Five Injured In Bihar Bomb Blast Day After Ram Navami Clashes

Five people were injured in a bomb blast in Sasaram town of Bihar after fresh violence erupted in the state on Saturday evening, the police said. The injured people have been taken to a hospital, and a forensic team was rushed to the spot, officials said.

Sasaram DM Dharmendra Kumar said, "There was a bomb blast in Sasaram. Injured people were referred to BHU hospital. We're investigating all the angles right now."

"The cause of the blast is still not known," he said.

According to the Bihar Police, information was received about the incident of a bomb blast in Sasaram of Rohtas after which the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team reached the spot to investigate the matter.

"The blast was reported at a shanty and a scooty has been recovered from the area. Prima facie it does not appear to be a communal incident," the police said.

The police team, Special Task Force (STF), and Para Military forces conducted a flag march in Sasaram on Saturday.

The communal tensions in Bihar again rose on Saturday, after two groups clashed in two different regions in the state, leaving three persons injured with bullet injuries, according to locals.

The clashes occurred in the Paharpur area in Bihar Sharif, and the Khasganj locality in the Sohsarai police station area, as per the locals of the respective areas.

"During the clashes in the Paharpur area, two persons suffered bullet injuries, and were admitted to the hospital for treatment," Dr Mahendra Kumar from Bihar Sharif Sadar Hospital told ANI.

Earlier on March 31, clashes were reported in Nalanda's Biharsharif, Rohtas' Sasaram where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to visit.

Amit Shah's visit to Sasaram in Bihar's Rohtas has been called off due to the imposition of Section 144 following clashes in the district.

According to Bihar police, a total of 45 people have been arrested so far in connection with the clashes between groups following Ram Navami celebrations in parts of the state. This includes 18 in connection to the clash that occurred in Sasaram.

Officials appealed to the public to not pay heed to rumours. "The situation is peaceful and Section 144 has been imposed here," they added.

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

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Bji81R7

Video: Hot Air Balloon Catches Fire Mid-Air In Mexico, Passengers Jump Off

Two people have died when a hot-air balloon flying over the famed Teotihuacan archeological site near Mexico City caught fire, the regional government said Saturday.

"The passengers jumped from the balloon," the government of the state of Mexico said in a statement, adding that a child suffered burns.

Mexico 🇲🇽

! Breaking news!🚨🚨

Saturday, April 01, 2023, in the morning hours.

a hot air balloon catches fire and collapses in Teotihuacan, 2 people are reportedly dead.

The events occurred this morning in the vicinity of the Pyramid of the Sun and the area was cordoned off. pic.twitter.com/DlzJdv2oHH

— Lenar (@Lerpc75) April 1, 2023

It identified the victims as a 39-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, without providing their names. It said the minor had suffered second-degree burns to the face as well as a fracture of the right femur.

It did not say whether there were any other passengers on the balloon.

A video posted on social media shows the balloon's gondola on fire, in a perfectly clear sky.

Several tour operators offer balloon flights over Teotihuacan, some 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Mexico City, for around $150.

With its Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, and its Avenue of the Dead, Teotihuacan is a popular tourist destination, a surviving monument to the pre-Columbian period.

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

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/HncKbhw

18 Dead After Devastating Tornadoes, Storms Sweep Through US States

The death count from a major storm system that has lashed the south-central and eastern US with devastating winds and powerful tornadoes has risen to 18, with dozens of others injured, officials said Saturday.

A spokesperson for the emergency management agency in Tennessee, one of the states hardest hit by storms which have struck since Friday, confirmed seven weather-related fatalities to AFP.

That came on top of 11 deaths reported earlier in Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama in the south, and Indiana and Illinois in the Midwest. The storm system on Saturday was bearing down on the US east coast, with thunderstorms, hail and powerful winds predicted through late Sunday.

On Friday, the storm had sent multiple tornadoes -- some of exceptional size and power -- sweeping through Arkansas, including in the capital Little Rock, where they killed at least five people, the state's governor said.

Daylight revealed extensive damage, with several homes torn apart, cars overturned, power lines toppled and trees ripped out of the ground.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared a state of emergency and activated the national guard to help with recovery efforts.

She said she had spoken to President Joe Biden, who had promised to expedite federal aid.

The city of Wynne, in northeastern Arkansas, was "cut in half by damage from east to west," Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN.

The National Weather Service had also issued tornado warnings for several other states, from as far north as Iowa to the southern state of Mississippi, where a twister last week killed 25 people and caused extensive property damage.

Calamity struck in the Illinois town of Belvidere, outside of Chicago, when severe weather caused the roof and part of the facade of the Apollo Theater to collapse while a heavy-metal band played on stage inside.

TV footage showed emergency personnel carrying out injured concert-goers on stretchers, while video posted on social media showed waist-high rubble on the floor of the concert venue, and a gaping hole in the roof.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle reported one death and 28 injuries, including five people hospitalized with serious injuries.

In the neighboring state of Indiana, three people were killed by a storm in Sullivan County, on the border with Illinois, several US media reported, citing local authorities.

Overnight tornadoes also claimed one life in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, and one in Madison County, Alabama, emergency officials reported Saturday.

More than 600,000 homes were without power Saturday, according to the poweroutage.us website.

As the storm tracked north-eastward, the highest number of outages on Saturday afternoon were in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Several mid-Atlantic states were under high wind warnings.

"Maximum wind gusts could approach 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour throughout much of the Appalachians, upper Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic today," the National Weather System warned.

Tornadoes are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.

President Biden on Friday visited the Mississippi city of Rolling Fork, one of the worst-hit areas in last week's tornado.

In December 2021, tornadoes killed about 80 people in Kentucky.

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

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/5YnwBJK

As China's Birth Rate Falls, Students Given Off To "Fall In Love": Report

Political advisors to the government have made many recommendations to increase the birth rate, as population concerns in China have already reached a high point. Now, several colleges are also coming up with a unique plan to support the national concern.

Nine colleges in China are giving students a week off to "fall in love" in April.

According to NBC News, the Mianyang Flying Vocational College, one of nine colleges run by the Fan Mei Education Group, first announced the spring break on March 21, which has a specific focus on romance. The time off, which lasts from April 1 to April 7, encourages students to "learn to love nature, love life, and enjoy love through enjoying the spring break."

"I hope that students can go to see the green water and green mountains and feel the breath of spring. This will not only broaden students' horizons and cultivate their sentiments, but also enrich and deepen the teaching content in the classroom," Liang Guohui, deputy dean of Mianyang Flying Vocational College, said in a statement.

Homework for students includes writing diaries, keeping track of personal development, and making travel videos.

This effort is an attempt to serve the purpose of finding ways to boost the birth rate.

The government has come up with more than 20 recommendations to boost birth rates, though experts say the best they can do is slow the population's decline.

China dug itself into a demographic hole largely through its one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015. Authorities raised the limit to three in 2021, but even during stay-at-home COVID times, couples have been reluctant to have babies.

Young people cite high childcare and education costs, low incomes, a feeble social safety net, and gender inequalities as discouraging factors.

The proposals to boost the birth rate, made at the annual meeting of China's People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) this month, range from subsidies for families raising their first child, rather than just the second and third, to expanding free public education and improving access to fertility treatments.

Experts took the sheer number of proposals as a positive sign that China was treating its ageing and declining demographics with urgency, after data showed the population shrinking for the first time in six decades last year.

(With inputs from Reuters)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/XYgrRK8

AI Images Showing Mark Zuckerberg Walking The Ramp Take Internet By Storm

Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is generally seen in a regular attire of t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers; it's a little different to see him wearing a designer Louis Vuitton outfit and also walking on the ramp. But the artificial technology has made it possible, causing a lot of confusion among internet users because the images appear very real.

It would be challenging to distinguish the fake images produced by AI from real ones since they are so uncannily realistic. Zuckerberg can be seen maintaining the flawless expression that models frequently sport during the rampwalk.

Mark Zuckerberg doing rounds on the runway, pure fashionista.

💬Prompt in alt https://t.co/GQB0nXRzHs pic.twitter.com/xYE3zkaGAm

— Linus (●ᴗ●) (@LinusEkenstam) March 29, 2023

It's not the first time artificial intelligence (AI) images have swept the internet. Many of the expert artists who have employed this technology have produced sometimes unimaginable images.

A few days ago, AI enthusiast Jyo John Mulloor posted a series of images showing Game of Thrones characters, including Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, and many others, in royal Indian attire.

"If George R. R. Martin has hired an Indian costume designer for Game of Thrones," the caption of the post read.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jyo John Mulloor (@jyo_john_mulloor)

In the caption, Mr. Mulloor revealed that he created the pictures using an AI application called Midjourney.

Mr. Mulloor had posted a series of images showing famous people, including Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Mother Teresa, and Elvis Presley, taking a selfie.

"Upon retrieving my old hard drive, I discovered a treasure trove of selfies sent to me by friends from the past," the artist wrote in the caption of the post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jyo John Mulloor (@jyo_john_mulloor)

Apart from the aforementioned names, the pictures also featured Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, former US President Abraham Lincoln, scientist Albert Einstein, Jamaican singer Bob Marley, and Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, among others.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/5wG3mZW

Pak's Inflation At 50-Year High, 20 Killed In Stampede For Food In 10 Days

Pakistan's year-on-year inflation hit 35.37 percent in March -- the highest in nearly five decades -- as the government scrambled to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to unlock a desperately needed bailout.

Month-on-month inflation was 3.72 percent, according to government data released Saturday, while the average inflation rate for the past year was 27.26 percent.

Years of financial mismanagement and political instability have pushed Pakistan's economy to the brink of collapse, exacerbated by a global energy crisis and devastating floods that submerged a third of the country in 2022.

The country needs billions of dollars of financing to service existing debt, while foreign exchange reserves have dwindled and the rupee is in freefall.

Poor Pakistanis are feeling the brunt of the economic turmoil, and at least 20 people have been killed since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in crowd crushes at food distribution centres.

"The way inflation is rising, I believe a famine-like situation has been simmering," said Shahida Wizarat, a Karachi-based analyst.

At least 12 people were killed Friday in a crowd crush in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi at a factory distributing Ramadan alms.

The South Asian nation -- home to more than 220 million -- is deep in debt and must enact tough tax reforms and push up utility prices if it hopes to unlock another tranche of a $6.5 billion IMF bailout and avoid defaulting.

Inflation is expected to stay at "elevated" levels, the finance ministry said, "owing to market frictions caused by relative demand and supply gap of essential items, exchange rate depreciation and recent upward adjustment of administered prices of petrol and diesel."

 

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

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Eri3FxO

Bad News For Kohli's RCB! Star All-Rounder To Miss Part Of IPL 2023 Season

Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener against Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar said that Sri Lankan all-rounder will be available for the side only after April 9 due to his international cricket commitments. RCB will take on MI in their IPL 2023 campaign opener on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. "Wanindu Hasaranga will be unavailable for us till the ninth of this month," said Bangar in the pre-match press conference. Hasaranga was the leading wicket-taker for RCB last season and was the second-highest wicket-taker overall with 26 scalps in 16 matches at an average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.54. His best bowling figures in the last season were 5/18.

England pacer Reece Topley will be a like-for-like replacement for Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, who will be missing out on the first half of the league due to an achilles injury, said the coach.

"We sort of anticipated it (Hazlewood missing IPL games) and it was factored in the auction and pre-auction meetings. Reece Topley provides a like-to-like replacement for him. I am sure that his left-arm bowling will add to the strength of our bowling," said Bangar.

On the status of Rajat Patidar, who is also expected to miss the first half of IPL due to a heel injury, Bangar said that the batter is undergoing treatment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and the franchise is awaiting clarification from him.

The coach also added that star Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who recently made his return to cricket in the ODI series against Australia after a leg injury sustained last year, has been cleared to play by Cricket Australia (CA) and will play on Sunday.

Bangar revealed that the franchise wanted to sign New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell during the auction last year, but had to sign Will Jacks, an England all-rounder due to the auction sequence. The all-rounder is now in the team as a replacement for an injured Jacks."

"Bracewell is a versatile player. He can bat at the top and lower down the order. We will be looking to make the best use of him," added Bangar.

On playing at the home ground of M Chinnaswammy Stadium after a gap of over three years, Bangar said, "Boys are excited. The build-up was very nice. We had this RCB Unbox event and also the Hall of Fame event that the team management did. The response to these events was nice and it gave goosebumps to the new boys who have not experienced the atmosphere at the Chinnaswammy Stadium. Hope fans will continue providing the energy like they do always."

Last year, RCB qualified for playoffs and lost to Rajasthan Royals in qualifier 2 by seven wickets.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8)

Players bought during IPL 2023 auction - Reece Topley (Rs 1.9 crore), Himanshu Sharma (Rs 20 lakh), Will Jacks (Rs 3.2 crore), Manoj Bhandage (Rs 20 lakh), Rajan Kumar (Rs 70 lakh), Avinash Singh (Rs 60 lakh).

Players retained - Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/mWHFsKa