Breaking News, May 11

Rajasthan BJP president CP Joshi Thursday hit back at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for calling the BJP and RSS "fascist", saying the Congress leader has an "RSS phobia" that is why he makes such statements. He said whenever there is any calamity, RSS workers are ready to help. "The Congress has a phobia of the RSS so its leaders keep making baseless allegations against the RSS," he said in a statement. "Sangh workers always play their role in the society with devotion like a soldier without any discrimination, while the Congress is nothing more than a scattered organisation dedicated to one family," he said. Honouring terrorists and cursing patriots is the reason for the Congress' downfall, he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray will visit the famous Saibaba temple in Shirdi and also the nearby Shani Shingnapur shrine in western Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Friday, a party functionary said. The former chief minister's visit to the temples will take place a day after the Supreme Court delivered its much-awaited verdict in the 2022 political crisis in the state triggered by a rebellion in the undivided Shiv Sena.

Calling it a "black day", the protesting grapplers and their supporters on Thursday wore black bands with Bajrang Punia, one of the prominent faces of the sit-in, alleging that their phone numbers are being tracked. The protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment and intimidation by the grapplers, entered the 18th day. Top Indian grapplers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang, Sakshi Malik, Satyawart Kaidyan and Jitender Kinha all tied black bands on their forehead while a few supporters sported them on their arms as a mark of protest against what they see as lack of action against Brij Bhushan. The wrestlers have been demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, who they have accused of sexual exploitation of several women grapplers including a minor.

Indian mountaineer Anurag Maloo, who was miraculously rescued from a deep crevasse of Mt. Annapurna in Nepal, was on Thursday airlifted to New Delhi for further treatment after his conditions improved. He was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi by an air ambulance, said Thaneshwor Guragain, a staff at Seven Summit Trek, a body that organised the expedition. He opened his eyes and also talked a little bit, said Guragain. Anurag, 34, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, went missing in mid-April after he fell from around 6,000 meters while descending from Camp III. Mount Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world. He was found alive in a deep crevasse at some 5800-metre altitude on April 20 after three days of continuous search by a team of rescuers. He was rushed to Manipal Hospital in Pokhara and then airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday to attend the '6th Indian Ocean Conference 2023' which will deliberate on the prospects of regional cooperation. The India Foundation, in association with Bangladesh's foreign ministry, has organised the sixth edition of the conference with its theme, “Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future". State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam received the Indian foreign minister upon his arrival, a Bangladesh foreign office spokesman said.

Odisha is reeling under intense heat, with half of the state recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. With the IMD predicting a further rise in temperature in 23 of the 30 districts in the state, Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu reviewed the situation and asked the local authorities to remain prepared. At least 16 stations recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, and of those places, six recorded temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius. Jharsuguda and Boudh were the hottest at 43.4 degrees Celsius, closely followed by Sambalpur (43.3), Hirakud (42.3), Sundergarh (42.1) and Rourkela (42). Places that recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius include Angul (41.7), Sonepur (41.3), Bolangir (41.2), Titilagarh, Talcher and Nuapada (41), Baripada (40.6), Nayagarh and Bargarh (40.2) and Malkangiri (40).

A court dealing with cases lodged under the SC/ST Act in this Rajasthan district on Thursday convicted three men and sentenced them to life in prison in a 10-year-old murder case. Dinesh Meghwal alias Deena, Hukuma Luhar and Raimal Luhar, all aged 30 and living in the Bombay Residential Yojana, were also fined Rs 20,000 each.

The arrest of Imran Khan has been declared null and void, said Supreme Court of  Pakistan 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Thursday evening, officials said, hours after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the city government on the issue of control over services. Kejriwal had sought time from the LG for a meeting. He will meet Saxena at 4 pm, according to an official.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the AYUSH ministry have signed an agreement for collaboration and cooperation for research in the field of integrated medicine. Integrated medicine refers to using alternative medicine systems such as ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy with orthodox systems as part of a treatment plan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will combine traditional knowledge with modern research and boost ayurveda's identity on the basis of scientific evidence, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

A total of 79.21 per cent of 2.21 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the by-poll held for the Jharsuguda assembly segment, an election official said here on Thursday. The Jharsuguda by-poll was held on Wednesday. The voting percentage (79.21%) this time was more than the previous polling of 75.62 per cent in 2019, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said.

Sharad Pawar spoke to the media after meeting Bihar CM Nitish Kunar in Mumbai on Thursday. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met NCP Chief Sharad Pawar at his 'Silver Oak' residence in Mumbai today (May 11). 

Due to administrative reasons, Cabinet reshuffle has been done. Tamil Nadu government will give continuous support to the Industries department: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin

A teenage couple was allegedly killed by the girls' relatives and the bodies hung from a tree in a village here to make it look like suicide, police said on Thursday. Police booked seven people, including the girl's father, for kidnapping, murder and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Four of them have been arrested. The bodies were found hanging from a mango tree in Kayampur Nivarwara village under the Asiwan police station area on Tuesday. Police said the the girl was 17 years old and belonged to the Thakur community, while the man, aged 19, was a Dalit. Station in-charge Akhilesh Tiwari said that a day before the bodies were found, the girl's father had lodged a complaint against the young man for abducting her.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said while the political situation in Pakistan was “nothing new”, the instability and uncertainty in the neighbouring country will have an impact on India. She also said that the ruling party in Pakistan, instead of fighting the opposition politically, uses agencies to put them in jail and that the "same process unfortunately is being used" in India. “Whatever is happening in Pakistan, unfortunately, is nothing new. Right from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whenever a government comes, the opposition is jailed. It will have an effect on us. The instability and uncertainty there will impact us but this disease has somehow infected our country also. If you see Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament membership, (Manish) Sisodia was jailed,” Mehbooba told reporters in Tral area of Pulwama district.

A soldier was killed in accidental fire from his weapon along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said on Thursday. The incident took place in the Krishna Ghati sector, when the rifle of Lance Naik Jasbir Singh went off accidentally, they said. Singh was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors, the officials said. On being informed, a police team visited the spot and after the completion of all the legal formalities, the body was shifted to a hospital. Police have registered a case in this connection.

NIA searches 6 locations in 2021 high-profile Naupada fake currency case. The recovery included sharp-edged weapons, digital devices and documents, which is a strong corroboration of NIA’s earlier investigational findings establishing a direct connection with the D-Company in the fake currency racket. Thus the role of the D-Company has been prima facie established in the circulation of fake currency notes in India, said NIA.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has sought time from LG Vinai Kumar Saxena to meet him following the Supreme Court verdict today.

Ajmer, Rajasthan: Congress MLA Sachin Pilot holds Jan Sangharsh Yatra. Sachin Pilot is holding the 5-day yatra from Ajmer to Jaipur, against the alleged corruption and paper leak in Rajasthan.

This is a victory for democracy and the democratic process. We are satisfied with the verdict given by the Supreme Court, said Maharashtra Deputy CM & BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, in Mumbai.

27 injured in Finland, mostly children, as footbridge collapses reports AFP quoting rescuers.

Former JD(U) president R C P Singh joins BJP.

If the current Maharashtra CM and deputy CM have any ethics, then they should resign, said Uddhav Thackeray.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal calls a meeting of his ministers today after Supreme Court rules that the Delhi govt has legislative powers over administrative services in the national capital.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde & Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis to hold news conference at 2 pm at Sahyadri, Mumbai, after the Supreme Court verdict.

Supreme Court rules in favour of the Delhi government over control on administrative services in the national capital and holds that it must have control over bureaucrats. SC holds legislative power over services exclude public order, police and land.

One of the most glorious days of Indian history, said PM Modi on nuclear tests in Pokhran on its 25th anniversary.

PM Modi will visit Gujarat on 12th May to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 4400 crores. He will visit GIFT city and review the status of various ongoing projects and also participate in Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Sangh Adhiveshan in Gandhinagar, said Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Economic Offences Wing on 10th May registered an FIR against former BharatPe managing director Ashneer Grover, his wife Madhuri Jain Grover, and family members, including Deepak Gupta, Suresh Jain, and Shwetank Jain for Rs 81 crore alleged fraud

Former Union minister and former Janata Dal (United) president RCP Singh is likely to join Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi today.

 Mumbai: Hoardings welcoming JD(U) leader & Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav put up as the duo will be meeting Uddhav Thackeray today.

Covid-19 | 1,690 new cases in India in the last 24 hours; Active caseload at 19,613

The government of India has exempted duty on the import of crude Soyabean oil and crude sunflower seed oil.

 Enforcement Directorate summons NCP leader Jayant Patil tomorrow, 12th May , in connection with alleged IL&FS scam.

Five conspirators who allegedly planned the Amritsar blast have been nabbed. The motive behind the blast was to disturb peace. Explosives used in firecrackers were applied in the blast. Police to hold a press conference shortly, said Punjab police.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrives in Japan for a two-day official visit. FM is welcomed by Shri Sibi George, Indian Ambassador to Japan and Marshall Islands, at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo (JST), tweets the Ministry of Finance.

Go First Airline's allegations that Pratt & Whitney is responsible for its financial condition are without merit.  Pratt & Whitney will vigorously defend itself against Go First's claims, and is pursuing its own legal recourse, said Pratt & Whitney spokesperson.

Palestine's Islamic Jihad announces death of military leader in fresh Israeli strike in Gaza, reports AFP.