Breaking News, March 3 | HIGHLIGHTS

Following post-poll violence in some constituencies in Meghalaya, the administration on Friday imposed indefinite night curfew at certain places with immediate effect. Issuing an order, Eastern West Khasi Khasi Hills District Magistrate W Nongsiej imposed night curfew from 6 pm to 6 am at Mawsawa, Sangshong village, Umwiehsup and Mairang Mission village.

Former Shiv Sena MLA Suryakant Desai died on Friday at the age of 95 in Dombivali in Maharashtra's Thane district, his kin said. He was elected from Parel Assembly seat in central Mumbai in 1995. Desai complained of breathlessness and was admitted in a hospital here on Thursday and died a day later while being shifted to another hospital with ventilator facilities, a family member said.

The Delhi Police has arrested a 24-year-old Uber auto-rickshaw driver for allegedly sexually harassing a woman journalist during a ride in southeast Delhi, officials said on Friday.
According to the police, the journalist, a resident of Bharat Nagar, filed a complaint at the New Friends Colony police station Thursday night. She alleged indecent behaviour as well as lascivious staring by Uber driver Vinod Kumar Yadav when she was travelling from New Friends Colony to Malviya Nagar around 4.40 pm on Wednesday, police said.

AIIMS Delhi will soon set up a robotic surgery training facility in its campus here to train its doctors and other healthcare professionals across India. The premier hospital will float an open expression of interest (EOI) to invite Robotic Surgery System manufacturers (OEMs) to co-create and develop robotic surgery training facilities at AIIMS on a not-for-profit basis within the next 3-6 months, according to an office memorandum issued by AIIMS director Dr M Srinivas said on Friday. AIIMS Delhi will provide around 500 sq ft of space, academic areas, cadavers/tissues for training and a pool of trained faculty among others, the memorandum stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a post-budget webinar on infrastructure and investment on March 4, an official statement said on Friday. It is a part of a series of 12 webinars being organised by the government to seek suggestions for effective implementation of the initiatives announced during the Union Budget 2023-24. The webinar is also scheduled to host discussions on improving logistics efficiency, planning on PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and infrastructure development and investment opportunities.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday distributed cheques of Rs 20,000 each to 14,000 non-working mothers under the 'Aama Yojana'. The state government launched the scheme on August 15 last year for non-working mothers, and sanctioned Rs 100 crores for its implementation till 2023. The annual financial assistance is being extended so that women use the money to support the education of their children, invest in micro-income generating businesses, address immediate medical needs, renovate their houses or meet other unfulfilled obligations as they deem fit.

The Supreme Court on Friday acquitted a West Bengal resident of the charge of killing his wife 40 years ago, ruling his conviction on the basis of extra-judicial confessions cannot be sustained as it is weak piece of evidence. The top court said where an extra-judicial confession is surrounded by suspicious circumstances, its credibility becomes doubtful and it loses its importance. The murder was alleged to have taken place on March 11, 1983 in Burdwan district of West Bengal. The trial court decided the case on March 31, 1987, acquitting Nikhil Chandra Mondal, who was booked for allegedly killing his wife.

A methane explosion collapsed a section of a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, killing six miners and triggering a day-long rescue operation, officials said Friday. Five miners were reported injured. The explosion took place on Thursday in the district of Harnai in southwestern Baluchistan province. A mines inspector, Mohammad Akram, said that it took rescuers 24 hours to get to the trapped miners and retrieve the bodies of those killed.

Striking a blow to a funding source of left-wing extremism, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached 152 bank accounts and special term deposit receipts and a mutual fund account containing more than Rs 20 crore belonging to a firm and its different partners. This is the largest-ever amount attached by the federal agency in cases pertaining to left-wing extremism, an official of the agency said. A total of 152 bank accounts, including 124 special term deposit receipts, and one SBI Mutual Fund account containing more than Rs 20.65 crore belonging to M/s Santosh Construction and its different partners were attached under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a spokesperson of the NIA said. The official said these accounts had earlier been frozen under the provisions of the CrPC but have been found to be "proceeds of terrorism" during investigations warranting their "attachment" under the UAPA.

A day after a 37-year-old DGCA officer and his wife committed suicide here in a span of hours, their bodies were handed over to family members, police said on Friday. Ajaypal Singh Orgay and his wife Monika consumed some poisonous substance at their residence in south Delhi. Orgay worked as an operation officer in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) cell. A senior police officer said after conducting post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to the family members on Friday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said his government is hopeful of clearing the Okhla landfill site by December, ahead of the target of May 2024. He said garbage started pilling up at the landfill 26 years ago and now 40 lakh metric tonnes of garbage is left at the site. "Since 2019, the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) has been removing waste from here, and around 25 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed, but there is still around 40 lakh metric tonnes of waste lying here at the time," the chief minister, who visited the landfill site, said.

The Jharkhand government on Friday presented a Rs 1.16 lakh crore budget for the 2023-24 fiscal, announcing a variety of schemes for “all-round development” of the state, including programmes for farmers, students and the MSME sector. The budgetary estimates for the financial year starting April were 15 per cent higher than the previous year.

The Supreme Court on Friday protected from arrest the vice chancellor and the director of a private agriculture university at Prayagraj in a case related to mass religious conversion.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala took note of the submissions of senior lawyer Siddharth Dave, appearing for the officials of the deemed university, that they were facing the imminent danger of getting arrested in a case in which they were not named accused in the FIR.

A 55-year-old clerk died after setting himself on fire in a government school in Rajasthan's Nagaur district, police said on Friday claiming he took the step over alleged harassment by the principal and other staff members. The clerk, Ramsukh Meghwal, immolated himself in the school in Pilwa area on Thursday. He succumbed to the burns on Friday, they said.

A Belarusian court on Friday sentenced Ales Bialiatski, Belarus' top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, to 10 years in prison. Bialiatski and three other top figures of the Viasna human rights centre he founded were convicted of financing actions violating public order and smuggling, Viasna reported Friday. Valiantsin Stefanovich was given a nine-year sentence; Uladzimir Labkovicz seven years; and Dzmitry Salauyou was sentenced to eight years in prison in absentia.

Deposed AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Friday launched a scathing attack on the party's interim chief K Palaniswami for the Erode East bypoll loss, calling him a "traitor", who was heading an "authoritarian" group. OPS, as Panneerselvam is known, squarely blamed Palaniswami for the party's poor electoral show. The Congress bettering its victory margin from 9,000 in 2021 to the 67,000 now showed that the main opposition party AIADMK was in a "weakened position," he said.

A former Janata Dal (United) leader has challenged the organisational elections of the party in the Delhi High Court, claiming that they were "unconstitutional". Addressing a press conference, Govind Yadav, who also questions his removal from the party, said he has moved the court after first taking up the matter with the Election Commission (ED) and challenged the organisational polls in the party in 2016, 2019 and 2022.

The Supreme Court on Friday extended till March 17 the interim bail granted to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case related to alleged objectionable remarks he made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Assam Police had arrested Khera in the case. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala adjourned the hearing to March 17 as it had run out of time.

An alleged incident of question paper leak of Class 12th Mathematics exam in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district figured in the legislative assembly on Friday, with the Opposition demanding strict action against those behind it. Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the alleged malpractice at Sindhkhedraja in the district and asked the government to act on it. Congress MLA and former education minister Varsha Gaikwad wondered how the question paper could “go out 30 minutes before the start of the exam”. “It has been decided that question papers won’t be distributed 10 minutes before the start of the exam. Then how is it that the paper was leaked half an hour earlier,” she asked. Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said students will be at a loss over such incidents. "Action needs to be taken and responsibility must be fixed. The issue will be discussed with the education minister and appropriate action will be taken,” he said.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here due to fever, doctors said on Friday. According to a health bulletin issued by the hospital, her condition is stable. She was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, a spokesperson of the hospital said. DS Rana, Chairman, Trust Society, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said Gandhi has been admitted to the hospital under the supervision of Arup Basu, senior consultant, Department of Chest Medicine, and his team, "on account of fever". "Gandhi is under observation and undergoing investigations. Her condition is stable," the bulletin added.

A new crew arrived at the International Space Station on Friday for a six-month mission, after overcoming trouble with one of the capsule's docking hooks. The SpaceX capsule and its four astronauts had to wait 65 feet (20 meters) from the orbiting lab, as flight controllers in California scrambled to come up with a software fix. It's the same problem that cropped up shortly after Thursday's liftoff. Although all 12 hooks on the capsule appeared to be fine, the switch for one of them malfunctioned. SpaceX Mission Control urged patience, telling the astronauts they could stay in this holding pattern for up to two hours. “Teams are working to get this right, not just fast," Mission Control radioed. Minutes later, new software commands were relayed, and the astronauts received the go-ahead to proceed with the final approach and docking. In the end, the linkup occurred an hour late as the capsule and space station soared 260 miles (420 kilometers) above the coast of Somalia. It was expected to take an hour before the hatches could be open, the standard time for proper pressurisation. “Now let's work toward getting this hatch open so you can go hug your crewmates,” NASA Mission Control said from Houston.

Eight people sustained minor injuries in a stampede triggered by a fire at a slum cluster in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri, Delhi Fire Services officials said on Friday. Atul Garg, Director of the Delhi Fire Services, said a call about a fire was received at 12.13 am, following which 21 fire tenders were deployed. According to the fire department, 200 shanties were completely gutted in the fire. "Due to a stampede, eight people sustained minor injuries and they were administered first-aid," Garg said. Those injured were identified has Surajmal (72), Kapoor (50), Sagar (25), Pappu (55), Babloo (65), Kawar Singh (52), Raj Singh (72) and Chand (55), he added.

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, who's currently serving as India's G20 Sherpa, will join SheSparks 2023 on Friday, March 3, at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. India's G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will join YourStory on Friday, March 3, 2023, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, to celebrate and champion India's women leaders and changemakers as they come together to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Amitabh Kant has routinely championed the cause of women and the role they play in the Indian workforce. He has often spoken about the importance of gender parity in India's mission to become a $5 trillion economy. SheSparks 2023 is a year-long commitment to empower, enable, and encourage women in the workforce, will kickstart with the event on Friday. SheSparks will bring together several successful and remarkable women who are inspiring and enabling others to join the workforce, grow, and thrive, including those credited with first-of-its-kind achievements.

The Jharkhand cabinet approved amendments to various rules related to the staff selection commission examination, including doing away with a clause that disallowed candidates with academic certificates from institutions outside the state, to appear in the test. At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday, the cabinet gave its nod to the amendments, which among other changes, added Hindi, English and Sanskrit in the list of languages for the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission examination, taking the total number of languages to 15. In another decision, the council of ministers cleared a proposal to hike cash rewards to players in national and international sports competitions, officials said. The reward for winning a gold medal in Olympics has been enhanced to Rs 5 crore from the earlier Rs 2 crore, they said. It also approved providing cash incentives of up to Rs 3 lakh, besides laptops and mobiles to the toppers of Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations.

The Kerala government has decided to increase the number of courts handling vigilance matters for speedy disposal of such cases. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for evaluating vigilance activities in the state, a government statement said. Besides deciding to set up more courts, the meeting also came out with a slew of fresh directions for improving the probe in vigilance cases, the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Among the fresh directions, one was with regard to appointment of vigilance officers. It was directed in the meeting that before appointing officers in the internal vigilance cell, an intelligence inquiry has to be conducted and a report of the same be prepared, the statement said. For appointment of police officers to the vigilance department, it was directed that an examination has to be conducted and a list of eligible candidates prepared, it said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Thursday described the party’s victory in Tripura and Nagaland as “affirmation” of the northeast region’s resolve to progress on the path paved by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He termed the BJP’s poll result in Meghalaya, where the party could win only two seats though it will remain a part of the next government, a “humbling experience”. “BJP's win in Tripura & Nagaland is an affirmation of North East's continued resolve to prosper on the path paved by vision of Hon PM @narendramodi Ji. The future is glorious & safe. Much gratitude to @JPNadda Ji for his continued guidance,” Sarma tweeted. In Tripura, BJP won 32 seats and its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, one, cruising past the half-way mark of 31 to retain power. The saffron party bagged 12 seats in Nagaland, while its partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) won 25 seats in the 60-member Assembly, and the alliance will continue in power. “Meghalaya’s verdict has been humbling! Heartening that more people have posed their faith in us and helped us improve our vote share than last elections. It strengthens our resolve to continue to serve people with more conviction driven by vision of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji,” Sarma added on Twitter. The BJP will be a part of the NPP-led government in Meghalaya, as Conrad K Sangma is poised to continue as the chief minister, with his party emerging as the single-largest one in the state, clinching 26-seats in the 60-member House.
Sarma said Sangma has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and “sought his support and blessings in forming the new government”.

India is off to a very promising start with its stewardship of the G-20, the United States said Thursday after New Delhi hosted a highly successful meeting of the grouping's foreign ministers. "We are deeply grateful to our Indian partners for the way they have led the G-20 to date. And as you alluded to, there is a lot more work to be done over the course of this year, but India is off to a very promising start with its stewardship of the G-20," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference. The India-US partnership was a subject of discussion between Secretary of State Tony Blinken and his counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in New Delhi, Price said, describing the ties with India as one of the most consequential relationships the US has. "And that's because we work closely with India on just about everything that is a priority to us and everything that is a priority to India, increasing our mutual prosperity, supporting democracy, addressing the climate crisis, upholding a rules-based order grounded in international law," he said.

The Congress on Thursday termed Meghalaya's NPP seeking the support of its erstwhile partner BJP to form the next government in the state as a "paradox" after the saffron party's central leadership described the Conrad K Sangma dispensation as one of the "most corrupt" in the country. Talking to PTI, Congress MLA Ronny V Lyngdoh, who won from the Mylliem assembly constituency, said the opposition will continue to work with like-minded parties despite facing a defeat. "There lies the paradox. Union Home Minister Amit Shah says that this (NPP) is the most corrupt government. How can they work with the same party?" Lyngdoh mentioned. Addressing a poll rally in North Tura constituency, Shah had on February 16 said the BJP broke its alliance with the NPP before the elections in Meghalaya so that it could contest all the assembly seats and emerge stronger. The National People's Party (NPP) emerged as the single-largest party in the state on Thursday, bagging 26 seats out of the 59 constituencies that went to polls on February 27. As the party fell short of the magic figure of 31 in the 60-member assembly, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Sangma sought the support of Shah in forming the new government.

India's Adani group gets $1.87 billion investment from US firm GQG, reports Reuters.

Delhi government is likely to increase the number of revenue districts in the city for better governance and quick redressal of problems of people, officials said on Thursday. The number of revenue districts in the national capital has remained unchanged at 11 since 2012 while other administrative and law enforcement bodies have more districts. The civic bodies are divided in 12 districts (zones) while the Delhi police has 15 districts under its jurisdiction. Officials said a proposal has been floated to increase revenue districts, keeping in mind the increasing population of the city.

Union minister Smriti Irani donned the hat of a 'visiting professor' as she engaged in academic activities at IIM Udaipur as a guest faculty. Irani presented research on “The Necessity and Pitfalls of Ranking Management Institutions: The NIRF Experience”. The research has Irani as the lead author, Prof Kunal Kumar (IIM Udaipur) and Prof Sushanta Mishra (IIM Bangalore) as co-authors. In their research, they explore the importance of having a national ranking framework that takes care of India's diversity and rewards institutions for working for those who are socio and economically disadvantaged, an official statement said. Irani, in her Inaugural speech, spoke about various government initiatives directed towards women's empowerment and appreciating the multi-tasking facet of women.

A 32-year-old Chicago police officer died after he was wounded in a shootout with a man who was reportedly chasing a woman with a gun, authorities said Thursday. The officer was shot several times Wednesday afternoon on the city's Southwest Side, Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown said. He was identified Thursday morning as Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso, 32, by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy Thursday classified his death as a homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds. Brown said during a Wednesday news conference that the officer and the suspect exchanged shots “at close range" and the officer had wounded the suspect in the head. The suspect, identified as an 18-year-old with one prior violation, was in critical condition Wednesday night. The officer had five years on the job, Brown said. “He had a bright future ahead of him," the superintendent said. The Chicago Police Department released a photo of Vasquez-Lasso on Thursday along with a statement saying that “he died while protecting Chicago and its people."