Breaking News April 3 | HIGHLIGHTS

 Delhi recorded 293 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, with the positivity rate rising to 18.
53 per cent which meant nearly one out of every five people tested turned out to be positive, according to data shared by the city health department.

Two Covid-related deaths were reported.
The health bulletin, however, mentioned that the primary cause of the deaths was not coronavirus.

The city's COVID-19 death toll now stands at 26,532.
  

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday mounted an uncharacteristically harsh attack on the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi for statements on late Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.

Addressing a 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' event in the metropolis, Fadnavis used an expletive while referring to Congress leaders' remarks on Savarkar.

These leaders were not telling the public that Savarkar wrote to British authorities from jail not for himself but for fellow inmates.

Rahul Gandhi has often accused Savarkar of "apologising" to the British to get out of jail, and has routinely shot back at Bharatiya Janata Party demands for an apology by claiming he was a Gandhi and not Savarkar to seek mercy.

 The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has proposed the names of Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and the son of Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra to be nominated as members of the state Legislative Council, sources said on Monday.

The other four names include Ambedkar Mahasabha chairman Lalji Prasad Nirmal, former BJP Braj region unit head Rajnikant Maheshwari, chief of BJP's Varanasi district unit Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Ramsurat Rajbhar, who hails from Azamgarh.
According to the officials of the UP Legislative Council, the Governor can nominate up to 10 members to the upper House of the UP Legislature.
 

 Malaysia's Parliament on Monday approved a bill that would scrap mandatory death penalties and limit capital punishment to serious crimes as part of wide-ranging reforms, bringing possible reprieves to more than 1,300 prisoners on death row.

While the death sentence remains, courts will now be given the option of imposing jail sentences of up to 40 years, Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday said it will announce the verdict within the next 24 hours on the petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan's party challenging the country's election commission's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province.

On March 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed assembly polls in the politically crucial Punjab province by more than five months, citing the deteriorating security situation in the cash-starved country, a move criticised by Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chairman.

Khan's PTI challenged the ECP's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab Assembly to October 8, instead of holding it within 90 days as per mandated by the Constitution.

Speaker of Israel's Knesset (parliament) Amir Ohana on Monday met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the talks between the two leaders focused on bilateral ties in areas of connectivity, food security and renewable energy.

Ohana is currently on a visit to India.
It is the first-ever official visit to the country by a sitting speaker of the Knesset.

Two persons allegedly involved in the killing of a 35-year-old man in Haryana's Sonipat were arrested from the national capital after a brief exchange of fire, police said on Monday.

Sanjay (40) and Manjeet (28), both from a village in Sonipat, were on the run
since allegedly killing Sunil on March 29, and were hiding in Delhi and its neigbhouring cities, they said.

Senior Congress leaders from Maharashtra on Monday claimed vehicles of the party workers headed towards Surat to extend support to Rahul Gandhi were stopped by the Gujarat Police.

Navsari superintendent of police, Karan Raj Vaghela, said a total of 87 persons were detained, including 51 from Maharashtra, when they were on their way to Surat travelling in at least a dozen vehicles to support their leader Rahul Gandhi.

"We detained 87 persons at around 11 am and released them at 4 pm.
We held them out of concern over the law and order situation in Surat where they were headed," he told PTI.

The Union Education Ministry on Monday ruled out considering any proposal for a one-time relaxation in eligibility criteria for engineering entrance exam JEE-Main this year.

The ministry has been receiving representations from a few students who claimed to have faced difficulties in the JEE (Main) 2022 exams, Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar informed Lok Sabha in a written response.

"After due verification, the affected candidates were allowed to appear in re-examinations held on June 29, 2022 (Shift-2) and June 30, 2022 (Shift-1) for Session-1 and on July 30, 2022 (Shift-1) for Session-2.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed to probe the fire incident onboard a train, which led to the loss of three lives including an infant, the previous night in Kozhikode district of the state. The accused man who set fire to the people inside one of the compartments of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express on Sunday night is yet to be identified and no arrests have been made so far in the case. However, police suspect that the accused is a north Indian and that the incident was pre-planned as he was carrying petrol in a bottle in his bag. A Railway Police officer said that besides them some other agencies were also looking into the matter to ascertain whether it has any terror links. "No other details can be shared presently. The investigation is going on," the officer said. He also said a sketch of the accused based on the statement by one of the passengers has been released.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu visited the residence of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab's Mansa district on Monday to meet his parents. After leaving his Patiala residence, Sidhu, who was accompanied by a few Congress leaders, reached Moosa village in Mansa at around 2:15 pm. The cricketer-turned politician came out of the Patiala Central Jail on Saturday after serving nearly 10 months in a 1988 road rage case. Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Mansa on May 29 last year.

The half-naked body of a 25-year-old woman was found floating in a pond on the foothills of the famous Govardhan hillock, police said on Monday. The woman's hands and feet were tied with a dupatta and her mouth was gagged with a piece of cloth, they said. The victim's identity is yet to be established, the police said, adding that the body was fished out the water body -- locally known an Govind Kund -- on Sunday. "The mystery of her death will be solved after post-mortem," Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Mohan Sharma said. The 'kund' is located on the 'Talhati ki Parikrama' close to the Govardhan hillock', the police added.

Delhi court extends till April 17 the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia in excise scam case.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday after passing the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023 without discussion amid uproar by opposition members over the Adani issue. Soon after the Upper House reassembled at 2 pm, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar greeted the members on the occasion of Rajya Sabha Day and urged them to participate in discussion, dialogue and deliberations instead of indulging in disruptions. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman then moved the the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration and passage amid slogan-shouting by Opposition members.

Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned for the day following protests by opposition on Adani issue.

Rajya Sabha adjourns for the day after passing Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023 without discussion.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged on Monday that the decision of Congress leaders to accompany Rahul Gandhi to a Surat court, where he will file an appeal against his conviction in a criminal defamation case, was a way of trying to exert "undue pressure" on the judiciary, a charge rejected by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who said it was a symbol of support and not a show of strength. Gandhi will be in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday to file the appeal in a court against his conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks.

It is possible to create world-class new knowledge and science on a large scale by promoting Indian languages, President Droupadi Murmu said on Monday while emphasising on the importance of imparting education in Indian languages. Speaking at the 36th convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Murmu lauded the progress made by women in several sectors, including education, and noted that 55 per cent of the students who received their degrees, certificates and diplomas were women. "I am happy to note that there are 55 per cent girl students among those who received their degrees, certificates and diplomas at the university. Girl students account for more than half of the students who have received gold medals today. "I am happy to see the progress of women in various sectors, including education," she said.

The trial of Kosovo's ex-president and three other former high-ranking members of the Kosovo Liberation Army charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity opens Monday.
Hashim Thaci resigned from office in 2020 to defend himself against charges including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed during his country's war for independence from Serbia. The case has stirred an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum in Kosovo. On Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets to show their support for the defendants. Many Kosovars consider the Netherlands-based court an injustice and view it as an attempt to rewrite the history of their struggle for independence.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday appointed Neeraj Nigam as executive director (ED) who will look after four departments, including that of consumer education and protection.
Prior to being promoted as ED, he was heading the Bhopal regional office of the RBI as director. Nigam has, over a span of more than three decades, served in Regulation and Supervision, human resource management, premises, currency management, bank accounts and other areas in the Reserve Bank, in its central office as well as regional offices.

The Punjab government's 'CM di Yogshala' programme under which it will offer free Yoga classes to people will kick off in four cities, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday.
According to the chief minister, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Patiala have been chosen to launch the programme. Mann said in a video message, "Yoga is part of our country's culture. It is part of our country's heritage but nowadays, we are forgetting it. "I also do Yoga every morning. It has many benefits. But Yoga has vanished from our busy lives. We want to make Yoga a public wave again."

The Congress Tripura unit will take out a rally here on April 16 to protest Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha, said state party president Birajit Sinha. Thousands of Congress workers will gather here on April 16 to participate in the protest rally, he told PTI on Monday. Sinha said protest programmes will also be held in Kailashahar in Unakoti district and Udaipur in Gomati district on April 20 and 30. The Tripura Pradesh Congress president expressed concern over post-poll violence which is still going on in the northeastern state even a month after the announcement of the election results.

The Bihar assembly plunged into turnoil on Monday with the BJP and the ruling `grand alliance' trading charges over the violence which broke out in parts of Bihar following Ram Navami celebrations, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house till 2 pm. The BJP accused the `Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) government of failing to check communal disturbances in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns, but ended up being blamed for the conflagration by the ruling coalition. In view of the bedlam, Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary adjourned the House, within 15 minutes of commencement of proceedings at 11 A.M., till 2 P.M.

A 43-year-old hardware shopkeeper allegedly committed suicide at his establishment in Badlapur area of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday. Some customers found the man, identified as Chogaram Chowdhari, hanging from a ceiling fan at the shop at around 11.30 am on Sunday and alerted police, an official from Badlapur police station said. The police later sent the body for post-mortem and registered a case of accidental death, he said. A probe was on to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step, the official said.

The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by suspected bookie Anil Jaisinghani challenging his “illegal” arrest in a case of alleged attempt to blackmail and bribe Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis. A division bench headed by Justice A S Gadkari said the plea was dismissed as it was without any merits. The Malabar Hill police station in south Mumbai had on February 20 registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Anil Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha Jaisinghani for allegedly threatening to make public certain audio and video clips that purportedly show Amruta Fadnavis accepting favours from Aniksha.They were booked for offences under Section  120B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 385 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 8 (induce public servant using corrupt means) and 12 (abetment) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned in the pre-lunch session on Monday as MPs from the Congress and other opposition parties created a ruckus, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Probe into charges against the Adani Group. Congress MPs came dressed in black clothes while TMC members sported black face masks. They and other opposition MPs began shouting slogans as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called for laying of the listed official papers on the table of the House at the start of day's proceedings. No sooner had the papers been laid than Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 PM today. 

A 26-year-old man was injured after an iron rod fell from an under-construction building and pierced his back in Thane district of Maharashtra, police said on Monday. The man was fitting CCTVs in the building in Badlapur township on Sunday evening when the incident took place, they said. The iron rod pierced his back and came out from the front, an official from Badlapur police station said. Some people rushed the man to a nearby hospital where doctors conducted a surgery and removed the rod. The man is now recovering, the official said.
A probe was on into the incident, he added.

Mumbai Police have arrested a Class 12 student from Gujarat who allegedly posted a tweet claiming that an aircraft of airline Akasa Air "will go down", an official said on Monday.
After the tweet, the private airline had lodged a complaint at the Airport Police Station here, based on which an FIR was registered against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation), he said. The 18-year-old student had tweeted "AkasaAir Boeing 737 Max will go down", he said.

Two men were killed when their pickup van fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, police said on Monday. The accident occurred near near Paniyali in the Dadahu area late on Sunday, they said. The police have identified the victims as Vinod and Dila Ram -- both natives of the Nerva area in Shimla district.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday to file an appeal in a court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks.
Senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, other national and state party leaders are likely to accompany him to the court, sources said. Gandhi's lawyers said the matter is likely to be taken up for hearing by the sessions court on Monday itself. The Congress leader will seek suspension of his sentence by the sessions court, they said.

Minister for Sugarcane Development and Sugar Mills Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said the Uttar Pradesh government will ensure that sugar mills pay the dues of sugarcane farmers within a week. "At present, sugarcane farmers in 105 sugar mills of the state are getting payment within 10 days," he told reporters on Sunday. Hitting out at the opposition parties, Chaudhary said, "During previous governments, ensuring prompt payment to sugarcane farmers was considered a difficult task."

A medical helicopter responding to a call to airlift a hiker with breathing problems crashed Sunday southeast of the Alabama city of Birmingham, leaving two of its crew dead and sending the third to a hospital, authorities said. The Eurocopter EC130 crashed near the community of Chelsea in Shelby County with the three crew aboard, the Federal Aviation Administration said in an email to The Associated Press. Shelby County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Clay Hammac told news outlet al.com that the downed craft was a medical helicopter called to evacuate a hiker suffering from breathing problems and chest pains. Deputies had set up a landing area for the helicopter, he added.

Residents across a wide swath of the US raced Sunday to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast, killing at least 32 people. The storms tore a path through the Arkansas capital and also collapsed the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, stunning people throughout the region with the scope of the damage. The number of deaths continued to grow Sunday.

Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbors, the Russian ambassador to Belarus said Sunday amid simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's war in Ukraine. Ambassador Boris Gryzlov's comment followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement about plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine. Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Police arrested two drug smugglers and seized 890 grams of narcotics worth around Rs 26 lakh from Lisari Gate here, officials said on Sunday. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan said Arshad and Sarfaraz have been sent to jail.

More than 4,200 criminals were arrested in 10 districts of Ajmer and Udaipur division in Rajasthan on Sunday, an official said. A campaign on direction by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is being run to catch criminals. Under this, as many as 4,255 criminals were arrested in districts under Ajmer and Udaipur range on Sunday, Director General of Police Umesh Mishra said.
In total, 2,111 criminals were arrested in the Ajmer range and 2,144 were arrested in the Udaipur range. Inspector General (IG) Ajmer Rupinder Singh and IG Udaipur Ajaypal Lamba monitored the raids.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday held a high-level meeting with senior officials over communal tensions during Ram Navami festivities at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns and directed them to take strict action against those involved in the violence. The CM also announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of a person who died following clashes between two groups on Saturday in Bihar Sharif (Nalanda).

The BJP will organise protest demonstrations in all districts of the state against various issues including paper leaks, law and order and women safety in coming days. Newly appointed BJP state president CP Joshi said the party will create a movement against the "anti-people policies" of the Congress government. The issues and strategy to corner the Ashok Gehlot government were discussed in a meeting of office-bearers held at the party's state headquarters here on Sunday.

A court here has ordered framing charges of rioting and arson against five people for allegedly setting ablaze a mosque during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying their identification through a video cannot be termed illegal or inadmissible in evidence at this stage. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against Ankit, Sourabh Sharma, Rohit, Rahul Kumar and Sachin, who were accused of being part of a riotous mob that torched Allah Wali Masjid at Shahid Bhagat Singh Colony here in February 2020.

Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Sunday evening, police said. BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who was in the procession, told PTI that the incident happened on GT Road in Rishra police station area. People in the procession were walking peacefully to the Jagannath temple in Mahesh when stones were hurled at it, he alleged. A senior officer of the Chandannagar Police said the clash broke out around 6.15 pm. "The procession was going through the traditional route when one group started throwing stones at it. We took immediate steps to address the situation," the IPS officer told PTI.

The security of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been tightened after a voice message issuing threat to him was received by a number of Assamese journalists based in Delhi and Assam on Sunday from a person identifying himself as Gurpatwant Singh Pannu from the banned Sikhs for Justice. Officials in the know claimed that the voice in the message was that of Pannu, who has been designated as a terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act -- by the Union Home Ministry. He is at present in the United States. The caller claimed that Sikhs were being "tortured" in Assam jail and asked Sarma to desist from it.

Saudi Arabia says it will cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day from May until the end of 2023. The move would likely raise oil prices, further straining relations between Riyadh and Washington as the world copes with inflation fuelled in part by the war in Ukraine. The Energy Ministry said Sunday that the cuts would be made in coordination with some OPEC and non-OPEC members, without naming them, and were in addition to a reduction announced last October. It described the move as a “precautionary measure” aimed at stabilizing the oil market.