Breaking News, May 12 | LIVE UPDATES

N C Debbarma, BJP's ruling ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) supremo, on Thursday removed newly elected party president Mevar Kumar Jamatia and declared himself as the party president.

A promoter entity of automotive component supplier Mahindra CIE Automotive Ltd on Thursday bought the company's shares worth Rs 200 crore through an open market transaction.

Chennai Super Kings were all out for 97 against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

A woman from Uganda was arrested here on Thursday for allegedly peddling drugs and 56 gm of cocaine was seized from her, said Prohibition and Excise officials.

Heavy rains ravaged Sikkim's capital Gangtok on Thursday, damaging several houses and snapping road connectivity in some areas, officials said. A relief camp was set up at the Palzor Stadium where a few families were shifted after their houses were damaged, they said.

Ahead of its brainstorming conclave here, the Congress asserted on Thursday that it was the principal opposition party but was conscious of its "shortcomings" and was ready to ''transform'' itself by working on its ideology and organisation.

Delhi reported 1,032 fresh coronavirus and no death cases on Thursday, according to data shared by the state health department. The data showed that the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) in the national capital was logged at 3.64 per cent. 

Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 231 fresh coronavirus cases, more than half of them from Mumbai, and one more death linked to the infection, the state health department said.

The Delhi government has sent an SOS to Haryana, the third time in two weeks, urging it to release additional water in the Yamuna river to prevent a water crisis in the national capital. "Haryana is releasing less water in the river due to which the water level at the Wazirabad pond has dropped to a critical low of 671.80 feet, as against the normal level of 674.5 feet. Several areas in Delhi may face a water crisis," an official said. 

Russia would see Finland's accession to the NATO military alliance as a threat and the move would not contribute to more security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, media reports said.

The Ahmedabad police have detained members of Congress for protesting at the Municipal Commissioner's bungalow. They were protesting against 'ill-planned' drinking water distribution in the city.

Equity investors lost over Rs 5 lakh crore on Thursday as indices took a deep plunge due to the persisting high inflation in the US, below expected corporate earnings, amid fears of high inflation in India for the fourth straight month in April.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Thursday that it currently supplies gas for transit to Europe via the Sudzha entry point. The application for pumping through the Sokhranovka transit point has been rejected by Ukraine, according to Gazproms official spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov.

There is no stopping EV fires in India and now, an electric two-wheeler belonging to Gurugram-based Benling India has exploded while being charged in Telangana.

A Sri Lankan court on Thursday banned former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and 15 others, including his son, MPs and senior police officers from leaving the country, for instigating Monday's violence that killed nine people and injured over 300.

Chaos ruled Madanpur Khadar area of the national capital on Thursday as the Municipal Corporation carried out the demolition drive.

The Enforcement Directorate has carried out search operations at various offices and residential premises of former Odisha MLA Jitendra Nath Patnaik and related entities at Bhubaneswar and Keonjhar district in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case.

A 40-year-old journalist was found hanging in his house in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Thursday. Journalist Ganesh Tiwari was found hanging in the house late on Wednesday night, Lasudia police station in-charge Santosh Doodhi said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday had a courtesy meeting with Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both sides discussed the strong economic and commercial engagement between India and the UAE and the comprehensive strategic partnership which is driving the multifaceted bilateral relations, the finance ministry said in a statement.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested its four officers for allegedly conducting a fake raid on an IT firm there to extort money, officials said on Thursday. 

At least 168 terrorists are operating in Jammu and Kashmir while 75 have been killed in encounters with security forces this year, officials said.
Among those neutralised include 21 foreign mercenaries, they pointed out. In the past 11 months, 11 terrorists were encountered and 12 infiltration bids were foiled in the vicinity of the Line of Control (LoC) alone, they said.

Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal earlier arrested and remanded to the custody of the ED in a suspected money laundering case was suspended by the Jharkhand government on Thursday, an official said. The ED had produced her before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma after two consecutive days of questioning by the central probe agency on Tuesday and Wednesday.

South Korea's new administration will seek to resume currently suspended construction of two nuclear reactors in the coastal county of Uljin in 2025, government and industry sources said.

Israel's military has demolished at least 18 buildings and structures in the occupied West Bank following a Supreme Court decision that would force around 1,000 Palestinians out of an area Israel had designated a firing zone, a rights group said. B'Tselem said in a statement that Border Police and soldiers leveled a total of 18 structures, including 12 residential buildings, in villages in the hills south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday.

At least 65 goats died of suffocation in a room of a mutton shop in Bhiwandi of Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Thursday. The incident took place at a mutton shop in Gundavali area of the town on Wednesday, the official said. The shop owner had purchased 70 goats for Rs 6 lakh and kept them in a room on Tuesday night. People in the locality heard cries of the animals early next morning, following which the room was opened and 65 animals were found dead, it was stated.

Civic authorities on Thursday carried out anti-encroachment drives in various part of the city, with locals and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters staging a protest in Madanpur Khadar to stop demolition of structures, which they claimed were legal. While the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) removed illegal and temporary structures in Madanpur Khadar and Dhirsen Marg, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) took action in Rohini and Karol Bagh.

Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was on Thursday appointed as the next chief election commissioner. He will assume charge on May 15 after incumbent Sushil Chandra demits office on May 14, a notification issued by the Law Ministry said. Putting the notification in public domain, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju extended his best wishes to Kumar.

Alleging Rs 54 crore estimated loss in the purchase of 40,000 tonne rice to be sent to Sri Lanka in lines with a Tamil Nadu government decision, a PIL petition has been filed in the Madras High Court to scrap the proposal and consequently direct the authorities concerned to take steps to purchase the rice through the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in New Delhi. When the public interest litigation petition, also praying for a direction to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to conduct an inquiry in to the matter, came up for hearing on Thursday, a vacation bench of Justices G R Swaminathan and Senthil Kumar Ramamurthy posted it after summer vacation, so as to enable the authorities concerned to file their counter-affidavits.

Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under immense pressure from the public and the Opposition to quit over the island nation’s worst economic crisis, said on Thursday that the abolition of the executive presidency, a move that will curb his powers, will be considered by Parliament. Abolishing the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978, and replacing it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy, has been one of the key demands of the Opposition.

While talking to Ayub Patel, one of the beneficiaries of govt schemes in Gujarat during an event, PM Modi gets emotional after hearing about his daughter's dream of becoming a doctor & said, "Let me know if you need any help to fulfill the dream of your daughters"

Coming out in support of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday said his continued incarceration is being regarded as a "strangulation of justice" by the common man. Mayawati also hit out at the BJP government for allegedly targeting the poor, Dalits, tribals and Muslims and harassment of its political opponents.

Rains accompanied by squally winds continued in parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday even as cyclonic storm Asani weakened into depression after making a landfall last night. After crossing the coast between Machilipatnam and Narsapur, Asani weakened into deep depression. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression remained practically stationary during the last six hours and weakened into a depression over the same region. It lay centred close to west of Machilipatnam. It is likely to hover around the same region and weaken further into a well marked low pressure area during the next 12 hours, the IMD bulletin said.

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Tension escalated in Nohar city of Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) block president Satveer Saharan was injured following a group clash on Wednesday evening, said the state police. The district administration has also suspended internet services in Nohar and the other two towns in the Hanumangarh district. The police said that Saharan has suffered an injury and has been referred to the district hospital for treatment.

Five people, including four from Maharashtra and one from Karnataka, were killed in a road crash on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida on Thursday morning, police said. Two other people who were along with the deceased in an SUV have been hospitalised with injuries, the police said. "The seven people were in a Mahindra Bolero. They were on the way from Agra towards Noida when their car hit a dumper truck from the rear side near Jewar toll plaza," a Gautam Buddh Nagar police spokesperson said.

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Consumers here will be given both online and offline options to opt for or out of the power subsidy given by the Delhi government on monthly consumption of up to 400 units of electricity, officials said. Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that consumers will be provided power subsidy if they demand it. The decision to allow financially able consumers to opt out of the subsidy scheme was taken by the government after receiving suggestions from people that the money saved could be spent on building schools and hospitals, he had said. The modalities for registration of consumers for subsidy is likely to be finalised by the month-end. The department is also consulting with power discoms (distribution companies) to make the registration process smooth, officials said on Wednesday.

Shiv Sena MLA from Mumbai, Ramesh Latke, died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai, a party functionary said. He was 52. "Latke died on Wednesday in Dubai, where he had gone with his family on a vacation," the party office-bearer said. Latke was a two-time Sena legislator from Andheri East assembly constituency in Mumbai city, the Maharashtra capital.

Crime Branch of Delhi Police arrested one more accused namely Abdul alias Raja in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence case for allegedly inciting the crowd to violence, the police said.

President Joe Biden vowed to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine as he visited a family farm Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the administration believes could also help to reduce grocery bills at home. "I stand here today to thank American farmers who are the breadbasket of democracy," Biden said. "We can make sure that American agricultural exports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies.

Observing that the national Opposition in the country is weak, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said he believes that for a healthy democracy, it is essential that India has a stronger Opposition, one that is constructive as well. "India needs a stronger Opposition, a constructive Opposition. The (current) Opposition is very weak. Lack of leadership in the Opposition can make any democracy appear not as a democracy," Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, told news agency PTI in an interview. "Democracies do need a stronger Opposition -- conservative, creative Opposition that is missing in India. Of course, West Bengal has shown that with free-and-fair elections, no party can meddle with the institutions of India, and the judiciary is quite strong.

Canadian federal government officials have said that new fund is provided for projects to improve access by removing barriers to vital abortion services and offer accurate reproductive health information. According to a news release, Canadian Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien announced more than 3.5 million Canadian dollars (2.8 million U.S. dollars) in funding for projects by Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Action Canada) and by the National Abortion Federation Canada (NAF Canada).

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said citizens in the country need development, employment and a respite from inflation, but some people are trying to spread hatred in name of caste and religion. Speaking at a 'national integration congregation', a programme organised to celebrate Eid, in Pimpri- Chinchwad township near here, he said no religion preaches hatred.

Taking a dig at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti for her remarks on the country’s economy, the Jammu and Kashmir BJP said on Wednesday she was raising communal frenzy for petty political gains and to provoke people. Targeting the central government, the former J and K chief minister said the Sri Lankan economic and political crisis should serve as a wake-up call for India.

An earthquake measuring 5.3 was felt in western Nepal's sparsely populated Sudurpaschim Province on Wednesday. No loss of life or property was reported. The tremors were felt at 10:18 am, with its epicentre in India, 30 km from Darchula district, according to the Seismological Centre in Surkhet.

A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attacking a fruit-seller with a knife over old enmity in Delhi's Prashant Vihar area, police said on Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Bhola Shankar, also a fruit-seller and a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, they said. On Monday, the police got information about a quarrel and after reaching the spot found an injured man, identified as Sonu Kumar (22). He was was shifted to the BSA hospital, a senior police officer said. In his statement, the man said he and the accused sold fruits, the officer said.