Ceremonial parade, indigenous fatigues main highlights of IAF’s 90th anniversary celebration

A ceremonial parade was held at the air force station here Saturday morning on the occasion of the 90th-anniversary celebrations of the Indian Air Force (IAF).Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari inspected the parade which was followed by the march past by parade.Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran, senior officers from the three services and Ministry of Defence, veterans, were among those present on the occasion.

Be it Adani, Ambani or Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, we will welcome all. We want employment and investment

– Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Goa to host 37th National Games in October 2023

Goa will host the 37th edition of the National Games in October next year, the Indian Olympic Association confirmed on Saturday. The Goa state government has conveyed to the IOA its in-principal approval to host the next edition of the National Games.
In a letter to Ajit Roy, Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, Goa, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta wrote: “IOA is pleased to note the whole-hearted support of the Government of Goa to host the 37th National Games in Goa in 2023, hence conveying IOA’s approval to orgainse the 37th National Games in Goa.

I’m not alone in Bharat Jodo Yatra, lakhs of people are doing it as they’re tired of unemployment, price rise and inequality

– Rahul Gandhi

Verstappen takes pole at Suzuka

Max Verstappen put himself on course to wrap up a second successive Formula One title in the Japanese Grand Prix by edging Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc to pole position in qualifying at the Suzuka circuit on Saturday. The Red Bull racer lapped the 5.8-km track in one minute, 29.304 seconds, beating Leclerc by just 0.010 seconds, with Carlos Sainz also only 0.057 seconds off the pace in his Ferrari in third.

Death toll from Irish petrol station explosion rises to seven

The number of people killed in an explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal on Friday has risen to seven, with search and recovery efforts continuing, Irish police said on Saturday. The explosion happened shortly after 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) at the service station on the outskirts of the village of Creeslough. Eight more people were receiving treatment in hospital, police said. They have not addressed the cause of the explosion.
Photographs from the scene showed a residential unit above the service station’s store with walls blown out and a partially collapsed roof, and debris scattered across the forecourt where several cars were parked.

India opt to bat against Bangladesh, Harmanpreet rested

India won the toss and opted to bat first against defending champions Bangladesh in a Women’s Asia Cup league match here on Saturday. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been rested against the home team and Smriti Mandhana will lead the side in her place.
Shafali Verma, Kiran Navgire and Sneh Rana came in for Harmanpreet, D Hemalatha and Radha Yadav in the Indian playing eleven. Bangladesh have left out Shamima Sultana and brought in Lata Mondal. India lost by 14 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan in their last match.

Ukraine presidential advisor says Crimea bridge ‘must be destroyed’ following damage

A Ukrainian presidential advisor posted a message on Twitter after conflicting reports of an explosion or fire on Saturday that damaged the bridge connecting the Russian mainland to the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, calling it “the beginning” but not directly claiming Ukrainian responsibility.

World Bank cuts Pakistan’s growth projection to 2% after floods

The World Bank has estimated that Pakistan’s GDP growth will slow down from 5 per cent in the fiscal year 2022 to around 2 per cent in the fiscal year 2023 following one of the most devastating floods in the country’s history.
It also projected that poverty would go up by 2 to 4.5 pc while committing USD 2 billion in loans for flood-affected areas, reported The News International.
In the South Asian region, Pakistan’s macroeconomic projection remains second worst after Sri Lanka where the GDP growth was projected to go negative.

Moscow says car bomb sparked fire on key Crimean bridge

A fire sparked by a car bomb has broken out on a key road and rail bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which annexed the territory from Ukraine in 2014, Moscow authorities said Saturday.
“Today at 6:07 am (0307 GMT) on the road traffic side of the Crimean bridge … a car bomb exploded, setting fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea,” Russian news agencies cited the national anti-terrorism committee as saying.

Large fire reported on key bridge linking Russia to Crimea

Russian state-backed media are reporting that a fire has occurred on the bridge linking mainland Russia with the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. RIA-Novosti and the Tass news agency quoted local Russian official Oleg Kryuchkov as saying an object thought to be a fuel storage tank caught fire and that traffic has been stopped on the bridge.
Images shared on social media purported to show fire and damage to the span

China’s economy in bad shape, road to recovery may be long

The Chinese economy is in trouble and the road to recovery may be a long one. Much of it was expected as the global economy, which buys Chinese products, has been slowing down. China could barely avoid a contraction in the June 2022 quarter. However, it was not expected that Beijing would fail to live up to its promises by such a wide margin, reported Financial Post. In its latest report, the World Bank projected China to grow by a mere 2.8 per cent in 2022. Moreover, for the first time in three decades, China’s growth would lag behind the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.

Companies go for 25 kg packs to avoid 5% GST on pre-packed food items

After the Centre imposed 5 per cent GST on unbranded labelled and pre-packaged food items weighing less than 25 kg in July, most of the companies are now packing their goods, in excess of 25 kg, in a single packet to be exempted from the tax levy. In a notification, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had clarified that pre-packaged food items like cereals, pulses and flour weighing more than 25 kg and packed in a single packet will be exempted from GST, said a senior GST department official. Five per cent GST is applied only on packaged food items weighing less than 25 kg.

BJP putting up anti-AAP posters to hide its failures, says AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that the ruling BJP in Gujarat was putting up anti-AAP posters in the city and playing the Hindutva card to digress the people’s attention from its failures.
AAP leader Indranil Rajguru charged the ruling party with failing to give qualitative education, health facilities and generate employment.
Justifying his allegations, Rajguru said BJP is in power in Rajkot Municipal Corporation, and the state government, so such hoardings in public places have come up over night, these were put up on Friday night and the corporation has not removed them. Had it been put up by any other party, the Municipal Corporation officers would have swung into action and removed it. Party will take legal action for putting up such anti-AAP hoardings.

11 dead, 38 injured as bus catches fire after hitting truck in Nashik

At least 11 persons were killed and 38 others injured as a private bus travelling to Mumbai caught fire after hitting a trailer truck in Nashik city of Maharashtra early on Saturday, officials said.
The accident took place at Nandur Naka on Nashik-Aurangabad highway around 5.15 am when the ‘sleeper’ bus was coming from Yavatmal in eastern Maharashtra, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the bus tragedy and said ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.

One person-one seat: ECI proposal to Law Ministry

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar wrote a letter to the Law Ministry proposing to limit one person to contest only from one constituency at a time. At present, one eligible person can contest elections from two different seats or constituencies.
The move comes in the backdrop of the poll panel recently delisting 284 defaulting and non-compliant registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs), declaring more than 253 of them.

IAF announces new weapon systems branch

Idol vandalised at Hindu temple in Bangladesh

Unidentified miscreants vandalised the idol of a deity at a Hindu temple in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah, prompting police to launch a manhunt for the vandals, local media reported.Authorities of the Kali temple in Dautiya village found the idol broken into pieces on Friday morning, news portal bdnews24.com quoted Sukumar Kunda, president of the temple committee as saying. According to Amit Kumar Burman, the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Police, a case had been lodged and investigations began on Thursday.

Volleyball Federation of India can select and send teams, says HC

The Madras High Court has held that the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) can select and send teams from the States to the ongoing national games in Gujarat while the state association cannot independently nominate the teams. Setting aside a single judge order allowing Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association (TNSVA) to select and send men’s and women’s teams to the national games, a division bench comprising justices G R Swaminathan and N Mala on Friday said the VFI is the apex body in the country representing this game.

Thane records 51 new COVID-19 cases

With the addition of 51 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Maharashtra’s Thane district has gone up to 7,45,334, a health official said on Saturday. With these cases reported on Friday, there are now 292 active cases in the district.

PM Modi greets air warriors on Air Force Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted air warriors and their families on the Air Force Day. Modi said the Indian Air Force has shown exceptional dexterity for decades, has secured the nation, and has shown remarkable human spirit during disasters. He tweeted, “On Air Force Day, my greetings to the courageous air warriors and their families. In line with the motto of ‘Nabhah Sprisham Deeptam’ the Indian Air Force has shown exceptional dexterity for decades. They have secured the nation and also shown remarkable human spirit during disasters.”

Britain could face blackouts this winter, warns report

British households could face blackouts this winter if there are reduced European electricity imports and insufficient gas supplies in the country, a report warned.
In the extreme scenario, it could erode the security of supply margins and mean some customers could be without power for pre-defined periods during the day, said the Winter Outlook Report published by National Grid ESO, the electricity system operator for Britain. However, the event is “unlikely”, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

K-pop group BTS members face possible military conscription

South Korea’s military appears to want to conscript members of the K-pop supergroup BTS for mandatory military duties, as the public remains sharply divided over whether they should be given exemptions.
Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, told lawmakers on Friday that it’s “desirable” for BTS members to fulfill their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service.
Earlier this week, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made almost identical comments about BTS at a parliamentary committee meeting, and Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon said his ministry would soon finalize its position on the issue.

UN expert says Japan should do more for Fukushima evacuees

A United Nations human rights expert urged Japan’s government on Friday to provide evacuees from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster with more support, including housing, jobs and other needs, regardless of whether they fled forcibly or not.Wrapping up an investigation of the evacuees’ human rights conditions, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary said Japan has adequate laws to protect internally displaced people. They include a nuclear disaster compensation law that requires the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, to cover damages, and other government-led revitalization and reconstruction programs. But she said they have not been effectively used to address the vulnerability of the evacuees.

Alpine sign Gasly alongside Ocon for 2023 in all-French line-up

Frenchman Pierre Gasly will join compatriot Esteban Ocon in a race-winning line up at Renault-owned Alpine next season with Dutchman Nyck de Vries stepping up to replace him at AlphaTauri, the two Formula One teams said on Saturday.
Gasly, 26, will fill the seat vacated by double world champion Fernando Alonso, who is leaving the Enstone-based team for Aston Martin at the end of the season, on a multi-year deal.
“Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special,” said Gasly, who has been linked to an Alpine move for some time, in a statement.

AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann on two-day Gujarat visit from today

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will begin their two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat from Saturday. Both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders will jointly address a public meeting at Dahod town in tribal-dominated Dahod district on Saturday, the party’s state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said. Later in the day, they will participate in a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Vadodara city, he said.

NCERT stalls National Talent Search Examination scheme

The NCERT has stalled the National Talent Search Examination scheme till further orders, according to an official order. The popular scholarship programme is funded by the Ministry of Education and hosted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The scholarship exam is conducted annually in two stages — stage 1 (state level) and stage 2 (national level).
“The National Talent Search Scheme is a central sector scheme fully funded by the Ministry of Education, government of India. NCERT is an implementing agency for the NTS scheme. The scheme was approved till 31st March 2021,” the NCERT said in an official order.

Yacht owned by sanctioned Russian tycoon docks in Hong Kong

A superyacht connected to Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov has anchored in Hong Kong this week amid moves by Western governments to seize yachts connected to sanctioned Russian businessmen. The megayacht Nord, worth over USD 500 million, arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon after travelling for over a week from Vladivostok, Russia, its last port of call.

Moody’s downgrades Pakistan with ‘C rating’ after seven years

The New York-based credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Pakistan’s local and foreign currency and senior unsecured debt ratings to Caa1 from B3, citing increased government liquidity and external vulnerability risks and higher debt sustainability risks, local media reported. “The outlook remains negative,” the New York-based rating agency said amid the devastation floods in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
Debt affordability, a long-standing credit weakness for Pakistan, will remain extremely weak for the foreseeable future. The downgrade has pushed the country into the C-category after seven years (March 2015).

Pakistan: Police baton-charge, arrest protesting schoolteachers in Peshawar

Dozens of Pakistani schoolteachers, who have been demanding the upgradation of their pay scales and restoration of allowances, have been arrested by Peshawar police, according to local media.
Dawn reported that the police arrested dozens of schoolteachers after resorting to baton-charge and tear gas firing to disperse their rally on Thursday. Meanwhile, in response to police action against teachers, the Primary School Teachers’ Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced the closure of all government primary schools in the province from Friday.

Cattle smuggling: CBI files chargesheet against TMC’s Anubrata

Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank amid tensions

The Israeli army fatally shot two Palestinian teenagers during confrontations in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The teenagers were among the more than 100 Palestinians killed in the territory so far in 2022 — the deadliest spasm of violence in seven years. The ministry identified the two Palestinians, killed in separate episodes, as 14-year-old Adel Daoud, shot in the head at Israel’s separation barrier near the northern Palestinian town of Qalqilya, and 17-year-old Mahdi Ladadweh, shot during clashes in a village northwest of Ramallah.

Active COVID-19 cases drop below 5,000 in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has logged 387 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing its tally in the state to 35,86,218, while the death toll remained unchanged at 38,047 as no new fatalities were reported, the health department said on Friday. As many as 482 more people have recovered from the disease in the state, taking their number to 35,43,194 and leaving 4,977 active infections, a medical bulletin said.

Chandrayaan-2 spectrometer maps abundance of sodium on moon for first time

The X-ray spectrometer ‘CLASS’ on the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has mapped an abundance of sodium on the moon for the first time, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (C1XS) detected sodium from its characteristic line in X-rays which opened up the possibility of mapping the amount of sodium on the Moon, it said.
In a recent work published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal Letters’, Chandrayaan-2 mapped the abundance of sodium on the Moon for the very first time using CLASS (Chandrayaan-2 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer), the national space agency said in a statement on Friday.

US stocks slump on fears about rates, recession after jobs data

Good news on the economy remains bad news for Wall Street, and stocks are falling sharply Friday on worries a still-strong U.S jobs market may actually make a recession more likely.The S&P 500 was 2.7% lower in afternoon trading after the government said employers hired more workers last month than economists expected. Wall Street is worried the Federal Reserve could see that as proof the economy has yet to slow enough to get inflation under control. That could clear the way for the Fed to continue hiking interest rates aggressively, something that risks causing a recession if done too severely.

Bialiatski joins small group of jailed Nobel Peace laureates

Belarussian pro-democracy campaigner Ales Bialiatski, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with human rights groups in Russia and Ukraine, is the fourth person in the 121-year history of the Nobel Prizes to receive the award while in prison or detention.
Bialiatski, 60, who founded the non-governmental organisation Human Rights Center Viasna, was detained following protests in 2020 against the re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. He remains in jail without trial and faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Bihar BJP seeks Governor’s intervention in deferment of civic polls

A delegation of Bihar BJP leaders on Friday met Governor Phagu Chouhan and sought his intervention in deferment of civic polls in the light of the Patna High Court declaring “illegal” reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes.
The saffron party’s OBC morcha leaders, led by its president Jaynath Chauhan, also submitted a memorandum to the governor. They alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “failed to comply with a Supreme Court order, which led to the deferment of the urban local body elections” in the state.

‘No one has told us not to buy oil from Russia’

The Indian government has a moral duty to provide energy to its citizens and it will continue to buy oil from wherever it has to, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday, asserting that no country has told India to stop buying oil from Russia.
The Russia-Ukraine war has had a far-reaching impact on the global energy system, disrupting supply and demand patterns and fracturing long-standing trading relationships. It has pushed up energy prices for many consumers and businesses around the world, hurting households, industries and entire economies of several nations.
India’s crude oil imports from Russia have jumped over 50 times since April and now it makes up for 10 per cent of all crude bought from overseas. Russian oil made up for just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India prior to the Ukraine war.

“Demonetisation, GST are BJP’s weapons aimed at India’s poor”

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the BJP’s policies of demonetisation, GST and farm laws are weapons aimed at India’s poor and small businessmen. Addressing a rally at the end of the 30th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the BJP has destroyed businesses with its polices.
“Demonetisation and GST, both these are weapons. The farm laws that are applied here, is a weapon. These are not policies. These are weapons aimed at India’s poor, at India’s labourers, at India’s small and medium businesses, and they are very effective weapons,” he said.