Breaking News April 4 | LIVE UPDATES

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday demanding a debate on whether Rahul Gandhi's disqualification was "a disproportionate punishment", and cited that a BJP MP did not face the same action despite being awarded a higher sentence in 2016.

He said Naranbhai Kachhadiya, the BJP MP from Amreli in Gujarat, was not disqualified from Parliament in 2016 despite being awarded a three-year jail term for offences under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 186 (voluntarily obstructing public servant from discharge of duty), and 143 (punishment for member of an unlawful assembly).
 

Finland's parliamentary website was paralysed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday, just before the country made its historic entry into NATO, a move that more than doubles NATO's border with Russia and has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The attacks — in which participants flood targets with junk data — made the parliament's site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available for a time.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO.
The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscow's orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the US and its allies in the past.
The claim could not be immediately verified.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday welcomed Finland's membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as a "historic day" for the military alliance, as he called on members to agree on the necessary steps to also include Sweden in the fold.

Finland’s membership expands the scope of the 30-member NATO and realigns the European security landscape at a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been raging on for over a year.

The UK said it was one of the first NATO allies to ratify the bids of both Finland and Sweden to join the alliance and played a significant role in securing agreement from all NATO allies for Finland’s accession.

“This is a historic day for Finland and for NATO,” Sunak said.

 Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday took a swipe at the Opposition over violence during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal and Bihar, saying some people are serving a "communal dish" at their "secular shop" for political gain.

Naqvi said that when a riot takes place, not only human beings are hurt but the entire humanity "bleeds" and the country cannot afford such communal violence in today's times.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition parties, Naqvi said that some people are serving "communal dish" at their "secular shop" for their "nefarious political gain".

 Two men were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a truck here on Tuesday, police said.

The incident happened in Gosainganj police station area, they said.

The victims, both named Shailendra, aged 20 and 24 years, were riding a motorcycle which was hit by a speeding truck, SHO (Gosainganj) Raghvendra Rawat said
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he said.

Iraq's central government and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a final deal on Tuesday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via a pipeline to Turkey.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, announced the deal at a press conference in Baghdad.

“Halting the export of the region's oil harms Iraq's revenues,” Sudani said, adding that the governments would work toward passing a federal law detailing the sharing of funds from oil and gas exports.

Barzani said in a statement that while the deal is temporary, it is a “crucial step towards ending the long-standing dispute” between Irbil and Baghdad and “creates a positive and safe atmosphere to finally approve the national oil and gas law”.

Kurdish officials said the deal would allow exports to begin again as early as Tuesday.

"Hassan politics is different, my wife's politics is different," JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday, as he rejected media reports about his wife and party MLA Anitha Kumaraswamy's "demand" to contest May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls.

Anitha had earlier contested elections to save the party, when it did have a candidate in certain prime constituencies, he said, adding that she has no interest in electoral politics and has decided to stay away from it.

The former Chief Minister was reacting to media reports that Anitha would press for the Tumkur Rural ticket, if his sister-in-law Bhavani Revanna manages to get the Hassan ticket.

A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St.Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger is set to face a court hearing in the Russian capital Tuesday that will set terms for her pre-trial detention.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines, was killed Sunday as he led a discussion at the riverside cafe in the historic heart of St.
Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city. Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

Police arrested 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

The European Union's foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at China for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine and called it “a blatant violation” of Beijing's United Nations commitments.

“There cannot be siding with the aggressor,” Josep Borrell said.
“There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council to stand up in defence of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.
”
Standing alongside visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was forceful in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being a partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments come just ahead of a visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with French President Emmanuel Macron to China, where both will press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing's friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are set to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor resigned from the post on Tuesday, a day after he was nominated as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Gulrez will officiate as the Vice-Chancellor till Mansoor's successor is appointed, according to a notification issued by AMU Registrar Mohammad Imran.
In an open letter to university students and staff on Monday, Mansoor said, "As I demit office, this is the last time I address you as the Vice-Chancellor. I had the opportunity of serving the institution for six years during good and challenging times."
 

An assistant sub-inspector allegedly shot his wife and son dead in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Tuesday, police said. ASI Bhupinder Singh, who was said to be posted in Amritsar, allegedly killed his wife Baljit Kaur and son Lovepreet Singh with his service weapon at around 10 am in Bhumbli village, a police official said. Singh even shot his pet dog and fled, police said. It is yet to be ascertained what led Singh to kill his wife and son, police said, adding that they are investigating the matter.

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway will remain closed on April 7 for carrying out repairs in landslide-hit areas of Ramban district, officials said Tuesday. The 270-km-long highway, which is the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, was blocked several times due to landslides and shooting stones in the past few months and was in need of repairs. "Based on the direction passed for undertaking important repairs and maintenance works on highway, April 7 has been declared as a traffic dry day between Nashri to Navyuga tunnel", Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Mohita Sharma said.

India on Tuesday outrightly rejected China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality. India's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India outrightly rejected China's renaming of the places in Arunachal Pradesh. "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," Bagchi said.

India logged 3,038 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 21,179, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,901 with nine deaths. While two deaths each were reported from Delhi and Punjab, one each was reported by Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in a span of 24 hours and two reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,47,29,284) The active cases now comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.

An Indian student has claimed that he was disqualified from the London School of Economics (LSE) Students’ Union elections as a result of a deliberately orchestrated smear campaign because of his Indian and Hindu identity. Karan Kataria, who is from Haryana and is studying for a postgraduate law degree at the leading university in London, said he was motivated by the support of his peers to contest the post of General Secretary of the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU). However, he was disqualified last week over what he believes are baseless allegations and without being given a chance to fully state his case.

India's GDP is expected to moderate to 6.3 per cent, as against earlier estimate of 6.6 per cent, due to moderation in consumption in FY24, the World Bank said in a report on Tuesday.
Growth is likely to be constrained by slower consumption growth and challenging external conditions, the World Bank said in its India Development Update. "Rising borrowing costs and slower income growth will weigh on private consumption growth and government consumption is projected to grow at a slower pace due to the withdrawal of pandemic-related fiscal support measures," it said.

The residents of Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar consumed liquor worth Rs 1,652 crore in 2022-23, fetching the highest revenue in a financial year since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, excise department officials here said. The excise department in Gautam Buddh Nagar, which comprises Noida and Greater Noida, also launched a crackdown on illegal liquor during the year, seizing more than 50,000 litres of illicit alcohol and arresting 360 people. According to excise figures, the target for 2022-23 was set at Rs 1,828 crore, against which a revenue of Rs 1,652 crore (90.37 per cent) was earned from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel died after his car skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said. The accident took place at Maroog along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway when Sergeant, Directorate of Mechanical Transport (DMT) at Air Headquarters, Sarafraz Ahmad Bhat, was heading for Kashmir. A rescue operation was launched soon after the vehicle rolled down into the over 300-feet gorge, the officials said, adding Bhat was found dead on the spot and his body was later retrieved by rescuers. Bhat was a resident of south Kashmir's Kulgam district.

Former US President Donald Trump is expected to appear before a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST). His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday underlined the need for an integrated response to disasters, saying disaster in one region can have a big impact on a completely different region in a closely connected world. In his video address at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure 2023, he noted that 40 countries have become part of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in a few years. The conference has become an important platform for advanced and developing economies, large and small countries, and the global north and global south to come together on one platform, he said.

Five people were injured in a powerful Improvised Explosive Device blast in between Phungreitang and Viewland area in Ukhrul district on Monday evening, police said today. All five injured, who were non-Manipuris residing in the state and included four shopkeepers and a cart puller, have been admitted to Ukhrul district hospital for treatment. Two of them, Sanjay Kumar Kumar Prasad and Mangal Mahaton hailing from Bihar who lived in Viewland, have been referred to a hospital in Imphal for specialised treatment. They received injuries on their back and legs. The other three are out of danger, according to officials.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the CBI that no corrupt person should be spared, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday claimed that the conviction of the corrupt was higher during the UPA rule and asked who is "protecting" those indulging in graft. Addressing a gathering at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Modi on Monday said there is today no dearth of political will to act against corruption and officers should take action against the corrupt, however powerful, without any hesitation.

A massive fire raced through one of the biggest clothing markets here in the Bangladesh capital on Tuesday, officials said. The fire broke out at the Bangabazar market around 6:10 am but no casualties were reported, officials were quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper. According to Rafi Al Faruk, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence control room, 47 units of the fire service are working to control the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be known.

A court in this Uttar Pradesh district has sent two men to jail for three years in a nine-year-old case of molestation of a girl. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 each on the convicts, the counsel for the prosecution said on Tuesday. The court of Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO Act) Arvind Kumar sentenced Rupchandra Pasi and Awadhesh Pasi to three years of imprisonment on Monday.

In view of the rise in COVID-19 and influenza cases in Maharashtra, the Satara district administration has made wearing of mask compulsory for employees and officials working in government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks. The order was issued by Satara Collector Ruchesh Jaivanshi on Monday, effective immediately. The collector also appealed to residents in the district to use masks and maintain social distancing, and hand hygiene in crowded places such as weekly markets, bus stands, congregations, and weddings.

At least 20 people were killed in a landslide in eastern Congo, the government said on Monday. The landslide occurred in Bolowa village in Masisi territory on Sunday, Lt. Col. Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko announced in a statement. “As a result of this unfortunate incident, twenty people among our compatriots lost their lives and others are still missing and being searched for,” he said. About 25 mothers with their children were doing laundry in a stream at the foot of a mountain when the landslide happened, burying some of them, Alphonse Mushesha Mihingano, a local administrator told The Associated Press.

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Misra's son Saket Misra was on Monday nominated as members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. According to a notification issued by Chandrashekhar, Special Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh late on Monday night, the Governor has nominated a total of six persons as MLCs against eight vacancies. The other four names are: Ambedkar Mahasabha chairman Lalji Prasad Nirmal, former BJP Braj region unit head Rajnikant Maheshwari, chief of BJP's Varanasi district unit Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Ramsurat Rajbhar, who hails from Azamgarh.

The SIT on Monday recorded the statement of Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) Chairman as a witness in connection with the question paper leak case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) examined B Janardhan Reddy at his office here, police said. "We examined him at his office. His statement has been recorded as a witness," a senior police official told PTI.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Monday slammed the BJP for "spreading misinformation" and "concocting lies" about the results of city government-run schools. She was reacting to claims by the saffron party that 50 out of every 100 students studying in Delhi government schools dropped out in class 10 and that a similar dropout pattern was seen in classes 11 and 12. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also alleged that teachers were forced to write answers in almost blank answer sheets of below average students, especially in multiple choice questions section, and then pass them with minimum 33 per cent marks.

A United Nations-backed panel of investigators alleges in a new report that several officials in South Sudan have perpetrated serious human rights violations and should be held accountable for their crimes. The governor of South Sudan's Unity State, Joseph Monytuil, is cited for being responsible for gross violations of human rights as well as other senior government and military officials, in the report released Monday by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. Lt. Gen. Thoi Chany Reat of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces is among individuals warranting criminal investigation over state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings carried out in Mayom County in August 2022, the report says.

Delhi University on Monday constituted a five-member committee to inquire into alleged harassment of Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) students during a cultural festival last week. The committee will be headed by Prakash Singh, director of South Delhi Campus, and has been asked to submit its report within a week, a notification issued by Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta stated. Meanwhile, different student outfits held a protest outside IP College over the incident. They demanded that the college convene a general body meeting on the issue.

A Nigerian national was arrested for duping a Gurugram woman of Rs 2 lakh on the pretext of custom clearance after they met on a matrimonial site, police said on Monday. The accused, identified as Ignatus Ngosine, was arrested from Delhi on Sunday night, they said. According to the complainant, she started talking to the accused, who posed as a project manager working with a Turkish company, in March, police said. The accused, who introduced himself as Shiva Jhadav from India, asked the woman for her address saying that he wanted to send her some gifts. The complainant then received a call from one Sunita who posed as a customs officer from Mumbai Airport, they said.

Police on Monday said they have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly raping two minor girls in Maharashtra's Nagpur city. The accused has been arrested. According to the police, the mother of one of the seven-year-old victims lodged a complaint that the man, who stays near her house, called her daughter around 9 pm on Sunday. The accused then took her daughter and the latter's friend inside an e-rickshaw parked nearby and sexually assaulted the two minor girls, they said. On the basis of the complaint, the police registered a case against the man under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and also the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta on Monday claimed that more than 2,300 seats at Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) are vacant due to a steep fee hike. He said LG VK Saxena has sought a detailed report on it within 15 days. Gupta shared a copy of the purported order issued from LG office on March 16. No immediate reaction was available from the LG office or the DSEU on Gupta's claim. The BJP MLA from Rohini said the issue was brought to the knowledge of the LG by him during a recent meeting.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday called Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann the “most protected CM” while slamming his AAP government for pruning slain singer Sidhu Moosewala’s security last year and his own security detail now. Sidhu visited the Punjabi singer’s parents in Mansa district, expressing grief over the death of Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala. He was shot dead on May 29 last year, after the Punjab Police temporarily pruned the security being given then to about 400 people.
The Congress leader came out of the Patiala Central Jail on Saturday after serving nearly 10 months in a 1988 road rage case.

In view of the rise in COVID-19 and Influenza cases in Maharashtra, the Satara district administration has made wearing the mask compulsory for employees and officials working in government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks. The order will come into effect immediately. The order was issued by the district collector, Ruchesh Jaivanshi, on Monday who also appealed to residents in the district to use masks and maintain social distancing, and hand hygiene in crowded places such as weekly markets, bus stands, fairs, congregations, and weddings.

A Delhi Police head constable who had come to his village here has gone missing under suspicious circumstances, police said on Monday. The head constable Gopichand had gone out to meet someone on March 26 and did not return to his home in Sardhana village, Superintendent of Police (Dehat) Anirudh Kumar said. On March 30, Gopichand’s wife filed a missing case at the Sardhana police station following which a search was started, police said. The policeman’s mobile phone is also switched off, they said. It is not yet known in which police station Gopichand was posted and the Delhi Police is being contacted regarding this, SP Kumar said.