Ganjam youth's abduction in Mali: Admin in touch with MEA
While the administration has swung into action, keeping contact with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Leader of Opposition and Hinjilicut MLA Naveen Patnaik has appealed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene and ensure the safe release of the abducted youth.
Venkataraman, who belongs to Samarjholo village under Hinjili police limits, was apparently abducted on July 1. He was working at the Diamond Cement Company's plant in the West African country for the last six months after being employed by Blue Star. He was in regular contact with his family until recently.
Heavily armed terrorists affiliated with Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, attacked the cement factory and abducted three Indian workers, including Venkataraman. The identities of the other two abductees have not yet been officially disclosed.
The 28-year-old's family reportedly received a call from his employer informing them that Venkataraman was under police custody. However, they later learned through social media that he had in fact been kidnapped by a terrorist group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
17 minutes ago
- Mint
Bihar Voter List Row: SC to hear pleas challenging Election Commission's decision today
Bihar Voter List Row: The Supreme Court will today hear the batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The SC bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, has over 10 related matters, including the SIR issue, listed for hearing on July 10 On July 9, the top court agreed to hear a fresh plea by two social activists, Arshad Ajmal and Rupesh Kumar, challenging the poll panel's decision to undertake extensive revision of electoral rolls in the state. The activists have said the exercise undermines the principles of free and fair elections and representative democracy, both integral features of the Constitution's basic structure, by introducing arbitrary, unreasonable and disproportionate documentation requirements related to birth, residence and citizenship. Besides, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has filed a separate plea supporting the move and seeking a direction to the poll panel to conduct the SIR to ensure only Indian citizens decide the polity and policy, not the illegal foreign infiltrators.' The demography of 200 districts and 1,500 tehsils has changed after independence due to massive illegal infiltration, deceitful religious conversion and population explosion. Demography is destiny, and dozens of districts have already seen their destiny being shaped by those who aren't Indians," he said. On July 7, the bench noted the submissions of lawyers led by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who was representing several petitioners, and agreed to hear the pleas on July 10. Sibal, who is representing RJD MP Manoj Jha, urged the bench to issue notices to the poll panel on the petitions, calling it an "impossible task" within the timeline as elections were to happen in the state in November. Senior advocate Abhishek M Singhvi, appearing for another petitioner, said of the eight crore voters in the state, four crore voters would have to submit their documents under the exercise. "The timeline is so strict, and if by July 25 you don't submit the documents, you will be out," Singhvi added. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for another petitioner, said the poll panel was not accepting Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards as proof for the exercise. Posting the matter on July 10, Justice Dhulia said the timeline was not sanctified at present as elections hadn't been notified yet. The bench asked the petitioners to give advance notice of their petitions to the counsel for the Election Commission of India. Election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) is also one of the petitioners. Beside RJD MP Jha and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Congress' K C Venugopal, Supriya Sule from the Sharad Pawar NCP faction, D Raja from Communist Party of India, Harinder Singh Malik from Samajwadi Party, Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), Sarfraz Ahmed from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI (ML) have jointly moved the top court. All leaders have challenged the Election Commission's order directing for SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and sought direction for its quashing. Jha, in his plea filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil, argues that the EC's June 24 order should be quashed for violating Articles 14 (fundamental right to equality), 21 (fundamental right to life and liberty), 325 (no person can be excluded from electoral roll based on caste, religion, and sex) and 326 (every citizen of India who has attained 18 years of age is eligible to be registered as a voter) of the Constitution. "The impugned order prescribes a schedule and requires the submission of enumeration form within 30 days, followed by filing of claims and objections and their disposal within 30 days," the plea said. Moitra sought a direction from the apex court to restrain the EC from issuing similar orders for SIR of electoral rolls in other states of the country. The poll panel's SIR exercise, which started in Bihar on June 25, has triggered a political storm. The opposition Congress has dubbed it 'a rigging attempt' orchestrated by the Election Commission under instructions from the ruling regime. At least half a dozen petitions by political parties, individuals, and civil society groups have been filed in the Supreme Court against what they call a 'blatantly unconstitutional' exercise. The impugned order prescribes a schedule and requires the submission of enumeration form within 30 days, followed by filing of claims and objections and their disposal within 30 days. Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and several others of the INDIA bloc led a march to the Election Commission's office in Patna as part of the protest. The poll panel has said that the intensified revision's objective is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, that no ineligible voter is included in the electoral roll, and that complete transparency is introduced in the process of adding or deleting electors in the electoral roll.
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Bihar electoral rolls revision challenged
Good morning, In London, Indian cricket's past and future came together at a glittering charity gala hosted by Yuvraj Singh's YouWeCan Foundation. Team India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, coach Gautam Gambhir and other players, helped raise over £1 million for cancer care. Among the crowd were cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Kevin Pietersen, who praised Yuvraj's resilience post-cancer. Yuvraj took a playful dig at Gambhir at the event: 'There needs to be a bid on making him smile.' The London-based Virat Kohli arrived later, recalling Dhoni and Yuvraj's ODI stand in Cuttack after Yuvraj's comeback. Gill reminisced about sneaking into Mohali to meet Yuvraj as a teenager. What began as a fundraiser became a tribute to generations of Indian cricket and its enduring spirit. On that note, let's get to the rest of today's edition. 🚨Big Story Today, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Bihar's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a process that has sparked anxiety across the state. The process marks a significant break from precedent in two key ways. For the first time, already-registered voters must provide proof of citizenship at the draft roll stage. The Election Commission (EC) also appears to disregard the historic 'sanctity' of existing rolls. This shift contradicts past EC policy, upheld by court rulings Now, for the process to be completed and the new voters' list put out, nearly 78,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are struggling to meet the July 25 deadline for uploading voter forms. The Indian Express, as such, followed one BLO, a schoolteacher, as he juggled slow internet, shifting rules, and mounting pressure. Forms must be uploaded via a glitchy mobile app, and many voters lack the documents required. Initially told to insist on complete documentation, BLOs now face mixed signals. Some officers urge uploads 'with or without documents.' The BLO, working 14-hour days since June 25, had uploaded just 50 of 1,200 required forms. 'We need time and proper tools,' he said, adding: 'I'm just a teacher — and a BLO.' Amid debates over the electoral rolls revision in Bihar, former Chief Election Commissioner of India S Y Quraishi writes: 'In a time when an EC-directed exercise of electoral roll revision is sparking fears of disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in Bihar, the story so far is worth telling. From manufacturing EVMs in Bengaluru and Hyderabad factories to returning machines to strongrooms after polling, India's electoral chain is a closed-loop system of enormous complexity. That it runs mostly without breakdowns speaks volumes.' ⚡Only in Express A government release over the weekend claimed that 'India is not only the world's fourth largest economy, it is also one of the most equal societies today'. Using data from the World Bank's latest Poverty and Equity Brief, it said India's Gini Index was at 25.5, which made it the world's 'fourth most equal country…after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Belarus', reflecting how fruits of economic progress were being shared 'more evenly across its population'. However what does this conclusion miss and what are pitfalls of relying solely on consumption-based Gini Index? We Explain. 📰 From the Front Page At least 12 people were killed and nine injured after a 43-year-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Wednesday. Several vehicles — including trucks, a van, a pickup, and an autorickshaw — plunged into the Mahisagar River while a tanker was precariously balanced at the edge. However, three years before the collapse, a local official warned that the structure was 'dangerous' and emitted 'unusual vibrations.' That letter, reviewed by The Indian Express, was forwarded to the Roads & Buildings (R\&B) department. The department had carried out surface repairs last year, but claimed no structural damage was found. Survivors and locals say warning signs — gaps, shaking under heavy vehicles — were clear. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad is under fire after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a canteen worker at the Mumbai MLAs' Hostel. Gaikwad was seen slapping staff over allegedly spoiled food. The Maharashtra FDA has, thereafter, suspended the canteen operator's licence and sent food samples for testing. Despite public outrage, Gaikwad defended his actions, claiming he had complained multiple times and warning, 'I will repeat it if needed.' Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the incident, saying it had 'tarnished' the Legislature's image. Vedanta Ltd shares fell nearly 9 per cent after US-based Viceroy Research alleged the company's debt load is 'unsustainable.' Shares of Hindustan Zinc, a subsidiary, also dropped 5 per cent. The report described Vedanta's London-based parent, Vedanta Resources Ltd (VRL), as a 'financial zombie' reliant on cash from its Indian operations. Viceroy, which holds short positions in Vedanta, accused VRL of draining Vedanta Ltd (VEDL) via excessive dividends, brand fees, and intercompany loans, contributing to mounting net debt. 📌 Must Read This year's Amarnath Yatra has been marked by an alarming sight — the rapid melting of the sacred ice Shivling, which disappeared just a week into the pilgrimage. Pilgrims, braving soaring temperatures in the Kashmir Valley, are witnessing climate distress firsthand. The Shivling, once visible into August, now recedes within days. In 2024, it melted by July 6, its shortest lifespan yet. Scientists attribute this to retreating glaciers, rising temperatures, and shrinking snowfall. Police in Maharashtra's Thane arrested a school principal and an attendant, and booked four teachers and two trustees, after a group of around 10 schoolgirls were allegedly stripped to check if they were menstruating. The incident followed the discovery of bloodstains in a washroom. According to the Police, girls from Classes 5 to 10 were summoned to a hall, shown images of the stains via projector, and asked to identify if they were on their period. Those who did not respond were allegedly taken to the washroom and subjected to a physical check. ⏳ And Finally… Shubman Gill's elegance with the bat. Jofra Archer's long-awaited return with the ball. The series is delicately balanced and the stage is set at the Lord's as the third Test between India and England begins today. Level at 1-1, the teams return to cricket's most iconic ground. India thrashed England in the second Test, just as England had dominated the first. There is no clear favourite, but there are plenty of storylines: the slope of Lord's, the pace of Bumrah and Siraj, the form of Gill and Jaiswal, and the unsettled English spin combination. In today's edition of the '3 Things' podcast, we discuss the changes in the political landscape of Maharashtra with estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray coming together, talk about a fuel ban on End-of-Life Vehicles that was implemented and then quickly deferred in Delhi, and finally take a look at the sudden bridge collapse in Gujarat's Vadodara that killed 12 people. That's all for today, folks! Until next time, Rounak Bagchi
United News of India
42 minutes ago
- United News of India
India will always work for the progress of Africa: PM Modi in address to Namibian Parliament
Windhoek/New Delhi, July 9 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing Namibia's National Assembly, today said that India will always work for the progress of Africa, as it had done during its presidency of the G-20 in 2023 when the African Union was made a permanent member. At the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Saara Kuugongelwa, Prime Minister Modi addressed the Parliament of Namibia. Addressing the Parliament, PM Modi conveyed greetings from the 'Mother of Democracy' and the largest democracy in the world to the members of the august House and to the friendly people of Namibia. Recalling the historic ties between the two countries and their shared struggle for freedom, Prime Minister paid tribute to the legacy of Dr. Sam Nujoma, the founding father of Namibia. He noted that the democratic values and principles championed by the founding fathers of the two countries continue to illuminate the path of progress in both countries. He lauded the role of the government and people of Namibia in deepening democracy in the country. Prime Minister thanked the people of Namibia for bestowing on him their highest national honour. He noted that this special gesture was a tribute to the achievements of the Indian and Namibian democracies. As sentinels of freedom, equality and justice, he called upon the two countries to work for the betterment of the Global South, so that the voices of its people are not just heard, but their hopes and aspirations are fully realized. He underlined that India will always work for the progress of Africa, as it had done during its presidency of the G-20 when the African Union was made a permanent member of the group. He stated that India was privileged to share its development experience with Namibia and other countries in the continent. India remains committed to building capacity, developing skills, promoting local innovation and supporting Africa's Agenda 2063. He called for greater people-to-people interaction between the two countries so that the two democracies ever prosper. "Let our children not only inherit the freedom we fought for, but also the future we will build together.' – he said as he concluded his address. The Namibian leg is the fifth and final of PM Modi's five nation tour, which has taken him to Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and Brazil. UNI RN
