Highlights: Andhra CM Jagan Reddy injured in stone pelting incident during road show in Vijayawada

From Uddhav Thackrey's jibe at PM Modi to the evolving Israel-Iran conflict in West Asia, we bring to you the latest news from around the world. Stay tuned.

10:43 PM

Asaduddin Owaisi extends support to AIADMK in Lok Sabha elections

After forming a "PDM (Pichda, Dalit Musalman)" alliance in Uttar Pradesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday extended his support to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the Lok Sabha elections. In a post on X, Owaisi said that the AIADMK has refused to ally with the BJP and has committed to never allying with it in the future. "It has also assured that it will oppose CAA, NPR & NRC. Therefore, AIMIM extends its support to AIADMK in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Our alliance will also continue for the Assembly elections," Owaisi said. Earlier, clarifying on breaking ties with BJP in Tamil Nadu, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra 

10:22 PM

Rahul Gandhi's Tamil Nadu visit has trumped Modi's poll campaign: Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's single day campaign in the state has "beaten all the election trips" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state to seek votes. Referring to the April 12 meet addressed at nearby Coimbatore by him and Gandhi, Stalin said the turnout and the rally was magnificent like the movie "Baahubali", and the "total BJP was trumped," by a single public meeting. Further, the chief minister said Gandhi's single day campaign in Tamil Nadu has "beaten all the election trips" of Modi to the state to seek votes. "Rahul Gandhi has proven that Tamil Nadu people can be won over (ruled) only through love."

9:10 PM

India in touch with Iran to secure release of 17 Indian crew members onboard ship seized by Iranian forces

India is in touch with Iran to secure the release of 17 Indians on board an Israeli-linked cargo ship that was seized by the Iranian military near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday amid increasing fears of an Iranian attack on Israel. Official sources said India has taken up the matter with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure the welfare and early release of the Indian crew of the cargo ship 'MSC Aries'. The Iranian action came amid heightened fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israel in retaliation to a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria 12 days ago. Iran blamed Israel for the strike.

8:45 PM

LS polls live updates: Model code violation case filed against BJP's Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Gonda

A case for violation of the Model Code of Conduct and prohibitory orders was on Saturday filed against BJP MP from Kaiserganj and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a senior official said. District Magistrate (DM) Neha Sharma said the MP visited several villages in the Katra assembly segment of his constituency under the Khargupur police station area with a convoy of about 25-30 vehicles on Friday without permission. As a result, in-charge of the flying squad team of the Katra market area Dr Nazmul Islam filed a case under relevant sections against Singh, Sharma said.

8:05 PM

LS polls: Ahead of PM Modi's Mysuru visit, Siddaramaiah asks him to explain his contribution to city

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Mysuru and Mangaluru on April 14 to campaign for Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday asked the former to explain what he did for Karnataka. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Let him (Modi) come (to Mysuru). We don't have any objection if Modi comes and goes because he is a prime minister. "Let him (Modi) do it (election campaigning) but he should explain what he has done for the people of Karnataka, and to address unemployment, injustice to Karnataka in tax devolution and zero compensation given to the state to mitigate drought." Later, addressing a public gathering during a road show called ‘Janadhwani Yatra' in Mysuru, the chief minister lashed out at the prime minister and questioned about his promise of bringing back black money stashed abroad, doubling the income of farmers, creating two crore jobs per year and reducing the price of diesel, petrol, gas and fertilisers.

"Indians were constantly deceived and cheated through many lies. Would you mind voting for someone who cheated you for 10 years," the chief minister asked the crowd. Highlighting the contributions made by the Congress for the development of Mysuru city, he said every intelligent person in the town knows who built the Jayadeva Hospital, women and children's hospital, schools and hostels.

 

6:39 PM

Live updates: Delhi airport sees 22 flight diversions due to bad weather today

As many as 22 flights were diverted at the Delhi airport on Saturday evening due to bad weather, an official said. The diversions happened after 5 pm.

The official said that as of now, 22 flights have been diverted due to bad weather. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital handles around 1,300 flight movements daily.

6:25 PM

A local official says at least 10 people have died in shelling in Russian-occupied Ukraine

At least 10 people, including children, died after shelling late on Friday struck a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, a local Kremlin-installed official said, blaming Ukraine for the attack, AP reported.  Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported at least three civilian deaths elsewhere in the country that they said resulted from Russian attacks. Russian emergency services on Saturday were working in the rubble in hopes of saving civilians trapped underneath the debris of their homes in Tokmak, in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow has illegally annexed from Kyiv, according to the Kremlin-installed regional head Yevhen Balitsky.

5:33 PM

We will waive off loans of farmers after coming to power, says Rahul Gandhi at rally in Maharashtra

We will waive off loans of farmers after coming to power: Rahul Gandhi at rally in Maharashtra's Bhandara district.

5:25 PM

PM Modi says he belongs to OBC category; he should tell us what has he done for them: Rahul Gandhi

PM Modi says he belongs to Other Backward Classes but he should tell us what has he done for OBCs, says Rahul Gandhi at rally in Maharashtra.

5:01 PM

LS polls: SAD announces first list of 7 candidates for Punjab, fields Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced its first list of seven candidates, fielding senior party leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. Besides, the SAD also named former MLA N K Sharma from Patiala, former minister Anil Joshi from Amritsar, Bikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot and Iqbal Singh Jhoonda from Sangrur seat. The list of candidates was announced by party leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a post on X. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the last phase on June 1.

4:21 PM

‘Remove Bournvita from health drinks category’: Govt tells e-commerce sites

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has asked all e-commerce websites to remove drinks and beverages, including Bournvita, from the health drinks category on their portals.

 

"National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)…after its inquiry under Section 14 of CRPC Act 2005 concluded that there is no 'health drink' defined under FSS Act 2006, rules and regulations submitted by FSSAI and Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd," the Ministry said in an order dated April 10, 2024.

 

“All e-commerce companies/portals are hereby advised to remove drinks, beverages, including Bournvita from the category of health drinks from their platforms,” the order further said.

 

The order comes days after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had also advised e-commerce platforms to ensure that dairy-based beverage mixes, cereal-based beverage mixes, or malt-based beverage mixes like Bournvita are not available under the ‘health drinks’ or ‘energy drinks’ category.

4:01 PM

LS polls: Do not fall for words used by PM in his speeches, vote for change, says Priyanka Gandhi in U'khand

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked people on Saturday not to get carried away by the words used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches and to vote for change in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a poll rally in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar, she said elections should be fought on real issues and not on the basis of empty rhetoric. "Don't get carried away by the words used by Modiji in his election speeches. Before casting your vote, you should honestly ask yourself whether 10 years of the Modi government have really brought about a positive change in your lives," the Congress general secretary said.

4:00 PM

200 people booked for allegedly causing traffic congestion by offering namaz on road on Eid in Meerut

Two hundred people were booked for allegedly causing traffic congestion by offering Namaz on a road here, police said on Saturday. The crowd moved to the road to offer Eid Namaz as the space inside the nearby mosque was filled. They allegedly had an altercation with the police when they prevented them from offering Namaz on the road, police said.The  sub-inspector of the Railway Road police station filed a complaint on Friday alleging that over 100 to 200 people offered Eid Namaz on Thursday on the road which led to severe traffic congestion, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan said.

3:07 PM

Had Modi not been there, Ayodhya Ram temple would not have been built: Raj Thackeray

MNS president Raj Thackeray on Saturday claimed that had Prime Minister Narendra Modi not been there, the Ayodhya Ram temple would not have been built despite the Supreme Court's order.

 

2:44 PM

BJP will not even win 200 Lok Sabha seats, says Mamata Banerje

Notably, the BJP-led NDA is aiming at crossing the 400 Lok Sabha seat mark in the upcoming elections.

2:33 PM

Lok Sabha elections: BJP, AIMIM working hand in glove, alleges Digvijaya

The Congress veteran Digvijay Singh was addressing a gathering on Friday night at Susner under Agar Malwa district, falling under Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat. Singh is a Congress nominee from this seat.

 

2:29 PM

Militants kill 11 in Pak's Balochistan province in latest terror attacks

At least 11 people, nine of them from Punjab province, were gunned down by militants in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan in two separate incidents, authorities said on Saturday, as the region witnessed a surge in terror attacks in recent days.

 

2:21 PM

Major fire breaks out in Kolkata, several shanties gutted

A major fire broke out in Dum Dum area of Kolkata on Saturday morning, gutting several shanties in a slum, officials said. However, no casualties have been reported.

 

2:06 PM

AI in modern processes raises complex ethical, legal considerations: CJI

The CJI was speaking at a two-day conference on technology and dialogue between the Supreme Courts of India and Singapore.

1:53 PM

Kerala CM attacking Rahul Gandhi to hide govt failures, help BJP in LS polls, claims Congress

Congress in Kerala on Saturday claimed that CM Pinarayi Vijayan was attacking the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi to hide his government's administrative failures and to help the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

 

1:35 PM

Excise case: SC to hear Kejriwal's plea against HC order on Monday

Delhi CM Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail

1:28 PM

RJD's poll manifesto promises 10 mn govt jobs, Rs 1 L to poor 'sisters'

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key constituent of the Mahagathbandhan in the state of Bihar released it election manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. RJD promised to deliver 10 million government jobs and Rs one lakh each to "sisters" from deprived families on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. 

12:35 PM

Indian Army marks four decades of presence at world's highest battleground Siachen

Heavy-lift helicopters, logistic drones, deployment of all-terrain vehicles and laying of an extensive network of tracks are among a host of measures that have enhanced India's combat prowess in Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, officials said on Saturday, PTI reported.

 

12:19 PM

Kukis, Meitis unite on one point - not right time for LS polls in Manipur

The Kukis and Meitis may be at loggerheads in Manipur but their thoughts on one point converge -- this is not the right time for Lok Sabha elections in the restive state.

 

12:13 PM

Delhi traffic police issues advisory in view of Baisakhi celebrations

Delhi Traffic Police released an advisory on Saturday in view of the Baisakhi celebrations at Guruji ka Ashram (Bade Mandir), informing commuters about the traffic regulations in certain areas of the city.

 

11:59 AM

Pak has highest living cost in Asia with a 25% inflation rate: ADB

Pakistan has the highest cost of living in all of Asia with a 25 per cent inflation rate, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report. Pakistan's economy may grow at the fourth lowest pace of 1.9 per cent in the region, the report said. The ADB report was released in Manila.

11:48 AM

Terrorists don't play by rules, so country's response to them can't have rules: EAM S Jaishankar

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India is committed to respond to any act of terrorism perpetrated from across the borders. He also asserted that since terrorists do not play by rules, there cannot be any rules in the country's answer to them.

 

11:38 AM

UK PM Sunak resists call to set election date amid leadership threat

UK PM Rishi Sunak is resisting advice from allies to set the date for the UK general election, which they say would help him to head off a threatened leadership challenge by Conservative Party rebels next month, Bloomberg reported.

 

11:15 AM

PM Modi interacts with country's top gamers, discusses gaming industry

In a free-wheeling interaction regarding the future as well as the challenges before the e-gaming industry, PM Modi posed curious questions to the gamers while also trying his hands at some of the games.

 

11:08 AM

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav makes 24 promises promises for 2024 elections

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav unveils 'Parivartan Patra' manifesto ahead of polls. The RJD leader and former deputy CM of Bihar made 24 promises for 2024 elections. Among the promises was the one to being the old pension scheme back.