Breaking News, April 3 | LIVE UPDATES

A major blaze has again been reported at the Sariska forest in Rajasthan on Sunday evening, officials said. 

Border Security Force (BSF) DG Pankaj Singh on Sunday reviewed the current security scenario at forward locations on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The Customs official arrested two persons, an Air passenger and a receiver for smuggling at Lucknow Airport and recovered 460 grams of gold valued at Rs 24.38 lakh from their possession.

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday arrested 12 fishermen Tamil Nadu who had inadvertently crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and also seized one mechanised boat

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will chair parliamentary party meeting to be held on Tuesday. All MPs of both the houses will be present in the meeting.

Giasuddin Mondal, the expelled student of Aliah University, who had been accused of heckling and abusing Vice Chancellor Mohammad Ali, was arrested on Sunday.

In a major operation, the Delhi Police have busted a multi-crore Chinese loan Application fraud and extortion racket and arrested eight people from different parts of the country, an official said on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) K.P.S. Malhotra told IANS that the accused were allegedly extorting and abusing innocent people in the name of providing and repaying loans.

The Karnataka Congress unit came down heavily on the BJP government for raking up issues which spoil communal harmony and create law and order situation in the state.

Air India on Sunday said it will reduce its India-Sri Lanka services from 16 flights per week currently to 13 flights per week from April 9 due to poor demand.

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for weeks.

A huge political row was ignited in the state on Sunday after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray's stinging direct attack on his estranged cousin and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and attempt to stake a claim on Hindutva, at his large Gudi Padwa day rally, here late Saturday night.

A 20-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide here by consuming poison after her objectionable pictures were posted online, police said on Sunday. Four men, including the main accused, have been arrested, they said. Reportedly, the woman had lodged a police complaint in the matter but was forced to take the extreme step due to their alleged inaction. A constable has been suspended for negligence in the matter, the police said. Superintendent of Police (rural) Atul Sharma told PTI, "A woman, a resident of a village under Behat police station limits, died after consuming poison, her family members have claimed."

Twenty-eight students of an all-girls government residential school in the district were taken ill after consuming dinner on Saturday, officials said. The affected students- who were in the 10-14 age group-- of the Sarvodya School in Samrer block of Budaun district were admitted to a hospital where their condition is stated to be stable. Budaun's Chief Development Officer Rishi Raj told PTI on Sunday,"The dinner was tasted by a committee of three people as per protocol. Those who tasted the food reported uneasiness after which the distribution of prepared food was stopped. However, 28 students had already started their meal by that time." The students started vomiting and complained of stomach ache and dizziness. The school administration took the students to a nearby government hospital.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Sunday offered prayers at the Swaminarayan temple in Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad on the concluding day of their two-day visit. Notably, Kejriwal, who is the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Mann had paid obeisance at a temple in the Nikol area of Ahmedabad on Saturday and held a roadshow, virtually launching the campaign for the Assembly elections in Gujarat, due in December this year. During their visit to the Swaminarayan Temple on Sunday, Kejriwal and Mann were accompanied by Gujarat AAP leaders including Isudan Gadhvi and Gopal Italia.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday (April 3) greeted state Governor RN Ravi on his birthday. Stalin took to Twitter to extend his birthday greetings to Ravi, a retired IPS officer. "Birthday greetings to Hon'ble Governor of Tamil Nadu Thiru. RN Ravi. I wish him peace, good health, and happiness," he said in the tweet.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday (April 2) said that the honorarium of sanitation workers in the state has been raised to Rs 500 per day, as promised during the campaign for the recent Assembly elections. Speaking to news agency ANI, Dhami in Champawat's Banbasa said, "In line with our poll promise, we issued an order after forming the government regarding Rs 500 per day honorarium for sanitation workers. They will now get Rs 500 per day." On January 5, Dhami had announced that the honorarium of sanitation workers will be raised from the existing Rs 350 per day to Rs 500 per day. Dhami also assured solving other problems of the sanitation workers. 

Two persons who allegedly fled with a man's autorickshaw were arrested here following an encounter, police said on Sunday. One of the accused was injured in the exchange of fire that took place on Saturday, they said. The accused, Ranveer and Guddu Singh, had hailed an auto from Agra on Saturday. When they reached near Deendayal Dham here, they thrashed the auto driver, Azim, and fled with his vehicle. Later, an FIR was registered at Farah police station on the basis of a complaint filed by Azim, the police said. Following a tip-off, a police team surrounded Ranveer and Guddu Singh. In the encounter, Ranveer sustained bullet injuries in one of his legs while Singh surrendered, Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh Chauhan said.

A property dealer was shot dead by some unidentified bike-borne assailants in Khainchila Kalan village, police said on Sunday. Kedar Nath Tiwari alias Munna (35) was shot on Saturday at about 9 pm when he was standing at a shop, Superintendent of Police, Vipin Mishra said. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Police suspect a property issue was behind the killing.

The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday (April 3) settled at 19.3 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The relative humidity recorded at 8.30 am was 59 per cent, they said. The weather office has forecast clear sky throughout the day and the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 39 degrees Celsius. On Saturday (April 2), the maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 39.4 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season's normal, the IMD said. IMD officials had said a prolonged dry spell has led to severe hot weather conditions in northwest India.

A 35-year-old man was killed allegedly by his in-laws in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district for getting married for the third time, police said on Sunday. The skeleton of Ladu Haiburu, the victim, was found in a well in a Naxalism-hit area in Dumaria police station limits, they said. Haiburu went missing on March 16 but his family did not file any police complaint, they said.

The Mizoram government banned the import of pigs and pork products after new cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) were detected in the state, as per an official notification. There will be a complete ban on the import of live pigs, fresh pork and all other pork products, including frozen pork, from other states and other countries until further orders, said the notification issued on Saturday. The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department will ensure mandatory disinfection of pig-rearing premises and enforce strict hygiene measures and isolation of suspected pigs, it said.

A judge posted in a court in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh was killed while his colleague was seriously injured when their car collided with a tractor-trolley, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Sagar-Kanpur Road, about 12 km away from the Chhatarpur district headquarters, around 8 pm on Saturday, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shashank Jain said. He said that Rishi Tiwari and Ashish Mathoria, both posted as Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Bada Malhera, were travelling to Chhatarpur when their car collided with a stationary tractor-trolley near Para Chowki under the Matguan police station area.

Maharashtra NavnirmanSena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday asked the state government to remove the loudspeakers from mosques and warned of "putting loudspeakers in front of the mosques and play Hanuman Chalisa". Addressing the party workers here, Thackeray said, "I am not against prayers, you can pray at your home, but the government should take a decision on removing mosque loudspeakers. I am warning now... Remove loudspeakers or else will put loudspeakers in front of the mosque and play Hanuman Chalisa."

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) secretary general Milind Parande on Saturday slammed the Kerala government over alleged training given by the state Fire and Rescue Services to the Popular Front of India (PFI) members and said that the move is a "bad example of Muslim appeasement".