South India vision/october

Cong govt in Chhattisgarh is most corrupt: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Chhattisgarh, alleging that there was corruption in its every scheme.

Bilaspur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Chhattisgarh, alleging that there was corruption in its every scheme.Addressing a

concluding function of the BJP's Parivartan Yatra outreach campaign here ahead of assembly elections, he also claimed that the Congress can not tolerate the rise of the Dalits, STs, OBCs; and

it abuses OBCs on the pretext of targeting him.Stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the Public Service Commission `scam' in the state if the BJP comes to power, the prime minister said.The Congress government in Chhattisgarh also committed corruption in distri-

bution of ration given under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana and in its own cow dung procurement scheme, he claimed.

If the BJP comes to power, its first cabinet decision will be to provide pucca houses to every poor person by expediting the process of house allotment, Modi said.Congress and its allies in the "Ghamandia bloc" supported the women's reservation bill out of compulsion, and now the Congress is playing new tricks of dividing women on the lines of caste, he said, apparently referring to the Grand Old Party's demand of OBC quota in the women reservation in legislatures.

A New Era for Organ Donation in Tamil Nadu: State Honors and Beyond

Chennai: CM Stalin made a drastic announcement on 22nd September 2023 that the organ donors in the state, hereafter will receive ‘state honours’ during their funeral. CM Stalin’s tweet said, “Tamil Nadu continues to be the leading state in the country in providing life to hundreds of patients via organ donation. This is possible owing to the selfless decision of the family members to donate the organs of the brain dead patients. In order to honour such sacrifices, funerals of the organ donors will be performed with state honours.”

Already, Tamil Nadu is in number one position in India in terms of organ donation, now the announcement has paved the way for the creation of awareness about organ donation among the residents of Tamil Nadu. Many people

are showing support by posting their organ donation certificate on social media. Even political rivals such as Anbumani Ramadoss have appreciated CM Stalin’s announcement. Regarding the further details of the announcement, our team collected insights from Ma. Subramanian, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare of Tamil Nadu.Ma. Subramanian’s insights about the CM’s

announcement: In 2008, former CM Karunanidhi declared September 23 as the organ donation day. On this particular day, a student named Hithendran from Tiruppur met with an accident and was declared brain dead. His parents, who are doctors, decided to donate their son’s organs. The brave decisions of the parents were appreciated by Karunanidhi and Stalin. In order to recognise the incident, the Tamil Nadu government has declared September 23 as the organ donation day. The union government observes organ donation day on August 3rd every year, commemorating India’s first successful deceased-donor heart transplant on August 3rd, 1994. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, organ donation day is observed on the day of Hithendran’s demise.

BJP made MP 'epicentre of corruption' says Rahul Gandhi

Bhopal: Launching a scathing at the ruling BJP at his first public rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of making the state "an epicentre of corruption" in the country. Addressing the rally in Kalapipal assembly constituency of Shajapur district in Malwa region, he cited the 'Vyapam scams'."MBBS degrees are being sold, exam papers are being leaked and sold, and corruption was done in the construction of Mahakal Lok corridor," he said. Participating in the Congress’s Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Shajapur, Gandhi claimed that his party was fighting against the ideologies of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP."On one side, there is the Congress and on the other side, there is the RSS and the BJP. On one side, there is hatred and violence and on the other side,

there is love, respect and brotherhood," he added. Accusing the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of not giving adequate compensation to the farmers whose crops get damaged due to heavy rain and drought, he said the farmers in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh have been benefited with various schemes.

"We have fulfilled all prom-

ises we had made to the people of Chhattisgarh in 2018,” Gandhi said, adding that anyone can visit Chhattisgarh to find the reality." Meanwhile, he reiterated the Congress stand on the Women's Reservation Bill, and pushed for reservation for OBC women within it. "When I ask the question how many Dalits, OBCs, tribals, generals are there in the country, PM Modi maintains silence on it. After forming the government at the Centre , the first thing we will do is to conduct a caste census," he added. He reiterated his claim that the country was being run by only 90 officers, including the Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries at the Centre, while the BJP MPs and MLAs had no role in framing policies and laws in the country. "The RSS and bureaucrats are framing laws instead of elected BJP members," Gandhi alleged.

KCR Set to Achieve Hat-Trick as CM, Says KTR in Telangana Campaign

Hyderabad: Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and minister K T Rama Rao declared that party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) is poised to become the first threetime Chief Minister in southern India. Speaking to enthusiastic crowds in Khammam and Sathupalli towns, KTR urged voters to support KCR and contribute to Telangana's progress.

During the event, KTR unveiled a statue of the iconic actor and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao (NTR) in Khammam. He praised NTR for bringing pride to the Telugu people and

highlighted that KCR is now drawing national attention to Telangana.KTR also criticized the Congress party, ridiculing

their promises and lack of coordination among leadership at various levels. He accused Congress leaders of selling tickets for exorbitant amounts and warned that they might sell the state if given the chance. Addressing power supply issues, KTR defended the BRS government's performance, asserting that they have provided uninterrupted power and improved the lives of senior citizens, widows, and the physically challenged with various welfare programs.

TDP makes ‘noise’ in novel protest over

Chandrababu’s arrest

Amaravati: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) cadres across Andhra Pradesh on Saturday staged a novel protest by making noise to express solidarity with party leader and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (Chandrababu Naidu) in the alleged skill development scam case.

On a call given by the party, TDP leaders and workers across the state and even neighbouring states participated in the five-minute-long programme to condemn Naidu’s arrest.

The party workers came out on streets at 7 p.m. and made the noise by ringing bells, beating drums or beating utensils, blowing whistles or honking

On a call given by the party, TDP leaders and workers across the state and even neighbouring states participated in the five-minutelong programme to condemn Naidu’s arrest.

horns of their vehicles. Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh along with TDP

MPs participated in the programme in Delhi. Naidu’s daughter-inlaw Nara Brahmani

along with party workers beat the drums in Rajahmundry, where Naidu is lodged in Central Jail. TDP state president K. Atchennaidu led the protest at party headquarters at Mangalagiri. The TDP supporters in parts of Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also participated in the programme. The protesters also raised slogans condemning Naidu’s ‘illegal’ arrest. The party had appealed to people to make some noise from 7 p.m. to 7.05 p.m. on September 30 as a mark of protest. Chandrababu Naidu was arrested by the CID on September 9 in multi-crore Skill Development scam. He remained in judicial custody. According to CID, the scam allegedly took place when Naidu was the chief minister.

If voted to power, I.N.D.I.A. will conduct caste census: Rahul

Bhopal: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said if his party comes to power at the Centre, it will conduct a castebased census to know the exact number of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) people in the country. The Congress leader was addressing a public meeting in the Kalapipal assembly constituency in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh.

Gandhi’s promise came two days after he pitched for the census and reservation for OBCs in the women’s reservation bill during a discussion in the Lok Sabha. "Soon after coming to power, the

first thing we will do is to go for a caste-based census to know the exact number of OBCs in the country as no one knows their exact number," Gandhi said. He claimed that the country was

being run by only 90 officers, including the cabinet secretary and secretaries, while the BJP MPs and MLAs had no role in framing policies and laws in the country.The Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and bureaucrats are framing laws instead of elected BJP members, Gandhi alleged. Terming Madhya Pradesh as the "epicentre" of corruption in the country, Gandhi said that scams like Vyapam have rocked the state."MBBS degrees are being sold, exam papers are being leaked and sold, and (there is corruption) in the construction of the Mahakal Lok corridor, among others. He claimed that 18,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last 18 years. It means that three farmers end their lives every day in the state," he alleged.

Must talk to each other to resolve; Jaishankar on Canada

Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India and Canada should talk to each other to resolve their differences over the death of a Khalistani separatist, but the larger issue of the Canadian government's "permissiveness" to terrorism, extremism and violence must be flagged and addressed.

During an interaction with Indian journalists here on Friday, he said India was ready to look into the information related to Canada's allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

“The issue is as follows, which is that the Canadians have made some allegations. We have pointed out to them that this is not the government of India's policy, but if they are prepared to share with us specifics and anything relevant, we are also open to looking at it. So in that sense, that's where the matter stands,” Jaishankar said."But what we do not want to see is an incident treated in isolation because then that somewhere does not convey the right picture," he said.

"Let's not normalise what is happening in Canada. What is happening in Canada, had it happened anywhere else, do you think the world would've taken it with equanimity?" he asked.

S Jaishankar said India has had an ongoing problem with Canada

and its government for some years now, and the problem really revolves around the "permissiveness" regarding terrorism, extremism, and violence."This permissiveness is also reflected in the fact that some important extradition requests have not been responded to from their side, in the fact that there are individuals and organisations who are clearly involved with violence and illegal activities in India who themselves declared it. I mean, it is not a secret that they continue to carry on with their activities in Canada," he said.Jaishankar said one of the problems is that no incident is isolated and in totality, as there is a

context for everything.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India and Canada should talk to each other to resolve their differences over the death of a Khalistani separatist, but the larger issue of the Canadian government's "permissiveness" to terrorism, extremism and violence must be flagged and addressed.

"There are multiple problems out there. So, I guess in the case of individual incidents, the concerned governments will have to talk to each other and see how they sort of take it forward," he said. "But there is a larger issue. And I think it's important that the larger issue should be flagged. The larger issue is this permissiveness that I have spoken about," he said. He said he discussed the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan."Most important, the fact that our diplomatic mis-

sions and our diplomatic personnel have been consistently and continuously intimidated in Canada to a point where today it is not safe for them really to carry on with their work."The fact that we've had to temporarily suspend our visa operations, it's not something we would've liked to do. It is just that they made it very difficult for us to operate those services," Jaishankar said. Tensions flared between India and Canada following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's explosive allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on his country's soil. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case. Earlier in the day, Blinken told reporters he hoped that this issue would be resolved by Canada and India.

"We are very concerned about the allegations that have been raised by Canada, by Prime Minister Trudeau," he said."We have been in close contact with Canada about that. And at the same time, we have engaged with the Indian government and urged them to work with Canada on an investigation, and I had the opportunity to do so again in my meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Jaishankar," Blinken said.

PM promises to review success of ADP next year

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Aspirational Districts Programme that ushered in change in 112 districts will form the basis of the programme to uplift aspirational blocks, adding that he will be back next year to review its success.Addressing a programme to launch the 'Sankalp Saptaah', linked to the implementation of the Aspirational Blocks Programme, Modi said the Aspirational Districts Programme changed the lives of more than 25 crore people in 112 districts.

These aspirational districts have now become "inspirational districts", the prime minister said."The Aspirational Districts Programme has changed the lives of more than 25 crore people in 112 districts of the country. There has been a change in their quality of life," Modi said.

"Similarly, in the next one year, out of the 500 aspirational blocks, at least 100 will become inspirational blocks," the prime minister said as he urged officials of different ministries to pick 100 blocks and bring those above the national average on various parameters."I am sure, in 2024, we will meet again in OctoberNovember ... and evaluate the success (of the programme). I will talk to you again next year in October-November," he told the audience, which included government officials, besides people's representatives from approximately 3,000 panchayats and blocks and functionar-

ies from all corners of the country.Around two lakh individuals, including block- and panchayat-level functionaries, farmers and locals are said to have virtually joined the event.

During the event at Bharat Mandapam, Modi said the venue that hosted top world leaders and witnessed discussions on global matters a month ago is now hosting a programme

PM Modi on Saturday said the Aspirational Districts Programme that ushered in change in 112 districts will form the basis of the programme to uplift aspirational blocks, adding that he will be back next year to review its success.

to discuss issues of the grassroots level, with the participation of people from far-flung places in the country.The newly built international convention and exhibition centre at Pragati Maidan -- a state-ofthe-art complex -hosted the G20 Summit on September 9-10 during India's presidency of the influential bloc.

Modi also stressed on the importance of the optimum utilisation of resources, conver-

gence and public participation for development at the grassroots level."Very few people get the chance to run a government for as long as I have. And I say from experience that it is not only that the budget brings change, if we ensure optimum utilisation of resources and convergence, then work can be done without any fresh funds coming in for the blocks," Modi said.

The precondition of good governance is the optimum utilisation of resources, he said.

Modi also stressed on equal distribution of resources and called for driving people's participation in meeting the goal.He interacted with representatives from three aspirational districts -- Baheri (Uttar Pradesh), Mankote (Jammu and Kashmir) and Resubelpara (Meghalaya).The prime minister launched the nationwide Aspirational Blocks Programme on January 7. The programme aims to improve governance and public services delivery at the block level to enhance the quality of life of citizens. It is being implemented in 500 blocks of 329 districts across the country. ach day of the 'Sankalp Saptaah', from October 3 to October 9, is dedicated to a specific development theme on which all aspirational blocks will work.The themes for the first six days are 'Sampoorna Swasthya', 'Suposhit Pariwaar', 'Swachhta', 'Krishi', 'Shiksha' and 'Samridhi Diwas', according to an official statement.

India's 2023 monsoon season ends at 94% of normal, regional variability remains

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department on Saturday said that rainfall over the country, as a whole, during the monsoon season (June to September), was 94 per cent of its long period average. It said that seasonal rainfalls over northwest, central India, south peninsula, and northeast India were 101 per cent, 100 per cent, 92 per cent and 82 per cent of respective long period average.Rainfall ranging from 94 percent to 106 percent of the long-period average (LPA) is categorised as normal.Nonetheless, it's important to note that even when cumulative

rainfall during the monsoon season is considered normal, it doesn't necessarily guarantee an evenly distributed spread of precipitation across both space and time. The Indian monsoon is subject to inherent fluctuations and changes that transpire over time due to a variety of natural factors, collectively referred to as natu-

ral variability. According to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the 2023 monsoon concluded with 94.4 percent cumulative rainfall, classified as "normal" due to the presence of favourable factors that countered the impact of El Nino."Out of the total 36 meteorological subdivisions, 3 subdivisions constituting nine per cent of the total area of the country received excess, 26 subdivisions received normal rainfall (73 per cent of the total area) and seven subdivisions (18 percent of the total area) received deficient season rainfall," said Mohapatra at a press

conference.The seven meteorological subdivisions which got deficient rainfall are Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura (NMMT), Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, east UP, south interior Karnataka, and Kerala."Monthly rainfall over the country as a whole was 91 per cent of LPA in June, 113 per cent of LPA in July, 64 per cent of LPA in August, and 113 per cent of LPA in September," the IMD chief said.The IMD had predicted a monsoon season for India that falls within the range of "normal," though leaning towards the lower end of the spectrum.

Sarang Helicopter Display Team of the IAF during the Bhopal Air Show, in Madhya Pradesh.

Himachal CM announces Rs 4,500 crore disaster relief package with enhanced compensation

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder

Sukhu on Saturday announced a special relief package for people affected by rainrelated disasters with the compensation increasedby 25 times. government is spending Rs 4,500 crore to deal with the disaster, out of which Rs 750 crore will be spent for restoration and rehabilitation and Rs 1,000 crore for MNREGA, he said here. The Chief Minister told the media that the compensation of Rs 1.30 lakh for a completely damaged house has been increased five and a half times to Rs 7 lakh. About 3,500 houses have been completely damaged. Besides, the compensation of Rs 4,000 for partial damage to a 'kutcha' house has been increased by 25 times to Rs 1 lakh. The compensation for partial damage to a 'pucca' house has been increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 1 lakh. Sukhu said that 6.930 ‘kutcha’ houses and 5,549 ‘pucca’ houses have been partially damaged in the state. The Chief Minister said the compensation of Rs 25,000 given in case of damage to a shop or dhaba has also been increased four times to Rs 1 lakh. The government will provide increased financial assistance of Rs 50,000 instead of Rs 3,000 for damage to a cowshed. He said 670 shops and dhabas as well as 8,300 cow sheds have been damaged.

The Chief Minister

said the government will provide an assistance of Rs 50,000 for damage or loss to the belongings of the tenants. Earlier, it was Rs 2,500. The number of affected people is 1,909.

He said the compensation for loss of cattle head has also been increased in the relief manual to Rs 55,000 per head. In the monsoon fury, 96 cows and buffaloes, 16 horses and donkeys, and six calves have died. The Chief Minister said agriculture and horticulture have also suffered huge damage in the disaster. He said the earlier compensation of Rs 3,615 per

bigha for damage to agricultural and horticultural land has been increased to Rs 10,000.

The compensation on crop loss of Rs 500 per bigha has also been increased eight times to Rs 4,000. The financial assistance for removing silt from agricultural and horticultural land has also been increased from Rs 1,384.61 per bigha to Rs 5,000. He said 37,899 bighas of agricultural land, 17,947 bighas of horticulture land in the state has been damaged, while crops on 26,490 bighas have also been damaged. Also, agricultural and horticultural land in 42 bighas has been

damaged due to silt. The Chief Minister said the government would also bear the cost of providing electricity and water connections to the underconstruction houses that have been completely damaged. Cement will also be provided to these families at government rates to build new houses. Sukhu said the disaster-affected families living in relief camps can move to rented accommodations and the government will provide Rs 5,000 as rent payment in rural areas and Rs 10,000 as rent in urban areas for six months from its own resources.

Chief Minister feliCitated the sCientists belonging to taMil nadu in the funCtion held at anna Centenary library, KotturpuraM, Chennai.

Minister for baCKward Classes welfare inaugurated the Kolu dolls exhibition and deepavali speCial Khadi sales at KuralagaM, Chennai.

SC imposes Rs 25K costs for filing 60-page synopsis against a 5-page HC order

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has imposed a costs of Rs 25,000 on a litigant seeking permission to file a voluminous synopsis of more than 60 pages against a 5-page order of the Allahabad High Court.A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj Mithal ordered the petitioner to pay costs of Rs.25,000 by way of a donation to any institution carrying out charitable work.

The petitioner filed an application against the High Court order rejecting anticipatory bail, seeking permission to file a lengthy synopsis

and list of dates. The Supreme Court noted that more than 60 pages synopsis was "uncalled for"

in the facts of the case when the impugned HC order ran merely into 5 pages."Therefore, we re-

ject the application and while we do so, we direct the petitioner to pay costs of Rs.25,000 by way of a donation to any institution carrying out charitable work. A receipt be produced before the next date of hearing," it ordered. Earlier in August, the same bench had stressed that bulky synopsis in the pleadings filed before the top court ought to be avoided after it noticed that there were more than 60 pages of synopsis and 27 pages in the special leave petition filed against an impugned order of the High Court running only into six pages.

Concerned to see Indian HC stopped, Safety, security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance: U

New Delhi: UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan on Saturday expressed concern at Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami being stopped from a meeting at the Gurdwara in Glasgow as she stressed that the safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and places of worship in the UK must be open to all.

In a post on X, AnneMarie Trevelyan said: "Concerned to see that the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami was stopped from meeting with the Gurudwara Committee at the Gurudwara in Glasgow. The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must

be open to all."

Her remarks came hours after India's Ministry of External Affairs raised the issue of stopping High Commissioner Doraiswami by a few radicals from entering a gurdwara in Scotland with the British Foreign Office.

A MEA source in Delhi said: "Instead of getting into an argument, the Indian High Commissioner decided to leave. The issue has been raised with the UK Foreign Office and also the police." Doraiswami was on Friday prevented from entering the gurdwara, as per the reports. The fresh incident comes in the wake of a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of Canada-based pro-Khalistan harliner Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Ma Su inaugurates awareness camp on Rabies prevention in Thoothukudi

Tirunelveli - Chennai Vande Bharat Express Train: Know Ticket Price, Timings And More

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday upheld the Trial Court verdict convicting and sentencing all the 215 officials from the forest, reenue and police departments in the 1992 Vachathi brutality case.

Exactly, 12 years back, it was on this day in 2011, the Dharmapuri Principal Sessions Court Judge S.Kumaraguru had convicted 215 accused officials--including 17 of them for rape--and sentenced them to undergo imprisonment ranging from one year to seven years Rigorous Imprisonment.

The case pertained to the brutalities and atrocities committed on the residents Vachathi village, a tribal hamlet near Sitheri hills in Dharmapuri district in September 1992 when a team of 269 government servants including forest, revenue and police officers conducted raids following information of illegal smuggling of sandalwood by the tribals. The authorities went on the rampage, ransacked the village, brutally at-

tacked the tribals, including women and children, and raped 18 victims. Dismissing all the appeals filed by the accused officers challenging the Sessions court verdict, Mr Justice P.Velmurugan of the High Court confirmed the conviction and the jail term ranging from one to seven years of rigorous impirosnment imposed by the Sessions Judge. While the Tamil Nadu government to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the 18 rape victims, Mr Justice Velmurugan also ruled that and 50% of the amount-Rs five lakhs--should be recovered from those who had been convicted for rape charges.

He also directed government the to provide employment and improve the livelihood of all victims of the brutalities and initiate stringent action against the then Dharmapuri District Collector, Superintendent of Police and District Forest Officer for having failed to take action despite complaints regarding the atrocities.

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the highly anticipated Tirunelveli - Chennai Vande Bharat Express Train on Sunday, September 24, via a video conference from New Delhi. The maiden journey will commence from Tirunelveli Junction in the morning, covering the distance to the capital city in approximately 7.5 hours.

Departure from Tirunelveli at 6 a.m., arriving in Chennai at 1.50 p.m.Return journey from Chennai at 2.50 p.m., reaching Tirunelveli at 10.40 p.m.

This new service is expected to reduce the travel time between Chennai and Tirunelveli to less than eight hours, a significant improvement from the current 11 to 12 hours on regular express trains. Key details about the Vande Bharat Express: It boasts an average speed of 83.30 kmph, covering a distance of 652 km in both directions within 7 hours and 50 minutes.

Stops at Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchy, Villupuram, and Tambaram. Operational on all days except Tuesdays.

The Vande Bharat Express conducted a successful trial

run, passing through Pazhavanthangal, Chennai, on its way to Tirunelveli.

Ticket reservations for the Chennai - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express have commenced. Fare details for the Chennai - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express: Rs 1,620 (including GST) for travel in ordinary AC coaches. Rs 3,025 for travel in first-class AC coaches, which includes catering charges of Rs 300 for ordinary AC passengers and Rs 370 for executive-seat car passengers.

Furthermore, Southern Railway will introduce two additional Vande Bharat Express trains, which will operate between Vijayawada-Chennai and Kasargod-Thiruvananthapuram, starting from September 24.

Details for the Chennai-Vijayawada Vande Bharat Express (except on Thursdays): Departure from Chennai at 5.30 a.m., arriving in Vijayawada at 12.10 p.m. Stops at Renigunta, Gudur, Nellore, Ongole, and Tenali. Return journey from Vijayawada at 3.20 p.m., reaching Chennai at 10 p.m. Expected to cover a distance of 516.6 km within six hours and 40 minutes.

Cong represents tears, BRS symbolizes irrigation water, asserts KTR

Wanaparthy: Telangana IT and Industries Minister, K T Rama Rao, declared that the Congress party represents tears, while BRS signifies irrigation water. Addressing a public meeting titled “Ten Years Progress of Wanaparthy” held here on Friday, KTR criticized the Congress party, referring to it as a party of guarantees without warranty that is currently in an ICU.He stated that the Congress party signifies migration, whereas BRS represents irrigation. According to KTR, if one believes in the Congress party, 24 hours of electricity will be lost, and only 3 hours of electricity are guaranteed.KTR urged Prime Minister Modi, who is visiting Palamuru, to grant national status to Palamuru Ranga Reddy and allocate 575 TMC of Krishna waters to Telangana. He questioned why Telangana remains an orbit for Modi. KTR expressed disappointment that the central government ignored two resolutions sent regarding ST status for Valmiki Boyas.KTR asserted that Palamoor was neglected until their flag was raised. He accused that no Chief Minister paid attention when 14 lakh people were migrating from the

district. He criticized governments for failing to irrigate land adjacent to rivers and for not addressing pipe breakages that led to water short-

ages..Minister KTR proudly stated that 1.25 lakh acres were irrigated in the Wanaparthy constituency due to Niranjan Reddy’s leadership and KCR’s blessings. He highlighted that medical and engineering colleges were established in Wanaparthy, when there were protests for a degree college. Additionally, a new hospital was built with an investment of Rs 180 crores, and Wanaparthy was granted district status with a collectorate.

KTR mentioned that the double bedroom houses built in Pirla Gutta resembled those in Banjara Hills and announced the construction of ITI, KGBV, and Agriculture Degree Colleges. He commended Niranjan Reddy for his role in developing Wanaparthy and highlighted that they achieved what had not been done in 65 years in just five years.

KTR praised KCR for raising the Telangana flag and initiating the Telangana movement, emphasizing their commitment to Palamuru’s development within the Telangana reconstruction. He encouraged Niranjan Reddy to secure a substantial majority, similar to Sircilla and Siddipet.

Passing of Women Reservation Bill 2023 marks a milestone for gender equality in Indian politics: Governor

Hyderabad: Women Reservation

Bill 2023 reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong leadership and vision for inclusivity and gender equality and this historic legislation secures 33% of seats in Legislative Assemblies and Lok Sabha for women, marking a new era in Indian politics,” Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan. Expressing her profound gratitude to the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a “Thanks-Giving Programme for the Women Reservation Bill 2023”, she said that the Bill would reflect their unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment. Stating

that assuming the role of Governor in Telangana, there were no female ministers in the cabinet, the Governor said that she administered the oath to two female ministers. She made it clear that she would persevere in her duties regardless of government protocol. She commented that if someone threw stones at her, she would build a house with them; if someone attacked her with thorns, she would use their blood as ink to write her history. She highlighted the Bill’s transformative potential, not only in politics but also economically and socially, urging women to seize this unique opportunity to participate in politics and make their voices heard nationwide.

Sustainability and climate change actions in developing countries

Sustainable behaviors demand wielding communication strategies in social and political spheres for public understanding of scientific issues like climate change and the severe consequences of deteriorating environmental quality. Reliable information can improve public understanding of science and enhance public support for climate change actions at social and political levels. The sociopolitical and psychological factors that affect climate change actions based on the stimulus-organismbehavior-consequences paradigm. It also categorizes sustainable behavior into mitigation and adaptation strategies to capture behavioral consequences with the moderating effects of information literacy and a regulative environment. Empirical findings demonstrate interesting associations between socio-political and psychological factors. Significant effects were observed for environmental quality and belief in climate change in explaining pro-environmental behavior. It also reveals that people are more prone to mitigation than adaptation strategies to ensure sustainability. For this better communication strategies needs to put in place to empower those already engaged in mitigating climate change and encourage those still struggling to adapt to climate change actions.

Environmental knowledge represents a general knowledge of facts and concepts related to the natural environment and its relationship with its ecosystems. Individuals with high environmental knowledge show strong preferences for pro-en-

vironmental actions, as increased environmental knowledge positively and significantly impacts environmentally friendly behavior and intentions described a significant impact of environmental knowledge on green purchasing behavior. Climate change communication requires local knowledge, concerns of the targeted audience, values, and audience psychology to help the public mitigate and adapt to the impact of environmental hazards found that eco-literacy and self-efficacy are positive and significant factors in predicting respondents’ green purchase attitudes. Increased environmental knowledge and concerns over climate change are undoubtedly creating new environmental ethics. Environmental knowledge and concerns are the most significant factors in determining consumers’ green

purchase intentions indicated that individuals with environmental knowledge more effectively translate their intentions into proenvironmental behavior. Climate change belief is highly influenced by climate change knowledge. Environmental knowledge necessitates understanding the impact of individuals’ activity on the ecosystem and their engagement in protecting it. Thus, climate change concerns and environmental effectiveness appear to be outcomes of individuals’ accumulated environmental knowledge, and we test this hypothesis in the case of partisans.

Political trust in political science has been used to analyze the legitimacy of political institutions. The public generally supports institutions through their political trust based on their assessment of that institution’s quality. The public tends to support high environmental taxes if they believe their politicians are trustworthy indicated the importance of political bias in explaining climate change beliefs. A lack of political trust causes public hostility toward environmental taxes. People are willing to pay envi-

ronmental taxes when compensated by cuts in other taxes, but they don’t believe the government will ensure those cuts .The growing gap in trust dampens the public risk perception and their support for climate change mitigation and willingness to engage in adaptive strategies. The severity of the issue calls for an in-depth analysis of the relationship between environmental concerns and trust in politics. Low political trust and uncertainty in public engagement are influencing factors that can affect communal support for developing the common good. Environmental protection requires political interventions that involve public engagement in certain environmental policies and necessitates public trust in government to strengthen political will. Existing literature informs us that political trust, trust in institutions, and trust in government significantly impact individual effectiveness, climate change participation, willingness to pay, and green consumption. When people perceive a lack of personal control over the climate, they mostly prefer to support the messages from trustworthy sources.

Sustainable behaviors demand wielding communication strategies in social and political spheres for public understanding of scientific issues like climate change and the severe consequences of deteriorating environmental quality.

Sexual Health is the foundation for physical health

Sex may give a boost to certain aspects of people’s well-being and physical health. Evidence suggests these benefits can include reducing the risk of heart disease and improving mental health. Scientific research has highlighted several possible benefits besides procreation that come with sexual intercourse.ulfilling sex life is an essential component of overall well-being, but various factors can affect the libido Scientific research has highlighted several possible benefits besides procreation that come with sexual intercourse. The advantages include preserving heart health in some people, reducing blood pressure, and boosting immunity. Sex can also improve mood, relationships, and mental well-being.

HELPING HEART HEALTH:

Partnered is a relationship status before engagement. When a person stops dating others and avoids getting involved in the practice of engaging in multiple romantic and typically sexual, relationships, with the consent of all the people involved who won’t be going into sex, appears to have some protective effect on cardiovascular health, especially in women. A 2016 study looked at the potential health benefits of sexual activity with a regular partner. This research found a trusted source that sexually active women have a lower risk of cardiovascular events later in life.

However, the study also concluded that high levels of sexual activity might increase the risk of cardiovascular events in men. The “high level” to describe especially is having sex with a young lady

by an old man using drugs like Viagra for hours together without knowing the status of his health condition of the heart. This conclusion contradicts most earlier research, and further studies are necessary to verify this risk. Researchers in Denmark and the U.S. however, have recently found in April 2022 that a substantial number of men are nevertheless obtaining overlapping prescriptions for both classes of drugs Via-

as the American Heart Association advise men to avoid taking nitrates within at least 24 hours of shorter-acting erectile dysfunction drugs, including Viagra (sildenafil) and Levitra (vardenafil), and within at least 48 hours of a longer-acting drug such as Cialis (tadalafil). Males and females with heart problems should ask a doctor about how much sex is safe for them. They should also be specific about the regularity and

have high blood pressure. However, the study authors did not find the same results in older men. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), high blood pressure can affect both libido and a man’s ability to achieve and maintain an erection. According to trusted sources, medication for high blood pressure can also reduce libido and cause erectile dysfunction. While this does not confirm a benefit, it may show a link between blood pressure and sexual health. Many people with high blood pressure, or hypertension, have safety concerns when it comes to sexual intercourse. While it is always important to speak with a doctor, it is usually safe for people with high blood pressure to have sex. If hypertension medication is causing sexual difficulties, a person can talk to their doctor who may be able to prescribe a different medication or dosage to relieve the adverse effects.

gra and nitrates usually prescribed for ischemic heart diseases. But evidence suggests that they don’t appear to suffer negative health outcomes, such as heart attacks, as a result. This study was published in Annals of Internal Medicine in the last week of April 2022. But medical groups such

intensity with which they have sex, as this may affect the potential strain on the heart.Reducing blood pressure: The same 2016 study also measured blood pressure as one of the markers of heart health. The researchers found that older women who expressed satisfaction with their sex lives were less likely to

Boosting the immune system: Some early research found that regular sex increased the effectiveness of the immune system. Researchers found that people who had frequent sex, which they defined as one to two times per week, had more immunoglobulin A (IgA) in their system than others. IgA is an antibody that lives in the mucosal tissue, such as the salivary glands, nose, and vaginal tissue. Further studies might yield different results. A more recent study looked at a small group of women to see if there were differences between the immune activity of those who were sexually active and those who were not. The study examined their immune system’s ability to kill different infectious pathogens at various points in the menstrual cycle.

sex may give a boost to certain aspects of people’s well-being and physical health. evidence suggests these benefits can include reducing the risk of heart disease and improving mental health.

Sex may give a boost to certain aspects of people’s well-being and physical health. Evidence suggests these benefits can include reducing the risk of heart disease and improving mental health.

Punjab to have Dutch cattle feed plant of Rs 142 crore

Chandigarh: To give further impetus to the industrial growth a Holland-based company is setting up a cattle feed plant at the cost of Rs 142 crore, the foundation stone of which will be laid by the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday and will be functional by the first quarter of 2025.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Chief Minister with the Ambassador of the Netherlands Marisa Gerards, who called on the former here at his residence. Showcasing Punjab as the most preferred investment destination, Mann apprised the visiting Ambassador that the state has an industrial-friendly government with a single window system for the well-being of industrialists. He said Punjab is a land of opportunities and the leading companies from

across the world are making a beeline to invest in the state. The Chief Minister said entrepreneurs from the Netherlands will also be immensely benefited by investing in the state, which is rapidly emerging as the industrial hub of the country. He asked the visiting Ambassador to encourage their industrialists to make optimum use of this congenial atmosphere backed by excellent infrastructure, power, skilled human resources and best industrial and work culture to spread the business of their compa-

nies in the state. Extending a red carpet welcome to the industrialists of the Netherlands, the Chief Minister said the state government is always open for new ideas and innovations to boost up the industrial growth in Punjab. Ambassador Marisa Gerards told the media on Indo-Dutch relations and her meeting with Chief Minister Mann.

She said in her meeting she explored the areas in which the Netherlands and companies from there could cooperate. She suggested to the Chief Minister that since the Netherlands is a country of bicycles, her country would love to be part of a big bicycling event in Punjab.

Other than agriculture the two countries can cooperate in various other fields, she added. She told the media about two Indo-Dutch centres of excellence in potato seeds

and floriculture already functional in Punjab and another one on onions being under construction. De Heus, a top 10 global animal feed company from the Netherlands, is setting up the state-of-the-art plant in Rajpura. This is the first major investment by a Dutch company in the state.

The Netherlands is known to be the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world. The plant, being set up by De Heus India, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the more than 100 years old De Heus, will produce a full livestock product portfolio of compound feed, concentrates, base mix and dairy mineral mixes. In the first phase, to be realized in the first quarter of 2025, the plant will produce 180 kilo metric tonnes (kMT) of animal feed, with a potential to increase it to 240 kMT.

Chief Minister, Honble Ministers and dignitaries paid floral tributes to the portrait of Nadigar

Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan on the occasion of his 96th birth anniversary.

Personal transformation in 6 simple steps

New Delhi: Often we have had moments of self-introspection in our lives where we have questioned ourselves- where is our life heading and what is the purpose of our life? We would have also felt the need to improve ourselves and the urge to explore ourselves better and walk on the path of personal growth. In pursuit of happiness, people today are actively adopting the path of personal transformation.

The journey of personal transformation

Life is unpredictable and challenging. We never really know what might happen in the next two minutes or even two hours from now! Amid such unforeseen circumstances, knowing our purpose in life, outgrowing ourselves, and possessing the power to deal with roadblocks can feel satisfying. Investing in ourselves can be a truly rewarding and memorable experience, which only personal transformation can offer.

The process of self-transformation is all about knowing ourselves better, changing some aspects of who we are and how we are leading our lives, and taking action to bring about a transformation. It is a conscious, wellthought decision and a form of commitment to ourselves where we want to bring about a positive change.The ultimate guide to personal transformationWhether it is a homemaker,

a corporate employee, an entrepreneur, a parent, a college student, or even a middle-aged adult, being vulnerable, not knowing how to handle a crisis, and inability to face setbacks is common. The bottom line is any individual can be prone to negativity and issues in any aspect of their life. And all of us are looking for solutions or the path to obtaining the solution. It is a personal transformation that we are in search of.

The very core of self-transformation lies in a positive state of mind. And the key to personal transformation is understanding that the changes come from within. If we want to lay a strong foundation for a better tomorrow, then ‘now’ is the right time to take a closer look at the only thing we can change to achieve the same: ourselves. Here is a six-step guide for a suc-

cessful personal transformation experience: A clear vision

The first step in this journey begins with simple questionsWhat do you want to achieve in life and Why is it important to me personally?Seeking answers to these questions will help you identify the purpose of your life. The ultimate goal is to become a better version of ourselves. Having said that, a specific, welldefined goal is essential to walk on the right path and track your progress. When it comes to specific goals think across multiple areas of your life; health, relationships, emotional well-being, career, finances, Adventures & experiences you would like, etc.

Rome was not built in a day! Similarly, personal transformation cannot happen overnight. It is a gradual process and it certainly won’t be a linear path-

way. On some days, the progress will be tremendous, and on some days, you’ll find yourself taking a few steps back. Recognise that this IS the path towards growth, there is no path to growth that doesn’t include setbacks. This understanding keeps us moving forward and making consistent progress toward our goals.

Learn and upskill yourself

An integral step in the selftransformation process is to increase your knowledge bank. Utilize the power of the internet and read inspirational stories about people who conquered their fears and emerged victorious, and learn about tips and tricks from people who created their own personal transformation pathway. Read books, browse through blogs, groups, and communities, and watch documentaries. In fact, even connect with like-minded people, socialize with them, and gather firsthand accounts of their journeys. Who knows, you could end up making some longlasting friendships and find a mentor who will be able to guide you on your journey! Once you have a positive environment around you, your innate passion will drive you to make efforts every day and the inspiring stories of community members will motivate you to take another step in your journey ahead.

Party leadership didn’t speak a word to me on alliance with BJP: C M Ibrahim

Bengaluru: Karnataka JD(S) President C. M. Ibrahim on Saturday expressed his displeasure over his party’s national leadership stitching an alliance with the NDA for the Lok Sabha polls without discussing it with him.Speaking to mediapersons, Ibrahim launched a veiled attack against JD(S) national president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.“I am the state President

of the party. You had gone to New Delhi. Nothing had been told to me. Till now, no information has come,” Ibrahim said.“I am the state Party President but the discussion on it was not held... The vote base of JD(S) had shifted to the Congress party. The matter should have been discussed in the party. The core committee members are still to take up the tour. They have gone to New Delhi and held meetings,” Ibrahim stated.“I will speak about it to

Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy after the October 16 meeting. NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Congress leaders from New Delhi have spoken to me. I will speak to mediapersons on October 16 after getting the opinion of leaders and supporters,” he said.However, he denied that Muslim leaders are quitting JD (S). “I am the state party President. The resignation letters should come to me. No such letters have come. Deve Gowda is a fatherly figure,” he said.

pM flags

serviCe at the laying foundation stone of various developMental projeCts inaugural at jagdalpur (bastar), in Chhattisgarh

SOUTH

pM flags off taroKi – raipur deMu train serviCe

vice president of dominican republic, Ms. raquel peña rodríguez calls on the speaker of lok sabha, shri om birla at parliament house, in new delhi.

parliMent house

off taroKi – raipur deMu train

Haryana keen to foster ties with East, South African nations: Khattar

New Delhi: Haryana is keen to foster economic cooperation and promote cultural exchanges with East and South African nations. This indication was given by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at a dinner hosted by him for ambassadors, high commissioners and embassy officials from East and South African Nations here, in which representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs and senior officers of the state government also participated. Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 18 East and South African countries, namely Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, South Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi,

Seychelles, Mauritius, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe turned up in the dinner. The women Ambassadors and High Commissioners present on the occasion tied Rakhis to the Chief Minister, who mentioned the significance of the Raksha Bandhan festival and added this is per-

haps the first time when any chief minister of an Indian State has connected with foreign ambassadors with this sacred thread of rakhi. A touching rakhi tying ceremony took place, symbolising the strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood between Haryana and African nations.Anisa KapufiMbega,

High Commissioner, Tanzania, Jacqueline Mukangira, High Commissioner, Rwanda, Rosette MossiNyamale, Ambassador, Congo, Victoria Samuel Aru, Ambassador Designate, South Sudan, Ambassador Bizunesh Meseret, Deputy Head of Mission, Ethiopia, and Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche, High Commissioner, Seychelles, tied rakhis on the hand of the Chief Minister, reinforcing the deep-rooted ties between the two regions. In his address, Khattar reiterated the state’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties, fostering economic cooperation, and promoting cultural exchanges between Haryana and the East and South African nations.

Glimpse of the ‘Swasti’ Zonal Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav organized by the Ministry of Culture, in New Delhi on October 02, 2023. The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah presents.

‘swasti’ Zonal rashtriya sansKriti Mahotsav

Singapore’s total population touch new high at 5.92 million: Government

Singapore: Singapore’s population grew by 5 per cent on the year to 5.92 million as of June 2023, the highest recorded figure in the history of the citystate, according to an official report released on Friday.

The figure was released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the annual Population in Brief report by the National Population and Talent Division. “The total population of 5.92 million as of June 2023 is the highest recorded figure in Singapore’s history,” the PMO said.

The population rebounded from declines during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since exceeded the 2019 population of 5.7 million. In 2021, as borders remained closed, the population fell to 5.45 million, then rose to 5.65 million last year before hitting 5.92 million this June.

The report said that with the easing of travel restrictions related to COVID-19, more citizens and PRs living overseas returned to Singapore.

This was the largest contributing factor to the increase in the citizen and PR populations. Singapore citizens made up 3.61 million or 61 per cent of the total population. This is a 1.6 per cent rise from last year. The permanent resident (PR) population increased by 3.7 per cent to 538,600 in June 2023.Of the 5.92 million in the multi-national city-state, there were 4.15 million residents and 1.77 million non-residents, which comprise the foreign workforce, dependants and international students, reported Channel News Asia, citing the report. The non-resident population jumped 13.1 per cent to 1.77 million, with increases in all work pass types. The largest increase came from work permit holders in construction, marine shipyard and process industries. The report said the remaining increases in foreign employment were spread across sectors as firms back-

filled positions vacated by nonresidents during the pandemic. According to a June 16, 2021 report, the ethnic composition of the resident population has remained stable in Singapore –with 74.3 per cent Chinese, 13.5 per cent Malays and 9 per cent Indians. Taking into account the decline in total population in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, the total population growth rate over the past five years was comparable to the preceding five-year period, said the report. From 2013 to 2018, the compound annual growth rate of Singapore’s population was 0.9 per cent, and it was 1 per cent from 2018 to 2023.

By 2030, around one in four citizens, or 24.1 per cent, will be aged 65 and above, according to the report, adding that large cohorts of “baby boomers” – who are those born between 1946 and 1964 – have begun entering the post-65 age range. These individuals would be aged between 59 and 77 in 2023. There were 30,429 citizen births in 2022, down 4 per cent from 31,713 in 2021., with the resident total fertility rate (TFR) reaching a historic low of 1.04 in 2022.

Singapore’s population grew by 5 per cent on the year to 5.92 million as of June 2023, the highest recorded figure in the history of the citystate, according to an official report released on Friday.

China’s AI-developed weight loss drug may help fight obesity, diabetes

a teaM of Chinese sCientists harnessed the power of artifiCial intelligenCe (ai) to develop a new weight-loss drug that Can not only taCKle rising obesity but also treat type 2 diabetes.

Chennai: A team of Chinese scientists harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a new weight-loss drug that can not only tackle rising obesity but also treat Type 2 diabetes. Developed by AI-powered drug discovery company MindRank, the drug called MDR001 works by binding to the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1-R) -- a well-established drug target, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. By binding to this receptor, the drug stimulates insulin release from the pancreas, which helps to lower blood sugar levels and reduce weight.

In June, MDR-001 successfully completed phase 1 clinical trials, affirming its superior efficacy and safety. In early September, it began its phase 2 clinical trials, with participants receiving the drug in multiple doses, the report said. The medicine has currently entered its phase 2 clinical trials. “The preclinical development of a pipeline takes three to four years to complete. However, MDR-001 obtained Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from both the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) in 19 months, effectively doubling

the speed,” Jin Xurui, an AI drug discovery scientist from MindRank, was quoted as saying. This remarkable achievement was made possible by MindRank’s self-developed AI computing platform Molecule Pro and data centre, which contribute at every stage of drug development.

“Presently, more than half of the global AI pharmaceutical companies are concentrated in the US, including pioneering companies such as Schrodinger and Relay. However, foreign companies

only hold a slight advantage in AI drug development,” Niu said. “In this competitive landscape, different countries may possess their respective advantages, but the ultimate goal remains the same – to address real-world problems and improve human health.” MDR001 also marks the entry of Chinese companies in the multibillion-dollar market that is currently dominated by the US pharmaceutical industry.According to Niu, Chinese companies possess certain advantages in specific

segments.”Presently, more than half of the global AI pharmaceutical companies are concentrated in the US, including pioneering companies such as Schrodinger and Relay. However, foreign companies only hold a slight advantage in AI drug development,” Niu said. “In this competitive landscape, different countries may possess their respective advantages, but the ultimate goal remains the same –to address real-world problems and improve human health.”

Plastic contaminant may raise risk of autism, ADHD: Study

Childhood mental health may affect quality of life in teenage

Chennai: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), that have recently seen a significant rise, may be linked to the common plastic additive, bisphenol A (BPA), according to a study. BPA, used in everyday objects such as in medical devices, compact discs, dental sealants, water bottles, the lining of canned foods and drinks, among others, has previously been linked to several health issues, including cancer.

The study, published in the public access journal PLOS ONE, showed that children with ASD and ADHD often have a reduced ability to clear BPA from their bodies, thereby increasing their exposure to BPA. Previous studies have found associations between children with autism and exposure to BPA.In the new study, researchers from the Rowan University in New Jersey, US, found that the reason for the link is decreased efficiency in a key step involved in BPA detoxification.

After BPA is ingested or inhaled, it is filtered from the blood in the liver through a process called glucuronidation. Glucuronidation is the process of adding a sugar molecule to a

toxin. Doing so makes the toxin water soluble, allowing it to quickly pass out of the body through urine.

Humans show genetic variability in their ability to detoxify BPA. Genetically susceptible individuals have more difficulty detoxifying their blood through this process, meaning their tissues are exposed to BPA at higher concentrations for longer time periods.The team measured the efficiency of glucuronidation in three groups of children in the US: 66 with autism, 46 with ADHD and 37 healthy children.The findings showed that for a significant proportion of children with autism, the ability to add the glucose molecule to BPA is about 10 per cent less than that of control children. For a significant proportion of children with ADHD, it’s about 17 per cent less.The compromised ability to clear such environmental pollutants from the body is “the first hard biochemical evidence of what the linkage is between BPA and the development of autism or ADHD,” said lead author T. Peter Stein, Professor of surgery at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine.”We were surprised to find that ADHD shows the same defect in BPA detoxification,” he added.

Theearly hours of the day are a special time and the practice of mindful morning habits during this time can do wonders to keep your body and mind free of stress and enhance your wellness. While exercise, meditation, and proper nourishment are well-acknowledged in stress management, there are some wonderful yogic techniques also. Dr. Hansaji Yogendra, the director of The Yoga Institute shared with IANSlife some morning activities you could bring into your personal routine to nurture your wellbeing and to set a positive trajectory for the day ahead.

In India, the auspicious time approximately an hour and a half before sunrise is known as the Brahma Muhurta or the Creator’s Time. It is observed that at this time, our potential to be creative is at its peak. If you want to acquire new knowledge, to sharpen your skills, or even to enhance your health, you must

do so in this creative time. In this magical time when the day begins, the universe is like a womb filled with cosmic energy. This energy can be easily absorbed if you are awake at this time. Early rising allows you to start your day with a sense of calmness, setting the stage for a stress-free morning.

Solitude

A tranquil morning provides the space for the cultivation of solitude, a realm where introspection and selfdiscovery converge. Communing with oneself through practices meditation or reading scriptures nurtures emotional resilience and self-awareness. The sanctuary of solitude nurtures the spirit, fortifying it against the cacophony of the external world’s stresses. A meditative start to the day sets the tone for a serene mindset that can mitigate stress. Maintaining silence, even if only for a few moments, allows the mind to attune itself to the present moment.

Obesity-associated inflammation worsens ‘bad cholesterol’ and makes it function abnormally, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers, according to a new study.

Obesity is a public health problem worldwide that affects a large section and often involves hyperlipidemia (high concentrations of fats/lipids in the blood), diabetes, hypertension, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which increase susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a nanoparticle that transports cholesterol in blood. While cholesterol is

Obesity worsens bad cholesterol, raises heart disease risk: Study

essential for normal cellular function, excess cholesterol can, however, deposit in arteries causing CVD, and hence LDL cholesterol is dubbed “bad cholesterol”.

The study, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, showed that in obesity, it is not the quantity but the quality of LDL that contributes to disease becoming worse due to obesity-associated inflammation.

“As a result, cholesterol delivery is shifted from normal to abnormal, so more cholesterol is retained in the arterial wall, ultimately forming plaques that occlude the blood flow,” said Shobini Jayaraman, corresponding author, a senior research scientist in pharmacol-

ogy, physiology and biophysics at Boston University, US.

For the study, the team compared blood lipoproteins from patients with severe obesity before bariatric surgery and 6 or 12 months after were compared with lipoproteins from a control group of lean healthy subjects.

The researchers found LDL particles became dysfunctional and were less efficient at delivering their cholesterol cargo to LDL receptors. Additionally, the LDL particle also tended to either preferentially deliver cholesterol to scavenger receptors or stick to the arterial wall matrix.

“This aberrant behaviour stemmed from alterations in LDL bio-

chemical composition induced by obesity-associated inflammation. These harmful changes contributed to increased risk of CVD in patients with obesity,” added Jayaraman.

“Our study shows that LDL quality continues to improve as a patient’s weight normalises, suggesting that the risk of CVD continues to decline,” said Olga Gursky, Professor of pharmacology, physiology and biophysics at the varsity’s School of Medicine. ““This is promising not only for patients undergoing bariatric surgery but perhaps for many others who are overweight or obese and use various approaches to weight loss,” Gursky added.

asian Games: Parul

Chaudhary wins historic Gold in 5000m race

Hangzhou: Parul Chaudhary scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to bag the gold medal in the 5,000m race at the Asian Games, here on Tuesday.

It was Parul's second medal at the ongoing Asian Games, earlier, she had won a silver medal in the wom-

Asian Games: Mohammad Afsal wins silver for India in men's 800m

Hangzhou: Mohammad Afsal Pulikkalakath of India won a silver medal for India in the men's 800m at the Asian Games here on Tuesday, clocking 1:4843 to finish second behind Saudi Arabia's Essa Ali S. Kzwani. Afsal had twice finished seventh in the Asian Championships -- in 2019 and 2023. But on Tuesday, he could not be denied as the experienced runner from Kerala finally

got his maiden medal at the Asian Games. Afsal, who is a two-time national champion at this distance, had won his heat yesterday to qualify for the final. Krishna Kumar, the other Indian in the fray in men's 800m, was disqualified for jostling and obstruction along with China's Liu Dezhu. At the 400m mark, China's Liu Dezhu was in the lead before the others surged past him.

en's 3,000m steeplechase event on Monday.

Parul Chaudhary produced an excellent finish in the women's 5000m as she overtook Japan’s Ririka Hironaka a few meters from the closing mark. Parul clocks 15:14.75. Japan's Ririka takes silver.

Asian Games Athletes Eager to Win Gold for Their Countries

Ajay Jadeja Appointed Afghanistan's Team Mentor for Men's ODI World Cup

Hangzhou: Ruturaj Gaikwad, India’s captain for the men’s T20 competition in the Asian Games, said meeting various non-cricketing athletes at the games village made realise what it means to represent the country, making his side more focused towards winning the gold medal and

stand on the podium. Gaikwad will be captaining the Indian team at the Asian Games when they take on Nepal in the quarter-final clash on Tuesday, also marking the first time the men’s cricket team is participating in the multi-sport event. "In cricket, we have the World

Cup, the IPL and domestic tournaments, so we are used to that kind of atmosphere and situations. But coming here and going to the village, we really got to know about the athletes — what kinds of struggle they go through and the dimensions of each sport.”

Thiruvananthapuram: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday announced that it has roped in former India captain Ajay

Asian Games: A Matter of Pride for Players, Says VV Ahead of Great Opportunity

Hangzhou: VVS Laxman, the coach of Indian men’s team for the upcoming T20 tournament in the ongoing 19th Asian Games, said participating in the multi-sport event is a great opportunity for the entire team and also gives the players huge pride. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will be captaining the Indian team at the Asian Games when they take on Nepal in the quarter-final clash on Tuesday, also marking the first time the men’s cricket team is participating in the multisport event.

“Yes, it’s very different. We never ever thought that we will play cricket in China. But is a great opportunity for the entire team because participating in the Asian Games itself is a big opportunity and a matter of great pride for all these players. So, really looking forward to this tournament,” said Laxman in a video posted on bcci.tv, in a chat with

reporters.Other members in the side include Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam

Dube, Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Washington

Sundar and Rahul Tripathi.The matches will be held at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China, where the Indian women’s team had won the gold medal in initial days of the competition.

Jadeja as its team mentor for the upcoming Men's ODI World Cup happening from October 5 to November 19 in India.Jadeja captained India in 13 ODIs, and overall played 196 matches, becoming its eighth-highest rungetter in the format by scoring 5359 runs while averaging 37.47 with six hundreds and 30 fifties against his name, apart from playing three World Cups.One of his most memorable ODI innings was his cameo of 45 off 25 balls in the 1996 Cricket World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan in Bengaluru, including smashing 40 runs off the final two overs against fast-bowling great Waqar Younis.

Asian Games: Parul, Priti bag silver, bronze in 3000m steeplechase with personal best times

Hangzhou: Parul

Chaudhary and Priti Lamba clocked personal best timing to claim silver and bronze medal, respectively, for India in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the 19th Asian Games, here on Monday. A day after Avinash Sable romped to victory in the men's event. Parul and Priti ran superb tactical races to finish behind Bahrain's Olympic and World leader Winfred Mutile Yavi, who set an Asian Games Record of 9:18.28. Parul clocked 9:27.63 while Priti finished third in 9:43.32, also her personal best'. It is a great performance by Parul , who stayed on the heels of the Bahraini before opened up a big gap with three laps to go. She continued and went to break her personal best, for the third time in a month after doing it twice at the World Championships.

MEN’S ODI WC

genuinely

something special, says David Miller

New Delhi: South Africa’s middle-order batter David Miller believes the current side are capable of doing something special in the upcoming 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, happening from October 5 to November 19 in India. South Africa come into the tournament on the back of a 3-2 series win over Australia back home. The Proteas, yet to win the most coveted trophy in Men’s ODI cricket,

will open their World Cup campaign against 1996 champions Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 7. "We genuinely believe that we can do something special. The reality is we haven't won a World Cup so there's no point brushing that under the carpet. But personally I don't live with those things on my shoulders. The past is the past. It doesn't impact me at all."

ASIAN GAMES:

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok bags silver

Indian women’s hockey team fightbacks to secure 1-1 draw against Korea in thrilling Asian Games

Hangzhou: The Indian women's hockey team came from behind to record a thrilling 1-1 draw against Korea in their third Pool A match of the 19th Asian Games

Hangzhou 2022 on Sunday. For India, Navneet Kaur (44’) scored an equaliser after a goal from Hyejin CHO (12’) had put Korea in

front.Both teams showed flair in the attack from the word go and it was Korea, who had an opportunity to take an early lead, but the Indian team Vice Captain and defender Deep Grace Ekka made a brilliant goalline save to deny Korea from going in front. After avoiding the early scare, India quickly settled into a

passing rhythm while controlling the majority of possession and Sangita Kumari even got a good opportunity to give India the lead as she was past Korea’s defense line and had to beat their goalkeeper but she could not keep her shot on target thus missing out on a great chance.

Hangzhou: Indian golfer Aditi Ashok bagged the silver medal after she was unable to hold onto her seven-shot lead and shot 5-over 77 in the final round of the 19tth Asian Games, here on Sunday. Meanwhile, the team also slipped from first to fourth and ended without a medal. Though it was a major disappointment for the Indian team, the individual silver medal for Aditi was the first-ever golf medal for India in Asian Games. It was a difficult day for scoring, as only six players shot under par and only two went into the 60s. One of them was the 21-year-old Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand, who like Aditi plays on the LPGA Tour. Yubol shot 68 in the final round and won the gold ahead of the Indian. The Indian women’s team also fell from the top spot to fourth and out of medals. As Yubol took gold, the silver went to Aditi and the bronze medal was claimed by Korea’s Hyunjo Yoo (65) who had the best round of the final day.

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Asian Games: Men's Trap team claims gold, women secure silver

Hangzhou: The Indian shooting squad set itself up for a final hurrah in the shooting competitions at the 19th Asian Games here with the Men's Trap Team picking a gold medal and the women's team adding a silver and taking their tally to 21 medals in all, including seven gold.They were in the hunt for more med-

als in the men's and Women's individual competitions. The Men's Trap team of Kynan Chenai, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Prithviraj Todaiman bagged the gold medal with a Games Record score of 318 as it finished ahead of Kuwait and China, who took silver and bronze medals with scores of 358 and 354 respectively.

Men’s ODI WC: Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan lashes out at former ACB Chief Executive

New Delhi: Ahead of 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Afghanistan’s premier leg-spinner Rashid Khan has lashed out at former Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Shafiq Stanikzai over ‘past compromises’. Taking to social media platform ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, Rashid also asked Stanikzai to stop spreading false information about the team, while claiming that Afghanistan is having its fittest squad till date for the upcoming ODI World Cup happening in India from October 5 to November 19.“I think it’s the best and one of the most fit teams we have ever had for any of the mega events so far and I believe we can deliver to the best this time. Many compromises has been done during your management @ ShafiqStanikzai in the past while selecting the teams for the Wold Cups which has costed the nation many important games.”“Instead of spreading false information it should be better to support this bunch of great and best guys,” wrote Rashid. Stanikzai was the ACB Chief Executive from 2014-2019 and had also founded the T20 franchise tournament named ‘Afghanistan Premier League’. In his response, Stanikzai admitted to being “bewil-

dered” by Rashid’s claims. “My Dear Champ @rashidkhan_19 Your tweet has left me somewhat bewildered. It appears to be at odds with the sentiments you've previously expressed. Do you recall your past tweets where you laudedme, dedicating victories to my contributions to the ACB after my tenure?” “Initially, I had no intention of responding to your tweet; I thought I'd save the ear-twitching for our next meeting. However, since you've accused me falsely and given your global star status, with millions of fans worldwide, and my own cricket administration role, with admirers across the globe, I feel compelled to set the record straight and remind you of my achievements for Afghan Cricket.”

says

New Delhi: Leg-spinner

Yuzvendra Chahal opened up on his exclusion from India’s squad for the upcoming 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, saying that he is now used to the omissions, something which has now happened with him in the last three global events. At the same time, Chahal added that he now wants to move on and focus on playing Tests for India.Chahal did not find a place in India’s 15-member squad for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, happening on the home soil from October 5 to November 19. A regular in India’s white-ball squads since his debut in 2016, Chahal had

played in 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup in England, picking 12 wickets.“I understand that only fifteen players can be a part, because it’s a World Cup, where you can’t take 17 or 18. I do feel a little bad, but my motto in life is to move on. I’m used to it now… it’s been three World Cups (laughs),” Chahal was quoted as saying by Wisden India. Since then, Chahal has not managed to make an ICC tournament appearance. While he missed out on the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup, he was selected in the next edition of the tournament in Australia, where Chahal couldn’t get a game.

'I’m used to it now, it’s been three world Cups',

Yuzvendra Chahal

Neha Sshetty Dishes on “Rules Ranjann” Ahead of Release

ctress Neha Sshetty, who is set to appear in the upcoming film "Rules Ranjann," took some time to share her thoughts on the movie and her career in a recent interview. Scheduled for worldwide release on October 6, the film stars Neha alongside Kiran Abbavaram in the lead roles, with an ensemble cast that includes Vennela Kishore, Subbaraju, Viva Harsha, Hyper Aadhi, Meher Chahal, Ajay, Makarand Deshpande, Atul Parchure, Annu Kapoor, and Abhimanyu Singh.Neha's career trajectory has seen its ups and downs, with "DJ Tillu" marking a significant turning point. She expressed gratitude for her achievements thus far and discussed the character differences between "Rules Ranjann" and her previous roles. In the film, Neha portrays Sana, a happy-go-lucky and adventurous girl from Tirupati. She highlighted the film's captivating and unique love theme, emphasizing that it is not a typical boy-meets-girl story but offers a fresh take on romance.Neha also praised the director, Rathinam Krishna, for his focused approach and discussed the rising popularity of music composer Amrish, who worked on the film's music. She mentioned the challenges of shooting a dance sequence for the song "Sammohanuda" and shared her positive experience working with Kiran Abbavaram, describing him as a cool and humble actor.

Amid legAl bAttle, Nora Fatehi replaces Jacqueline in Vidyut Jammwal's Crakk as t-Series takes over: Sources

It looks like the ongoing legal battle between Nora Fatehi and Jacqueline Fernandez has now spilled into their professional space as well. Reliable sources confirm that Nora has replaced Jacqueline in Crakk: Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa, touted to be India's first extreme sports film, also starring Vidyut Jammwal and Arjun Rampal. The switch happened after T-Series, which has been pushing Nora as its poster girl, took over the production of Crakk.

Nora replaces Jacqueline

Jacqueline had started filming for Crakk in Poland in October last year. This was her first project after returning to work post the row involving conman Suresh Chandrashekhar. However, reliable sources now confirm that she’s been replaced by Nora in the film. The switch seemingly happened after T-Series took over the production of Crakk, that was initially being produced only by Vidyut Jammwal’s home production Action Hero Films.

Nora and Jacqueline’s legal battle

Nora had filed a case against Jacqueline and several media outlets for spreading defamatory content against her in relation to Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Nora appeared before the Patiala High Court earlier this month and said, “They have called me a gold digger and accused me of having a relationship with a con artist Sukesh Chandrasekhar. The reason why I have filed this case is because of the ongoing ED case against Sukesh who was accused of conning a sum of Rs.200 crore that I have nothing to do with and neither do I know anything,”Nora further alleged that Jacqueline and the me dia outlets are “acting in connivance with each other” and accused the fellow actor of “prolonged and unnecessary harassment” through her statement to the media on why Nora was listed as a witness in the case. The statement of another witness in the matter will be recorded in the month of September.

Kartik Aaryan's Post-Workout Glow

Actor Kartik

Aaryan, who is an avid social media user, on Tuesday gave a sneak peek into his post workout glow, leaving his fans awestruck with his looks. Kartik is currently busy shooting for upcoming sports drama

'Chandu Champion'.

Taking to Instagram, the actor shared a sun-kissed selfie, wherein he can be seen donning a white tee shirt, a grey hoodie, and a matching cap, which reads as "cowboys".

The 'Luka Chuppi' fame actor captioned the post as:

Natural Star Nani's Hi Nanna: Second Single 'Gaaju Bomma' Drops on Oct 6th

Inthe musical journey of the Pan India film "Hi Nanna," Natural Star Nani and Mrunal Thakur shine in the first melodious track "Samayama." Now, get ready for the enchanting second single, "Gaaju Bomma," set to release on October 6th. The announcement came through a heartwarming video featuring Nani and Kiara Khanna, where Nani affectionately refers to her as "Gaaju Bomma." This song is poised to be the soul of "Hi

Nanna," with music composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab."Hi Nanna" marks the directorial debut of Shouryuv and is produced by Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) and Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala under Vyra ntertainments. This wholesome family entertainer boasts Sanu John Varughese ISC as the cinematographer, Praveen Anthony as the editor, and Avinash Kolla as the production designer, with Satish EVV serving as the executive producer.

"Post workout glow", followed by a baby angel emoji. The post garnered more than 45,000 likes within 20 minutes. The actor enjoys a massive fan-following of 30.9 million followers on the photo-sharing application.Fans took to the comment section, and showered their love on Kartik. They wrote: "you make everyone completely in awe of you", "you're giving disney prince vibes", "as bright as the sun", "Milan does a very good haircut", "you have this glow 24/7", "drop that skincare routine", "this glow from you comes all

day everyday", "my fav hero", "chamakta hua chehra". Earlier, Kartik had called his character in 'Chandu Champion' as the ‘most challenging’ journey of his career. "And the most challenging and exciting journey of my career begins," Kartik shared.Produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, it will release on June 14, 2024. Meanwhile, on the work front, Kartik was last seen in 'Satyaprem Ki Katha. The romantic drama film stars Kiara Advani opposite Kartik.

Ravi Teja's Tiger Nageswara Rao: Roaring Trailer Unleashed for Pan India Thriller

In just 17 days, the hunt begins! The highly anticipated Pan India film "Tiger Nageswara Rao," starring Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja in the titular role and directed by the talented Vamsee, is set to hit theaters on October 20th. Produced by the successful production house Abhishek Agarwal Arts, known for "The Kashmir Files" and "Karthikeya 2," this movie features a

star-studded cast and top-notch technicians. The trailer, unveiled at a grand event in Mumbai, introduces us to the perilous world of Stuartpuram, a hub for notorious thieves. Nageswara Rao, portrayed by Ravi Teja, is a character hungry for power, women, and money. He's also known for issuing warnings before unleashing his wrath. But a relentless

cop is determined to bring him down. While Stuartpuram Nageswara Rao's story ends with his arrest, "Tiger Nageswara Rao" takes us on a thrilling journey as he becomes a national threat and the hunt intensifies. The trailer showcases pivotal moments in Nageswara Rao's life, with Ravi Teja delivering a dynamic and intense performance.

KSrelief launches eye treatment program for 30,000 Bangladeshi schoolchildren

DHAKA: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched on Tuesday a medical campaign in Dhaka to treat tens of thousands of Bangladeshi schoolchildren suffering from eye disease.The campaign is part of KSrelief’s ophthalmological interventions in Bangladesh, where volunteer doctors from Saudi Arabia help Bangladeshis retain or regain their eyesight. The center’s Saudi Noor Volunteer Program, which was held in May, reached more than 4,700 people.

“Helping to reduce the rate of blindness and visual impairments in Bangladesh has been (a) top priority for (the) King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center,” Dr. Aqeel Al-Ghamdi, KSrelief’s assistant supervisorgeneral for planning and development, told reporters as he launched the program in Dhaka.

The campaign will start with training teachers, as they will be the first to identify students who need help.“The screening program is in 50 schools in Dhaka. It will cover around 30,000 students. This morning, we visited

one of the high schools, and we started the program there. They will screen around 1,000 students in the next three days,”

Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.

Under the program, KSrelief will provide glasses for students who need them, while those

who may require more medical assistance will be sent to doctors.“It will change a lot for the students in their academic activity (and) in their life, actually. In this program, I hope the best for the students,” Al-Ghamdi said.Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Al-Duhailan said during the event that the medical campaign also illustrates the wide-ranging scope of Saudi-Bangladesh relations.

“Our relationship is a multidimensional relationship. It’s not only concentrated in manpower and Hajj and Umrah visits, but it is more than this,” he told reporters.KSrelief provides humanitarian and development support to millions of beneficiaries in 94 countries. More than 6 million people have received the center’s assistance in Bangladesh, where 52 projects worth about $25 million have been conducted since 2015.

Washington: Gen Mark Milley, who just retired as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US armed forces, said there is no role for the US Military in domestic politics and its role or duty lies overseas. And the greatest threat to the US is from overseas, and that's "China". The Ukraine conflict is the biggest since world war 11."So as I look overseas, I think you have a wide variety of threats. I think China is the single most significant national security challenge to the US, and will remain so for many, many years to come. But the immediate threat right now is clearly this war that's in Central Europe, with Ukraine and Russia. Russia is a very

powerful country. This is the biggest war since World War II," Milley told the TV programme "All Things Considered"

in an interview of how the military behaves and takes.All Things Considered (ATC) is the flagship news programme on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). The 1st programme aired on NPR, May 3, 1971. Looking at this way, Milley said: "I think that as a soldier and as a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my primary responsibility is overseas and anything domestically is a matter of either domestic politics or domestic law enforcement unless deemed otherwise for a specific reason for orders to follow." The US military stayed out of actual politics, he said adding, I think that's an important distinction.

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched on Tuesday a medical campaign in Dhaka to treat tens of thousands of Bangladeshi schoolchildren suffering from eye disease.

'Military has no place in domestic politics': ex-chairman of joint Chiefs of staff of us armed forces

UK migration adviser: Scrap special visa rules for shortage occupations

Vladimir Putin may hint he will run in Russia’s 2024 election

LONDON: The British government’s independent migration adviser on Tuesday recommended abolishing one of the main routes for businesses to hire migrant workers in sectors where there are severe staff shortages.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which was commissioned to conduct a review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), said making it easier to recruit low-wage workers increased the risk of exploitation.

Business lobby groups have previously called for the government to expand the number of occupations on the list to help firms facing significant issues recruiting staff post-Brexit.

But the committee also said lowwage migrants were more likely to result in a net fiscal cost for Britain, and the high ad-

ministrative burdens of the scheme made it uneconomic for many businesses.

“These concerns mean that we are not convinced that the SOL provides a sensible immigration solution to shortage issues in low-wage sectors, and so our preference is for the government to abolish it,” the committee said in a report.

Employers can hire migrant workers at 80 percent of a job’s usual “going rate” in Britain for occupations on the list, which includes roles such as bricklayers and care workers.

Being a shortage occupation can allow employers to bypass the general minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker visa of 26,200 pounds ($31,610), meaning sectors with a going rate below that level particularly benefited from being on the list.

MOSCOW: Russian President

Vladimir Putin may soon indicate he will take part in a 2024 presidential election, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday, paving the way for the Kremlin chief to stay in power until 2030.

As part of a conference in November, officials suspect that Putin may announce he will take part in the election in March next year, Kommersant reported, citing unidentified sources close to the presidential administration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may soon indicate he will take part in a 2024 presidential election, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday, paving the way for the Kremlin chief to stay in power until 2030.

The newspaper, one of Russia’s most respected, said there were, however, other scenarios for what Putin might do at the conference and the final decision rested with him. The Kremlin did not immediately comment. Putin, who was handed the presidency by Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999, has been leader for longer than any other Russian ruler since Josef Stalin, beating even Leonid Brezhnev’s 18-year tenure. Putin turns 71 on October 7.

While many diplomats, spies

and officials have said they expect Putin to stay in power for life, there has yet to be any confirmation of his plans to run in the 2024 presidential vote. Putin said last month he would make an announcement on his plans only after parliament called the presidential election — due by law to be done in December. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last month that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him. While Putin may face no competition for votes, the former KGB spy faces the most serious set of challenges any Kremlin chief has faced since Mikhail Gorbachev grappled with the crumbling Soviet Union nearly four decades ago. The war in Ukraine has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the biggest external shock to the Russian economy in decades. Putin faced a failed mutiny by Russia’s most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in June. Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash two months later.

birla paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti at Parliament House, in new Delhi

SOUTH INDIA VISON

Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om

President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu performing parikrama at Gandhi Smriti on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, in new Delhi