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February 27, 2026
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President Ram Nath Kovind’s 75th birthday

By
Jyoti B
-

Wishes poured in for President Ram Nath Kovind on his 74th birthday this morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among the first few leaders who greeted him.

“Greetings to Rashtrapati Ji on his birthday. India has gained significantly from his insights and understanding of policy matters. One can always see his passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden. May Almighty bless him with long and healthy life,” tweeted PM Modi. 

Ram Nath Kovind was born on 1 October 1945, in Paraunkh village in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh, as the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. His father Maikulal Kovind ran a small shop. Kovind was born in a mud hut, which eventually collapsed. He was only five when his mother died of burns when their thatched dwelling caught fire. Kovind later donated the land to the community. 

Kovind worked in the Delhi Free Legal Aid Society, and he also served (1971–75, 1981) as general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Koli Samaj, an organization serving the interests of the Koli community, a Dalit subcaste.

From 1977 to 1979 he was a union government advocate in the Delhi High Court, and in 1978 he became an advocate-on-record of India’s Supreme Court. In 1980 Kovind advanced to the position of union government standing counsel in the Supreme Court, and he practised there until 1993. In addition, he served (1977–78) as the executive assistant to Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu greeted President Ram Nath Kovind on his 75th birthday on Thursday, saying he is known for his simplicity, warmth and concern for the poor.

“I convey my heartiest greetings to the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on his birthday today. He is known for his simplicity, warmth, vision, exemplary leadership and concern for the poor,” the Vice President Secretariat said in a tweet, quoting Naidu. “May he be blessed with good health and long life,” the vice president said.

BJP national president JP Nadda said, “Warm birthday greetings to the President of India Hon’ble Ram Nath Kovind Ji. His simplicity, relentless hard work & regular outreach is very inspiring. May God bless him with good health & long life in the service of the Nation.”

Uttarakhand: CM Rawat launches first Pirul power project

By
Shivani Negi
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday inaugurated first dry pine needle-based electricity generation project at Chakor Dhanari village in Dunda block of Uttarkashi district.

CM Rawat said that the pirul power project worth Rs 25 lakh will help in curbing forest fires in the states which have enhanced at a very high rate in the state for past few years.

“Due to forest fires, many trees, medicinal plants, vegetation gets destroyed and a large number of wild animals are also affected. With this power generation project using pine needle, forests and animals will be protected. This will also create employment opportunities,” said Rawat.

“Generating electricity from dry pine needles or pirul will not just save our forests but also create employment opportunities for the local population,” PTI quoted the chief minister as saying.

The CM also said that the state produces 23 lakh metric tonnes of pirul per annum out of which 200 MW electricity can be generated in the state annually.

The CM also underlined additional herbs which are found in considerable quantities in the remote areas of state. He also encouraged farmers to cultivate Kalavasa, which is a medicinal plant, to generate profit.

While speaking on the occassion, Rawat also informed that 250 satellite phones have been distributed to residents of border areas in the view of networking issues.

He further mentioned that the state government will be installing towers to enhance network connectivity.

Earlier, in a major development, CM Rawat also invited tech giants including Google to invest in the state.

Reliance Retail sells more stake to Silver Lake co-investors for Rs 1,875 cr

By
Shivani Negi
-

Reliance Industries(RIL) on Wednesday confirmed that co-investor of Silver Lake will modify their deal by investing an additional sum of Rs 1,875 crore in its retail unit.

The recent development will take the total investment by Silver Lake and its-co investors in the venture to Rs 9,375 crore. They will hol a 2.13 per cent equity stake in Reliance Retail Ventures, an official statement said.

“Silver Lake and its co- investors are valued partners on our journey to transform Indian Retail for the benefit of all Indians. We are pleased to have their confidence and support, as well as the benefit of their leadership in global technology investing and their valued network of relationships for the Retail revolution in India,”Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL said in a release.

“Silver Lake’s additional investment is a strong endorsement of the tremendous potential of Indian retail and the capabilities of Reliance Retail.”

This latest investment — the second on September 30 and fourth in three weeks — values Reliance Retail at a pre-money equity value of ₹ 4.285 lakh crore, RIL said in an exchange filing.

Earlier in the day, RIL introduced a new deal with growth equity General Atlantic. According to the company, General Atlantic will invest Rs 3,675 crore into Reliance Retail Ventures for a 0.84 per cent stake.

Reliance Retail has been boosting its relations with overseas investors. In past few weeks, RIL has collected a combined Rs 18,600 crore in the past few weeks from investors including US buyout firm KKR & Co and General Atlantic.

Meanwhile,Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, commenting on the deal, said, “We are delighted to increase our exposure and bring more of our co-investors into this unmatched opportunity. The continued investment momentum over the last few weeks is proof of the compelling vision and business model of Reliance Retail – and underscores the tremendous potential of the transformative New Commerce initiative.”

Zomato and Swiggy receive notice from Google over in-app gamification

By
Shivani Negi
-

Zomato and Swiggy have paused their in-app gamification process after receiving a notice from Google. According to the tech giant, ‘gambling’ or real-money gambling violates Google Play rules.

The notice was sent between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, source known to the matter said.

“The notices have been sent by Google’s global Play store team, with its Indian team relatively unaware about the matter. Zomato and Swiggy are not the only companies, Google has sent notices to. There are some more,” said one of the individuals, who didn’t want to be named.

Many apps have launched their in-app features to attract customers revolving around ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). These schemes require customers to invest real money and gamble.

While Zomato was running a scheme called Zomato Premier League, where users could make predictions about the ongoing IPL match, and earn cashbacks; Swiggy was running Match Day Mania offers during IPL matches.

Meanwhile, Zomato have termed Google’s notice unfair.

Food tech firms Zomato and Swiggy have suffered greatly due to the coronavirus pandemic. The apps had high hopes from the IPL-season to boost its sales.

“Yes, we have received a notice from Google. We believe that the notice is unfair, but we are a small company and have already realigned our business strategy to comply with Google’s guidelines,” a Zomato spokesperson told Economic Times.

The move comes a week after Google had removed Paytm app for few hours from its play store, alleging the firm of violating its guidelines by promoting in-app betting activities.

SoftBank-backed firm had said that Google arm-twisted to comply with its biased play store policies to create tech giant’s market dominance.

However, the app was restored after Paytm removed the ‘cashback’ feature associated to an in-app game.

Interestingly, Google had clarified on Tuesday that apps that choose to sell digital content through its Play Store will have to pay a percentage of the in-app purchase as a fee.

Presidential debate 2020 between Trump and Biden

By
Neha Kumari
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FILE - In this combination of file photos, former Vice President Joe Biden, left, speaks in Wilmington, Del., on March 12, 2020, and President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on April 5, 2020. Some of the country’s major sports betting companies are running contests in which participants predict things that will happen or be said during the presidential debate, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, for the chance to win money. (AP Photo/File)

America Elections 2020 will hold presidential elections on November 3. The first debate between the incumbent President and Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden has started.

Trump and Biden are presenting their views to the public on different issues. During this debate, both are attacking each other. Biden hit out at Trump, calling him as liar and asking him to remain silent.


Joe Biden said, ‘The truth is that everything he (Donald Trump) has said is just a lie. I have not come here to count his lies. Everyone knows that they are liars. ‘ From the very first minute of the debate, there was a lot of fervor between the two. Both started accusing each other. During this time, there was a moment when Biden’s mercury went up and he said to Trump, “Will you shut up.”


What is Presidential Debate?
In the US, the two most prominent candidates that emerge during the presidential election process have a discussion and debate on many issues between them, which helps to understand the perspective of both the country and world policies. This debate has been between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party candidates for some time.

Unlock 5: Cinema halls, Schools to open after October 15 with State Govt permission

By
Harshit
-
COVID-19, coronavirus, Unlock-5, Unlock-5 guidelines
COVID-19, coronavirus, Unlock-5, Unlock-5 guidelines

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has released the guidelines for Unlock 5 (Unlock 5.0 Guidelines). According to the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, cinema halls and multiplexes in Unlock-5 will be opened with 50 percent seats. The Central Government has announced the dates for opening cinemas, schools, coaching centers, and colleges in its guidelines.

According to the guidelines issued by the central government, the state government can start school colleges and coaching centers after October 15. Even before September 21, class 9th to 12th schools have been opened in many states.

Unlock 5 Guidelines

  • Cinema halls, multiplexes and theatres will reopen from October 15 with 50 per cent seating capacity.
  • Entertainment parks will also reopen from October 15 with mandatory guidelines.
  • Schools and educational institutions can reopen from October 15 however final call lies with the institutes and states. Online classes will continue and will be preferred. Students can go to school with written parental consent. Attendance must not be forced upon students, the centre said, adding mandatory guidelines have to be followed if schools decide to reopen.
  • Social, academic, sports, entertainment, political, cultural and religious functions and gatherings with over 100 people will now be allowed from October 15. Face masks, social distancing and thermal scanning are however mandatory in all such gatherings. In closed spaces, a maximum of 50 percent of the capacity will be allowed with a cap of 200 people.
  • Swimming pools can also reopen for the training of sportspersons and further guidelines in this regard will be issued by the centre.
  • International air travel will remain suspended except as permitted by the Home Ministry.
  • No restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods. No separate permission or e-permits will be required.
  • Education Ministry will decide with consultations with the Home Ministry on reopening of colleges.
  • Institutes only with research scholars in science and technology streams requiring laboratory work can reopen from October 15 if the head of the institution can confirm there is requirement of the scholars.
  • Trains, metros, domestic flights, markets and restaurants have already reopened or resumed service, with some restrictions.
  • Only essential services will be allowed in containment zones. Lockdown will continue in the containment zones till October 31.

Bihar Assembly Election 2020 – BJP and JDU may contest on equal number of seats

By
Neha Kumari
-

The seat-sharing model in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Bihar assembly elections 2020 is almost certain. Experts say that Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and Janata Dal JDU will contest on equal number of seats and the remaining seats will be divided between Lok Janshakti Party LJP and Hindustani Awam Morcha HAM.

According to a seat-sharing leader, the BJP after initial rounds of discussion suggested that both JDU and BJP should contest between 105 and 110 seats and divide the remaining seats among the allies. At the same time, JDU cadre is insisting that the party should have only one seat but more seats than BJP.

Before the Bihar Assembly elections, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) President Upendra Kushwaha has suffered a major setback. His trusted confidant in RLSP and right-handed national general secretary Madhav Anand has resigned from the party.

Madhav Anand sat close to Upendra Kushwaha at a press conference organized by Upendra Kushwaha on Tuesday to announce an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Babri Masjid – CBI judge said there was no criminal conspiracy

By
Neha Kumari
-

A special CBI court ruled in the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

After the trial lasted for 28 years, all the accused were summoned by Special CBI Judge SK Yadav to pronounce the verdict in the criminal demolition case. However, many accused did not appear in court today.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on September 30 acquitted all accused, including senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani, in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

CBI judge SK Yadav, in his 2,000-page judgement, said there was no criminal conspiracy and that there was not enough evidence to prove that the demolition was pre-planned.

Besides Advani, other senior BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara were also among the accused.


“I wholeheartedly welcome the judgement by the special court in Babri Masjid demolition case. The judgement vindicates my personal and BJP’s belief and commitment toward the Ram Janmabhoomi movement,” news agency ANI quoted Advani as saying.

“It’s a historic decision by the court. This proves that no conspiracy was hatched for the December 6 incident in Ayodhya. Our program and rallies were not part of any conspiracy. We are happy. Everyone should now be excited about Ram Mandir’s construction,” Joshi said, according to ANI.

French Open: Serena Williams withdraws with Achilles injury

By
Harshit
-

Serena Williams on Wednesday decided to withdraw from the French Open tennis tournament due to injury. The 23-time Grand Slam champion felt a bit of discomfort during the warm-up and then she decided to withdraw.

39-year-old Serena has suffered a muscle injury from the back of the leg to the ankle below the knee. She was supposed to meet Svetlana Pironkova of Bulgaria in the second round of the French Open.

“The Achilles didn’t have enough time to heal after the US Open,” said Williams.

“I was struggling to walk and that is a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover.”

Serena’s injury implies that she will miss the action for the rest of 2020 with leaving the Australian Open in 2021 as her next chance to equal Margaret Court’s all-time majors record.

“I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing,” she said. “It’s more than likely that I won’t play another tournament this year.”

Director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as chairman of FTII

By
Neha Kumari
-

Film director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India Society and chairman of the FTII Governing Council.

Shekhar Kapoor’s Innocent, Bandit Queen, Mr. India, Elizabeth and Bandit Queen are films recorded in the history of cinema. Shekhar Kapur has not only made films but also on TV. While Shekhar directed many great films on one side.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar also gave information about this on social media and told that Shekhar will remain in this post till 3 March 2023.

He wrote, ‘Mr. Kapoor, who has a lot of experience, will add more value to the institute. I am sure everyone will welcome his appointment. Shekhar Kapoor has given great films like Innocent, Bandit Queen, Mr. India, Elizabeth and Bandit Queen”.

Shekhar Kapur wrote on Twitter, ‘The debate about the remake of Mr. India is not that no one has allowed it from me nor has anyone felt the need to tell me anything. My question is that if you are remaking a feature film based on the successful work of the director, does the director not have any creative rights that made that film”.

Lufthansa cancels India flights over ‘air bubble’ dispute

By
Neha Kumari
-

German airline Lufthansa has canceled all flights to India between 30 September and 20 October. German airline Lufthansa has been in dispute with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the last few days.

Airline Major Lufthansa said on Tuesday that it has decided to cancel all scheduled flights between Germany and India from 30 September.

This step has been taken by the Indian authorities as the company canceled the planned flight schedule for October.

Lufthansa sought permission to operate special flights from the end of September. There was a need for India to agree to it but till now this demand has not been accepted and that is why Lufthansa has been forced to take this decision.

What is the dispute?
A DGCA official said that Indian airlines are currently operating 3-4 flights a week in the Corona era, but Lufthansa has operated only 20 flights a week. Lufthansa has been asked by DGCA to operate a maximum of 7 flights in a week, but Lufthansa did not agree to this.

Currently, India has agreements with 13 countries for the air bubble, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Maldives, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan. India is also considering air bubble agreements with several other countries, so that flights can be operated with those countries as well.

India test fires extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

By
Jyoti B
-

India on Wednesday successfully test-fired the extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which can hit targets at over 400-kilometre range.

Defence sources said the test, the second of the extended range BrahMos missile, took place from a land-based mobile launcher at 10.30 am. It comes at a time when the original 290-km range BrahMos has already been deployed in 
Ladakh as well as Arunachal Pradesh during the ongoing military confrontation with China.

The test was carried out under PJ-10 project of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, under which the missile was launched with an indigenous booster.

Last year, India had successfully test-fired BrahMos from a base in Odisha’s Chandipur on December 17. It was a land-attack version launched from a mobile autonomous launcher at Launch Complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) and it reportedly met all parameters. Because of the successful mission, the government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme has received a big boost. 

DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the team of scientists involved in today’s successful test of BrahMos supersonic missile and said that it will lead to adding more indigenous content in the missile.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated the DRDO for the successful flight testing of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

Here are the 5 features of the supersonic missile

The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound.

It’s medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile, capable of being launched from submarines, warships, fighter jets or land.

originally built with a range of 290 km, the latest version has a strike of 400 km.

The missile is already operational with the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force

It is regarded as one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world.


Aspiring actor Akshat Utkarsh dies in Mumbai

By
Jyoti B
-

Aspiring actor Akshat Utkarsh was found dead in his apartment in Andheri, Mumbai.

“Actor Akshat Utkarsh dies allegedly by suicide at his residence in Mumbai’s Andheri area. Case lodged, the matter being probed. Body handed over to the family after postmortem: Mumbai Police,” a statement issued by Mumbai Police reads, about the death that reportedly occurred on Monday.

The 26-year-old was found dead in his room by his woman friend who shared the flat with him on late Sunday night, said an official from Amboli police station.

According to the woman, she and Utkarsh were chatting till 11 pm after which he went into his room while she went to the washroom. From the washroom’s window she found his body hanging, news agency PTI quoted an official as saying.

The report states that Utkarsh’s friends who were questioned by the police said the actor was in depression because of the coronavirus lockdown. He was also going through financial trouble due to which he had to borrow money.

Meanwhile, Akshat’s uncle alleged that he was not depressed and had bagged a film on contrary to reports of lack of work. 

Armenia claims its fighter jet ‘shot down by Turkish F-16

By
Jyoti B
-

Armenia said a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down one of its warplanes over Armenian airspace on Tuesday, killing the pilot.

An Armenian defense ministry spokeswoman said the Armenian Sukhoi Su-25 warplane had been on a military assignment when it was downed by an F-16 fighter jet owned by the Turkish air force.

“The claim that Turkey shot down an Armenian fighter jet is absolutely untrue,” said Fahrettin Altun, a spokesman for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks.”

Armenian officials said Azerbaijani forces opened fire on a military unit in the Armenian town of Vardenis, setting a bus on fire and killing one civilian.

Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan, Russia – which has a military base in Armenia but is also friendly with Azerbaijan – has called for an immediate ceasefire.

Coronavirus updates| September 30, 2020

By
Jyoti B
-

India’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 61-lakh mark on Tuesday with a spike of 70,589 new cases and 776 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The country’s COVID count stands at 61,45,292 including 9,47,576 active cases, according to the Union health ministry. 

The average single-day recoveries have touched a record high of 90,000 in recent days, according to the Ministry of Health.

Maharashtra on Tuesday (September 29) reported 14,976 new COVID-19 cases, 430 deaths, and 19,212 discharges, while the total number coronavirus cases reached 13,66,129, according to the state’s Public Health Department.

Chhattisgarh reports 2,197 new COVID19 cases, 39 more fatalities. Infection tally rises to 1,10,655, death toll mounts to 916. The number of active cases stands at 31,225.

Sikkim reported 41 fresh positive cases in the past 24 hours taking its COVID-19 tally to 2,856, an official said on Tuesday. The Himalayan state now has 667 active cases, while 2,154 patients have been cured of the infection so far. The death toll due to coronavirus in Sikkim remained unchanged at 35, the official said.

Daily average of new cases that emerged in top 10 States of the country– Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam & Telangana.

India’s total recoveries have crossed the landmark milestone of 50 lakh.

The average single-day recoveries have touched a record high of 90,000 in recent days.

It took 57 days for 1 lakh recoveries to become 10 lakhs. However, it took us only 11 days for converting 40 lakhs recoveries into 50 lakhs.

As India witnesses high single-day recoveries, several States/UTs are reporting more patients recovering than the new cases.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan released a booklet-‘COVID-19 -Safe workplace Guidelines for Industry’ through video conference yesterday (29th September).

It details the structural & administrative measures that can be used to control the spread of COVID19 at workplaces.

According to ICMR’s second sero-survey findings, one in 15 individuals aged 10 years and above were estimated to be exposed to SARS-CoV2 by August, showing that a considerable population in India is still susceptible to coronavirus. 

Meanwhile, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has tested coronavirus positive.
The 71-year-old, who is in home quarantine, is “asymptomatic and in good health”, the tweet read.

“The Vice President of India who underwent a routine COVID-19 test on Tuesday morning has been tested positive. He is, however, asymptomatic and in good health. He has been advised home quarantine. His wife Smt. Usha Naidu has been tested negative and is in self-isolation,” the tweet from his office read.

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