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5:00 PM

Aaley Mohammad Iqbal of AAP to be Delhi's Deputy Mayor

Aam Aadmi Party wins Deputy Mayor election, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal of AAP gets 147 votes. BJP's Kamal Bagri gets 116 votes.

 

3:59 PM

SC begins hearing Uddhav Thackeray's plea against ECI order

3:35 PM

TMC's idea in Meghalaya is to ensure BJP comes to power, says Rahul Gandhi

2:49 PM

Ukraine prez office head calls NSA Doval, seeks support for UN resolution

Head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak has spoken to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and sought India's support for a draft resolution in the UN on peace in Ukraine, asserting that cooperation with New Delhi was very important.

 

According to a Ukrainian statement, Yermak during a phone call informed Doval about the current situation at the front, in particular about the "extremely difficult defense" of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

2:37 PM

AAP announces candidate Shelly Oberoi's victory in Delhi mayor election

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday claimed that AAP candidate Shelly Oberoi has won the MCD mayoral polls.

The voting was held at the Civic Centre.

"The goons lost, the public won. Many congratulations to all the workers as AAP candidate has become the mayor in Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Once again whole hearted gratitude to the people of Delhi. Many many congratulations to the first Mayor @OberoiShelly of AAP," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

2:19 PM

Urgent need to increase level of self governance, says Sebi official

There is an urgent need to increase the level of self-governance, as the cost of compliance and non-compliance has gone up substantially as people prefer to fight it out than reach a settlement, a senior Sebi official said on Wednesday.

 

"The cost of compliance has increased substantially of late and so is the cost and the instances of the non-compliance and resultant increase in the number of litigations. So the only way out, I feel, is to increase self-governance," VS Sundaresan, an executive director with the market watchdog Sebi, said here.

1:48 PM

North Korea calls UN chief Guterres' remarks on missile test 'unfair'

North Korea on Wednesday accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of an extremely unfair and imbalanced attitude, as it lambasted him for condemning its recent missile test but ignoring alleged US hostility against the North.

 

After the North's intercontinental ballistic missile test on Saturday, Guterres strongly condemned the launch and reiterated his call for the North to immediately desist from making any further provocations. In a statement, Guterres also urged North Korea to resume talks on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

 

1:16 PM

Good to know that Delhi LG finally held meet over law and order: Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday expressed his approval to Lt Governor VK Saxena meeting deputy commissioners of Delhi Police over law and order situation in the city.

 

In a Hindi tweet, Kejriwal claimed the law and order situation in Delhi has "deteriorated very much" in the last one year and the LG should hold such meetings more frequently.

 

1:14 PM

UP govt's budget for 2023-24 focuses on youth, development activities

The Yogi Adityanath government on Wednesday tabled the annual budget 2023-24 in the state Legislative Assembly, and the highlight is that it focuses on the youth and the developmental activities.

 

Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented the budget which was earlier passed in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

1:03 PM

Will investigate: Maharashtra CM on Sanjay Raut's letter claiming threat to life

A day after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged his life was under threat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said police will check the claim and act accordingly.

 

We will also check if this (Raut's claim) is based on facts or is a stunt, Shinde said. Raut on Tuesday alleged that the CM's son and Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde has hired contract killers to kill him. He also wrote to Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio claiming a threat to his life.

12:46 PM

Samsung tops global TV market for 17 years in row

Samsung has topped the global TV market last year, making it the 17th year in a row that the company has ranked first in the TV industry.

 

This success can be credited to the company's dedication to high-quality viewing experiences and user-centred design, the tech giant said in a blogpost on Tuesday.

12:27 PM

India raises broadband speed to 2Mbps but even Bangladesh offers 5Mbps

Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Wednesday hailed the government's step to raise the minimum speed of broadband to 2Mbps from 512Kbps, which is a 400 per cent increase. However, it stressed that this is not enough for a 'mobile first' country.

 

The Forum said that it is unfortunate that as many as 45,180 villages in India do not have any 4G coverage at all.

12:07 PM

SMEs in Singapore urged to use PayNow-UPI scheme for business dealings with India

The Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) has urged Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the city-state to use the PayNow-UPI linkage for business dealings with India for ease of payment.

 

SICCI Chairman Neil Parekh, while welcoming the launch of the linkage of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow on Tuesday, also emphasised that the SMEs stand to benefit from the launch of the cross-border real-time digital payment system.

11:51 AM

China blasts Pentagon official's Taiwan visit, military ties

China on Wednesday sharply criticised a visit to Taiwan by a senior Pentagon official and reaffirmed it has sanctioned Lockheed Martin and a unit of Raytheon for supplying military equipment to the self-governing island democracy.

 

The comments from the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office underscore the dramatic deterioration in relations between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan, technology, spying allegations, and, increasingly, Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

11:48 AM

UP Police sends notice to singer over video, says her song created 'disharmony'

The Uttar Pradesh Police has sent a notice to Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, known for her video "UP Me Ka Ba", over her latest song which created "disharmony and tension".

In the 1.09-minute video shared by Rathore on Twitter on February 16, she criticised the Yogi Adityanath government and mentioned the chief minister's name while referring to the Kanpur Dehat incident in which two women immolated themselves during an anti-encroachment drive.

11:32 AM

South Korea's childbirths hit another fresh low in 2022, deaths outpace

The number of babies born in South Korea reached yet another fresh low in 2022, with deaths outpacing births for the third consecutive year, new data revealed on Wednesday.

 

A total of 249,000 babies were born last year, falling 4.4 per cent from the previous record low in 2021, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

 

11:16 AM

CBI should immediately arrest Sisodia in 'snooping' case: Delhi BJP

The Delhi BJP on Wednesday demanded that the CBI immediately arrest Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in an alleged case of snooping, and also probe the role of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in it.

 

The people of Delhi "welcome" the sanction accorded to the CBI to prosecute Sisodia

11:00 AM

EC order on Shiv Sena made things crystal clear, asserts Thakur; taunts Uddhav

Union minister Anurag Thakur has said the Election Commission's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena has made things "crystal clear" and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray should now understand who actually has the support of party workers.

 

He also taunted Thackeray saying what was the use of repenting over what has been lost.

 

10:40 AM

Budget to be presented in assembly will be the biggest in UP history: FM Suresh Kumar Khanna

The budget to be presented in the assembly will be the biggest in the history of Uttar Pradesh with a focus on infrastructure, state finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna has said.

 

"The budget (size) will be the biggest in the history of Uttar Pradesh. It will be for youth, strengthening farmers and giving honour to women. The focus will be on infrastructure so that more employment opportunities can be generated," Khanna, who will table the budget in the state assembly, told reporters.

10:29 AM

Filing cases against rivals sign of coward: Sisodia on MHA nod to prosecute him

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the more AAP will grow, the more cases will be filed against its leaders, following the MHA's sanction to the CBI to prosecute him in a case of alleged collection of "political intelligence".

 

In a communication to the principal secretary to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the home ministry said the sanction to prosecute Sisodia was granted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

10:15 AM

India records 125 new Covid-19 cases, active infections' tally at 1,935

India recorded 125 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 1,935, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

 

The death toll stands at 530,762 with one death reported by Chandigarh, the data updated at 8 am stated.

10:12 AM

More airports, better connectivity bringing people closer, boosting national progress: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the aviation sector is bringing people closer and boosting national progress with more airports and better connectivity.

 

The prime minister shared a tweet by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia about domestic air traffic touching a new post-Covid high of nearly 4.45 lakh on February 19. "More airports and better connectivity...the aviation sector is bringing people closer and boosting national progress," Modi said in a tweet.

9:58 AM

Russia and West clash over probe of Nord Stream sabotage

Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations Tuesday over the Kremlin's call for a UN investigation of last September's sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe.

 

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council that Moscow has no trust in the separate investigations being carried out by Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but it does fully trust UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an independent international investigation of the explosions.

9:58 AM

Heated argument breaks out between passengers, Air India staff over flight delay at Delhi airport

Passengers of a Mumbai-bound Air India flight and airline staff were involved in a heated argument at Delhi airport on Tuesday late at night after the flight was delayed by more than four hours.

 

A passenger on board the Delhi-Mumbai flight told ANI that the flight AI-805 was delayed from its original schedule of 8:00 pm to 10:40 pm first then 11:35 pm then 12:30 am and then finally it took off at 1:48 am from Terminal 3 of the airport in Delhi.

9:38 AM

Goa can become global hub of education, says CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said his state can become a hub of education where students from across the world can pursue their studies. Sawant was addressing the valedictory function of 'QS India Summit 2023' in South Goa on Tuesday.

 

"My wish is to nurture world-class educational institutions in Goa. The state can become a hub of education with students coming from across the world. Goa has already passed the Private Universities Bill a couple of years ago. With the opening of education space, India could be positioned as an education hub in Asia, and Goa could be ready to position itself as an important educational destination," he said.

 

 

9:27 AM

Air India Newark-Delhi flight diverted to Stockholm due to oil leak

An Air India flight from Newark to Delhi was diverted to Stockholm on Wednesday due to an oil leak in one of the engines, according to a senior official.

 

The senior DGCA official said the flight, operated with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, had an oil leak in one of the engines. Following the oil leak, the engine was shut down, and later the flight landed safely in Stockholm, the official added.

 

9:19 AM

MHA sanctions Manish Sisodia's prosecution in 'Feedback Unit' snooping case

Ministry of Home Affairs has given sanction to prosecute Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the 'alleged Feedback Unit' snooping case.

 

In a communication to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Secretariat dated February 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs granted permission to the CBI to prosecute Sisodia in the alleged snooping case.

9:03 AM

Indo-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announces 2024 presidential bid

Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has launched his 2024 presidential bid with a promise to put merit back and end dependence on China, becoming the second community member to enter the Republican Party's presidential primary after Nikki Haley.

 

Ramaswamy, 37, whose parents migrated to the United States from Kerala and worked at a General Electric plant in Ohio, made the announcement during a live interview on Fox News's prime time show of Tucker Carlson, a conservative political commentator.

He is the second Indian-American to enter the Republican presidential primary.

8:45 AM

Fire breaks out in slums of Maharashtra's Kamla Nagar in Mumbai, tenders rushed to spot

8:33 AM

Gehlot alleges Union min's involvement in Sanjivani Credit Society scam

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of being involved in the alleged Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam, saying police investigation has proven his involvement.

 

His comments come a day after Shekhawat accused Gehlot of indulging in his character assassination due to frustration as he had defeated the Congress leader's son in the last Lok Sabha election