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New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Airborne pathogens, bacteria capable of causing infections in the lungs, gut, mouth, and skin, are twice as abundant in densely populated parts compared to less crowded regions, according to a study led by the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), on Tuesday.

The team studied the health risks posed by airborne pathogens in an urban metropolitan city like Delhi.

Their findings, published in an international journal named ‘Atmospheric Environment: X’, showed that airborne pathogenic bacteria, mainly responsible for respiratory, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), oral, and skin infections, are two times higher over densely populated urban regions due to higher concentrations of tiny particles PM2.5.

"PM2.5 -- the microscopic dust specks help bacteria to hitch a ride through the city air," stated the researchers, led by Dr. Sanat Kumar Das.

“Since the particles are small enough to sneak deep into the lungs, they act as carriers of the pathogenic bacteria, thus spreading the infection to different parts of the body,” they added.

Delhi, an urban region within the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) in India, is one of the most densely populated regions in the world with the highest air pollution.

During winter, the entrance of western disturbance causes a sudden drop in atmospheric temperature, thereby subsequently increasing relative humidity (RH), which is responsible for stagnant wind and low boundary layer height, favouring accumulation of lower atmospheric pollutants over IGP.

“The transition from winter to summer, especially during hazy days or winter rains, creates high-risk windows when airborne diseases are more likely to spread. During these periods, the cocktail of pollution and weather patterns creates the perfect storm for microbes to linger in the air longer than usual,” the researchers said.

A significant increase in airborne microbial population has earlier been reported in winter over IGP. However, there was limited information regarding the effect of meteorology, air pollution, and population on airborne bacterial communities that can help understand their impact on human health.

The new study “could be a wake-up call for urban health planning,” said the researchers.

“Megacities like Delhi, where millions breathe in polluted air daily, may also be exposing residents to invisible bacterial communities enriched with pathogens. Understanding how weather, pollution, environmental factors, and population density affect these airborne bacteria and resultant disease transmission could help governments and health experts better predict outbreaks, improve urban design, and protect citizens,” they said.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has announced that the party would boycott National Assembly (NA) sessions to protest against the "unfair treatment" of party lawmakers, local media reported on Tuesday.

While speaking to reporters alongside PTI members in Islamabad, Khan said, "From now on, we will not attend National Assembly sittings. We will protest and boycott instead." He further said that PTI's parliamentary party held a meeting at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, where they heard instructions given by PTI founder Imran Khan and supported them, Pakistan's leading daily 'The Express Tribune' reported.

PTI chairman accused authorities of disqualifying PTI lawmakers, stripping them of their seats and silencing their voices. He said, "Even if we try to celebrate Independence Day, we are not allowed. Despite countless difficulties, we attended sessions to raise demands democratically, but we are not permitted to speak."

Earlier in August, PTI lawmakers resigned from parliamentary standing committees after instructions given by PTI founder Imran Khan. The decision comes as part of PTI's political strategy, which includes boycotting upcoming by-elections set to be held in the coming months.

PTI's Members of National Assembly - Ali Asghar, Sajid Khan, Shahid Khattak, Faisal Amin Khan, and Asif Khan resigned from various National Assembly committees, Pakistan's leading media outlet Geo News reported. Asghar quit the Cabinet, Privatisation, and Planning committees. Faisal Amin Khan stepped down from the the Economic Affairs, Food Security, and Parliamentary Task Force committees.

Khattak said that he was resigning from all standing committees, while Asif stepped down from the Education, National Heritage, Culture, and Information and Broadcasting committees. Junaid Akbar resigned as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. Party sources said that the Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has got the resignations of Faisal and Ali. PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram has also stepped down from all National Assembly standing committees.

--IANS

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Jaipur, Sep 2 (IANS) After creating a buzz by her 'vanvaas (exile)' comment last month, former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday spoke on family and goodwill and happiness for all.

She created a stir in political circles by making such statements in Jodhpur on Tuesday morning.

Before leaving for Jaisalmer from Jodhpur, she talked to the media about 'family' and 'goodwill' and said that Rajasthan is everyone's family.

"I wish that everyone here remains happy," she said and added that "if we fight, there will be problems."

Raje said that differences in politics are natural, but like society and family, mutual harmony and goodwill are must.

"If we fight, there will be problems, but if we stay together, problems can be solved," she said.

It needs to be mentioned here that Raje had come to Jodhpur earlier, expressing condolences on the death of former MP Colonel Sona Ram in Mohangarh, Jaisalmer.

In Jodhpur, she wished Baba Ramdev, Baba Ramsa Peer and attended other religious events.

She said, "My political journey started with the 'darshan' of Baba Ramsa Peer. I first got blessing from the deity, then got the support of society. I can say with confidence that everyone's wishes are fulfilled at Ramsa Peer. It may take time, but faith should not waver."

In the last few days, Vasundhara Raje's statements have heated up discussions in political circles.

Words like "exile", "patience" and now "family" are being used in connection with her current political situation.

Political analysts believe that these statements are a message for her supporters and the BJP high command.

Significantly, on August 28, during the Ram Katha of storyteller Murlidhar Maharaj in Dholpur, Raje had said that "today's world is very strange. The one whom we considered our own, becomes a stranger. But everyone has responsibilities towards the family. In such a situation, the daughter-in-law, mother, daughter of the family have to do their work."

She further said that 'vanvaas' is not just a part of Lord Ram's life, exile comes in every person's life, but it is not permanent and "Ramji has taught us the importance of patience. Nothing in this world is permanent, so there is no need to be attached to anything."

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Sep 2 (IANS) In a major development, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has issued a show-cause notice to jailed actress Ranya Rao to pay a fine of Rs 102.55 crore for smuggling 127.3 kilograms of gold, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

Sources further stated that the DRI issued the show-cause notice in connection with the illegal gold smuggling case. The show-cause notice has been issued after adjudication. As per the rules, the DRI must recover smuggled goods within six months.

On March 4, the DRI had seized gold and arrested Ranya at the Bengaluru international airport. The investigation has confirmed the smuggling of 127.3 kg of gold.

The DRI sleuths went to the Bengaluru Central Jail on Tuesday and served show-cause notices to Ranya and three other accused. Ranya Rao has received a show-cause notice directing payment of Rs 102.55 crore penalty.

If the penalty is not paid, it is warned that their properties will be liable for attachment.

It has been confirmed that the second accused, Tarun Raju, smuggled 67.6 kilograms of gold. The DRI has imposed a penalty of Rs 62 crore on Tarun Raju.

Other accused persons, Sahil Jain and Bharat Jain, were found guilty of smuggling 63.61 kilograms of gold each. Both Bharat Jain and Sahil Jain have been directed to pay Rs 53 crore each as a penalty. In addition, criminal proceedings will continue against the accused persons.

Meanwhile, a petition challenging the imposition of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) 1974 was heard in the High Court on Tuesday. The High Court has adjourned the COFEPOSA petition to September 11.

The DRI has carried out the investigation in fast-track mode and moved for recovery.

Earlier, the Advisory Board under the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had upheld the invocation of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) against jailed Kannada actress Ranya Rao on July 17.

The board has also issued directions not to allow the filing of a bail petition by jailed actress Ranya Rao for a period of one year from the date of her arrest as per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act.

The Advisory Board directed the DRI that no bail application should be filed on behalf of Ranya. Following this directive, the DRI conveyed the information to the jail authorities.

Earlier, Ranya Rao was granted bail by a special court. However, since the case was registered under a special law, she was not released.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), a nodal agency under the Ministry of Finance, invoked the COFEPOSA Act against the actress and other accused in the gold smuggling case, based on a recommendation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is investigating the gold smuggling case.

As per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act, she will have to remain in custody for up to one year.

--IANS

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Los Angeles, Sep 2 (IANS) Actress Millie Bobby Brown, who is known for her work in the superhit streaming series ‘Stranger Things’, has shared a set of new family photos, and they also feature her daughter. However, the actress smartly concealed the face of the little one.

The actress and her husband Jake Bongiovi revealed two weeks ago they had adopted a baby girl. Recently, the 21-year-old star shared a string of photos from their new life as a family of three, reports ‘Female First UK’.

One photograph features Jake, wearing a black hat and jacket, cargo shorts and sneakers, walking towards a plane while holding his daughter's car seat, with the tot covered by a white baby blanket. Other images in the Instagram carousel included Millie and her 23-year-old husband posing for a mirror selfie on a date night, the Florence by Mills founder wearing a headscarf and bikini top, and a picture of a pig.

She simply captioned the post with three emojis, a baby bottle, stars, and a yellow chick. Millie and Jake, who married in 2024 after three years together, revealed on 21 August that they had become parents for the first time.

They wrote in a joint post on Instagram, "This summer we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption. We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy (tree emoji) And then there were 3 Love, Millie and Jake Bongiovi (sic)”.

As per ‘Female First UK’, Millie previously admitted that she was looking forward to the challenges of parenthood and had always hoped to be a young mother.

During an appearance on the Smartless podcast, she explained, "My mom actually had her first child at 21, and my dad was 19. And you know, it's been my thing since before I met Jake. Since I was a baby, I told my mom, like, baby dolls. I wanted to be a mom just like the way my mom was to me”.

“And my nan, my grandmother, she was a huge part of my life. And so, yeah, I mean, Jake knows how important it is to me and, of course, I want to focus on really establishing myself as an actor and as a producer, but I also find it's so important to start a family for me personally”, she added.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday stated that the revelation of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera possessing two EPICs has shocked the people of the national capital.

He said the public is demanding that a case be filed against Khera for "violating" the Election Commission of India's rules and "attacking" the foundation of democracy by holding dual votes.

The Delhi BJP president said that Rahul Gandhi, who is spreading "confusion" across the country in the name of "vote theft", is maintaining silence even after Congress leader Pawan Khera has been "exposed" with two EPICs.

This silence clearly indicates that Rahul Gandhi is practising "double standards" in politics, he said.

Sachdeva stated that Rahul Gandhi, who claimed to drop a "hydrogen bomb" on the issue of vote theft, and Mallikarjun Kharge must respond.

While the law will certainly take its course against Khera, as the head of the Congress party, which is running a campaign against vote fraud, Kharge must respond to what organisational action will be taken against their own leader, who holds two EPICs, he said.

Sachdeva said, "The people of Delhi and the nation want Rahul Gandhi, who does not hesitate to accuse even the Election Commission, to immediately expel vote fraudster Pawan Khera from the Congress and set an example of ideal disciplinary action."

Earlier, BJP leader Amit Malviya shared the details of Khera's EPIC numbers on his X handle.

Malviya, in his post, said Khera holds two active EPIC numbers -- in Jangpura and New Delhi Assembly constituencies, falling under East Delhi and New Delhi Lok Sabha seats, respectively. In Jangpura, his EPIC Number is XHC1992338, and the other EPIC is SJE0755967.

This comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi warned the BJP of unleashing a "hydrogen bomb" soon to expose alleged "vote chori".

Attacking Rahul Gandhi on this revelation, the BJP leader said that the Congress leader screamed "Vote Chori" from the rooftops.

"But just like he forgot to mention that his mother, Sonia Gandhi, enlisted herself in India's voter list even before becoming an Indian citizen, it has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson - who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis - holds two active EPIC numbers," Malviya said.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday dashed off a notice to senior Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera over possession of two EPIC ID cards and sought clarification over his registration as a voter in two constituencies of Delhi.

The notice issued by the New Delhi Electoral Officer shares the two Voter ID cards in the name of Pawan Khera and reads, “Notice to Shri Pawan Khera for getting himself registered in the Electoral Roll of more than one constituency.”

The notice follows disclosure of Pawan Khera’s two voter IDs from two different constituencies – New Delhi and Jangpura Assembly seats.

Khera, the party’s media and publicity department head, responded to the startling revelations earlier in the day, saying that this was rather vindication of their ‘vote chori’ charge and also highlights the systemic failure of the poll panel in preparing the electoral rolls.

Earlier in the day, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared photographs of the voter list from the two given Assembly constituencies and claimed that the Congress leader holds two active EPIC numbers.

Notably, Khera has been at the forefront of the party’s campaign against alleged voter fraud and voter list revision.

Malviya, in a post on X, stated, "Rahul Gandhi screamed 'Vote Chori' from the rooftops. But just like he forgot to mention that his mother, Sonia Gandhi, enlisted herself in India's voter list even before becoming an Indian citizen, it has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson - who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis - holds two active EPIC numbers (in Jangpura and New Delhi Assembly Constituencies, falling under East Delhi and New Delhi Lok Sabha seats respectively)."

Khera, speaking to IANS, refuted the charges and said, “Whether the question is raised by Anurag Thakur, Amit Malviya, or the Congress party, everything points to the Election Commission and the way it functions. That’s why the Congress is demanding transparency: Varanasi’s machine-readable voter list, Maharashtra’s booth-wise CCTV footage, we’re not getting any of these. That’s why we call it vote theft.”

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently said that the government is engaged in “deep negotiations” with Australia regarding a proposal to construct one million homes estimated at $500 billion. If realised, this can herald one of the largest international housing collaborations in recent history.

The minister said the scale of the project requires global partnerships, and he has reached out to the UAE to help on the financial front.

According to a report in The Australia Today on Tuesday, Goyal’s comments place the proposal at the intersection of India’s ambitions to export skilled labour, Australia’s urgent need for new housing, and the UAE’s appetite for global investment.

Master Builders Australia has warned that the National Housing Accord is falling further behind schedule, “with its latest forecasts showing a deepening shortfall in new home construction”.

The national voice of the $200 billion building and construction industry, Master Builders Australia represents eight state and territory Master Builders Associations and 32,000 members nationwide.

Rising costs, falling productivity, lengthy build times and workforce shortages are preventing builders from keeping pace with demand, despite strong willingness from the industry to deliver, the organisation has warned.

“Australian builders are keen to get on with the job, but under current conditions, the Accord’s 1.2 million home goal looks less achievable every day,” said Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn in a statement.

It also revealed that 180,500 homes are expected to be started in 2024–25, nearly 60,000 short of the Accord’s annual target of 240,000. Over the full five-year period, the shortfall has now widened to 180,200 homes compared with the 160,000 projected in April.

Addressing the 'Bharat Buildcon 2026' conference in Mumbai late last month, Goyal drew attention to the acute housing shortage in Australia, where nearly 1 million homes are required.

He invited Indian businesses, workers, and experts to seize this opportunity, stating that Australia is open to financial collaboration, technical expertise, and workforce support from India.

Training and certification opportunities are also being offered so Indian professionals can meet Australian standards. “If we miss this opportunity, we will have only ourselves to blame,” he remarked, calling it a potential game-changer for India’s construction and financial sectors.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently said that the government is engaged in “deep negotiations” with Australia regarding a proposal to construct one million homes estimated at $500 billion. If realised, this can herald one of the largest international housing collaborations in recent history.

The minister said the scale of the project requires global partnerships, and he has reached out to the UAE to help on the financial front.

According to a report in The Australia Today on Tuesday, Goyal’s comments place the proposal at the intersection of India’s ambitions to export skilled labour, Australia’s urgent need for new housing, and the UAE’s appetite for global investment.

Master Builders Australia has warned that the National Housing Accord is falling further behind schedule, “with its latest forecasts showing a deepening shortfall in new home construction”.

The national voice of the $200 billion building and construction industry, Master Builders Australia represents eight state and territory Master Builders Associations and 32,000 members nationwide.

Rising costs, falling productivity, lengthy build times and workforce shortages are preventing builders from keeping pace with demand, despite strong willingness from the industry to deliver, the organisation has warned.

“Australian builders are keen to get on with the job, but under current conditions, the Accord’s 1.2 million home goal looks less achievable every day,” said Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn in a statement.

It also revealed that 180,500 homes are expected to be started in 2024–25, nearly 60,000 short of the Accord’s annual target of 240,000. Over the full five-year period, the shortfall has now widened to 180,200 homes compared with the 160,000 projected in April.

Addressing the 'Bharat Buildcon 2026' conference in Mumbai late last month, Goyal drew attention to the acute housing shortage in Australia, where nearly 1 million homes are required.

He invited Indian businesses, workers, and experts to seize this opportunity, stating that Australia is open to financial collaboration, technical expertise, and workforce support from India.

Training and certification opportunities are also being offered so Indian professionals can meet Australian standards. “If we miss this opportunity, we will have only ourselves to blame,” he remarked, calling it a potential game-changer for India’s construction and financial sectors.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Actress Sonakshi Sinha has called out the brand websites for using her photographs without her permission or even knowledge.

Calling the practice unacceptable, Sonakshi penned a note on the stories section of her official Instagram handle.

"As someone who shops online often, I couldn't help but notice my images popping up on several brand websites- without usage rights or even a courtesy request for permission. How is that acceptable? When an artist wears your outfits or jewelry, a post is made giving your brand due credit, but featuring those same images on your official website? That's stretching it a bit too far. Let's keep things ethical, shall we?", the 'Dabangg' actress wrote.

Sonakshi even threatened to call out the brand website in case they do not take down her pics.

She added, "Basically, what i'm saying is pull down my images before i start calling you out, or let me know where i can send my invoice....your call", followed by four laughing with tears emojis.

On Monday, the 'Dahaad' actress shared a hilarious video on her IG. The clip showed Sonakshi trying hard to control her laughter, but her husband Zaheer Iqbal kept making her laugh, and she eventually burst out laughing. Although the reason behind their endless laughter was not revealed, the free-flowing chemistry between the couple made the video extremely entertaining.

On Friday, Sonakshi and Zaheer offered prayers to Lord Ganapati on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The lovebirds were seen performing Bappa's aarti at Salman Khan's residence.

Looking as beautiful as ever in a white printed salwar kameez, Sonakshi was accompanied by Zaheer, who wore a kurta.

For the uninitiated, Sonakshi and Zaheer tied the knot on June 23, 2024, after dating for 7 long years. The lovebirds managed to keep their relationship private for the longest time.

--IANS

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