Highlights of the day: India firmly rejects 'senseless attempts' by China to rename places in Arunachal

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10:10 PM

TTE 'pushed to death' by passenger on moving train in Kerala's Thrissur

A Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) was killed after allegedly being pushed by a passenger from a moving train in this central Kerala district on Tuesday, police said.

The incident took place when the train was in Velappaya area under Thrissur Medical College police station limit on Tuesday evening, they said.

The TTE allegedly fell from the moving train after being pushed by the passenger.

The incident occurred on the Patna-bound train originating from Ernakulam, the police added.

10:06 PM

Aadhaar in Form 6B is voluntary: ECI

"It may be noted that submission of Aadhaar in Form 6B is voluntary. No entry in electoral roll shall be deleted on the ground of non-submission of AADHAAR," says ECI.

10:01 PM

Arvind Kejriwal 'kingpin', 'key conspirator' in excise 'scam', ED tells Delhi HC

The ED on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the "kingpin" and the "key conspirator" of the "excise scam" and there were "reasons to believe" on the basis of material in its possession that he was guilty of the offence of money laundering.

 

Opposing the AAP leader's petition challenging his arrest by the agency in the money laundering case linked to the "scam", the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the political party, which was the "major beneficiary" of the proceeds of the crime, has committed the offence through Kejriwal.

 

"Sh Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi, is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi Excise Scam in collusion with Ministers of Delhi Govt, AAP leaders and other persons.. Sh Arvind Kejriwal was directly involved in the formulation of the Excise Policy 2021-22.

 

"This policy was being drafted considering the favours to be granted to the South Group and was formed in collusion with Sh Vijay Nair, Sh Manish Sisodia and members representatives of the South Group," said the response.

 

The AAP has committed the offence of money laundering through Kejriwal and the offences thus are covered by section 70, PMLA 2002, it said.

8:55 PM

Met issues heatwave warning in south Bengal districts

The Met department on Tuesday issued a heatwave warning in south Bengal districts till April 6.

 

The weather office warned of a rise in maximum day temperature by 2 to 3 degree Celsius over the next few days in south Bengal districts.

 

Several south Bengal districts, including Purulia, West Bardhaman, Bankura, Jhargram, East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas are likely to experience heatwave conditions till April 6, the Met said.

 

Humid and discomforting weather is likely to prevail over the other districts in south Bengal, it added.

 

Suri and Murshidabad recorded the day's highest day temperature on Tuesday, with the mercury touching the 39 degree Celsius mark at both places, while Kolkata and Salt Lake were not far behind at 36.7 and 37.3 degree Celsius, respectively, weathermen said.

8:04 PM

On one hand, explosions in Bengaluru, on the other, SDPI supporting Congress: Shah

"On one hand, explosions in Bengaluru, on the other, SDPI supporting Congress. How can Karnataka be safe under Congress?", says Shah at road show.

7:56 PM

Istanbul nightclub horror leaves 29 dead

A fire at an Istanbul nightclub under renovation leaves 29 dead and several others badly hurt, reports AP.

7:55 PM

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises MD, CEO Punit Goenka takes 20% pay cut

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd on Tuesday said its Managing Director and CEO Punit Goenka has decided to take a 20 per cent cut in his remuneration, in line with the strategic and frugal approach implemented across the organisation.

 

The management of the company, under the leadership of Goenka, is implementing all the required measures across verticals to optimise costs and enhance productivity, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said in a regulatory filing.

 

As per the company's annual report for 2022-23, the total remuneration paid to Goenka was Rs 35.07 crore.

 

He said the organisation is sharply focused on adopting a frugal approach, as it moves forward towards the set goals for the future.

 

"While I am in the process of implementing the required steps and actions across all the verticals of the company, I intend the required change in mindset, to begin from my desk," he said while announcing his decision to take a pay cut of 20 per cent.

 

He further said it is imperative to adapt as per the situation and at this point in time, 'accountability and agility' are the need of the hour. Every employee of ZEE, works and functions with an entrepreneurial approach, as a partner and a co-owner of the company.

 

"It is this DNA of the institution that will enable us to achieve the set targets. I must add that this voluntary decision is limited to me on a personal front," he said.

7:19 PM

India firmly rejects 'senseless attempts' by China to rename places in Arunachal

India on Tuesday outrightly rejected as "senseless" China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, and asserted that assigning "invented" names does not alter the reality that the state "is, has been, and will always be" an integral part of India. India's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 30 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part of Tibet. "China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

 

6:46 PM

Amid turbulence, 15 pilots quit Vistara

As a section of Vistara pilots continue to protest against pay revision, at least 15 senior first officers resigned from the airline recently, sources said on Tuesday.

 

The airline operates a little over 300 flights daily and has a fleet of 70 planes comprising A320-family aircraft and Boeing 787s.

 

Over the past few weeks, the Tata Group airline has been grappling with simmering discontent among pilots, with many first officers of its A320 fleet reporting sick.

 

The sources said at least 15 senior first officers resigned from Vistara and joined a domestic budget carrier.

 

A Vistara spokesperson declined to comment on the resignations.

6:27 PM

Shriram Properties' subsidiary gets a tax order

Shriram Properties arm gets tax penalty order of Rs 446.79 crore for AY2018-19

6:26 PM

We will find out who was behind the act of terrorism in Moscow, says Putin

We will find out who was behind the act of terrorism in Moscow, says Russia's Putin.

5:05 PM

For BJP, nation comes first: PM Modi in Kotputli rally

4:43 PM

News update: Opposition believes in saving the corrupt, say PM Modi at Rajasthan rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting in Kotputli to draw support for the Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha seat. 

4:40 PM

Bhushan Steel bank 'fraud' case: Delhi High Court seeks accused's reply to ED's plea challenging bail

The Delhi High Court today asked for the response of an accused on Tuesday on a plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the bail granted to her by a trial court in a bank fraud-linked money-laundering case against the erstwhile Bhushan Steel Limited (BSL).

3:50 PM

"Lip service": Supreme Court blasts Ramdev's apology over misleading advertisements

Rejecting the apology from yoga guru Ramdev and the firm's managing director Acharya Balkrishna as "lip service," the Supreme Court today came down heavily on Patanjali Ayurved's cofounders for putting out misleading advertisements. The bench, headed by Justice Hima Kohli, asked why the government chose to keep its "eyes shut" over Patanjali's  claims about the effectiveness of its products and denigrating allopathy during the Covid-19 peak. The bench said the court was taking their apology with a "sack full of salt".

3:41 PM

Passengers face inconvenience due to delayed operations on Delhi Metro's Yellow Line

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) took to X to caution commuters about the delay in services due to temporary speed restriction imposed between Chhatarpur and Sultanpur. The line runs between Millennium City Centre in Gurgaon and Samaypur Badli in Delhi."A temporary speed restriction of 20 kmph has been imposed between Chhatarpur and Sultanpur on Yellow Line due to construction of a tunnel for the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor of Phase 4. This may cause a slight delay in services," the DMRC posted on X on Tuesday.

3:39 PM

Illegal sand mining case: ED can summon ‘any person’ for ‘any information’, SC tells Tamil Nadu

The top court today pulled up five district collectors of Tamil Nadu for not appearing physically before the Enforcement Directorate despite orders in a money laundering probe in connection with alleged illegal sand mining. The Supreme Court directed the officials to appear before the ED personally on April 25. "In our opinion, such a cavalier approach will land them in a difficult situation. When the court had passed the order directing them to appear in response to the summons issued by the ED, they were expected to obey the same order and remain present before the ED," the bench said.

2:35 PM

News update: Rajnath Singh attends Army Commanders Conference

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Army Commanders Conference at Manekshaw Auditorium in Delhi. He also unveiled the UN Journal 2024.

2:30 PM

AAP leader Sanjay Singh granted bail by Supreme Court in Delhi liquor policy case

Six months after his arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was granted bail by the Supreme Court today. The AAP leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

2:10 PM

Lok Sabha MP from Muzaffarpur (Bihar) Ajay Nishad resigns from BJP, joins Congress

2:08 PM

Ex-SP lawmaker booked, brother held in land grabbing case

Former Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Arif Anwar Hashmi has been booked and his brother was arrested for allegedly grabbing government land, police said on Tuesday. A 730-sq metre land located next to the Sadullanagar police station was grabbed by Hashmi, the former lawmaker from Utraula seat, and his brother Maroof on June 27, 2013 using forged documents, District Magistrate Arvind Singh said.

2:00 PM

Three children injured in Finland school shooting

Three children were injured in a shooting at a primary school in Finland today, and a suspect, who was also a minor, was apprehended, news agency Reuters reported citing Finnish police said. The shooting took place at the Viertola school in Vantaa, a suburb of the capital, Helsinki.

1:44 PM

Delhi HC gives last chance to govt, opposition to reply to petition against use of INDIA acronym

The Delhi High Court today granted a final opportunity to opposition political parties to file their replies within a week to a PIL against the use of acronym INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) for the new political coalition. A division bench  refused to prepone hearing of the matter and listed it for hearing on April 10, the date already fixed.

1:41 PM

Indo-Pak relations could be improved after elections in India: Pakistan's Defence Minister Asif

“Our relations with India could be improved after elections there,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday. His comments came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Singapore said that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism almost at an “industry level” and the mood in India now is not to overlook terrorists and it “will not skirt this problem anymore”.

1:24 PM

8 suspected naxals killed in Bijapur encounter

A total of eight bodies were recovered after an encounter between suspected naxals and security forces in Bijapur, news agency ANI reported today.

1:22 PM

Development happens when intentions are right: PM Modi at Uttarakhand rally

At a BJP rally in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he guarantees to make India the third biggest economic power in his third term. Development happens when intentions are right, PM Modi added.

 

12:53 PM

Delhi minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia brought to Delhi court for hearing on bail application

12:47 PM

News update: PM Modi kicks off rally in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand

At a public rally in Uttrakhand today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Uttrakhand needs to be developed and the BJP government in the state intends to accomplish it.

12:19 PM

Will expel Al Jazeera, says Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Calling Al Jazeera a terror channel that spreads incitement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel, after parliament passed a law clearing the way for the closure.  The movecould increase tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, at a time when the Doha government is playing a crucial role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza.

12:08 PM

Central government rejects 'senseless attempts' by China to rename places in Arunachal

The Ministry of External Affairs today rejected attempts by China to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh and stated that assigning "invented names" will not alter the reality that the state "is, has been, and will always be" an integral and inalienable part of India. The MEA issued the response in the wake of China releasing a fourth list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh amid Beijing's stepped-up assertions in recent weeks