Highlights of the day: Netanyahu meets with Ajit Doval, updates him on war

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11:33 PM

Netanyahu meets with Ajit Doval and updated him on recent developments in the fighting in the Gaza Strip

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and updated him on recent developments in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The sides also discussed the effort to release the hostages and the issue of humanitarian assistance," tweets Israel PMO

9:44 PM

2nd meet of BJP's poll body underway

The BJP's Central Election Committee on Monday held its second meeting to decide on the party's candidates for the Lok Sabha elections as its senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, went through the list of probables for several states to make final choices. The states, which were tipped to come up for discussion, included Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana. The BJP has so far named its candidates for 195 seats spread across 16 states and two union territories. However, two of them, Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh and Upendra Rawat, withdrew after their choices sparked controversies.The party's brain trust, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda, has held a series of meetings with its leaders from states to draw the lists of probables before the CEC takes a final call.

9:43 PM

Maha Govt makes it mandatory to mention mother's name on all govt documents

Maharashtra cabinet has decided that the name of the mother will be mandatory on all govt documents like Birth certificates, School documents, property documents, Aadhar cards, and PAN cards. The decision is to be implemented from 1st May 2024.

9:42 PM

Congress CEC has cleared names for 12 LS seats in MP, Nakul Nath will contest from the Chhindwara seat

Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) has cleared names for 12 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, Nakul Nath will contest from the Chhindwara seat, according to media reports.

9:34 PM

Protests erupt in Jamia Millia Islamia over implementation of CAA

Protests erupted on the Jamia Millia Islamia campus here on Monday hours after the Centre notified the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), leading to heavy police deployment at the university.

 

A group of students led by the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) raised slogans against the Modi government and the Delhi Police.

 

The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) also opposed the implementation of the Act.

 

A senior police officer said the security around the Jamia campus has been beefed up to prevent any further gathering outside the campus.

8:30 PM

Security beefed up in Delhi after the Modi government notified the implantation of CAA

The Modi government has notified the rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

 

On the CAA notification, North East DCP Joy Tirkey says, "We have made arrangements in the North East district. Our experience in 2020 was unpleasant which resulted in heavy loss. The rules will be notified today and we were alerted by the Police Headquarters. We had a meeting of the Aman Committee where we briefed people of both communities. We have tagged the potential troublemakers and some known criminals. We are in touch with our beat constables and keeping an eye on social media too. We are doing a flag march for two days and will have an extensive flag march from tomorrow. Special care will be taken in sensitive areas through drones..."

7:50 PM

Pakistan's Election Commission announces Senate elections for April 2

Pakistan's poll season is not over yet as the authorities on Monday announced elections for the Senate, the upper house of the bicameral parliament, will take place on April 2.

 

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the elections will be held to fill the seats which will become vacant on the retirement of half of the sitting senators on March 12.

 

A total of 52 senators would retire on the completion of their six-year term. However, the elections would be held on 48 seats as four of the seats have been abolished after the merger of the former semi-independent tribal regions into the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

 

The ECP said in a press release that the Senate election would be held on April 2, adding that the nomination papers would be available from Monday and could be submitted till March 15-16.

7:49 PM

Fiji eyeing 5-7 pc increase in Indian visitors in 2024

Fiji is eyeing a 5-7 per cent growth in tourist footfalls from India this year on the back of targeted marketing campaigns and leveraging digital platforms as it seeks to attract honeymooners and family travellers.

 

The South Pacific Island nation is focusing on attracting tourists from India from segments, including honeymoon, sustainable and eco-tourism, wellness travel and multi-generational families, Tourism Fiji Executive Director of Regions Robert Thompson told PTI over an e-mail.

 

"Indian arrivals to the South Pacific Island nation in 2023, reached pre-Covid numbers of 2019, underlining the increased appetite for premium and experience-led travel.

 

"December last year saw the highest number of Indian arrivals in Fiji, increasing by about 300 per cent over the same month in 2022. The average length of stay of an Indian tourist to Fiji is around 7.6 nights," he said.

7:28 PM

DMRC wins Transport Ticketing Global - 2024 award

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has won a Transport Ticketing Global - 2024 award, it said on Monday.

 

According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the event attracts organisations from across the world.

 

The DMRC said in a post on X, "The Delhi Metro recently won the prestigious Highly Commended Award under the Digital Champion category in Transport Ticketing Global - 2024 in London. This award is a global recognition of the various digital ticketing initiatives taken by the DMRC in the last couple of years."

 

"This annual event attracts organisations from the transportation sector from across the world," it added.

6:19 PM

Centre notifies Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)

Govenment has notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on Monday to facilitate the granting of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, according to sources. Once the CAA rules are issued, the Modi government will start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- who had come to India till December 31, 2014.

5:55 PM

PM Modi lauds DRDO scientists for Mission 'Divyastra'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists for Mission 'Divyastra', the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.

5:43 PM

Proud of Mission 'Divyastra', says PM on Agni-5 missile flight test

5:36 PM

Home Minister Amit Shah unveils Piped Natural Gas (PNG) facilities in 41 villages

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday unveiled  Piped Natural Gas (PNG) facilities in 41 villages and several development works in 178 villages of Delhi with an outlay of Rs 381 crores as part of the central government's "Dilli Gramodaya Abhiyan".

5:21 PM

Kunal Kamra case: No interim stay on fact-check units, says Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court today refused to stay the formation of Fact Check Units (FCUs) till final verdict on the constitutionality of the new IT Rules, 2023 is delivered.

5:15 PM

SC grants interim protection to Sudhir Chaudhary In Jharkhand Police FIR over alleged anti-tribal remarks

The top court today granted interim protection to journalist Sudhir Chaudhar in relation to an FIR registered by the Jharkhand Police over the alleged remarks made by him against the tribal community following the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

 

5:07 PM

News update: PM Modi to make important announcement in 30 minutes

4:53 PM

Will not release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at any cost now, says Karnataka dy CM DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has stated that the water discharge was meant for Bengaluru, and not Tamil Nadu, amid criticism against the government over allegations that Cauvery water was being released from Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam to Tamil Nadu,

4:42 PM

NTA extends NEET UG 2024 examination registration date till March 16

The National Testing Agency today extended the registration window for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 examination till March 16.

 The NEET UG 2024 will be conducted on May 5, 2024, from 2:00 pm to 5:20 PM, across the country and in 14 cities outside India in pen and paper (offline) mode.

 

4:38 PM

CAA notification likely today: Media reports

The Citizenship Amendment Act could be notified by the home ministry today, according to reports from media agencies. Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the CAA, which was enacted in 2019, will be implemented before the General Elections this year after issuing the rules in this regard. Enacted by the Parliament on December 11, 2019, the CAA has been a subject of protests across the country.

4:33 PM

Kate Middleton apologises for editing Mother’s Day picture after major news agencies recall image

Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has personally apologised and admitted to editing the first official picture of herself since surgery after major news agencies pulled the image, The Independent reported today. The photograph, taken by Prince William in Windsor this week, was released by the royal family to mark Mother's Day. The photograph, which comes after weeks of intense public speculation about her health, is the first officially released image of the princess since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

3:11 PM

Supreme Court dismisses WB govt's plea on Sheikh Shahjahan's custody

The Supreme Court on Monday quashed the West Bengal government's petition against the transfer of Sandeshkhali accused Sheikh Shahjahan's custody to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

3:00 PM

Bombay HC raps Maharashtra govt for delaying land allotment for new court building

The Bombay High Court today pulled up the Maharashtra government for delaying land allotment for the new court building in suburban Bandra, stating that the condition of the existing structure in south Mumbai was bad and lives of judicial officers were in peril because of it.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor slammed the state government for dragging its feet on the issue, and said it does not want to create an "unsavoury situation".

2:57 PM

‘It’s readily available’, no reason for further extension': SC to SBI on electoral bonds details

A five-judge Constitution Bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said that the “submissions of SBI indicate that the information” which was directed to be disclosed “is readily available” with the bank and thus there was no reason for further extension as sought for. The Constitution bench  directed the ECI to publish the details shared by the SBI on its official website by 5:00 pm on March 15.

The bench stated that the top court may be inclined to proceed against it for "wilful disobedience" of its February 15 verdict if the bank failed to comply with its directions and timelines. "SBI is directed to disclose the details by the close of business hours of March 12," the bench said, adding, "As regards the ECI, we direct that ECI shall compile the information and publish the details on its official website no later by 5 pm on March 15, 2024."

2:50 PM

News update: LIVE: Why was Sheikh Shahjahan not arrested for 50 days, SC ask Bengal govt

The top court today asked the counsel representing the West Bengal government that why Sheikh Shahjahan was not arrested for so long. The Supreme Court was hearing the plea moved by the state government against the Calcutta High Court order granting the custody of Shahjahan to the CBI. 

2:29 PM

SC rejects Maharashtra govt’s appeal seeking stay on acquittal of G N Saibaba

The Supreme Court said that the Bombay High Court order acquitting former Delhi University (DU) professor G N Saibaba and others in Maoist links case is 'prima facie well reasoned.'

2:07 PM

PM Modi inaugurates Dwarka Expressway's Haryana leg from Gurugram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 112 national highway projects spanning across the country.

1:40 PM

Malegaon 2008 blasts case: Bailable warrant against BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur issued

Hearing the Malegaon 2008 blasts case, a special NIA court in Mumbai issued a bailable warrant of Rs 10,000 against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur in a non-appearance matter. She was not present for the hearing despite Court orders for a physical appearance.  Her lawyer had filed an exemption application on medical grounds but the court rejected the application.

 

 

 

 

1:36 PM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde unveils first phase of Mumbai coastal road

Asserting that it is an "engineering marvel",  Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today unveiled the first phase of the coastal road between Worli and Marine Drive in south Mumbai.  An official said that motorists can enter the coastal road from Worli Seaface, Haji Ali interchange and Amarson's interchange points, and exit at Marine Lines. A 10.5-kilometer-long stretch will be opened for traffic in the first phase. 

1:29 PM

Maharashtra ATS arrests 31-year-old accused for allegedly sharing sensitive information

Maharashtra ATS has recoredd a case under the Official Secrets Act and arrested a 31-year-old person who is accused of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) agents. The officials allege that  he was working at a place sensitive to the security of the country. 

1:26 PM

News updates: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet to take oath today

The Pakistan cabinet is set to be sworn in today after multiple days of deliberation on its composition, according to a report by Geo News