this could happen? People came to get clothes stitched, then slit the throat and shared a video of the act,” the Prime Minister said, referring to the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, at his shop in Udaipur in July last year.

The tailor had received threats for supporting Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson who was sacked by the party after her comments on Prophet Muhammad sparked a massive row. On June 28 last year, Gos Mohammad and Riyaz visited Kanhaiya Lal’s shop as customers. They killed him there, recorded a video gloating about the heinous crime, and shared it online.

The Prime Minister was addressing a rally in Chittorgarh this afternoon after laying foundation stone for projects worth Rs 7,000 crore in the poll-bound state.

Congress had formed the government in Rajasthan by “misleading” people but failed to run it properly as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was “busy saving his chair”, he said. The remark was a swipe at the infighting between the rival Congress camps led by Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion almost toppled the state government in 2020.

The Prime Minister said Mr Gehlot had already “accepted defeat”. “Gehlot has accepted defeat, and is requesting BJP to not stop schemes. I assure that no public scheme will be stopped. BJP will not stop any public scheme but try to improve it, this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said. 

Addressing a gathering last week, Mr Gehlot had said the Prime Minister had said the Prime Minister should guarantee that the schemes of the Congress government will not be discontinued if the BJP comes to power in the polls due later this year. 

The Prime Minister also responded to the buzz around the BJP’s face for the Assembly polls. The BJP’s Rajasthan unit has rival camps led by veterans such as Vasundhara Raje and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and whether the central leadership will choose a leader in the run-up to polls and how it will tackle infighting in its push for victory.

Ruling out any plan to announce a Chief Minister face ahead of the polls, the Prime Minister said, “Kamal (BJP symbol lotus) is our face, Kamal is our candidate. We will make Kamal win.”

The remarks can also be seen as a message to all Chief Ministerial aspirants, who have now started bolstering support to better their chances for the top post if the BJP comes to power.

In another attack on the Ashok Gehlot goverment on the law and order question, the Prime Minister flagged the crimes against women in Rajasthan. “I feel pain when atrocities take place against daughters anywhere in the country, but Congress has made this a tradition in Rajasthan,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also brought up the Rajasthan paper leak case of alleged corruption in state government’s job recruitment exams. “We will go to bottom of paper leak matter, action will be taken against those who have committed corruption, looted money of poor,” he said.

Hyderabad

162 silt carting vehicles distributed under Dalit Bandhu in Hyderabad

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Of them, 88 beneficiaries were from Hyderabad district, 35 from Ranga Reddy, 37 from Medchal Malkajgiri along with two others from Sanga Reddy district.

Updated On – 04:03 PM, Mon – 2 October 23


162 silt carting vehicles distributed under Dalit Bandhu in Hyderabad



Hyderabad: The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister KT Rama Rao on Sunday distributed 162 silt carting vehicles to beneficiaries under the Dalit Bandhu scheme at Ambedkar Statue near Necklace Road.

Of them, 88 beneficiaries were from Hyderabad district, 35 from Ranga Reddy, 37 from Medchal Malkajgiri along with two others from Sanga Reddy district. All the vehicles were procured by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB).

After waving the green flag to these vehicles, the Minister said, “It is a great initiative by HMWSSB to provide silt carting vehicles to the beneficiaries under the Dalit Bandhu Scheme for their upliftment.” Although several public representatives are satisfied with the fast and efficient sewage treatment in the city, waste removed from the toilet drains should be transported immediately with the help of these vehicles, he added.

Apart from paying rentals every month, the HMWSSB will also pay labor and annual maintenance charges to the beneficiaries. Each vehicle would be deployed with one driver and two helpers.

MLAs Muta Gopal, Beti Subhash Reddy, K Venkatesh, MLC MS Prabhakar Rao, Deputy Mayor Mote Srilata Shobhan Reddy, and Managing Director, HMWSSB Dana Kishore participated in the program.

 

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PM Modi Brings Up Udaipur Tailor's Grisly Murder To Target Ashok Gehlot

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PM Modi Brings Up Udaipur Tailor's Grisly Murder To Target Ashok Gehlot

Chittorgarh:

Questioning the Ashok Gehlot government’s performance on the law and order front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invoked the grisly 2022 murder of a tailor in Udaipur. “What happened in Udaipur, had someone even imagined something like this could happen? People came to get clothes stitched, then slit the throat and shared a video of the act,” the Prime Minister said, referring to the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, at his shop in Udaipur in July last year.

The tailor had received threats for supporting Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson who was sacked by the party after her comments on Prophet Muhammad sparked a massive row. On June 28 last year, Gos Mohammad and Riyaz visited Kanhaiya Lal’s shop as customers. They killed him there, recorded a video gloating about the heinous crime, and shared it online.

The Prime Minister was addressing a rally in Chittorgarh this afternoon after laying foundation stone for projects worth Rs 7,000 crore in the poll-bound state.

Congress had formed the government in Rajasthan by “misleading” people but failed to run it properly as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was “busy saving his chair”, he said. The remark was a swipe at the infighting between the rival Congress camps led by Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion almost toppled the state government in 2020.

The Prime Minister said Mr Gehlot had already “accepted defeat”. “Gehlot has accepted defeat, and is requesting BJP to not stop schemes. I assure that no public scheme will be stopped. BJP will not stop any public scheme but try to improve it, this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said. 

Addressing a gathering last week, Mr Gehlot had said the Prime Minister had said the Prime Minister should guarantee that the schemes of the Congress government will not be discontinued if the BJP comes to power in the polls due later this year. 

The Prime Minister also responded to the buzz around the BJP’s face for the Assembly polls. The BJP’s Rajasthan unit has rival camps led by veterans such as Vasundhara Raje and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and whether the central leadership will choose a leader in the run-up to polls and how it will tackle infighting in its push for victory.

Ruling out any plan to announce a Chief Minister face ahead of the polls, the Prime Minister said, “Kamal (BJP symbol lotus) is our face, Kamal is our candidate. We will make Kamal win.”

The remarks can also be seen as a message to all Chief Ministerial aspirants, who have now started bolstering support to better their chances for the top post if the BJP comes to power.

In another attack on the Ashok Gehlot goverment on the law and order question, the Prime Minister flagged the crimes against women in Rajasthan. “I feel pain when atrocities take place against daughters anywhere in the country, but Congress has made this a tradition in Rajasthan,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also brought up the Rajasthan paper leak case of alleged corruption in state government’s job recruitment exams. “We will go to bottom of paper leak matter, action will be taken against those who have committed corruption, looted money of poor,” he said.

Hyderabad

FICCI, FLO, YFLO organised Swachhata Hi Seva

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A one-hour shramadhan was done by the members, FICCI staff, and 58 NSS volunteers of the college.

Published Date – 04:08 PM, Mon – 2 October 23


FICCI, FLO, YFLO organised Swachhata Hi Seva



Hyderabad: An initiative for Garbage Free India, Swachhata Hi Seva was organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO), and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at Government Degree College for Women, Begumpet.

A one-hour shramadhan was done by the members, FICCI staff, and 58 NSS volunteers of the college.

FLO national body has given a call for all our chapters across India to participate in the initiative in response to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We have undertaken this program here at Begumpet Colleges,” said Ritu Shah, Chairperson of FLO.

“When we keep our streets clean, we reduce the spread of diseases. When we manage waste responsibly, we protect our ecosystems. When we recycle and reuse, we save resources and create opportunities,” said Arthi Shah, YFLO Chairperson.

Middle East

Iraqi president raps 'violations' after Turkish airstrikes in Kurdistan region

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Turkey has carried out an “air operation” in northern Iraq following a blast in the Turkish capital, with Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid saying Baghdad rejects repeated airstrikes or the presence of Turkish bases in its Kurdistan region.

Turkey said on Sunday it carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq that destroyed 20 targets belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after the militant group said it orchestrated the first bomb attack in Ankara in years. 

Turkey regards the PKK as a terrorist group and regularly carries out airstrikes in northern Iraq. Turkey has also sent commandos and set up military bases on Iraqi territory to support its offensives.

“These violations are rejected by the Iraqi people, the (Kurdistan) region and all of Iraq’s inhabitants,” Rashid said in an interview with Saudi broadcaster al-Hadath, aired on Monday. 

Such strikes sometimes killed civilians, including people visiting the region who “become victims of Turkish bombing”, he added.

Rashid said Baghdad hoped to come to an agreement with Ankara to resolve the issue in a manner similar to a security agreement Baghdad has inked with Tehran to deal with anti-Iran separatist groups in the Kurdistan region. 

Turkey’s airstrikes in northern Iraq took place just hours after a bombing attack on the Turkish interior ministry in Ankara.

They targeted caves, depots and bunkers used as hideouts by the PKK in the Hakurk, Metina, Qandil and Gara regions, Turkish officials said.

Iraq’s foreign ministry condemned the “terrorist explosion” in Ankara that happened shortly before parliament was due to reconvene after a summer break.

The PKK has carried out numerous operations against the Turkish government, calling for a Kurdish state within Turkey where it is blamed for the deaths of over 40,000 people.

The group back-pedaled on its secessionist demands in the 1990s, calling instead on Ankara to give the people in Kurdish-dominated regions of Turkey more autonomy.

The conflict between the two sides flared up again after a two-year-old ceasefire ended in July 2015.

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INCOIS to lead Tsunami Mock Drill on October 4

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As a part of the mock exercise, the Tsunami early warning system of INCOIS will issue test Tsunami bulletins through various modes of communication channels to all its stakeholders at regional and national level, a press release said.

Published Date – 04:03 PM, Mon – 2 October 23


INCOIS to lead Tsunami Mock Drill on October 4



Hyderabad: The Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) along with several other countries in the Indian Ocean, is all set to take-part in a major Tsunami mock exercise, titled as IOWave23, on October 4.

As a part of the mock exercise, the Tsunami early warning system of INCOIS will issue test Tsunami bulletins through various modes of communication channels to all its stakeholders at regional and national level, a press release said.

IOWave23, which is being coordinated by Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) of Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)-UNESCO, is aimed to fine-tune Tsunami preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each state and improve coordination throughout the region.

The drill will facilitate exercising the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the emergency services and evaluating their state of readiness to handle tsunami like emergency situations.

The aim is to exercise all levels of the tsunami warning and response chain, with a primary focus on the local coastal community level.

In India, the IOWave23 mock exercise is being coordinated INCOIS in association with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). All the Disaster Management Organisations (DMOs) of coastal States/Union Territories, Navy, Coast Guard, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), personnel from Critical Installations such as Nuclear Power Plants, Port and Harbours will participate in the exercise.

“These exercises will provide a great opportunity for all stakeholders to test their Tsunami warning procedures and enhance public awareness and preparedness. It will help us identify and fix any gaps in warning chains and be fully prepared for future events” said Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Director, INCOIS.