Evening News -

THE HEADLINES:

Hungarian-American scientist Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of US win 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for ground-breaking findings on mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stone and dedicates to the nation multiple development initiatives in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Bihar government releases findings of its Caste based Survey; OBCs and EBCs comprise more than 63 percent of State’s population.
Nation celebrates 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi; Reports of cerebrations received from abroad also.
And, in Hangzhou Asian Games, India bag three silver and four bronze medal on Day Nine; Medals tally rises to 60.

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The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Kariko and American physician-scientist Drew Weissman, for work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that paved the way for groundbreaking Covid-19 vaccines. We have a report:

"The Nobel Prize Committee in its statement said, the groundbreaking findings of Prof Karikó and Prof Weissman, have fundamentally changed the understanding of how mRNA interacts with a human being's immune system. It said, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times. The mRNA vaccines were approved for use in December 2020, and together with other Covid vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease. During the Covid-19 outbreak that began in early 2020, time was of the essence in finding a weapon against the deadly and fast-spreading virus. This is where mRNA technology proved crucial. Vaccines train the immune system to recognise and fight threats such as viruses or bacteria. Unlike traditional vaccines which use a weakened virus or a key piece of the virus' protein, mRNA vaccines provide the genetic molecules that tell cells what proteins to make, which simulates an infection and trains the immune system for when it encounters the real virus. The technology was experimental before the pandemic but has now been given to millions of people around the world. During the pandemic, the Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines were based on mRNA technology. The same mRNA technology is now being researched for other diseases, including cancer. Swati Rakheja, News Desk."

Kariko and Weissman, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, have won a slew of awards for their research, including the prestigious Lasker Award in 2021, often seen as a precursor to the Nobel.

The pair will receive their prize at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on the 10th of December, the death anniversary of scientist Alfred Nobel who created the prizes in his last will and testament.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development initiatives worth around 19 thousand 260 crores rupees from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. He also dedicated to the nation the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, which has been developed at a cost of about 11 thousand 895 crores Rupees. He also laid the foundation stone for five different road projects worth over one thousand 880 crore rupees. Addressing a public meeting in Gwalior, Mr. Modi said that these new industrial start-ups including in Indore and Ujjain will create thousands of new employment opportunities for the youth.

The Prime Minister said that Madhya Pradesh has faith in the double engine government because double engine means double development. Referring to India's growing influence in the world, Mr. Modi said that the whole world is singing the praises of India. Stating that the world is seeing its future in India, he said that in nine years the country has become the fifth largest economy of the world.

Earlier, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for various development projects worth seven thousand crore rupees at Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. Addressing the program, Mr Modi said, the development of backward areas has been the priority of his government.

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The Bihar government today released the findings of its Caste based Survey which was undertaken in two phases this year. The officiating Chief Secretary of Bihar Vivek Kumar Singh released the data of the Survey.

The Survey report says the population of the state is more than 13 crore and the biggest caste group is Extremely Backward Caste (EBCs) which accounts for 36.01 percent of the state demography.

According to findings of the Survey the Backward Caste (BC) population is 27.12 percent in the state and the Scheduled Caste (SC) constitutes 19.65 percent of the state population. The people of general category account for 15.52 percent in the state population.

Tribal populations in the state stands at 1.68 percent. With Caste details, the state government has also released the data of religion-based population. It says, the major population of Bihar follows Hinduism which accounts for around 82 percent of the state demography. The Muslim population stands at 17.7 percent. The third largest religion is Christianity followed by Sikhs in the state.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today conducted multiple raids across 62 locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the Munchingputu CPI (Maoist) conspiracy case. NIA arrested one person and seized weapons, cash, and incriminating material.

The NIA said that during the searches, a Pistol, along with 14 rounds, were seized from Satya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh and an amount of 13 lakh rupees was seized from one of the premises in Kadapa District, while Maoist literature and documents were seized from other locations.

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Delhi Police has arrested a most wanted terrorist, who was also a member of the Pune ISIS module. He was on the National Investigation Agency's most wanted list carrying a reward of three lakh rupees. Apart from him, two persons, also carrying bounty on their heads by the National Investigation Agency were also arrested. The module was planning to carry out terror incidents in North India, taking instructions from foreign-based handlers.

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur today alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal has been involved in several scams. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he said that under the Pardhan Mantri Aawas Yajona, the West Bengal government allotted houses in the name of those who already had houses.

Mr Thakur's remarks came after the TMC leaders held a protest in Delhi over the alleged delay in the release of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to the West Bengal government.

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The nation paid homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his 154th birth anniversary today.

A series of functions are being organized across the country and by Indian Missions abroad. A Sarva Dharma Prarthana Sabha was organised at Bapu's Samadhi at Rajghat in the national capital. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat this morning. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge were among those who offered floral tributes.

In Bangladesh, Historic Gandhi Ashram at Noakhali organised a series of programmes in the premises to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Temple Trees in Colombo.

The nation is also remembering former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary today. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Modi visited Vijay Ghat, the memorial of Lal Bahadur Shastri in the national capital, to pay him floral tributes.

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Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, Narayan Rane, inaugurated the ‘Khadi Mahotsav’ organized by Khadi and Village Industry in Mumbai today. Addressing the gathering, Narayan Rane applauded the commendable work being done by Khadi and village industries, highlighting their substantial growth in recent years. The ‘Khadi Mahotsav’ will be held till the 31st of October. It will not only showcase Khadi products but also feature 'Vocal for Local' exhibitions to promote indigenous products.

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E-Auction of mementos received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened from today for the general public. The bids will continue till the 31st of this month. The money collected from this auction will be donated to the Namami Gange Project to revitalize the sacred Ganges River. Mementos ranging from 100 rupees to 65 lakh rupees are available for e-auction in this 5th edition of the auction.

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The Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in Kerala today launched seven mega projects this evening taking into account the growth potential in passenger traffic, tourism and agrarian economy. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the Chairman of CIAL, launched the infrastructure development projects at a function held at the airport this evening.

The new projects include the construction of a new apron sprawling over 15 lakh square feet and a terminal expansion which will add five lakh square feet to the existing international terminal. A Golf Resort and a Sports Centre will also be developed adjacent to the airport.

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme, “Public Speak”, at 9.30PM today, we will bring an insightful discussion on the topic of "Digital registration of Births and Deaths” with Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Registrar General of India.

During the program, listeners can ask questions to our expert. To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011 – 23717106 and 011-23314444 from 9:30 pm onwards. Alternatively, you can also send your queries via WhatsApp to the number 9289094044.

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Alliance air has completed 200 flight journeys from Chennai to Jaffna today. The connectivity between the two cities had resumed in December last year after a three year gap. The frequency of the flights was made daily after the demand increased in June this year. So far, over 21,000 passengers have travelled to Jaffna from Chennai on the route in just over nine months. The Consulate General of India in Jaffna took to X on the successful completion of 200 flight journeys and added that the connectivity between the two countries equates to shared growth.

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In Mexico, at least 10 people, including three children, were killed when the roof of a church collapsed in the northern part of the country this afternoon.

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On the ninth day of the ongoing Asian Games at Hangzhou in China, India today bagged three silver and four bronze medals. With this, the Country’s overall medal tally has mounted to 60, comprising, 13 gold, 24 silver and 23 bronze. We have this report.

Athletes once again brought laurels to the country today. The Indian team comprising Md Ajmal, Vithya Ramraj, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan initially won bronze medal in the mixed team 4x400m relay event, which was later upgraded to silver. The decision came after second-placed Sri Lankan team was disqualified due to lane infringement. Ancy Sojan then went to win a silver medal in the women's long jump final. Earlier, in a double whammy, India secured both the silver and the bronze in women’s steeple chase 3,000m final. Parul Chaudhary, a reigning Asian Games medalist, bagged her first silver at the ongoing event while Priti Lamba settled for the bronze. India's women and men speed skating relay teams also secured a bronze medal each. In Table Tennis, Indian pair of Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee won a historic bronze in the women’s doubles event. With SARAH SULAIMAN QURESHI, RENUKA FROM SPORTS DESK.

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AND NOW BEFORE WE END THE BULLETIN,

THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.

Hungarian-American scientist Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of US win 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for ground-breaking findings on mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stone and dedicates to the nation multiple development initiatives in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Bihar government releases findings of its Caste based Survey; OBCs and EBCs comprise more than 63 percent of State’s population.
Nation celebrates 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi; Reports of cerebrations received from abroad also.
And, in Hangzhou Asian Games, India bag three silver and four bronze medal on Day Nine; Medals tally rises to 60.