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10:02 PM

At least 33 dead in Panama migrant bus crash

At least 33 people died Wednesday when a bus transporting migrants bound for the United States crashed with a minibus in Panama, an official in the Central American country said.Updating the death toll from 15, Panama's national director of migration Samira Gozaine told the Telemetro broadcaster that "for now, we have information of 33 people dead."President Laurentino Cortizo earlier announced that 15 people had lost their lives in the early-morning crash in Gualaca, Chiriqui.

 

8:48 PM

Soldier dies days after attack by mob led by DMK councillor in Tamil Nadu

A 29-year-old soldier was killed after he was allegedly attacked by a DMK councillor in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district. The soldier, Prabhu, served in Jammu and Kashmir. The police said there was an argument between the soldier and the DMK councillor, Chinnnasamy, over washing clothes at a public tank. The soldier's brother, Prabhakaran, was also injured in the attack, the police said. Later, the argument escalated into a full attack with more men joining the DMK councillor in thrashing the two brothers on February 8. Prabhu was admitted to a hospital, where he died last night. Six men were arrested on February 9. Three more including the DMK councillor were arrested today. The mob used logs to attack the soldier, the police said. "Chinnnasamy and the brothers are relatives too," Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoharan told NDTV.

8:43 PM

Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to Delhi Police regarding Nikki Yadav murder case

"The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to Delhi Police regarding this matter. We have requested Delhi Police to take strict actions against the accused as this is a very serious matter and provide all possible detail," said DCW chief Swati Maliwal to ANI.

8:41 PM

No power in engines, pilot of crashed Nepal plane reported -preliminary report

The pilot of a Yeti Airlines plane which crashed in Nepal killing 71 people said before the crash there was no power from the aircraft's engines, a preliminary investigation report said on Wednesday.The plane crashed just before landing in the tourist city of Pokhra on Jan. 15 in one of Nepal's worst airplane accidents in 30 years. There were 72 passengers on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals. Rescuers recovered 71 bodies, with one unaccounted person presumed to be dead.

 

8:23 PM

Lakshman Prasad Acharya to take oath as new Sikkim Guv on Thursday

Lakshman Prasad Acharya will take oath as the new governor of Sikkim on Thursday, officials said. The governor-designate arrived at Bagdogra Airport near West Bengal's Siliguri, where he was received by Sikkim Education Minister Lunga Nima Lepcha. He went by road to Sikkim's Rangpo, where he was accorded a warm welcome by Chief Secretary V B Pathak, Director General of Police A K Singh and other senior officials. He will be sworn-in as the new governor of the Himalayan state at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, according to officials of the Information and Public Relations Department. The 68-year-old BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh will succeed Ganga Prasad whose tenure as the governor of Sikkim ended on February 7.

8:23 PM

Indian Navy shows interest in acquiring Boeing Super Hornets fighter aircraft

Boeing has submitted details to the Indian Navy for assessment about the Super Hornets fighter aircraft produced by the company, a senior official of the firm has said. Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India business development head, Alain Garcia told PTI the company has handed over the details and the Indian Navy is also interested in acquiring six more P-8 patrol aircraft."Right now, we have submitted all of the information to the Indian Navy, for them to make an assessment. We are just ready and waiting for them to make a decision and an announcement to tell us where that stands," Garcia said at the ongoing Aero India-2023.

 

8:20 PM

PM spoke with Spain PM, discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between two countries

6:32 PM

Tipu Sultan Followers "Shouldn't Be Alive": Karnataka BJP Chief's Shocker

Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel, known for his controversial comments, has appealed to people to "kill" all "ardent followers" of Tipu Sultan, the 18th Century ruler of Mysore. The descendants of Tipu Sultan, he has declared, should be chased out and sent to forests.
 

The right-wing in the state sees Tipu Sultan as a bigoted tyrant who forcefully converted thousands. But his birth anniversary was celebrated for two consecutive years by the erstwhile Congress government led by Siddaramaiah, which saw him as one of the earliest freedom fighters.

 

Addressing BJP supports in panchayat town of Yelaburga of Koppal district today, Kateel said, "We are devotees of Lord Rama, Lord Hanuman. We offer prayers and obeisance to Lord Hanuman, and we not Tipu's descendants. Let's send Tipu's descendants back home".

5:59 PM

Bus-truck collision kills 1 in Telangana's Jagtial, injures 10 passengers

4:57 PM

New tradition of allegations in Parliament, Assemblies not proper for democracy: Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said a "new tradition" of levelling allegations and counter-allegations being observed in Parliament and state Assemblies these days is not proper for the country's constitutional democracy, and stressed the need for constructive debate and discussion in Houses to make democracy "lively and active", PTI reported.

4:24 PM

Indian foreign secy Vinay Kwatra meets Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka

3:39 PM

Lufthansa sees mass flight cancellations due to group-wide IT system failure

German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG reported widespread cancellations and grounding of its group flights, due to IT outage.

 

 

 

 

3:00 PM

NSE co-location scam: Delhi HC asks CBI to file affidavit mentioning status

The Delhi High Court has asked the CBI, which is probing the National Stock Exchange (NSE) co-location scam, to file an affidavit mentioning the update in the case in view of the petition filed by journalist Shantanu Guha Ray.

Ray has alleged that despite the whistleblower providing details of the scam nearly three-and-half years ago, nothing "substantial" has happened in the case.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma was hearing Ray's counsel, who contended that despite filing status reports before and now, no action has been taken.

2:40 PM

Shell, Microsoft join hands to provide digital skills to non-IT students

Shell India and Microsoft on Wednesday announced a collaboration to impart digital skills to students in vocational education institutions as part of their joint commitment to equip tomorrow's workforce with future-ready skills.

The project aims to enable 5,000 underserved youth across 24 government institutes with digital productivity and employability skills and prepare them for digital careers in the manufacturing and energy sectors.

2:26 PM

Delhi CM Kejriwal approves transplantation of 173 trees for PM's new residence

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cleared the way for the transplantation of 173 trees for the new residence of the Prime Minister which is being built by the Modi government as a part of the Central Vista project.

With is, there are now no obstacles in the construction of the Prime Minister's new residence.

The CPWD had sought permission for the transplantation of 173 trees from the project site from the Delhi government and the matter was sent to the Delhi CM for his approval, said officials.

2:03 PM

Magnitude 5.7 quake hits New Zealand, no damage reported

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near the New Zealand capital Wellington on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck under the Cook Strait that separates the North and South Islands at a depth of 74 kilometers (50 miles), USGS reported.

1:45 PM

CBI interrogates Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in Delhi excise policy case

The CBI interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail here in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The counsel said the investigation agency had moved an application before Special Judge M K Nagpal last Friday in this regard, and the same was allowed.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) quizzed the politician on Monday following the court order, advocate Mohd Irshad said.

1:28 PM

Adani row: SC agrees to hear fresh PIL of Congress leader on February 17

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on February 17 a fresh plea of a Congress leader seeking investigation under the supervision of a sitting apex court judge against the Adani Group of companies in light of the allegations made by the US-based Hindenburg Research.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of the submissions of a lawyer, representing Congress leader Jaya Thakur, that the plea needed urgent hearing.

12:54 PM

Maharashtra: Hoax bomb threat at High Court bench buiding in Aurangabad

Police conducted a search at the building of the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court after they received a call about a bomb in the premises which later turned out to be a hoax, an official said on Wednesday.

The police control room here in Maharashtra received the threat call from Bihar at around 5.45 pm on Tuesday, he said.

"The caller said 'I have paid money and my work is not being done. So I kept a bomb in the high court'," the official informed.

12:45 PM

I-T 'survey' operations at BBC offices continue for the second day

The Income Tax (I-T) department 'survey' related operations at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai continued for the second day on Wednesday, according to sources aware of the developments.

The 'survey' operations, which had begun on Tuesday at around 11.30 a.m., continued the whole day and even throughout the night, and are currently going on at the UK's official broadcaster's premises in Delhi and Mumbai, reports quoting sources said.

Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is learnt to have informed its employees to work from home and has even advised them to refrain from answering questions related to personal income.

12:24 PM

iDEX opened avenues for achieving self-reliance in defence: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday announced the launch of the ninth edition of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC).

Singh made the announcement after inaugurating 'Manthan 2023', the annual defence innovation event at the Chandan Singh Air Force Convention Centre in Yelahanka here.

The union minister said that the Defence Ministry has also approved a simplified and fast-track procedure for procurement from iDEX start-ups and MSMEs.

12:12 PM

Sri Lankan govt gives temporary green light to import of eggs from India

After months long dillydallying over changes in local price and the issue of bird flu, Sri Lanka Cabinet has allowed import of eggs from India, a government sources said on Tuesday.

The government stated that Cabinet's nod was given to import eggs from India on the condition that they do not bring bird flu.

A temporary permission had been granted to import eggs for a period of two months, a minister stated.

11:41 AM

Blast cases: NIA raids 60 locations in South India on Wednesday morning

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in connection with last year's Coimbatore and Mangaluru blast cases.

Sources in the agency told IANS that the raids are being carried out at 60 locations in residences and other establishments of suspected sympathisers of Islamic State (IS) in the three Southern states.

It comes as a follow up of the investigation related to the Deepavali eve car bomb blast at Ukkadam near Coimbatore on October 23, 2022 in which a 29-year-old youth Jameesha Mubin was charred to death.

 

11:17 AM

Afghanistan remains primary terrorist threat for Central, South Asia: UN

Afghanistan remains the primary source of terrorist threat for Central and South Asia, with groups such as ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan enjoying greater freedom of movement in the country owing to the absence of an effective Taliban security strategy, a UN report has said.

The 31st report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team (ISIL, Al-Qaida), was issued here on Tuesday.

The report said that Afghanistan remains the primary source of terrorist threat for Central and South Asia.

10:46 AM

India reports 102 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths; active tally rises to 1,823

India saw a single-day rise of 102 fresh COVID-19 cases as the active caseload increased to 1,823, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The country's Covid death toll stands at 5,30,756 with three latest fatalities -- two reported by Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours and one reconciled by Kerala -- the data updated at 8 am stated.

The total tally of coronavirus cases was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,84,376).

10:26 AM

Narrow escape for passengers as Godavari Express derails near Hyderabad

A major train disaster was averted when six coaches of Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Godavari Express got derailed between Bibinagar and Ghatkesar near Hyderabad on Wednesday.

There were no casualties or injuries, railway officials said.

S1 to S4, GS and SLR coaches of train number 12727 derailed near NFC Nagar under the limits of Ghatkesar Railway Station in Medchal Malkajgiri district.

The derailment sent panic among passengers. However, with the incident not resulting in any casualties, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

10:20 AM

RCB appoints Sania Mirza as mentor for women's team ahead of WPL 2023

Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza, who played her last Grand Slam at the Australian Open last month, was roped in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore team as their mentor in the inaugural Women's Premier League.

"It is a pleasure for me to join the RCB women's team as a mentor," the winner of six Grand Slam and 43 WTA titles said in an RCB statement.

"Indian women's cricket has seen a tectonic shift with the Women's Premier League, and I am really looking forward to being a part of this revolutionary pitch," Mirza said in a statement issued by the franchise.

9:33 AM

PM Modi to inaugurate Aadi Mahotsav on Feb 16 in the national capital

9:31 AM

Biden and Modi discussed importance of US-India strategic technology partnership: White House

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the importance of the US-India strategic technology partnership and committed to continue working together and in groups like the Quad to advance economic growth and expand cooperation on their shared priorities, a presidential spokesperson has said.

 

A phone call between the two leaders took place on Tuesday following the announcement of a historic deal between Boeing and Air India for the latter to buy more than 200 planes from the American plane manufacturer.

9:30 AM

One ideology or person cannot make or break country: RSS chief Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said that one ideology or person cannot make or break a country and that "good countries" of the world have a multitude of ideas.

While speaking at an award function organised by the Rajratna Puraskar Samiti in Nagpur, he said, "Society functions on the basis of qualities and a nation becomes great on the basis of the qualities of society. Any one person, one group, or one ideology does not make or break a country. Good countries in the world have all kinds of ideologies."