Breaking News, March 7

The BJP government in Gujarat on Monday claimed that due to the stringent measures by the government, the prices of edible oil are under control for the last two years, despite the Covid situation. But the figures released by the government in the state assembly tell a different story.

The Telangana government has an outstanding public debt of Rs 3,29,988 crore, according to the Budget Estimates 2022-23. The Rs 3,29,988 crore debt would be 25 per cent of the GSDP, according to the Telangana Budget in Brief 2022-23 document. State Finance Minister T Harish Rao presented the state budget for 2022-23 on Monday.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday condoled the death of India's Representative to the State of Palestine Mukul Arya who was found dead inside the Indian mission in Ramallah on Sunday.

Pyare Miyan, owner of a daily newspaper, and accused of raping and sexually assaulting several minor girls, was awarded life imprisonment by a court on Monday. Additional Session Judge Savita Verma of Bhopal district court found him guilty and awarded a life sentence. Pyare Miyan was arrested from Kashmir in July 2020 a few days after a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against him. Presently, he is lodged in Jabalpur Jail. On Monday, he appeared before the special court of additional session judge Savita Verma via video conference.

Apple might lose at least $3 million in iPhone sales revenue daily or $1.14 billion annually as it announced to pull out from the Russian market in the wake of Ukraine invasion. According to estimates by Lithuania-based online shopping portal Burga, the amount is based on Apple's latest recorded Russian market share and the company's revenue from sales as of 2021.

Telangana Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Monday presented a Rs 2.56 lakh crore budget for financial year 2022-23, up from last year's budget size of Rs 2.31 lakh crore. Presenting the budget in the Assembly, he proposed total expenditure of Rs 2,56,958.51 crore. Out of this, revenue expenditure is Rs 1,89,274.82 crore and capital expenditure is Rs 29,728.44 crore.

Afghanistan has received a fresh batch of $32 million in humanitarian cash assistance, the country's central bank said on Monday. "Following a series of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, the 17th package of humanitarian aid of $32 million reached Afghanistan on Sunday and was delivered to the Afghanistan International Bank," Xinhua news agency quoted Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) as saying in a statement.

The Gujarat education department was able to construct only 14 per cent of the required 19,128 classrooms in a span of two years, the state Assembly was informed on Monday. The state government presented the information in the House in response to series of questions asked during the ongoing budget session.

Gas prices in Europe skyrocketed on Monday, reaching over $3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time in history. The April futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands soared to $3,639.1 per 1,000 cubic meters, or nearly $350 per megawatt-hour in household terms, according to data from London's ICE exchange, RT reported.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Monday that the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT) will set up a mega textile park in Virudhunagar district. Laying the foundation stone for the International Furniture Park in Thoothukudi, Stalin said the 1,000 acre textile park will be under the Central government's Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme and a detailed project report will be prepared soon.

The Karnataka government has invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against 10 accused persons in Bajrang Dal activist murder case, police sources said on Monday. The government is also considering handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), once the local police completes its probe. The UAPA is invoked in cases involving threats to national security and national integrity.

Mumbai police have arrested gangster Iliyas Bachkana, wanted in at least 37 cases including murder and drug trafficking, from Bengaluru in neighbouring Karnataka, an official said on Monday. The inter-state criminal was nabbed by the Mumbai police's Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) on Saturday evening with the help of the Karnataka police, he said. He was wanted by police here in at least 37 cases, including murder, attempt to murder, theft, robbery, drug trafficking, and under provisions of the Arms Act as well as the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the official said. Following the arrest, the gangster was brought to Mumbai and handed over to the Byculla police here in connection with an attempt to murder case registered on April 30 last year, he said.

The Tamil Nadu police arrested four people, including a woman, for duping more than 100 people on the pretext of providing government jobs. Renuka(48) of Nanmangalam, Gandhi(54) of Saidapet, Mohanraj(38) and Rajendran(33) of Teynampet were arrested on Sunday by the Central Crime Branch of the Tamil Nadu police. The arrested were remanded in judicial custody. Police said that Renuka, the kingpin of the gang, had created a fake identity card as a Government officer and cheated people by showing it. The gang had employed agents across the state who contacted the job aspirants and took them to the gang which fleeced them. The victims were promised government jobs in all departments including PWD, school education, government hospitals, and government secretariat. The gang conducted interviews outside the government departments and later took the candidates to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for a check-up.

The Union Territory of Puducherry reported zero fresh cases of COVID-19 on Monday with the overall tally remaining unchanged at 1,65,745. In a release, Director of Health G Sriramulu said all the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam reported zero cases of the viral infection out of a total 157 samples tested across the UT. The active cases stood at 28 with three patients undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 25 patients recovering in home quarantine.

On the International Women's Day on Tuesday (March 8), women police personnel will handle the traffic management across Madhya Pradesh along with the male cops, state Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra said on Monday (March 7). The initiative is aimed at boosting the confidence and self-esteem of women and to convey the message that they can work shoulder-to-shoulder with men, Mishra told reporters.

The UPSC on Monday (March 7) told the Supreme Court that issue raised in a petition filed by three aspirants, who had cleared the UPSC 2021 prelims exam but could not appear in all papers of the main exam after testing positive for COVID-19 and are now seeking an extra attempt to appear in the exams, is “very complicated”. The petitioners have sought a direction to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to extend them an additional attempt to appear in the exam or in the alternate make some arrangement to appear in rest of the papers which they could not give, before the publication of result. The counsel appearing for the UPSC told the apex court that he needs to take instructions and place on record all the aspects before any decision is taken on the issue. “I think this is an issue which is very, very complicated. I think I need instructions and place on record all the aspects before your lordships, before any decision is taken,” the UPSC’s counsel told a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar.

Sixty-five coronavirus patients are currently undergoing treatment in Arunachal Pradesh, a senior health official said here on Monday. The coronavirus tally of the northeastern state remained unchanged at 64,466 as no fresh infection was registered. The toll stood at 296, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The state had reported five fresh cases on Sunday.

Three persons have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Agra for smuggling marijuana from Nepal, police informed on Sunday (March 6). 18.980 kilograms of marijuana worth Rs 95 lakh, one mobile and four roadways tickets have been recovered from the accused, Agra SP (Protocol) Shiv Ram Yadav informed. "The accused are under interrogation, further investigation is underway," he added.

Seven COVID-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a health bulletin said. The coronavirus tally remained unchanged at 10,024 as no fresh infection was reported. The death toll stood at 129. A total of 9,888 people have been cured of the disease so far, it said. The administration has thus far tested over 7.02 lakh samples for COVID-19, and fully vaccinated 3.03 lakh people, it added.

Delhiites woke up to a pleasant Monday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 14.3 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The relative humidity at 8.30 am stood at 91 per cent. The weather office has forecast partly cloudy sky for the day with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 29 degrees Celsius. Delhi on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 28.2 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 13.8 degrees Celsius.

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 446.1 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.99 million and vaccinations to over 10.58 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Monday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 446,163,541 and 5,998,819, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 10,588,769,788. The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 79,271,466 and 958,621, according to the CSSE. The second worst hit country in terms of cases is India (42,962,953 infections and 515,036 deaths), followed by Brazil (29,056,525 infections and 652,438 deaths). The other countries with over 10 million cases are France (23,236,908), the UK (19,256,835), Russia (16,698,139), Germany (15,828,455), Turkey (14,353,888), Italy (13,026,112) and Spain (11,100,428), the CSSE figures showed.

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A man was injured after some unidentified persons fired two rounds at him from point blank range in Nalasopara area of Palghar district late Sunday night, a police official said. The incident took place near Santosh Bhuvan area at around 10:30 pm and the man, who is yet to be identified, has been hospitalized, the Tulinj police station official added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join a programme to mark the 'Jan Aushadhi Diwas' at 12:30 pm today; will interact with Jan Aushadhi Kendra owners and beneficiaries of the scheme via video conferencing on March 7.

A fully grown Snow Leopard was seen by ITBP troops near Kaza, Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh at 12,500 feet.

Police along with army and CRPF have arrested an active terrorist of proscribed terror outfit LeT from Ganderbal in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday. Police said during checking near Shuhama Nagbal, the joint party noticed a suspicious person who on seeing the joint naka party tried to flee towards Warpow route. "But his attempt to flee from the spot was foiled by the joint naka party and was apprehended tactfully," police said. He has been identified as Mohd Altaf Wani, resident of Keegam Shopian. Incriminating materials were recovered from his possession. A case has been registered and further investigation into the matter is in progress.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has said it has detected polio infection in a 4-year-old child in Jerusalem. This is the first case of polio detected in Israel since 1989, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Israeli media. The child was not vaccinated as part of the routine vaccinations that children receive in Israel, the ministry said in a statement. The source of the disease in this case is a strain of polio virus that has changed and can cause disease in those who are not vaccinated, the statement said.

Some members of the Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU) on Sunday gheraoed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence demanding an FIR against a government official who allegedly used objectionable language against them. The DSAWHU, which has been on a strike since January 31 demanding a demanding a substantial increment in their honorarium in addition to being recognised formally as employees, alleged that a senior official of the Delhi government’s Department of Women and Child Development had used objectionable language against them on Saturday. Shivani, DSAWHU president, said that the women workers, who are on a strike pressing their for “legitimate and constitutional demands”, are constantly being harassed by the Women and Child Development Department officials.

A juvenile has been apprehended for allegedly stabbing to death a 19-year-old man after a fight near Signature Bridge in northeast Delhi on Sunday, police said. The dead has been identified as Ramjani, they said. Police said on Sunday, they got information at the Shastri Park police station regarding a man who succumbed to his injuries. His medical examination revealed that he died of two stab injuries on his neck. According to police, when Abhishek, Ramjani and their friends were returning from Yamuna Ghat after immersing a Saraswati idol, they were stopped by a man, who asked for a towel.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on charges of killing a woman in outer Delhi’s Bawana area after she refused to marry him, police said on Sunday. They identified the accused as Ramveer, an autorickshaw driver. The police said they received a call around 11.30 pm on Friday apprising them of the incident. “The caller told us that an unidentified man had stabbed the woman at K block area in Bawana. When police reached the spot, the victim was found lying unconscious with multiple knife injuries. She died at the hospital,” a senior police officer said.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday alleged that BJP "goons" attacked the convoy of its senior leader and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain. The Delhi unit of the BJP, however, rejected the charge. The party said residents of the Chhawla area in Delhi's South-West district had protested against the new liquor policy of the Arvind Kejriwal government. In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the Delhi unit of the BJP deployed its "hooligans" to attack Jain's convoy as it realised that it is going to lose the upcoming civic body polls.