Junior Digest

New Delhi, Aug 9,2024: “Bail is the rule and jail an exception,” the Supreme Court said on Friday while granting bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia in cases related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy under which he spent 17 months in jail waiting for the trial to begin.

The judgment also set a new, relaxed yardstick for interpretation of the harsh bail provisions under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, in cases of prolonged incarceration.

“Bail can’t be rejected as a punishment,” said a bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan upholding Sisodia’s “right to a speedy trial”, adding, “It’s high time that trial courts and high courts realize that bail is the rule and jail an exception.”

Accepting Sisodia’s bail plea, the bench said the procedure should not become the punishment and that the right to bail should not suffer due to delay in trial.

Giving hope to other incarcerated PMLA accused like Sisodia, the top court said the rigours of Section 45 of PMLA can be relaxed to account for prolonged incarceration.

According to Section 45 of the PMLA, bail can be granted to an accused in a money laundering case only if twin conditions are satisfied – there should be prima facie satisfaction that the accused has not committed the offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.

The court barred Sisodia from leaving the country and set certain conditions before allowing him to step out of prison after 17 months.

The bench said that the bail shall be granted to Sisodia on depositing a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh and a surety of the like amount.

The court directed Sisodia to surrender his passport and report to the Investigating officer (IO) on every Monday and not attempt to influence witnesses.

Taking note of the denial of bail to Sisodia over the past few months, Justice Gavai said, “A citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post for bail. He cannot again start from square one, the trial court, and climb up the ladder till the Supreme Court for bail. Grant of bail is not a snakes and ladders game.”

The Supreme Court noted that the AAP leader has suffered incarceration of 17 months and that the trial has not yet commenced.

The Court noted that Sisodia had been denied the right to a speedy trial and the trial court and the High Court ought to have given due weightage to this.

Dismissing the contentions of the ED and CBI that the delay in the trial can be attributed to Sisodia, Justice Gavai said, “When we specifically asked the ASG to show any order where the trial court found any application to be frivolous, not one was shown. We find that the finding of delay by the appellant is not supported by the record.”

The Court said that relegating the former Deputy CM to the trial court for relief would be a “travesty of justice”.

“A citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post. June 4 order recorded that it did not go into merits…Procedures cannot be made a mistress of justice,” Justice Gavai said while dismissing the central agencies’ preliminary objections to the bail plea.

Justice Gavai noted that the Supreme Court in its order on June 4 had recorded an undertaking from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), that the final chargesheet/prosecution complaint would be filed in the trial court on or before July 3.

At the start of the day’s proceeding, the bench asked, “How the central agencies justify the delay in the trial?”

Appearing for Sisodia, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had approached the Supreme Court asserting that the trial had not begun despite assurances from the probe agencies in October 2023 that it would be concluded within six to eight months.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju appearing on behalf of the ED and CBI said the delay came from Sisodia’s side who had sought one document after the other in court.

”Our trial would have commenced and these documents were unwarranted but just because of these applications. Delay is completely attributable to them and not to the agency. Speedy trials cannot be fitted in a straight jacket formula. It is case-by-case basis and they do not want this to be heard on merits. So the best option for them is to delay it,” Raju apprised the Supreme Court.

Justice Viswanathan then said that had the accused been on bail, he would have tried to delay the trial. But that was not the case here.

”Delay may happen on the accused side if they are on bail,” Justice Viswanathan reasoned.

Raju said the accused could also deliberately delay the trial and use the situation to seek bail and added that among the 400-odd witnesses, the ED could have the important ones to testify first.

The Supreme Court noted that the ED has to establish an unbroken chain of evidence linking Sisodia with the liquor lobby in the excise scam case.

“We know it is difficult to establish the chain as everything is done undercover… but that is where your competence lies,” the bench said.

The court observed that except a statement made by businessman Dinesh Arora, an accused-turned-approver in the case, there was no proof against Sisodia.

Sisodia was arrested by the ED and the CBI on February 26, 2023, and March 9, 2023, respectively.

Agartala, July 29,2024: The union budget of the third NDA government has increased the allocation for tribal welfare to 73 percent under various schemes, informed Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram here.

As part of the ongoing campaign of the central government to highlight the thrust points of Union Budget 2024-25, he said that around Rs. 13,000 crore has been provided in the budget for the implementation of tribal welfare schemes across the country.

An amount of Rs 6,399 crore has been made in the budget for the construction of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, with a target to set up 728 such schools for the tribal students to study Class VI-IX free of cost, Oram stated adding that the development of livelihood options are given priority.

The schemes for the welfare of the poor, empowering women, skilling and employment opportunities for the youth, and farmers’ welfare to make their income double, the budget has proposed a ‘Prime Minister’s package of five schemes and initiatives’ for employment, skilling, and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over five years with a central outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore.

Oram underscored under the Uttar Purva Transformative Industrialization Scheme-2024, the budget has a vision for the progress of North East and Tripuram, which will be operational for the next ten years and will focus on the development of industries & employment generation in the region for Rs 10,037 crore.

He added that 14 projects under Northeast Special Infrastructure Development Scheme have been approved for Tripura with a cost of 458 crore rupees. The budget, he said, allocated more than Rs 3 lakh crore to schemes benefitting women and girls to promote women-led development.

Besides, the limit of MUDRA loans will be increased to Rs 20 lakh from the current Rs 10 lakh under the ‘Tarun’ category of PM MUDRA Yojana, which will further broaden the employment avenues, Oram claimed.

Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan Scheme will cover 63,000 villages in the country and it will lay thrust on augmenting the infrastructure such as road connectivity, power supply, and medical facilities, he underlined.

The minister pointed out that Rs 2.6 lakh crore budgetary provision has been made for Rural Development, adding that Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana will cover 25,000 rural habitations across the country.

“Northeast region received record budgetary allocation for Railway infrastructure projects. The allocation has been proposed at Rs 10,376 crores, which is five times more than the average annual budget outlay of Rs 2122 crore for the region during 2009-14,” Oram added.

Kolkata, Aug 8,2024: Veteran Marxist leader and former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away at his south Kolkata flat on Thursday, family sources said. He was 80.

The Marxist stalwart is survived by wife Meera Bhattacharjee and son Suchetan Bhattacharjee.

Bhattacharjee breathed his last around 8.20 am while fighting a bout of mild fever at his Palm Avenue flat in south Kolkata, a family source said.

The octogenarian Marxist leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was suffering for long owing to age-related ailment and breathing trouble. He had fought Covid-19 twice.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacting to the demise of the veteran Marxist leader saying, “Shocked and saddened by the sudden demise of the former Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.”

“I have known him for the last several decades, and visited him a few times when he was ill and effectively confined to home in the last few years. My very sincere condolences to Meeradi and Suchetan at this hour of grief. I communicate my condolences to the members of the CPI(M) party and all his followers. We have already taken a decision that we shall give him full respect and ceremonial honour during his last journey and rites,” Banerjee said in her X handle post.

During the Left Front’s 34 years of rule in the state, Bhattacharjee was the second and last CPI(M) chief minister who was in office from 2000 to 2011.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari expressed his grief at the demise of the veteran Communist leader.

The veteran Marxist leader and a former Polit Bureau member of CPI(M), who had huge influence in the Leftist movement in Bengal was admitted to a private hospital a number of times before being shifted back to home in south Kolkata.

Bhattacharjee had served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. In a political career spanning over 5 decades, he became one of the senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist).

He was known for his relatively open policies regarding business, in contrast to the broadly anti-capitalist policies of CPI(M). But while trying to invite private investment during his tenure as CM, Bhattacharjee faced strong land acquisition protests and allegations about violence against the protesters.

This led to Bhattacharjee’s loss in the 2011 election, resulting in the end of Left Front’s 34 years of rule in West Bengal, the world’s longest democratically elected communist government.

Bhattacharjee was born on March 1, 1944 in North Kolkata to a Bengali Brahmin family. Famous poet Sukanta Bhattacharya was his father’s cousin.

A former student of Sailendra Sircar Vidyalaya, Bhattacharjee studied Bengali literature at the Presidency College, Kolkata, and secured his B.A. degree in Bengali (Honors), and joined Adarsh Shankha Vidya Mandir school at Dum Dum as a teacher.

Male [Maldives], July 29,2024: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu thanked India for its support of the island nation in easing its debt repayment and affirmed hope that New Delhi and Male would forge stronger ties and sign a free trade agreement.
Muizzu was addressing the official Independence Day function in the Maldives on Friday. During his address, he commended the administration’s foreign policy, celebrating eight months of ‘diplomatic success,’ according to the Maldives President Office.
President Muizzu expressed gratitude to India and China for their support in easing the Maldives’ debt repayment, thereby enabling the country to ensure economic sovereignty.
Emphasising the need to alleviate the local shortages of US dollars, he said that the Maldives government is negotiating currency swap agreements with both New Delhi and Beijing.
The Maldives President also announced that his administration is negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Kingdom and expressed hope to reach a similar agreement with India.
Notably, the Mohamed Muizzu government in the Maldives took a reconciliatory tone after ties between the two nations soured, leading to a diplomatic row.
Last month, President Muizzu also attended the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after he took office for the third consecutive term.
Earlier this year, Muizzu sought debt relief measures in the repayment of the hefty loans taken from the country over consecutive governments. He even stated that India will continue to remain the Maldives’ “closest ally” and emphasised that there was no question about it.
The loan amount owed by Maldives to India by the end of last year stood at 6.2 billion Maldivian Rufiyaa, according to Maldives-based The Edition.

Paris, July 27,2024: After a century-long wait, Paris welcomed back the Olympic Games with a rainy yet historic ceremony held on the River Seine.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open before the waterborne ceremony reached its climax when Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec lit the cauldron with the Olympic flame.

Han Zheng, Chinese vice president and President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, was among a host of international dignitaries in attendance at the opening ceremony.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach expressed his gratitude towards the organizers and the French people.

“You are bringing our Olympic Agenda reforms to life by making these Games wide open. All of us will experience Olympic Games that are more inclusive, more urban, younger and more sustainable – the first Olympic Games with full gender parity on the field of play,” said Bach.

For the first time in Olympics history, the opening ceremony took place outside the host city’s main Olympic stadium. From the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadero, around 6,800 athletes, assembled behind their flagbearers, cruised down a 6km stretch of the Seine on 85 boats.

Despite the rainy conditions, the parade allowed athletes to bask in the beauty of Paris’ most famed monuments, including the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower, with some playing host to the opening ceremony’s musical performances.

The 2024 Olympics marks the third time that Paris has hosted the Summer Games. The first was in 1900, and the last was a century ago in 1924.

Hours before the opening ceremony, arson attacks on French railways caused widespread delays and cancellations to rail services across Europe, casting a shadow over the sporting extravaganza.

The attacks, however, did not dampen the mood surrounding the ceremony, as crowds crammed the Seine’s banks and bridges to watch.

China has dispatched a delegation of 405 athletes, including 42 Olympic champions, who will compete in 236 events across 30 sports at the Games.

ADDIS ABABA, July 25,2024: The death toll from landslides in Ethiopia earlier this week has risen to 257 and is expected to almost double, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said on Thursday.

Heavy rains triggered a landslide burying people in the Gofa Zone of southern Ethiopia on Sunday night and a second one on Monday engulfed those engaged in rescue efforts.

“The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people as per information received from local authorities,” UNOCHA said in a report.

On Tuesday, Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission had put the death toll at 229.

Dagmawi Ayele, an administrator for the Gofa Zone said rescuers had so far recovered 226 bodies, which had been buried after a funeral ceremony, and were searching for 20 more.

“It is too dangerous to approach to the site,” he said, adding that the rains were continuing on Thursday.

Rome [Italy], July 29,2024: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to Beijing, announced she was signing a three-year action plan to revive cooperation with China.
Italy had last year pulled out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), having been the only G7 country to sign up in 2019 to the infrastructure and transportation plan that seeks to build a sort of modern-day Silk Road.
The ANSA news agency reported that Meloni made the announcement at the start of a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang in Beijing on July 28.
The Beijing visit marks the first official visit of Meloni since she became PM in 2022.
Chinese ambassador to Italy, Jia Guide said that on Sunday, Meloni addressed the 7th China Italy Business Forum in Beijing where she also attended the signing ceremony for agreements together with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Both countries signed a three-year plan to strengthen collaboration in areas including trade, investment, education, environmental protection and food security.” Qiang said in a statement on X
Meloni said that six agreements had been signed in fields ranging from industry to food safety and education.

The Memorandum of Industrial Cooperation signed between the two counties was described by Meloni as “a significant step”. “It now includes strategic industrial sectors such as electric mobility and renewables, sectors where China has already been operating on the technological frontier for some time,” the Italian PM said.
China has been in trade conflict with the United States and European Union (EU) over electric vehicles (EV), renewable energy goods among others.

Italy has a big trade deficit with China and there is also an imbalance when it comes to investments. “Chinese investment in Italy is about a third of the level of Italian investments in China,” Meloni was quoted by the Italian news agency.
“It’s a gap that I’d like to see narrowed in the right way”, she said.
On December 6, 2023, the Italian government formally announced that it will not renew the 2019 memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding its formal participation in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The initiative was announced a decade ago
According to a report in the Voice of America, Italian President Sergio Mattarella plans to visit China this October, and the US media outlet analysts say the trips show that Rome hopes to repair relations damaged when Italy became the first country to pull out of the BRI since it was launched in 2013.
As per the VOA report, Italy is China’s fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union, and China is Italy’s largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade at USD 80 billion, mostly Chinese exports to Italy.
Italian data show exports to China reached nearly USD 18 billion in 2022 from USD 14 billion in 2019, while Chinese exports to Italy nearly doubled during that same period from more than USD 34 billion to more than USD 62 billion.

Dhaka, Aug 5,2024: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country amid massive violent anti-government protests. Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman will hold direct talks with student and teacher representatives soon, the army’s media wing announced on Monday evening, hours after the army chief announced the setting up of an interim government.

The Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) on Monday evening announced that the Army Chief would be holding talks with student and teacher representatives.

On Monday afternoon, Sheikh Hasina submitted her resignation to the President and left the country on board a military helicopter, accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana.

Subsequently, the army took over the responsibility.

Earlier at around 4pm in a briefing, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that Sheikh Hasina had resigned and left the country, during an emergency meeting at the Cantonment in the capital.

He said that an interim government would be formed to run the country.

He assured that he has taken the responsibility for the safety of the public and urged people not to be disheartened, promising that all their demands will be fulfilled.

According to reports, Sheikh Hasina’s helicopter landed at the Hindon air base near Delhi, India, in the evening.

Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Sanjay Chopra received Sheikh Hasina at the air base, reports said.

The Indian Air Force and security agencies closely monitored her aircraft from the moment it entered Indian airspace until it landed at Air Force Station Hindon.

Sheikh Hasina plans to go to London, UK, reports said.

Sheikh Hasina had apparently intended to record a speech before her departure but did not get the opportunity to do so.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters stormed Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban, and raided its premises. Visuals were seen of student protesters lying on her bed, taking away furniture, and even geese, rabbits from her garden and fish from the large pond in the premises.

Protesters set fire to several buildings associated with the Awami League party and former long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Protesters set fire to the Bangabandhu Bhaban, also known as the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, at Dhanmondi and the Awami League president’s office. Protesters also set fire to the Awami League Dhaka district office.

Visuals on TV and social media showed protesters chipping away at a large metal statue of the Founder of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Sheikh Hasina, and trying to pull it down.

Thousands of people were seen pouring into the streets of the capital Dhaka in jubilation and shouting slogans.

Images showed flames billowing from vehicles near the prime minister’s home, with police unable to contain throngs of people storming it.

Meanwhile, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the main gateway of the country by air, has been closed.

Group Captain Kamrul Islam, executive director, (HSIA), said all operations at the airport were shut temporarily.

Students Against Discrimination, the student’s body spearheading the strike, said they will present the outline of a national government at 8 pm.

Protestors also vandalised the residence of the chief justice.

A number of people were climbing the boundary wall of the chief justice’s residence at Hare Road No 19.

Dhaka University Prof Asif Nazrul on Monday urged people and students to have patience and maintain discipline in Bangladesh.

At the same time, he also assured of moving forward in the right direction, saying great news awaits as per the aspirations of the students and people.

He made the call in a video message posted on his Facebook page on Monday.

“We are now in a discussion with the Army chief. It seems to me that he has understood the aspirations and expectations of our students and people,” he said.

“I hope there is great news for you. I also request the students, the public and the youth to maintain peace and patience. This country is ours. From now on, we will move in the right direction,” he added.

Bangladesh erupted in massive anti-government protests over a 30 pc quota in government jobs for descendants of freedom fighters, which was scaled down to five percent last month following protests. However, the protesters began demanding Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, which happened today.

New Delhi, Aug 3,2024: Climate crisis and its impacts are not ‘gender-neutral’, the Child and Development Minister Annapurna Devi said on Friday emphasising that women from lower economic backgrounds face some of the most severe effects of climate change.

Replying to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha, the Minister informed that the Government has not conducted audit regarding the impact of climate change on women and children.

“However, a report submitted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change revealed that women, especially those from lower economic backgrounds, face some of the most severe effects of climate change,” she said.

“Globally, it is now accepted that the climate crisis and its impacts are not ‘gender-neutral’,” She added.

“UNICEF has recognized that Children are more prone to dehydration due to their lower ability to regulate body temperature, making them more vulnerable to heatwaves and high temperatures,” the Minister informed.

She further mentioned, “Climate change may cause crop failures and rising prices, which in turn may lead to increased rates of malnutrition among children.”

Citing a recent study done by M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in 2024 that examines the implications of climate change on women and children across various agro-ecological zones in India, the Minister informed, “This study reveals that women and children in Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Telangana are especially vulnerable to climate-related disasters.”

Children exposed to climate hazards are more likely to experience stunting, underweight conditions, and increased susceptibility to early pregnancies,” She said.

“According to the study, exposure to drought events raises the likelihood of underweight women by 35 percent, child marriage by 37 percent, teenage pregnancy by 17 percent, and intimate partner violence by up to 50 percent,” the Minister added.

Highlighting that the Government recognizes the adverse impact of climate change on women and children, Annapurna Devi said, “It has taken several steps to mitigate the vulnerabilities.

A National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) has been launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2019 with the goal to reduce morbidity, mortality, injuries and health vulnerabilities to climate variability and extreme weather events especially among vulnerable groups like women, children and marginalized communities.”

“Various activities for increasing general awareness, capacity building of health care professionals and healthcare workers, strengthening health sector preparedness, collaborative partnership and steering research on climate sensitive health issues are the key objectives of the programme,” she added.

The Government implements the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which is the overarching policy framework and comprises of National Missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, water, agriculture, Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, health, green India and strategic knowledge on climate change, the Minister said.

Further, schemes like Ujwala Yojana, which provides for clean cooking gas connections, Har Ghar Nal se Jal under Jal Jeevan Mission, which provides for tapped drinking water at the doorstep, Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan under which crores of household toilets have been constructed, and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the flagship scheme of Government for housing, have not only reduced the drudgery on women but also help improving their health status and empowerment, she added.

Paris [France], July 28,: Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women’s Air Pistol event in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.

She became the first Indian women to win a medal in shooting at Olympics.

Bhaker brought India’s first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.

It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned in Tokyo Olympics. She scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach an shooting final in an individual event of Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.

South Korea’s Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji settled for silver with 241.3 points.

On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women’s 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.

New Delhi, July 25,2024: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday slammed Opposition leaders for creating ruckus in Parliament and alleged that they have “insulted the House by lowering the dignity” of the budget session.

Addressing a press conference, Kiren Rijiju said, “The way the leaders of some parties commented during the budget session and the way they gave speeches, I would like to say that they have insulted the House by lowering the dignity of the budget session.”

The Union minister said, “The Opposition people did not say anything on the Budget, they just did politics in the House on Wednesday.”

“They have insulted the mandate of the country and the Opposition people have abused the prime minister,” he said.

Referring to Opposition’s remarks against the Budget, Rijiju said they insulted the mandate given by the people of the country for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.

The Parliament Affairs Minister also appealed to the Opposition leaders to participate in the discussion in a constructive manner during the budget session.

“Why doesn’t the opposition discuss the provisions made for farmers and small tribal communities? The people have given a mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and trying to insult this is not right. The Budget should be discussed in the budget session,” he added.

Meanwhile, the discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on July 23, continued in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday. The debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Budget for 2024-25, also presented on Tuesday, will also continue.

Earlier, Congress MP Manish Tewari filed an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, requesting a discussion on the border situation and the significant trade deficit with China.

In his letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary-General, Tewari highlighted border clashes between India and China.

The letter asked for a suspension of zero hour and other business to address these urgent issues.

Washington, Aug 3,2024: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough delegate votes to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison announced on Friday, noting that the results are not yet official.

The virtual voting process closes for delegates on Monday, and the DNC is expected to make official announcement of the results Monday evening. The Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22, will formally nominate the party’s presidential candidate.

The virtual voting process for approximately 4,700 delegates started on Thursday morning. One and a half days into the voting, Harris’s campaign reported that she has obtained more than the 2,350 votes required to secure the nomination.

Harris, 59, would be the first Black woman and the first Indian American in U.S. history to receive a major party’s presidential nomination.

Earlier, U.S. media reports said that Harris is expected to reveal her running mate by Monday, and will hold their first rally together in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 8,2024: Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to quit and flee the country amid massive unrest in the country , Al Jazeera reported.
Yunus, 84, took oath at a ceremony in Dhaka on Thursday night.
The country has been marred with violence after protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.
The key tasks for Yunus will now be to restore peace in Bangladesh and prepare for the new elections.
Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief advisor, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, as per Al Jazeera.
The ceremony was held in the presence of foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka.
However, no representatives of Sheikh Hasina’s party, Awami League were present.
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and founder of Grameen Bank, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts to create economic and social development through microcredit.
Upon arriving in Bangladesh earlier in the day, the Nobel laureate made a heartfelt appeal to his supporters and urged the people of Bangladesh to maintain calm and end chaos, stressing that it is the “first responsibility” to ensure that no attack is carried out against anyone in the country, Daily Star reported.
He further stressed that Bangladesh has tremendous potential but the first priority is to save the country from chaos so that the country can proceed on the “path shown by students.”
“If you have faith in me and trust me, then ensure that there will be no attack anywhere in the country. This is our first responsibility,” Yunus told a crowded press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his arrival on Thursday.
“What I would like to stress first is to save the country from chaos. Save the country from violence so that we can move forward on the path that the students have shown us,” he added.
Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, tendering her resignation from her post on August 5 in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.
Following her fleeing from the country, the situation in Bangladesh has been volatile, with reports showing Awami League offices, members and people of minority communities being targeted by extremist groups. Several cases of killings and arson have also been reported.

WASHINGTON, July 31,2024: In the moments before NASA’s DART spacecraft slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in a landmark planetary defense test in 2022, it took high-resolution images of this small celestial object and its larger companion Didymos.

These images have enabled scientists to unravel the complicated history of these two rocky bodies located in the vicinity of Earth and gain insight into the formation of what are called binary asteroid systems – a primary asteroid with a secondary moonlet orbiting it.

An analysis of the craters and surface strength on Didymos indicated it formed about 12.5 million years ago. A similar analysis indicated Dimorphos formed about 300,000 years ago. Didymos probably formed in our solar system’s main asteroid belt, between the planets Mars and Jupiter, and then was knocked into the inner solar system, the researchers said.

An examination of the largest boulders on Didymos and Dimorphos gave clues about the origins of the two asteroids.

“Both asteroids are aggregates of rocky fragments formed from the catastrophic destruction of a parent asteroid,” said astronomer Maurizio Pajola of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Italy, lead author of
one of five studies, opens new tab

on the asteroids published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

“These large boulders could not have formed from impacts on the surfaces of Didymos and Dimorphos themselves, as such impacts would have disintegrated these bodies,” Pajola added.

Didymos, which has a diameter of about a half mile (780 meters), is classified as a near-Earth asteroid. Dimorphos is roughly 560 feet (170 meters) wide. Both are “rubble pile” asteroids, comprised of pieces of rocky debris that coalesced through the influence of gravity.

“Their surface is covered with boulders. The largest on Dimorphos is the size of the school bus, while the largest on Didymos is big as soccer field,” said Olivier Barnouin, a planetary geologist and geophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland and lead author of
another of the studies, opens new tab

.

“There are cracks on the surface and the rocks of Dimorphos, while Didymos may have finer-grained soils at the equator, although it is difficult to be sure with the images we have. The surfaces of both asteroids are weak, much weaker than loose sand,” Barnouin added.

The researchers concluded that Dimorphos is composed of material that flew off the equatorial region of Didymos due to the speed at which it was spinning.

“In the case of Didymos, it is thought that in the past, it rotated faster around its axis due to the YORP effect (spin acceleration driven by the effect of sunlight on its uneven surface), and thus ejected the boulders from its equatorial region, forming Dimorphos,” Pajola added.

Didymos currently spins at a rate of once every 2-1/4 hours.

Few boulders were observed at the equatorial region of Didymos.

“Its equator is much smoother, while mid-latitudes up to the poles are much rougher, with big boulders sitting on the surface,” Pajola said.

The U.S. space agency’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) carried out a proof-of-principle mission, demonstrating that a spacecraft could apply kinetic force to change the path of a space object that otherwise might be on a collision course with Earth. Didymos and Dimorphos do not pose an actual threat to Earth.

DART struck Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2022, at about 14,000 miles per hour (22,530 kph) at a distance of roughly 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth, and succeeded in modestly changing its path. The collision also slightly changed the shape of Dimorphos.

The DART data has improved the understanding of binary asteroid systems.

“Binary asteroid systems represent about 10-15% of the total number of asteroids that are in near-Earth space,” Barnouin said. “More generally, with every new observation of an asteroid or asteroid system, we learn more about how asteroids form and evolve. They are complex systems, but have some key similarities, especially when we consider the smaller – less than a kilometer (0.62 mile) – asteroids.”

Patna, July 29,2024: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor announced on Sunday that he would launch a new political party on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
The most significant aspect of his annoucement is that the he would launch his political outfit ahead of Bihar assembly polls.
Addressing the functionaries during the Jan Suraaj Abhiyan at Bapu Sabhaghar in Patna, he said that the foundation stone for the party would be laid on October 2, and the party would begin with over one lakh people as its office bearers.
The election strategist also informed that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies.
Prashant Kishore further exuded confidence of winning the assembly elections in Bihar in 2025.
In this meeting, three big names joined the Jan Suraaj campaign including former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur’s granddaughter Dr Jagriti in the presence of Prashant Kishore.
Anand Mishra, an independent candidate from Buxar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, also joined the party and extended his support to this campaign. He praised Prashant Kishore’s efforts.
Professor Rambali Singh Chandravanshi also took membership in Jan Suraaj campaign after being impressed by Prashant Kishore aim of bringing in development in the state.

Wayanad, July 31,2024: The death toll in landslide isn Kerala’s Wayanad district rose to 174 on Wednesday, with 225 people still missing, officials said.

A total of 191 people are still undergoing medical treatment at various hospitals, according to the Revenue Department sources.

The massive landslides hit Mundakkai and Choormala in Vellarimala village in Meppadi panchayat in Kerala’s Wayand district on Tuesday..

A total of 89 bodies have been identified so far and postmortem of 143 bodies completed, health department sources said.

As many as 72 bodies were recovered from Chaliyar river including 13 on Wednesday, between Pothukkal to Munderi areas in Malappuram district, which was around 38 Km away from the accident spot at Mundakkai, while 14 bodies recovered from the debris of the houses at Mundakkai.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended an all-party meeting while 8 relief camps have been set up at Mundakkal to accommodate around 1,000 victims from 500 odd houses.

Only 30 houses were remaining at Mundakkai, said a local resident.

Around 600 rescue personnel from Army, Navy, Coast Guard, NDRF, Kerala Police special force,dog squad, local volunteers have been conducting search and rescue operations at Mundakkal, Chooralmala areas, they have rescued around 250 stranded people.

The Army personnel have started the construction of bailey bridge connecting Chooramala to Mundakkai, after the bridge was washed away in the landslide on July 30.

Revenue Minister K Rajan and five member ministers are still camping at Mundakkai areas to assist in rescue and search operations.