Highlights of the day: IndiGo places order for 30 Airbus widebody aircraft

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8:23 PM

Delhi Police arrests Hashim Baba gang member planning extortion in Central Delhi

Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested an active member of Hashim Baba gang namely Areeb alias Asif resident of Kardampuri, Delhi, age- 24 yrs. A sophisticated pistol with four live cartridges was recovered from his possession. He was planning to extort Rs 50 lakhs from a businessman of Central Delhi with his other gang members at the direction of Hashim Baba.

8:21 PM

NIA arrests key accused in connection with attack on Indian High Commission in London: Report

Pro-Khalistan supporters last September held a demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in the UK. However, unlike the earlier demonstration during which the tricolour was taken down and an attempt made to raise the Khalistan flag, the protest this time was confined behind police barricades.

6:38 PM

China launches a three-member Shenzhou-18 crew to its space station, reports AP.

6:25 PM

Mumbai court sends both the accused to crime branch custody till Apr 29

On April 14, there was a firing incident outside actor Salman Khan's residence. Mumbai's Esplanade Court has sent both the accused, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, to the custody of the Crime Branch until April 29.

5:19 PM

IndiGo places order for 30 Airbus widebody aircraft

India's top airline by market share, IndiGo, on Thursday said it placed an order for 30 Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft.

5:02 PM

Reflects deep biases, says MEA on US report on alleged human rights abuses in Manipur

Responding to a report by the US State Department in which it said there were "significant human rights abuses" in Manipur, the Ministry of External Affairs has said the document is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of the country. The ministry's spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said, "This report is deeply biased and reflects a very poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you also to do the same."

4:45 PM

Implement regulations for elimination of corporal punishment: Madras High Court tells Tamil Nadu govt

The Madras High Court has told the Tamil Nadu government to implement Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment in Schools (GECP) provided by the NCPCR. Justice S M Subramaniam gave the directive to the Principal Secretary to Government, School Education Department while passing interim orders recently on a plea filed by Kamatchi Shanker Arumugam, 

4:39 PM

I-T officials threatening raided leaders to claim money belongs to me, Cong: Karnataka deputy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar today claimed that Income Tax department officials were conducting raids targeting the Congress, ahead of Lok Sabha elections, and are threatening leaders who faced raids to claim that money belongs to him and the party. The state Congress chief also alleged that the department is working like "BJP agents". IT sleuths on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at some locations in and around Bengaluru, belonging to businessmen and associates of prominent political leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.

4:24 PM

Salman Khan firing case updates: Police custody of two accused extended till April 29

4:23 PM

Gyanvapi case: Judge, who ordered videography survey, claims to receive calls from international numbers

Additional Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court I) Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who had passed an order to conduct a videography survey of Varanasi's Gyanvapi complex in 2022, has complained of getting calls from international numbers, police said on Thursday. Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said that he has received a letter from Judge Diwakar. In the letter, Judge Diwakar said that he had been getting calls from international numbers, causing deep concerns following which he approached the police.

4:04 PM

Tech Mahindra Q4 revenue falls 6.2%, net profit at Rs 661 crore

Consolidated revenue fell 6.2% year-on-year to R 12,871 crore in the March quarter. Analysts, on average, expected revenue of Rs 12,955 crore, according to LSEG data.

3:50 PM

Ship comes under attack off coast of Yemen as Houthi rebel campaign appears to gain new speed

A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack today, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack comes after the US military said early Thursday an allied warship shot down a Houthi missile targeting a vessel the day before near the same area.

3:48 PM

News update: Vedanta Q4 PAT at Rs 1,369 crore vs Rs 1,881 crore

3:12 PM

Jai Dehadrai withdraws from HC defamation case against Mahua Moitra as "peace offering"

Lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai today withdrew from the Delhi High Court his defamation lawsuit against former partner TMC leader Mahua Moitra as a "peace offering".

Dehadrai had last year accused Moitra of taking bribes from businessman and Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament, which led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha on December 8. After the ensuing row, Mahua filed a case against Dehadrai and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to restrain them from posting, circulating or publishing any "fake" and "defamatory" content against her.

2:57 PM

CM Kejriwal 'kingpin' of excise scam, involved in demanding kickbacks: ED tells SC in 734-page affidavit

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the excise policy scam and the arrest of a person for an offence based on material can never violate the “concept of free and fair elections”, the ED has told the Supreme Court in its 734-page reply affidavit.The probe agency claimed that Kejriwal worked in collusion with his ministers and AAP leaders and was also involved in “demanding kickbacks” from liquor businessmen in exchange for favours granted in the policy.

2:44 PM

Three killed, 15 injured in fire at a hotel near Patna railway station

At least three people were killed and 15 injured after fire engulfed three buildings belonging to hotels near Patna railway station today.  A body was recovered from Hotel Pal, while the bodies of a mother and daughter were recovered Hotel Amit, Hindustan Times reported today.

 

2:08 PM

Steel bridge inaugurated for Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project

A 100-meter-long second steel bridge was inaugurated near Nadiad for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train Project. The 1,486 metric ton steel bridge has been manufactured in a workshop located in Bhuj district.

1:50 PM

Axis Bank approves reappointment of Amitabh Chaudhry as CEO for three years

Axis Bank today said that its board has given the nod to the reappointment of Amitabh Chaudhry as managing directore and CEO for three years with effect from January 1, 2025. This will be his second extension of three years. His last extension came into effect from January 1, 2022. Chaudhry joined the bank as MD and CEO in 2019. Earlier, he was MD and CEO of HDFC Life.

1:45 PM

In big cyber fraud, retired MNC director loses Rs 25 crore to scamsters

A retired director of a multinational company (MNC) residing in Mumbai lost nearly Rs 25 crore to cyber fraudsters, who posed as police and CBI officers and intimidated her saying she was being probed in a money laundering case, officials said today. Police say this is one of the biggest cyber fraud cases targeting an individual in the city in recent times.

1:42 PM

News update: Massive fire breaks at Patna hotel

A massive fire has broken out in a hotel near Golambar in Kotwali police station area, in Patna. Fire tenders present at the spot. Firefighting and rescue operations are currently underway. 12 people have been rescued so far.

1:14 PM

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams set for third space mission

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams will embark on her third space mission with National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa) Boeing crew flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for May 6.

12:29 PM

CBI files FIR against 5 accused in Sandeshkhali case

Suspended Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan is the key accused in the Sandeshkhali extortion, land grab, and sexual assault cases.

12:24 PM

Remotely piloted IAF aircraft crashes in Jaisalmer

A remotely piloted aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Pithala village in Jaisalmer district, the IAF said today. No damage to any personnel or property has been reported, the IAF said. "One Remotely Piloted Aircraft of the Indian Air Force met with an accident near Jaisalmer today during a routine training sortie,' IAF said in a post on X.

12:20 PM

Neeraj Bawana gang member arrested after brief exchange of fire with police in Rohini

Rahul Dabas (36), a member of Neeraj Bawana-Naveen Bali gang, was taken into custoday by a team of Special cell after a brief exchange of fire in Rohini Sector-34 on Thursday, police said. "A team of Special cell got a tip-off that he was coming to meet someone in Rohini Sector 34 on Thursday. A trap was laid but on seeing the police, he opened fire at our team," the officer said. The officer said no one got hurt as the police team members were wearing bullet proof jacket.

12:14 PM

Jobs listed on NCS portal rise threefold to 10.9 million in FY24

The number of jobs listed on the government's job portal rose threefold to 10.9 million in FY24 from 3.48 million in 2022-23, according to official data. Read here for more details.

12:12 PM

Supreme Court will share details on filing and listing of cases through WhatsApp: CJI DY Chandrachud

The top court will begin sharing information relating to cause lists, and filing and listing of cases to advocates through WhatsApp messages, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud announced on Thursday. The announcement was made by the CJI before a nine-judge bench headed by him commenced the hearing on a legal question arising from the petitions whether private properties can be considered "material resources of the community" under Article 39(b) of the Constitution, which is a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).

11:08 AM

Landslide cuts off only road to Arunachal’s Dibang valley

The only road connecting Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang valley to the rest of the country was washed away  on Thursday due to a landslide after heavy rainfall. Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote on X, “Disturbed to learn the inconvenience being caused to commuters due to the extensive damage to the highway between Hunli and Anini”

10:53 AM

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia summoned by cyber cell in 'illegal' IPL streaming app case

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned by the Maharashtra Cyber department in a case related to the illegal broadcast of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Fairplay app, a subsidiary of Mahadev online gaming and betting application. The actor has been summoned on April 29.

10:45 AM

Coalition vessel engaged ballistic missile launched from Yemen; no injuries reported, says US Army

A coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from the Iranian-backed Houthi "terrorist-controlled areas" in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on Thursday. "The ASBM was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a US-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 US and four Greek crew members," USCENTCOM said. "There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships," it added.

10:29 AM

Centre orders ethylene oxide testing for spice export to Hong Kong, Singapore

The central government has announced compulsory testing for ethylene oxide (ETO) in all spice exports bound for Singapore and Hong Kong, following recent bans imposed by these countries on spice exports from Indian brands MDH and Everest due to alleged contamination with ethylene oxide (ETO). Officials stated that this decision comes after consultations between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Spices Board, and industry stakeholders.