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10:04 PM

Mobile Internet shut in Manipur as massive protest emerge to include "Meitei community in the ST category"

Massive protests by the tribal people against the Supreme Court order on Scheduled Tribes Status. Thousands of tribals turned up at a 'Solidarity March' called by a student body in all the ten hill districts of the state to oppose moves for inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the ST category. The All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM), which called for the march, said it was organised to protest moves to include the "Meitei community in the ST category".

 

10:04 PM

Karnataka elections 2023

These people (BJP) made their image as '40% Sarkara' in last three years. Entire Karnataka knows, contractors and farmers committed suicide while crores of cash were recovered from MLA's son's home and that MLA takes out parade, there's 'jhoot and loot': Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacks BJP in Kalaburagi.

 

10:04 PM

Karnataka elections 2023

These people (BJP) made their image as '40% Sarkara' in last three years. Entire Karnataka knows, contractors and farmers committed suicide while crores of cash were recovered from MLA's son's home and that MLA takes out parade, there's 'jhoot and loot': Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacks BJP in Kalaburagi.

 

10:03 PM

Delhi Covid cases

Delhi reports 272 new cases, 688 recoveries and 1 death in the last 24 hours.

 

3:32 PM

8 students, security guard killed in school shooting by teen in Serbia's Belgrade

A teenage boy opened fire at a school in Serbia's capital Wednesday, killing eight children and a school guard, police said. Six more children and a teacher were injured and hospitalized.Police identified the shooter by his initials, K.K., and said he had opened fire with his father's gun. He was arrested in the school yard, police said. A statement identified him as a student at the school in central Belgrade who was born in 2009.Police said they received a call about the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school around 8:40 a.m. Primary schools in Serbia have eight grades, starting with first grade.Unlike in the United States, mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare; none were reported at schools in recent years. In the last mass shooting, a Balkan war veteran in 2013 killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

 

2:18 PM

Buckingham Palace arrest not being treated as terror-related: Police

The arrest of a man at the gates of Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday evening is not being treated as terror-related, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.

UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, meanwhile, stressed that he is very proud of the police response to the incident, which came just days before King Charles and Queen Camilla will be departing the palace gates for their grand Coronation ceremony, procession towards Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace said that neither the King nor the Queen were at the palace at the time of the incident.

1:52 PM

UPSC rejects Arunachal govt's plea to conduct recruitment exams

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has rejected the request of the Arunachal Pradesh government to conduct exams for Group A and B posts in the northeastern state, an official said on Wednesday.

The state government had requested the UPSC to conduct the exams as per the recruitment-related policy of the state for the vacant Group A and B posts, till the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) is reconstituted and made functional.

Replying to the state government's plea, the UPSC in a recent letter to the state chief secretary recently said that according to rules, it is not permissible when a duly constituted public service commission is functioning in the state.

1:47 PM

Encounter in J-K's Kupwara, two terrorists killed

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

The encounter took place near Pichnad Machil area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir, a police official said.

1:23 PM

MP: Govt doctors go on strike, private hospital staffers pressed on duty in state-run facilities

Doctors across government hospitals in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday started an indefinite strike over a host of demands, including facilities for their colleagues posted in rural areas and putting an end to alleged bureaucratic interference.

The agitation is being organised by different medical associations under the umbrella body of Madhya Pradesh Shaskiya Swashasi Chikitsak Mahasangh after failed talks with the government. Nearly 13,000 doctors are participating in the protest, claimed the Mahasangh. In February too, the doctors had gone on a similar protest.

The protest is likely to affect outpatient services and other essential hospital work.

1:13 PM

Museum paying tribute to Ladakh's 'modern architect' being set up in Leh

A museum paying tribute to Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, hailed as the 'architect of modern Ladakh', is being set up at the Spituk monastery here, officials said on Wednesday.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Brigadier B D Mishra (retd.) Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the museum, which will highlight the 19th Arhat Bakula Rinpoche's contribution to the region's development.

"The setting up of the Spituk monastery museum is a major step in preserving and showcasing Ladakh's rich heritage. It will be a tribute to the 19th Arhat Bakula," Mishra said.

12:35 PM

Over 200 people penalised for consuming alcohol in public places in Noida

More than 200 people have been penalised for creating nuisance after consuming liquor in public places across Noida and Greater Noida, police said on Wednesday.

The action came during a surprise inspection across all police station areas of the twin-cities in the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissionerate on Tuesday evening, they said.

12:22 PM

Phase 1 of UP urban body polls on Thursday, voting begins at 7 am

The first of the two-phase urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh will take place on Thursday, a major poll battle in the politically crucial state ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and opposition Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took trips to different places on the last day of the campaign on Tuesday to engage with voters and attacked each other with their typical jibes.

According to the State Election Commission, voters in 37 districts will vote in the first phase of the polls on Thursday to elect 7,593 representatives, including 10 mayors and 820 corporators. Polling for the second-phase polling will take place on May 11

11:35 AM

Beant Singh assassination case: SC declines to commute death penalty of Rajoana

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to commute the death penalty of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, to life imprisonment.

 

Rajoana has been in jail for the past 26 years.

 

Rajoana, a former Punjab Police constable, was convicted for his involvement in the explosion that took place outside the Punjab civil secretariat on August 31, 1995, killing Beant Singh and 16 others.

11:25 AM

Congress leader in Bihar lodges case against Amit Shah

Pratibha Singh, a Congress leader in Bihar's Darbhanga district, has lodged a case against Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that he was provoking communal tensions in the poll-bound Karnataka through his remarks.

 

The case refers to comments made by Shah at a rally in Belagavi, Karnataka, on April 25 during which he said that if the Congress came to power, riots would take place in the state.

10:42 AM

Russian freight train derails due to 'explosive device' in region bordering Ukraine

Russian freight train derails due to 'explosive device' in region bordering Ukraine, reports AFP, quoting governor

10:23 AM

300 arrested in global crackdown on dark web drug market

Authorities in the US and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated over USD 53 million, and seized a dark web marketplace as part of an international crackdown on drug trafficking that officials say was the largest operation of its kind.

The operation targeting the "Monopoly Market" is the latest major takedown of sales platforms for drugs and other illicit goods on the so-called dark web, a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialised anonymity-providing tools.

Most of the arrests were made in the US, which is in the grips of an overdose crisis. Synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, kill more Americans every year than died in the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

10:22 AM

India reports 3,720 new Covid-19 cases, active infections at 40,177

India reports 3,720 new Covid-19 cases and 7,698 recoveries in the last 24 hours; the active caseload stands at 40,177.

10:12 AM

Excise case: Delhi Court seeks ED's response on Arun Pillai's bail plea

Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramachandran Pillai has moved a bail petition in Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the alleged Excise Policy Scam.

Special Judge MK Nagpal has sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea and listed the matter for May 10.

Recently, the ED has filed a supplementary complaint in the alleged liquor scam case, against businessmen Amandeep Dhall and Arun Ramachandran Pillai.

10:11 AM

Section 144 imposed around Goa's Manohar International Airport amid protest call by locals

The North Goa district administration has imposed CrPC section 144 around the Manohar International Airport and nearby villages to prevent unlawful assembly for two months in view of a call for blocking its road given by people who have lost their land for the airport project.

District Collector Mamu Hage in the order issued on Tuesday said it has been brought to the notice by police that those who have lost their land for the airport in Pernem taluka, and people from Mopa, Warkhand, Nagzar and Chandel have been protesting under the banner of 'Together for Pednekars'.

10:09 AM

Cong demands special session of Maha legislature to discuss sunstroke tragedy deaths, Barsu refinery protests

The Maharashtra Congress has demanded that a special session of the state legislature be convened to discuss issues including the death of more than a dozen people due to sunstroke last month and protests against a proposed oil refinery project at Barsu in Ratnagiri district.

A Congress delegation made the demand to Governor Ramesh Bais during a meeting with him at the Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday.

Notably, 14 people died due to sunstroke after attending the 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award event in Kharghar area of Navi Mumbai on April 16.

9:56 AM

SpiceJet mobilizes plan to revive grounded aircraft with govt funds

SpiceJet has mobilized its plan to revive 25 grounded aircraft. Funds for the revival will be drawn from the government’s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) and better cash accruals. The airline has already mobilised around Rs 400 crores towards getting its grounded fleet back in the air, which will further enhance its top-line.

 

 

9:45 AM

After 8 months of old excise policy, over 168,000L of illicit IMFL seized

In the first 8 months of implementation of old excise policy in Delhi since September 2022, more than 1.68 lakh litres of illicit Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and over 3,800 litres of foreign liquor was seized by the Excise department of Delhi government.

In the same period, 57,333 litres of country liquor was also seized by the enforcement teams of the Excise department, said a senior officer of the department.

Total 282 excise cases were registered and 280 people were arrested in various offences. More than 100 vehicles, mostly used in inter-state smuggling, were also impounded, he said.

9:44 AM

L-G should probe corruption in MCD when it was under BJP: Saurabh Bharadwaj

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday demanded that the lieutenant governor conduct a high-level inquiry into alleged corruption in the MCD while it was under the BJP's control.

 

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) earned a revenue of about Rs 8,900 crore in the financial year 2022-23, a rise of more than 22 per cent compared to the earnings in the year before, according to officials.

 

The "perennially cash-strapped" MCD has registered record revenue receipts in 2022-23, witnessing a jump of 22.77 per cent over the year (FY 2021-22) prior to it, when the figure was Rs 7,249.25 crore, a senior official of the Raj Niwas said.

9:43 AM

Anurag Thakur tried to suppress matter: Vinesh Phogat amid wrestlers' protest

India's ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat who has been protesting at Jantar Mantar with other top grapplers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, on Tuesday said that it is tough to stand against a powerful person who is misusing his power and position for a very long time.

 

Vinesh also slammed Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur for not taking any action and suppressing the matter by forming a committee.

 

"We ended our protest after talking to Union Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur), and all the athletes had told him about the sexual harassment. He by forming a committee tried to suppress the matter there; no action was taken that time," she said.

9:39 AM

They are stealing democracy: Priyanka Gandhi's jibe at BJP in Karnataka

Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that the saffron party is stealing democracy and urged the people to cast their votes in favour of the grand old party.

 

Addressing a public rally in poll-bound Karnataka, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Nowadays, there are various types of thieves in the country, some steal from houses...now, some thieves 'who steal the governments' have also come, they are stealing the democracy...stop them...."

 

In an earlier rally in Jamakhandi, Priyanka had said, "I have seen the first such Prime Minister who says in front of the public that he is being abused. The PM does not have a list of problems faced by the public but a list of abuses. Modi ji, learn from my brother, who (Rahul Gandhi) says 'Gali kya mein desh ke liye goli kha lunga'."

9:38 AM

Despite being jailed, Atiq Ahmed murder accused active on social media

Lovelesh Tiwari, one of the accused in the murders of gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, is active on the social media despite being lodged in the Pratapgarh jail.

 

The Banda police are said to have taken serious cognisance of the contents posted on Tiwari's social media accounts over the last two weeks. 

 

The posts are inflammatory and hateful in nature, according to the police.