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10:58 PM

HC orders arrest' of foreign cargo ship over unpaid berth hire charges

The Orissa High Court has ordered the arrest' of a foreign cargo ship in connection with unpaid berth hire charges at the Paradip Port in the state. Under an admiralty law, a ship can be arrested for the enforcement of maritime claims that arise out of the ownership, construction, possession, management, operation, or trading of any ship.

10:28 PM

J&K to be north's power hub after hydro projects completion: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir is all set to emerge as north India's major "power hub after the completion of ongoing power projects with a total capacity of 6,000 MW. The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office visited the 120-MW Seva-II hydropower project located on Himachal-J&K border near Bani in Kathua district, a part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency.

10:07 PM

NITI Aayog VC Bery meets Uber CEO Khosrowshahi

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery on Saturday met Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and discussed issues related sustainable mobility and economic empowerment. "NITI Aayog VC @suman_bery held a productive meeting with Mr. Dara Khosrowshahi @dkhos, @Uber CEO today," the Aayog said in a tweet.

 

9:46 PM

Election for two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand on Mar 21

The biennial elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand will be held on March 21, an official said here on Saturday. Two Rajya Sabha MPs from the state - Samir Oraon of the BJP and Diraj Prasad Sahu of the Congress - will complete their tenure on May 3, necessitating the conduct of fresh elections to fill up the posts, the Election Commission said.

9:36 PM

Punjab farmer hospitalised at Rohtak being shifted to PGIMER Chandigarh after Mann govt's letter

Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Saturday said a farmer from the state who was injured during their protest and was hospitalised at PGI Rohtak will be shifted to PGIMER Chandigarh, a development that comes hours after the Punjab government wrote to Haryana demanding he be handed over to them. Earlier in the day, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma wrote to his Haryana counterpart Sanjeev Kaushal demanding that the injured farmer, Preetpal Singh, be handed over to authorities in Punjab.

8:54 PM

Won't end agitation until our demands met, says farmer leader Pandher

Farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' call will not end their agitation until their demands are met, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Saturday while indicating that their stir may continue even after the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls comes into force. Thousands of farmers have been staying put at Khanauri and Shambhu points on Punjab's border with Haryana along with their tractor-trolleys and trucks after their march to the national capital to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was stopped by security forces.

8:36 PM

Uttarakhand Police nabs Haldwani violence 'mastermind' from Delhi

The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday arrested the February 8. Haldwani violence alleged mastermind Abdul Malik from Delhi and brought him here, officials said. Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Narayan Meena said six teams were formed to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

8:17 PM

Congress will not be able to open its account in UP this time: Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the Congress will not be able to open its account in Uttar Pradesh this time as party leader leader Rahul Gandhi has raised a question mark on the intelligence of the people of the state. Thakur said the people of Uttar Pradesh have elected four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family and sent them to the Lok Sabha.

7:41 PM

Shah to visit MP on Sunday to review BJP's Lok Sabha poll preparations

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Madhya Pradesh on Sunday to review the BJP's preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the party's state unit chief VD Sharma said. Shah will visit Gwalior, Khajuraho and Bhopal and hold meetings with party functionaries and also address a public meeting, Sharma said.

 

6:51 PM

Defence production expected to touch Rs 3 trn: Rajnath

India's annual defence production is expected to touch a whopping Rs 3 trillion and exports of military hardware is poised to reach Rs 50,000 crore, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday. In an address at a defence conclave, Singh, delving into structural defence reforms, said the three services used to work in "silos" earlier but now they are ready with better coordination to deal with every challenge jointly.

6:32 PM

Ram temple in Ayodhya receives donations of around Rs 25 crore

The newly constructed Ram temple has received donations, including 25 kg gold and silver ornament, of around Rs 25 crore in a month after the consecration ceremony on January 22, trust officials on Saturday said. Prakash Gupta, office in charge of the Ram temple trust, said the amount of Rs 25 crore include cheques, drafts and cash deposited in the temple trust's office along with those deposited in the donation boxes.

6:17 PM

24 die as tractor-trolley falls in UP's Kasganj, CM announces compensation

Twenty-four people, including eight children, died when their tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district on Saturday morning, police said. They said 15 to 20 people were injured in the accident that occurred on the Patiyali-Dariyavganj road under the Patiyali police station area when the occupants of the tractor-trolley were going to take a bath in the Ganga river.

6:14 PM

Rajasthan CM Sharma flags off mobile veterinary units for urgent medical services

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday flagged off 21 mobile veterinary units to provide urgent medical services to animals. Another 159 units were inaugurated in functions at the district level.

5:53 PM

PM Modi to lay foundation stone for 28 stations over Eastern Railway on Mon

General Manager Eastern Railway Milind K Deouskar on Saturday at Eastern Railway Headquarters here briefed media people about the ongoing development work of Eastern Railway in particular and about the redevelopment of stations and construction of Road Overbridges (ROBs)/ underpasses over Indian Railways in general for ease of movement as well as providing more facilities and amenities to the passengers. At the press meet Milind K Deouskar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to lay the foundation stone for 28 stations over Eastern Railway under this scheme at a cost of Rs 704 crore on February 26.

5:36 PM

HC asks Delhi govt, police to inform it about action plan to tackle bomb threats to schools

The Delhi High Court has asked the city government and the police to inform it about an "action plan" to deal with frequent instances of bomb threats to schools in the national capital. The court also issued notice to the authorities on an application filed by the petitioner, lawyer Arpit Bhargava, who claimed out of five incidents of bomb threats to schools last year, three are yet to be investigated and taken to their logical conclusion.

5:12 PM

European leaders arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia's full-scale invasion

Western leaders descended on Kyiv on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled overnight to Kyiv by train along with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

5:00 PM

Voters have right to know about fulfillment of assurances by parties; matter sub judice: CEC

The voters have a right to know about the feasibility of fulfilling poll assurances made by political parties, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday and made it clear that the matter is however, sub judice. Political parties have a right to make promises in their election manifestoes and the electorate has a right to know if these are genuine and how these programmes could be funded, he said, adding the entire matter forms part of an ongoing case and the matter was sub judice.

4:47 PM

UP govt cancels police constable recruitment exam held on February 17-18

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday cancelled the recently held police constable recruitment examination following allegations of question paper leak and ordered a re-test within six months. The state government also announced a probe into the allegations by the Special Task Force (STF).

4:26 PM

Three laws replacing IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act to be effective from July 1

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday notified the date for the three new criminal laws-- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023-- and announced that these will come into force from July 1 this year. The MHA made the announcement through three separate notifications declaring July 1 as the date on which the provisions of these acts will come into force.

 

4:00 PM

Oil slick in Red Sea from British-owned ship by Houthis attack: US military

An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick, the US military said on Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on February 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said.

3:59 PM

TDP, Janasena announce first joint list of 118 seats for Assembly polls

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday announced their first joint list of 118 seats for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. The two leaders, however, said the seat allocation has been done keeping in mind the "need to accommodate" BJP in case the saffron party decides to join the alliance.

3:51 PM

Congress can't think beyond parivarvaad', corruption and appeasement: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress party on Saturday, asserting that the grand old party's priorities revolved around "parivarvaad" (nepotism), corruption, and appeasement, with national development never being a central focus. During his virtual address at the "Viksit Bharat Viksit Chhattisgarh" programme, Modi highlighted that despite ruling the country for an extended period after Independence, the Congress primarily concentrated on securing power rather than actively working towards shaping the nation's future.

3:45 PM

US calls on Pakistan officials to probe allegations of fraud in Feb 8 polls

A US Senator has urged the Pakistani authorities to fully investigate the claims of vote rigging in the country's elections, emphasising that without a credible investigation, a new government will struggle to bring the Pakistani people together. Taking to X on Friday, Senator Chris Van Hollen shared photos of a letter he wrote to Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Masood Khan on February 21 in which he praised the millions of Pakistanis who voted on February 8 in the country's elections.

3:18 PM

AAP to field candidate from Bharuch LS seat, Cong workers unhappy: Ahmed Patel's children

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday agreed on a seat sharing formula in Gujarat under which the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit will contest from the Bharuch and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats. However, the decision did not go down well with Faisal Patel and Mumtaz Patel, the son and daughter of Congress leader late Ahmed Patel, who had won from the Bharuch seat three times in the 1970s and 1980s.

2:59 PM

Larger goal is to replace this govt (BJP) and hence compromises are needed at times: Cong leader

Speaking on the recent seat sharing announcement by Congress and AAP, Pawan Khera said that the larger goal is to replace this govt and hence compromises are needed at times. He further stated, 'Why BJP is so bothered by the AAP-Congress alliance?...The seat sharing is done to strengthen  the INDIA alliance.'

2:57 PM

Paper leak case: UP govt cancels police constable recruitment exam held on Feb 17 and 18

The Uttar Pradesh government today announced the cancellation of the police constable recruitment examination that was held statewide on February 17 and 18 after the examination paper was allegedly leaked. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said that the state government has ordered to conduct the re-examination for the same within six months.

2:07 PM

Haryana extends mobile internet suspension in 7 districts due to ongoing Farmers' protest

The Haryana government has further extended the suspension of mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts by a day in the wake of the ongoing farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation, an official order states. Mobile internet and bulk SMS services were first suspended in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa on February 11 and the suspension was extended on February 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21. In the order issued on Friday, Additional Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad said, "After assessment of the current prevailing law and order situation in the state, the conditions are still critical and tense in the district Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa."

2:06 PM

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi, Amit Shah likely to visit Bihar on March 2

In a bid to secure a substantial number of seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and other senior leaders are slated to visit Bihar ahead of the election announcement. This marks Prime Minister Modi's inaugural visit to Bihar following the establishment of the NDA government. During the visit, he is scheduled to address public gatherings in Aurangabad and Begusarai, where he will unveil and initiate projects worth significant financial investment, according to BJP sources.

1:27 PM

4.8 mn students wrote the exam for UP Police but the paper was leaked: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Adressing the public during Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Moradabad, National General Secretary of the party Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said '4.8 million students wrote the exam for UP Police but the paper was leaked. As BJP's government is formed in the centre and state, unemployment rates have increased. Until you are not employed, you don't get facilities, paper leaks are not stopped, there will be no developmen'

11:59 AM

LS polls: Congress and AAP announce seat-sharing in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh and Goa

Delhi (7 seats): Congress to contest on 3 and AAP on 4

Gujarat (26 seats): Congress to contest on 24 and AAP on 2 (in Bharuch and Bhavnagar)

Haryana (10 seats): Congress to contest 9 and AAP on 1 (Kurukshetra)

Chandigarh: Congress to contest on the lone seat

Goa: Congress to contest on both seats