West Concerned As Russia Halts UN-Brokered Grain Deal

US President Joe Biden warned that global hunger could increase because of Russia's suspension of a UN-brokered deal to allow safe passage for ships carrying Ukrainian grain.

“It's really outrageous,” said Biden speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday. “There's no merit to what they're doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”

Biden spoke hours after Russia announced it would immediately halt participation in the agreement, alleging that Ukraine staged a drone attack Saturday against Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships off the coast of occupied Crimea. Ukraine has denied the attack.

The grain initiative has allowed more than nine million tons of grain in 397 ships to safely leave Ukrainian ports since it was signed in July. It was to be renewed in late November. The grain agreement has succeeded in bringing down global food prices, which have fallen by approximately 15 per cent from their peak in March, according to the United Nations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision predictable and said Russia has been deliberately aggravating the food crisis since September. Currently, some 176 ships loaded with grain are prevented from sailing from Ukraine's ports, he said.

“This is food for more than seven million consumers. Why is it that some handful of people somewhere in the Kremlin can decide whether there will be food on the tables of people in Egypt or Bangladesh?” he said in his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Russia's action is facing international condemnation. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Russia to reverse its decision, in a tweet Sunday.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary general, said the world body is in touch with Russian authorities and it is vital all parties refrain from any action that would impede the grain initiative.

Russia had been setting conditions to withdraw from the deal for some time, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank said. “Even if Ukraine did order the attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet, it would have been proportionate to Russia's bombing campaign on Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure in recent weeks,” it added. 

Earlier this month, Moscow intensified its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's power stations, waterworks and other key infrastructure, damaging 40 per cent of Ukraine's electric system and forcing the government to implement rolling blackouts. Russian attacks are continuing across the country.

In the past 24 hours, Russian missiles have killed at least five people and wounded nine, according to a statement from the office of the president. In fierce fighting in Ukraine's east, Russia is trying to capture the city of Bakhmut and several centres and villages in the area have been shelled.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Husband Attacked At Home

 

Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their San Francisco home early Friday, according to people familiar with the matter.

Pelosi, 82, suffered blunt force trauma to his head and body, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation into the attack who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing probe. He was being treated by doctors for bruising, severe swelling and other injuries. Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill said he was expected to make a full recovery.

“The assailant is in custody, and the motivation for the attack is under investigation,” the spokesman said.

“The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time," Hammill said in a statement.

While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, it raises questions about the safety of members of Congress and their families as threats to lawmakers are at an all-time high almost two years after the deadly Capitol insurrection. The attack also comes just 11 days ahead of mid-term elections in which crime and public safety have emerged as top concerns among Americans.

In 2021, Capitol Police investigated around 9,600 threats made against members of Congress, and members have been violently attacked in recent years. Former Representatives Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot in the head at an event outside a Tucson grocery store in 2011, and Representative Steve Scalise, R-La., was severely injured when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball team practice in 2017.

Members of Congress have received additional dollars for security at their homes, but some have pushed for more protection as people have showed up at their homes and as members have received an increasing number of threatening communications.

Capitol Police, tasked with protecting congressional leaders, said Nancy Pelosi was with her protective detail in Washington at the time her husband was attacked. She'd just returned this week from a security conference in Europe and is due to keynote an advocacy event Saturday evening with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Capitol Police said the FBI and San Francisco police were also investigating. The suspect is in the custody of the San Francisco police.

Often at Nancy Pelosi's side during formal events in Washington, Paul Pelosi is a wealthy investor who largely remains on the West Coast. They have five adult children and many grandchildren. The two have been married for 59 years.

Earlier this year, Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty to misdemeanour driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California's wine country and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.

Lawmakers from both parties reacted to the assault with shock.

“What happened to Paul Pelosi was a dastardly act," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, “D-N.Y. I spoke with Speaker Pelosi earlier this morning and conveyed my deepest concern and heartfelt wishes to her husband and their family, and I wish him a speedy recovery.”

“We have been to many events with the Pelosis over the last 2 decades and we've had lots of occasions to talk about both of our families and the challenges of being part of a political family. Thinking about the Pelosi family today," tweeted Senator Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden has also been in contact with Nancy Pelosi.

“The President is praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi's whole family," Jean-Pierre said. This morning he called Speaker Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack. He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected. The president continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family's desire for privacy be respected."

Putin Rules Out Using Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine

Putin said Russia isn't the enemy of the West but will continue to oppose the purported diktat of Western neo-liberal elites, accusing them of trying to subdue Russia (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but described the conflict there as part of alleged efforts by the West to secure its global domination, which he insisted are doomed to fail.

Speaking at a conference of international foreign policy experts, Putin said it's pointless for Russia to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

“We see no need for that,” Putin said. “There is no point in that, neither political nor military.”

In a long speech full of diatribes against the US and its allies, Putin accused the US and its allies of trying to dictate their terms to other nations in a dangerous, bloody and dirty domination game.

Putin, who sent his troops into Ukraine on February 24, has cast Western support for Ukraine as part of broad efforts by Washington and its allies to enforce its will upon others through what they call a rules-based world order.

He argued that the world has reached a turning point when the West is no longer able to dictate its will to humankind but still tries to do it, and the majority of nations no longer want to tolerate it.

The Russian leader claimed that the Western policies will foment more chaos, adding that he who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.

Putin claimed that humankind now faces a choice: accumulate a load of problems that will inevitably crush us all or try to find solutions that may not be ideal but working, and could make the world more stable and secure.

The Russian leader said Russia isn't the enemy of the West but will continue to oppose the purported diktat of Western neo-liberal elites, accusing them of trying to subdue Russia.

Their goal is to make Russia more vulnerable and turn it into an instrument for fulfilling their geopolitical tasks; they have failed to achieve it and they will never succeed, Putin said.

Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that Russians and Ukrainians are part of a single people and again denigrated Ukraine as an artificial state, which received historic Russian lands from Communist rulers during the Soviet times.

The Russian leader repeated Moscow's unfounded claim that Ukraine was plotting to detonate a radioactive dirty bomb to blame Russia for a false flag attack, the allegations rejected by Ukraine and dismissed by its Western allies as transparently false.

Putin said he thinks all the time about the casualties Russia has suffered in the Ukraine conflict, but insisted that NATO's refusal to rule out prospective Ukraine's membership and Kyiv's refusal to adhere to a peace deal for its separatist conflict in the country's east has left Moscow no other choice.

He denied underestimating Ukraine's ability to fight back and insisted that his special military operation has proceeded as planned.

Putin also acknowledged the challenges posed by Western sanctions but argued that Russia has proven resilient to foreign pressure and has become more united.

BJP, Hindu Outfits Call For Bandh In Coimbatore On October 31

 

BJP and some Hindu outfits have called for a 12-hour bandh in Coimbatore District on October 31 over a car explosion.

The city, which witnessed serial blasts in 1998, was saved from major disaster as the gas cylinder in the car exploded before (reaching) the target, BJP leader C.P. Radhakrishnan told reporters on Wednesday.   

The ruling DMK has not seriously taken up the incidents of hurling petrol bombs at the offices and houses of BJP leaders in the district, he said.   

The government should have gone through the history of such activities. Instead, the administration was eyeing only votes, he alleged.   

To draw the attention of the government, the BJP and like-minded organisations like Hindu Munnani have decided to observe bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on October 31. 

Ukraine's Energy Operator Accuses Russia Of 'Secret' Work At Nuclear Plant

(Source: PTI)

Ukraine's nuclear energy operator said on Tuesday that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, an activity that could shed light on Russia's claims that Kyiv's forces are preparing a provocation involving a radioactive device.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine was preparing to launch a so-called dirty bomb.

Shoigu made the charge in calls to his British, French, Turkish and US counterparts over the weekend. Britain, France, and the United States rejected it out of hand as transparently false.

Ukraine also dismissed Moscow's claim as an attempt to distract attention from the Kremlin's own alleged plans to detonate a dirty bomb, which uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste, in an effort to sow terror.

Energoatom, the Ukrainian state enterprise that operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last week at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

“Russian officers controlling the area won't give access to Ukrainian staff running the plant or monitors from the UN's atomic energy watchdog that would allow them to see what they are doing,” Energoatom said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Energoatom said it assumes (the Russians) are preparing a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste stored at (the plant).

It said there were 174 containers at the plant's dry spent fuel storage facility, each of them containing 24 assemblies of spent nuclear fuel.

“Destruction of these containers as a result of explosion will lead to a radiation accident and radiation contamination of several hundred square kilometres (miles) of the adjacent territory,” the company said.

It called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess what was going on.

The Kremlin has insisted that its warning of a purported Ukrainian plan to use a dirty bomb radioactive device should be taken seriously and criticized the Western nations for shrugging it off.

“The dismissal of Moscow's warning is unacceptable in view of the seriousness of the danger that we have talked about,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a conference call with reporters, Peskov added, “We again emphasise the grave danger posed by the plans hatched by the Ukrainians.”

The White House on Monday again underscored that the Russian allegations were false.

“It's just not true. We know it's not true, John Kirby,” a spokesman for the National Security Council, said. “In the past, the Russians have, on occasion, blamed others for things that they were planning to do,” he said.

Dirty bombs don't have the devastating destruction of a nuclear explosion but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.

Grazing Animals Key To Long-Term Soil Carbon Stability, Finds Study

 

Large mammalian herbivores like the yak and ibex play a crucial role in stabilising the pool of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems such as the Spiti region in the Himalayas, according to a 16-year-long study.

Experimental removal of grazing by herbivores from such ecosystems was found to increase the fluctuations in the level of soil carbon, which can have unintended negative consequences for the global carbon cycle, it said.

The study was carried out by researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) and the Divecha Centre for Climate Change (DCCC), Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Since soil contains more carbon than all plants and the atmosphere combined, it is important to ensure its persistence, it was noted.

When plants and animals die, dead organic matter remains in the soil for a long duration before microbes break it down and release carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

"The soil pool is a reliable sink for trapping carbon," explains Sumanta Bagchi, Associate Professor at CES and senior author of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in a statement issued by the Bengaluru-based IISc.

Maintaining stable levels of carbon in the soil is therefore key to offsetting the effects of climate change, he said.

Bagchi began studying the impact of grazing animals on Himalayan ecosystems during his PhD back in 2005.

With support from the Himachal Pradesh government, local authorities, and the people of the Kibber village in Spiti, he and his team established fenced plots (where animals were excluded) as well as plots in which animals like yak and ibex grazed.

Over the following decade, he and his students collected soil samples from the region and analysed their chemical composition, tracking and comparing the levels of carbon and nitrogen in each plot year after year.

From one year to the next, soil carbon was found to fluctuate 30-40 per cent more in the fenced plots where animals were absent, compared to the grazed plots where it remained more stable each year.

A key factor underlying these fluctuations was nitrogen. Depending on the soil conditions, nitrogen can either stabilise or destabilise the carbon pool.

Grazing by herbivores, however, changes their interactions in ways that tip the balance in favour of the former, the researchers found.

Many previous studies have focused on measuring carbon and nitrogen levels at long time intervals, assuming that the accumulation or loss of carbon is a slow process, explains Dilip G T Naidu, PhD student at DCCC and first author of the study.

But the inter-annual fluctuations they noticed in their data paint a very different picture, he adds.

These fluctuations can be consequential for climate as they are linked to how large mammalian herbivores influence soil.

Because grazing ecosystems make up about 40 per cent of the Earth's land surface, protecting the herbivores that keep the soil carbon stable should remain a key priority for mitigating climate change, the researchers suggest.

"Both domestic and wild herbivores influence climate via their effects on soil carbon," explains Shamik Roy, a former PhD student at CES and another author of the study.

In the ongoing research, Bagchi and his team are also assessing why domestic herbivores such as goats and sheep differ from their wild relatives in how they impact ecosystems.

"Domestic and wild herbivores are very similar in many respects, but they differ in how they influence plants and soil. Understanding why they are not alike can lead us toward more effective stewardship of soil carbon," Roy adds.

Pak Needs To Continue Taking Credible, Verifiable Action Against Terrorism: India

 

The world should remain clear that Pakistan must continue to take "credible, verifiable and irreversible" action against terrorism, India said after anti-money laundering watchdog FATF removed the neighbouring country from its "grey list".

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) took Pakistan off a list of countries under increased monitoring, also known as the "grey list".

"It is in global interest that the world remains clear that Pakistan must continue to take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustained action against terrorism and terrorist financing emanating from territories under its control," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Friday.

He was replying to questions from reporters on the issue.

"As a result of the FATF scrutiny, Pakistan has been forced to take some action against well-known terrorists, including those involved in attacks against the entire international community in Mumbai on 26/11," Bagchi said.

"We understand that Pakistan will continue to work with the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) to further improve its Anti Money Laundering (AML) or Counter Terror Financing (CTF) system," he added.

Pakistan was taken off the "grey list" in the wake of Islamabad's "high-level political commitment" in dealing with the menace of money laundering and carrying out reforms in its existing monitoring mechanism, according to the watchdog.

The decision was taken by the FATF at its plenary held in Paris on October 20-21.

At a virtual press conference subsequently, FATF president T Raja Kumar, who is from Singapore, said Pakistan has largely addressed all the 34 items flagged by the watchdog. However, he said, Pakistan still needs to continue to work in this regard and the FATF encourages it to cooperate with its Asia Pacific Group to combat financial terrorism and money laundering. 

India Records 2,119 New Coronavirus Cases

The swab sample of a woman being taken for COVID-19 testing (PTI Photo)

 

India saw a single-day rise of 2,119 new infections, taking the coronavirus tally to 4,46,38,636, while the number of active cases has declined to 25,037, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The death toll has climbed to 5,28,953 with 10 fatalities which includes five deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76 per cent, the health ministry said.

A decrease of 473 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.13 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.97 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,40,84,646, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry, 219.50 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive.

India's Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed one crore on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year.

Women Twice As Likely As Men To Develop Long COVID: Study

(Source: PTI)

Women are twice as likely as men to experience the long-term symptoms of COVID-19, according to a study.

Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, US, estimate that globally 63 per cent of those with long COVID during the first two years of the pandemic were female.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines long COVID as symptoms that are present three months after becoming infected with COVID-19 with a minimum duration of two months.

The study, published recently in the journal JAMA, also found that the risk of developing long COVID increased dramatically for women who were hospitalised with the SARS-CoV-2 virus compared to men who also faced hospitalisation.

“Since SARS-CoV-2 first began to spread around the globe in 2020, three long COVID symptom clusters have prevented otherwise healthy people from fully recovering, keeping them from returning to work or school and even forcing them to seek further medical attention or other rehabilitative services,” said Theo Vos, Professor of Health Metrics at IHME and the research paper’s senior author.

The team estimates that in 2020 and 2021, around 51 per cent of long COVID patients complained of persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, 60 per cent reported that they suffered from respiratory issues, and 35 per cent reported cognitive problems.

The researchers also found that in 38 per cent of long Covid cases, two or all three of the symptom clusters overlapped.

“This important research estimates the proportion, severity, and duration of long COVID symptoms that can help health communities and policymakers understand the need for proper medical treatment and adequate access to services to help people recover,” study lead author Sarah Wulf Hanson, research scientist at IHME, said in a statement.

The average duration of long COVID symptoms was nine months for those who were hospitalised and four months for those who were not, the researchers said.

About 15 per cent of those with long COVID symptoms three months after becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus continued to experience symptoms even at 12 months, they added.

Multi-Disciplinary Agency Formed To Probe Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination Case Disbanded

 

The government has wound up the 24-year-old Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) constituted to probe the wider conspiracy into the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, officials have said.

MDMA was working under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and comprised officers from multiple central security agencies.

The order to disband the agency was issued in May and the pending investigation has been handed over to a different unit of the CBI, the officials said.

The agency was set up in 1998 for two years on the recommendation of the M.C. Jain Commission and was given annual extensions, but it failed to achieve any major breakthrough.

The agency, headed by a deputy inspector general of police-ranked officer, had sent 24 Letters Rogatory to countries like Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Malaysia seeking information on various aspects of the case, including banking transactions.

Over 20 requests were responded to by these countries and only a few were remaining, they said.

Sources said the probe was almost complete and the issue of some pending judicial requests or Letters Rogatory sent by the MDMA will now be handled by the CBI.

The MDMA -- initially headed by a joint director-ranked officer before being handed over to the DIG -- did not bring on record any startling revelation about the conspiracy which had tentacles in multiple countries, they said.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber named Dhanu during an election rally in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.

Scientists Develop 3D-Printed Wearable Ring To Repel Mosquitoes

(Source: PTI)

Scientists have developed a new 3D-printed wearable ring designed to repel mosquitoes and other insects for a long time.

The active ingredient is first "encapsulated" and formed into the desired shape, such as a ring, which can then be worn and releases an agent that repels insects.

The researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany developed their prototypes using "IR3535," a common insect repellent.

"Mosquito sprays containing IR3535 are very gentle on the skin and have been used all over the world for many years. That's why we've been using the agent for our experiments," said Professor Rene Androsch from the MLU.

It is usually applied as a spray or lotion and offers several hours of protection. However, the team is looking for ways to release the agent over a much longer period, such as by encapsulating it in a wearable ring or bracelet.

In the research published in International Journal of Pharmaceutics, the team used a special 3D printing technology to insert the insect repellent into a biodegradable polymer in a controlled manner and to shape the mixture of substances in various ways.

"The basic idea is that the insect repellent continuously evaporates and forms a barrier for insects," said lead author of the study, Fanfan Du, a doctoral candidate at the MLU.

The rate at which the insect repellent evaporates depends on many different factors, including temperature, concentration and the structure of the polymer used. After conducting various experiments and simulations, the team predicts that the insect repellent needs well over a week to evaporate completely at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius which is the body temperature.

While the researchers have proven that it is absolutely possible to develop a wearable insect repellent, the rings and other forms created for the study are only prototypes.

Further study needs to be carried out to determine how well the rings function under actual conditions, the researchers said.

The encapsulation material could also be further optimised, they added. 

Climate Activists Produced In UK Court After Soup Thrown At Van Gogh's Iconic 'Sunflowers' Painting

Activists of 'Just Stop Oil' glue their hands to the wall after throwing soup at van Gogh's painting 'Sunflowers' at the National Gallery in London (Reuters)

 

Three climate activists appeared in a London court on Saturday on charges of criminal damage after protests including throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting in the National Gallery.

Two women, aged 20 and 21, were charged in relation to the soup-throwing protest on Friday, while a third was charged over paint sprayed on a rotating sign at the Metropolitan Police's headquarters in central London. The three women pleaded not guilty to criminal damage at the Westminster Magistrates' Court during two brief hearings Saturday.

Demonstrators from climate change protest groups 'Extinction Rebellion' and 'Just Stop Oil,' which wants the UK government to halt new oil and gas projects, staged a series of protests in London on Friday.

'Just Stop Oil' said activists dumped two cans of tomato soup over the Van Gogh oil painting, one of the Dutch artist's most iconic works. The two protesters also glued themselves to the gallery wall.

Prosecutor Ola Oyedepo said the pair didn't damage the oil painting, which was covered by a glass protective case, but the damage was caused to the frame.

The painting, one of several versions of 'Sunflowers' that Van Gogh painted in the late 1880s, was cleaned and returned to its place in the National Gallery on Friday afternoon.

District judge Tan Irkam released the women on bail on condition that they don't have paint or adhesive substances on them in a public place.

Police said they made some 28 arrests in relation to Friday's protests, and 25 others were bailed pending further investigation.

'Just Stop Oil' has drawn attention, and criticism, for targeting artworks in museums. In July, activists glued themselves to the frame of an early copy of Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' at London's Royal Academy of Arts, and to John Constable's 'The Hay Wain' in the National Gallery.

Activists have also blocked bridges and intersections across London during two weeks of protests.

Putin Warns Of "Global Catastrophe" If NATO Clashes With Russian Army

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that any direct contact or direct clash of NATO troops with the Russian army would lead to a "global catastrophe".

Addressing the news conference in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, Putin said, "In any case, direct contact, direct clash of (NATO) troops with the Russian army is a very dangerous move which could lead to a global catastrophe. I hope that those who are saying this are smart enough not to take such a step."

Earlier, Putin had warned that he would use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory after annexing four regions of Ukraine last month, a move which the UN this week condemned.

On Tuesday, Group of Seven (G7) nations warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine will have severe consequences, according to a statement released by the White House.

Leaders of G7 states (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France, and Japan) said, "We deplore deliberate Russian escalator steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences."

Earlier, US President Joe Biden spoke of nuclear "Armageddon" in a warning about the escalation in Russia's war in Ukraine during a speech on Thursday.

Biden warned of the "assault" on American institutions and talked of the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons, at the New York home of James Murdoch, the son of media baron Rupert Murdoch.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis," Biden said in New York City.

At a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Putin is "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons." This is because, Biden said, "his military is -- you might say -- significantly underperforming,"

"I'm trying to figure out, what is Putin's off-ramp?" Biden said. "Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself in a position that he does not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?"

According to a pool report, Biden told attendees at the event, "I don't think there is any such thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon."

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Putin has renewed his nuclear threats as he announced the annexation of Ukrainian territory, some of which Russia doesn't control, and with the call-up of 300,000 reservists to reinforce his flagging invasion.

Russia Pounds Iranian-Made Kamikaze Drones On Kyiv

Ukraine's capital region was struck by Iranian-made kamikaze drones early on Thursday, officials said, sending rescue workers rushing to the scene as residents awoke to air raid sirens for the fourth consecutive morning following Russia's major assault across the country earlier this week.

Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said the strike occurred in the area around the capital. It wasn't yet clear if there were any casualties.

Deputy head of the presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram that critical infrastructure facilities in the area were hit, without offering any details on which ones.

In the southern city of Mykolaiv, overnight shelling destroyed a five-storey apartment building as fighting continued along Ukraine's southern front.

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkovych said the building's top two floors were completely destroyed in a single strike and the rest of the building was left in rubble. There were no immediate reports of dead or wounded.

Early morning attacks on Ukraine's southern front have become a daily occurrence in Russia's war as Kyiv's forces push a counteroffensive aimed at recapturing territory occupied by Moscow.

Attacks on Kyiv had become rare before the capital city was hit at least four times during Monday's massive strikes, which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 100 across the country.

Western leaders this week pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine, including air defence systems and weapons Kyiv has said are critical to defeating the invading Russian forces.

Britain said on Thursday that it will provide missiles for advanced NASAM anti-aircraft systems that the Pentagon plans to send to Ukraine in coming weeks. It's also sending hundreds of additional aerial drones for information gathering and logistics support, plus 18 more howitzer artillery guns.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that these weapons will help Ukraine defend its skies from attacks and strengthen their overall missile defence alongside the US NASAMS.

The systems, which Kyiv has long wanted, will provide medium- to long-range defence against missile attacks.

The offer comes as NATO defence ministers meet in Brussels, aiming to help bolster Ukraine's aerial defences after Monday's widespread Russian assault.

Ukraine's military said this week that its current air defences have shot down dozens of incoming Russian missiles and Shahed-136 drones, the so-called kamikaze drones that have played an increasingly deadly role in the war.

Gyanvapi Row: Court Verdict On Plea For Carbon Dating Of 'Shivling' On Oct 14

The Gyanvapi Mosque (PTI)

 

(Source: PTI)

 

A district court in Varanasi will pronounce on October 14 its verdict on a plea for the carbon dating of a "Shivling", claimed to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.

Hindu petitioners had, during a court-mandated videography survey of the mosque premises, claimed that a "Shivling" was found close to the "wazookhana", a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.

The claim was disputed by the Muslim side, which said the object was part of a "fountain".  

Arguments on the plea were complete on Tuesday and the court will pronounce its verdict on October 14, District Government Counsel Mahendra Pratap Pandey said.

Advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, who appeared for the Muslim side, said they told the court that carbon dating of the object cannot be done.

If the object gets damaged in the name of carbon dating, it amounts to the defiance of the order of the Supreme Court, he said. 

Earlier, the Muslim side had contended that the Supreme Court had asked the Varanasi district magistrate to keep the object safe. In such a situation, getting it examined cannot be justified, they had said.

The Muslim side also said the original case is about the worship of Shringar Gauri, while the structure in the mosque has nothing to do with it.

In such a condition, neither any investigation can be done by the Archaeological Department nor a legal report be called after conducting a scientific investigation, they had said.

SC Notice To Centre On Plea To Declare 'Talaq-e-Kinaya' And 'Talaq-e-Bain' Unconstitutional

(Source: PTI)

The Supreme Court Monday sought responses from the Centre and others to a plea seeking to declare all forms of "unilateral and extrajudicial" divorce among Muslims, including 'Talaq-e-Kinaya' and 'Talaq-e-Bain' as void and unconstitutional.

A bench of Justices S A Nazeer and J B Pardiwala issued notices to the Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Minority Affairs and others while seeking their replies.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by Karnataka-based Syeda Ambreen asserting the practices are arbitrary, irrational and contrary to fundamental rights to equality, non-discrimination, life and freedom to practice religion.

The petitioner has also sought a direction to the Centre to frame guidelines for gender neutral and religion neutral uniform grounds of divorce and uniform procedure of divorce for all citizens.

The petition contended Talaq-e-Kinaya, Talaq-e-Bain and other forms of unilateral and extrajudicial talaq are an "evil plague similar to sati" that continue to trouble Muslim women and pose extremely serious health, social, economic, moral and emotional risks.

"It is submitted that religious officers and priests like imams, maulvis, kazis etc. who propagate, support and authorise the Talaq-E-Kinaya and Talaq-E-Bain and other forms of unilateral extrajudicial talaq are grossly misusing their position, influence and power to subject Muslim women to such gross practice which treats them as chattel, thereby violating their fundamental rights," the plea said.

The petitioner said in January 2022, a pre-filled letter from the 'kazi' office was received in which vague allegations were made. It was stated on her husband's behalf that due to these conditions, it is not possible to continue this relationship and she is relieved of the matrimonial relationship.

"These words are called Kinaya words (ambiguous words or unclear form eg. I free you, you are free now, you/this relation is haram on me, you are separated from me now, etc) through which Talaq-e-Kinaya/Talaq-e-Bain (instantaneous and irrevocable and extra-judicial form of talaq, in single sitting, either pronounced or in written/electronic form) is given," the plea said.

Idol Destroyed At Colonial-Era Hindu Temple In Bangladesh

Unidentified persons destroyed the idol of a deity at a colonial-era Hindu temple in western Bangladesh, prompting police to launch a massive manhunt, officials said on Friday.

Authorities of the Kali temple in Dautiya village in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah district found the idol smashed into pieces on Friday and dumped the idol’s head on a road half a kilometre from the temple’s premises, news portal bdnews24.com quoted Sukumar Kunda, president of the temple committee as saying.

The Kali temple was a place of worship for the Hindus since the colonial era, Kunda said.

The incident comes to the fore a little more than 24 hours after the 10-day annual Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh came to an end with the immersion of idols on the auspicious Vijayadashami at various river ghats across the country.

The incident took place at night at the temple in Jhenaidah, general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council Chandanath Poddar told PTI.

Poddar, a mathematics professor of premier Dhaka University, however, called it an isolated but unfortunate incident since the ten-day festival was held across the country without any disruption.

A case has been lodged and an investigation and manhunt for the suspects are underway, Jhenaidah police assistant superintendent Amit Kumar Burman said.

Barring this incident, Durga Puja festivities were celebrated peacefully across Bangladesh this year.

This was a far cry compared to last year, when at least six people were killed and hundreds injured in communal violence and clashes that broke out during the Durga Puja celebrations in the country.

Hindus constitute around 10 per cent of the Muslim-majority Bangladesh’s 169 million population.

 

 

Death Toll In Uttarkashi Avalanche Increases To 26

(Source: PTI)

Ten more bodies were recovered from the site of an avalanche in Uttarakhand, taking the death toll to 26, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering said on Friday.

Two Cheetah helicopters took off from the Army helipad in Harsil to join the search operations, officials said.

The avalanche occurred at a height of 17,000 ft on Tuesday, when a team of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was returning after scaling Draupadi Ka Danda II peak.

Three more bodies were recovered from the avalanche site late on Thursday evening and seven were found on Friday, taking the total number of bodies retrieved so far to 26, the NIM said.

While 24 of these bodies are of trainee mountaineers, two are of their instructors, it said.

According to the NIM, three trainees are still missing. Fifteen bodies were recovered on Thursday, the NIM said.

“Four of the bodies that were being brought to Matli were taken to the Harsil helipad due to bad weather. From there, they were sent to Uttarkashi in ambulances,” District Magistrate (DM) Abhishek Ruhella said. “Not all the bodies have been identified yet. The relatives of the deceased who have been identified have been informed,” he added.

“Inclement weather hampered aerial search efforts but they continued uninterrupted on the ground,” the DM said.

A heavy rain alert was issued by the meteorological department for several hill districts in Uttarakhand including Uttarkashi, where schools were closed on Friday and disaster management teams were put on alert.

NIM instructor Nayab Subedar Anil Kumar, who survived the tragedy, told PTI on Thursday that 33 climbers took shelter in a crevasse during the avalanche.

“Four bodies were pulled out of the crevasse on the day of the avalanche while 29 were still stuck,” Kumar said.

Army, IAF, NIM, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, High Altitude Warfare School (Jammu and Kashmir) and the State Disaster Response Force, along with the district administration, are conducting the search operations that were launched hours after the avalanche struck on Tuesday.

The mountaineers who went missing after the avalanche were part of a team selected by the NIM for an advanced training course.

Indian-American Man Kills Daughter-In-Law At Walmart Parking Lot: Report

(Source: PTI)

A 74-year-old Indian-American man has been arrested in the US state of California, for fatally shooting his daughter-in-law at a parking lot possibly out of anger over her plans to divorce his son, according to a media report.

Sital Singh Dosanjh killed his daughter-in-law Gurpreet Kaur Dosanjh last week in the South San Jose parking lot of the Walmart where she worked, the East Bay Times reported.

A police investigation that led to the arrest of Sital revealed that the victim was on the phone on Friday telling her uncle about her fear that Sital was looking for her, it said.

She also reportedly told her uncle that she saw Sital driving in the lot, indicating that he travelled 150 miles to find her, the report added.

The uncle told police that her niece sounded “frightened” and that Sital was approaching her car, where she was taking a break from work.

That was the last thing the uncle said he heard before the phone call disconnected. Five hours later, a Walmart co-worker discovered Gurpreet's body in the same lot, in the same car, suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the report added.

According to the police summary, Gurpreet's uncle told investigators that his niece “was in the process of divorcing (the) suspect's son,” and that the husband and his father lived in Fresno. Gurpreet lived in San Jose, according to the investigation.

As homicide detectives and other officers were investigating the shooting, the victim's uncle, who was the last person to hear his niece alive, drove from the Central Valley and arrived at the crime scene. Police said he helped investigators formally identify Sital Dosanjh as the likely suspect.

The next morning, Sital was arrested at his home in Fresno. During a search of the residence, police seized a .22-caliber Beretta pistol, according to a police investigative summary accompanying a murder charge filed Wednesday by Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Sital was transported to the Main Jail in San Jose, where he has been held without bail. During his arraignment in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday, he was clad in a red jumpsuit reserved for high-security inmates, had a blue surgical mask over his face and did not speak. He did not enter a plea and was ordered to return to court on November 14.

Detectives found that surveillance video showed that Sital's black Silverado pickup truck was seen entering the parking lot, driving up near his daughter-in-law's car, and then leaving the lot.

The detectives also determined that license plate reading cameras in Gilroy, surveillance cameras on Pacheco Pass, and Sital Dosanjh's cell phone records charted his drive back to Fresno over the next few hours.

Swedish Euro MP Cuts Hair To Support Iran's Anti-Hijab Protests

(Source: AFP)

A Swedish Euro MP has joined the movement in support of Iranian women by cutting off her hair in parliament and calling for EU action against Tehran.

"We, the people and citizens in the EU, demand the unconditional and immediate halt of all violence against women and men in Iran," said Abir al-Sahlani of the centrist Renew group late Tuesday.

"Until Iran is free our fury will be bigger than the oppressors. Until you, the women of Iran are free, we are going to stand with you," said the deputy before taking out a pair of scissors and hacking her hair.

"Women, Life, Freedom!" she shouted, holding up a lump of hair, in a video posted on the parliament's website.

Women removing their headscarves and cutting their hair has been a key image of the protests in Iran that broke out last month.

They were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by Iran's "morality police" who enforce a strict dress code requiring women to cover their hair in public.

The parliamentary protest came the same day French film stars, including Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche and Marion Cotillard, appeared in an Instagram video cutting their hair with women protesters in Iran.

In Strasbourg, the Swedish MP went on to accuse EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell of failing to "take a stand for the women in Iran" at the recent UN General Assembly.

"It's time to speak out. It's time to act. The hands of the regime of the mullahs in Iran are stained with blood," she said.

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Borrell said the EU is preparing "restrictive measures" to sanction Iran over the crackdown that has led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests.

RSS Leader Voices Concern Over Poverty, Inequality; Congress Credits Bharat Jodo Yatra

 

Representational Image: AFP

Congress on Monday took a dig at the RSS voicing concern over inequality, unemployment and poverty and credited it to the impact of the Bharat Jodo Yatra spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi.

"Look at the impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Even those who break the country and spread poison in the society are raising the issues of poverty, unemployment and inequality," AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.

He was referring to the remarks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale at a seminar on the need to address the challenges posed by poverty, income inequality and unemployment in the country.

However, Hosabale had blamed the 'faulty' economic policies of the earlier governments for the 'ills' in the economy.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh also said that the impact of the Yatra was visible on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Hosabale.

"What was the impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi? Ramdev started praising the Nehru-Gandhi family, Mohan Bhagwat started visiting masjid and madrassas.”

"RSS General Secretary Dattatraya Hosabale ji started worrying about the increasing poverty in the country, the growing gap between the rich and the poor and unemployment," Singh said on Twitter.

Last month, Bhagwat, along with senior Sangh functionaries, met Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief of All India Imam Organisation, at a mosque, taking forward his outreach to the Muslim community.

Singh said not even a month has passed since the launch of the Yatra and the BJP and Sangh Parivar have already started worrying about poverty, unemployment and inflation in the country.

The senior Congress leader also wondered why Hosabale does not raise these issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Dattatreya ji, understand this it is due to the policies of Modi ji (that) the wealth of 100 big families of the country is increasing and the income of the poor and middle-class families of the country is decreasing," Singh said.

Congress functionary Pawan Khera also took a dig at Hosabale's remarks on poverty, unemployment and inflation at a seminar organised by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

"I have heard that the clouds of worry have started gathering over Nagpur. Now even Hosabale ji has started seeing the unemployed," said Khera, the Chairman of AICC's Media and Publicity Department.

Maha Govt Asks People To Say 'Vande Mataram' On Phone Calls Instead Of 'Hello'

 

The Maharashtra government on Sunday launched a campaign appealing to people to say 'Vande Mataram' while receiving phone calls instead of the customary 'Hello.'

A day earlier it had issued a Government Resolution (GR) appealing to the state employees and officers to greet people with 'Vande Mataram' instead of 'Hello' during official or personal phone calls, stating the word "hello" depicts the western culture and does not arouse any emotion.

“The 'Vande Mataram' greeting is not mandatory, but the heads of departments should encourage their staff to do so,” the GR said. Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday said the party will greet people with 'Jai Baliraja' and 'Ram Ram' to express its gratitude to farmers.

State Congress president Nana Patole, however, added that the party was not opposed to the 'Vande Mataram' greeting.

"Vande Mataram means we are bowing before our mother. Hence, it is our appeal to the people to say Vande Mataram instead of Hello,” state Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said at a rally held in Wardha district on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He said people can also say 'Jai Bhim' or 'Jai Shri Ram', or even mention their parents' names while answering a phone call. "All forms (of greetings) are okay with us. Our appeal is to avoid saying Hello while receiving a call," the minister added.

As per the GR, 'Hello' depicts the western culture and the word did not have any specific meaning. "The word is just a formality which does not arouse any emotion".

“Greeting people by saying 'Vande Mataram' will create a feeling of affection,” it said, adding that an awareness campaign should be conducted to promote it.

Mungantiwar said during the Independence movement, a slogan like 'Inquilab Zindabad' (long live the revolution) was banned by the British rulers.

"But, it inspired many people to join the (freedom) movement and eventually we won freedom. Even Mahatma Gandhi had supported (chanting of) 'Vande Mataram' and he had written so in a (newspaper) column published at that time,” he said.

Patole said the Congress will greet people by saying 'Jai Baliraja' (hail the farmer) and 'Ram Ram' as a way to express its gratitude to farmers.

“Our country is an agrarian economy where the agriculture sector plays a major role. It is our stand that we will say 'Jai Baliraja' and 'Ram Ram' while greeting people to express gratitude for farmers," he told reporters when asked about 'Vande Mataram'.