The Thinker

On Sunday last, Gandhi had claimed that Modi's statement that not an inch of the land in Ladakh has been taken over by China is not true. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with locals during his visit to Leh, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. KARGIL: Raking up the border issue, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said every individual in Ladakh knows that China has “taken away our land” and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that not an inch of land was taken away was “absolutely false.” The former Congress president’s remarks come after Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a conversation on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg. The conversation was not a structured bilateral meeting and was an informal one. “I visited the whole of Ladakh on my motorcycle over the past week. Ladakh is a strategic place and when I was at Pangong lake, one thing was clear that China had ta...

The main accused has been identified as Jai Singh, who also used to molest the girl.                                                    Image used for representational purposes only KAUSHAMBI: A 17-year-old girl hanged herself in her house in a village here after a neighbour leaked her private photos online, police said on Friday. Her family members had gone to the youth’s house to complain against him for uploading the girl’s photos online, but they were abused by them, police said. Additional Superintendent of Police Samar Bahadur Singh said the family had earlier filed a complaint with the police in the matter. The main accused has been identified as Jai Singh, who also used to molest the girl, he said. When the girl’s family confronted Jai Singh’s family, they abused them and also threatened to kill them, police said. Police have booked six people under s...

The CPIM leader and Kerala Minister A C Moideen was asked to appear for interrogation by the ED  on August 31 at its Kochi office in the money laundering case related to the Karuvanannur bank scam. CPIM leader and former Kerala minister A C Moideen. KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked CPIM leader and former Kerala minister A C Moideen to appear for interrogation on August 31 at its Kochi office in the money laundering case related to the Karuvanannur Service Co-operative Bank loan scandal. The ED communique from its Kochi office on Friday to Moideen, the MLA from Kunnamkulam, comes a day after it seized 36 properties valued at Rs 15 crore, including Rs 28 lakh in fixed deposits in the names of Moideen and his wife. The ED has also sent notice to four ‘benamis’ of Moideen in the case, asking them to appear at its Kochi office for questioning on August 31. The scam surfaced after several depositors complained of loans being issued to unknown people using their m...

"We suspect it to be a case of food poisoning as the students took ill after consumption of food served to them at the hostel", said the health officer. Image used for representational purpose only. BHANDARA: Thirty students of an ashram school in Bhandara district of eastern Maharashtra were hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning, an official said on Friday. The incident occurred at Yerali Ashram School in Tumsar town on Thursday, he said. Talking to PTI, Bhandara district health officer Milind Somkuwar said, “Some students of the ashram school complained of vomiting, abdominal pain and fever on Thursday, after which a team of district health department examined 325 students residing in the school hostel.” Of them, 30 students were admitted to the sub-district hospital at Tumsar for treatment, he said. “We suspect it to be a case of food poisoning as the students took ill after consumption of food served to them at the hostel,” he said, adding that all the students ...

Already, 1.14 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 in 1,545 government primary schools are provided breakfast on all working days under the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme. CM inaugurated the expansion of breakfast scheme at Panchayat Union Middle school in Thirukkuvalai  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday launched the expansion of the state government’s breakfast scheme for school children at Tirukkuvalai in this district. The CM served food to the children at a school here and also joined them for breakfast. In Chennai, his son and cabinet minister Udhayanidhi Stalin launched the scheme’s expansion. The Chief Minister had earlier said the order had been issued on June 7, 2023, to extend the breakfast scheme to all the 31,008 government primary schools, across urban and rural Tamil Nadu, aimed at benefiting 15.75 lakh primary students. Already, 1.14 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 in 1,545 government primary schools are provided breakfast on all working days under the ...

Arju's father Dev Singh has accused her husband Mukesh of harassing his daughter over his dissatisfaction with the dowry he received during his marriage. Image for representational purpose only. ( Express Illustration) A woman allegedly jumped in front of a moving train along with her two-year-old daughter in Uttar Pradesh, according to media reports. The woman died on the spot while the daughter’s condition is stated to be critical. Police said the deceased, Arju, sent a video to her friend before jumping in front of the train on August 21. In the video, she says her husband and in-laws are responsible for her decision to end her life. The video came to light on Thursday. “I am dying in front of the train today with my two-year-old daughter. I am sending you this video so that you can tell the world that I have not eloped with anyone, but my daughter and I have died by suicide because of Mukesh (her husband) and his sister,” Arju said in the video as reported by a Hindi ne...

John Snowling, a retired police sergeant, was married to Marie for more than three decades, They have two adult children. He killed three people, including his wife's dining companion and a man. In an image from video, authorities work at the scene of a fatal shooting Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, at Cook's Corner, a biker bar in rural Trabuco Canyon, California  TRABUCO CANYON: The retired police sergeant who opened fire during a lively Wednesday evening at a popular Southern California biker bar had traveled from Ohio to confront his estranged wife, shooting her in the face before turning his gun on the crowd, authorities said. John Snowling killed three people, including his wife’s dining companion and a man who approached him as Snowling retrieved additional guns from his truck, and wounded six others, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Thursday. He was fatally shot by deputies within minutes of the rampage. The shooting unfolded as a cover band entertained guests duri...

According to sources, “A vehicle was damaged due to debris falling on a dumper near Guhiya Valley on Jakho- Sankri Motorway in Uttarkashi. No casualty was reported.” Image used for representational purpose. DEHRADUN: A 100-metre road has been washed away due to heavy landslides along the Lipulekh-Tawaghat border road connecting the China border as well as rocks on the road. Around 300 passengers are stranded in the Dharchula and Gunji areas due to the disruption of connectivity on the route. Administrative officials engaged in clearing the road have expressed hope that traffic will be restored by Friday morning. Dharchula Deputy Superintendent of Police Narendra Pant told this daily, “Border Road Organisation (BRO), police, PWD and other departments are working relentlessly to open the blocked road and hope that the route will be cleared by Thursday evening or latest Friday morning”. According to sources, “A vehicle was damaged due to debris falling on a dumper near Guhiya Valley on...

The two leaders also agreed to direct relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation, the foreign secretary said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, centre right speaks to China's President Xi Jinping as President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula, left, and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi look on. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday raised the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a brief interaction between the two on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday. “The prime minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship,” foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a press briefing. Following this, the two leaders agreed to direct relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious di...