UP Man Fined For Driving Car Without Helmet By Noida Police

A man who claims that he has never been to Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district in his car, has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1,000 by Noida police for driving the vehicle without a helmet. 

Tushar Saxena initially received a text message informing him about the fine but he ignored it, thinking it to be a mistake. However, things became serious when this was followed by an email and another message. The car owner - who lives in Rampur district, some 200 km from Noida - contacted the traffic police and was told that he was fined for driving his four-wheeler vehicle without a helmet. 

Police told him that if he fails to pay the amount then he will have to appear in court.

"The challan was issued on November 9, 2023. If you are violating traffic rules, then it is common to receive a fine but that is not my case. I have never driven my car to the NCR area. And if there's any rule that says we have to wear a helmet inside a car, then the authorities must give this to me in writing," Mr Saxena said.

Mr Saxena said he bought his car in March last year and got the vehicle's registration transferred from Ghaziabad to Rampur. 

He has appealed to Noida traffic police to investigate this matter and revoke his fine.

A similar case happened in Jhansi when the city's traffic police fined a man Rs 1,000 for not wearing a helmet while driving his Audi car. Bahadur Singh Parihar, a resident of Jhansi's Nandu colony, approached traffic police officials, but was told they would look into the matter after the ongoing Lok Sabha election is over.

Until then, Mr Parihar wore a bike helmet while driving to avoid more fines.

(With inputs from Tamkin Faiyaz)
 

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Congress Targets BJP After Its Request To Postpone Haryana Poll Day

The Haryana unit of the ruling BJP has written to the Election Commission requesting a brief postponement of the assembly poll slated for October 1, citing holidays before and after the election date that could lead to a lower voter turnout.

While the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the BJP, claiming that the ruling party was panicking as it could sense defeat, Abhay Chautala's INLD too sought the deferment of polls.

A Haryana BJP leader on Saturday said the letter was sent by the party's state unit chief Mohan Lal Badoli to the poll panel.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal confirmed that the commission received a copy of the communication on Friday over email.

"We have received the communication from state BJP and forwarded it to the Election Commission," Agarwal told PTI.

Varinder Garg, a member of the BJP's state election management committee, said, "We have reasoned that the Assembly election date of October 1 (Tuesday) is preceded by a weekend and followed by more holidays which might hit the voting percentage as people tend to go on vacation on long weekends." Varinder Garg said September 28-29 are Saturday and Sunday while October 1 is a poll holiday. It is followed by more holidays as Gandhi Jayanti falls on October 2 and Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti on October 3, he said.

"We have written to the Election Commission in this regard. For a better turnout, any new date once the string of holidays is over should be fine," Varinder Garg told PTI over the phone.

By taking a day's leave on September 30, people will have six holidays. Due to this long weekend, there is a strong possibility that several families might go on a vacation and give voting a miss, Mohan Lal Badoli said in his letter to the EC.

If it happens, the voting percentage would reduce drastically, he added.

Mohan Lal Badoli also said that on 'Asoj Amavasya' on October 2, several members of the Bishnoi community of Haryana will leave for Nokha tehsil of Bikaner in Rajasthan to participate in an annual fair held on the occasion.

This too can affect the voting percentage, he further said.

Mohan Lal Badoli wrote that it has been the continuous effort of the EC to ensure that the maximum number of people exercise their franchise to strengthen democracy.

Therefore, it would be appropriate that the date fixed for voting for the Haryana Assembly election be changed. While determining a fresh date for the election, it should be made certain that there is no holiday the previous or the following day, he wrote.

We believe that if the EC does this, more and more voters will be able to participate in the election, he wrote.

Mohan Lal Badoli, in his letter, also mentioned that in the past the date of polling has been changed by the EC. For example, the date declared for voting in Punjab Assembly elections -- February 14, 2022 -- was changed to February 20, 2022, due to Sant Ravidas Jayanti on February 16.

In 2022, the then Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the BJP and its allies, and the BSP had urged the poll panel to postpone the date of voting as lakhs of followers of Guru Ravidas travel to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the day.

However, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the BJP's stand shows that it has already accepted defeat.

It has been more than a week since the Election Commission announced the poll date. The BJP wants the polls to be deferred as it has accepted defeat, Bhupinder Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister of Haryana, said.

Polls should be held according to the date fixed by the EC... People of Haryana don't want to see the BJP government in power even for a day, he said.

Bhupinder Hooda's son and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda while referring to Mohan Lal Badoli's letter, said, "It shows how scared the BJP is of the elections".

The BJP is staring at defeat and is therefore coming up with such childish arguments. It has no issues, work or achievements to show to the people and no candidates to distribute the tickets. This is why the BJP is conspiring to postpone the elections by giving an excuse for holidays, Deepender Hooda said in Hindi on X.

The voters of Haryana are aware. They will not go anywhere for a holiday, but will come to the polling booth in large numbers to vote out the BJP government, he added.

The AAP's Haryana unit said even before the elections took place, the ruling BJP had started looking for excuses as it could sense its impending defeat in the election.

In a post on X, the AAP said if the BJP had done work in the state, it would not have been seeking postponement of polls. This time the BJP's defeat is certain, it said.

Meanwhile, Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Chautala said the polling date should be postponed by one or two weeks.

Since people usually go on holidays on long weekends, it will adversely affect the voting percentage which is likely to decrease by 15 to 20 per cent, Chautala said.

The EC on August 16 announced that assembly polls in Haryana would be held in a single phase on October 1 and the results would be declared on October 4.

The BJP is eyeing a third consecutive term while the Congress is looking to wrest power from the ruling outfit.

The tenure of the current Haryana Vidhan Sabha ends on November 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Why NASA Picked Elon Musk's SpaceX To Bring Back Astronauts From Space

NASA today picked Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring back Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore from space next year. Eighty days ago, the two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner for an 8-day mission. They were forced to extend their stay because of major technical issues with the Boeing capsule.

The astronauts are expected to return in February next year, after spending a total of eight months in orbit, on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft due to launch next month as part of a routine astronaut rotation mission.

NASA chief Bill Nelson said Starliner's propulsion system is too risky to carry its first crew home. Starliner will undock from the ISS without a crew and attempt to return to Earth as it would have with astronauts aboard.

The space agency's decision to pick Boeing's top space rival marked a fresh setback to the Starliner test mission. Boeing had hoped the mission would redeem the troubled program after years of development problems and over $1.6 billion in budget overruns since 2016.

Nelson said he discussed the agency's decision with Boeing's new CEO Kelly Ortberg.

The SpaceX Crew-9 mission will take off in late September, but carrying only two passengers instead of the originally planned four.

It will remain moored to the ISS until its scheduled return in February, bringing back its own crew members plus their two stranded colleagues.

The veteran NASA astronauts, both former military test pilots, became the first crew to ride Starliner on June 5 when they were launched to the ISS.

Starliner's propulsion system suffered multiple glitches beginning in the first 24 hours of its flight to the ISS, triggering months of cascading delays. Five of its 28 thrusters failed and it sprang several leaks of helium, which is used to pressurise the thrusters.

Since Starliner docked to the ISS in June, Boeing has scrambled to investigate what caused its thruster mishaps and helium leaks. The company arranged tests and simulations on Earth to gather data that it has used to try and convince NASA officials that Starliner is safe to fly the crew back home.

But results from that testing raised more difficult engineering questions and ultimately failed to quell NASA officials' concerns about Starliner's ability to make its crewed return trip - the most daunting and complex part of the test mission.

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China's Export Strategy Causes Global Market Havoc: Report

China's 'Made in China' products have already established a firm foothold in the international market, surpassing the expansion of any other nation in history. Manufacturers all over the world are under tremendous pressure due to the flood of cheaper Chinese goods. China is now focussing more on exporting in an effort to take the lead in the world's manufacturing sector.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Chinese President Xi Jinping has increased his focus on the manufacturing sector, with a high percentage of production going to export, in response to the slow economic development that his government is facing in recent past. China is once again ramping up its massive export machinery, giving rivals little opportunity to survive in the market.

The impact of China's manufacturing dominance is evident in various sectors. For instance, a Massachusetts startup called CubicPV betting on silicon wafers, a high-tech component in solar panels. Buoyed by President Biden's climate legislation enacted two years ago, with billions of dollars in tax credits and government loans, CubicPV announced plans in late 2022 for a $1.4 billion wafer plant in Texas.

Since then, China has nearly doubled its output of silicon wafers-way more than it needs. The extra wafers had to go somewhere, and they went overseas, pushing prices down by 70%. CubicPV had to halt its production plan early this year, putting engineers and other employees out of work, citing "a distorted market as a result of China's overcapacity."

In another case, thousands of miles away, in Chile, iron ore miner and steelmaker CAP is struggling with China's continued commitment to low-end commodity manufacturing as an onslaught of cheap Chinese metal hits its shores. The firm said this month that it would shutter its giant Huachipato steel mill in central Chile indefinitely, with the loss of some 2,200 jobs. The company said it can't compete with low-priced Chinese metal even after the government raised tariffs on steel bars and other imported products.

Beijing's strategy of bolstering its manufacturing sector through aggressive exports is creating significant challenges for businesses around the world. This escalating trade tension raises concerns about the potential for a new global trade war.

The WSJ report further mentioned that other countries have opened antidumping investigations to see whether Chinese goods are being sold below fair value. India is examining Chinese pigments and chemicals. Japan is looking at electrodes. The UK is investigating imports of excavators and biodiesel, while Argentina and Vietnam are probing Chinese microwave ovens and wind towers.

Xi Jinping's "establish the new before breaking the old" strategy prioritizes building new industries like EVs and semiconductors while maintaining traditional ones like steel. Despite acknowledging overcapacity, China continues to invest heavily in manufacturing, driven by concerns about industrial security and economic stability. This approach is straining global trade relations and causing economic hardship in other countries.

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"History Made Today," Says Zelensky After Meeting PM Modi: 10 Points

1. "Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation," said the Ukrainian President, whose country is at war with Russia.
2. PM Modi's office in the joint India-Ukraine statement said both leaders reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. "They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard," the joint statement said.
3. PM Modi arrived in Kyiv this morning on a special train on the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian Prime Minister after the former Russian state became independent in 1991.
4. In his talks with Mr Zelenskyy that took place under the shadow of the conflict, PM Modi said India is ever ready to play an "active role" in every effort to restore peace in Ukraine and he would even like to contribute personally in ending the conflict.
5. "We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken sides. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war," PM Modi said in his opening remarks during the talks. "We have come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi who had given a message of peace to the entire world," he said.
6. Both sides agreed to ask the Indian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) to explore all possible ways to not only restore bilateral trade and economic relations to pre-conflict levels, but expand and deepen them further.
7. There has been a significant reduction in the annual bilateral trade in goods since 2022 due to the challenges related to the ongoing conflict.
8. PM Modi also apprised Mr Zelensky of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand in September 2022 and Moscow last month. "Some time back, when I met President Putin in Samarkand, I had told him that this was not the era of war. Last month when I went to Russia, I said in clear words that a solution to any problem is never found on the battlefield," PM Modi said.
9. PM Modi's visit to Kyiv is seen in many quarters as a diplomatic balancing act as his trip to Russia triggered anguish among some Western countries. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said PM Modi reiterated the need for "practical engagement" between all stakeholders to develop an innovative solution that will help build broad acceptability and contribute towards peace and stability.
10. Both sides called for a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary global realities and to make it more representative, effective and efficient in dealing with issues of international peace and security. Ukraine reiterated its support for India's permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

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Neeraj LIVE Streaming, Men's Javelin Throw At Lausanne Diamond League

India's double Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to compete at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne. Battling from a groin injury, Neeraj claimed a silver at the recently-concluded Paris Olympics 2024. He had won a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021. In just two weeks after his glory at the Paris Games, Neeraj will be seen in action again. He will be competing at the big meet in Lausanne that will have the likes of Anderson Peters and Jakub Vadlejch. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who bagged a gold medal in Paris Olympics, would not be a part of this meet.

Neeraj needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League Meetings series to qualify for the season finale that is set to take place in Brussels.

When will Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League take place?

Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League will take place on Friday, August 23 (IST).

Where will Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League be held?

Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League will be held at at the Pontaise Olympic Stadium, Lausanne, Switzerland.

What time will the Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League start?

Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League will start at 12:22 AM IST.

Which TV channels will live telecast the Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League?

Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League will be telecast live on the Sports18 network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League?

Neeraj Chopra's Men's Javelin Throw Event at Lausanne Diamond League will be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

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Ahead Of Ukraine Visit, PM Modi's Message On War And Peace In Poland Speech

This is not an era of war, reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Indian community in Poland, two days before his much-anticipated visit to Ukraine where he has pledged to campaign for a peaceful resolution of Russia's invasion.

"India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. Our stand is very clear - this isn't an era of war. This is the time to come together against those challenges which threaten humanity. Therefore, India believes in diplomacy and dialogues," PM Modi said.

PM Modi, 73, will be the first Indian Prime Minister to make a Ukraine trip and is the first in 45 years to travel to Poland - Kyiv's close ally and a key transit for foreign leaders heading to its war-torn neighbour.

PM Modi, who will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 23, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.

His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

In September 2022, the Prime Minister made the "not an era of war" comment while talking with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during an SCO summit.  On the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand on September 16, PM Modi said, "Today's era isn't of war" while emphasising the need to find ways to address the problems of food, fuel security and fertilisers.

Before his departure for Poland, PM Modi said, "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region." 

The Prime Minister arrived in Poland on a two-day visit where he laid wreaths at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial and Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, two places that commemorate the shared history between India and Poland.

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