Supreme Court To Hear Petitions Seeking Probe Into Row Over Tirupati Laddoos

After roiling the political arena for over a week, the row over animal fat allegedly being used to make the famed Tirupati laddoos will now be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday.

The petitions have been filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the YSR Congress Party. The party has been the focal point of attacks since Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed last week that animal fat was used to make the sought-after laddoos given as 'prasad' by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the previous YSR Congress government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Both Mr Swamy and YV Subba Reddy have requested a court-monitored probe into the allegations. 

In his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed earlier this week, the BJP leader requested the Supreme Court to direct the Andhra Pradesh government to file a detailed report on the ghee used for making the laddus and also sought a detailed forensic report. The state government had cited a report by a laboratory in Gujarat to claim that the ghee used in the laddoos contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard (pig fat). 

"There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple which go into the making of the prasad," the petition said. 

YV Subba Reddy also filed a PIL seeking an independent special investigation team (SIT) monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe Mr Naidu's allegations. Mr Reddy, who has been at the forefront of his party's defence against the Andhra Pradesh chief minister's claims, has repeatedly said that no adulterated ghee was used in the making of the laddoos.

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After AAP Vs Lt Governor, Election For Delhi Civic Body Panel Called Off

The latest flashpoint between Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Lieutenant Governor came to an abrupt halt late this evening as the election of a single Standing Committee member of the civic body, which VK Saxena was insisting on being held tonight, was called off.  After an all-evening drama that included an eleventh-hour press conference by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, officials from Raj Bhavan said the election will not be held tonight. 

Pointing to the Lieutenant Governor's message that the election has to be held by 10 pm, Mr Sisodia had told reporters, "How can elections be held without councillors? AAP and Congress councillors have gone home". 

Then he added, "Elections on one hour's notice is unconstitutional'.

Election for the seventh member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's Standing Committee - scheduled for today -- was deferred by Mayor Shelly Oberoi till October 5. Her move came after a row over security check of the councillors -- who were not being allowed even to carry their cellphones inside. The mayor had called it "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional". 

But Mr Saxena overturned it with an order that said the MCD Commissioner, Ashwini Kumar, is "directed to submit a report of conduct of elections of the sixth member of standing committee by 10 pm today".

"In case the Mayor is unavailable or refuses to preside over the meeting. the Deputy Mayor may be requested to preside over the meeting for conduct of elections," the order read. 

The Standing Committee of the MCD is responsible for taking most of its financial decisions. Currently it has three AAP and two BJP members. 

The appointment of a sixth member - pending for months - is expected to break the tie. With 12 members from zones already elected, it would take the tally to eight members for AAP and nine for the BJP in the 18-member Standing committee.

AAP has alleged that today's order was the Lieutenant Governor's tactic to tilt the balance of power towards the BJP.

In a statement, the BJP said it had asked the MCD Commissioner to hold the election as per law and directions of the Supreme Court. The party said it would file a contempt petition against the Mayor and Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow on Friday. 

This vacancy was created after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election to the Lok Sabha from the West Delhi parliamentary seat earlier this year. 

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Explosion At Courthouse In California, Suspect Arrested: Report

Authorities were responding on Wednesday to a reported explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse in California, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office amid reports that a suspect was in custody.

It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries

"Santa Maria Courthouse: report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Scene has not been deemed safe. More info to follow," the sheriff's office said in a post on X.

Santa Maria Courthouse: report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Scene has not been deemed safe. More info to follow.

— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) September 25, 2024

A suspect was inside the court building and threw a bag in an arraignment courtroom that then exploded, reported the Noozhawk, a local online news outlet in Santa Barbara County, citing Superior Court Executive Officer Darrel Parker.

The suspect was in custody, the news outlet reported.

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

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Paris Fashion Week: Neetu Kapoor Cheers For Daughter-In-Law Alia Bhatt

Neetu Kapoor one more time appeared as the biggest cheerleader for her daughter-in-law Alia Bhatt. Alia made her debut at Paris Fashion Week this year and Neetu Kapoor didn't forget to share her shout-out post on social media feed. Neetu Kapoor shared a video clip from Paris in her Instagram stories in which Alia and Andie MacDowell slaying the ramp like divas. Neetu wrote in the caption, "We screamed the loudest." Alia walked the ramp with stars like Andie MacDowell, model Kendall Jenner, Brazilian top model Luma Grothe, Ethiopian actress and top model Liya Kebede. The actress wore a silver bustier over a black jumpsuit from the shelves of Gaurav Gupta. Take a look at what Neetu Kapoor posted here:

Bubah Alfian, an internationally reputed makeup artist, shared a heartwarming video on his Instagram feed from the event. In the video, Alia Bhatt can be seen hugging him while he breaks into tears. Bubah Alfian can be seen greeting Alia by holding her hands. Sharing the video, Bubah wrote, "Several years ago.. Alia met @pevpearce, Then Pev said "my make up artist really likes you" then they took a photo together... and sent it to my WA with Pev...Then after that I met @harnaazsandhu_03 @missuniverse made a video singing the song Meri Jaan, then screenshot it with Aliaa and posted it on IG... and today I met Alia in Paris... and she chatted with Cinta... previously I also chatted with Enzy and I also told you about Pev.. she's so kind.. thanks a lot @aliaabhatt @claurakiehl @enzystoriacrying. so touched." Take a look:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bubah Alfian (@bubahalfian)

On the work front, Alia Bhatt made her big Hollywood debut with Gal Gadot's Heart Of Stone last year. She also featured in Karan Johar's hit film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani with Ranveer Singh, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

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Duolingo Will Let You Hone Your English on a 'Video Call' With a Chatbot

Duolingo, the ed-tech platform focused on teaching languages, mathematics, and music on Tuesday announced new features at its annual Duocon 2024 conference. The platform announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature with its Max subscription that will allow users to have conversations with an AI chatbot while simulating a video call. The company claims that this feature will enable users to have realistic conversations and improve their language proficiency. Apart from this, a game-like feature dubbed Adventures, and an expansion of its music courses with the partnership with Loog was also announced at the event.

Duolingo Unveils AI-Powered Features at Duocon 2024

At Duocon 2024, the platform unveiled several new capabilities, including the AI-powered 'Video Call with Lily' feature that allows users to start a conversation with Lily, one of the prominent virtual characters on Duolingo and engage in spontaneous and realistic conversations with the chatbot.

The company stated that the feature is aimed to “simulate natural dialogue” and offer a “personalised, interactive practice environment” to users. The AI-powered video calling feature is not restricted to any level of expertise in the language, and even users beginning to learn a new language can have conversations.

The AI can adapt to the user's skill level, allowing them to practice regardless of their proficiency, the company claims. Currently, the feature is available for Duolingo Max subscribers learning English, Spanish, and French languages.

Duolingo Max was introduced by the company last year, and the subscription tier offers AI features to help users learn more effectively. At launch, the subscription was available to users in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. The company highlighted that it would be expanded to more countries in the future. The Max subscription costs $29.99 (roughly Rs. 2,400) a month and $239.99 (roughly Rs. 19,960) for the yearly family plan.

Duolingo's new Adventures feature
Photo Credit: Duolingo

 

Apart from this, a new feature dubbed Adventures is also being introduced. The company describes it as a “game-like experience”, and it lets users play out different storylines and interact with the characters to improve their language proficiency.

These storylines are placed in real-life scenarios such as ordering food or getting their passport checked to be more functional. This feature will be available on Android and iOS, but the company did not specify if it will also be available on the web client.

Duolingo is also expanding its music course capabilities with a partnership with portable instrument manufacturer Loog. With this collaboration, the platform will offer users to practice Duolingo Music lessons on a three-octave digital piano. This Duolingo x Loog Piano can be pre-ordered on the company website and is priced at $249 (roughly Rs. 20,800).

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It Seems 'Kalyug' Has Arrived: High Court On Elderly Couple's Alimony Battle

Faced with a couple aged between 75 and 80 years fighting a legal battle against each other for alimony, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday made a strong observation, saying it seemed that 'kalyug' (the age of darkness in Hinduism) has arrived. 

Hearing a petition by the husband, Munesh Kumar Gupta of Aligarh, against a family court order in favour of his wife, Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery said the legal contest was a matter of concern and also tried to give advice to the couple. 

Mr Gupta's wife had demanded alimony from him and the family court had ruled in her favour. The man challenged the order and, issuing a notice to the wife, the high court said it hoped that they would come to an agreement by the next date of hearing. 
 

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PM Meets Zelensky In New York, Reaffirms Support For Peaceful Resolution

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York on Monday.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders in about a month. PM Modi had visited Ukraine on August 23 and reiterated India's willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace in the Ukraine conflict.

PM Modi had visited Ukraine at the invitation of President Zelenskyy in first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in the year 1992.

A joint statement issued following PM Modi's visit to Ukraine had said that both Leaders expressed mutual interest in working towards elevating bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.

They reaffirmed their commitment to further developing bilateral ties for the benefit of the peoples of both countries based on mutual trust, respect, and openness.

The statement had said that PM Modi and President Zelenskyy 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.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in New York, US

(Source: ANI/DD News) pic.twitter.com/z7mUwxZpvy

— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2024

"The Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June 2024. The Ukrainian side welcomed such participation by India and highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation in the next Peace Summit," the statement had said.

"Prime Minister Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and contribute towards early restoration of peace. He reiterated India's willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace," it added.

Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in conflict for over two years.

A joint statement issued by Quad leaders after their meeting hosted by US President Joe Biden on September 21 said that they stand for adherence to international law and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity, sovereignty of all states, and peaceful resolution of disputes.
"We express our deepest concern over the war raging in Ukraine including the terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. Each of us has visited Ukraine since the war began, and seen this first-hand; we reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also note the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, especially for developing and least developed countries," the statement said.

" In the context of this war, we share the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We underscore the importance of upholding international law, and in line with the UN Charter, reiterate that all states must refrain from the threat of or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state," it added.

President Biden hosted Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, PM Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the Quad Leaders' Summit on Saturday in his home town Wilmington, Delaware.
PM Modi is on a three-day visit to the United States, during which he had bilateral meetings with several leaders, including President Biden.

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

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