UK ship attacked by Yemeni army sinks in Red Sea


The Rubymar cargo ship sank off the coast of Yemen on February 27, 2024. (AFP photo)

A British container ship has sunk in the Red Sea almost two weeks after it came under attack by Yemen’s Armed Forces.

The Yemeni army said it attacked the Rubymar on Feb.18, with several naval missiles in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The cargo ship had been drifting northward when it came under attack.

Yemen said the Rubymar sank late Friday as stormy weather took hold over the Red Sea.

The cargo ship was abandoned for 12 days, even after Yemen warned that the vessel “is in a tragic situation and is on the verge of sinking after water leaked into the engine room.”

Yemeni officials had warned about “a major environmental disaster if it sinks.”

Yemen has targeted ships either owned by the regime or sailing toward Israeli ports in a strong gesture sympathetic to the oppressed Palestinians of Gaza over the past few months.

Yemenis have made it clear that they will not hesitate to carry out qualitative operations against all hostile targets in defense of their homeland and in reaffirmation of their unwavering support for the Palestinian nation.

They said earlier that strikes targeting those ships in the Red Sea will not stop unless the regime ends its genocidal campaign.

International shipping companies, however,  are safe to sail in the area if they are neither owned by Israel nor destined for ports in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to Yemeni Armed Forces.


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Complete 1st List of BJP's 195 Candidates For Lok Sabha Polls

Complete 1st List of BJP's 195 Candidates For Lok Sabha Polls

As many as 34 ministers and two former chief ministers are on the list.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are among the 195 candidates to lead the BJP charge in the soon-to-be-held Lok Sabha polls. 

Jyotiraditya Scindia, who moved from Congress to BJP, will contest from Guna. Shivraj Chouhan, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, will once again contest from Vidisha. 

Here’s the complete list of 195 candidates:

Smriti Irani will be fighting from Amethi, where she had pulled off a shock victory against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2019.

Textile, IT, dairy clusters between ORR, RRR: Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka

In the past, the government had planned to develop Pharma City at one single location spread over 30,000 acres. This policy was against the people’s health and the Congress government was now developing 10 pharma villages with all the required amenities, said Bhatti

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 07:43 PM


Textile, IT, dairy clusters between ORR, RRR: Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka

File Photo

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the State government was planning to develop textiles, IT and dairy and other clusters between the Outer Ring Road and the Regional Ring Road.

In the past, the government had planned to develop Pharma City at one single location spread over 30,000 acres. This policy was against the people’s health and the Congress government was now developing 10 pharma villages with all the required amenities, he said after inaugurating the CII Telangana State Annual Meeting 2023-24 and a conference on Building a Competitive and Sustainable Telangana @2047 here on Saturday.


Underscoring the importance of utilizing the Housing Board colonies as models for constructing satellite townships to enhance living standards, he said the government was committed to development of River Musi, besides supporting the MSME sector.

CII Telangana Chairman and Managing Director C Shekar Reddy also spoke.

Earlier, the Executive body of CII Telangana elected Sai Devarajulu Prasad, Executive Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited as Chairman and Sivaprasad Reddy Rachamallu, Managing Director, Rachamallu Forgings Private Limited as the Vice Chairman of CII Telangana for the year 2024-25.

Andhra train collision: Vaishnaw says driver, assistant were watching cricket on phone

Over 50 passengers were injured. Vaishnaw referred to the Andhra train accident while talking about new safety measures that Indian Railways has been working on.

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 06:30 PM


Andhra train collision: Vaishnaw says driver, assistant were watching cricket on phone


New Delhi: The driver and the assistant driver of one of the two passenger trains that collided leading to death of 14 passengers on October 29, 2023 were watching a cricket match on phone, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday while highlighting the cause of the accident.

The Rayagada Passenger train hit the Visakhapatnam Palasa train from behind at 7 pm that day on the Howrah-Chennai line in Kantakapalli in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.


Over 50 passengers were injured. Vaishnaw referred to the Andhra train accident while talking about new safety measures that Indian Railways has been working on.

“The recent case in Andhra Pradesh happened because both the loco pilot and co-pilot were distracted by the cricket match which was going on. Now we are installing systems which can detect any such distraction and make sure that the pilots and the assistant pilots are fully focussed on running the train,” Vaishnaw told PTI Videos.

He added, “We will continue to put our focus on safety. We try to find out the root cause of every incident and we come up with a solution so that it is not repeated.”

While the probe report conducted by the Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) is yet to be made public, a preliminary railway probe, a day after the accident, had held the driver and the assistant driver of Rayagada Passenger train responsible for the collision as it passed two defective auto signals violating norms. Both crew members were killed in the accident.

 

Steyn requests break from his role as SRH bowling coach in IPL 2024; Cummins may become captain: Report

As per a report in Cricbuzz, Steyn is said to have asked the franchise about a break from the coaching role he has at SRH for this year

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 07:35 PM


Steyn requests break from his role as SRH bowling coach in IPL 2024; Cummins may become captain: Report

File Photo

New Delhi Dale Steyn, the legendary South African fast bowler, has requested a break from his role as the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, even as the franchise may announce Pat Cummins as the captain for the upcoming season of the tournament starting on March 22.

As per a report in Cricbuzz, Steyn is said to have asked the franchise about a break from the coaching role he has at SRH for this year.It added that the franchise is now searching for a new bowling coach and the announcement in this regard could be made soon.


Apart from playing 93 Tests, 125 ODIs, and 47 T20Is in a glittering international career for South Africa, Steyn had played for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad. and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

In 2022, Steyn joined the SRH franchise in a bowling coach role and has been credited with playing a huge role in the development of speedster Umran Malik, who went on to earn an India cap in T20Is and ODIs, and recently got a fast-bowling contract from the BCCI.

The report also said Steyn is expected to return to the franchise next season, pending all necessary arrangements and requirements.

After finishing at the bottom of the points table last year, SRH got a new head coach in former New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, currently an assistant coach with the Australian team.

Meanwhile, talking about the SRH captaincy for IPL 2024, the franchise is expected to announce Cummins as their new captain after acquiring him for INR 20.5 crore in the auction in Dubai last year. Cummins had won the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) and Men’s ODI World Cup as captain of Australia.

SRH were captained by Aiden Markram in the previous two seasons but didn’t gain any significant success. Markram, though, successfully led SunRisers Eastern Cape, a sister team of the SRH franchise to the trophy in the first two seasons of the SA20.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, the IPL 2016 winners, will open their 2024 campaign on March 23 against two-time winner Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, followed by their first home match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on March 27 against five-time champions Mumbai Indians

PM Modi Unveils Development Projects Worth Rs 21,400 Crore In Bihar

PM Modi Unveils Development Projects Worth Rs 21,400 Crore In Bihar

PM Modi unveiled national highway projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore.

Aurangabad:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled development projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Saturday.

The PM unveiled the projects at an official function in Ratanwa village.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, Deputy Chief Ministers Samat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and several Union ministers were among those present at the programme.

This is PM Modi’s first visit to Bihar since the BJP-led NDA returned to power in the state after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), dumped the Mahagathbandhan.

Addressing the programme, Nitish Kumar told the prime minister that he would remain in the NDA forever.

PM Modi unveiled national highway projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for a six-lane bridge over the Ganga, which will be constructed parallel to the existing JP Ganga Setu.

He dedicated to the nation three railway projects, which include the doubling of the Pataliputra-Pahleja line and a 26-km-long new line between Bandhua and Paimar.

The PM also inaugurated 12 projects worth over 2,190 crore under the Namami Gange scheme. These include sewerage treatment plants in Patna, Sonepur, Naugachia, and Chapra.

He also laid the foundation stone of Unity Mall in Patna, which will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 200 crore, and provide a boost to the ‘One District, One Product’ project. 

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

Devi Prasad slams Congress govt for bid to divide employees and farmers


On Saturday, former TNGO leader Devi Prasad stated that the Congress government was explaining the delay in providing Rythu Bandhu assistance to farmers by citing its dedication to ensuring government employees receive their salaries promptly on the first of each month.

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 06:17 PM


Devi Prasad slams Congress govt for bid to divide employees and farmers


On Saturday, former TNGO leader Devi Prasad stated that the Congress government was explaining the delay in providing Rythu Bandhu assistance to farmers by citing its dedication to ensuring government employees receive their salaries promptly on the first of each month.

Hyderabad: Former TNGO leader Devi Prasad said on Saturday that the Congress government was attributing the delay in disbursement of Rythu Bandhu assistance to farmers to its commitment to payment of salaries to government employees right on first of every month.

But it appeared to be deliberate attempt being made by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to drive a wedge between government employees and the farming community.


Taking a strong exception to move to create a rift between the two vital sections of the society, he pointed out that even the Chief Minister had gone on record saying that the implementation of schemes such as loan waiver and Rythu Bandhu were getting delayed because of the payment of salaries to government employees in the first week of the month.

Creating such impressions in the minds of the farmers would leave them disillusioned. The farmers would be left with the feeling that they were of lesser importance compared to the government employees, he said.

Sushma Swaraj's Daughter, Bansuri Swaraj, To Make Her Poll Debut

Sushma Swaraj's Daughter, Bansuri Swaraj, To Make Her Poll Debut

New Delhi:

Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, is set to make her poll debut in the upcoming elections. In its first list of candidates, Bharatiya Janata Party announced that Ms Swaraj would contest from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat.

Soon after her name was announced, Ms Swaraj said that she will try to live up to the legacy set by her mother, who she was sure sending her blessings from heaven.

“I know I have the blessings of Ma (Sushma Swaraj). But this achievement does not belong to Bansuri Swaraj, but every karyakarta (worker) of Delhi BJP,” Ms Swaraj told NDTV.

Bansuri Swaraj, a distinguished lawyer, brings a wealth of experience in legal procedures to the political arena. Last year, the BJP appointed her as the co-convenor of the BJP Delhi’s legal cell.

Bansuri Swaraj boasts a formidable fifteen years of experience in the legal profession, having been enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 2007. After completing her undergraduate studies in English Literature from the University of Warwick, she pursued a law degree at the prestigious BPP Law School in London. Her academic journey includes qualifying as a Barrister at Law and being called to the bar from the Hon’ble Inn of Inner Temple, London. Further enhancing her legal credentials, she completed her Masters of Studies from St. Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford.

Throughout her professional career, Bansuri has carved a niche for herself in the legal domain, representing high-profile clients in contentious litigation across various judicial fora. Her expertise spans a wide array of legal areas, including disputes involving contracts, real estate, tax, international commercial arbitrations, and criminal trials.

Bansuri Swaraj made headlines last year when she launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. During a press conference in the national capital, she characterized the AAP government as “jhagdalu (quarrelsome) and nikammi (useless),” criticizing their perceived inefficiency since 2015. She congratulated President Droupadi Murmu for passing the Bill, expressing confidence that the administration in Delhi would now operate in accordance with the law.

Hoping to get a massive first-mover advantage as it works towards its target of winning 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP today announced a list of 195 candidates even before the poll dates have been notified. The list includes the party’s heaviest hitters, PM Narendra Modi, who will be contesting from Varanasi for the third time, and Home Minister Amit Shah, who will be fielded again from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Telangana: Singareni to set up 800 MW solar plants on reservoirs

SCCL Chairman and MD N Balram directed officials to take steps to set up a 300 MW floating solar plant on the Lower Manair Dam and a 500 MW solar plant on the Mallanna Sagar reservoir

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 07:20 PM


Telangana: Singareni to set up 800 MW solar plants on reservoirs


Hyderabad: Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) Chairman and Managing Director N Balram said the company would set up about 800 MW solar plants on huge reservoirs with the approval of the State government.

Balram, who held a review meeting on the power sector on Saturday, stated that Singareni, which had already set up 234 MW solar plants across the company’s mining areas, would soon set up about 800 MW solar plants on reservoirs. He directed officials to take steps to set up a 300 MW floating solar plant on the Lower Manair Dam and a 500 MW solar plant on the Mallanna Sagar reservoir.


Stating that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for setting up a 300 MW solar plant on Lower Manair Dam was ready, he said the company would seek permission of the State government to take up construction work on the reservoir. He also directed the officials to immediately prepare the DPR regarding the establishment of two 250 MW floating solar plants proposed to be set up on the Mallanna Sagar reservoir.

Balram also directed the officials to take steps to set up a 800 MW power plant at the 1200 MW Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) premises situated in Mancherial district.

Rameshwaram cafe blast: How a routine phone call from his mom saved a techie

Speaking to media, the 24-year-old engineer recalled how his mother’s call was timely and helped him escape unhurt

Published Date – 2 March 2024, 06:54 PM


Rameshwaram cafe blast: How a routine phone call from his mom saved a techie

Representational Image

Bengaluru: A routine phone call from his mother saved a 24-year-old software engineer from the low intensity blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe here on Friday afternoon where he had gone to have lunch.

Recalling the tragedy in which 10 people including the staff and some customers were injured, Kumar Alankrit, a native of Patna in Bihar, said he grabbed his dosa from the counter and had planned to take a seat at his usual spot (where the blast took place minutes later).


At the same time, he got a call from his mother and to answer that, he went to a quiet place, which was just 10 metres away from the blast site.

Speaking to PTI videos, Alankrit recalled how his mother’s call was timely and helped him escape unhurt.

“I grabbed my dosa from the pick up counter and was about to sit at my regular spot inside the cafe. Every time I visit the cafe I used to sit at this place (where the blast took place later). That is like my favourite place. Even this time I was planning to sit there but then I received a phone call from my mother, so I decided to move a few meters away outside the cafe to a quiet area so that I could speak to her,” he said.

Describing it as a routine phone call, he said, “She (my mom) was asking about my whereabouts…where I was and things…Suddenly, I heard this loud noise. I was outside. It was a huge explosion. Everyone was terrified and running outside. There was smoke everywhere and a foul smell started emanating from the place.” The software engineer recalled how many people sustained injuries. While some had burn injuries, some were bleeding from their ears and head, he said.

“It was all of a sudden. That loud explosion and people running around. Not knowing what was happening. It was terrifying and shocking. But thankfully, that phone call from my mother saved me. or I would be sitting at my favourite place, the same spot where the blast took place,” he said.

Incidentally Kumar was one of the first people to share the video of the blast at the cafe, on ‘X’.

In his post, he had said, “At 1 pm, I was having Lunch at Rameshwaram Cafe Brookefield and a big blast took place inside the cafe. I was a few metres away from the blast. I am safe. Several people are heavily injured. God help them Recover soon.” “I grabbed my Dosa from the counter and planned to sit at my usual spot. But today my Mom called me so I thought about going out to a quiet area, I moved 10m away from the place I usually sit (Bomb Site) and a blast took place, I ran outside. MOM=GOD,” he posted.