Videos of attack on Muslim child in U.P. taken down on X
The Union government moved to block online, the viral video of a Muslim child being attacked by his classmates, in Uttar Pradesh’s Mansurpur village. The Hindu on Friday identified at least three posts on X (formerly Twitter), that have been taken down in India; the posts remain available for X users in other countries. One posting of the video has over 900,000 views, with other posts having tens of thousands of views each. This is the second instance this month of videos showing attack on minorities being blocked on social media just as they were going viral.
G-20 nations arrive at consensus on issues of cultural heritage
The G-20 nations on August 26 arrived at a consensus on cultural issues such as the need to address the destruction of cultural heritage in situations of conflict, the curbing of illicit trafficking of artefacts, the restitution of cultural property and the need to protect living heritage, specially of indigenous people. However, there was no unanimity on “geopolitical issues” like the war in Ukraine.
IAF banking on indigenous fighter aircraft to prevent numbers going below current level
The Indian Air Force (IAF) which has puts its weight behind the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project is hoping for expedited deliveries and gearing up to place additional orders. The move is to arrest the IAF’s fighter strength falling further, from the current 31 squadrons, in the medium term. By 2030, the IAF would have 32 or 33 fighter squadrons and would have 35 or 36 fighter squadrons by 2040 if the indigenous fighters meet the induction timeline, a Defence official said.
Family alleges harassment by teachers after Dalit boy found dead in Rajasthan school
A 15-year-old student, studying in Class X of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, was found dead in his classroom at Pragpura in Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan. Police have registered a case of murder after the Dalit student’s family alleged that two of his schoolteachers were harassing him with casteist slurs.
Gunman kills three, himself in racially motivated shooting - Jacksonville sheriff
A white man fatally shot three people inside a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store on August 26 in a predominately Black neighborhood in an attack that the local sheriff called “racially motivated.” The shooter then killed himself. The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. at a Dollar General near Edward Waters University, a small historically Black university.
Gujarat power utility made ‘excess payment’ of ₹3,900 crore to Adani: Congress
Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil accused the Gujarat government of favouring the Adani Group by making an “excess payment” of ₹3,900 crore to Adani Power between 2018 and 2023. A Gujarat government spokesman denied that there was any scam, and said payments were ongoing, and would be adjusted.
Student slap incident throws light on poor quality of schooling in rural Uttar Pradesh
Apart from the alleged communal slant in the video taken at a private school in Khubbapur village of Muzaffarnagar, where a Muslim boy was slapped by his classmates at the instigation of his class teacher, the incident tells a story of the state of primary education in rural Uttar Pradesh. As urban media descended on the village, it became an opportunity for the children to complain about the corporal punishment they face in schools on a daily basis. Irrespective of gender and age, each child had a story.
Waiting for India’s counter proposal on investment court system: EU Trade Commissioner
The European Union is waiting for India’s response to its proposal of an ‘investment court system’ as a forum for trade arbitration, a move which could give an impetus to the negotiations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Speaking to a select group of journalists on Saturday, the EU’s Executive Vice President and Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said that the EU remains the single largest trading market in the world despite a growing number of risk factors such as the war in Ukraine.
Madurai train coach fire | Identification of deceased very challenging for officials
Officials from Southern Railways, police and Madurai district administration struggled to identify the nine persons who were charred to death in a fire in the railway coach in Madurai junction. The authorities were confronted by more than one challenge. The foremost was that all the nine bodies were charred beyond recognition. Besides, officials here found it difficult in interacting with the survivors as language remained a big barrier.
India, Asian Development Bank to set up climate change and health hub in Delhi
Having bagged the first WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine, to be set up in Gujarat, India is now all set to open a climate change and health hub in the national capital in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The World Health Organisation (WHO) outpost in Jamnagar will aim to provide leadership on global health matters pertaining to traditional medicine; ensure the quality, safety, efficacy, accessibility, and rational use of traditional medicine; develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas; and develop tools and methodologies for data collection and analytics.
CJI stresses on gender equality and social inclusivity in law practice
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud while addressing the graduating students at the 31st convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru said, “As lawyers, we are keenly aware of society and its injustices. Our duty to practice and uphold constitutional values at every point in our lives is therefore greater than that of a common citizen. Yet, this incident shows some lawyers are violating the law, leave aside upholding constitutional values.”
DGCA inspection finds lapses in Air India's internal safety audits
A two-member inspection team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found lapses in internal safety audits of Air India and the regulator is probing the matter, according to officials. According to the inspection report submitted to the DGCA, the airline was supposed to carry out regular safety spot checks in various areas of operations such as cabin surveillance, cargo, ramp and load but during a random inspection of 13 safety points, the team found that the airline prepared false reports in all 13 cases.
Restitution of cultural property important: PM Modi
PM Modi flagged the importance of restitution of cultural property observing that everyone has a right to access and enjoy their cultural heritage. Addressing the G 20 Culture Ministers’ meeting, Mr. Modi said since 2014, India has brought back hundreds of such artefacts which showcase the glory of its ancient civilization. He said tangible heritage not only had material value, but is also the history and identity of a nation.
The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team shattered Asian record in a stunning race, clocking 2 minute 59.05 seconds to qualify for its maiden final round of the World Championships in Budapest. The Indian quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh finished second in heat number one behind USA (2:58.47) to make it to the final to be held on Sunday.
