Tag: latest news

Bhopal: A court here on Saturday sent three alleged members of an ISIS-linked terror module, arrested last week in Jabalpur city of Madhya Pradesh, in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till June 10.

Syed Mamoor Ali, Mohammad Adil Khan and Mohammad Shahid were produced before special judge for NIA cases Nitiraj Singh Sisodia and the central probe agency sought their remand for one more week citing the need for further investigation, special prosecutor Deepesh Joshi told PTI.

“The court accepted our plea and sent them in remand till June 10,” he said.

The arrests were made on May 27 during raids at 13 locations in Jabalpur in an operation with the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Madhya Pradesh police.
Adil Khan was on the agency’s radar since August 2022, an NIA official said.

According to the federal agency, Khan and his associates were involved in disseminating the ISIS propaganda through social media, as well as through on-ground ‘Dawah’ programmes to unleash violent terror attacks in India at the instance of the terrorist organisations.

“The module had been conducting meetings in local masjids and houses and hatching plans and conspiracies to spread terror in the country,” an NIA spokesperson said last week.

The official said investigations revealed that the three accused were highly radicalised and were determined to carry out violent “jihad”.
“They were engaged in collecting funds, disseminating ISIS propaganda material, motivating and recruiting youth, and trying to procure arms and ammunition with the objective of carrying out terrorist acts,” the spokesperson said.

The NIA official said Ali had created a local group by the name of ‘Fisabilillah’ and was also operating a WhatsApp group by the same name. He said, “Along with his associates, he was trying to procure pistols and was in contact with a Jabalpur-based illegal arms supplier for this purpose.” A staunch ISIS follower and supporter, Khan had managed to assemble an active group of Jabalpur-based like-minded radicalised individuals, according to NIA.

“Some of the module members were already contemplating Hijrat (flight) to conflict theatres, while others had plans to form a local outfit for carrying out violent jihad in India,” the spokesperson had said.

The official said Khan was also running multiple YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp channels for motivating and recruiting youth into the ISIS fold.

“Investigations further showed that Shahid had also planned to procure weapons including pistols, improvised explosive devices and even grenades for violent attacks in India,” the NIA spokesperson said.

Mumbai: YouTube sensation and leading gaming influencer, Ajey Nagar who goes by the moniker CarryMinati, will be hosting a four-hour charity stream on his channel CarryisLive on Saturday for the victims of the Odisha train accident.

All proceeds generated from the forthcoming charity stream will be donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund-Government of Odisha.

CarryMinati states, “It’s just heart-breaking to see these upsetting visuals. My thoughts and prayers are with each and every person affected by this shocking incident. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured and extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.”

“In times like these, we all need to come together and work towards the common goal of being there for one another on a humanitarian level. I am looking forward to raising significant contributions and hereby appeal to everyone to unite in these trying times and extend a helping hand in whatever way you can.”

Minati had previously hosted a charity stream of similar nature for the flood-ravaged states of Assam and Bihar in 2020 that was trending on the #1 spot under the game’s category and amassed a substantial collection of INR 12 lakhs, including a 1 lakh personal contribution by Minati.

He has helped causes like Kerala Floods in 2018; Assam Floods, Bihar Floods, Shaheeds of Pulwama Attack, Odisha Cyclone Fani in 2019; Australia Bush Fire, Assam Floods, Bihar Floods and COVID’19 in 2020 and Assam floods in 2022.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail on Saturday launched user charges for utilizing toilets at select metro stations where the footfalls are heavy. For maintenance of toilets and collection of the user charges, the public washrooms at these metro stations have been handed over to Sulabh International. It has been decided to collect Rs 2 for utilizing urinals and Rs 5 for toilets from the commuters at the metro stations. Senior officials of HMR have confirmed the decision to collect user charges from commuters at metro stations.

Meanwhile, the response to the decision to collect user charges from the general public has been mixed with many complaining about it while some maintained that the user charges would go a long way in maintaining public washrooms in metro stations, especially those that receive a large number of commuters on a daily basis.

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock and grief over the death of several people in the tragic train accident in Odisha. The Chief Minister regretted that it was a most unfortunate incident and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.

The Chief Minister requested the State and Union Governments to take steps to provide better treatment to the injured and extend adequate support to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident, an official release said.

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic train accident and conveyed condolence to the families who have lost their loved ones in the incident and asked “What happened to the Anti Collision Devices?” “Aghast at the horrific train collision that killed 233 passengers and left many more wounded. My heartfelt condolences & prayers to all the families of the passengers who lost their loved ones and those affected. What happened to the Anti Collision Devices? This is indeed a tragedy of unheard proportions that should have never happened,” Rama Rao tweeted.

Rama Rao, who was to release a report of the Telangana ITE&C department’s performance for last year today, deferred the event to Monday. “In light of the Tragic train accident, event has been deferred to Monday,” he tweeted.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy, tweeted “Saddened by the news of the loss of lives in the tragic train accident in Odisha. My thoughts are with the bereaved families and prayers for the early recovery of the injured.” The accident involving three trains in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday killed 288 people and injured nearly 800 in one of the worst railway tragedies in the country.

Pope Francis is traveling to Mongolia at the end of the summer, a visit that will be a first for a pontiff and one rich in geopolitical significance given its proximity to Russia and China.

The Vatican on Saturday confirmed the Aug. 31-Sept. 4 trip to the landlocked U.S-allied country sandwiched between Russia and China, two countries popes have never visited.

Francis will be ministering to a tiny Christian community in Mongolia, part of his focus on visiting far-flung Catholics on the peripheries of the church’s main centers of influence. According to statistics by the Catholic nonprofit Aid to the Church in Need, Mongolia is 53% Tantric Buddhist, 39% atheist, 3% Muslim, 3% Shaman and 2% Christian.

Mongolia has strived to maintain its political and economic independence from both its Soviet-era patron Moscow — which supplies virtually all of its energy needs — and rising regional power China, which buys more than 90% of its mining exports, mainly coal and copper.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral meetings with his US and German counterparts Lloyd Austin and Boris Pistorius in New Delhi, next week. According to the statement released by the Ministry of Defence, the meeting will focus on enhancing defence cooperation between India, US and Germany. Singh will hold bilateral talks with the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on June 5, 2023, and a day later he will discuss defence cooperation with German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius on June 6.

“US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin and German Minister of Defence Mr Boris Pistorius are visiting New Delhi for bilateral talks with Rakha Mantri (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh,” the press release reads. The Ministry of Defense also stated that Singh will discuss a host of bilateral defence cooperation issues with the two foreign diplomats. The meetings will also focus on industrial cooperation. “A host of bilateral defence cooperation issues, with a focus on industrial cooperation are likely to be discussed during the two meetings,” the statement further reads.

German Defence Minister to witness India’s prowess
Boris Pistorius, the German Defence Minister, will be on a four-day visit to India which will commence from June 5. Pistorius is arriving from Indonesia and will take part in a plethora of events. After the bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart, Pistorius is expected to meet a few defence startups during an event organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX). On June 7, the German official will also travel to Mumbai where is expected to visit Western Naval Command and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Defence will arrive on June 4 from Singapore for a two-day visit to India. This will be Austin’s second visit to India, the first one being in March 2021. Austin’s visit to New Delhi is coming ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States in June. The Indian premier will be on a state visit from June 22, at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.

International cooperation is essential to advance vaccine development to combat emerging pathogens, and the G20 forum can serve as a vital platform to facilitate collaboration between governments, research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday.

He was addressing the Global Vaccine Research Collaborative discussion on ‘Vaccine Research and Development: Building Consensus for Future Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness, and Response’, a co-branded event under India’s G20 presidency organised by Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers), according to an official release.

Highlighting India’s leadership in vaccine R&D for several decades, with experience in developing, producing, and distributing vaccines for diseases such as polio, smallpox, and measles, the Union Minister said that India being a leading player in vaccine production and distribution can play a critical role in building greater global collaboration towards this goal.

“The development and deployment of effective vaccines can help mitigate the impact of pandemics, and we must prioritise research efforts to achieve this objective,” he said.

Elaborating on India’s initiatives to boost vaccine production and distribution, the Union Minister stated that the government has provided financial incentives and streamlined regulatory processes to encourage vaccine manufacturers to increase their production capacity.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering a London-based global artificial intelligence (AI) watchdog to oversee any threats posed by the fast-growing technology, according to a UK media report on Saturday.

Sunak will discuss ways to cooperate on monitoring AI when he meets US President Joe Biden at the White House next week, according to “The Times”.

Among the ideas under consideration in Downing Street is setting up a global AI authority in London, modelled on the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA, founded in 1957 with 176 countries including India as members, monitors the use of nuclear energy, promotes safe standards, and checks that it is not used for military purposes.

A British minister told the newspaper that the UK would be “the best place” in the world for any new body because many leading companies already have a strong presence here.

Though plans are at an early stage, if Sunak pushes ahead, the UK government could seek to recruit rapidly to get the authority up and running.

“The Prime Minister is very alive to the need for international alignment on the approach to AI as the technology evolves to ensure we can benefit from the opportunities but manage the risks,” a government source was quoted as saying by ‘The Times’.

The possibility of Sunak creating a regulator comes as the European Union (EU) is refining its Artificial Intelligence Act, which is expected to take a hard line on oversight of the sector.

The US is also considering how to regulate but is expected to be less severe, as the world grapples with concerns about the safety of AI technology.