Breaking News, March 14 | HIGHLIGHTS

President Draupadi Murmu is likely to arrive in Kolkata on March 27 on a two-day visit to West Bengal, an official at the state secretariat said on Tuesday. During Murmu's first visit to the state after becoming the president, the state government will host a civic reception in her honour at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, he said. "The reception will be held on March 27 itself. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the programme," the official told PTI.

 Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in the UK, accusing him of defaming Parliament and spreading misconceptions, and demanded he apologise. Gandhi, during a recent visit to the UK, had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy were under "brutal attack" and there was a full-scale assault on the country's institutions.

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan Tuesday asked his supporters to stand up for their rights and continue the struggle even if he is killed or arrested, hours after clashes erupted between the police and his party workers who gathered outside his residence here to foil his arrest in the Toshakhana case. Khan's video message was released by his party on social media as police arrived at his Zaman Park residence to arrest him.

 A 12-year-old boy was crushed to death by a tractor-trolley loaded with bricks here on Tuesday morning, police said.
The incident took place in Panhaida Khurd village when the boy was out for a morning walk with his father, they said.
Angry villagers reached the spot and blocked the road demanding the arrest of the accused. After about an hour, police managed to pacify the protesters and an FIR was registered against the unknown driver who managed to flee. According to police, the deceased was identified as Yash, son of Harkesh. He was a student of class 5 and and has two younger sisters. Inspector Surender Kumar, SHO of Chainsa police station, said the tractor-trolley has been seized while efforts are on to nab the driver.

The result of NEET-PG 2023 has been announced, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday and lauded the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for declaring the results in record 10 days. The NBEMS conducted NEET-PG 2023 on a computer-based platform for 2,08,898 candidates at 902 examination centres in 277 cities on March 5. "The result of NEET-PG 2023 has been announced today! Congrats to all students declared qualified in results. NBEMS has again done a great job by successfully conducting NEET-PG exams & declaring results in a record time. I appreciate their efforts!," Mandaviya said in tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted the Sikh community across the globe at the start of the Sikh New Year.
"As Nanakshahi Sammat 555 commences, greetings to the Sikh community around the world," Modi tweeted.  May the coming year be filled with happiness, wonderful health and prosperity, he said.

The Enforcement Directorate has carried out searches at 10 places across four districts in the Kashmir valley as part of its ongoing probe against conspirators involved in arranging admissions for money in various courses, including MBBS in Pakistan, to fund terror activities, an official said. The ED's Srinagar Zonal office carried out the search recently under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at 10 locations in Srinagar, Budgam, Kupwara and Anantnag districts, the official said.

Former railway minister Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and 14 others are likely to appear before a Delhi court on Wednesday in connection with a case related to the alleged land-for-job scam. The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Prasad's family when he was the minister of railways between 2004 and 2009. The CBI in its charge sheet alleged that irregular appointments were made in the railways, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment.

Mumbai on Tuesday recorded 36 new cases of coronavirus that took the tally of infections to 11,55601, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said. The daily count of infections in the city has doubled since Monday, when it recorded 18 cases. The toll remained unchanged at 19,747 and the count of recoveries stood at 11,35,710 after 14 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday sought approval for an additional Rs 13,141.07 crore expenditure as he presented the first and final instalment of Supplementary demands for grants in Vidhan Sabha for 2022-23.
The supplementary demands include a provision of Rs 6,004.63 crore for repayment of Ways and Means - Advance /Overdraft and Rs 1,260.65 crore for pensions and other retirement benefits.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the Centre's stand on a petition by a former Air Force officer against his dismissal over the accidental firing of Brahmos missile into Pakistan during a simulation exercise last year. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna issued notice on the petition by the former wing commander, who was posted as Engineering Officer at the relevant time, and granted the Centre six weeks to file its response.

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will mark the first anniversary of its second term on March 25 by organising press meets across the state and highlighting its achievements over the past six years, a senior official said here on Tuesday.
The government and the BJP have already started preparations to celebrate the day.

Delhi hospitals are witnessing a spike in cases of the H3N2 virus that triggers symptoms like fever, cold and body aches, but in certain cases, leaves behind persistent cough making patients extremely weak, doctors said. There has been a nearly 150 percent rise in patients coming to OPDs with such complaints, they said. Elaborating on the possible reasons behind the surge, Dr Viny Kantroo, Consultant, Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Consultant, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said the outbreak could have been triggered due to seasonal change, mutation of the virus and the economy being fully open.

Six youths have been arrested for allegedly raping two minor cousins here, police said on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Prabhat Yadav, Dilip Yadav, Pradeep Yadav, Vikas Yadav, Shailendra Yadav and Rajan Yadav, they said. The girls, aged 17 and 15, along with two other cousins were returning from home after attending a traditional fair in a village on Sunday when they were gang-raped, they said.

Four Nigerian nationals were arrested in Tirupur on Tuesday for staying without valid documents, police said. Being a knitwear capital, many Nigerians, staying in Rayapuram area, are engaged in readymade garments business and export to their country.

Lok Janshakti Party (RamVilas) president Chirag Paswan on Tuesday chaired a national council meeting here and said his party will be planning a nationwide expansion strategy. Addressing a press conference, Paswan said that party leaders and workers presented their suggestions and ways to strengthen the party nationally were discussed at the meeting.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday promised free power, education, and healthcare if his party is voted to power in Madhya Pradesh. Addressing a jansabha meeting at Dussehra Maidan in BHEL here, Kejriwal also announced the AAP government will regularize services of employees and end corruption in the state.
“Just give me an opportunity to bring a change to serve you. I will provide free power in Madhya Pradesh like Delhi and Punjab,” the AAP leader said.

Over 2,600 workers along with more than 400 machineries are on site and work for the first phase of the Noida International Airport is on track for timely completion, officials said on Tuesday. Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, is developing the Greenfield airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar, some 75 km off Delhi. YIAPL CEO Christoph Schnellmann said earthwork was completed earlier this year and vertical construction has started including on the terminal building and runway.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Rajiv Arun Ekka, the former principal secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday in connection with the money laundering case linked to suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal, official sources said on Tuesday. Ekka, now secretary in the panchayati raj department, is likely to be questioned on the alleged irregularities in MGNREGA scheme linked to the case, the sources told PTI.

A fire broke out in a BSNL godown in Sector V of Salt Lake area here on Tuesday afternoon, a fire official said. Nobody was injured in the blaze which initially broke out at the open space adjacent to the godown at around 1.40 pm before spreading to the store, he said. "The fire spread quickly as the godown had inflammable items. It is under control now”, the fireman said.
The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, he added.

The Gujarat High Court has sought the state government’s reply on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the use of loudspeakers for reciting ‘azaan’ (call to prayer) in mosques. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A J Desai and Justice Biren Vaishnav on Monday allowed Shaktisinh Zala, a Bajrang Dal leader, to join the PIL after the original petitioner Dharmendra Prajapati sought to withdraw it citing threats.

At least 22 people have been detained, including teachers and students, from across Assam for questioning related to leak of general science question paper, meant for Class 10 state board examination, leading to cancellation of the test, a top police officer said. State Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, however, said some people have been arrested. He did not share details of the arrests, citing the ongoing probe. The Assam Police registered a criminal case and the CID was handed over the investigation on Monday.

Two men died Monday after a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians beside a road in the eastern Quebec town of Amqui, although a senior Canadian official rapidly ruled out a terrorism attack or a national security incident. A provincial police spokeswoman said nine other people were injured, including two whose injuries are considered serious. Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre said the 38-year-old driver, a local resident, turned himself in to police and was arrested under suspicion of committing a fatal hit and run.

China will reopen its borders to tourists and resume issuing all visas on Wednesday after a three-year halt during the pandemic as it sought to boost its tourism and economy. China is one of the last major countries to reopen its borders to tourists. The announcement on Tuesday came after it declared a “decisive victory” over COVID-19 in February.

Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA T. Raja Singh has said India will be declared as "akhand Hindu rashtra" by 2026. Addressing a programme organised by Hindutva bodies at Rahata in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra recently, Singh said the names of Ahmednagar and Hyderabad (capital of Telangana) cities will be changed to Ahilyabainagar and Bhagyanagar, respectively.

"14 inmates of class 10th and 13 inmates of class 12th are going to appear for the exams. The educated prisoners in the jail are preparing for their exams," said Senior Jailor MN Rathwa.

Students in Gujarat's Surat were seen standing outside the examination centres to appear for the board Class 10 and 12 examination taht is scheduled to begin from today (March 14). 

Asia's first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav has added another feather to her cap as she became the first female to operate the newly-introduced semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train, the Central Railway said. She piloted the semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on Monday.

The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have announced a nuclear-powered submarine deal, a step aimed at countering the Chinese aggressive behaviour in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region and ensuring that the region remains "free and open." Under the Aukus agreement, Australia will first receive at least three nuclear-powered submarines from the US.

The National Investigation Agency on Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations in Kashmir in connection with terror-funding cases, officials said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a rally of AAP in Bhopal on Tuesday as he kicks off the party's campaign for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, due later this year. The rally, to be held at BHEL Dussehra Maidan in the state capital, is expected to be a show of strength by the Kejriwal-led party, which is trying to gain a toehold in the Madhya Pradesh politics traditionally dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

Thane district in Maharashtra reported 19 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 7,47,587, a health official said on Tuesday. With the addition of the new cases on Monday, the district is now left with 79 active cases, he said.

Maharashtra: The 5-year-old boy who was rescued after 8 hours from a borewell in Ahmednagar on Tuesday. 

A court here has sentenced a man to seven years in prison for robbing a woman of her scooter at gunpoint in 2021. Additional Sessions Judge Phalit Sharma also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the man and said failure to pay it in time will attract further imprisonment of three months.

 The Pentagon intends to load up on advanced missiles, space defence and modern jets in its largest defence request in decades in order to meet the threat it perceives from China. The spending path would put military's annual budget over the USD 1 trillion threshold in just a matter of years, its chief financial officer said Monday. The administration is asking Congress for USD 842 billion for the Pentagon in the 2024 budget year. It's the largest request since the peak of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the mid-2000s, when the weight of hundreds of thousands of troops deployed in those overseas conflicts ballooned overseas war spending.

Federal authorities say dozens of artifacts stolen in the 1970s from museums in several states and dating back as far as the French and Indian War have been returned to the institutions. The FBI announced Monday at a ceremony at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia that 50 items had been repatriated to 17 institutions in five states.

 A total of 12,343 cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) were detected in West Bengal in the last two and a half months, and most of those infected were children, a senior official said on Monday. So far, 19 people died of adenovirus infection in the state and 13 of them had severe comorbidities, he said.

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Tuesday, the South Korean military said, in the country's second weapons launch this week.