India, Russia ink 16 agreements, seal major defence deals on the sidelines of BRICS Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement after talks on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in Goa on 15 October.
Both countries signed Memorandums of Understanding on railways, gas pipelines along with some other key issues.
India and Russia sealed major defence deals, including the purchase of missile systems, frigates and joint production of helicopters besides deciding to deepen cooperation in a range of crucial sectors even as the two close allies resolved to fight the menace of terrorism unitedly.
PM Modi and President Putin signed a total of 16 MoUs and made three announcements to boost ties in sectors like trade and investment, hydrocarbons, space and smart cities. The two leaders also dedicated the unit two of Kudankulum nuclear power plant and witnessed foundation laying of its Unit 3 and 4.
Varanasi: Stampede at Baba Jai Gurudev's function leaves 12 dead, 22 injured
Twelve people were reportedly killed while 22 others were left severely injured after a stampede broke out at Varanasi's Raj Ghat during a function organised by the followers of Baba Jai Gurudev.
According to media reports, the stampede broke out after some people started fighting over drinking water. The injured were admitted to the Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital.
The incident occurred between Varanasi and Chandauli. According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, Chandauli District Magistrate Kumar Prashant confirmed the reports and the concerned officials are reaching the spot, including the DM himself.
According to an ABP report, IG of Varanasi zone SK Bhagat said that only 3,000 people were permitted to attend the gathering but 70,000 people were present at the sabha.
Following the incident, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav announced Rs 2 lakh each for kin of those killed in the stampede, and Rs 50,000 each for the critically injured.
PM Narendra Modi likely to raise NSG, Masood issues with Chinese President Xi
Issues such as India's NSG membership bid and China blocking UN ban on JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar are likely to be raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa.
A range of key bilateral and international issues including ways to tackle threat of terrorism besides security situation in the region are also likely to figure in the talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
Ahead of tomorrow's meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said in Beijing that there was no change in China's stand on India's NSG membership bid and New Delhi's attempts to get Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN.
The spokesperson said relations between India and China made "great headway" despite some "disputes" but there was no change in Beijing's stand on the issues of NSG and Azhar.
India looks forward to mount diplomatic offensive against Pakistan at BRICS meet
Seeking to further isolate Pakistan on terror, India will mount a major diplomatic offensive against it and push for stepped up cooperation, including support for a comprehensive global convention to tackle the menace, when it hosts the annual summit of BRICS, a 5-nation grouping (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) representing nearly half of the world's population.
The summit, being attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and leaders of Brazil and South Africa, is likely to deliberate on a range of key issues including confronting threat of terror and boosting trade and investment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the leaders will discuss ways to address "pressing international and regional challenges that stand in the way of our goals".
US: Barack Obama urges Americans not to fall for what Donald Trump tries to do
US President Barack Obama has urged his countrymen not to fall for what Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tries to do as it would make everyone depressed.
"You've got a chance to elect a woman who's spent her entire life trying to make this country better. Don't fall for the easy cynicism that says your vote doesn't matter. Don't fall for what Trump tries to do and just make everybody depressed. Don't believe it," Obama told a well-attended election rally in Cleveland, Ohio on 14 October.
He said Trump's closing argument was "What do you have to lose?' The answer is: Everything".
"All the progress we've made right now is on the ballot. Civility is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot. Courtesy is on the ballot. Honesty is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Kindness is on the ballot. All the progress we made that last eight years is on the ballot. Democracy itself is on the ballot right now," Obama said.
Farmers in Kenya use bees to ward off elephants
Elephants are one of Kenya's greatest treasures. However, to the farmers who live in and around their habitat, elephants are also a threat to their lives and livelihood.
Electric fencing is both expensive and dangerous to the animals.
Now, a completely natural innovation is giving farmers a way around this. Farmers are lining their lands with bee hives after it was found that elephants are afraid of bees. The elephants can recognise the sound of the bees in the hive and steer clear of the land.
Mercedes self-driving cars have dubious morals
Ethics in artificial intelligence is something that is already worrying scientists. To that end scientists are already trying to code ethics and morality into AI systems.
Mercedes, however, is going an altogether different route. The company has decided that, with their self-driving models in the future, the cars will be programmed to prioritise the life of the passenger rather than pedestrians in case of an impending accident.
"If you know you can save at least one person, at least save that one. Save the one in the car," Christoph von Hugo, Mercedes' Manager of Driver Assistance Systems, Active Safety and Ratings, said.
US: Israeli activity in West Bank a threat to Palestine's existence
At a special session called "Illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and the Two-State Solution," of the UN Security Council, even Israel's strongest ally, the US, condemned the Jewish nation for their ongoing activities in West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The US warned that a one-state solution, as Israel is seemingly pursuing, would only increase the threat to Israel. Israel, however, maintained its stance that that this is just a reiteration of Palestine's demand that Palestine be free of Jews.
Availability of eggs per person severely lacking in India
Even as damning statistics about India's severe malnutrition problems have surfaced, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, has disclosed a statistic that isn't helping at all.
According to Singh, the availability of eggs is 63 per person per year, a figure that the National Nutrition Institute has stated should be about 180 eggs per person.
This is despite India being one of the largest egg producers in the world with an estimated 83 billion produced annually.
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