KSRTC orders removal of tobacco-related advertisements from buses, bus stands in 15 days
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has directed that all advertisements promoting the use of tobacco products, either directly or indirectly, be removed from its buses and bus stations within 15 days.
In an official release issued on Saturday, KSRTC Chief Traffic Manager (Commercial) S. Rajesh said that such advertisements should no longer be displayed on KSRTC buses, bus shelters, or at bus stations, including hoardings and glow sign boards.
The directive clearly states that no advertisements encouraging tobacco consumption, whether explicit or indirect, should be installed or exhibited on corporation property in the future.
Rajesh also instructed officials to issue notices to authorized license holders who have been permitted to install advertisement hoardings and glow sign boards at bus stations under the transport corporations. These license holders have been warned against promoting tobacco-related advertisements in any form.
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India dismisses reference to PM Modi in newly released Epstein files as baseless
New Delhi: India on Saturday firmly rejected any suggestion of impropriety after the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared in a reference contained in newly released files of the United States Department of Justice linked to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the reference was being misrepresented and should not be taken seriously.
“We have seen reports of an email message from the so-called Epstein files that has a reference to the Prime Minister and his visit to Israel,” Jaiswal said. “Beyond the fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt.”
Prime Minister Modi’s July 2017 visit to Israel was a historic one, as it marked the first time an Indian Prime Minister travelled to the country since India and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1992.
The clarification from the Indian government came hours after the US Justice Department released a fresh and extensive set of records from its investigative files related to Epstein. The disclosures are part of an ongoing process under US law aimed at revealing what authorities knew about Epstein’s crimes and his contacts with wealthy and influential individuals.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the latest release includes more than three million pages of documents, along with over 2,000 videos and nearly 1.8 lakh images. The material has been published on the department’s website and includes records that officials said were not part of an earlier release made in December.
The disclosures are mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was enacted following sustained political and public pressure in the United States. The law requires the government to make public its files not only on Epstein but also on his longtime associate and former partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in August 2019, about a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
