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PM Modi To Meet ISRO Scientists Today, Celebrate Chandrayaan-3 Success

PM Modi To Meet ISRO Scientists Today, Celebrate Chandrayaan-3 Success

by | Aug 25, 2023 | top-stories


PM Modi will visit Bengaluru tomorrow to congratulate Team ISRO on success of Chandrayaan-3

Bengaluru:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengaluru today morning to congratulate Team ISRO on the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon.

He is slated to spend an hour at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) and greet scientists of the national space agency headquartered in Bengaluru.

On Wednesday evening as the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface, PM Modi had joined the ISRO team at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISTRAC virtually from Johannesburg, where he was attending the 15th BRICS summit.

According to BJP, party leaders and workers would welcome PM Modi at two places – outside the HAL Airport and Jalahalli Cross, which is close to ISTRAC.

He had also flown down to Bengaluru on the night of September 6, 2019 to watch the planned touch down of Chandrayaan-2 mission’s ‘Vikram’ lander. But in the early hours of September 7, barely minutes before it was slated to land, ISRO lost contact with the craft, just 2.1 km above the lunar surface.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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Trump Arrested Over Election Fraud Released Shortly On 0,000 Bond

Trump Arrested Over Election Fraud Released Shortly On $200,000 Bond

by | Aug 25, 2023 | top-stories



Donald Trump was formally arrested Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges in Georgia.

Atlanta:

Former US president Donald Trump was arrested at a Georgia jail Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges and released on $200,000 bond after having a historic mug shot taken.

Trump, who is accused of colluding with 18 other defendants to overturn the 2020 election result in the southern state, spent less than 30 minutes inside Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail before leaving in a motorcade for the airport.

Like the other defendants in the case who have surrendered so far, the 77-year-old Trump had his mug shot taken during the booking process — a first for any serving or former US president.

In the photograph released by the sheriff’s office, he scowled at the camera while dressed in a dark blue suit, white shirt and red tie.

Speaking to reporters after his arrest, Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said it was a “very sad day for America.”

“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” he said. “I did nothing wrong.”

Trump posted the mug shot on his own Truth Social platform with the caption “Election Interference” and a link to his campaign website.

Trump was given the inmate number “PO1135809” by the Fulton County Jail, which listed his height as six foot three inches (1.9 meters), his weight as 215 pounds (97 kilograms) and his hair color as “Blond or Strawberry.”

The billionaire has been criminally indicted four times since April, setting the stage for a year of unprecedented drama as he tries to juggle multiple court appearances and another White House campaign.

Trump was able to dodge having a mugshot taken during his previous arrests this year: in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, in Florida for mishandling top secret government documents, and in Washington on charges of conspiring to upend his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

His arrest came one day after Trump spurned a televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — all of whom lag well behind him in the polls.

He still stole the spotlight, though, with all but two of the candidates saying they would support him as the party’s nominee even if he were a convicted felon.

Court dates in election race

A tight security perimeter was set up for Trump’s booking at the Fulton County Jail, which is under investigation for a slew of inmate deaths and deplorable conditions.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who filed the sweeping racketeering case, had set a deadline of noon on Friday for Trump and the other 18 defendants to surrender.

Trump and 11 others have turned themselves in so far.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered on Thursday and was released on $100,000 bond.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer when he was in the White House and vigorously pushed the false claims that Trump had won the 2020 election, was booked and released on Wednesday.

John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who is accused of drawing up a scheme to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden ones, has also been booked and released.

A few dozen supporters of the former Republican president gathered outside the jail, including Sharon Anderson who spent the night in her car.

“I think this is a political persecution and now that’s turned into a political prosecution,” Anderson told AFP.

Trump is the first US president in history to face criminal charges.

His various trials, if they take place next year, may coincide with the Republican presidential primary season, which begins in January, and the campaign for the November 2024 White House election.

Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump’s trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the last election with a lie-fueled campaign that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

Trump’s attorneys have countered with a suggested start date well after the election — April 2026.

Willis, the Georgia district attorney, initially proposed that the racketeering case begin in March next year, the same month Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Thursday, after one of the defendants asked for a speedy trial, she proposed that it begin for all 19 in October of this year, a move met with an immediate objection from Trump’s lawyers.

The Florida case, in which Trump is accused of taking secret government documents as he left the White House and refusing to return them, is scheduled to begin in May.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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Rishi Sunak Apologises For “Inadvertent” Code Breach Over Wife Akshata’s Shares

Rishi Sunak Apologises For “Inadvertent” Code Breach Over Wife Akshata’s Shares

by | Aug 24, 2023 | top-stories


Rishi Sunak acknowledged and apologised for the breach of the rules. (File)

London:

Rishi Sunak has apologised to the UK parliamentary watchdog after an investigation concluded that the British Prime Minister’s failure to declare wife Akshata Murty’s relevant business interest arose “out of confusion” and was “inadvertent”.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, had opened an inquiry into allegations that when discussing the government’s financial incentive scheme for people joining the childminding workforce, Rishi Sunak failed to declare that his wife held shares in one of six childminding agencies selected by the government to provide its new members with an enhanced financial incentive.

Rishi Sunak, 43, told the parliamentary watchdog that he had declared the interest on the Ministerial Register and Greenberg concluded that he was satisfied that Rishi Sunak had confused the concept of registration with the concept of declaration of interests.

“I formed the view that the failure to declare arose out of this confusion and was accordingly inadvertent on the part of Mr Sunak,” noted Greenberg in his inquiry report released on Wednesday.

“In view of this, I decided to conclude my inquiry by way of the rectification procedure available to me under Standing Order No. 150,” he said, which stops short of a formal report to be tabled with members of Parliament in the House of Commons to determine a course of action.

Under the requirements of the Standing Order, Rishi Sunak acknowledged and apologised for the breach of the rules. “I apologise for these inadvertent errors and confirm acceptance of your proposal for rectification,” Rishi Sunak wrote in his letter to the Commissioner.

“I welcome your confirmation that your investigation related to declarations of interests; there is no question that I correctly registered my wife’s shareholding,” he said.

“I am also grateful that during our helpful discussion, you accepted that my response during the Liaison Committee hearing on March 28, 2023 complied with the rules on declaration, given that at that time, I had no idea of the connection between Koru Kids and the Childminder Grants Scheme policy. It was only after the hearing that I became aware of the link, as set out in my subsequent letter to Sir Bernard, the Chair of the Liaison Committee, dated April 4, 2023,” he said.

In his correspondence, the British Indian leader also noted that should such a scenario arise again, he acknowledges a duty to write to the committee after an appearance before a parliamentary appearance to correct the record.

“I accept and once again apologise that my letter to the Liaison Committee on 4 April 2023 was not sufficiently expansive, as it confused the language of registration and declaration,” he said.

The issue had dominated the headlines in the wake of the Spring Budget in March, which included a pilot scheme of incentive payments of 600 pounds for childminders joining the profession, a sum that doubles to 1,200 pounds if they sign up through an agency.

Koru Kids was one of six childminder agencies in England listed on the government’s website when the policy was announced, and Akshata Murty was listed as a shareholder in the most recently filed paperwork for the business on Companies House.

Asked at a Commons Liaison Committee hearing if he had any interest to declare when talking about how the policy was formed, Rishi Sunak said: “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way.”
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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A 2019 Moment Trends On Twitter As Chandrayaan-3 Lands On Moon

A 2019 Moment Trends On Twitter As Chandrayaan-3 Lands On Moon

by | Aug 23, 2023 | top-stories


The photos showed an emotional Sivan after the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019.

New Delhi:

Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon this evening in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power, just days after a similar Russian lander crashed. As the country celebrated the giant feat, X (formerly Twitter) was filled with photos of former ISRO chief K Sivan.

The photos showed an emotional Sivan after the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. Some photos also showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi consoling him. The message conveyed by the photos was that failure is merely the stepping stone to success. 

“This day is an example of how to achieve success by learning from our defeats,” PM Modi said, in a congratulatory message, referencing India’s previous moon mission.

Wednesday’s landing had been eagerly awaited by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the frustrating failure of its previous mission at the last hurdle in 2019.

The mission control lost contact with the Chandrayaan-2 lunar module moments before its slated landing. Back at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, K Sivan broke down. The Prime Minister, who had flown down to the southern city to watch the landing event, hugged and consoled Mr Sivan.

“We are really excited…We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I am very happy,” Mr Sivan said today on the Chandrayan-3 mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi smiled broadly on a live broadcast to announce the mission’s success as a triumph that extended beyond his country’s borders.

“On this joyous occasion I would like to address the people of the world,” said Modi from the sidelines of the BRICS diplomatic summit in South Africa.

“India’s successful moon mission is not just India’s alone,” he added. “This success belongs to all of humanity.”

The unmanned Chandrayaan-3, which means “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, touched down at 6:04 pm as mission control technicians cheered wildly and embraced their colleagues.





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Mamata Banerjee’s “Planting Evidence” Charge After Raids In Kolkata

Mamata Banerjee’s “Planting Evidence” Charge After Raids In Kolkata

by | Aug 22, 2023 | top-stories


Mamata Banerjee said, “How can there be a guarantee that you are not planting any explosives”.

Kolkata:

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hit out at Central agencies over the Enforcement Directorate raids in Kolkata on Monday. The Trinamool alleges that central agencies are acting at the behest of the BJP.

“Our home is facing torture every day. Yesterday also all night. No one told me. I came to know of it from the lawyer. There was no intimation. The boy (Abhishek Banerjee) got back only day before yesterday. Suddenly they arrived at four, five places. I got news that they left at six in the morning,” Mamata Banerjee said referring to the Enforcement Directorate raids that took place on at least three locations in Kolkata on Monday.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the annual meeting of government officials, puja committees and police officers ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata.

The Chief Minister, one of the strongest critics of the BJP-led Central government, has always backed Opposition leaders facing investigation by Central agencies. Earlier she even said the use of Central agencies against Opposition will not help the BJP get votes.

Ms Banerjee’s nephew, senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee, and members of his family are under the scanner of the Central agencies in connection with an alleged coal smuggling scam.  He and his wife have been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

“Let’s say someone comes to my home. Or I send police to your home. What does the law say? They should have a warrant. They will inform the people at home as to why they have come. If there is a raid, other people will also be home,” she said.

Accusing central agencies of illegal activities, she said, “They are breaking locks and entering. There is no information.  In some places they are breaking locks and entering.  If someone is not at home and the home is closed… Even if someone is there to make tea, they are throwing them out of the home. After entering there are no witnesses”.

The Chief Minister also pointed to the security aspect of such visits. “How can there be a guarantee that you are not planting any explosives… That you are not planting a gun at the home… That you are not carrying crores of rupees in a box,” she said.

Accusing the Centre of “illegal political vendetta”, she added, “You cannot run the country like this.  We are citizens of an independent country. The PM boasts when he is abroad that he takes everyone along. And look at the Opposition-ruled states. They are biting us like ants.”

The Enforcement Directorate had searched offices of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited in New Alipore, Joka and Thakurpukur on Monday in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in appointments in government-run and government-aided schools.

Sujay Krishna Bhadra, who was arrested by ED in May, allegedly had links with Leaps and Bounds, according to the ED. In a chargesheet filed in the case, the agency alleged that Bhadra was the CEO of the company and drew a monthly salary of Rs 75,000.



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Chandrayaan-3’s Latest Pics Show Moon 70 Km Away Ahead Of Touchdown

Chandrayaan-3’s Latest Pics Show Moon 70 Km Away Ahead Of Touchdown

by | Aug 22, 2023 | top-stories


The Indian space agency has shared more images of the Moon taken from a 70-km distance by the country’s ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan-3. The images were captured by a camera tasked with guiding the lander during its historic touchdown tomorrow.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also shared a mission update along with the latest images of the Moon.

“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement,” it said.

The images were captured on Saturday by Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km. The camera helps the lander module determine its position by matching them against an onboard moon reference map, ISRO said.

The live telecast of the landing operations will begin at 5:20 pm tomorrow, it added.

The ISRO shared images of the far side of the Moon yesterday, showing some of its prominent craters. Those images were taken by a camera tasked to help the Vikram lander find a safe landing area.

The lander is expected to touch down on the Moon’s south polar region at 6:04 pm on Wednesday. If successful, India will join US, Russia, and China as only the fourth country to achieve this feat.





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