Breaking News, April 21 | Highlights

Maharashtra: A Bhojpuri actress Suman Kumari (24) has been arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly forcing girls (models) into prostitution. Police also rescued 3 models. Further investigation is being done, said Crime Branch, Mumbai police.

Delhi Government's Directorate of Education (DOE) has taken over seven Special Schools from the Department of Social Welfare.

Odisha police on Friday confirmed that a team of UP Police’s STF had recently visited the state in connection with the hunt for slain gangster Atiq Ahmed’s absconding aide Guddu Muslim, a top police officer said.

Odisha DGP Sunil K Bansal confirmed that the UP Special Task Force visited Bargarh district in western Odisha in connection with the sharp shooter Guddu Muslim’s driver meeting a man in the state and allegedly staying for some days in Bargarh district. “They (UP STF) questioned a man here and Odisha Police provided assistance in accordance with protocol. The team did not inform us any details about the probe,” the DGP told reporters after a meeting with senior officers including ADG (Law & Order) and other senior police officers.

The DGP clarified that the UP Police has however, not arrested any person from Odisha. Guddu’s driver reportedly stayed in at Bhatli town in Odisha’s Bargarh district after the Prayagraj incident. Bargarh SP Prahlad Sahai Meena had also earlier confirmed about the visit of a 5-member STF team on April 18. “The team camped in Bargarh and grilled one person. The team had informed us about its visit. They left yesterday,” the SP said.

Added Odisha’s Northern Range IG Deepak Kumar, “The UP STF had sought assistance from the local police. The team carried out verifications in the area and returned. No one was arrested”.

Guddu Muslim, a professional shooter, is on the run since killing of gangsters-turned-politicians Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf on Saturday night.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said with India becokhargeming the most populous country in the world, a socio-economic caste census is very important to ensure social justice. He alleged the BJP is afraid of a caste census which is the "need of the hour" to ensure that proportionate reservation is provided to other backward classes and the benefits of social welfare schemes reach them.

"Now that India has become the most populous country in the world, two issues are very important for our public welfare schemes and for the progress of the country - Census 2021, probably postponed till 2024. Why so? Implementation of government schemes is very difficult without census data.

"Caste census data is very important for social justice. In the General Census, the population of SC, ST class is known but not of OBC class, due to which the correct proportion of their reservation has not been decided," he said in a series of tweets. Kharge said a 'Socio-Economic Caste Census' means caste census should be an integral part of the Census. 

Four people were killed in separate incidents of wall and roof collapse due to heavy rain that lashed Nagpur city on Thursday night, officials said.

Jyoti Chhotelal Yadav (46) was seriously injured after the compound wall of a building near Gondwana Square collapsed on her shanty while her son Aman Yadav (22) was killed on the spot. Jyoti died in hospital, said an official of Sadar police station.

Three trees were uprooted in the storm and fell on the compound wall, causing it to collapse, he said. Gaurilal Saturam Patel (32) and Ramlal Patel (31) were injured after the corrugated iron roof of their make-shift shelter fell on them in Manish Nagar on Thursday evening.

The duo, who hailed from Balodabazar in Chhattisgarh and worked here as labourers died while being taken to hospital, police said.

Justice SK Bhatti appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Kerala High Court with effect from 24th April, says Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday greeted citizens on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr and urged all to take a pledge to promote brotherhood and harmony in the society on this occasion.

"Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. This festival spreads the feelings of love, compassion and affection. Eid gives us the message of solidarity and mutual harmony," a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan quoted the President as saying. This festival is imbued with the spirit of harmony and inspires us to build a peaceful and prosperous society, Murmu said. "On this occasion, let's take a pledge to promote feelings of brotherhood and harmony in the society," she said.

"On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to all citizens living in India and abroad, especially our Muslim brothers and sisters," she added.

Goa students decorate the walls of Badrinath temple ahead of Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand.

Fire breaks out in a transformer and spreads to an adjacent plastic godown located on Topsia Road in Kolkata; No casualty reported.

EAM Dr S Jaishankar meets Suriname's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Albert Ramdin, in Guyana. "Discussed development partnership, cultural cooperation, security, climate and International Big Cat Alliance. Welcomed his appreciation of the International Year of Millets," he tweets.

 Maharashtra reports 993 new cases along with five deaths today.  Active cases stand at 5,970.

Punjab: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Jalalabad MLA Jagdeep Goldy Kamboj's father arrested for allegedly demanding Rs 10 lakhs from a rape accused. "We received a complaint from one Sunil Kumar, a property dealer in Jalalabad, that a man is demanding Rs 10 lakhs to save him in a rape case. We have registered a case against 4 people in this and arrested one. We have not received any recommendation from the MLA. We will take action as per the law. Further action is underway," said SSP Avneet Kaur, Jalalabad.

CBI issues notice to former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik to answer queries related to insurance scam.

"We will give ex-gratia amount of Rs one crore each to the families of the four Army personnel who lost their lives in the Poonch terror attack," said Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.

Security personnel paid tribute to the Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in the Poonch terror attack in Rajouri.  

A team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested the accused who fired at a woman in Saket court premises today.

Maharashtra government to file curative petition in Supreme Court after its review petition on Maratha reservation was dismissed yesterday. Maharashtra govt is determined to serve justice to the Maratha community, said CM Eknath Shinde.

PM Modi to visit Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on 24th and 25th April. PM will attend an event marking National Panchayati Raj Day in MP's Rewa, where he will lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation projects worth around Rs 19,000 cr on 24th Apr. On 25th April, PM will flag off Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth more than Rs 3200 cr, said PMO.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Friday to review the situation concerning Indians in violence-hit Sudan, government sources said on Friday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Air Force and Navy chiefs, top officials of foreign and defence ministries and senior diplomats attended the meeting held virtually. Jaishankar is currently on a visit to Guyana. India on Thursday said the situation in Sudan is "very tense" and it is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community, including working on contingency plans and possible evacuation. The conflict is a direct result of a vicious power struggle within the country's military leadership. The clashes are between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A woman died at a railway station in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district after a hospital failed to provide her with an ambulance while referring her to a larger medical facility, police said. The incident took place at Bhatar Railway Station where 50-year-old Maneka Koda and her husband Asit were waiting to take a train to Bardhaman, where she was referred to for treatment.

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Telangana High Court order granting protection from arrest till April 25 to YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha member Y S Avinash Reddy in a case pertaining to the murder of former Andhra Pradesh Minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy.

Bengaluru-based space startup Bellatrix Aerospace will send its experimental payload, Hall-effect thruster (HET), on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C55 that is set for launch on Saturday. The ARKA-series HET, which will demonstrate the solar electric propulsion engine for small satellites, will be flying in the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), where the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) uses the final stage of the rocket as an orbital platform to carry out experiments in orbit. "It is something like taking this EV (electric vehicle) revolution to space but actually, the technology is much more complex and very different from how we operate here," Bellatrix Aerospace co-founder Yashas Karanam told PTI. He said the HET developed by Bellatrix imparts a very high specific impulse or mileage when compared with conventional rockets, reducing the dependence on traditional fuels such as hydrazine, which is very toxic and carcinogenic. Karanam said Bellatrix has focused on maximum indigenisation of sub-systems, instead of relying on foreign vendors.

The Bihar government has served notices to 2.21 lakh beneficiaries for not completing their houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) even after disbursal of the entire amount (Rs 1.20 lakh per unit) in their respective accounts by the authorities concerned in the state. The Rural Development department of the state government has also initiated departmental action against 347 government employees (309 Aawaas Sahayak and 38 Awaas Paryavekshak) for not ensuring complete construction of houses even after disbursal of the entire amount to the account of beneficiaries in their respective rural blocks. While, 94,027 beneficiaries have been served 'red notices', 1,27,463 have been served 'white notices' by the state Rural Development department for not completing their houses despite receiving funds for the purpose several months/years ago under the PMAY-G scheme, according to the documents accessed by PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting on Friday to review the situation concerning Indians in violence-hit Sudan, government sources said on Friday. India on Thursday said the situation in Sudan is "very tense" and is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community, including working on contingency plans and possible evacuation. The conflict is a direct result of a vicious power struggle within the country's military leadership. The clashes are between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Air India has reduced the usage of single-use plastic by 80 per cent on board all flights across its worldwide network, the airline announced on Friday. Replacement of plastic zip lock bags for cutlery with paper packaging, plastic straws with paper straws and plastic stirrers with wooden ones besides introduction of reusable linen bags on board are among the steps taken to achieve the feat.

India's major ports handled the highest ever cargo at 795 million tonne in 2022-23, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary Sudhansh Pant said on Friday. Pant further said that with transactions worth about Rs 5,000 crore, the shipping ministry has surpassed its FY23 asset monetisation target of about Rs 3,700 crore. He also said that next week, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will launch 'Green Port' guidelines to make India's ports green.

No violation of rules or regulations were found in the transfer of land by businessman Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality to realty major DLF, the Haryana government has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court here. The investigation was linked to an FIR registered against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and some others in September 2018 in Gurugram. In an affidavit placed before the court on Wednesday, the government said, "It was reported by Tehsildar, Manesar, Gurugram that M/s Skylight Hospitality sold 3.5-acre land to M/s DLF Universal Limited on September 18, 2012, and no regulation/rules have been violated in the said transaction". However, the Haryana Police is probing the record of financial transactions that had taken place during the said deal.
 

Tibetan Spiritual Leader the Dalai Lama on Friday participated in the Global Buddhist Summit and addressed a group of monks and other delegates who have gathered here for the two-day event, sources said. He spoke for about half an hour and emphasised on Buddhist philosophy and values. The first-of-its-kind summit began on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the inaugural session.

Light rains may occur in parts of the national capital on Friday which recorded a minimum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average, according to India Meteorological Department.  Sky will remain partly cloudy throughout the day and the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 36 degrees Celsius, it said. The national capital witnessed light to moderate rainfall on Thursday.  The air quality index (AQI) of Delhi on Friday was recorded in the moderate (151) category around 9:00 am, data from the SAFAR showed. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

A goods train derailed in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district on Friday, affecting rail traffic, Southern Railway officials said. The accident happened at Rayakottai in Bengaluru division, prompting the Southern Railway to immediately cancel four trains. Some trains are being diverted via Jolarpettai-Tiruppatur instead of Dharmapuri-Hosur route, an official said.

President Joe Biden will formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign as soon as next week, three people briefed on the discussions said on Thursday. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said they were not aware that a final decision on timing had been made, but that Biden had been eyeing on Tuesday, April 25, four years to the day since the Democrat entered the 2020 race. The upcoming announcement is expected to be in the form of a video released to supporters.

A cargo container with gold and other items worth over USD 20 million Canadian (USD 14.8 million) was stolen from Toronto's Pearson International airport, authorities said on Thursday. Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said a “high value” container was taken from a holding area facility after being unloaded from a plane Monday evening.

Family members of those killed and injured during a 2018 attack on a Texas high school in which 10 people were fatally shot expressed concern on Thursday the case against the accused gunman- delayed for years over questions of his mental competency- could be further held up pending removal of the trial judge, facing allegations of bias and prior legal ties to the defendant. “We don't even have any confidence we're ever going to trial at this point,” said Scot Rice, whose wife Flo, was one of 23 people shot and injured during the attack at Santa Fe High School on May 18, 2018.

This time it's for real. Many of Twitter's high-profile users are losing the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. After several false starts, Twitter began making good on its promise on Thursday to remove the blue checks from accounts that don't pay a monthly fee to keep them. Twitter had about 300,000 verified users under the original blue-check system — many of them journalists, athletes and public figures. The checks — which used to mean the account was verified by Twitter to be who it says it is — began disappearing from these users' profiles late morning Pacific Time.

Tornadoes plowed through Oklahoma during another deadly spring storm in the US, killing at least three people and damaging dozens of homes in a hard-hit rural town. Forecasters warned on Thursday that more severe weather was still possible. A day after at least eight tornadoes spun through Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said authorities were still assessing the scale of destruction and injuries. He toured the aftermath in Shawnee, where nearly every building on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist University showed damage. A home improvement store was destroyed, but several people sheltering inside survived. Two long-term care facilities and a hospital were also damaged there.