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Busy with tribal fest, Soren likely to miss date with ED today

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Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

RANCHI:  Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren government is in the dock following a notice served on the chief minister by the Enforcement Directorate in the illegal mining case, asking him to appear before it on Thursday. However, he is unlikely to appear before the ED, according to a schedule released by the state government. Instead, he will attend the tribal dance festival in Raipur on November 3. The CM will be also be busy with other programmes involving ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ campaign to mark three years in office, on November 15. ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

Meanwhile, the state government has called a special Assembly session on November 11 to pass a Bill related to domicile policy based on the 1932-khatiyan (land records). This is the second such session being called by the government. The previous one was on September 5 amid speculation that Governor Ramesh Bais will disqualify Soren for possessing a mining lease despite holding the mining portfolio in the cabinet. 

While addressing a public meeting during the much-hyped ‘Aapki yojna aapki Sarkar aapke dwar’ programme at Sahibganj on Wednesday, Soren hit out at the BJP saying its leaders “hatched a conspiracy to topple his government.” Without explicitly naming the BJP, Soren alleged those who were in power earlier could not digest a tribal at the helm in the state, therefore, they were misusing the central agencies to terrorise him. 

Pilot breaks silence, targets Gehlot; demands action on Rajasthan crisis

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Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot

JAIPUR: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot broke his silence on Wednesday and made a direct attack on CM Ashok Gehlot for the first time.  

Taking a jibe at PM Modi’s praise of CM Gehlot, Pilot said that Modi had praised Ghulam Nabi Azad in the same way and everyone knows what happened later.

Reacting to Pilot’s statement, CM Gehlot reminded that nobody should use such rhetoric as AICC Organization Secretary KC Venugopal has issued an advisory asking all leaders not to make statements against each other.

Pilot, who has been silent for a long time in the midst of the ongoing political turmoil in the Rajasthan Congress, spoke to the media in Jaipur on Wednesday.

“PM Modi praised the CM yesterday. This is an interesting development. At one time PM Modi had also praised Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament and everyone knows what happened after that.  It should not be taken so lightly,” remarked Pilot.

After Modi’s praise, when the Congress did not send Ghulam Nabi Azad to the Rajya Sabha, he broke ties with the Congress and later formed his new party which will contest the next assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. While praising CM Gehlot in a program at Banswara on Tuesday, PM Modi had said that “Ashok Gehlot and I had worked together as Chief Ministers. He is even today the senior most among our Chief Ministers.”

Besides taking a dig at PM’s praise for CM Gehlot, Pilot also demanded action against all the three pro-Gehlot leaders who allegedly broke the party discipline on September 25 when many Congress MLAs boycotted a CLP meet in the presence of two AICC Observers in Jaipur. “Notices were given to 3 people and their answers have also been given. Ours is a disciplined party and we have the same rules and regulations for all. Decisions should be taken quickly even on those notices as discipline is applicable to all. Kharge ji has taken over, and a decision needs to be taken on the indiscipline that day,” added Pilot.

Pilot also broke his silence on the discussions of changing the CM and said that action should be taken on it soon. “KC Venugopal had said that it will be decided soon.  We are all busy in elections, soon the announcement of Gujarat elections will also be made.The entire issue of  Rajasthan situations should be taken soon,” claimed Pilot.

On 25 September, a meeting of the CLP was called for the selection of the new Chief Minister by AICC, amid plans CM Gehlot’s election as the new AICC President. But a vast majority of pro-Gehlot MLAs boycotted the meeting and even submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker, CP Joshi.  After its investigation, the AICC had issued a show-cause notice to three leaders of the Gehlot faction for boycotting the CLP meeting of the MLAs.

Israel polls: Netanyahu, far-right ally appear to edge toward victory

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Netanyahu edges toward return

Votes were still being counted and results were not final. But if preliminary indications were correct, Israel was potentially headed to its most right-wing government, bolstered by a strong showing from the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party, whose members use inflammatory anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

The initial results pointed to a continued rightward shift in the Israeli electorate, further dimming hopes for peace with the Palestinians and setting the stage for possible conflict with the Biden administration and Israel’s supporters in the United States.

The early results also showed that Netanyahu had overcome his detractors, who claimed he was not fit to rule while on trial for corruption and refused to sit with him in government. Netanyahu’s partners have promised to help him evade a conviction. “We are on the verge of a very big victory,” Netanyahu, 73, told supporters at a gathering in Jerusalem early Wednesday. “I will establish a nationalist government that will see to all Israeli citizens without any exceptions.”

Elections officials worked through the night tallying votes and by Wednesday morning, about 85% of the ballots had been counted. The vote, like past elections, was tight but initial indications showed Netanyahu was headed back to the premiership with a majority in the country’s 120-seat parliament. Final results are expected on Friday.

The hundreds of thousands of remaining ballots — mostly from those who voted away from their regular place of residency, in nursing homes and elsewhere — have to be cross-checked for accuracy, a more time-consuming effort. They could lend a boost to Netanyahu’s opponents, reducing the size of his majority.

With Netanyahu and his allies projected to win more than the 61-seat majority needed to form a government, the country’s protracted political crisis may be headed toward a conclusion, though Israel remains as divided as ever.

Tuesday’s election was Israel’s fifth in less than four years, with all of them focused largely on Netanyahu’s fitness to govern. On trial for a slew of corruption charges, Netanyahu, who denied wrongdoing, is seen by supporters as the victim of a witch hunt and vilified by opponents as a crook and threat to democracy.

Even if Netanyahu and his allies emerge victorious, it could still take weeks of negotiations for a coalition government to be formed. Netanyahu was Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, governing for 12 consecutive years – and 15 years altogether – before he was ousted last year by a diverse coalition led by the centrist Yair Lapid, the current caretaker prime minister.

But the coalition that Lapid cobbled together, which included the first Arab party ever to join a government, was decimated by infighting and collapsed after just one year in power. Those parties were poised to capture about 50 seats, according to initial results.

Lapid, addressing supporters early Wednesday, insisted that the race was not decided. “Until the last envelope is counted, nothing is over and nothing is final,” he said.

Isreal braces for far-right Zionists in office 
The night’s strongest showing was by the far-right Religious Zionism party, which emerged as the third-largest party. At an all-male campaign gathering in Jerusalem, religious men wearing Jewish skullcaps and waving Israeli flags danced in celebration. At the celebration, supporters of the party’s top candidate, Itamar Ben-Gvir, chanted “Death to terrorists.”

Ben-Gvir is a disciple of a racist rabbi, Meir Kahane, who was banned from parliament and whose Kach party was branded a terrorist group by the United States before he was assassinated in New York in 1990. Kahane’s agenda called for banning intermarriage between Arabs and Jews, stripping Arabs of Israeli citizenship and expelling large numbers of Palestinians.

But while Kahane was seen as a pariah, Ben-Gvir is one of Israel’s most popular politicians, thanks to his frequent media appearances, cheerful demeanour, a knack for deflecting criticism and calls for a harder line against Palestinians at a time of heavy fighting in the occupied West Bank. Young ultra-Orthodox men are among his strongest supporters.

Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, gestures after the first exit poll results at his party’s headquarters in Jerusalem, Nov. 2, 2022. (Photo | AP)

Ben-Gvir lives in the hard-line West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba and is a strong proponent of settlement construction. He has described Arab colleagues in parliament as “terrorists,” called for deporting those who are “disloyal” and recently brandished a handgun in a tense Palestinian neighbourhood of Jerusalem as he called on police to shoot Palestinian stone-throwers.

“We want to make a total separation between those who are loyal to the state of Israel — and we don’t have any problem with them — and those who undermine our dear country,” he said. Muhammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, said the rise of Israel’s far-right was “a natural result of the growing manifestations of extremism and racism in Israeli society.”

It appeared as though two of the three parties representing the country’s 20% Palestinian minority earned enough votes for a spot in parliament, as polls had predicted. But it was unclear whether Meretz, a dovish party that opposes Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and a member of the current coalition, would make it into parliament.

If the Netanyahu alliance ends up controlling a majority, Ben-Gvir and his party leader, Bezalel Smotrich, are sure to drive a hard bargain. Ben-Gvir has said he will demand the Cabinet post overseeing Israel’s police force. The pair have also said they will seek legal reforms aimed at weakening the independence of the judiciary and giving parliament power to override court decisions they don’t like. That could clear the way for the dismissal of criminal charges against Netanyahu. Smotrich and other members of the party have also made repeated anti-LGBTQ comments.

Such positions could put a future Netanyahu government on a collision course with the Biden administration, which supports a two-state solution with the Palestinians. It could also alienate Israeli allies in the U.S., particularly the predominantly liberal Jewish-American community.

In Israel, voters vote for parties, not individual politicians. No party has ever won a majority on its own, and coalition-building is necessary to govern.

Tensions meanwhile rose Wednesday as a Palestinian slammed his car into an Israeli army officer near the Maccabim checkpoint between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The soldier, seriously injured, opened fire on the man, the military said. The Palestinians said the suspected attacker, Habas Abdel Hafeez Yousef Rayan, 54, died soon after.

Supreme Court affirms death penalty of LeT terrorist in 2000 Red Fort attack case

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq seeking review of its judgement awarding death penalty to him in the 2000 Red Fort attack case that left three people, including two Army jawans, dead 

A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi said that it has accepted the prayers that electronic records be considered.

“We have accepted the prayers that electronic records must be placed in consideration. His guilt is proved. We affirm the view taken by this court and reject the review petition,” the bench said.

Arif was one of the accused, who had entered the Red Fort on December 22, 2000 and had opened indiscriminate firing leading to the death of three.

Srirangapatna Masjid row: 108 people to file plea in Karnataka High Court

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Srirangapatna Masjid

MYSURU: After several protests and submission of memorandums to the authorities concerned, Bajarang Sene and several pro-Hindu outfits have decided to take up a legal fight in the Srirangapatna Jama Masjid row.

President of Bajarang Sene B Manjunath said as authorities failed to come out with a solution, he, along with several other pro-Hindu members, has decided to file a petition in the High Court in a few days.

“We have been arguing that the mosque has been constructed by razing down a temple and it should be handed back to us. But, the government has failed to respond despite protests. So, we have now decided to file a petition in the High Court. There are 108 people ready to file the petition,” he said, adding that the number 108 is significant and auspicious in the Hindu religious scriptures.

He said along with the petition, various pieces of evidence including photographs and mentioning of the episode of razing down of the temple which has been documented by several Britishers and also in the Mysore gazette will be submitted.

The Hindu outfits claim that during Tipu’s regime, the Srirangapatna ruler had demolished Anjaneyaswamy temple on the east gate of the fort which was converted into a mosque later. Over the last couple of months, pro-Hindu outfits have been protesting over the mosque row and as a preventive measure, police and the taluk administration had also imposed prohibitory orders in the month of June this year.

Maharashtra: Voting begins for Andheri East Assembly byelection

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MUMBAI: Polling started for byelection to the Andheri East Assembly constituency here at 7 am on Thursday.

This is the first Assembly election in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in June following a revolt by Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.

Shinde subsequently became chief minister in alliance with the BJP.

Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, is expected to win comfortably in the byelection after the BJP withdrew its nominee.

The election was necessitated due to the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, Rutuja Latke’s husband, in May this year.

There are 2,71,502 registered voters in the constituency and 256 polling booths.

Polling is being held from 7am to 6pm.

There are a total of seven candidates in the fray.

Barring Latke, all are independents.

Counting of votes will be held on November 6.

New Omicron variants not causing significant rise in hospitalisations: Experts

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MUMBAI: The new variants of Omicron, XXB and BQ.1, have not led to any significant rise in coronavirus infections and hospitalisations in Maharashtra, experts have said.

The symptoms caused by these strains of the virus are mild, they noted. Dr Anita Mathew, Infectious Disease Specialist at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said many of the new patients are asymptomatic.

“Many people have incidental covid-19. In other words, they are visiting the hospital for other health conditions and test positive for the coronavirus infection.

Symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste, observed prominently in earlier infections, have not been noticed in many patients.

Many of them report cold and cough, which is why there isn’t a lot of testing or self-isolation, Dr Mathew added.

She, however, stressed that vaccination against coronavirus was still important. “One should be careful so that the risk of infecting others decreases,” she said.

As per the state health department, 17 per cent more covid-19 cases were recorded during October 10 to 16 against the preceding week (October 3-9).

The rise was noticed mainly in Thane, Raigad and Mumbai, all densely-populated districts.

The department had also cautioned that coronavirus cases could rise during winter and the festive season, citing new variants which have greater immune evasive ability.

Dr Vasanthapuram Ravi, Virologist, Head, R&D, TATA Medical and Diagnostics (and Chairman of Karnataka Genomic Surveillance Committee) said the new strain of virus and the disease genotype were no different from Omicron in terms of severity and asymptomatic status.

“It is a hybrid of two Omicron variants, 3.75 and BJ1, due to which it has a novel mutation in the spike proteins which makes it escape the antibodies generated by vaccines.This is why it is causing infections even in vaccinated people,” he said.

But there is not much to worry due to its lessened severity though testing is still important, he added.

If a patient tests positive for Omicron, he or she can get treatment for Omicron infection, Dr Ravi said.

But if the test is negative for Omicron (despite symptoms) then one needs to immediately consult a physician in case there is a presence of a new variant or another virus like flu virus or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), he added.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), in a statement, said it was keeping a close watch on the emergence and evolution of XBB and XBB.1 and any new sub-lineages.

But Indian patients infected with Omicron sub-lineage XBB of covid-19 have mild disease, it went on to add.

Dr Laxman Jessani, Consultant, Infectious Diseases at Apollo hospitals in Navi Mumbai, said the chances of hospitalisation and ICU admissions are low as the infections are mostly mild.

He too said that there was no significant rise in cases in the last few weeks.

“High-risk groups and elderly people should avoid going out to prevent getting infected, especially in crowded places,” he said, adding that wearing a mask is a must.

Assembly bypolls: Voting begins in seven constituencies in six states

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NEW DELHI: Voting began on Thursday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states – a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties.ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gorakhnath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha.

Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the voting.

Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats, the Congress two while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each.

While a victory in the bypolls will be inconsequential to their position in the assemblies, the parties have not taken the contest lightly and carried out a high-pitched campaign.

The counting of votes will take place on November 6.

The BJP is seeking to retain Gola Gorakhnath seat in Uttar Pradesh and Dhamnagar in the BJD-ruled Odisha, banking on sympathy votes as it has fielded the sons of sitting MLAs whose death necessitated the bypolls.

The BJP and the ruling TRS had been campaigning aggressively in Munugode in Telangana, where the Congress MLA had resigned and is fighting on the saffron party’s ticket.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling, including the deployment of 3,366 state police and 15 companies of central security personnel in Munugode.

Webcasting would be done from all the polling stations, officials said.

In Adampur, Haryana, the by-election was necessitated after former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as MLA from the seat and switched from the Congress to the BJP in August.

Bishnoi’s son Bhavya is now contesting as the BJP candidate.

The Adampur seat has been held by the Bhajan Lal family since 1968, with the late ex-chief minister representing it on nine occasions, his wife Jasma Devi once, and Kuldeep on four occasions.

The Congress, Indian National Lok Dal, and Aam Aadmi Party are among the key parties contesting the bypolls.

The Congress has fielded former Union minister Jai Prakash, a three-time MP from Hisar and two-time MLA, as well.

The INLD picked Congress rebel Kurda Ram Nambardar as its candidate. The AAP has fielded Satender Singh, who switched over from the BJP.

Bihar will see the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, formed less than three months ago after the JD(U) parted ways with the BJP.

Bypolls are being held in Mokama and Gopalganj seats in Bihar, earlier held by the RJD and the BJP respectively.

The BJP is contesting from the Mokama constituency for the first time as the saffron party had, on previous occasions, left the seat to its allies.

Both the BJP and the RJD have fielded the wives of local musclemen in the bypolls.

BJP nominee Sonam Devi is up against RJD’s Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh’s disqualification has necessitated the by-election.

Mokama is the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has appealed to voters to support him.

Sonam Devi, the wife of local muscleman Lalan Singh who has been opposed to Anant Singh, is a greenhorn.

Lalan is known to be a confidant of Suraj Bhan Singh, a dreaded gangster-turned-politician, who in the 2000 assembly election defeated Anant Singh’s elder brother Dilip Singh who was a minister in the Rabri Devi government.

In Gopalganj, BJP has fielded Kusum Devi, the wife of deceased party MLA Subhash Singh.

The RJD has fielded Mohan Gupta, while Indira Yadav, wife of Lalu Yadav’s brother-in-law Sadhu Yadav, is contesting as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.

Shiv Sena’s Rutuja Latke is expected to comfortably win Andheri East Assembly constituency in Mumbai after the BJP withdrew from the contest which is the first after the recent split in the Shiv Sena following a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who replaced Thackeray as the Maharashtra chief minister.

The NCP and Congress have supported her candidature.

The by-election was necessitated due to the death of Rutuja Latke’s husband and Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May this year.

The Gola Gorakhnath seat in Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6.

With the BSP and the Congress keeping away from the bypolls, there seems to be a direct fight between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party The BJP has fielded Aman Giri, son of Arvind Giri, while the SP candidate is former Gola MLA Vinay Tiwari.

The BJD has fielded Abanti Das, the lone woman among the total five candidates in Dhamnagar.

BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi’s death necessitated the bypoll. The saffron party, banking on sympathy votes, has fielded Sethi’s son Suryabanshi Suraj.

The BJD’s official candidate is facing a rebel as its former MLA Rajendra Das is in the fray as an Independent.

Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about silent revolution, will change political landscape: Kharge

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Ahead of the start of Wednesday’s Yatra, Kharge interacted with the Bharat Yatris, who are walking the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad.

“Interacted with the Bharat Yatris at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad.

They too are walking 3500 kms with Rahul Gandhi Ji and are a source of great inspiration to our party cadres,” he tweeted.

“Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about a silent revolution that will change the political landscape,” he said.h

Later, the Yatra resumed from MGB Bajaj showroom, Balanagar Main Road, Hyderabad City, with Rahul Gandhi along with other Bharat Yatris continuing their walk on the 56th day of the Yatra.

The morning break of the Yatra would be at Hotel Kinara Grand, Hafeezpet, while the padayatra will resume from BHEL bus stand.

The evening break would be near Hari Dosha, Muthangi and the night halt near Koulampet, opposite Ganesh Mandir Rudraram.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra commenced on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

Gandhi has completed the marathon walk in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, before beginning the Telangana leg of the yatra last week.

The Telangana state Congress has formed 10 special committees to coordinate the yatra.

Actor Rambha and her kids injured in car crash in Canada, daughter Sasha hospitalised

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Indian actress Rambha who recently met with a car accident in Canada. (Photo | Rambha Indrakumar Instagram)

She also added all of them including the nanny are safe. 

However, they have sustained minor injuries.

Her daughter, Sasha is admitted to the hospital.

Noting that these are bad times and bad days, the actor requested her fans and well-wishers to pray for them

The actor has predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi, in addition to a few Bengali, Bhojpuri and English films. 

In a career spanning almost two decades, the actor has done more than 100 films. Some of her popular Tamil films include Ullathai Allitha, Arunachalam, Ninaithen Vandhai, Kaathala Kaathala, Three roses and more. 

In 2010, she married Indrakumar Pathmanathan and moved to Toronto, Canada. The couple has two daughters and one son.

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