Seoul, Aug 23 (IANS) Pyongyang on Saturday accused South Korea’s military of having fired more than 10 warning shots at North Korean soldiers, who were conducting a border reinforcement project, earlier this week, underscoring a rise in inter-Korean tensions amid an ongoing military exercise between Seoul and Washington.Ko Jong-chol, vice chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), issued a statement calling for Seoul to stop its “premeditated and deliberate” provocations that …

Islamabad, Aug 23 (IANS) More than 300 houses and dozens of shops have been destroyed in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer district following a glacier burst that triggered a landslide and severe flooding, local media reported on Saturday.The disaster, caused by a glacial lake outburst (GLOF), once again unleashed flooding across multiple villages, creating an artificial lake on Friday morning.Several areas were submerged under water, causing extensive financial losses, though official…

Srinagar, Aug 23 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday said that the 215 educational institutions, run by the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami in the Valley, will be taken over by the government to safeguard the future of thousands of students. Itoo claimed that the said schools remained unrecognised since 2019.In a statement, the minister said these schools did not get recognition from the Education Department, and thousands of students from these schools faced hardships…

Chandigarh, Aug 23 (IANS) At least two people were burnt alive and more than 30 people sustained burn injuries after a blast in an LPG tanker on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur Highway near Mandiala village in Punjab, police said on Saturday.The blast occurred after a collision between the LPG tanker and a pickup truck late on Friday night.The explosion and subsequent fire in the LPG tanker engulfed shops and residences located along the highway, trapping villagers, many of whom were caught asleep.Acco…

Patna, Aug 23 (IANS) Eight people were killed and five others seriously injured after a truck collided with an auto-rickshaw in Bihar’s Patna district on Saturday. According to police, the incident occurred when a speeding truck hit an auto-rickshaw carrying devotees from Malama village in Nalanda district to Fatuha for bathing in the Ganga River around 6 a.m.The impact was so severe that the auto was completely mangled.The fatal accident took place near the Shahjahanpur railway halt.Local villa…

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is preparing to significantly upgrade its environmental monitoring network by installing 75 Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensors across the city. The ambitious project is expected to provide real-time air quality data, strengthen public health management, and improve Chennai’s resilience to climate change.Officials said the locations for the new sensors were selected after evaluating population density, traffic intensity, and industr…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 23 (IANS) India is all set to witness football history this November, as global icon Lionel Messi and the reigning FIFA World Cup champions Argentina are scheduled to arrive in Kerala for a friendly match.Taking to his social media account Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman said the official confirmation came through an email communication from the Argentine Football Association (AFA), confirming that the World Cup-winning squad will participate in an international fix…

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will launch the fourth phase of his statewide campaign, ‘Makkalai Kappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom’ (“Let Us Protect the People, Let Us Meet Tamil Nadu”), on September 1 from the Thiruparankundram constituency in Madurai district. This phase will culminate on September 13 in the Avanashi constituency of Coimbatore district.According to party sources, Palaniswami will cover 35 constituencies across six key districts – Mad…

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) With just nine days left before the claims and objections window closes, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said it has so far received 99,656 applications from voters in Bihar seeking inclusion or deletion of names in the draft electoral rolls, but only nine objections from political parties.Of the total applications from individual voters, 7,367 have already been disposed of by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The claims and objections period, wh…

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has formally introduced 16 categories of community service as punishments for minor offences, offering courts an alternative to traditional fines and short jail terms.The move, approved by the Governor and framed by the Home Department, is intended to make punishments reformative, socially useful, and beneficial to public facilities.The initiative follows the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which provided for community service as a form of penalty….