PM Suggests 2028 COP In India, Announces Green Credit Scheme

PM Narendra Modi calls for cutting global carbon emissions

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called on all nations to work together to cut global emissions drastically, and announced a “green credit” initiative that focuses on creating carbon skins with people’s participation.

At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, PM Modi today said India’s emissions are very low compared to other nations whose population is much less.

“India’s population is 17 per cent of the global population, but in global carbon emissions India is only at 4 per cent. We are moving fast in achieving the NDC targets. In fact, we reached our non-fossil fuel targets nine years before the deadline,” PM Modi said, referring to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

“We do not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century,” PM Modi said, and asked every nation to work sincerely to meet their NDC targets.

The Conference of Parties (COP) is a decision-making body that reviews the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Environment Ministry has introduced two initiatives that indicate India’s proactive approach to tackling climate change, and sustainability take forward ‘LiFE’ – ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ movement announced by PM Modi in 2021.

The “green credit” initiative seeks to encourage environmentally friendly practices rooted in tradition and conservation reflecting the ideas of the ‘LiFE’ concept.

India is among a few countries on track to achieve its NDCs to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.

PM Modi was the only leader to join the opening plenary along with COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber and UN Climate Change president Simon Steill.

PM Modi called for maintaining a balance between mitigation and adaptation, and said energy transition across the world must be “just and inclusive”.

He called for rich countries to transfer technology to help emerging economies fight climate change.

Hyderabad: Youth held for raping nine-year-old girl in Borabanda

Police said K. Sai Kumar (24), an electrician from the same neighbourhood, lured the minor girl and took her to his house, where he overpowered and raped her thrice in the last one week.

Published Date – 05:30 PM, Fri – 1 December 23


Hyderabad: Youth held for raping nine-year-old girl in Borabanda


Hyderabad: The Borabanda police arrested a youngster on charges of raping a nine-year-old girl here on Thursday.

Police said K. Sai Kumar (24), an electrician from the same neighbourhood, lured the minor girl and took her to his house, where he overpowered and raped her thrice in the last one week.


He further threatened to kill her if she revealed it to anyone due to which the girl remained silent.

Based on the complaint from the victim’s mother, the Borabanda police booked a case and arrested Sai Kumar. He was produced before court and remanded in judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the girl was sent to the hospital for medical examination and further to Bharosa Center for psychological support.

Iran FM calls for immediate cessation of strikes on Gaza

There is no solution but to continue the ceasefire and the massive delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and an agreement on prisoner exchanges between the two sides, Amirabdollahian wrote in Farsi on his account on the X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

He described the continuation of the Washington-Tel Aviv war as a new genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.

Prisoners are not freed by war, but they are killed in bombardments, he said, adding that seemingly, the Zionist regime and the US do not think about the consequences of returning to war.

The top Iranian diplomat reiterated that the existence of a warship is not a defining characteristic, but the existence of the “Palestinian will” would be determining.

Stop the attacks on Gaza immediately before it is too late, he noted.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

More than 15,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes.

The Israeli violence in Gaza has also raised tensions in the West Bank, where nearly 240 Palestinians have been killed by soldiers or settlers since October 7, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry.

A seven-day truce, which expired on Friday morning, saw the release of 105 Israeli captives held in Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire had allowed some humanitarian aid into Gaza but the aid supplies were far below what is needed, according to aid workers.

MNA

Navy gears up for relief operations, demo at Vizag likely to be rescheduled

The Indian Navy is closely monitoring the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ and cross the Eastern coast between North Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh around December 3 and 4.

Published Date – 05:17 PM, Fri – 1 December 23


Navy gears up for relief operations, demo at Vizag likely to be rescheduled


Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy is closely monitoring the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ and cross the Eastern coast between North Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh around December 3 and 4.

According to a release from the Navy here, the Eastern Naval Command has put all personnel and platforms on a high state of readiness. It is fully prepared to undertake any humanitarian relief and disaster relief operations, if the need arises. All Naval Area Commanders have carried out preparatory activities to mitigate the effects of the cyclone and are in constant liaison with the State administration to render assistance as and when required.


Considering the safety aspects of the large number of spectators, Naval assets and personnel involved in the Complex Naval Demonstrations planned as part of Navy Day Celebrations, a few Navy Day activities namely Op Demo and the Commanding Officer-in-Chief (C-in-C)’s ‘At-Home’ function at Visakhapatnam may be rescheduled, based on weather conditions.

As part of the preparedness, flood relief teams and diving teams have been kept on standby to augment the existing resources. Indian Naval ships are on standby with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks, Diving Teams, and Medical Personnel to help people in affected areas along the east coast.

Naval aircraft have also been kept ready at Naval Air Stations, INS Dega at Visakhapatnam and INS Rajali near Chennai to undertake aerial survey, casualty evacuation, and airdrop of relief material, as required, the release said.

Woman survives severe ill-health from self medication through internet search

Post-surgery, the patient disclosed a history of taking antibiotics for UTI symptoms, consistently stopping courses midway.

Published Date – 05:01 PM, Fri – 1 December 23


Woman survives severe ill-health from self medication through internet search


Hyderabad: In a cautionary tale, a woman patient who took self-prescribed antibiotics after her father searched the internet for her symptoms and procured without doctor’s advice, was treated for severe kidney infection by doctors at Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU) Secunderabad.

As a result of wrong medication, the patient, an architect, developed complications including severe kidney infection and formation of stone-like structures called matrix in the kidneys, Dr. Raghavendra Kulkarni, Urologist, AINU, Secunderabad, said.


Having struggled with kidney stones, she sought relief at AINU and CT scan revealed several 10-13mm sized stones, with only two being actual stones and the rest transformed into matrix.

About 18 months ago, the patient underwent surgery for kidney stones, but some remained unresolved. Instead of seeking professional advice for recurring symptoms, she relied on her father’s advice and incomplete antibiotic courses. This led to antibiotic resistance and bacterial protein precipitates, causing matrix formation.

Intervention at AINU involved diverting the blocked urine followed by surgical intervention to remove the stones. Post-surgery, the patient disclosed a history of taking antibiotics for UTI symptoms, consistently stopping courses midway. Patients must avoiding self-prescription and completing prescribed antibiotic courses, Dr. Kulkarni stressed.

Zionist criminals under US support begin new Gaza massacre

Violation of the ceasefire and resumption of the Zionist regime’s military aggression against Gaza minutes before US Secretary of State Blinken left the occupied territories; once again, civilians, children, and women are the main victims of criminal attacks launched by the Zionist army, Nasser Kan’ani wrote in Farsi on his account on the X on Friday, after the Zionist regime of Israel resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip on Friday morning. 

The Iranian FM spokesman added that after the killing of more than 15,000 Palestinians, the Zionist criminals began a new round of killing and destruction in light of the continued support of the American government.

The nations and the vast majority of the world’s governments are crying out for a continuation of the ceasefire and a complete cessation of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Gaza and the West Bank of Palestine, but the criminal Zionists and child killers are looking for victory by killing civilians, children and women to compensate for their irreparable defeat, he reiterated.

Obviously, the political and legal responsibility for continuing the aggression and brutal killing of the Palestinian people, in addition to the criminals of the Zionist regime, lies with the US government and a few governments supporting the apartheid regime, he highlighted.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

More than 15,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes.

The Israeli violence in Gaza has also raised tensions in the West Bank, where nearly 240 Palestinians have been killed by soldiers or settlers since October 7, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry.

The truce saw the release of 105 Israeli captives held in Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire had allowed some humanitarian aid into Gaza but the aid supplies were far below what is needed, according to aid workers.

MNA

'Progress of Washington, Tel Aviv war means new genocide in Gaza': Iran

Iran’s top diplomat has slammed the Israeli regime and the United States, as its main supporter, for resuming a military campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip, warning that the progress of the war will lead to a new genocide in the Palestinian territory.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reacted on Friday to the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying that “No solution exists other than open-ended ceasefire, extensive delivery of humanitarian aid and agreement on fresh exchange of prisoners.”

“POWs are not released with war but are instead killed in strikes,” he wrote in a post on X, former Twitter.

“Progress of the Washington and Tel Aviv war means new genocide in Gaza and West Bank. As if they are not thinking of the severe consequences of return to war,” the top diplomat stressed.

Warships and carriers do not decide the fate of the war but the “Palestinian willpower and dedication” will, he said, urging the Israeli regime and the United States to “Stop the war on Gaza before it’s too late.”

Israel, US, allies liable for crimes against Gazans

Nasser Kan’ani, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also denounced the Israeli attacks, saying that the Tel Aviv regime, the United States and their allies are liable for the atrocities being committed against Palestinians in the besieged territory.

“The political and legal responsibility for the prolongation of aggression and continued vicious massacre of Palestinians people not only rests with criminals of the Zionist regime, but also with the American administration and a few governments that support this apartheid regime,” Nasser Kan’ani wrote in a post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

He added, “Violation of the truce and resumption of military aggression by the Zionist regime against Gaza came minutes before US Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken departed the occupied territories. Once again, civilians, children and women are the main victims of the criminal attacks of Zionist military forces.”

The Iranian diplomat went on to note that “bloodthirsty” Israeli authorities, following the massacre of more than 15,000 Palestinians, have commenced a new round of killing under the continued support of the White House.

“Nations and the vast majority of world governments are crying out for the extension of the truce and complete cessation of the Zionist regime’s attacks against Gaza and the West Bank. This is while criminal and child-killing Zionists entertain the crude fantasy of reversing the irreparable defeat and emerging victorious through killing children and women,” Kan’ani stated.

Spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, confirmed that the death toll had risen to 32 Palestinians from Israeli airstrikes since the truce ended on Friday morning. 

Qudra told AFP news agency that the dead included 10 people killed in al-Maghazi in central Gaza, nine in Rafah in the south, and five in Gaza City in the north – hours after the truce ended at 7 a.m. local time.

Meanwhile, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said it had attacked with rocket barrages the cities of Ashkelon, Sderot and Beersheba in the southern part of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories.

On its Telegram channel, the group said the attack was “in response to the targeting of civilians”.

The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement, announced in a statement it attacked Israeli cities and towns on Friday morning in response to “crimes against our people.”

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements waged the surprise Operation al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The Israeli aggression has so far killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Telugu man, two others charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and assault in US

The student told police he regularly got three hours of sleep on a concrete floor in a locked basement where Sattaru monitored him with a surveillance camera, according to court documents.

Published Date – 04:56 PM, Fri – 1 December 23


Telugu man, two others charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and assault in US


Washington: A telugu man and two others have been charged with human trafficking, kidnapping and assault in United States. Authorities in the US have rescued a 20-year-old Indian student, who was held captive for months without access to a bathroom, viciously beaten, and forced to work at three homes by his cousin and two other Indian-origin men in an incident described as “absolutely inhumane and unconscionable.” The victim, whose name was not disclosed, spent months trapped in three homes in the US state of Missouri.

On Wednesday, police descended upon a home on a rural highway in St Charles County. They later arrested Venkatesh R Sattaru, Sravan Varma Penumetcha and Nikhil Verma Penmatsa, and on Thursday charged them with offences including human trafficking, kidnapping and assault.


Police were dispatched to investigate the home after a concerned citizen became aware of his situation and called 911.

The victim is safe and being treated at a hospital for multiple bone fractures, as well as lacerations and injuries covering his entire body, said prosecutor Joe McCulloch.

Over seven months, the men locked the student in a basement and forced him to sleep on an unfinished floor without access to a bathroom, charges say.
He scavenged for scraps in nearby restaurant dumpsters and was beaten with electrical wire, PVC pipe, metal rods, wooden boards, sticks and a water supply hose for a washing machine, St Louis Post-Dispatch, a major regional newspaper, reported.

“It’s absolutely inhumane and unconscionable that one human being could treat another human being like this,” said McCulloch at a news conference Thursday.
The three defendants are accused of confining and abusing the victim at three different homes owned by Sattaru in Defiance, Dardenne Prairie and O’Fallon, starting in April 2023, according to St Charles County’s official website.

Sattaru was identified by investigators as the ringleader and lives in the O’Fallon home with his wife and children.

The main suspect in the case, Sattaru, 35, is additionally charged with human trafficking for the purpose of slavery and contributing to human trafficking through misuse of documentation.

Penumetcha and Penmatsa live in the home where the student was rescued.

Authorities said the student had come to the US from India last year with hopes of studying at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. Instead, he was taken to Sattaru’s homes beginning in April and was forced to begin chores around 4:30 am, work a full day for Sattaru’s IT company and then complete a list of evening tasks.

The student told police he regularly got three hours of sleep on a concrete floor in a locked basement where Sattaru monitored him with a surveillance camera, according to court documents.

If the 20-year-old didn’t complete the tasks properly, he was severely beaten. Charges say he was forced to strip down naked and was hit all over his body. He was kicked, stomped and lashed, charges say, and his injuries included previous fractures and breaks that did not heal properly.

No one answered the door at Sattaru’s home on Thursday afternoon. None of the three men had attorneys listed in court documents.

“They beat him with their fists, they stomped on him, they beat him with electrical wiring, with PVC pipes,” McCulloch said. “They forced him to sleep in an unfinished basement, they starved him, and limited his access to the public and to restrooms.” McCulloch commended that citizen for making the rescue possible.

“If you see something, say something. We would much rather check it out and find nothing than have an incident like this that’s been going on for nearly a year,” McCulloch said.

Because the three suspects are wealthy and have political connections in India, McCulloch said they are being held at the St Charles County Jail without bond.

Neighbours in O’Fallon were shaken by the arrests on Thursday.

Many said they’d had pleasant interactions with the family, waving as they passed on the street or playing with children in the cul-de-sac.
“It’s shocking, for sure,” said Chirag Shah, who lives down the street from Sattaru’s home.

And in Defiance, an unincorporated community of less than 100 people known for its wineries, gift shops and position along the Katy Trail, neighbours watched as police flocked to the home beginning Wednesday morning, the paper reported.

Police were told at first by a man in the home that they couldn’t come inside, but the Indian student eventually came running from the basement. He was trembling uncontrollably, heavily scarred and suffering from bruising and swelling all over his body, charges say.

After fleeing the home, the student told police that Sattaru would often beat him himself, but Penumetcha and Penmatsa sometimes punished him too. Sattaru would call the pair and tell them to beat the Indian student, then tell them to hit him harder if Sattaru was not satisfied with his cousin’s cries of pain, authorities said.

The student said he was afraid to report the trio because they were wealthy and had powerful connections in India. He said he feared for his safety, as well as his family’s in India.

Investigators say the victim was almost always in the presence of at least one of the three suspects and had limited contact with his family, only through cell phone with one of the suspects nearby.

McCulloch says it’s unclear whether there might be more victims related to this investigation, but reminds the public to report any suspicious activity they might note.

"He's Got Another 7 Months…": Ganguly On Dravid's Contract Extension

Rohit Sharma (L) and Rahul Dravid© X (formerly Twitter)

Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly said that he was not surprised by Rahul Dravid receiving a contract extension as the team’s head coach. During a recent event, Ganguly said that the BCCI was always convinced about Dravid’s appointment and he was extremely happy to see that Dravid will stay on as the head coach. Under his guidance, the Indian cricket team finished runners-up in the Cricket World Cup 2023 and Ganguly hoped that he will be able to take them to the T20 World Cup success in 2024. The BCCI has extended the contract of India head coach Rahul Dravid at least till the T20 World Cup, even though the exact duration of his second term is not yet known.

It was during Ganguly’s BCCI tenure that Dravid had become the head coach and the former India lefthander was happy for his teammate’s contract extension.

“I’m not surprised that they have shown faith in Dravid. When I was president of the Board, we convinced him to do this job. And I’m so happy to see yesterday that his tenure has been extended.

“It was always the case, depending on whether he wanted it or not. I wish him luck for another World Cup in June. He was very close this time.

“They may not have won it, but they probably were the best team in the competition with the way they played. So he’s got another seven months for a World Cup in the West Indies. Hopefully, at that time, he will not be runners-up, but a champion,” he said.

Asked about India’s title drought at an ICC global showpiece, Ganguly said: “Hopefully they will cross the bridge one day.” “As a captain, I’ve qualified for three finals, and lost twice — 2003 World Cup and 2001 Champions Trophy. So I don’t have the right to say how to win finals. I managed just one win that too as joint winners with Sri Lanka (2002 Champions Trophy),” he said.

“At least, they are making the final and by dominating the tournament. Hopefully they will cross the bridge one day, their luck will change. There is no rocket science.”

(With PTI inputs)

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