Highlights: Israel warned US about drone strike on Iran, says Italian foreign minister

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10:10 PM

'Digi Yatra users data safe; info stored only in individual's mobile device'

Digi Yatra does not store the personally identifiable information of passengers and the personal data of the Indian users are safe and secure, the Digi Yatra Foundation said on Friday amid persisting concerns over the privacy of user data. "Digi Yatra technology infrastructure is being scaled up with intention to expand coverage from 15 airports to 28 airports by the end of April 2024," the foundation said in a detailed statement. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various checkpoints at airports. Emphasising that Digi Yatra is built on the concept of Self Sovereign Identity, the foundation said the Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem (DYCE) never stores any of the ID credentials data, which has Personally Identifiable Information (PIl) anywhere in any central repository.

8:03 PM

Traditional boundaries of land, sea, air, cyber and space domains getting blurred: IAF chief

 Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari has said the traditional boundaries of the land, sea, air, cyber and space domains are increasingly becoming "blurred", bringing about a "paradigm shift" in war fighting. In a recorded video address that was played at the inaugural session of the three-day Indian Defence Space Symposium here on Friday, the IAF chief also said in order to "maintain our strategic autonomy", capabilities must be developed that would be necessary to "defend our interests in space". In his address, the air chief marshal underlined that with a massive surge of new technologies and opening up of space to private players, there is a "disruption in the established scheme of things". "New possibilities based on audacious financing are introducing new perspectives for innovative solutions and low-cost access to outer space," he said. However, with these new possibilities, "new threats" are also coming to the fore, the IAF chief added.

8:01 PM

Use of children in pornographic materials matter of serious concern: Supreme Court

A child watching porn may not be an offence but children being used in pornography is a matter of “serious” concern and may be an offence, the Supreme Court said on Friday. The observations came from a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala while reserving the verdict on an appeal filed by NGOs -- Just Rights for Children Alliance of Faridabad and New Delhi-based Bachpan Bachao Andolan -- challenging a Madras High Court verdict. The organisations work for the welfare of children. "A child watching porn may not be an offence but children being used in pornography may be an offence and is a matter of serious concern," the bench said.

7:35 PM

Crime news: Juvenile, 4 others held for beating 14-year-old boy to death in Delhi

Five people, including a juvenile, have been nabbed for allegedly killing a 14-year-old boy in north Delhi's Narela, police said on Friday. They added that the victim was allegedly beaten to death by six accused -- identified as Deepak, Prateek, Ayush (19), Siwansh (19), Mohit (21), and a 17-year-old juvenile -- on March 31. "On April 1, the Narela police got information from a hospital about an unidentified boy, who was declared dead on arrival. An FIR was registered and, subsequently, investigation started," Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said. He said later a phone call was received on the mobile phone, which was handed over to the investigating officer by the hospital authorities. The caller identified himself as the victim's father.

6:18 PM

West Asia geopolitical tension Live: Iran acknowledges drone attack by Israel, says it failed

Iranian state media confirmed an attack by Israel in the early hours of Friday and said the “sabotage” operation involving drones had failed.

Israel launched a retaliatory strike on Iran following last week’s missile and drone barrage from Tehran, according to two US officials, though media from both countries appeared to downplay the severity of the incident.

An explosion was heard early Friday in Isfahan, Iran’s third-biggest city, Fars news agency reported. Nuclear facilities located there are safe, state television and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said.

The Israeli government, which rarely comments on specific military actions linked to Iran, hasn’t confirmed the strike.

Flights were suspended in Isfahan and the Iranian cities of Tehran and Shiraz as well as airports across the country’s western borders, but those restrictions were soon eased.

5:57 PM

Stock market news: Tata Group seeks waiver from listing NBFC: Report

Indian conglomerate Tata Group has sought a formal waiver from the central bank to avoid listing Tata Sons, its holding company and non-banking finance firm, on stock exchanges, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. In seeking the waiver, Tata Sons told the central bank it has used the proceeds from selling $1.1 billion worth of shares in Tata Consultancy Services last month to pay off loans to foreign and local lenders, the news agency reported.

Tata Sons' borrowings stood at 202.74 billion rupees ($2.43 billion) as of March 31, 2023. If it is able to lower its debt to below 1 billion rupees, it could cease to be classified as an upper-layer NBFC by the RBI and avoid listing. Tata Group and the RBI did not immediately reply to Reuters' requests for comment.

4:45 PM

A country supplying 'aatank' is struggling for 'aata' now: PM Modi takes jab at Pakistan

Taking a  jab at Pakistan without naming it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said a country which was a supplier of 'aatank' (terror) is struggling for 'aata' (flour) these days. Addressing an election rally at Damoh in Madhya Pradesh, he said India, which once bought most of its arms from overseas, was now exporting high-tech weapons to other countries, and referred to providing BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines. PM Modi pitched for a strong and stable government at the Centre, on a day when the the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, being held in seven phases, kicked off with voting in more than 100 seats.

4:18 PM

Adultery can be a ground for divorce, not for granting custody of child: Bombay HC

Adultery can be a ground for divorce but not for granting custody of a child, the Bombay High Court said while granting custody of a nine-year-old girl to her mother. The court on April 12 dismissed the petition filed by the man, son of a former legislator, challenging an order passed by the family court in February 2023 granting custody of his daughter to his estranged wife.

4:14 PM

Tesla recalls 3,878 cybertrucks to repair faulty pedals

Tesla Inc recalled 3,878 Cybertruck pickups to repair or replace accelerator pedals that can dislodge and cause the vehicle to unintentionally accelerate, increasing risk of a crash.The carmaker received notice of two customer claims related to the issue, according to a recall report submitted to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

3:55 PM

Crime can't be 'wiped off' by paying compensation to victim, says Delhi High Court

Criminal law seeks to regulate the conduct of individuals within the society and a crime cannot be "wiped off" by payment of compensation, the Delhi High Court said while refusing to quash an FIR for attempt to murder on the basis of a settlement between the parties.  Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta quashed the plea by the accused persons, asserting that the object is to ensure that a serious offence like Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is not repeated and a settlement does not encourage more criminal acts or endanger the welfare of society at large.

3:03 PM

CM Kejriwal moves Delhi court seeking insulin in jail, hearing today, says AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today filed a plea in Rouse Avenue Court asking authorities to provide insulin in jail. Kejriwal has sought permission to consult his doctor through video conferencing daily for 15 minutes due to his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels

2:49 PM

Dubai rains: Indian Embassy in UAE notifies travel advisory for passengers

Amid heavy rains that have submerged the United Arab Emirates and caused flood-like situation, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi has issued an advisory for Indian passengers travelling to or transiting through the airport to reschedule their non-essential travel till flight operations normalise. Moreover, the Airport Authorities have advised that passengers may travel to the Airport 'ONLY AFTER' final confirmation from the respective airlines regarding the departure date and time of the respective flights

 

 

2:00 PM

OpenAI recruits Pragya Misra as first India hire

OpenAI recruited Pragya Misra to lead public policy affairs and partnerships in India, Bloomberg reported today. Misra, 39, previously worked at Truecaller AB and Meta Platforms Inc. and is set to begin work at OpenAI toward the end of the month.

1:31 PM

IMD issues severe heat alert for Odisha' Bhubaneswar records season's highest temperature at 43.6°C

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a severe heat wave alert for Odisha as Bhubaneshwar recorded the season's highest temperature at 43.6 degrees Celsius today. In a post on X, IMD said, "Severe heat wave conditions are likely at isolated places over Odisha during 18-19 April and heat wave conditions on 20-21 April, 2024."

1:08 PM

Andhra Pradesh court issues order prohibiting parties from making remarks on Vivekanada Reddy murder case

A court in Kadapa has notified a gag order till April 30, restraining political parties from using derogatory remarks on the murder of former minister Vivekananda Reddy, linking it to YSR Congress party and its leaders. Kadapa Principal District Judge G Sreedevi issued the ad-interim orders on April 16 following a petition by a local YSR Congress Party leader.

12:59 PM

No plan for immediate retaliation, says Iran after Israeli missile strikes

A senior Iranian official told news agency Reuters after reported strike by Israel that there is no plan for immediate retaliation.

12:32 PM

Officials in Tehran say reports are media propaganda, no incidents occurred above Isfahan

Iranian officials stated  that nothing unusual had occurred in the skies above Isfahan and that reports of a strike in Iran was nothing more than Israeli and American media propaganda, Haaretz reported today. 

11:32 AM

Emirates again halts local flight check-in as UAE recovers from record rains

Long-haul carrier Emirates says it is halting local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week.

11:18 AM

Israel hits military position In Syria's South

Israeli strikes targeted a Syrian army position in the country's south, a war monitor said, as US media reported Israel had carried out hits on its arch-rival Iran. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes, which he attributed to Israel, "targeted a radar installation of the Syrian army" between the provinces of Sweida and Daraa provinces.

11:15 AM

5 Japanese workers narrowly escape suicide bombing that targeted their vehicle in Pakistan

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest near a van carrying Japanese autoworkers, who narrowly escaped the attack Friday that wounded three bystanders in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, police said. The van had been heading to an industrial area where the five Japanese nationals worked at Pakistan Suzuki Motors, local police chief Arshad Awan said.

10:59 AM

Fossils of possibly largest snake to ever have lived found in Kutch: Study

Fossils recovered from Kutch in Gujarat may have belonged to the spine of one of the largest snakes to ever have lived, according to new research from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. Investigators discovered 27 "mostly well-preserved" bones forming the snake's spinal column, or vertebra, with some connections still intact from the Panandhro Lignite Mine.

10:57 AM

India likely to deliver first batch of BrahMos missiles to Philippines today

India is set to deliver the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines today, over two years after inking a  $375 million deal to supply the weapon systems with the Southeast Asian country, people familiar with the matter said. It would be the first export of the BrahMos missile by India.

9:35 AM

Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi appointed as next chief of Indian Navy

The Centre has appointed Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi as the next Chief of the Indian Navy. Tripathi  will assume his new office on April 30. Prior to taking over as vice chief of the Naval Staff, Tripathi served as the flag officer commanding-in-chief, Western Naval Command. 

9:34 AM

US vetoes widely supported UNSC resolution on Palestinian statehood

The US vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council on a Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations.  The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the UK abstaining and the US casting its veto in the the 15-nation council. 

9:11 AM

Delhi LG seeks rpt from prison official over 'non-provision' of insulin to CM Kejriwal

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has instructed the Director General (DG) of Prisons to submit a 'factual and comprehensive' report into the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) claims that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not provided insulin in Tihar jail. The Delhi LG also assured that no laxity with regards to CM Kejriwal's health would be tolerated.