Former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta's bail plea rejected in TRP scam

Over a week after a devastating fire in Kuwait killed 50 people, the Ministry of External Affairs said 17 injured Indians are still admitted in hospitals there and all are stable.

The Indian embassy is in touch with the local authorities, the patients and their kin to ensure their well-being, it said.

The massive fire had occurred at a seven-storey building in Kuwait’s Mangaf city in the southern Ahmadi Governorate on June 12 and at least 45 Indians died in the tragedy. The building was home to 196 migrant workers, mostly Indians.

The NBTC Group, where the victims of the fire tragedy were employed, recently issued a statement, extending its deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and injured.

In response to a query at a weekly media briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that on the part of the Kuwaiti government, the Emir has announced USD 15,000 as compensation for the families of the people who have died in the fire incident.

The company has announced payment of Rs 8 lakh to the next of kin of people who have died, he said.

“This fire tragedy happened on June 12 and 45 Indians died, their mortal remains were brought to India on June 14. There are still 17 Indians who are injured, they are in hospitals. But, they are all stable. The (Indian) Embassy is making daily rounds, the embassy is in touch with the local authorities, the hospital authorities and even the patients and their family members to ensure their well-being,” Jaiswal said.

He said as far as compensation is concerned, the prime minister had announced on June 13 an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the families of people who had died and Rs 50,000 for the injured people.

In addition, different state governments have also announced their compensation for those who have died in this tragedy, the MEA spokesperson said.

In addition, the insurance money will also come from the insurance company, he said.

The company is also providing a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to all the injured and their medical expenses are being covered by the company. It will also undertake rehabilitation of those who are injured, Jaiswal said.

A C-130J IAF aircraft carrying 45 bodies landed at the Kochi international airport on June 14 morning. Thirty-one bodies were received at the airport by Central and state ministers, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The remaining 14 bodies were sent to Delhi in the same aircraft as a domestic flight from Kochi, and after being brought to Delhi were sent on to their forward journey. 

The Yemeni Armed Forces say they have conducted new operations against Israel-linked ships in the nearby waters in support of Palestinian people and in retaliation for the US-British aggression against the country.

Spokesman for the Yemeni army, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, made the announcement in a Sunday statement.

“The naval forces of our Armed Forces carried out a second targeting operation against the ship Transworld Navigator in the Red Sea, using an uncrewed surface boat, which led to a direct hit against the ship,” he said.

Transworld Navigator had been already attacked by Yemeni forces in the Arabian Sea with a number of ballistic missiles on Saturday.

“The missile force of our Armed Forces carried out an operation targeting the ship Stolt Sequoia in the Indian Ocean with a number of cruise missiles, and the operation has successfully achieved its objectives,” Saree added in his statement.

He noted that the two ships were targeted after the companies owning them decided to violate the ban enforced by the Yemeni Armed Forces on the entry of ships to the ports in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The new operations came after earlier on Saturday, the Yemeni forces carried out a host of attacks targeting American and Israel-linked vessels, including the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower, which was hit for the second time.

In his Sunday statement, Saree said, “As part of retaliation for the American-British aggression against our country, the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces forced the American aircraft carrier Eisenhower to leave the Red Sea.”

He once again warned all maritime companies to avoid doing business with the occupying regime of Israel, adding that “their ships will be directly targeted in the operation zone of the Yemeni Armed Forces regardless of their destination.”

He concluded by saying that operations carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces will continue until the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip stops and the siege of the Palestinian territory is lifted.

Yemen’s Armed Forces have been carrying out countless operations against Israel-linked ships or those heading towards ports in the occupied Palestinian territories since October 7, 2023 when the Tel Aviv regime began its genocidal war on Gaza.

Nearly 37,600 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, and over 86,000 others sustained injuries in the brutal Israeli military onslaught against the coastal sliver.

The Yemeni forces have also conducted many operations against American and British vessels in response to deadly attacks by the United States and the UK against their country, which have been seeking to stop the forces’ pro-Palestinian operations.

Amid the massive row surrounding the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Education Ministry has said that the test was scrapped because its integrity may have been compromised and has emphasised that it won't hesitate to take action against anyone.

Govind Jaiswal, joint secretary in the Education Ministry, told the media that the exam, for which over 11 lakh students had registered, was cancelled on the basis of inputs received from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. The exam, which was held on Tuesday, was cancelled yesterday.

"The matter has been handed over to the CBI for a thorough investigation. A fresh examination shall be conducted, for which information will be shared soon," he said.

The ministry, he said, will not hesitate in taking action against those involved in wrongdoing. "At this level, when the investigation is underway, we can't disclose more details. NTA has its own mechanism and a lot of other stakeholders are involved. This all is under investigation," he said.

The exam was conducted by the National Testing Agency, which is under fire for alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to medical colleges. A total of 24 lakh aspirants took the exam. Reports of irregularities have now prompted nationwide protests and triggered demands for a re-test.

The government, he said, has taken proactive steps.

The ministry official also responded to questions on why the exam was conducted in OMR (pen and paper) mode this time -- a shift from the earlier practice. "Based on NTA's experience of four years, inputs were received from different stakeholders and this decision was taken."

UGC-NET is a test to determine a candidate's eligibility for the post of assistant professor in universities and colleges, and also for the award of research fellowships. The Education Ministry yesterday ordered that the exam -- held Tuesday -- be scrapped after inputs that its integrity may have been compromised.

The cancellation of the UGC-NET examination amid the ongoing protests against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition parties to target the Narendra Modi government ahead of the Parliament session.

The Congress described the Narendra Modi-led NDA government as "paper leak government". Other members of the INDIA bloc, including Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have also slammed the government over the two exams.