5 unhoused people shot in Las Vegas, 1 dead

Local KTNV news channel said the incident was reported at 5:34 p.m. local time (0134 GMT, Saturday) near Charleston and Honolulu Street in Las Vegas.

A spokesperson from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) described the victims as “unhoused,” saying the attacker was still at large.

LVMPD Lieutenant Jason Johansson told a press conference Friday night that officers were directed to a “homeless encampment” with multiple tents. There, multiple witnesses led police to an area where five people with gunshot wounds were found.

Johansson said responding officers rendered immediate medical aid until all five victims could be transported to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, the largest public hospital in the state of Nevada.

So far, one man in his 50s died at the hospital while three men in their 30s are being treated with two remaining in stable condition and another one in critical condition.

Police will remain on the scene through the night to continue their investigations.

The ABC 7 news channel reported Friday’s shooting in Las Vegas was not connected to similar cases in Los Angeles in which three homeless people were fatally shot and might have been targeted by a potential serial killer.

All three victims were sleeping alone on a sidewalk or an alley when they were killed this week, the Los Angeles Police Department said at a news conference on Friday.

RHM/PR

Two IRGC members martyred during advisory mission in Syria

In a statement on Saturday, the public relations department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that two members by the names of “Mohammad Ali Ataثi Shuche and Panah Taghizadeh were martyred in an attack carried out by the Zionist usurping regime while they were on an advisory mission in Syria. 

“In a situation where the world is witnessing the continuation of the widespread and brutal crimes being committed by the fake and child-killing Zionist regime under the support of the United States and some European governments against Gaza and the oppressed Palestinian people, especially women and children, in this unequal and cowardly war, the brave Guards “Mohammed Ali Atai Shorche” and “Panah Taghizadeh” were martyred by the adversary Zionist usurping regime while carrying out their advisory mission in the Syrian Islamic Resistance Front.”​

Iranian IRGC has a military advisory presence in Syria at he invitation of the Syrian government to help the Syrian army in the fight against foreign-backed terrorist groups. 

MNA

CBI Raids 6 Locations In Corruption Case Linked To J&K Power Project

CBI Raids 6 Locations In Corruption Case Linked To J&K Power Project

The agency has booked the former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects. (Representational)

New Delhi:

The CBI is conducting searches at six locations in four cities in connection with the alleged graft flagged by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik in awarding the contract for the Rs 2,200-crore civil work for the Kiru Hydro Power Project in Kishtwar in 2019, officials said on Saturday.

The searches are spread across three locations, including the premises of Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal of Mainstream IT Solutions Private Limited and D P Singh, they said.

Three premises of the company and Duggal in Delhi and one each in Shimla, Noida and Chandigarh are being covered during the operation, the officials said.

This is the fourth round of searches in the case in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already carried out similar operations on April 21 and July 6 last year and May 17 this year, they said.

Mr Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019, had alleged that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the project.

“The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in the year 2019,” the CBI had said earlier.

The agency has booked the former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (Private) Limited, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, former officials M S Babu, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra and Patel Engineering Limited.

Mr Chaudhary is a 1994-batch Jammu and Kashmir-cadre (now AGMUT cadre) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

“Though a decision was taken in 47th board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with reverse auction after cancellation of ongoing tendering process, same was not implemented (as per decision taken in 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Limited,” the FIR has alleged.

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

Ayodhya Airport To Be Ready By December 15, In Time For Ram Temple Opening

Ayodhya Airport To Be Ready By December 15, In Time For Ram Temple Opening

Over a month ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced that the first phase of the international airport in the city will be ready by December 15. The airport will be called the Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport and will be able to accommodate Boeing 737, Airbus 319, and Airbus 320 aircraft.

The chief minister, who visited the airport site on Saturday with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister of State for Civil Aviation, VK Singh, said Ayodhya is emerging as “an epitome of New India”, aligning with Prime Minister Modi’s vision, according to a statement by the Uttar Pradesh government.

After holding review meetings with key officials, Yogi Adityanath said, “Initially, Ayodhya had a modest airstrip spanning 178 acres, but now it is being built as a major international airport.”

He said the state government has provided 821 acres of land for the project and work is being undertaken on a war footing under the supervision of the Airport Authority of India. This, he said, was part of his government’s commitment to ensuring the development of Ayodhya as well as providing essential infrastructure to the city’s residents.

Vehicle smuggling ganja meets with accident in Zaheerabad

An SUV that was carrying nearly 2 quintals of dry ganja met with an accident at Buchenelly village in Zaheerabad mandal

Published Date – 06:02 PM, Sat – 2 December 23


Vehicle smuggling ganja meets with accident in Zaheerabad

Ganja packs inside the car.

Sangareddy: An SUV that was carrying nearly 2 quintals of dry ganja met with an accident at Buchenelly village in Zaheerabad mandal late on Friday night.

The car, which was being driven at high speed, turned turtle after the driver reportedly lost control over the steering. The ganja packets were thrown out of the vehicle in the impact. The Chiragpally police reached the spot and seized the vehicle and the ganja. Two persons, who were traveling in the vehicle at the time of the incident, reportedly escaped from the spot. The police were trying to trace them based on the vehicle’s registration number and its owner.


The police are expected to hold a press meet shortly on the incident. The ganja was reportedly being smuggled from the Odisha border to Mumbai when the accident occurred.

Iran, Turkey to transport one million tons of cargo via rail

Speaking in a joint meeting with Director General of Turkish State Railways Hasan Pezük and General Manager and Chairman of Turkey’s RAILWAYS Company Ufuk Yalçın, Iran’s Deputy Roads Minister Miad Salehi said that transporting one million tons of freight via rail between Tehran and Ankara is on the agenda.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to exchange 200 train cars from Razi Border with the aim of transporting one million tons of freight through rail networks between Iran and Turkey in the next year.

Turkey would embark on reconstructing its rail network infrastructure and also remove the problems caused by the reduced water level in Turkey’s Lake Van.

The CEO of Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed hope that the capacity of transiting train cars from Lake Van would reach its maximum by reconstructing, renovating and upgrading the pier.

With the agreements made in this regard, giant strides will be taken to increase the volume of cargo transit to Europe via Turkey, he said, adding that since Turkey is considered a gateway for transiting goods from Asia to Europe, Iran will be able to transport cargoes from the origin of China, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan to Turkey and Europe. 

SD/TSN

Man declared ‘dead’, found alive during post-death rituals

The man named Navin Bhatt, allegedly an alcoholic, was missing for the past nine years

Published Date – 06:06 PM, Sat – 2 December 23


Man declared ‘dead’, found alive during post-death rituals

Representational Image

Pithoragarh: A 42-year-old man, declared “dead” by his family, was later found to be alive when his post-death rituals were being carried out.

The man named Navin Bhatt, allegedly an alcoholic, was missing for the past nine years.
Upset over Navin’s drinking habit, his wife Rekha had also left him and shifted to Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow with their two kids.


His father Dharmanand Bhatt received a call from the police on November 23 stating that they had found an unclaimed body in Haldwani and recovered a slip from his pocket which says his name is Navin Bhatt, said Ramesh Mahar, former gram pradhan of Sripur Bichwa village from where the man hails.

Navin’s family went to Haldwani and identified his body.

They brought the body to their ancestral village near Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district and “cremated” it.

However, when Navin’s post-death rituals were being conducted in the village, a friend of his younger brother called him up to find out why their shop in Rudrapur was closed.

Navin’s younger brother KD Bhatt told him that it was closed as his elder brother had died and his post-death rituals were underway.

Shocked to hear this, his friend told him that it was impossible as he had met his elder brother Navin just a few minutes ago.

He caught Navin and put him on a video call with his family to make them see for themselves and believe what he was saying.

Navin’s relatives rushed to Rudrapur and actually found him alive.

The post death rituals being conducted in his village were consequently cancelled.
The family had mistaken someone else’s body as Navin’s and cremated it thinking that he had died, Mahar said.

Navin’s family treated his sudden return as his second birth and renamed him as Narayan Bhatt.

They performed his sacred thread ceremony (janeu sanskar) before re-marrying him to his wife Rekha, who had come to the village on hearing about her husband’s “death”.
Mahar said that Navin has vowed not to take to drinking again and look after his family.

Navin’s family originally hails from Beltari village in Pithoragarh district but they are now settled in Sripur Bichwa village in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Praveen Singh Tewatiya, a police officer in Haldwani who had handled the matter, said the unclaimed body had been handed over to Navin’s family after they identified it to be of their son.

How A Probe Agency Officer Extorted Rs 40 Lakh From Tamil Nadu Doctor

How A Probe Agency Officer Extorted Rs 40 Lakh From Tamil Nadu Doctor

This is the first time Tamil Nadu has arrested an Enforcement Directorate officer.

Chennai:

An Enforcement Directorate officer arrested in Tamil Nadu was allegedly involved in an extortion racket, a complaint by the police has revealed. This is the first time Tamil Nadu has arrested an Enforcement Directorate officer. The FIR filed by Tamil Nadu police extensively details the role Ankit Tiwari, the arrested officer, played in the extortion racket.

Tiwari used to text and message state government employees on WhatsApp using a fake name – Hardik. He would demand bribes on these calls, according to the complainant Dr Suresh Babu who ended up paying him Rs 40 lakh.

The illegal transactions would often take on the highway during a journey, the complaint says. He met Dr Santosh when he was on his way to Madurai, and the negotiations took place during the journey. He received the first installment of Rs 20 lakh bribe in cash in November and asked the money to be put in his boot which the government doctor says was recorded by his dash cam. The second installment was paid to him on a highway the same way and the Tamil Nadu Vigilance and Anti-Corruption authorities who had laid a trap chased Tiwari’s car to recover the alleged bribe money.

According to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Mr Tiwari originally demanded Rs 3 crore to “avert legal action” in a case that had already been settled. He contacted the doctor on October 29, claimed he was acting on instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office, and summoned him to the agency’s Madurai office. When he came, Mr Tiwari accosted him and demanded the Rs 3 crore bribe, which he later brought down to Rs 51 lakh claiming he had “spoken to his superiors”.

Neither Ankit Tiwari nor his lawyers have made any remarks yet.

The state police are already at loggerheads with the Enforcement Directorate over the latter’s summons to five district collectors; this is in connection with a probe into alleged money laundering linked to illegal sand mining.

The cops are now investigating whether Ankit Tiwari had intimidated and received large sums of money from others and whether there was a nexus with other officials in Madurai and Chennai.

Coming close to the heels of the arrest of another ED officer in Rajasthan, this has given ammunition to the opposition that alleges the Centre is deploying the probe agency to take on opposition-ruled states.

All arrangements put in place for counting of votes in Nizamabad, Kamareddy

The counting of votes for constituencies falling under Nizamabad district will be held at Government Polytechnic College.

Published Date – 06:07 PM, Sat – 2 December 23


All arrangements put in place for counting of votes in Nizamabad, Kamareddy

The counting of votes for constituencies falling under Nizamabad district will be held at Government Polytechnic College.

Nizamabad: All arrangements for the counting of polled votes on Sunday have been made in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts.

The fate of the candidates locked in EVMs for six assembly seats in Nizamabad district and three seats in Kamareddy will be unsealed on Sunday. The counting of votes for constituencies falling under Nizamabad district will be held at Government Polytechnic College, where as the counting of votes for Kamareddy, Ellareddy and Jukkal constituencies will be held in the AMC godowns in the district centre.


As many as 77 candidates are in fray in six constituencies falling under the Nizamabad district, whereas 67 candidates are in fray in the Kamareddy district. In Kamareddy constituency, where BRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao contested, 39 candidates, including TPCC president A Revanth Reddy were in the fray.

District Election Officer and Nizamabad Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanumantu informed that a total of 122 counting supervisors, 131 counting assistants and 123 micro observers have been deputed to take up counting in six segments of the district, for whom training classes on counting management have already been conducted by master trainers.

In accordance with the instructions of the Election Commission of India(ECI), 14 tables have been set up for each constituency to count the votes, and measures have been taken to conduct round-wise counting, he said, adding that counting of votes of Armoor constituency would be done in 16 rounds, Bodhan in 18 rounds, Bansuwada in 19 rounds, Nizamabad Urban in 21 rounds, Nizamabad Rural in 21 rounds and Balkonda constituency in 18 rounds.

According to District Election Officer and Kamareddy Collector Jitesh V Patil counting for the three constituencies would be done in three separate halls. The Collector said 14 tables have been set up for each constituency to count the votes and the vote counting process would be completed in 18 to 20 rounds.

Iran embassy condemns terrorist attack in Afghanistan's Herat

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul condemned the recent terrorist incident in the city of Herat and expressed hope that the rulers of Afghanistan will identify and punish the perpetrators behind the inhuman incident.

“It is hoped that the rulers of Afghanistan will identify and punish the perpetrators behind this inhuman incident,” the embassy said in its statement. 

Unknown gunmen shot at least 6 people, including two Shiite clerics, in Jabriel district in Herat in west Afghanistan. 

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