Breaking News, April 12 | LIVE UPDATES

India has declared Ali Kashif Jan, a member of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who was involved in the Pathankot Air Force station terror attack, as a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Around 50 shanties were gutted in a massive fire that broke out at a transit camp in central Delhi on Tuesday evening, an official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate on Thursday the 'Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya' (prime ministers' museum), which is a tribute to every prime minister since Independence, irrespective of their ideology or tenure, the PMO said. 

A court here on Tuesday granted bail to three students arrested in the 'Bulli Bai' app case. The app targeted Muslim women by making public their details and allowing users to participate in their "auction".

Fire personnel responding to reports of smoke at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park found multiple people shot, a New York City Fire Department spokesperson said. A photo from the scene showed people tending to bloodied passengers lying on the floor station. Further details were not immediately available.

A 40-year-old head constable of the Uttar Pradesh Police shot himself dead using his service rifle in Etawah district on Tuesday, an officer said. 

Internet services have been snapped in Keonjhar district of Odisha following clash among two communities over Ram Navami procession in the Joda township of the district, police said on Tuesday.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Freddy Rincon is in a critical condition following a car accident in the southwestern Colombian city of Cali.

Leading homegrown robotics company Addverb Technologies on Tuesday announced to set up the world's largest manufacturing facility in Noida, as Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) pumped $132 million in the company recently.

A high-level delegation of IBM officials on Tuesday met C. N. Ashwathnarayan, Minister for IT-BT, Science and Technology at the Vikasa Soudha in Bengaluru and evinced interest in sharing knowledge with the government of Karnataka in the areas of cyber security and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of five persons killed in a train mishap in Srikakulam district.

After a gap of more than two years, the Odisha government has decided to reopen State Secretariat buildings, Loka Seva Bhawa, Kharavel Bhawan and Rajiv Bhawan for public and accredited journalists from April 18.

Authorities on Tuesday placed former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti under house arrest in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city preventing her from going to Anantnag district.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he is keeping a close watch on the Covid situation in Delhi and there is no need to panic. "Keeping a close watch on the Covid situation in Delhi. No need to panic right now. All steps will be taken if a need arises," said CM Arvind Kejriwal. 

One day after a person had fallen to death during rescue operations, and another woman falls on Tuesday. Five of the 15 tourists, who remained trapped mid-air in cable cars connecting the Trikut Hills in Jharkhand's Deoghar district for about 40 hours were rescued by Indian Air Force choppers that resumed rescue operations early on Tuesday morning, officials said. Reportedly, a woman fell while being rescued by IAF officals. The news comes a day after another man fell to his death during a botched helicopter rescue attempt. 

India's relationship with Russia was developed over decades at a time when the US was not able to be a partner of the South Asian country, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said as top officials of the Biden administration on Monday showed an understanding of New Delhi's position on Ukraine war. 

The Biden administration has reaffirmed its commitment to support India’s permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council and New Delhi's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. The US also praised India for its significant contributions as a member of the 15-membered apex decision making body of the UN. 

In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the India-US 2+2 ministerial here, the United States congratulated India for its significant contributions as a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2021-2022.

Victoria will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games with the Australian state's regional centres organising the majority of events in a break from the traditional single host city model. The Games will be staged in March 2026 across multiple cities and regional hubs including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, each with its own athletes' village. 

Benchmark indices continued to decline on Tuesday, with the Sensex tumbling over 470 points in early trade, as weak trends in global markets and foreign fund outflows weighed on investor sentiment.

The Sensex was trading 470.59 points lower at 58,493.98 in early trade. The Nifty declined 137.7 points to 17,537.25.

From the 30-share pack, Tata Steel, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Tech Mahindra and Wipro were among the early laggards.

In contrast, Maruti Suzuki, HDFC and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the only gainers.

The rupee declined 14 paise to 76.05 against the US dollar in the opening trade on Tuesday tracking the strengthening of the American currency in the overseas market and a negative trend in domestic equities.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened lower at 76.05 against the US dollar, registering a decline of 14 paise over its previous close.
On Monday, the rupee rose marginally to 75.91 against the US dollar.

Mumbai City FC scripted history as they fought back from a goal down to stun Iraqi giants Air Force Club 2-1 and become the first Indian club to win a game at the top-tier AFC Asian Champions League.

After conceding in the 59th minute of the group B fixture, Mumbai City, who won the Indian Super League Shield and trophy in the 2020-21 season, drew level with a penalty by Diego Mauricio in the 70th minute after he was brought down in the box.

Defender Rahul Bheke scored his team's crucial winning goal, with a header in the 75th minute following a corner on Monday night.
Mumbai had lost their opening match to Al Shabab 0-3..

Tamil Nadu Minister Durai Murugan has been admitted to Apollo hospital for fever. CM MK Stalin met him today morning to enquire about his health

Delhi is likely to reel under a heatwave for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday as the weather department has predicted that the maximum temperature for the day is expected to settle around 42 degrees Celsius. 
 

AAP leader & Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to meet President Ram Nath Kovind & Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu today, followed by Aam Admi party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in Delhi. He will hold a discussion over free electricity scheme with Delhi CM, today.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will hold discussions with party chief Arvind Kejriwal over implementation of 300 units of free electricity in Punjab as he comes to Delhi: today: AAP sources

BJP candidate Keya Gosh entered a couple of booths last night, we approached the EC regarding that. I've been in touch with people on the ground. I suspect CPM & BJP will hurl allegations that I'm being trying to influence the voters: TMC leader Babul Supriyo

BJP's Agnimitra Paul, contesting from Asansol, says, "TMC people thrashed our security with bamboo sticks... No matter how hard Mamata Banerjee tries, BJP is winning here."

Voting was underway on Tuesday for the bypoll to Kolhapur North Assembly constituency in Maharashtra. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav due to COVID-19 in December 2021. The polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm, an election official said.

Today, India carried out a successful test firing of Helina anti-tank guided missile from the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter in high altitude areas of Ladakh. The missile was tested yesterday also in same area where it successfully hit a simulated tank target: DRDO officials

India reports 796 fresh cases, 946 recoveries, and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Daily positivity rate at 0.20%. 

Active COVID cases currently at 10,889

In a major operation, the CBI has got deported from Egypt, Subhash Shankar Parab, a key accused in the Rs 7,000 crore Nirav Modi bank fraud case. Parab was the Deputy General Manager (Finance) in Firestar Diamond.

According to the officials, he was absconding ever since the case involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi came to light. 

Voting began on Tuesday amid tight security for the bypoll to Khairagarh Assembly seat in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-affected Rajnandgaon district.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) legislator and former MP Devvrat Singh last November.
A total of 10 candidates are in the fray.

As many as 2,11,516 voters- 1,06,266 males and 1,05,250 females - can exercise their franchise, for which 291 polling stations have been set up. 

Eight South Korean pharmaceutical companies will donate medicine, medical supplies, and health supplements to Ukraine that's been devastated by Russia's invasion, a pharmaceutical association said on Monday.

The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association said its eight member companies offered to donate medical goods worth 3 billion won ($2.43 million) at the request of Global Life Sharing - a Seoul-based nonprofit group that provides medical support to war- and poverty-stricken areas, Yonhap news agency reported.

The delegation of the European Union (EU) to Ukraine said on Monday it has resumed its work in Kiev.

"The EU is back in town," the diplomatic mission tweeted.

The EU evacuated its delegation from Kiev to the Polish city of Rzeszow shortly after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started on February 24, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to the global economy, reducing projected global trade growth for 2022 from the 4.7 per cent predicted last October to between 2.4 per cent and 3 per cent.

The projection, based on a global economic simulation model, was made by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat in a note issued on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the same model, the crisis could lower global GDP growth by 0.7-1.3 percentage points, bringing it to somewhere between 3.1 per cent and 3.7 per cent for 2022.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has asked technical institutions across the country to consider admitting students who have to leave their studies in the middle due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

There were about 20,000 Indian students pursuing MBBS and engineering in Ukraine who had to return back due to the war.

AICTE has written a letter to technical educational institutions while keeping in mind the future of these students. In the letter, the council has said, "Around 20,000 Indian students have returned to the country from war-torn Ukraine, where they were studying medicine and engineering at various universities in Ukraine. These students who returned from Ukraine are in deep despair."

A woman employee of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Lucknow. Her husband has gone missing and is being tracked by police.

The deceased, identified as Varsha Singh, 28, was a technical officer in the neuro-science department of the institute and lived in a flat in the colony. Her husband Vishveshwar Singh is an agent in an insurance company.

Police recovered arms and ammunition from a car on Tuesday after the driver abandoned the vehicle on seeing the 'Naka' (Checkpost) party in J&K's Anantnag district.

Police sources said a team of the local police deployed on night domination in Mehmodabad area of Dooru tehsil saw a car that stopped some distance away on seeing the police party.

This raised suspicion and the police team fired some shots in the air. The driver abandoned the car and fled from the spot taking advantage of darkness.

Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for the by-election to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat and Ballygunge assembly segment in West Bengal amid tight security arrangements. Altogether 680 of the total 2,012 booths in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, and all the 300 booths in Ballygunge in south Kolkata have been identified as "sensitive".

Around 15 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Asansol. There are around 2.5 lakh voters in Ballygunge.

A total of 133 companies of central forces have been deployed in the two constituencies – 70 in Ballygunge and the remaining in Asansol.
The polling will continue till 6.30 pm.

The US has ordered all non-emergency consular staff to leave Shanghai, which is under a tight lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge. The State Department said the order is an upgrade from the "authorized" departure issued last week that made the decision voluntary. The order covers "non-emergency US government employees and their family members from US Consulate General Shanghai."

Counting of votes in the biennial elections for 27 seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council began on Tuesday. According to the Election Commission of India, an average polling percentage of 98.11 was recorded in the state on Saturday, with Rae Bareli registering the highest voter turnout at 99.35 per cent and Gorakhpur the lowest at 96.50 per cent.

For the ruling BJP, which came back to power with a two-third majority in the recently concluded assembly elections, it will be an opportunity to make itself the single-largest party in the House, and thereby enjoy a majority in both Houses of Uttar Pradesh Legislature.

As many as 72 White House officials, National Security advisers, cabinet members, lawmakers, journalists, and other government officials have tested positive for COVID-19 who attended the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner, several outlets reported.

This was the first time since 2019 that organizers held the annual shindig which had 630 invitees at what some in the media have dubbed a "super-spreader."

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly announced Monday that Canada is imposing new sanctions on Russian defence sector.

According to a news release issued by Foreign Affairs Ministry, these new measures will impose restrictions on 33 entities in the Russian defence sector.

A Chennai-based IT firm on Monday gifted as many as 100 cars to its employees for their constant support and unparalleled contributions to the company's success and growth.

Ideas2IT, an It firm has gifted Maruti Suzuki cars to 100 employees.

"We are gifting 100 cars to 100 of our employees who have been a part of us for more than 10 years. We have a strength of 500 employees. Our concept is to return the wealth we have received, to the employees," said Hari Subramanian, Marketing Head, Ideas2IT.

US President Joe Biden on Monday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was looking forward to seeing him in Japan on May 24 during a summit of the leaders of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition.

Biden said this in his opening remarks at a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"It is always good to see you. I am looking forward to seeing you in Japan on May 24," the US President said.

Japan will host the summit of the Quad leaders that is expected to hold extensive discussions on ways to further enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad comprises India, Japan, the US and Australia.

President Joe Biden on Monday said the US and India will continue consultations to cope with the "destabilising" effects of the Russian war in Ukraine during a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who highlighted the need for direct talks between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart to resolve the crisis.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi called the situation in Ukraine "very worrisome" and hoped that the ongoing dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv will lead to peace.

A readout by the White House said Modi and Biden discussed the "destabilising impacts of Russia's war against Ukraine, with a particular focus on global food supply".

In his remarks, Modi said the recent reports of killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city were very concerning and that India immediately condemned it and demanded a fair investigation.

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., who was twice sickened in incidents he suspected were poisonings, has been detained in Moscow by police, another prominent opposition figure said Monday. Ilya Yashin said on Twitter that Kara-Murza was detained Monday near his Moscow residence. It was unclear whether he had been charged.

Kara-Murza was hospitalized with poisoning symptoms twice, in 2015 and 2017.

The US values its long-standing cooperation with Islamabad and has always viewed that a prosperous and democratic Pakistan is critical to the American interests in the region, the White House said on Monday, as Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Responding to a series of questions on major political developments in Pakistan and the election of Sharif as the new Prime Minister after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US value its long standing cooperation with Islamabad.

“We value our long standing cooperation with Pakistan and have always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan critical to US interests. That remains unchanged regardless of who the leadership is,” she told reporters at her daily news conference.

A group of assailants assaulted a 51-year-old man before fatally shooting him in South Delhi's Sangam Vihar to avenge an attack on one of them, police said on Monday.

Hakim was allegedly chased down by the accused and killed inside the market area Sunday night, they said.

On Monday, police arrested Vijay, one of the accused who was previously involved in two cases, and identified five others who were part of the attack, officials said.

A CCTV footage showed that a group of four to five men on scooters waiting for their accomplices at the corner of a busy lane in Sangam Vihar.

A disputed compound in the Polish capital of Warsaw administered by Russia's diplomatic mission is being taken over by the city and will be made available to the Ukrainian community, the mayor said Monday.

Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was at the site early Monday and said a bailiff had entered the two apparently empty, fenced buildings, nicknamed “Spyville” by Warsaw residents, to check on their condition and to mark them as seized by the city.

Trzaskowski said Warsaw was getting back the compound “unlawfully” occupied by Russia.

Last month he said Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine added urgency to the decades-long procedure.

Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for the by-election to the Bochahan assembly seat in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district amid tight security, officials said. A total of 2.90 lakh voters will decide the fates of 13 candidates, three of them women, in the by-election, they said.

Altogether 1.53 lakh men, 1.47 lakh women and four voters of the third gender will exercise their franchise at 350 polling centres, which are being manned by 1,500 security personnel, they said.

Gunmen burst into a home just north of Mexico City and killed eight members of a family, including four children. Prosecutors in the State of Mexico, which borders the capital, said the shootings occurred in the township of Tultepec, just north of the capital.

Seven people died at the scene, and one woman died late at a hospital.

There was no immediate information on a possible motive, but Tultepec is known for its fireworks workshops, both legal and illegal.

The body of an unidentified man was found near the Dwarka Expressway here this morning with his head apparently smashed with a large stone, police said. They said an FIR under the IPC section related of murder has been registered at the Bajghera police station on the complaint of Anubhav Sharma, founder of an NGO, who first spotted the body.

"The deceased was wearing a yellow t-shirt and a blue lower. He has had many serious injuries on his body. He was murdered with a stone, and his head was smashed," Sharma said in his complaint.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has established around 250 fire control rooms across the union territory for prevention and control of forest fires triggered by increasing temperatures.

Principal chief conservator of forests Mohit Gera said uncontrolled forest fires not only cause resource degradation but also contribute to global warming and climate change. He said the incidences of forest fires are increasing due to rising temperatures and dry conditions prevailing in the UT and most of the fires are triggered by human error.

A group of students of a private university assaulted a youth who had entered the campus to watch a cultural event, police said on Monday. The alleged incident happened on April 9, and an FIR was registered against some students at Sohna City police station the next day, they said. Police said they are investigating the matter and have sought CCTV footage from the university.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States is calling on all nations not to have major weapons transactions with Russia. He made these marks after the conclusion of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States.

"We continue to urge all countries to avoid major new transactions for Russian weapons systems, particularly in light of what Russia is doing to Ukraine," Blinken said when asked whether Washington is considering imposing sanctions on India over procuring S-400 air defence systems.

"We have not yet made a determination regarding potential sanctions or potential waivers under the CAATSA law."

He recognised that there is a long history and long relationship between India and Russia in the trade of military equipment.

At least four people were detained by police after members of two different communities engaged in stone-pelting in Himmatnagar town of Gujarat's Sabarkantha district. The incident took place in Vanzaravas area on Monday night, police said.

In some videos shared on social media, some people can be seen throwing petrol bombs on another locality.

According to Superintendent of Police Vishalkumar Vaghela, it was a minor flare-up and tear gas shells were also lobbed to disperse the mob.
 

Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia's invasion, and the United Nations has verified the deaths of 142 youngsters, though the number is almost certainly much higher, the UN children's agency said Monday.

Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF's emergency programs director who just returned from Ukraine, said having 4.8 million of Ukraine's 7.5 million children displaced in such a short time is "quite incredible." He said it is something he hadn't before seen happen so quickly in 31 years of humanitarian work.

China is seeking to refashion the Indo-Pacific region and the international system in ways that serve its authoritarian interests, US Defense Secretary said on Monday, asserting a strong bilateral partnership with India is a critical building block in a more resilient, regional security architecture.

"China poses a major challenge," Austin said, adding, "We all understand the challenges that we face in the Indo-Pacific. The People's Republic of China is seeking to refashion the region and the international system more broadly in ways that serve its authoritarian interests. But as we operationalize our defence agreements and take our cooperation to the next level, I believe that we can sustain and strengthen a favourable balance of power in the region."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged American companies to come and invest in India and support the 'Make in India' programme.

"I have talked to American companies for Make in India and aerospace and world programme. I have invited them for these programmes," Singh said. 

"We are talking to US companies for co-development and co-production. We are proposing it to them. We have asked the US companies to work in the UP and Tamil Nadu corridor and invest in that area," he said.

The discussions during the India US 2+2 ministerial has helped the two countries to strategize on mitigating the volatility and unpredictability that the world is currently experiencing, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

"It has helped us today to strategize on mitigating the volatility and unpredictability that the world is currently experiencing. That will be naturally reflected in our policies."

The discussions have also encouraged the two countries to think together on long-term challenges, especially in the Indo-Pacific. It has energized our collaborative endeavours to build what is emerging as a key bilateral relationship of our times.

"While we're also addressing the humanitarian situation, in fact, we have -- the Ukrainians have been in touch with us for -- especially for the supply of medicines. We have already provided humanitarian relief to Ukraine to some of the neighbours. And even as we speak, a shipment of medicines is being delivered or will be delivered very soon to Kiev," he said.

The masterminds of the Pathankot and Pulwama attacks have been declared 'terrorists' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on Monday, as per the notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The MHA in their notification designated Jaish-e-Mohammad's Mohiuddin Aurangzeb Alamgir, a key conspirator of the 2019 terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy at Pulwama and Ali Kashif Jan alias Jan Ali Kashif, a resident of Charsadda, who was the handler of Pathankot Air Force Station Terror Attack in India, as terrorists.

Two separate notifications have been issued regarding declaring them terrorists under the act.

In a notification dated April 11, the MHA said Ali Kashif Jan alias Jan Ali Kashif, resident of Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the operational commander and part of the core

At least five people run over and killed by a train in the Batuva village, G Sigadam zone of the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh late on Monday. The bodies are yet to be identified. A case will be registered and the bodies will be sent for post-mortem

In order to facilitate e-governance and automation of internal processes, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is mulling over the implementation of 'e-BCAS project'.

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) establishes, develops, implements, maintains and reviews the National Aviation Security programme. It also safeguards civil aviation operations against acts of unlawful interference and threat. Taking into account the safety, regularity and efficiency of flights, it has now undertaken e-BCAS, an initiative under e-Governance for automation of internal processes.