8pm NEWSFEED

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• Assam, Meghalaya Agreed To Permanent Settlement Of Boundary Disputes: Centre To Rajya Sabha
• Forest Officials Rescue Hoolock Gibbon In Kamrup
• Birbhum violence: BJP fact-finding committee to submit report to JP Nadda today
• India condemns terror attack in Israel, expresses condolences
• India to provide USD 1 million to BIMSTEC to increase its operational budget
• Uttarakhand: CM Dhami To Oversee 23 Portfolios Including Home
• India Targeting USD 1 Trillion Exports By 2030: Piyush Goyal
• Equity Indices Open In Green, Sensex Jumps 440 Points
• 1,233 New COVID Cases In India, Active Infections Below 15000
• PM Modi Hails Konkan Railway For Completing 100 Per Cent Electrification
• US Deputy NSA Daleep Singh To Visit India Ahead Of 2+2 Dialogue
• Diesel And Petrol Prices Rise. 8th Rise In 9 Days
• Imran Khan’s Party Looses Majority After Key Ally Joins Opposition
• Canadian PM Trudeau Warns Of ‘Difficult Time- Food Shortages’ Due To COVID-19
• Movement Of Russian Forces Is ‘Repositioning’ Not ‘Real Withdrawal’
• Akhilesh Yadav Sacks Party Members Including Former MLC Kailash Singh
• Delhi: Bodies of 4 people trapped in sewer in Rohini recovered
• IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61-run
• Ukraine invited to join NATO Foreign Ministers meet
• Delhi: 4 People Trapped In Sewer Line, Rescue Operations On
• India US To Hold 2+2 Dialogue On April-11 In Washington
• Asansol By-Poll: BJP Files Complaint Against TMC MLA For ‘Threatening’ Voters
• As Fire Rages On In Ghazipur Landfill, Residents Face Difficulty In Breathing
• British Police Issues 20 Fixed Penalty Notices In ‘Partygate’ Probe
• China-EU Summit On April-1: Ukraine, Bilateral Trade On Top Of The Agenda
• FDI In BJP Tenure 65% Higher Than 10 Year UPA Rule
• Putin-Zelenskyy Meet Possible; Delegation Level Talks Constructive
• Bids for IPL Media Rights For Seasons 2023-2027 Invited
• Talks Meaningful; Russia To “Radically” Reduce Military Activity Near Ukraine’s Capital
• Massive Fire In Sariska Tiger Reserve
• Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Kick-Off In Istanbul
• Former Gujarat Congress Chief’s Wife Reshma Solanki Alleges Domestic Violence
• Sensex Rises As Crude Prices Fall Amidst Ukraine, Russia Peace Talks
• Voting On No-Confidence Motion Against Imran On April-3: Sheikh Rasheed
• $100 Billion Target Set For Jewellery Exports; Piyush Goyal
• Assam, Meghalaya Sign Historic Agreement, Resolve 50-Year Old Dispute
• ‘Bharat Bandh’ -Mixed response on 2nd day
• COVID-19: India Logs In 1259 New Infections In Last 24 Hours
• BJP leader Alka Rai arrested in Mukhtar Ansari ambulance case
• PM Modi And BJP Top Brass Arrive For Parliamentary Party Meeting
• Academy launches formal investigation into Will Smith-Chris Rock’s altercation
• ‘I Am Not Walking Anything Back’; Joe Biden On ‘Cannot Remain In Power’
• IPL 2022: Will bat at No 4 so others can play freely, says Hardik Pandya
• Petrol Crosses Rs. 100 Per Litre In Delhi. 7th Hike Since March22
• IPL 2022: Ayush Badoni is ‘baby AB de Villiers,’ believes Lucknow captain KL Rahul
• Bihar: JD (U) Leader Deepak Kumar Mehta Succumbs To Bullet Injuries
• Want to make India content sub-continent of world, says Anurag Thakur
• COVID-19: US eases travel advisory for India from ‘Level 3’ to ‘Level 1’
• President confers Padma award on former BJP leader late Kalyan Singh
• IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans win thriller against Lucknow Super Giants in battle of debutants
• Writing off does not mean completely waiving money due from NPAs: Nirmala Sitharaman
• Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for slapping him at Oscars.
• Yogi Govt. 2.0 Likely To Present Rs. 6.5L Crore Budget. To Focus On Poll Promises
• China Urges US To Take Its Concerns Seriously Regarding Ukraine Crisis

Assam, Meghalaya Agreed To Permanent Settlement Of Boundary Disputes: Centre To Rajya Sabha Posted: 30 Mar 2022 02:05 AM PDT The Centre on Wednesday informed that Assam and Meghalaya have agreed to permanent settlement of the inter-State boundary in connection of six areas of difference out of a total of twelve areas between the two states. “The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya have agreed for a permanent settlement of the inter-State boundary in respect of six areas of difference out of total twelve areas of difference between the States Assam and Meghalaya,” Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told Rajya Sabha. “The approach of the central government has consistently been that inter-State boundary issues can be resolved only with the cooperation of the State governments concerned and that the Central government acts as a facilitator for amicable settlement of the boundary issue in the spirit of mutual cooperation and understanding,” Rai added. Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending border dispute. The agreement was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the chief ministers of the two states to Amit Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 “areas of difference” along the boundary.

Forest Officials Rescue Hoolock Gibbon In Kamrup Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:48 AM PDT Assam: An injured Hoolock Gibbon was rescued by the forest officials of Kamrup West Division, on Tuesday, from the Kothalguri area in Kamrup. “After preliminary treatment, the injured Gibbon was sent to the Assam State Zoo for better treatment,” said a forest official. Earlier on March 10, three rhinos, which were separated from their mother in 2019, were sent to Assam State Zoo from Kaziranga. Dr Samsul Ali, a veterinary surgeon suggested the age of those rhinos as 2-3 years, who were transported in their unconscious state to the zoo under the security arrangements of the forest department. These rhinos were rescued by Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) from Kohra, Biswanath and Agratuli areas during the 2019 flood.

Birbhum violence: BJP fact-finding committee to submit report to JP Nadda today Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:40 AM PDT The five-member fact-finding committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed after the Birbhum violence in West Bengal, will submit its report to party chief JP Nadda on Wednesday. Following the Birbhum violence, the BJP chief JP Nadda had formed a five-member fact-finding committee comprising four former IPS officers and West Bengal state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar. Bharati Ghosh, Satya Pal Singh, KC Ramamurthy and Brijlal are the four former IPS officers who are part of the committee. Majumdar said, “The fact-finding committee went to the village in Birbhum where the incident took place. We had to face problems to reach the village due to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The committee had four former IPS officers and they made a comprehensive report. We will hand over the report to party president JP Nadda today. We will also hand over a copy of this confidential report to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.” As many as eight people were killed in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe of the Birbhum violence case following the Calcutta High Court order. Asked about TMC’s allegation against the BJP of giving political colour to the Birbhum incident, Majumdar said, “This is the difference we have with TMC. This is not a political matter but a matter of law and order. There have been incidents of blasts, rapes and other crimes across West Bengal. On TMC MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty allegedly threatening the BJP supporters ahead of the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll, Majumdar said, “Free and fair elections are next to impossible in West Bengal. The video of Narendra Nath Chakraborty validates the fact. Under the rule of Mamata Banerjee, free and fair election is impossible. We demanded Election Commission to keep this person (Chakraborty) away from the election procedure.” A video has gone viral where Chakraborty is asking the TMC workers to intimidate the BJP supporters so that they do not come out of their houses on the day of the polling.

India condemns terror attack in Israel, expresses condolences Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:30 AM PDT Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said that India condemns the terrorist attacks in Israel and expressed his condolences on the loss of innocent lives in the terror attack in Israel. Taking to Twitter over the attack, he twitted, “We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Israel. Our condolences to the families of the victims.” Earlier yesterday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Gantz, on Tuesday and expressed his condolences on the loss of lives in the terror attack. He said terrorism is a threat to the whole world and does not have any place in the civilized world. “Had a telephonic conversation with the Defence Minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Gantz. Shared my condolences on the loss of innocent lives due to terror attacks in Israel. Terrorism is a global menace which has no place in today’s civilised world,” he said in a tweet. “Both the countries look forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations as India-Israel complete 30 years of full diplomatic relations. Defence cooperation is the founding pillar of our strategic partnership. Military and industry cooperation has been on an upward swing,” he added. The call was initiated from Tel Aviv. Two people were killed and six were injured in a shooting attack by ISIS operatives on Sunday in the Israeli city of Hadera, some 31 miles north of Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said. Meanwhile, on late Tuesday, a Palestinian gunman opened fire at passersby and vehicles outside the Israeli city Tel Aviv, killing five people in the third shooting or knife attack in a week, prompting the police to raise its alert level nationwide to “the highest possible.” The shooter was shot dead by police during the incident that took place in the city of Bnei Brak, a crowded suburb of Tel Aviv, said the police and the Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service.

India to provide USD 1 million to BIMSTEC to increase its operational budget Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:24 AM PDT Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India will provide USD 1 million to the ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) secretariat to increase its operational budget. Addressing the fifth BIMSTEC Summit virtually, PM Modi said, “India will provide the (BIMSTEC) secretariat 1 million US dollars to increase its operational budget. It is important to strengthen the capacity of (the BIMSTEC) secretariat. I suggest the Secretary-General create a roadmap for the same.” He made the announcement in the backdrop of making early progress on the proposal of the BIMSTEC free trade agreement (FTA) to enhance mutual business. “We should also increase exchanges between entrepreneurs and startups of our countries. Along with this, we should also try to adopt international norms in the field of Trade Facilitation,” said PM Modi. He said that the time has come to make the Bay of Bengal the bridge of connectivity, prosperity and security. He said, “Make the Bay of Bengal a bridge of connectivity, a bridge of prosperity, a bridge of security as the region is facing challenges of health and economic security and stressed the need for solidarity and cooperation.” “I call on all BIMSTEC nations to dedicate themselves to working with new enthusiasm to achieve the goals we achieved together in 1997,” said PM Modi. Talking about the recent developments in Europe regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, he said, “The recent developments in Europe have raised questions about the stability of the international order. In this context, it has become a greater priority to have regional cooperation.” He also announced adopting the BIMSTEC charter to develop institution architecture for the group. “We are working on extending and expanding the scope of the BIMSTEC scholarship program offered by the Nalanda International University. We are also signing a treaty on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters,” said PM Modi. Emphasizing the BIMSTEC Center for Weather and Climate, Prime Minister said, “The BIMSTEC Center for Weather and Climate is an important organization for cooperation on disaster management, especially disaster risk reduction. I would like your cooperation to make this more active. India is ready to contribute USD three million dollars to restart the work of this centre,” he said. To strengthen BIMSTEC regional cooperation, he said, “Our region has not remained untouched by today’s challenging global scenario. Our economies, our people, are still suffering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Meanwhile, Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering thanked PM Modi for providing COVID-19 vaccines to the nation. “I would like to thank PM Modi for sharing COVID-19 vaccines with us, it provided the much-needed protection from COVID-19. More than 90 per cent of our citizens are vaccinated, protection of everyone is still our priority,” said Tshering at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit. PM Modi also said that the outcome of this landmark summit will write a golden chapter in the history of BIMSTEC as this year marks the 25th year of its establishment of BIMSTEC. The ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)’ is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity. The members include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

Uttarakhand: CM Dhami To Oversee 23 Portfolios Including Home Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:03 PM PDT Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will oversee as many as 23 portfolios, including home and mining, in his second term in the state. Dhami has retained the Home Ministry, besides Excise, Mining and Civil Aviation among others. As for the other Ministers of the Uttarakhand Cabinet, Premchand Aggarwal has been allotted the Finance Ministry, while Satpal Maharaj got the Public Works Department (PWD). The Education Ministry in the state will be headed by Dhan Singh Rawat, and Ganesh Joshi would be overseeing Agriculture. Other than 23 portfolios to Dhami, Cabinet Ministers Subodh Uniyal and Rekha Arya were allotted four departments each, whereas six each went to Chandan Ramdas, Dhan Singh Rawat, Saurabh Bahuguna, and Premchand Agarwal. Yesterday, Dhami said that the state government is committed to making Uttarakhand the number one state in the country by 2025. An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated that for the financial year 2022-23, there will be a need for withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of the state, and according to the provisions in Article 206 of the Constitution, a four-month vote on the account has been presented in the House. He said that the state government is committed to fulfilling the promises and resolutions made to the people of the state by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with the agenda mentioned in the Governor’s address.

India Targeting USD 1 Trillion Exports By 2030: Piyush Goyal Posted: 29 Mar 2022 10:07 PM PDT India’s Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal said that India’s target is $1 trillion goods exports by 2030. “I would want a larger share of the UAE market in the years to come because for me, the target is $1 trillion of export of merchandise from India by 2030,” added Goyal. Goyal was addressing the business leaders from India and the UAE at an event yesterday along with the UAE Foreign Trade Minister, H.E. Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and H.E. Dr Ahmed Albanna, UAE Ambassador to India. “We are in the game for around $100 billion each way in the next six to seven years. We are in the game for at least $250 billion bilateral trade. I would like all our industry people to set the timeline. I think it’s possible and I come with renewed enthusiasm after having achieved India’s historic high of $400 billion plus exports for the first time ever,” said the Minister. Goyal said that despite no tourism, travel, or hospitality services due to Covid, India has achieved a historic high in terms of export of services, close to $250 billion. “I want services and merchandise to reach a trillion dollar by 2030, and the UAE will play a very, very important role in this,” added the Minister. Earlier in the day, Goyal also attended, INVESTOPIA Plenary Session at Dubai Expo which saw participation from H.E. Abdula bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, UAE, Mukhtar Diop, MD, International Finance Corporation and H.E. Hala El-Said, Minister of Economic Development, Egypt. Speaking at INVESTOPIA, Goyal said, “We focus a lot on public investments. Our budget this year was largely about government funded infrastructure projects on the back of which we see the multiplier effect helping us on the demand side and that is leading to more investments to meet the supply constraints.”

Equity Indices Open In Green, Sensex Jumps 440 Points Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:49 PM PDT Equity benchmark indices opened in the green on Wednesday with Sensex up by 440.34 points and Nifty up by 117.30 points. At 9:51 am, the BSE Sensex was up by 440.34 points or 0.76 per cent at 58,383.99. BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange, is the oldest stock exchange in Asia, and also the tenth oldest in the world. The 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 17,442.60, at 9:51 am, up by 117.30 points or 0.68 per cent. NIFTY 50 is a benchmark Indian stock market index, representing the weighted average of 50 of the largest Indian companies listed on the National Stock Exchange. It is one of the two main stock indices used in India.

1,233 New COVID Cases In India, Active Infections Below 15000 Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:43 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: India has logged 1,233 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday. With this, the active infections have dropped below 15000. The active caseload of COVID in India now stands at 14,704, contributing to 0.03 per cent of cumulative positive cases. In the last 24 hours, as per the Ministry, 1,876 recoveries were also reported. With total recoveries since the beginning of the COVID pandemic at 4,24,87,410, the recovery rate of India presently stands at 98.75 per cent. According to the Ministry’s press release, the daily positivity rate stands at 0.20 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has been reported to be 0.25 per cent. As many as 31 COVID deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. With 6,24,022 COVID tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the total tests conducted in India, so far, are over 78.85 crore. Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 183.79 Crore (1,83,79,06,022) today. Under the recently started COVID vaccine drive for children of age group 12-14, more than 1.50 crore (1,50,55,291) vaccine doses have been administered so far, of which 12,74,719 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. With 1,34,837 beneficiaries vaccinated in the last 24 hours, so far, over 2.28 Crore (2,28,71,399) precaution doses of the COVID vaccine have also been administered for the identified categories.

PM Modi Hails Konkan Railway For Completing 100 Per Cent Electrification Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:41 PM PDT Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Konkan Railway for completing 100 per cent electrification and termed the achievement a new benchmark of sustainable development. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister said, “Congratulations to the entire Konkan Railway Team for the remarkable success of ‘Mission 100 per cent Electrification’ and setting new benchmarks of sustainable development.” According to Konkan Railway, Indian Railways is on a mission mode to electrify its entire Broad Gauge network to provide environment friendly, green and clean mode of transport to its people under the ‘Mission 100 per cent Electrification – moving towards net Zero Carbon Emission’ plan. The foundation stone for the electrification of the entire 741 km route work was laid in November 2015. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,287 crore. The CRS inspection of the entire Konkan Railway route has been successfully conducted in six phases starting from March 2020. CRS inspection of the last section between Ratnagiri and Thivim was carried out on March 24, 2022 and authorisation was obtained on March 28. The train operations with electric traction will be implemented on the newly electrified KR route in a phased manner.

US Deputy NSA Daleep Singh To Visit India Ahead Of 2+2 Dialogue Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:51 PM PDT Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between India and United States, US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh will pay an official visit to India from March 30-31. “On March 30th and 31st, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh will be in New Delhi to continue our ongoing consultations with the Government of India, and advance a range of issues in the U.S.-India economic relationship and strategic partnership,” said US National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne in a statement. According to the statement, Singh will meet with Government of India officials to deepen cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and prosperity, and a free and open Indo-Pacific. Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy, the statement said. Singh will also discuss the priorities of the Biden Administration, including the promotion of high-quality infrastructure through Build Back Better World and the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the statement added. Meanwhile, India and United States are scheduled to hold 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh will also have other meetings scheduled on the sidelines.

Diesel And Petrol Prices Rise. 8th Rise In 9 Days Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:34 PM PDT New Delhi: Prices of Diesel and Petrol rise again. This is the 8th hike in the past nine days. Petrol and diesel are now dearer by 80p per litre. The prices in delhi stand at Rs 101.01 per litre & Rs 92.27 per litre respectively. In Mumbai, the petrol & diesel prices per litre are at Rs 115.88 & Rs 100.10 after an increase of 84p and 85p respectively.

Imran Khan’s Party Looses Majority After Key Ally Joins Opposition Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:33 PM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government received a major blow by the key ally and the main coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM) after it struck a deal with the opposition, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). “The united opposition and MQM have reached an agreement. Rabta committee MQM and PPP CEC will ratify the said agreement. We will then share details with the media in a press conference tomorrow IA. Congratulations Pakistan,” tweeted PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The PTI government lost the majority in the lower house of the parliament following the late-night development ahead of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan on March 31. The joint opposition has 177 members of the national assembly after the ruling coalition partner MQM-P decided to part ways with the Imran Khan-led government that has left with 164 MNAs, causing the government loose its majority Notably, in order to make the no-confidence motion against the prime minister successful, the joint opposition requires the support of 172 MNAs. Meanwhile, after Imran Khan alleged that some people are trying to topple his government with the help of foreign funds, federal minister Asad Umar claimed that the PM is ready to show a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to back his claims. PM Imran had said during his rally, “Attempts are being made through foreign money to change the government in Pakistan. Our people are being used. Mostly inadvertently, but some people are using money against us. We know from what places attempts are being to pressure us. We have been threatened in writing but we will not compromise on national interest.”

Canadian PM Trudeau Warns Of ‘Difficult Time- Food Shortages’ Due To COVID-19 Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:27 PM PDT Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning of impeding tough times, including food shortages, placing blame on the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. “We’ve seen… disruptions of supply chains around the world, which is resulting in higher prices for consumers and democracies, like ours, and resulting in significant shortages and projected shortages of food, of energy in places around the world. This is going to be a difficult time because of the war, because of the recovery from the pandemic,” Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver on Thursday. Earlier this month, Canada’s state statistics agency announced that the country’s economy fell well short of anticipated growth rates and not enough to enough to overturn the coronavirus pandemic-induced contraction in 2020. Furthermore, the country remains gripped by an inflationary crisis, with the inflation rate rising to 5.7 percent in February, marking the highest increase since August of 1991. The prime minister vowed to “have peoples’ backs” and said that Canadians would “be there” for one another but stopped short of announcing any concrete measures to address the situation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed similar accusations from US President Joe Biden, saying that Russia’s campaign to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine has nothing to do with rising soaring prices in the United States.

Movement Of Russian Forces Is ‘Repositioning’ Not ‘Real Withdrawal’ Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:10 PM PDT Washington [US]: Highlighting that Russian forces have moved away from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv “in the last day or so,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Tuesday (local time) said that he believes this is a “repositioning”, not a “real withdrawal”. “Has there been some movement by some Russian units away from Kyiv in the last day or so? Yeah. We think so. Small numbers,” said Kirby during a briefing. “But we believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal, and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine,” he added. Kirby spoke several hours after a member of the Russian negotiating team announced that the Ministry of Defence had decided “to radically, at times, reduce military activity in the city of Kyiv and Chernikyiv direction.” The Russian defence ministry said it was withdrawing forces as “a good faith” measure in the talks. However, Kirby said the move coincided with the Russian military’s lack of success in its moves on the two northern cities. “Russia has failed in its objective of capturing Kyiv. It’s failed in its objective of subjugating Ukraine. But they can still inflict massive brutality on the country,” he added. Pentagon press secretary’s remarks come a day after a U.S. senior defence official told reporters that Russian troops are “making really no efforts on the ground to advance on the city,” and days earlier, the same official said the Russians were now “prioritising the Donbas” region. The Pentagon’s latest assessment is in line with the White House, where communications director Kate Bedingfield described the moves around Kyiv as a “redeployment” and not an outright “withdrawal.” “Everyone should expect that we’re going to continue to see attacks across Ukraine,” Bedingfield said. “Obviously, a key message that the president delivered on his trip to Europe last week was that we are in for a long slog, that our allies and partners need to remain, that our resolve needs to remain strong, and that we need to continue to execute on the strategy of inflicting significant costs on the Russian economy, and again, strengthening Ukraine on the battlefields and at the negotiating table,” Bedingfield added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia cannot be trusted. He said it was Ukrainian troops who forced Russia’s hand, adding that “we shouldn’t let down our guard” because the invading army still “has a great potential to continue attacks against our country.” Ukraine will continue negotiations, he said, but officials do not trust the word of the country that continues “fighting to destroy us.” US President Joe Biden, asked whether the Russian announcement was a sign of progress in the talks or an attempt by Moscow to buy time to continue its assault, said: “We’ll see. I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are.” On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.

Akhilesh Yadav Sacks Party Members Including Former MLC Kailash Singh Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:09 PM PDT Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav expelled party members including former MLC Kailash Singh, former District Panchayat President of Ghazipur Vijay Yadav and others for opposing the party during the MLC election in Ghazipur. Meanwhile, Yadav on Tuesday held a meeting with leaders of party allies Apna Dal (K), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). However, Akhilesh’s uncle Uttar Pradesh MLA and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) leader Shivpal Yadav, who contested from Jaswant Nagar on an SP ticket, was not present at the meeting. Besides Shivpal Yadav, Apna Dal (K) leader Pallavi Patel, too, did not attend the meeting. While SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and leader of RLD legislature party Rajpal Baliyan attended the meeting with Akhilesh. “The defeat was reviewed in the meeting, how will the voice of the common people be vigorously raised in the house? The poor labourers will fight the battle of the unemployed,” Baliyan told ANI. On being asked about the absence of Shivpal Yadav from the meeting, he said, “There is no resentment. We are all together.” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had retained power for a second successive term in the state by winning 255 of the 403 assembly seats. While the SP bagged 111 seats and emerged as a strong opposition.

Delhi: Bodies of 4 people trapped in sewer in Rohini recovered Posted: 29 Mar 2022 06:57 PM PDT National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Wednesday recovered four bodies of the people who were trapped in a sewer line in sector 16 of Delhi’s Rohini. “The rescue operation has been completed. We have recovered their bodies from the sewer line,” said Assistant Commandant, NDRF Shri Niwas. Earlier on Tuesday night, NDRF started a rescue operation after four people were trapped in a sewer line in sector 16 of Rohini. Also Read: Delhi: 4 People Trapped In Sewer Line While on Tuesday evening, a Police Control Room (PCR) call was received at Badli Police Station, said the reports. Delhi Police team reached the spot and cordoned off the area. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Wednesday recovered four bodies of the people who were trapped in a sewer line in sector 16 of Delhi’s Rohini. “The rescue operation has been completed. We have recovered their bodies from the sewer line,” said Assistant Commandant, NDRF Shri Niwas. Earlier on Tuesday night, NDRF started a rescue operation after four people were trapped in a sewer line in sector 16 of Rohini. While on Tuesday evening, a Police Control Room (PCR) call was received at Badli Police Station, said the reports. Delhi Police team reached the spot and cordoned off the area.

IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61-run Posted: 29 Mar 2022 06:46 PM PDT Rajasthan Royals made a winning start to IPL 2022 beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61 runs at MCA stadium here. Chasing a massive 211-run target, Sunrisers team got off to the worst possible start losing skipper Kane Williamson in the second over of the innings as Prasidh Krishna dismissed him caught in the first slip for 2. Pacer Prasidh Krishna struck for the second time in his next over dismissing Rahul Tripathi for a duck caught behind by wicket-keeper and captain Sanju Samson to leave Hyderabad in a spot of bother at 7 for 2 in a wicket-maiden over. Left-arm pacer Trent Boult too joined the party dismissing Nicholas Pooran leg before wicket for a duck as Hyderbad were left tottering at 9/3. At the end of Powerplay Hyderabad scratched their way to 14 for 3. Yuzvendra Chahal was introduced into the attack and the wily leg-spinner got a wicket in his second ball dismissing Abhishek Sharma for 9. He was caught by Shimron Hetmyer. In the second ball of his next over, Chahal got a wicket dismissing Abdul Samad for 4 caught by Riyan Parag as Hyderabad lost half of their side for only 39. The 2016 champions somehow scratched their way to the 50-run mark in the 13th over as Aiden Markram showed some fight. Romario Shepherd also hit consecutive sixes to Nathan Coulter-Nile. Chahal got his third scalp dismissing Romario Shepherd for 24 shattering his stumps to put Hyderabad in further trouble at 78 for 6 breaking the 41-run partnership. The leg-spinner finished with figures of 3/22 in his four overs. Washington Sundar joined Markram and batted aggressively to take Hyderabad’s total beyond the 100-run mark. Sundar went on to hit five fours and two sixes to score 40 off 14 balls. Markram and Sundar put on 55 runs for the seventh wicket. Boult finally broke the partnership dismissing Sundar caught by Hetmyer. Markram went on to score a half-century and remained unbeaten on 57 off 41 balls as Hyderabad could only score 149/7 in 20 overs falling 61 runs short of Rajasthan’s total. Earlier in the match, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first. Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the wicket of wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler in the fifth ball but unfortunately, he overstepped and due to no-ball the decision was overturned. Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted consciously in the beginning and then in the fourth over the English wicket-keeper batter struck 21 runs to Umran Malik in his very first over to take the team’s total to 34 in four overs without the loss of any wicket. In the very next over Washington Sundar was introduced into the attack and he, too, went for 18 as Rajasthan reached the 50-run mark in the fifth over. At the end of the powerplay, the inaugural champions had scored 58 runs without the loss of any wicket. Medium-pacer Romario Shepherd was once again introduced into the attack dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal caught by Aiden Markram for 20 as the Guyanese got his maiden IPL wicket to leave Rajasthan at 58/1. Captain Sanju Samson walked into bat and he started off aggressively hitting boundaries and sixes. In the ninth over, Umran Malik was once again introduced into the attack and the Kashmiri pacer got the prized scalp of Buttler for 35 off 27 balls, caught behind by wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran. Sanju Samson was hardly affected by the dismissal of Buttler and he kept on scoring runs by hitting boundaries and sixes. Devdutt Padikkal too gave his captain good support from the other end to take the team’s total beyond the triple-figure mark in 11 overs. The 73-run partnership was finally broken when pacer Umran Malik cleaned up Padikkal for 41 off 29 balls to take his second wicket of the match and leave Rajasthan at 148/3. Samson notched up his half-century in just 25 balls to take Rajasthan Royals’ total beyond the 150-run mark in 15.3 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar finally got the prized scalp of Samson dismissing him for 55 from 27 balls, caught by Abdul Samad. The fall of the captain’s wicket did not put brakes on the scoring by Rajasthan Royals as Shimron Hetmyer batted brilliantly to take his team’s total beyond the 200-run mark. Hetmyer was dismissed for 32 from 13 balls as T Natarajan cleaned him up and he also dismissed Riyan Parag for 14 in the 20th over as Rajasthan set Hyderabad’s a 211-run target. Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 210/6 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 55, Devdutt Padikkal 41; Umran Malik 2/39) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 149/7 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 57*, Washington Sundar 40; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/22, Prasidh Krishna 2/16)

Ukraine invited to join NATO Foreign Ministers meet Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:59 AM PDT Brussels [Belgium]: Ukraine has been invited to join NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting set to take place next week, according to a statement from the military alliance headquartered in Brussels. A meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will take place at the NATO Headquarters on April 6-7. The meeting will be in person and will be chaired by the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, added the statement. Some of the Ministers may attend via video link, as per the statement. Since Russia’s war on Ukraine started, this is the second time that a NATO meeting is convened by the FMs of 30 NATO countries. An ‘extraordinary summit’ of the alliance was convened on March 24 over the situation in Ukraine. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.

Delhi: 4 People Trapped In Sewer Line, Rescue Operations On Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: As many as four people are trapped in a sewer line in Rohini Sector 16 of the national capital. The rescue operation is underway with fire tenders at the spot. DCP, Outer North district Delhi, Brijendra Yadav said that a call was received at the Samaypur Badli Police Station at 6:34 pm today regarding the falling of three workers of MTNL in a sewer line in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar. “On this SHO Samaypur Badli along with investigating officer and beat staff rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. Fire department officials and ambulance were also present,” said Yadav. He further said that on further enquiry, it was found one rickshaw driver was also in the sewer line, who had gone to rescue those three workers. “Rescue efforts are underway. No person has been rescued yet,” he added. According to the fire department, a total of four fire tenders rushed to the site. Further details are awaited.

India US To Hold 2+2 Dialogue On April-11 In Washington Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:46 AM PDT Washington [US]: India and United States are scheduled to hold 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh will also have other meetings scheduled on the sidelines. The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi. India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional meeting in September last year in Washington and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Indian Ocean. Both sides took stock of the progress and developments in the bilateral agenda under the India-US strategic partnership, including defence, global public health, economic and commercial cooperation, science and technology, clean energy and climate finance, and people-to-people ties.

Asansol By-Poll: BJP Files Complaint Against TMC MLA For ‘Threatening’ Voters Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:38 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday filed a complaint against Trinamool Congress MLA Narendra Nath Chakraborty for allegedly threatening supporters of the BJP ahead of the Asansol Lok Sabha by-poll. A video has gone viral where Chakraborty is asking the TMC workers to intimidate the BJP supporters to not come out of their houses on the day of polls, as it would be assumed that they are voting for the BJP. “TMC’s Narendra Nath Chakraborty (in a viral video) openly said that he will not take responsibility for anyone’s life if people go to vote for LS by-polls in Asansol and that he’ll assume that such people voted for BJP. Election Commission assured us to action against him,” said West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar. BJP in its letter to Election Commission has claimed that it is a direct open threat by Pandabeswar MLA Chakraborty. Pandabeswar assembly falls under the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency. BJP in its letter to Election Commission also mentioned the criminal record of Chakraborty and the proximity of Haripur (Where the alleged threat was made) to Rampurhat (where recently violence took place). “The present threat was made in Haripur which is a mere 90 km away from Rampurhat in District Birbhum which has been the epicentre of attention across the nation after nine women and children were burnt alive inside their homes on March 21, 2022,” reads the letter. The BJP through its letter has sought an FIR against TMC MLA under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Representation of the People Act. The BJP has also demanded that Chakraborty should be arrested immediately and sent out of the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency till the polls take place. Asansol is all set to witness a high-octane electoral battle with actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha taking on the BJP’s Agnimitra Paul. The Asansol Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Babul Supriyo, a two-time BJP MP, quit the party in October last year to join the TMC. The voting will be held on April 12 while the results will be declared on April 16.

As Fire Rages On In Ghazipur Landfill, Residents Face Difficulty In Breathing Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:24 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: People who live near the Ghazipur landfill, which is has been burning since Monday noon, are facing difficulty in breathing as smoke has engulfed the entire area. “At around 1:00 am on Monday we saw dense smoke coming out of the dump yard. I live nearby, we are facing difficulty in breathing as the entire area has been engulfed in dense smoke since yesterday,” said Vasudev. Vasudev also said that many fire engines can be seen at the landfill, but there is no relief yet in terms of smoke in the area. Fazia Ahmed, a mechanic working in the area, said that yesterday when the fire broke out it was almost impossible for them to breathe. “The situation has improved a bit but yet toxic smoke is still making breathing difficult,” said Ahmed. Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday ordered an inquiry into the fire. “Disaster Management team is working on the spot to douse the fire. This type of incident has happened earlier too. The reason is negligence. However, a detailed report on the current incident has been asked from Delhi Pollution Control Committee,” said Rai. The government on Monday ordered the agency to probe the fire and submit the report within 24 hours. A First Information Report has also been registered under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) against unknown people. A fire broke out at a dumping yard in East Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill on Monday afternoon.

British Police Issues 20 Fixed Penalty Notices In ‘Partygate’ Probe Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:12 AM PDT London [UK]: British police said on Tuesday that they would issue 20 fixed penalty notices (FPN) over breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules at gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s offices and residence at Downing Street. “We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of COVID-19 regulations. The ACRO Criminal Records Office will then be responsible for issuing the FPNs to the individual following the referrals from the MPS,” the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) said in a statement. The Met didn’t disclose the names of the individuals being fined and added that they would not confirm the number of referrals from each individual event subject to their investigation as “providing a breakdown at this point may lead to identification of the individuals.” Parties held at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021 have enraged the British public who were asked to follow coronavirus restrictions for many months over the past two years to curb the spread of COVID-19. Johnson’s premiership has been precarious following the revelation of these illicit gatherings, with calls from opposition parties and even members of his own Conservative Party for him to resign. The Met launched an investigation at the end of January into 12 alleged events that include a boozy garden party on May 20, 2020, during the country’s first COVID-19 lockdown, which Johnson said he mistook for a work event, as well as a birthday party given to him on June 19, 2020. Senior civil servant Sue Gray, who led a separate Whitehall probe into the allegations, said in a report released on Jan. 31 that there were “failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No. 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times.” The Met’s statement on the first tranche of fines has once again prompted leaders of opposition parties to renew calls for Johnson’s resignation. “After over two months of police time, 12 parties investigated and over 100 people questioned under caution, Boris Johnson’s Downing Street has been found guilty of breaking the law,” said Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the main opposition Labour Party, in a statement. “The culture is set from the very top. The buck stops with the prime minister, who spent months lying to the British public, which is why he has got to go,” she said. “We all know who is responsible. The prime minister must resign, or Conservative MPs must sack him,” Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey said in a statement.

China-EU Summit On April-1: Ukraine, Bilateral Trade On Top Of The Agenda Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:58 AM PDT Brussels [Belgium]: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will participate in a summit with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday (April 1) to discuss the Ukraine crisis. “President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by High Representative Josep Borrell, representing the EU, will meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in the morning and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the afternoon,” the EU Council said in a statement According to the statement, the parties will discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian situation in the country, as well as bilateral relations between China and the EU. “The leaders will also discuss the state of bilateral relations and areas of shared interest such as climate change, biodiversity and health, as well as ways to ensure a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship,” the statement said. The talks are expected to exclude the human rights dialogue – a sideline component of the annual summit for the third year in a row. The previous EU-China summit was held in June 2020. The session of 2021 was called off after Brussels’ accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang set off a flurry of sanctions between the European Union and China. The present talks are also expected to revive the negotiations on the bilateral trade deal, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). The talks come amid reports of China advising its companies to adopt a “cautious” approach towards deals with Russia as the country appears to be succumbing to the Western powers who have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. Recently, Sinopec, Asia’s largest oil refiner moved to stop major investments in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China in the wake of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions against Moscow, The Standard Hong Kong reported. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last month after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent republics.” Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to “demilitarise” and “de-nazify” the country. The Russian actions were immediately condemned by almost all the western countries, who rolled out severe sets of sanctions targeting the Russian economy, and key individuals. A number of countries, including the US, UK, France, Italy, Finland and several others, also banned Russian aircraft over their airspaces

FDI In BJP Tenure 65% Higher Than 10 Year UPA Rule Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:40 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) received during the seven-and-a-half-year rule of the Narendra Modi government is 65 per cent higher than the inflow received during the ten-year rule of the Congress Party-led UPA government, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. Replying to the discussion on the Finance Bill, 2022, and Appropriation Bill, 2022 in the Rajya Sabha, the Finance Minister said that in the 7 years and 9 months of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the FDI inflows into India have been $500.5 billion, which is about 65 per cent higher than the FDI inflows during the 10-year rule of the Congress-led UPA government. In the financial year 2020-21, FDI inflows to India surged to $81.72 billion despite the global economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Putin-Zelenskyy Meet Possible; Delegation Level Talks Constructive Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT Istanbul [Turkey]: After the first day of a delegation-level meeting between Russia-Ukraine in Istanbul, the Russian delegation announced steps for a “drastic reduction in military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions” and the possibility of meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes as part of two steps that the Russian delegation announced to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine reported CNN citing news agency RIA-Novosti. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, called the negotiations “constructive”. Moreover, Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) leaving the surrounding areas around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that enough progress was made during the talks in Istanbul to allow Putin and Zelensky to meet. “We have documents prepared now which allow the presidents to meet on a bilateral basis,” he said. “The Russian delegation is constructive and aware. This doesn’t mean that negotiations are easy. They are very difficult. But the Russian side is paying attention to the Russian proposals, to the Ukrainian proposals,” he added. Amid the heavy bombardments and shelling ongoing in Ukraine, the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Tuesday. In a phone call on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in Istanbul. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. Notably, Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of in-person negotiations so far. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.

Bids for IPL Media Rights For Seasons 2023-2027 Invited Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:22 AM PDT Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Governing Council of the IPL invites bids from reputed entities to acquire the media rights for the Indian Premier League seasons 2023-2027, through a tender process. The detailed terms and conditions governing the tender process including eligibility requirements, process for submissions of bids, proposed media rights packages and obligations etc. are contained in the ‘Invitation to Tender’ (“ITT”) which will be made available on receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of Rs 25 Lakh plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax, according to a release by BCCI. “I’m pleased to announce that @BCCI has issued the tender document for @IPL media rights for seasons 2023-27. With 2 new teams, more matches, more engagement, more venues, we are looking to take #TataIPL to newer and greater heights,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Twitter. “The Tender document is now available for purchase. For the first time in @IPL history, the media rights will be e-auctioned. The e-auction will commence from June 12th, 2022. I’ve no doubts that with this process there will not only be revenue maximisation but also value maximisation, which will benefit India Cricket immensely,” he said. The procedure to procure the ITT documents is enlisted in Annexure A to this document. The ITT will be available for purchase till May 10, 2022. Interested parties are requested to email the details of payment made for the purchase of the ITT to iplmediarights2022@bcci.tv, as per the procedure laid down in Annexure A. It is clarified that the ITT documents shall be shared only after receipt of payment of the non-refundable ITT fee. Any interested party wishing to submit a bid is required to purchase the ITT. However, only those satisfying the eligibility criteria set out in the ITT and subject to the other terms and conditions set out therein shall be eligible to bid. It is clarified that merely purchasing this ITT does not entitle any person to bid for media rights. BCCI reserves the right to cancel or amend the bidding process at any stage in any manner at its discretion.

Talks Meaningful; Russia To “Radically” Reduce Military Activity Near Ukraine’s Capital Posted: 29 Mar 2022 06:11 AM PDT Istanbul: Russia will “radically” reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine, including near the capital Kyiv, after “meaningful” talks in Istanbul, Moscow’s negotiators said Tuesday. “Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field… a decision has been made to radically… reduce the military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernigiv,” Russia’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said. Chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a “meaningful discussion” at the talks and that Ukrainian proposals would be put to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that Putin could meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. “After today’s meaningful discussion we have agreed on and propose a solution, according to which the meeting of the heads of state is possible simultaneously with the foreign ministers initialling the treaty,” Medinsky added. “On the condition of quick work on the agreement and finding the required compromise, the possibility to make peace will become much closer,” he said.

Massive Fire In Sariska Tiger Reserve Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:48 AM PDT Sariska, Rajasthan: A massive fire in Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve that started yesterday has spread to over 10 sq. km, the size of some 1,800 football fields, officials have said. Two Indian Air Force, or IAF, helicopters are dropping water over the affected area. The fire threatens the territory of a tigress, codenamed ST-17 for tracking by scientists, which is at the area with her two cubs, officials have said. The big cats may suffocate, experts have said. There are over 20 tigers in the Sariska reserve. Firefighters are yet to bring the situation under control. The two IAF helicopters have been scooping up water from Rajasthan’s Siliserh Lake and dropping over the forest fire in Sariska, 43 km from the lake. Three villages near the tiger reserve have been put on alert as the fire didn’t die down for over 24 hours due to windy conditions. The IAF in a statement said they sent two Mi-17 V5 helicopters after the Alwar district administration sent an SOS to help control the fire “which had spread over large areas in Sariska.” #WATCH | At the behest of Alwar Dist admin to help control spread of fire over large areas of Sariska Tiger Reserve, IAF has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters to undertake Bambi Bucket operations. Fire Fighting Operations are underway since early morning today: IAF (Source: IAF) pic.twitter.com/GMerxcH4FE — ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 29, 2022

Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Kick-Off In Istanbul Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:39 AM PDT Kyiv [Ukraine]: Amid the heavy bombardments and shelling ongoing in Ukraine, the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Tuesday (Local Time). Alexander Fomin, Russia’s deputy defence minister is leading the Russian delegation. The Russian delegation also includes negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Delegation is headed by David Arakhamia, reported CNN News. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey also confirmed that the peace talks between the delegations has started. Among the members who are attending the meeting in an unofficial capacity is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday. “In order to hold contact between the two parties, it is necessary to obtain approval from both parties. In the case of Abramovich, he has approval [of his participation] from both sides,” he added, reported the news channel. In a phone call on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the next round of negotiations in Istanbul. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process. Notably, Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of in-person negotiations so far. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.

Former Gujarat Congress Chief’s Wife Reshma Solanki Alleges Domestic Violence Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:29 AM PDT Anand (Gujarat): Former Gujarat Pradesh Congress committee president Bharatsinh Solanki’s wife Reshma Solanki on Tuesday alleged that she has been receiving threats for her life and has also been a victim of domestic violence. Reshma Solanki said, “I fled to the United States for some time for my safety as I was receiving threats. When I returned back, I tried to enter the house two-three times but I have been thrown out of the house by him.” Reshma Solanki also alleged, “He is threatening me that if I try to come back to the house, he’ll kill me.” She added, “I have received a notice from my husband, due to which me and my family’s image has been tarnished. They are spreading rumours about us due to which my parents and siblings are suffering socially.” “Having no other option left, I had to turn to court and have also asked the Superintendent of Police, Anand to give me protection,” the wife of the Congress leader added. Reshma Solanki has denied giving divorce to her husband, and stated, “I am an Indian and will only leave my husband upon my death.” The marital discord between Solanki and his second wife, Reshma, became public when both parties issued notices in newspapers, putting out their side of the story 2021.

Sensex Rises As Crude Prices Fall Amidst Ukraine, Russia Peace Talks Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:17 AM PDT Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Indian equities markets benchmark Sensex rose 350 points on Tuesday led by strong buying support in Bharti Airtel and major private banking and financial stocks. The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex rallied 350.16 points or 0.61 per cent to 57,943.65 points against its previous day’s close at 57,593.49 points. Earlier, the Sensex started the day on a positive note at 57,814.76 points and surged to a high of 58,001.53 points in the intra-day. The Sensex has rallied for the second consecutive day. The index had gained 231.29 points or 0.40 per cent on Monday. The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange rose 103.30 points or 0.6 per cent to 17,325.30 points against its previous day’s close at 17,222 points. The Nifty had gained 69.00 points or 0.4 per cent on Monday. There was strong buying support in private banking and financial stocks. HDFC surged 3.06 per cent to Rs 2337.20. HDFC Bank soared 1.40 per cent to Rs 1452.95. Kotak Bank rose 0.74 per cent to Rs 1737.85. Bajaj Finance gained 0.71 per cent to close at Rs 7050.05. ICICI Bank closed 0.70 per cent higher at Rs 715.25. Bharti Airtel surged 2.89 per cent to Rs 754.55. UltraTech Cement climbed 2.70 per cent to Rs 6527.25. Sun Pharma closed 1.62 per cent higher at Rs 919.50. Ten of the 30 Sensex scrips closed in the red. ITC fell 0.99 per cent to Rs 254.65. IndusInd Bank, Maruti Suzuki, State Bank of India, Tata Steel and NTPC were among the major Sensex losers.

Voting On No-Confidence Motion Against Imran On April-3: Sheikh Rasheed Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:09 AM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Tuesday announced that the discussion on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will start in the National Assembly on March 31 and voting on it will be held on April 3. The Minister gave the information while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. Rasheed reiterated his support with the Prime Minister and at the same time refuted any reports about any tussle in the PML-Q for its support to the ruling PTI government on the no-trust motion, reported The News International. Rasheed praised PML-Q stance and said that he hoped MQM-P will also support the government. Sheikh Rasheed said that the security forces arrested four terrorists harbouring nefarious designs. He maintained that the arrested terrorists will be tried in anti-terrorism courts. The Interior Minister said that after the peaceful public gathering, now the containers which were put for security have been removed and roads are cleared for traffic. He added that the massive crowd that gathered at the PM rally suggests that the entire country stands by the PM, reported the news portal. After the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was tabled in the National Assembly with a total of 161 votes in favour, the proceedings were adjourned till March 31. The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8. The Opposition has been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan.

$100 Billion Target Set For Jewellery Exports; Piyush Goyal Posted: 29 Mar 2022 03:58 AM PDT Dubai [UAE]: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India should keep a target of USD 100 billion in exports in the jewellery industry worldwide, adding that it should work to see how the target can be achieved regarding policies by the Centre and global players to persuade the market. Union Minister Piyush Goyal was speaking at Indian Jewellery Enclave in Dubai on Tuesday. “We should keep a target of USD 100 billion exports in the jewellery industry worldwide. We should work to see how it can be achieved regarding policies by the government and global players to persuade the market,” he said in his speech. He further said that New Delhi is working actively to promote the brand India and are having an expanded outreach with various countries in the world. “We’re working actively to promote brand India and are having an expanded outreach with various countries in the world. This will help in giving impetus to labour-oriented job-generating sectors including the jewellery industry,” he said. Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was signed last month, will be operationalised on May 1, 2022, Goyal said. On Monday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister said that government hopes to look at the entire GCC region for a broader economic partnership in the coming years. “It’s a journey that we’re embarking on with the UK, Australia. We also hope to look at the entire GCC region for a broad economic partnership. UAE and India have made an excellent document that can certainly help as a template and set agenda for our future engagements,” said the Union Minister. He addressed a Business-to-Business (B2B) Meet on India-UAE CEPA in Dubai yesterday and said India looks to UAE as a gateway to Africa, other GCC and Middle Eastern countries, CIS countries and some European countries.

Assam, Meghalaya Sign Historic Agreement, Resolve 50-Year Old Dispute Posted: 29 Mar 2022 03:48 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Assam and Meghalaya governments on Tuesday signed a historic agreement here in the national capital to resolve their 50-year-old pending boundary difference. The agreement was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma signed the agreement in the presence of the chief secretaries of both the states as well as other officials of these states and the officials of MHA. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Assam and Meghalaya two months after a draft resolution was submitted by the Chief Ministers of both states to Shah on January 31 for examination and consideration by the MHA. The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had come up with a draft resolution to resolve their border disputes in six of the 12 “areas of difference” along the 884-km boundary. According to the proposed recommendations for the 36.79 square km of land, Assam will keep 18.51 square km and give the remaining 18.28 square km to Meghalaya. The agreement between Assam and Meghalaya is significant as the boundary dispute between the two states has been pending for a very long time. The long-standing land dispute was sparked in 1972 when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam. The border issues came as a result of different readings of the demarcation of boundaries in the initial agreement for the new state’s creation.

‘Bharat Bandh’ -Mixed response on 2nd day Posted: 29 Mar 2022 12:06 AM PDT The 48-hour ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by different trade unions to protest against government policies continued for the second day in several states on Tuesday. A joint forum of central trade unions had given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and March 29. The demands of the trade unions include scrapping of the labour codes, rollback of privatisation in any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act), and regularisation of contract workers among others. This is the first such strike after the BJP won the Assembly elections in four of five states. In Tamil Nadu, various trade unions, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led trade union Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), participated in the nationwide strike. In Kerala, shops remained closed in Thiruvananthapuram. The government of Kerala yesterday said that following Kerala High Court’s orders disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against those employees who abstain from work by participating in the strike. The court had observed that it is illegal that state government employees are participating in the strike. In Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and other Left organisations held protests against the government policies. The strike has also triggered a political slugfest. Slamming the BJP-led Centre, Rajasthan Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas in Jaipur called the “party a follower of Ravana and not Ram”. “After polls, the BJP increased petrol and diesel prices. They’re ‘Ravan Bhakts’ not ‘Ram Bhakts’. They should distribute coupons for petrol, diesel on the lines of their ministers distributing movie tickets for ‘The Kashmir Files’,” he said. Baidya said that the government has not done anything since 2014 except privatisation. “Air India to Airports, everything is being privatised. What is the meaning of Parliament, MPs, and Ministers when the government will not do anything for the public?… The trade union strike was very necessary for common people. We are supporting the strike. As long as BJP will keep pushing its own free will, we will keep protesting,” Baidya said. Parliament proceedings are also being affected by the Opposition protests due to the fuel price hike. Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil today gave a suspension of business notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss the two-day nationwide strike. Likewise, Congress chief whip Kodikunnil Suresh gave an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss ‘the all-India strike called by the joint council of various trade unions. Yesterday, Rajya Sabha MPs from the Left and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) parties staged a protest inside the Parliament premises against the government in support of the Bandh. The MPs held the protest at the Gandhi statue when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till noon due to disruption in proceedings by the opposition parties over rising prices of petroleum products and trade union protests. The MPs also marched towards the Vijay Chowk from the Gandhi statue to protest against government policies. The central trade unions that are part of this joint forum are the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). However, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has kept its distance from the strike.

COVID-19: India Logs In 1259 New Infections In Last 24 Hours Posted: 28 Mar 2022 10:04 PM PDT New Delhi [India]: India has logged 1,259 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry informed on Tuesday. Following a continuous downward trend, as per the Ministry, India’s active caseload has declined to 15,378 today. It constitutes 0.04 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. “There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily positivity rates too,” the Ministry said in an official statement. The weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 0.25 per cent and the daily positivity rate is reported to be 0.22 per cent. In the last 24 hours, 1,705 patients have recovered from the virus, taking the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the COVID pandemic to 4,24,85,534. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.75 per cent. As many as 5,77,559 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours, taking India’s cumulative COVID tests to 78.79 crore (78,79,32,913). The provisional reports till 7 am today, show that India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 183.53 crore (1,83,53,90,499). In the COVID-19 vaccination drive for the age group of 12-14 years, which began on March 16, 2022, so far, over 1.36 crore (1,36,84,215) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the vaccine.

BJP leader Alka Rai arrested in Mukhtar Ansari ambulance case Posted: 28 Mar 2022 09:37 PM PDT Uttar Pradesh Police arrested BJP leader Dr Alka Rai and her brother Sheshnath Rai on Tuesday in connection with the Mukhtar Ansari ambulance case. Police registered a case under the Gangsters Act against Ansari and 12 others in the case for allegedly using an ambulance to travel from jail to a Punjab court. The two accused — Alka Rai and her brother Sheshnath Rai– were taken to Barabanki from Mau by police. The case is related to providing an ambulance facility by Rai to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari while he was lodged in Ropar Jail in Punjab. Notably, Ansari is currently lodged in Banda jail.

PM Modi And BJP Top Brass Arrive For Parliamentary Party Meeting Posted: 28 Mar 2022 09:14 PM PDT New Delhi [India],: Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Bharatiya Janata Party top brass on Tuesday arrived at Ambedkar International Centre in the national capital for the BJP Parliamentary party meeting. The BJP president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are also present at the Parliamentary Party meeting today. The agenda of the meeting is not yet ascertained. Earlier, the BJP leaders held a meeting to analyse the results of the Assembly elections that will have an impact on the presidential polls later this year and are also significant in terms of the party’s preparations for the next Lok Sabha elections. Senior leaders from the four states where the BJP won were in the national capital holding discussions with the party’s Central leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda and party general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh. Sources said that apart from government formation, the party is also carrying out an analysis of poll results, with focus on seats won and lost by the party and the underlying reasons and factors. The BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa Assembly elections. It was for the first time in over 35 years that a party came back to power in the electorally-crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Academy launches formal investigation into Will Smith-Chris Rock’s altercation Posted: 28 Mar 2022 09:07 PM PDT The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences has launched an inquiry into Will Smith-Chris Rock’s altercation at the Oscars 2022 ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. Condemning the actions of Smith, the organisation behind the annual film awards issued a statement regarding the matter, Variety reported. “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,” a spokesperson for the Academy said. Also, the Academy’s team is likely to meet on Wednesday night to discuss the incident. The whole controversy erupted after comedian Rock joked about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the 94th Academy Awards. The comedian said he couldn’t wait to see Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, star in ‘G.I. Jane 2’ which led Smith to go up on stage and slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!” Smith was named best actor later in the evening. He used his time at the podium to apologise to the Academy and to his fellow nominees. He has also apologised Chris by penning a lengthy post on Instagram.

‘I Am Not Walking Anything Back’; Joe Biden On ‘Cannot Remain In Power’ Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:32 PM PDT Washington: US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) said he would make “no apologies” and wasn’t “walking anything back” on his remarks that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”. “I’m not walking anything back,” Biden said at the White House, emphasising he wasn’t voicing a policy change but that he was expressing an opinion based on his emotions from the day, according to CNN. “I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the actions of this man,” he said. He added that “I’d just come from being with those families,” he said, referring to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, Poland. “I wasn’t then or wasn’t now expressing a policy change,” Biden said. “I make no apologies for it,” he said, according to CNN. He continued saying, “I was expressing just what I said — I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards this man. I wasn’t articulating a policy change. And I think that you know, if he continues on this course, he is going to become a pariah worldwide, and who knows what it can become at home in terms of support.” Earlier, Biden said “For God’s sake, this man (Putin) cannot remain in power,” however, the White House clarified Biden’s remarks and said that “it was not a call for regime change.” A White House official while clarifying the remarks made by Biden said, “The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”

IPL 2022: Will bat at No 4 so others can play freely, says Hardik Pandya Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:24 PM PDT Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya expressed happiness after his side defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the clash of debutants of Indian Premier League (IPL), 2022 on Monday. Fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs before their fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans chased the target with two balls to spare. “This was the right game for us to be on either side and learn, but have learnt a lot by winning. Shami is known for his seam positions and he got us to a great start. We would have any day taken 160 on this wicket. Mostly I’ll bat at number four because I want to take pressure with my experience so that the others can play freely. We want to win as a team and nobody can take the contribution away from anyway,” said Hardik in a post-match presentation. “It was quite humid as well, so I wouldn’t have finished Shami’s spell over there. Manohar is some talent to look at with the talent he has. He is someone who you are going to hear about in the future. Tewatia was sensational as well. Getting out to Krunal would have pinched me more had we lost, but now the family is neutral and happy. He got me out and we won the match,” he added.

Petrol Crosses Rs. 100 Per Litre In Delhi. 7th Hike Since March22 Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:23 PM PDT Petrol and Diesel prices have been hiked again today. This is the seventh hike since March 22. Price of petrol and diesel in Delhi are now at Rs 100.21 per litre & Rs 91.47 per litre respectively from today after an increase of 80p and 70p respectively. In Mumbai, the petrol and diesel prices per litre are at Rs 115.04 & Rs 99.25 with an increase of 85p paise and 75p respectively.

IPL 2022: Ayush Badoni is ‘baby AB de Villiers,’ believes Lucknow captain KL Rahul Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:13 PM PDT Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul believes that Ayush Badoni is ‘baby AB de Villiers’ after the debutant smashed quick-fire 54 against Gujarat Titans on Monday here at the Wankhede Stadium. Fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs before their fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans chased the target with two balls to spare. Lucknow who were at a spot of bother with 29/4 at one time were powered up by Deepak Hooda (55) and youngster Ayush Badoni who scored 54 on his debut. Mohammad Shami was a man on fire for Gujarat Titans as it was his sensational opening spell that yielded three wickets and left LSG in tatters. KL Rahul in the post-match presentation said: “It was a phenomenal game. What a way to start the campaign. Starting off like that with the bat was not ideal but the way we recovered was phenomenal. It gives us so much confidence when the batters in the middle and lower order can do the job. We know with the Wankhede the ball can do a bit at the start and if we can get through that it will be ideal. We couldn’t have started the campaign in any better way.” “There is so much to take away and learn for us. Sometimes you gotta give it to the quality of the bowler. We all know how good Shami is and if anyone could exploit the pitch that is Shami. I knew he would be dangerous. It is good to see him bowl that well. With the way we finished and batted in the second half we gave ourselves a chance. It gets really difficult with the dew to grip the ball but I don’t want to give that as an excuse. We have to go back and practice bowling with the wet ball. We executed most of our plans but with a wet ball it skids on nicely. Good win for them and good learning for us,” LSG skipper added. Talking about debutant Badoni, Rahul said: “He’s (Badoni) baby AB for us. He has been phenomenal from the first day. For a little boy, he packs a punch and plays 360 degrees, so happy for him as he grabbed the opportunity. It was not ideal for him to walk out with us four down but he did well under pressure and hopefully, he can continue doing that.” Rahul Tewatia 40*, Matthew Wade 30, Hardik Pandya 33, and David Miller 30 played inspiring knocks for Gujarat as they chased the target of 159 with two balls to spare in the battle of debutants against Lucknow.

Bihar: JD (U) Leader Deepak Kumar Mehta Succumbs To Bullet Injuries Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:09 PM PDT Patna (Bihar) [India]: Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Deepak Kumar Mehta, who was shot late on Monday evening in Patna’s Danapur in Bihar, succumbed to bullet injuries in hospital. Mehta was shot on Monday by criminals in Danapur. The criminals fired five bullets at Mehta including one bullet in the chest and another on the head. Mehta was currently serving as Vice-President of Nagar Parishad Danapur. Mehta was close to JDU vice president Upendra Kushwaha. Following the murder, Kushwaha immediately rushed to the victim’s house. “it’s is a very unfortunate incident and the government will take action against whoever is responsible for this incident,” told the media persons in Patna. Deepak Mehta contested the 2020 assembly elections from Danapur on a Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) ticket, which later merged with JDU.

Want to make India content sub-continent of world, says Anurag Thakur Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:46 PM PDT Noting that Indian films have an impact on counties abroad, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said that his aim is to make India the “content sub-continent of the world”. He said this can generate millions of jobs in India. His remarks came at the India Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, where he held a conversation with Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh on ‘The Global Reach of Indian Media and Entertainment Industry’. On the third day of his visit to Dubai, Thakur said Indian people in Dubai are the real brand ambassadors of India. The India Pavilion has been a huge crowd puller with 1.7 million visitors. The Minister added that India is celebrating 75 years of independence and the celebrations are taking place not just in India but abroad also. Acknowledging the contribution of films to India’s soft power projection, the Minister said India is a land of storytelling and the film industry has left a great impact on people of foreign countries who laud India for its films. An official release said the minister also lauded Ranveer Singh’s performance in movies. Ranveer Singh said Indian content is on the cusp of making its presence felt on the world stage. “Indian entertainment is going to explode globally. Our stories resonate with people and transcend cultural boundaries and Indians abroad connect with India through films,” he said.

COVID-19: US eases travel advisory for India from ‘Level 3’ to ‘Level 1’ Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:38 PM PDT The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday (local time) has eased its COVID-19 travel advisories for India, taking it from Level 3 (high risk) to Level 1 (low risk). The CDC in its advisory said it has changed its COVID-19 travel recommendation for India to “Level 1 (Low)” from “Level 3 (High).” “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice due to COVID-19, indicating a low level of COVID-19 in the country. Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorised vaccine,” the US department of state said in a statement. “Before planning any international travel, please review the CDC’s specific recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers,” the statement added. While giving key information for travellers to India, the CDC said, “Make sure you are vaccinated and up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before travelling to India. Even if you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, you may still be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19. Anyone 2 years or older should properly wear a well-fitting mask in indoor public spaces. Follow all requirements and recommendations in India.” CDC uses Travel Health Notices (THNs) to alert travellers and other audiences to health threats around the world and advise on how to protect themselves.

President confers Padma award on former BJP leader late Kalyan Singh Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:31 PM PDT Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader late Kalyan Singh was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan award on Monday. Singh’s son Rajveer Singh, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Etah, received the honour. Kalyan was the 16th chief minister of Uttar Pradesh from June 24, 1991, to December 6, 1992. He was also Lok Sabha MP from 2009 to 2014. The President presented Padma awards for 2022 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. This year’s list of Padma Awards includes four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. Thirty-four of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees. The Padma Awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The Awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher-order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans win thriller against Lucknow Super Giants in battle of debutants Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:26 PM PDT All-round Gujarat Titans defeated fellow IPL newcomers Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in a thrilling clash here at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. Rahul Tewatia 40*, Matthew Wade 30, Hardik Pandya 33, and David Miller 30 played inspiring knocks for Gujarat as they chased the target of 159 with two balls to spare in the battle of debutants against Lucknow. Earlier, fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs. Lucknow who were at a spot of bother with 29/4 at one time were powered up by Deepak Hooda (55) and youngster Ayush Badoni who scored 54 on his debut. Mohammad Shami was a man on fire for Gujarat Titans as it was his sensational opening spell that yielded three wickets and left LSG in tatters. Chasing 159, the Titans had a bad start as Dushmantha Chameera removed Shubman Gill in the first over. Chameera bowled on outside off stump delivery which Gill stepped down and looked to loft on the off-side, but it got off the bottom of the bat and went high in the air as Hooda took a well-judged catch. Chameera struck again in his second over to remove Vijay Shankar. This time Sri Lankan pacer did the trick with a yorker on off stump at 145 KPH, Vijay Shankar was late to bring his bat down and got the bottom edge to rattle the stumps. After the first six overs, the Titans’ score read 44/2 with Matthew Wade and Hardik Pandya on the crease. Both batters then started rebuilding as runs kept clocking for Gujarat. With the partnership between Gujarat batters going strong, Krunal Pandya removed his brother Hardik in the 11th over. Krunal bowled on the middle stump as Hardik swung but doesn’t get it on the middle of the bat, and the ball went high in the air to long-off, Manish Pandey stationed there completed a safe catch. In the very next over, Deepak Hooda clean bowled Matthew Wade. The Australian batter got low for the sweep and failed to get a bat on the ball as the stumps were rattled. Rahul Tewatia then joined David Miller on the crease and bother batters shifted momentum towards Gujarat as they smashed a total of 39 runs in the 16th and 17th over. With 29 runs needed off the last 3 overs, Avesh Khan removed David Miller in the 18th over. Miller went back after scoring quick-fire 30 off 21 balls. In the penultimate over, Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia gathered 9 runs as 11 were then needed in the last six balls of the match. The debutant on the crease Abhinav Manohar who had ice in his veins smashed Avesh for two consecutive fours in the first two balls of the last over to avoid any chance of a last-ball thriller. Tewatia then smashed the winning runs for Gujarat-based debutants. Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 158/6 (Deepak Hooda 55, Ayush Badoni 54; Mohammad Shami 3-25) vs Gujarat Titans 161/5 (Rahul Tewatia 40*, Hardik Pandya 33; Dushmantha Chameera 2-22.

Writing off does not mean completely waiving money due from NPAs: Nirmala Sitharaman Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:25 PM PDT Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that writing off does not mean “completely waiving the amount” and banks follow up on loans to recover the outstanding dues. “Writing off is not completely waiving the amount. As a part of the accounting process, banks make a provision for the amount, which is due from the NPA account and in that process, we call it as writing off, but the provisioning is made and the pursuing of that particular defaulter or the NPA, which owes money to the bank, is followed up,” the Minister said answering a query in Lok Sabha. “That is why I may not be able to say the exact amount now, but several public sector banks have in the recent past — I am saying over 10,000, but it is much more than that — and I am not giving you the exact figures, have got the money back, which rightly belongs to them by claiming the assets of those defaulters,” she added. She targeted the Congress-led UPA government over the NPAs (non-performing assets) and said the BJP-led government was pursuing such cases, action is being taken on the promoters, and money is being taken from the securities and assets that they have and given back to the bank. “This has happened under Prime Minister Modi and never before as regards NPAs. NPAs were left by the dozen and tonnes during the UPA rule. Money was never obtained back from these defaulters to go back to the banks. These are bitter truths,” she said. The minister said that health of public sector banks has improved under the Modi government. “Money has come back to the public sector banks,” she said. The House on Monday also passed Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022 for inclusion of Darlong community in list of Tripura.

Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for slapping him at Oscars. Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:12 PM PDT American actor Will Smith on Monday (local time) apologised to comedian Chris Rock for hitting him during the Oscar ceremony and said he was “out of line and was embarrassed”. “I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith said in his apology. He also apologised to the Academy for slapping comedian Chris Rock. “I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he wrote. Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage after he got miffed at the latter’s joke directed at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Initially, Smith was laughing but Jada clearly looked affected by the joke. Smith then took to the stage to punch Rock. A few minutes after the incident, Smith was announced Best Actor at the Oscars. And during his acceptance speech, he apologised for his behaviour. The 94th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Yogi Govt. 2.0 Likely To Present Rs. 6.5L Crore Budget. To Focus On Poll Promises Posted: 28 Mar 2022 10:00 AM PDT Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): The newly sworn-in Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar is likely to present its first Budget of over Rs 6.5 lakh crore focusing on fulfilling BJP’s poll promises “for the empowerment of the poor, farmers, youth and women”, said the Chief Minister’s Office on Monday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday held a meeting with the top officials of the Excise, Finance and Revenue Department regarding the first budget to be presented by the new Yogi government. He instructed the top officials to prepare the new budget keeping in mind all the main points of the manifesto. According to the statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, the upcoming budget of the Yogi government will be based on good governance, security, and development, with an aim to take the state to newer heights. The upcoming budget will focus on the empowerment of the poor, farmers, labourers, youth, and women. The first upcoming budget of the Yogi government will be based on the BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ announced before the elections. The Budget is likely to be focused on providing free electricity for irrigation to farmers, two free cylinders in Holi and Diwali under the Ujjwala scheme, free transport travel facility to senior citizen women, free scooty to meritorious girl students under the Rani Laxmibai scheme. Yogi Adityanath on Monday took oath as the Member of the Legislative Assembly in Lucknow. Notably, Yogi Adityanath is the first time MLA while he had previously been a member of the Legislative Council in the state during his first five-year tenure.

China Urges US To Take Its Concerns Seriously Regarding Ukraine Crisis Posted: 28 Mar 2022 09:51 AM PDT Beijing [China]: A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday urged the United States to take China’s concerns seriously while handling the Ukraine issue and its relations with Russia and avoid undermining China’s legitimate rights and interests. “We urge the United States to take China’s concerns seriously while handling the Ukraine issue and its relations with Russia and avoid undermining China’s legitimate rights and interests in any way,” Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query about U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia, reported Xinhua. “We hope that all sides can calm down to focus on promoting peace talks, rather than escalate sanctions and aggravate disputes,” Wang noted. Wang said that sanctions are not effective ways to solve problems and China stands firm against unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions with no basis in international law and no mandate of the UN Security Council. “This is China’s consistent position in both open and close-door meetings.” Wang said that more than 140 of the over 190 UN member states have abstained from participating in sanctions on Russia, a sign that most countries in the world have treated the issue of sanctions in a prudent and responsible manner. “The problem now is not about who wants to help Russia circumvent the sanctions, but about the fact that the normal trade and economic exchanges between countries, China included, and Russia have already been unnecessarily hurt,” Wang stated, reported the news agency. “China will take all necessary measures to firmly uphold the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals,” he added.

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