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Flood situation in Tripura worsens, death toll rises to 10, over 34,000 people in camps

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Flood situation in Tripura worsens, death toll rises to 10, over 34,000 people in camps

Agartala, Aug 21 (IANS) The flood situation in Tripura further worsened on Wednesday with the death toll rising to 10 and over 34,100 people taking shelter in 331 relief camps in all the eight districts, officials said, adding that incessant heavy rains since Monday have created havoc in the state.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, who has sought deployment of additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, talked with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and apprised him about the prevailing flood situation in the state.

“The Home Minister assured me of all possible support during this crisis. I am grateful to him for providing all possible support to us at this hour,” Saha said in a post on X.

Disaster Management Department officials said that at least nine people, including three members of a family, were killed and two persons were injured in separate incidents of landslides and drowning following incessant rains in Tripura during the past 48 hours.

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According to the officials, the 10 deaths, including a 12-year-old girl, were reported from South Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts.

An official said that three members of a family, including a woman and a child, died at Debipur in South Tripura district when their house collapsed due to a massive landslide late on Monday night. Villagers recovered the three bodies on Tuesday morning. The deceased were identified as Trisankar Chakma, 50, his wife Rajini Chakma, 41, and their daughter Mita Chakma, 12.

The official said that over 34,100 people belonging to over 6,620 families had so far taken shelter in 331 camps in eight districts while over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees uprooted.

Water Resource Department officials said that most of the prominent rivers in Tripura are either flowing above critical or danger levels while the state’s main river Gomati has crossed the ‘extreme danger level’ in many places of Gomati and Sepahijala districts, as rainfall has continued.

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A large number of human habitations, urban and rural areas and many important highways have been inundated due to the floods while crops and other important assets were damaged in huge areas in all eight districts.

Chief Minister Saha, before going to his office in the civil Secretariat, had to come out from his private residence on a boat of the Disaster Management Authority.

Due to the heavy rain and floods, the government had ordered the closure of schools on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled 10 local trains in Tripura. An NFR spokesman said that due to heavy rains railway tracks were damaged in Gomati district, forcing the railway authority to cancel these trains.

A defence spokesman said that following the requisition from state administrations, four columns of Assam Rifles were deployed in different districts and they are working in close coordination with civil administration to rescue civilians stranded due to floods.

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First aid and essential items have been distributed by the Assam Rifles to hundreds of stranded people and those in relief camps.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) statement said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over Tripura for the next five days.

“The low-pressure area over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood persisted over the same region on Wednesday. The associated cyclonic circulation extends up to 9.6 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move nearly westwards across West Bengal during the next 48 hours,” the statement said.

The IMD recorded 145 mm rainfall till 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday and 182 mm rainfall between 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday to 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

–IANS

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Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms

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rajnath singh with armed forces chief

On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.

These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.

The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.

“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).

The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.

The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.

Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.

Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.

Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.

Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.

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Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs

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Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.

Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.

The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.

Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.

Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.

Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.

“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.

The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.

Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.

Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.

Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.

“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.

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Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”

Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.

On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.

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