Watch: Rajasthan MLA Polishes Shoes, Touches Man's Feet With Forehead

With elections just around the corner, political parties are going that extra step to win over voters, even if it means walking that extra mile in someone else's shoes. And that is just what an Independent MLA from Rajasthan did when he polished the shoes of his party workers and constituents.

Resolute in his commitment to combating caste biases in the state, the MLA gathered his supporters at a cobbler's shop and polished their shoes. Videos of his unique election campaign - which quickly went viral on social media - showed him respectfully touching the feet of an elderly supporter with his forehead and seeking his blessings.

Under a shed, hundreds had gathered to meet their MLA, who sat there polishing shoes. "An MLA who polishes our shoes, protects us and the Constitution is among us," the announcement in the background said.

As people showered rose petals and cheered for the MLA, Mr Hudla helped an elderly man out on his newly polished shoes.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Hudla said he wants to remove caste discrimination. "Eradicating caste discrimination is my priority. I consider workers as my God. I stand with the common man, the poor, and the labourers and I am always ready to help them. Today I have honored them by polishing their shoes," he said.

After nearly an hour of polishing hundreds of shoes, Mr Hudla stressed: "My aim is to eliminate caste discrimination in the area. Many in the area indulge in caste politics, which is not right for us. In Mahwa, people are living in peace with love for one another. We have established new dimensions of development in the Mahwa Assembly Constituency."

"I firmly believe that casteism is a hurdle in our path towards progress and development," Mr. Hudla stated. "It perpetuates discrimination and divides our communities. It's high time we break these barriers and work together to uplift every citizen."

Earlier in the day, to mark Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, Om Prakash Hudla raised a 100-metre-high Tricolour outside the Mahwa district hospital. Supporters then carried him on their shoulders to a stadium, where the MLA unveiled the statue of former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Interestingly, the MLA had polished the shoes of his constituents after winning the election in 2018.

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Ukraine vs Elon Musk In Meme Battle Over Aid, Failed SpaceX Launch

Ukraine's parliament and its speaker taunted billionaire Elon Musk on Monday after he posted a meme on his social media platform mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky's pleas for wartime assistance from the West.

Elon Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine's defence effort, but his statements have sometimes angered Kyiv since the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February last year.

Early on Monday, Elon Musk posted a meme on his platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showing Zelensky and the caption: "When it's been 5 minutes and you haven't asked for a billion dollars in aid."

pic.twitter.com/W9i9YEM8uA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2023

The Ukrainian leader and his top lieutenants have appealed to their allies throughout the war to secure billions of dollars of military aid to weather and push back Russia's invasion.

The speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, hit out at Elon Musk's jibe with his own post on X.

"The case when ...(Elon Musk) tried to conquer space, but something went wrong and in 5 minutes he was up to his eyeballs in shit," an apparent reference to SpaceX's failed rocket launch in April.

Ukraine's parliament, on its official page on X, accused Elon Musk of spreading Russian propaganda, posting its own version of the meme with a picture of Musk and the caption: "When it's been 5 minutes and you haven't spread Russian propaganda".

A Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, who has criticised some of Elon Musk's statements in the past, said in a post on X that being silent or ironic about Ukraine played into the hands of Russian propaganda.

"Unfortunately, not everyone and not always, while being significant media figures, but being thousands of kilometres away from the war's epicenter, is able to realize what the daily bombardments and cries of children losing their parents are."

Ukrainian officials criticised Elon Musk earlier in the war for suggesting that they should consider giving up land for peace, a position that Kyiv has staunchly rejected.

Zelensky visited the United States in September and met top officials in a bid to secure further aid. Over the weekend, aid for Ukraine was omitted from a stopgap funding measure passed by US Congress to avert a US government shutdown.

The US has been the largest single donor to Ukraine since Russia's full invasion last year, giving tens of billions of dollars in military and financial aid.

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

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Jyothi Yarraji's Bronze Upgraded To Silver At Asian Games - Here's Why

Jyothi Yarraji clinched silver in Women's 100m Hurdles event at Asian Games 2023 to complete a momentous day for India at the competition which saw them winning 9 medals in athletics - 2 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze. However, the medal was not without its fair share of controversies as Yarraji was initially third in the race but her bronze was upgraded to silver after Chinese runner Wu Yanni was disqualified for a false start. Both Yarraji and Wu were under review after the false start but the organisers decided to disqualify just Wu as she was the first runner to rush in during the false start to the race.

At the start of the race, Wu was in Lane 4 with Yarraji in Lane 5. During the false start, Wu rushed in first followed by Yarraji resulting in a disqualification for both. The decision taken by the organisers left a lot of people confused as the first person to rush is disqualified and Yarraji was the second to run forward.

Both players approached the screen for a review and it was decided by the organisers to allow the athletes to compete in the race with a post-race review deciding their future.

China's Lin Yuwei emerged the winner in the race with Wu finishing second and Yarraji coming third.

Yarraji finished with the timing of 12.91 secs while Lin clocked 12.74 secs.

However, around 30 minutes after the race finished, Wu was disqualified from the race and as a result, the bronze medal won by Yarraji was immediately upgraded to a silver medal.

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"Destroyed 20 Targets": Turkey's Air Strikes In Iraq After Ankara Blast

Turkish jets launched air strikes inside Iraqi Kurdistan late Sunday, after a blast earlier the same day injured two police officers near the parliament building in Ankara.

In the hours following the bombing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already vowed that "terrorists" would never achieve their aims.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the blast. It has waged a deadly insurgency against Ankara for four decades.

The district targeted in the bombing is home to several other ministries and the Turkish parliament, which reopened as planned in the afternoon with an address from Erdogan.

"The villains who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their objectives and will never achieve them," Erdogan said. 

The interior ministry said two attackers had arrived in a commercial vehicle around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) in front of "the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior, and carried out a bomb attack."

"One of the terrorists blew himself up," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists outside the ministry. "The other was killed by a bullet to the head before he had a chance to blow himself up."

Two police officers were lightly injured in the exchange of fire, but their lives were not in danger, he added.

The Ankara prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation and banned access to the area. Local media were asked to stop broadcasting images from the scene of the attack.

North Iraq strikes

In a statement to the ANF news agency, which is close to the Kurdish movement, the PKK said that "a sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry".

On Sunday evening, an official in Iraqi Kurdistan reported that Turkish army planes bombing parts of the Bradost region and the village of Badran.

Turkey's defence ministry acknowledged an "air operation" in northern Iraq to "neutralise the PKK".

The ministry said that "20 targets used by terrorists" had been destroyed.

In his opening remarks, Erdogan also slammed the European Union for stalling his country's membership bid, stating that Turkey "no longer expects anything from the European Union, which has kept us waiting at its door for 40 years".

"We have kept all the promises we have made to the EU but they have kept almost none of theirs," he said, adding that he would not "tolerate any new demands or conditions" for his country to join the bloc. 

Sweden NATO bid

This session of Turkey's parliament must also validate Sweden's entry into the NATO alliance.

Hungary and Turkey in July lifted their vetoes against Sweden's entry into the Atlantic alliance, but have been slow to ratify its membership.

Erdogan indicated in July that ratification by the Turkish parliament would not take place before October, but it is expected to be approved during this parliamentary year. 

For months, Erdogan has been putting pressure on Sweden to take action against Koran desecrations that have strained relations between the two countries. 

Sweden's prime minister Ulf Kristersson was quick to pledge in a statement that his country "once again confirms its commitment to long-term cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism". 

Numerous foreign leaders also voiced support for Turkey after the attack, with messages of support coming from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States embassy in Ankara.

The Turkish capital has been the scene of several attacks, particularly during the years 2015 and 2016 -- many claimed by the PKK or the Islamic State group. 

The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In October 2015 an attack in front of a central station in Ankara claimed by the Islamic State group killed 109 people.

The most recent bomb attack in Turkey was in a shopping street in Istanbul in November 2022, where six were killed and 81 were injured.

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

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Indian-Origin UK MP Hails Yogi Adityanath For UP's "Changed Perception"

A British MP sent a postcard to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, congratulating him for the "changed perception" of the state.

The British MP of Indian origin, Virendra Sharma, in his postcard, wrote, "Honorable Yogi Adityanath, I would like to congratulate you for achieving great successes in UP and bringing peace to the state".

On this occasion, author Shantanu Gupta presented his best-selling graphic novel - "Ajay to Yogi Adityanath" to the British MP. Each of his graphic novels contains a postcard to send a message to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Virendra Sharma also wrote a message.

Speaking at the House of Commons, author Shantanu Gupta discussed the developmental journey of Uttar Pradesh.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created 'Brand India' across the world, because of which Indians are given more importance across the world today, and ‘Brand UP' has become a strong brand across India.

Shantanu Gupta further said that the same Uttar Pradesh, which was once known for anarchy, corruption, and inefficient governance, is now a top investment destination under the Yogi government. In the ranking of ‘Ease of Doing Business', UP jumped from 14th place before 2017 to second position.

The author also mentioned that Uttar Pradesh is currently ranked number 1 in the implementation of more than 40 schemes of the Central Government. Today, Uttar Pradesh is known for its achievements such as the Uttar Pradesh Expressway, new airports, 24-hour electricity, and a strong law and order situation.

Mr Gupta shared some fascinating conversations between him and Yogi Adityanath's father, Anand Singh Bisht.

The author told the British Parliament that during his research, Anand Bisht revealed that a small blue one-and-a-half-room house in Uttarakhand's Panchur village was his only possession in life. This was all he could earn in his lifetime from the humble job of a forest guard.

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

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Digital Passports: These Countries Are Early Movers

Finland became the first country to launch digital passports, aiming to streamline and enhance international travel.Finnish travellers departing from Helsinki to the UK now have the option to present a digital ID on their mobile device instead of their physical passport, according to Euronews. The Finnish Border Control has noted that this marks the first instance worldwide where a digital passport is accepted in a genuine border control setting, promising a more efficient and seamless travel experience.

The initiative was launched on August 28 in collaboration with Finnair, the Finnish police, and airport operator Finavia. The Finnish Border Guard is overseeing the trial, which will continue until February 2024 at Helsinki Airport's border control.

How do these digital passports function?

Interested travelers must initially download the FIN DTC Pilot digital travel document app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. To use the app, a phone screen locking method such as a PIN number, fingerprint, or face ID must be activated before installation.

Subsequently, travellers must register with the police at Vantaa Main Police Station's license services. This registration entails booking an appointment and presenting a valid physical passport to create its digital counterpart. During the registration process, individuals will provide consent and have a facial photo taken for facial recognition purposes.

Once registered, travelers can use DTC at Helsinki Airport when flying directly to the United Kingdom and returning to Helsinki Airport on Finnair flights until the trial concludes in February 2024. Before each trip, travelers must transmit their data via the app to the Finnish Border Guard 36 to 4 hours prior to departure.

Digital passports worldwide

Several countries have launched or are planning similar initiatives. In alignment with Finland, Poland, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom are also developing digital passport projects. Notably, in 2021, Ukraine granted digital passports the same legal status as physical ones.

Singapore introduced HealthCerts in February 2021, a digital health passport that securely stores and presents Covid-19 test results and vaccination records for travelers. Additionally, countries such as China, Estonia, and Israel have introduced digital vaccine passports.

Where India stands

On the occasion of Passport Seva Divas on June 24, 2023, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced the commencement of the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP-Version 2.0), which will include new and enhanced e-passports. Jaishankar emphasized the commitment to providing passports and related services in a timely, reliable, accessible, transparent, and efficient manner.

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"Pakistan Are Now Getting A Habit Of Losing": Ramiz Blasts Babar And Co

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja was extremely critical of the Pakistan cricket team after they went down fighting against New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up match. The Babar Azam-led side scored 345 with the help of a century from Mohammed Rizwan and a gritty 80 from the skipper. However, that was not enough as New Zealand were able to chase it down with 6.2 overs to spare. Raja said that Pakistan are getting a habit of losing and pointed out that if the bowlers fail to perform on the big stage, the team will have to score more than 400 runs.

"I know it was just a practice game, but a win is a win. And winning becomes a habit. But I feel Pakistan are now getting a habit of losing. First they lost in Asia Cup, and now here. Pakistan scored 345 and it was a great run-chase. If these are the pitches – and you will get such pitches in India – you will have to score 400 if your bowling keeps misfiring like this. You will have to change your tactics, take risks. And we don't do that. We play defensively for first 10-15 overs and then shift gears," he told reporters.

Rachin Ravindra and returning Kane Williamson played key knocks as New Zealand chased down 345 to thrash Pakistan by five wickets in a World Cup warm-up match on Friday.

Chasing 346 for victory, New Zealand lost an early wicket before Ravindra (97) and Williamson (54) put on 137 to put their team on course and they achieved the target with 6.2 overs to spare in Hyderabad.

Mohammed Rizwan hit 103 and Babar Azam made 80 in Pakistan's 345-5 after electing to bat first but the Kiwi batsmen made the total look easy against an attack missing pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Williamson, who returned from a six-month lay-off due to his knee injury and played the match only as a batsman, looked impressive in his 50-ball stay before he retired out.

(With AFP inputs)

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