Breaking News, March 13 | HIGHLIGHTS

An unidentified person was charred to death, while several families were rendered homeless after a major fire broke out in slums in suburban Malad on late Monday afternoon, a Fire Brigade official said. The level 3 (major) fire engulfed slums located in the Appa Pada locality in Anand Nagar of the western suburb and has been brought under control, he said. According to the official, 2,000 to 3,000 hutments spread across an area of 10,000 square metres were gutted in the blaze.

The UK government made its first major commitment to support UN Security Council reforms and India's permanent membership within it as part of a refreshed defence and foreign policy review tabled in Parliament on Monday. The 'Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a More Contested and Volatile World' builds on the 2021 review (IR2021) which had a so-called Indo-Pacific tilt at its heart. In the refresh, the government believes the Indo-Pacific is no longer just a tilt but a permanent pillar of Britain's foreign policy, as it also commits to working towards a free trade agreement (FTA) with India.

The Union Health Ministry is mulling regulations and stringent action against e-pharmacies, including banning them completely, following concerns over data privacy, malpractices in the sector, and irrational sale of drugs, official sources said on Monday. The revised draft of the New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023, which has been sent for inter-ministerial consultation, states, "The central government may regulate, restrict or prohibit the sale or distribution of any drug by online mode, by notification."

Mumbai on Monday reported 18 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 11,55,565, while the death toll stood unchanged at 19,747, said a civic official. The recovery count rose by seven to touch 11,35,696, leaving the metropolis with an active caseload of 122, he added. Of the 18 cases detected during the day, only four needed hospitalisation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said.

Chaos reigned supreme in the Jharkhand assembly on Monday as members of the opposition demonstrated, seeking clarification from the government on the state's employment policy. Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto adjourned the proceedings multiple times as opposition MLAs led by the BJP claimed the government was in contempt of the House as the state cabinet was taking decisions over the issue without any information to the assembly.

Eight persons were arrested for allegedly running a fraudulent investment scheme promising high returns and Rs 57 lakh case was seized from them, a Nagpur police official said on Monday. The ponzi scheme was busted after a raid on Saturday night at a flat in Lakadganj area, Zone I Deputy Commissioner of Police Anuran Jain said. "A man invested Rs 1,000 and got Rs 1,030 in three days as return. However, after he invested Rs 7 lakh, the accused refused to pay interest or return the amount. After he filed a complaint, a raid was carried out. We seized Rs 57 lakh cash," the DCP said.

The Delhi government has no plan to revise its power subsidy scheme and it will continue without any restrictions on sanctioned load to consumers, Power Minister Atishi said on Monday. She told reporters the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission had issued statutory advice to the Delhi government in 2020, asking it to consider restricting electricity subsidy to the poor and needy consumers. The DERC withdrew the advisory on January 6 this year, saying the issue did not fall under its jurisdiction. Last week, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena asked Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to direct the power department to place the DERC advisory before the council of ministers and take a decision within 15 days.

Union minister Anurag Thakur launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Monday over a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report, which alleged that an Indian banker bought over-valued artwork from a "close relative" of a member of the party as a bribe for national awards. "New models of Congress' corruption are coming to the fore. Now, the FATF has published a case study that shows how a former Union minister in the UPA government pressured an individual into buying Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's average painting for Rs 2 crore," the Union minister for information and broadcasting said in a statement.

The Ram Mandir being built here will be connected with the Chaudah Kosi Parikrama Marg, which will be converted into a four-lane road, a senior official said here on Monday. Every year after Diwali, lakhs of devotees perform a 'parikrama' of the temple town on the narrow road. Since the construction of Ram temple is apace, the number of devotees who will perform Parikrama in future will increase by a considerable number, officials speculate.

A 'Linga Mudra' stone with inscriptions of the Sun, Moon, a Shivalinga and a Nandi has been found in the Udupi district of Karnataka, officials said on Monday. The stone, estimated to be around 400 years old, was found while levelling work of the proposed Ashoka Park in Basrur gram panchayat of Kundapur taluk was going on with the help of local people. The matter was brought to the notice of a historian. The message on the stone appears to suggest that the empire of the ruling king lives till the Sun and Moon are intact, history researcher Prof T Murugeshi said in a statement.

Four Naxalites, three of them allegedly involved in a 2014 ambush attack that killed 14 security personnel, were arrested in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, the police said on Monday. Barse Pojja, Podiyam Deva and Sodi Bheema were apprehended from the jungles of Tondamarka village while Podiyam Mukka alias Mukesh was held near Pidmel village in Chintagufa in separate operations by security forces on Sunday, Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday kicked off its door-to-door campaign in 250 wards of Delhi as part of its protest against the arrest of party leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain on corruption charges. Through the campaign, the AAP aims to inform the people of the city of the "truth" about the arrests. The party organised a launch event near the Lakshmi Nagar Metro Station on Monday.

Pakistan's ousted premier Imran Khan Monday led a march of thousands of his supporters as Islamabad police arrived here to arrest him after two non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him, a day after he called off his party's election rally following a ban on public gatherings in Punjab's provincial capital.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the Congress and the BJP have alternately worked to loot the state for years and they are fighting for power and not for the people. The Congress has ruled Rajasthan for 48 years and the BJP for 18 years, they cannot say they were not given a chance, the AAP national convenor said, exhorting people to bring his "honest party" to power in the state which goes to polls later this year. Kejriwal was addressing a gathering during a 'Tiranga Yatra' from Sanganeri Gate to Ajmeri Gate. He was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra on Monday raised questions over the Odisha government’s flagship 5T initiative, claiming that not much has been revealed so far about its implementation and accomplishments. During the Zero Hour in the Assembly, the leader of opposition also wondered if the initiative, headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary V K Pandian, has been floated to undermine the authority of other departments in the state.

Student bodies, youth organisations and political parties on Monday staged protests across Assam over the leak of general science question paper, meant for Class 10 state board examination. Effigies of the state education minister and the chairman of Secondary Education Board, Assam, (SEBA) were burnt by multiple organisation during the day.

As many as 17 airports have been made operational in the northeastern region, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha on Monday. Reddy also said the development of a new greenfield airport at Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, and that of Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Silchar airports in Assam, Imphal airport in Manipur, Barapani airport in Meghalaya and Agartala airport in Tripura are ongoing.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh slammed Congress syaing 'it is leading tukde tukde gang'.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar in the ISIS Kerala module case and seized several digital devices.The raids were conducted at the house of one Uzair Azhar Bhat in Srinagar's Karfali Mohalla. Bhat is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy.

Four people, including two Hindu Munnani activists were arrested on charges of assaulting migrant workers, police said on Monday. Gowtham Kathua, working in a jewellery workshop, along with his two of his friends were intercepted by a four member gang in Town Hall area, on Sunday night, who picked up a quarrel before reportedly assaulting them, police said. The trio reached home and revealed to their roommates that they were beaten by a gang.

Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP on Monday appealed to the migrant Kashmiri Pandits to ensure that their names are included in the electoral rolls of their respective constituencies in the valley.
BJP spokesperson and former Member of Legislative Council Girdhari Lal Raina, himself a migrant Kashmiri Pandit, asked the election commission not to delete the names of the displaced voters from the voting list.

Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on Monday said loudspeakers used for 'Azaan' (muslim call for prayer) disturb people, especially students who study for examinations and patients in hospitals. He was responding to a query on his comments on Azaan made during the party's Vijay Sankalp Yatra on Sunday at Shantinagar, which has gone viral on social media.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a bombing over the weekend at a cultural centre run by the minority Shiite community in northern Afghanistan that killed one person and wounded eight people.

Mahindra & Mahindra on Monday said it has sold over 6 per cent stake in Mahindra CIE Automotive.

Proceedings of both houses have been adjourned till tomorrow amid continued ruckus over Rahul Gandhi's London remarks. 

Responding to BJP's allegations against Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said: "This is a blatant kind of politics because Rahul Gandhi didn't say what he's accused of. He specified that ‘we'll solve issues internally and just want everyone to be aware, Indian democracy is a global public good’. There's nothing that he needs to apologise for." 

Union Minister Giriraj Singh accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of insulting India after going abroad and demanded for a sedition case to be registered against him, while speaking to media in Delhi today. 

Ahead of the Delhi Budget session scheduled to begin from March 17, the salaries and allowances of MLAs and ministers have been increased to more than 66 per cent. According to a notification from the Law Department of the Delhi government, the MLAs will now get Rs 90,000 every month, an increase from the previous Rs 54,000. According to the notification, the salary and allowances of the Chief Minister and ministers, speaker, deputy speaker, chief whip, and leader of the opposition have also been increased from the existing Rs 72,000 to Rs 1,70,000 per month.

Union minister Giriraj Singh on Monday sought action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for his recent comments in London that microphones in the Indian Parliament are often silenced against the opposition. Singh alleged that Gandhi spoke like the "tukde-tukde gang" during his visit to the UK. "He has spoken so much in Parliament, but in London he said he is not allowed to speak, the mic is switched off. I think this is an attack on democracy and insult to Lok Sabha and the country," Singh told reporters outside Parliament House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the Central Industrial Security Force for organising its Raising Day parade outside Delhi for the first time, and said such decisions increase the spirit of participative governance. The 54th Raising Day celebrations of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were held in Hyderabad Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged people to mark with enthusiasm the three-day Yoga Mahotsav, an event to commemorate the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga, and make Yoga a part of their lives if they have not already. The three-day Yoga Mahotsav - 2023 will be held at the Talkatora Stadium on March 13-14 and the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga on March 15 in New Delhi.

The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned till 2 PM amid a ruckus by Opposition leaders. 

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi must apologise to all Indians for insulting the country at Cambridge University. "Democracy was in danger when fundamental rights of the people were suspended by the Congress party during National Emergency in 1975," Goyal added. 

The proceedings of the Lok Sabha have been adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar by Opposition parties. 

Congress MP KC Venugopal has moved a suspension of business motion notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss Kochi's Brahmapuram fire incident. 

Ahead of the commencement of the second leg of the Budget session, Opposition leaders staged a protest against the central government in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with his top ministers to discuss Parliamentary strategy for the second part of the Budget session.

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has urged the Congress to come together to reverse the deregulation policies put in place under the previous Trump administration to avert future instability like the one seen after the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank. “I am glad that the Department of Treasury listened and moved to protect workers, the innovation pipeline, and the economy at large. But the work does not end here,” Khanna said in a statement after the announcement that the depositors of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) will have access to all of their money starting Monday.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was certain that the BJP will win all five Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2024 General Elections and the party's focus is only on increasing the winning margin. Speaking at the Namo App Virtual Meet here on Sunday, Dhami said he has no doubt that the BJP will romp to power just as it did in 2014 and 2019. "But breaking the previous winning margin will be a challenge and the party organisation is moving with a view to overcome that challenge.

Five eminent Indian-origin women were honoured here by a leading diaspora organisation on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. The Federation of Indian AssociationsNY - NJ CT NE in association with the Consulate General of India in New York held its fifth annual International Women's Day celebrations on March 8 and honoured five women for their contribution in their respective fields, a statement said.

North Korea said Monday it test-fired two cruise missiles from a submarine off its east coast, the latest in the country's series of weapons tests. The test on Sunday came a day before the US. and South Korean militaries begin large-scale joint military drills that North Korea views as a rehearsal for invasion.

Rebels in eastern Congo killed at least 19 people and set fire to a health fire and houses, authorities reported Sunday. Gunmen suspected of being part of the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia with links to the Islamic State group, attacked civilians in Kirindera town, Carly Nzanzu, the former governor of North Kivu province, said in an interview with state media.

The Maldivian Government announced that it will resume diplomatic ties with Iran after China-brokered reconciliation between Riyadh and Tehran. Maldives severed political relations with Iran on May 17, 2016 during the rule of former President Abdullah Yameen.

Two persons were injured after a bomb exploded here in Kerala's Kannur district. The incident took place under the police station limits of Muzhakunn situated at Kakkayangad in Kannur district on Sunday evening.

The team of "RRR" and Hindi film star Deepika Padukone led the Indian contingent at the red carpet of the 95th Oscars where India is vying for three trophies. This year, India-made productions have earned three nominations at the Academy Awards -- "Naatu Naatu" has been shortlisted for Original Song, "All That Breathes" is in the running for Documentary Feature and "The Elephant Whisperers" for Documentary Short. "RRR" director SS Rajamouli represented the country at the global stage wearing a traditional dhoti with a mauve-coloured silk kurta.