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S Jaishankar To Embark On 2-Day Visit To Nepal, Focus On Expanding Ties

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S Jaishankar To Embark On 2-Day Visit To Nepal, Focus On Expanding Ties

S Jaishankar will pay a two-day visit to Nepal beginning Thursday with an aim to boost cooperation.

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a two-day visit to Nepal beginning Thursday with an aim to boost cooperation in an array of areas including hydro-power, connectivity, digital payments and trade.

It is expected that both sides will sign an agreement on the modalities that would facilitate Nepal exporting 10,000 megawatt of power to India in the next 10 years in line with a decision taken by the leadership of the two countries in June.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Mr Jaishankar will co-chair along with his Nepalese counterpart NP Saud a meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission, the highest bilateral platform for reviewing the overall ties.

“External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Kathmandu from January 4 to 5 on the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Nepal, NP Saud for co-chairing the seventh meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission,” it said.

In Kathmandu, the external affairs minister is scheduled to call on President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda.’ The India-Nepal Joint Commission was established in 1987 and provides a platform for both sides to review all aspects of the bilateral partnership.

“During the visit, the external affairs minister will also call on the leadership of Nepal and meet prominent political figures,” the MEA said in a statement.

“Nepal is a priority partner of India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. The visit is in keeping with the tradition of high level exchanges between two close and friendly neighbours,” it said.

Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “Roti Beti” relationship.

The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states -“ Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.

The Nepalese foreign ministry said Mr Saud will also host a dinner in honour of Mr Jaishankar and the members of his delegation.

“The Joint Commission Meeting will review the overall state of bilateral relations and various areas of mutual cooperation,” it said.

In June, Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ visited New Delhi during which both sides signed several major pacts including one on increasing New Delhi’s import of power from the neighbouring country to 10,000 mega watt in the next 10 years from current 450 megawatt.
 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad

Will make efforts to complete canals in Dubbak: Kotha

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Speaking to news reporters on Wednesday after visiting rural areas where digging of canals was on, the Dubbak MLA said the district administration had planned a meeting on January 6 with irrigation, revenue, and other department officials to review the progress of the canal works.

Published Date – 04:56 PM, Wed – 3 January 24


Will make efforts to complete canals in Dubbak: Kotha


Siddipet: Dubbak MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy said he would work for the completion of all the canals under Mallanna Sagar in Dubbak constituency to ensure every tank was filled with Godavari water and every acre of land got irrigation water in the constituency.

Speaking to news reporters on Wednesday after visiting rural areas where digging of canals was on, the Dubbak MLA said the district administration had planned a meeting on January 6 with irrigation, revenue, and other department officials to review the progress of the canal works. Assuring to keep the promise he made to irrigate every acre with Godavari in the constituency, Prabhakar Reddy said that he spoke to irrigation officials to release water to meet the Yasangi needs.

Contracting agencies had agreed to start the work by getting the machinery within a week, he said, adding that Dubbak constituency had got Godavari water with the efforts of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and former Minister T Harish Rao.

The MLA also said he would hold a meeting on irrigation once a week. Accompanied by irrigation officials, Prabhakar Reddy inspected the progress of canal works at Gambirpur, Potharam, Kamarpally, Chekode, Achammaiah Pally and Parushuram Nagar.

World

Leader calls for continuing ‘jihad of clarification’

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Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei received religious eulogists on Wednesday. The meeting was held on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra (SA).

“Today, the burden of jihad of clarification is on the shoulders of you Ahl al-Bayt elegists and eulogists,” Ayatollah Khamenei said during a meeting with a large number of elegists and eulogists at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah.

“Among the prominent and distinguished characteristics of Fatemeh al-Zahra (AS) is her jihad of clarification,” the Leader said.

He described the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution, as the greatest performer of jihad of clarification in the contemporary era, saying that Imam Khomeini managed to overthrow the corrupt Pahlavi dynasty and establish a religious democratic government through jihad of clarification.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei paid homage to Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top anti-terror commander who was assassinated by the US military on January 3, 2020.

This item will be updated…

SD/IRN

Middle East

US occupation forces attacked over 118 times in Iraq, Syria since Oct. 17: Official

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American occupation soldiers stand guard across a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a patrol in the countryside of the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province, on April 20, 2022. (File photo by Getty Images)

American forces stationed at military facilities in Iraq and neighboring Syria have come under attacks more than a hundred times, according to a US military official, amid rising anti-American sentiments across the region over Washington’s unconditional support for Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

The official told Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Wednesday that the US troops have been attacked over 118 times, the latest of which was an attack on a US-run military base near al-Khadra village in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, has claimed responsibility for much of the strikes on US military bases in Iraq and Syria, saying they are carried out in retaliation for US support of Israel’s bloody war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The United States, Israel’s biggest ally, has provided the regime with a raft of arms and ammunition since the initiation of the Gaza war.

Washington has also vetoed the United Nations Security Council’s peace resolutions that called on the occupying regime to cease its aggression.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Strip-based Palestinian resistance groups of Hamas and Islamic Jihad carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

According to the Gaza-based health ministry, more than 22,100 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, most of them women and children, and another 57,697 individuals injured.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

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Video: Under-Construction Building Collapses In Lucknow, Nearby Home Develops Cracks

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Video: Under-Construction Building Collapses In Lucknow, Nearby Home Develops Cracks

Visuals show debris, rocks, and rubble were strewn on the ground after the building was razed

Lucknow:

A three-storey under-construction building in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow collapsed due to illegal construction of the basement. This led to cracks in a house adjacent to it.

Locals living near the collapsed building made a complaint yesterday when the illegal construction started. Cops visited the site and vacated nearby areas so to avoid any loss. This incident took place in Lucknow’s Aryanagar today.

Though the locals claim that the building collapsed after they brought the matter into the notice, cops say that they have demolished it.

Police and civic body officials first barricaded the building, where a basement was being dug illegally, with a rope and surrounded it from all sides to carry out the demolition process. When the demolition took place, people living in the nearby areas were evacuated immediately.

Visuals show debris, rocks, and rubble were strewn on the ground after the building was razed. Locals living near the building had raised concerns over illegal construction going on in the basement, prompting the authorities to take swift action.

“We resisted as officials also tied a rope around our house for the demolition process. It was a three-storey building with a basement. The building belongs to a priest and it was non-functional for the past six to seven months,” a local said.

Top News

Opinion: 'Newspaper Reports Not Proof': 1994 Top Court Precedent In Hindenburg Case

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today backed market regulator SEBI’s clean chit to the Adani Group in the Hindenburg case and said the report by the OCCRP – an organisation funded by billionaire George Soros, among others – can’t be the basis for doubting the capital markets regulator’s investigation.

While placing confidence in the investigation by SEBI or Securities and Exchanges Board of India, the bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, dismissed the plea for a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The Chief Justice rejected the petitioner’s reliance on a news report by the OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) without independent verification. “The reliance on newspaper reports and third-party organisations to question the statutory regulator does not inspire confidence and is not to be viewed as conclusive evidence,” the court said.

The Supreme Court had originally ruled in 1994 on whether newspaper articles could be used as evidence in a case. The case involved a murder in Tamil Nadu.

Murder Most Foul

The original case was an appeal in the Supreme Court by Laxmi Raj Shetty, convicted of murdering PN Gnanasambandam, acting manager of the Karnataka Bank in what was then called Madras.

The murder was a sensational one, which caught the imagination of the press in May 1983.

According to the trial transcripts, Laxmi Raj Shetty had stayed back in the Karnataka Bank on May 20 that year, working late with his acting manager, and having earlier gained the keys to the safety vault, strangled and stabbed him inside the bank.

He then proceeded to rob Rs 14 lakh from the vault, taking the cash in a “coffee-coloured skybag”, and left the crime scene in an autorickshaw.

Laxmi Raj Shetty managed to stump the police. He turned up to work as usual the next morning to allay suspicion.

The police initially drew a blank. But, in true movie style, a policeman made inquiries along with a plumber who used to sleep on the platform near the bank.

The plumber suggested that a local flower seller, Kanaka, may have some valuable information.

The police made a half-hearted attempt to find her and, learning that she was at her sister’s house in Chennai’s Vyasarpadi, gave up the trail.

The case was transferred to the Crime Branch and they found circumstantial evidence pointing to Laxmi Raj Shetty as the prime suspect in the murder. It was now imperative for the police to find Kanaka.

Finally, the police tracked her down and she turned out to be a clinching factor as she claimed to have seen Laxmi Raj Shetty leaving the bank around 9 pm on the night of the murder, carrying a “coffee-coloured skybag”.

The Crime Branch then headed to Mangalore to catch Laxmi Raj Shetty at his father Shivram Shetty’s residence. But he had fled the city by train by the time the police arrived.

On the morning of May 28, 1983, the police found Laxmi Raj Shetty roaming around in Chennai’s My Lady’s Park. They took him to Mangalore on May 30, 1983, to recover the loot, which was with his father. On the way, they found the father in a rickshaw, carrying boxes full of money. Both father and son were arrested.

Contradictory Newspaper Reports

The police’s case was on the verge of collapsed because of newspaper reports. The Indian Express Mangalore edition and three Tamil newspapers Malai Murasu, Makkal Kural and Dina Thanthi carried reports that the entire amount stolen from the bank had been recovered from Shivram Shetty’s home in Mangalore and that both suspects had been taken into custody.

But the prosecution had stated that the stolen cash was recovered in Madras.

What made the case even more compelling was the fact that on May 30, 1983, then Chief Minister MG Ramachandran felicitated the key eyewitness, Kanaka, at a public function and rewarded her with Rs 5,000 in cash.

The Chief Minister, in a speech, cautioned newspapers “against the danger of conjectural reporting of such crimes during investigation, based on rumours unrelated to facts, which would not only prejudice the case but also sometimes pave the way for the offender to escape”. He said that rumours were bound to sidetrack and mislead the public and even police officers concerned with solving the crime.

This discrepancy was brought on record by Laxmi Raj Shetty and his father Shivram Shetty in the Madras High Court as well as the Supreme Court; they argued that the police were lying.

However, Supreme Court Justice AP Sen categorically rejected the pleas of the Shettys, although the death sentence was converted to life imprisonment.

“We cannot take judicial notice of the facts stated in a news item being in the nature of hearsay secondary evidence unless proved by evidence aliunde. A report in a newspaper is only hearsay evidence. A newspaper is not one of the documents referred to in s. 78(2) of the Evidence Act, 1872 by which an allegation of fact can be proved. The presumption of genuineness attached under Section 81 of the Evidence Act to a newspaper report cannot be treated as proved of the facts reported therein.” – observed the court.

This judgment by a single judge was later upheld by a Bench comprising Justice S Ratnavel Pandian, Justice RM Sahai, and Justice Dr AS Anand in 1994.

Hyderabad

Amara Raja Group meets CM Revanth Reddy; to continue expansion in Telangana

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Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy asserted that advanced storage technologies like ACCs were a priority for Telangana and that Amara Raja was a key partner in Telangana’s growth story.

Updated On – 04:36 PM, Wed – 3 January 24


Amara Raja Group meets CM Revanth Reddy; to continue expansion in Telangana


Hyderabad: Emphasising the State’s commitment to promote clean energy, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday assured complete support to Amara Raja Energy and Mobility (ARE&M), formerly known as Amara Raja Batteries, in operationalising the Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Giga Factory, Pack Assembly and e-Positive Energy Labs in Telangana. He asserted that advanced storage technologies like ACCs were a priority for Telangana and that Amara Raja was a key partner in Telangana’s growth story.

He was speaking after a meeting with Jayadev Galla, chairman and managing director of Amara Raja Energy and Mobility (ARE&M), formerly known as Amara Raja Batteries. Both the Chief Minister and Jayadev discussed about Amara Raja’s ongoing projects in Telangana. They also discussed about potential areas for collaboration between the State and the Amara Raja Group. IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu also participated in the meeting.

On the occasion, Jayadev Galla appreciated the State government’s continuous support for the swift execution of their ambitious giga corridor project. He expressed optimism about Amara Raja’s substantial expansion, urging the Telangana government to maintain its support, positioning the State as a major player in the growing Electric Vehicle (EV) and New Energy sector.

As part of its expansion into Advanced Energy Storage Technologies to meet the demands of the growing electric mobility and energy storage markets, Amara Raja is establishing a Giga Corridor. This corridor includes one of India’s largest lithium-ion Giga Factories for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) manufacturing and Battery Pack assembly at Telangana New Energy Park, Mahabubnagar, along with an R&D hub named e-Positive Energy Labs in Shamshabad. This initiative involves a capital investment of Rs.9,500 crore, with the potential to generate direct employment for 4,500 people and a similar number in indirect employment.

Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, Principal Secretary (IT and Industries) Jayesh Ranjan, Special Secretary for Investment Promotion Vishnuvardhan Reddy and other officials also attended the meeting.

India

After Abhishek Kumar Slaps Samarth Jurel, A Post From Riteish Deshmukh

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Bigg Boss 17: After Abhishek Kumar Slaps Samarth Jurel, A Post From Riteish Deshmukh

Still from a video on X. (courtesy: Biggboss17_live)

Fights are not uncommon in the Bigg Boss 17 house, especially when there is a love triangle in the picture. This season, Isha Malviya has been spotted having massive fights with former boyfriend Abhishek Kumar and current boyfriend Samarth Jurel. Abhishek and Samarth have also locked horns many times over the course of the season. However, things took an exceptionally ugly turn recently when Isha Malviya and Samarth Jurel were seen making derogatory remarks about Abhishek Kumar’s mental health. The fight started with Isha and Samarth bullying and taunting Abhishek but ended with Abhishek slapping Samarth, thereby violating an important house rule.

It all started with Isha Malviya calling Abhishek ‘Boss ke kehne par chalne Waale’ during the nomination task. While Abhishek asked Isha to stop “poking him” for a fight, Samarth joined Isha, further escalating the matter. Soon, the couple started making harsh remarks about Abhishek’s mental health. When Isha called Abhishek “mental bhopu”, Abhishek said that it was their relationship that left him unwell. Isha then dragged Abhishek’s father into the fight, saying, “Tere papa ko bhi pata hai tu bachpan se mental hai, sabko pata hai mental hai tu.[ You father and everyone else knows you are mad].” After initially warning Isha to not drag parents into their fight, Abhishek says, “Teri maa ko teri harkatein pata hai [Your mother is aware of your acts]. Chee girl.”

At this point, Samarth too jumps in and is seen calling Abhishek “apne baap ka mental launda.” At this point, Abhishek suffers a panic attack and tells Bigg Boss that he is feeling claustrophobic. However, the taunts continue and Samarth is seen covering Abhishek’s head with a blanket. Following this, Samarth is also seen trying to touch Abhishek’s face at which point Abhishek slaps Samarth.

While this is a clear violation of house rules, Abhishek has received a lot of love from fans and celebrities on social media. Bollywood star Riteish Deshmukh wrote on X [formerly Twitter]: “Heart goes out to Abhishek… Bigg Boss 17.”

Actor and contestant Neil Bhatt, who was the last contestant to be eliminated this season, also shared that Isha and Abhishek’s breakup was so traumatic that Abhishek had to check into a mental health facility, which Isha often used as a taunt to trigger Abhishek. Similarly, Ankit Gupta – Isha, Samarth and Abhishek’s Udaariyan co-star and former Bigg Boss contestant – supported Abhishek and said, “Now her real personality is coming out Isha Malviya and what a liar she is. She knows about Abhishek’s claustrophobic condition. Stay strong Abhishek Kumar.”

Watch the video here:

Bigg Boss 17 is available for streaming 24*7 on Jio Cinema.

World

France will not support forced displacement of Gazans: Envoy

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According to Anadolu Agency, “France is opposed to the forced displacement of populations. That’s very clear-cut…We will not support the forced displacement of people,” de Riviere told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s more or less obvious that the Gaza Strip is inhabited by Palestinians. Our goal is for Palestinians to be able to continue living there in safety and security and under good conditions. That should be the priority.”

His remarks came after Israeli officials called for the “voluntary evacuation” of Palestinians from Gaza and urged various countries to take in Palestinians from the enclave.

De Riviere said shutting people out of Gaza or recolonizing Gaza are “harebrained ideas,” adding it is essential to put an end to the military operation and not to target civilians.

“Palestinians should be able to live in peace in their homes, and the bombing of civilians in the Gaza Strip should end. Hospitals and schools have been destroyed…We want that to end,” he stressed.

Underlining the need to protect the civilian population, de Riviere said there are 2 million civilians in Gaza.

The Israeli regime waged a bloody war against the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas carried out a retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity for its atrocities against Palestinians.

Close to 22,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s onslaught so far.

AMK/PR

Middle East

Nasrallah to speak Wed. on Gen. Soleimani martyrdom anniv.

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Seyyed Nasrallah is going to address the Resistance Party’s ceremony held to honor General Suliemni, Hajj AL-Muhandis and companions on their martyrdom, Al-Manar TV English website reported. 

The latest developments of the Israeli regime war on Gaza and the ongoing military confrontations between Hezbollah and the Zionist enemy will top the ganda of the speech.

Former head of IRGC’s Quds Force General Qassem Suleimani and former deputy chief of Iraq’s Hashd Shaabi paramilitary force Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis were martyred in a US drone strike, ordered by former president Donald Trump, near Baghdad Airport on January 3, 2020.

Following their martyrdom, Sayyed Nasrallah vowed that blood of the iconic anti-terrorism commanders will not go in vain, stressing that the strike will lead to the withdrawal of US troops from the region.

MNA