vijayawada l tuesday l september 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION At least 274 killed, 1,024 injured as Israel bombs Lebanon cities Thousands of people in southern and eastern Lebanon fled their homes after Israel military’s evacuation alert, congesting all roads to Beirut 300 targets hit, Hezbollah hotbeads next Hezbollah’s rockets hit Rafael factory The Israeli military said it was going after Hezbollah weapons sites, adding that it hit 300 targets on Monday. It said the next wave of airstrikes would include Bekaa Valley, which runs along the Lebanese-Syrian border, where Hezbollah has long had an established presence. It is where the militant group was founded in 1982 with the help of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ■ ■ Some Israeli strikes hit residential areas. One strike hit parts of Byblos in central Lebanon, which is 130 km from the border north of Beirut | P9 Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed it has stepped up its attack on Israel, firing dozens of rockets at an Israeli military post in Galilee. It also targeted the facilities of the Rafael defence firm, headquartered in Haifa 21 children and 39 women killed, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Mpox in India Kerala man tests +ve for fast-spreading Clade 1b strain K AVITA BAJ E LI - DATT @ New Delhi INDIA on Monday reported its first case of Mpox Clade 1b variant in Malappuram district in Kerala, officials sources confirmed. Clade 1b is the fastspreading and severe viral strain that has been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization. The patient, a 38-year-old man, had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates and was admitted to the government medical college hospital after he tested positive for Mpox last week, officials said. Official sources added that the patient, who is stable, has not been discharged from the hospital. “This is the first case of the current strain that led to the WHO declaring Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time,” they said. The state authorities are monitoring the situation and contract tracing all individuals who have come in contact with the patient, officials said. Kerala’s health minister Veena George said those returning from abroad, if they have any symptoms, should inform the health department and seek treatment at the earliest. “Isolation facilities have been established in all districts. Surveillance has been strengthened, including at airports,” she said. This is the second case of Mpox in India. The earlier case of Mpox that emerged in the national capital was a 26-year-old resident of Haryana’s Hisar, who tested positive for the West African Clade 2 strain. He was admitted to Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on September 8 and was discharged on September 21. Mpox infections, which manifest with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, last two-to-four weeks, and patients recover with supportive medical care. “It is a self-limiting disease and cannot be compared with Covid,” officials said. Storing, watching child porn a crime: SC S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday held that storage or watching of child pornographic material constituted an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). Setting aside a Madras High Court order, which held that merely downloading and or watching child porn on one’s electronic device did not amount to an offence under the POCSO and IT Acts, the bench said, “The High Court committed an egregious error in passing the im- pugned judgment.” A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala suggested that the Centre bring an ordinance to replace the term “child pornography” with “Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM)” so as to reflect more accurately the reality of such offences. The POCSO Act could be suitably amended by Parliament subsequently it , said. The bench also ordered all courts not to use the “child pornography” term hence- Says reform is key to relevance forth in their judicial orders. Justice Pardiwala, reading the verdict for the bench, said: “Section 15 of the POCSO provides for three distinct offences... It is in the nature and form of an inchoate offence which penalizes the mere storage or possession of any pornographic material involving a child when done with a specific intent prescribed thereunder, without requiring any actual transmission, dissemination etc.” The bench also stressed the need to address misconceptions around sexual health and added that promoting a comprehensive understanding of the benefits of sex education was essential for reducing the incidence of sexual crimes in the country . “Implementing comprehensive sex education programs that include information about the legal and ethical ramifications of child pornography can help deter potential offenders. These programs should address common misconceptions and provide young people with a clear understanding of consent and the impact of exploitation,” the p7 bench suggested. CALLS FOR HUMAN-CENTRIC DEVELOPMENT Modi’s message of humanity in Summit of Future Y E S HI s E LI @ New Delhi AMID raging global conflicts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stressed the need for collective efforts to bring peace and stability. “Success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not on the battlefield,” Modi said while speaking at the UN Summit of the Future. The Summit of the Future followed by the annual General Assembly high-level week comes in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Ukraine war as well as challenges of climate change, inequality and deep geopolitical divides. Modi also called for urgent reforms in global institutions including the UN for the collective betterment of the world and highlighted the success of India’s human-centric sustainable development model. Subtly pointing to the absurdity of the world’s largest international organisation excluding the world’s most populous country, Modi said his voice carries the weight of 1.4 billion Indians constituting one-sixth of the total world population. India has been pushing for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, pointing out that the powerful global body does not at all reflect the current geopolitical realities. India last sat at the UN high table as a nonpermanent member in 2021-22. Stressing the need for global reforms, Modi said: “Reform is the key to relevance. Global reforms are required. India has partnered with the Global South as we want to be more inclusive. We also included the African Union in the G20 hence proving that reform is the key to relevance.” In his five-minute address to world leaders from the iconic podium of the UN General Assembly hall in New York, Modi highlighted India’s human-centric approach to sustainability through food security and health initiatives. “Sustainable development can be successful. We in India have been able to help 250 millions come out of poverty express read Govt to seek Centre’s nod for HC Bench in Kurnool Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that proposals for setting up a High Court Bench in Kurnool will be sent to the Centre as promised during the polls. He said the State Cabinet will approve the resolution and send it to the Centre for its nod | P4 `10,000 honorarium for Imams soon, says Naidu kings on board India Open team with Chess Olympiad trophy on Sunday. (From left) Srinath Narayanan, Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, R Praggnandhaa & P Harikrishna (hidden) | PTI Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the promise of payment of a monthly honorarium of `10,000 and `5,000 to Imams and Muezzins will be implemented soon. Muslims going on Haj pilgrimage will be paid `1 lakh each, he added | P4 S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at Summit of the Future at the UN on Monday | PTI Meets Palestinian president abbas When we are discussing the Global Future, we must accord the highest priority to a humancentric approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, reaffirming India’s support for early restoration of peace in the region | P7 Accepts Oli’s invite to visit Nepal Modi also met Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli, who is on his maiden foreign visit to attend the UN session. “Our talks focused on energy, technology and trade,” Modi said in a post on X. Modi accepted Oli’s invitation to visit Nepal through our sustainability efforts, sustainable development can be successful,” he said. Modi also emphasised the need for balanced regulation at a global level, for the safe and responsible use of technology “We need . global digital governance, which ensures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld,’ he said, adding: “Digital Public Infrastructure should be a Bridge, not a Barrier”. World leaders have consistently lauded India’s digitalisation drive which has helped alleviate poverty and bring millions of people into the formal economic system. (With inputs from agencies) P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada In a major development in the case related to the alleged harassment of Bollywood actress and model Kadambari Jethwani, NTR district police added seven names in the FIR following the arrest of Kukkala Vidyasagar in Dehradun and recording his statement. Former Intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu was named accused number two (A2), followed by former police commissioner of NTR district Kanthi Rana Tata, former DCP Vishal Gunni, former West Zone ACP K Hanuman- tha Rao, former Ibrahimpatnam inspector M Satyanarayana, besides an advocate and a document writer based in Prakasam district. “Based on Vidyasagar’s confession and the probe carried out by the Ibrahimpatnam police, the role of three IPS officers and other cops was found to be in violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules,” said a senior police official. Vidyasagar, the prime accused in Kadambari Jethwani’s alleged harassment case, was produced in Vijayawada Court on Monday . The judge sentenced him to 14 P4 days remand. And now, we choose Laapataa Ladies for the Oscars What constitutes the perfect submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? It’s a question that haunts not only the Film Federation of India jury responsible for , announcing our official submission, but also our filmmakers and cinephiles alike. We argue and we try and we choose, and yet, the answer eludes us every year. Why else has it been 23 years since Lagaan became the last Indian film to make it to the final shortlist for nominations? A cautious answer to this question would be, “Whatever captures the fascination of the Oscars jury But what exact.” ly does? Ultimately it’s , about catering to the whims of the Western imagination. This isn’t simply about selecting what we believe to be the best film we have made. Instead, it’s about identifying which film we think has the best shot at getting nominated — setting aside, for now, the question of actually winning. Take last year, for instance. SS Rajamouli’s RRR sparked a frenzy of Western interest — a momen- Former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairperson and YSRC Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy and , senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy on Monday moved the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored investigation into the allegations of substandard ingredients being used to prepare Laddus at the Srivari temple in Tirumala. In his PIL, Subba Reddy requested the formation of an independent committee, led by a retired Supreme Court judge or experts, to in- Notice to vestigate the issue. AR Dairy The petition also called for an interim The FSSAI relief in the form of a detailed forensic issued a showreport on the source and quality of the cause notice to ghee and a temporary gag order on puba Tamil Nadulicising the issue to protect devotees’ based AR Dairy, sentiments. which supplied These measures aim to ensure transghee to Srivari parency and address public concerns temple for fairly his petition read. , making laddus, Similarly, Dr Swamy said in his petiafter animal tion that disclosures regarding the test fat was results should not have been leaked to detected in the media, but should have been handled four of its first by the temple trust’s officers on the samples administrative side. “There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple which go into the making of the Prasadams,” his plea read. Further, he sought directions to be issued to the State of Andhra Pradesh to file a detailed report on the source and sampling of the P4 ghee used for making the Laddus. 3 IPS officers named in actress case FIR Academy Awards Su d h i r S r i n i vasa n YV & Subramanian Swamy move SC over Laddu row tum we might have been wise to ride. Yet, we chose Chhello Show by Pan Nalin, a charming film, but one whose theme is rather familiar to Wester n audiences. And now, we place our hopes in Laapataa Ladies, a delightful film co-produced by Aamir Khan, the actor in our last Foreign Language Oscar-nominated film. The second directorial of Kiran Rao, this film places us in the heart of rural India with an undistracted gaze on its women — the lives they are expected to lead, the subjugation they endure, and the fleeting moments of respite they may or may not receive. It’s a narrative of sadness wrapped in huP5 mour. Shanti Homam, a purification ritual, was performed as per tenets of Vaikhanasa Agama in the Yagashala of Srivari temple on Monday | Express Not blaming Jagan for Laddu adulteration: PK E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada IN an interview to a news agency on Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said he was not blaming former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the Tirupati Laddu adulteration. Stating that it was under the supervision of Jagan that the alleged irregularities had occurred, the Jana Sena Party chief said, “Jagan should allow the system under the new NDA government to take its own course in punishing the culprits.” The Deputy CM’s remarks come in the wake of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claiming that the previous YSRC government used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making the Srivari Laddus. “Being an ex-chief minister, he (Jagan) could have just said go ahead, whoever the perpetrators or culprits are, let them get punished. If he is very clean in his heart, there is no need to do all this drama. That’s what I feel,” Kalyan told the news agency at P4 the JSP office in Mangalagiri.
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