Breaking News, April 22 | HIGHLIGHTS

Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka on Saturday asked who got punished for the scams that became a major election plank in 2014, wondering if corruption allegations would remain limited to electoral issues.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was capable of becoming Maharashtra chief minister since he has vast administrative experience, the statement coming days after the two engaged in a verbal tussle. Notably, amid speculation surrounding his next political move, Ajit Pawar on Friday said he would "100 per cent" like to become the chief minister. He had also said that NCP can stake a claim to the post of chief minister "now also" instead of waiting for 2024.

The All India Congress Committee has attached three secretaries with the party's in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Assembly Elections are due in the state later this year.

Two men robbed a 47-year-old employee of a firm of Rs 8.5 lakh cash at gunpoint in Nagpur city of Maharashtra on Saturday evening, police said. The incident occurred under the limits of Ambazari police station when the employee was headed to the company's office in a car. The car was intercepted by two men who tried to smash its windshield with a stone and threatened the employee and his driver with a gun, a police officer said.

The condition of the woman shot at inside a Delhi court complex was stated to be out of danger and stable, officials said on Saturday. The woman is currently undergoing treatment at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad's lawyer Khan Shoulat Hanif has been booked for criminal conspiracy in the Umesh Pal murder case, an official said on Saturday. Speaking to PTI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Deepak Bhukar said Hanif's name was added under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code to the FIR registered at Dhoomanganj police station in the Umesh Pal murder case.

The Election officials on Saturday searched the private helicopter in which Congress state president D K Shivakumar’s family travelled from Bengaluru to Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district. Shivakumar’s wife Usha, her son, daughter and son-in-law were on a pilgrimage to offer prayers at Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy temple.

Around 336 villages in border areas of Arunachal Pradesh will be provided with 4G mobile telephony connectivity with the government launching 254 network towers on Saturday. The government has approved the construction of 2,605 4G mobile towers for providing connectivity to more than 3,721 villages in Arunachal Pradesh with a total outlay of Rs 2,675 crore.

The Rajasthan government has decided to provide Rs 444.40 crore to one lakh farmers for putting up barbed wire fences to protect crops from stray animals, according to an official statement on Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh minister Dharampal Singh on Saturday alleged that the opposition parties got gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf killed, fearing that the duo would reveal their secrets.

The mortal remains of Indian Army jawan Debashish Biswal, who was among the five soldiers killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, were consigned to flames with full military honours at his native village in Odisha's Puri district on Saturday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi On Saturday left his official residence 12 Tughlaq road after his disqualification as a Member of Parliament. 

Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district did not celebrate Eid with much enthusiasm on Saturday as they grieved the killing of five Indian soldiers when an Army truck carrying material for a scheduled Iftar was ambushed by terrorists. Sangiote has a population of more than 3,500 and over 60 per cent of the men are ex-servicemen.

The director general of Border Security Force (BSF) S L Thaosen on Saturday visited forward areas and reviewed security situation and challenges along the Line of Control (LoC) in twin border districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The DG also had security-related discussions with Director General of Police Dilbag Singh and other CRPF commanders based in Rajouri and Poonch, they said. Thaosen, who arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit on Thursday, visited forward defence locations in Rajouri and Poonch districts and reviewed the overall deployment of BSF and also domination plan on FDLs, they said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was capable of becoming Maharashtra chief minister since he has vast administrative experience, the former's statement coming days after the two engaged in a verbal tussle. Raut, a key aide of Uddhav Thackeray, also said some undeserving people had gone on to become CM of the state by engineering splits, an apparent reference to Eknath Shinde whose rebellion along with 40 MLAs in June last year brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. "Who would not like to be chief minister? And Ajit Pawar is capable of becoming chief minister. He has been in politics for so many years now and has been minister several times. He holds a record for having served as deputy CM for the most number of times. Everyone thinks one should become CM," Raut told reporters. On November 23, 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis and Pawar were sworn in as chief minister and deputy CM, respectively, but the government fell without proving its majority on November 28.

ISRO's PSLV C55 rocket carrying two Singapore satellites lifted off from the spaceport here on Saturday. In its dedicated commercial mission through NSIL, ISRO's workhorse launch vehicle carried with it TeLEOS-2 as primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite that would be deployed into low earth orbit. The 44.4 metre tall rocket blasted off from the first launch pad at the end of a 22.5 hour countdown at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, located about 135 km from Chennai. TeLEOS-2 is a synthetic aperture radar satellite developed under partnership between Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), representing the Government of Singapore and ST Engineering. After deployment of the satellite into the about 586 km orbit, it would be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore. TeLEOS-2 carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload. It would be used to provide all-weather day and night coverage and is capable of imaging at 1 metre full polarimetric resolution for Singapore.

Three members of a family were killed and one was injured when the thatched roof of a house here collapsed on them in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The incident took place in Lahariya Pura locality under Orai Kotwali police station area when the family was asleep, they said. The family members of the deceased buried them without informing the police. The matter is being investigated, they said.

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday greeted people of the state on the occasion of Eid and Akshay Tritiya. In a message, the governor said, "The holy month of Ramzan attaches importance to inner purification through fasting, prayers and acts of charity. Ramzan shows the path of welfare of the world through realisation of Self." "May Eid-Ul-Fitr bring happiness, good health and prosperity to all and may it promote harmony and brotherhood. I convey my 'Eid Mubarak' to all, especially to Muslim brothers and sisters," he said in a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be addressing a public rally at Chevella near here on April 23, BJP sources said on Saturday. His visit is part of 'Parliament Prabhas Yojana' programme, they said. Shah is likely to meet some of the key members of blockbuster 'RRR' movie team during his visit. The BJP leader is expected to felicitate the film crew for winning the coveted Oscar award. The 'Naatu Naatu' song of 'RRR' won the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category at this year's event. A senior party leader said Shah always tries to meet with celebrities wherever he goes and as part of that the minister met actors Junior NTR and Nithin, among others during his earlier visits last year.

Police have arrested two female agents at Kalyan in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly pushing women into flesh trade, an official said on Saturday. The arrest was made following a raid conducted at a local lodge on April 20, said Mahesh Patil, senior inspector at the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of the city police.

The Modi government has brought development and changed the scenario of Arunachal Pradesh which has been suffering from communication bottleneck for decades, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said here. Speaking on Friday night at the launch of the book titled "A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change", authored by senior bureaucrat Ashish Kundra, Khandu said 20,000 km road network has been built in the last nine years — equal to what it was built till 2014 since Independence. "Communication has been a major bottleneck in Arunachal Pradesh. The scenario has changed after 2014, when the Narendra Modi government came to power," he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted search operations at the residence of Trinamool Congress MLA from Tehatta in Nadia district, Tapas Saha, and questioned him in connection with their ongoing probe into the school recruitment scam, a senior officer said. Accompanied by a huge team of central forces, the CBI officers on Friday seized documents from Saha's office at his residence as well as his mobile phone, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on the occasion of Earth Day on Saturday that India is committed to furthering sustainable development, in line with its culture of living in harmony with nature. "On Earth Day, I laud all those working to make our planet better. India is committed to furthering sustainable development in line with our culture of living in harmony with nature," Modi said in a tweet. Earth Day is observed globally to raise awareness about environmental issues.

A former Marine who for years helped smuggle drugs from Mexico into the United States and even tried to get a song written to glorify his exploits was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison. Roberto Salazar II, 26, of San Diego was sentenced for importing fentanyl and for conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, according to a statement from the US attorney's office. Salazar, who pleaded guilty last October, could have faced up to life in prison.

An eight-year-old was allegedly killed by a transgender here over financial issues with the boy's father, police said Friday. Police received a complaint about the boy missing and they examined CCTV footage during investigation. The CCTV footage revealed that the boy went to the residence of the accused for playing but there was no evidence of him coming out, police said.

Jill Biden hopes a temporary art exhibit at the White House helps educate visitors about the lives of military children. April is the Month of the Military Child and the first lady had the art installed as part of Joining Forces, her White House initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers and survivors. The display of 10 mini “suitcases” designed by military and veteran children reflects their lives of frequent moves. Some of the cases are adorned with depictions of the flags of the countries they have lived in as a result of their parent's deployment.

The Supreme Court on Friday preserved women's access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues. The justices granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, maker of the drug mifepristone. They are appealing a lower court ruling that would roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of mifepristone. The drug has been approved for use in the US since 2000 and more than 5 million people have used it. Mifepristone is used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, in more than half of all abortions in the US.