8pm NEWSFEED

---

• Lok Sabha Passes Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill
• Jaaved Jaaferi to return as Hindi commentator for ‘Takeshi’s Castle 2’?
• Kashmiri Pandit Shot At In 4th Terrorist Attack In 24 Hours
• Chandigarh Belongs To Haryana: Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda
• Sri Lanka’s Forex Reserves Plummet To USD 500 Million
• Birbhum Violence: Mamata Banerjee Gives Job Letters To Victim Families, Says She Kept Her ‘Words’
• China Sees Unprecedented Outflow Of Capital By Foreign Investors
• China Ensnarled Sri Lanka Into A Debt Trap: Report
• HC Dismisses Plea Challenging Appointment Of Delhi Chief Secy As Election Commissioner
• Senior IFS Officer Vinay Mohan Kwatra Appointed New Foreign Secretary
• ‘Manufacturing Defect’, Amit Shah Commenting On His High Pitched Voice In Lok Sabha
• European Union condemns Russian ‘atrocities’ committed in Ukrainian towns
• Sports Ministry To Spend Rs 190 CR On Training Of Athletes For Commonwealth, Asian Games
• Sri Lankan Army Deployed At Fuel Pumps To Curb Stocks Amid Crisis In Colombo
• Imran Khan Nominates Former CJP Gulzar Ahmed As Caretaker Prime Minister
• Parliamentary Committee Recommends Induction Of NCC Cadets, Sportspersons In NDRF
• Uttarakhand CM Dhami Meets Nepalese Delegation
• Ashok Gehlot Slams Centre Over Karauli Communal Violence, Urges PM To Address The Matter
• Imran Khan Summons PTI Parliamentary Board Meeting To Discuss Ticket Distribution For Next Election
• SC Agrees To Hear Plea Challenging Jharkhand HC’s Order Granting Bail To Lalu Yadav
• Lakhimpur Kheri Incident: Grave Offence, But Ashish Mishra Not A Flight Risk
• Sri Lanka Crisis: President Rajapaksa Announces 4 New Ministers
• Delhi HC Issues Notice In PIL For Setting Up Of 42 Commercial Courts For Speedy Redressal Of Cases
• Grammys 2022: The Biggest Snubs And Surprises
• Post-Merger, HDFC Twins To Be 2nd Largest Company In India
• Not Ruling Out Terror Angle, UP Govt Hands Over Gorakhnath Temple Incident To ATS
• WHO Suspension For Covaxin Supply Only For UN Agencies: Sources
• UP Police Arrests 3 Accused In Bank Robbery Of 18 Lakhs
• As the Major Sahab raised his head terrorists fired 100 shots – Watch Lt Col Arun Chandel to know more…..
• Tyler, The Creator Is Now A Two-Time Grammy Winner
• Sri Lankan President Invites Opposition Parties To Join Government To Tackle Crisis
• Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Resigns Amid Economic Crisis
• Bad Bunny Takes Home Grammy For His Album ‘El Ultimo Tour del Mundo’
• Former Haryana Congress Chief Ashok Tanwar To Join AAP Today
• TMC Press For Women’s Reservation Bill In Last Week Of Budget Session
• Doja Cat Turns Emotional While Receiving Her First Grammy Award
• HDFC To Be Merged With HDFC Bank
• COVID-19: India’s Daily Cases Fall Below 1000 Mark, Active Case Below 13000
• China Sends Military, Doctors To Shanghai Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
• Rajasthan: 46 Arrested, Seven Detained For Questioning After Stone-Pelting On Religious Procession In Karauli
• Fuel Prices On Steady Upward March, CNG Too Dearer By Rs 2.5/kg
• AR Rahman Attends Grammy 2022 With Son Ameen
• IPL 2022: Livingstone’s All-round Performance Guides Punjab Kings To 54-Run Win Against CSK
• Imran Khan Thrusts Country Into Constitutional Crisis: Pakistan Media
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Makes Video Appearance At 2022 Grammys, Delivers Powerful Speech
• Rahul Gandhi To Meet Telangana Congress leaders Today, Assembly Elections, Paddy Procurement Among Top Agenda
• Sri Lanka’s Entire Cabinet Ministers Resign Amid Economic Crisis
• Olivia Rodrigo Rocks Figure-Hugging Black Gown On Grammys 2022 Red Carpet
• Grammys 2022: Lady Gaga Brings Back Old Hollywood Glamour With Her Red Carpet Look
• UN Chief Calls For Probe In Killing Of Civilians In Bucha, Ukraine
• Imran Khan To Continue As Prime Minister Till Appointment Of Caretaker PM: Pakistan President
• Officials Refute Reports Of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Resignation
• Former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Vacates Safdarjung Road Bungalow; Scindia To Get Handover Next Week
• Imran ‘Tiny dictator’ Who Attempted Coup: PPP Chief Bilawal
• AiSPi’s Famed Pop-ups Curated To Perfection Return To Treat The Fashionistas Of Delhi
• Congress Likely To Vacate Chanakyapuri Bungalow, Rs 3.08 Cr Due
• It’s A Boy for Ace Comedian Bharti Singh
• Rave Party Busted In Hyderabad, Children Of VIPs Detained
• Man Ends Life In Front Of Sri Lankan President’s House Over Power Cuts
• 6 Dead, Several Injured In Shooting Incident In California
• Congress Parliamentary Party To Meet On April 5
• ‘Imran Khan Will Save Pakistan,’ Shout His Supporters Outside Parliament
• Goa CM Pramod Sawant Retains Home, Finance Ministry
• 11 Coaches Of LTT-Jaynagar Pawan Express Derail In Maharashtra

Lok Sabha Passes Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill Posted: 04 Apr 2022 10:00 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill by voice vote. The Bill provides legal sanction to the police to take physical and biological samples from convicts and people accused of crimes. Allaying concerns of opposition parties in Lok Sabha over human rights violations due to possible misuse of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said they “worry about the rights of rapists and looters” and asserted that the government cares about law-abiding citizens. “Those who are citing human rights should also think about the human rights of rape victims. They (opposition) only worry about rapists and looters. What about the human right of the person who has been looted? This bill is brought in to ensure the safety of law-abiding citizens of the country,” said Amit Shah in Lok Sabha while replying to the concerns raised by the opposition over the bill. “This bill has been brought for the safety of law-abiding citizens of the country. Don’t try to paint it otherwise,” he added. The Home Minister claimed that the bill has been brought to technologically enhance policing in the country. “In 2014, PM Narendra Modi put forward the concept of SMART policing. Where T meant Technology. We are here to fulfil that promise of T. England, Canada, South Africa, Australia and USA which are champions of human rights have more stringent laws than this,” he said. The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 seeks to replace the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920. The bill provides for legal sanction for taking appropriate body measurements of persons who are required to give such measurements to “make the investigation of crime more efficient and expeditious”. It seeks to define ”measurements” to include finger impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, and biological samples and their analysis. The bill seeks to empower the National Crime Records Bureau of India to collect, store and preserve the record of measurements and for sharing, dissemination, destruction and disposal of records. The bill also seeks to empower a Magistrate to direct any person to give measurements and empower police or prison officer to take measurements of any person who resists or refuses to give measurements. The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni.

Jaaved Jaaferi to return as Hindi commentator for ‘Takeshi’s Castle 2’? Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:58 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Fans are already keeping on their toes since the announcement of ‘Takeshi’s Castle’ reboot, and now a recent tweet from actor and comedian Jaaved Jaaferi has raised eyebrows leaving fans in surmise about his return as a Hindi commentator on the show. The early 2000s Indian kids must be in a state of nostalgia after knowing that their favourite Takeshi Kitano-hosted Japanese game show ‘Takeshi’s Castle’ is returning on Amazon Prime Video. Apart from the adventurous and unique idea of the show, the best part about ‘Takeshi’s Castle’ was its hilarious commentary by Jaaved Jaaferi. While the fans were still in surmise about his comeback as a Hindi commentator on the reboot, the 58-year-old comedian shared a tweet hinting at his possible return. Sharing a new story about the show that mentioned “the best part was the Hindi commentary by Javed Jaafari”, Jaaved tweeted, “Hmmmm!!! Kya khayaal? (Hmmmm!!! What do you think?) #TakeshisCastle #OnceMore” The tweet from the ‘Boogie Woogie’ star made his fans excited, with some commenting that they will only watch the show if he is returning back as the commentator. “Is baar bhi aap hi hindi ka voice over denge ?? Agar aap denge tho hum jaroor dekhenge, hamara tho fav show that yeh!!!,” a fan wrote. Another commented, “I used to watched just because of your commentary.” “It wont be accepted in India unless you start it by saying “Bumm Bumma Bumm Bumm Suswagatam,” wrote a Twitter user. “Will only watch if you’re commenting!,” a fan wrote. Another commented, “For us Takeshi matlab Javed Jaffrey.” Deadline reported earlier week that Amazon Prime has green lit a reboot of the hit Takeshi Kitano-hosted 1980s unscripted adventure variety show that travelled to more than 150 countries and spawned dozens of local versions. Some of the popular tasks in the game show included ‘Honeycomb Maze’, ‘Whack The Stack’, ‘Skipping Stones’, ‘Dragon Lake’ and several others. The all-new Japanese original will premiere in 2023 for Prime members in more than 240 markets. Jaaved Jaaferi hosted the dubbed version in 2005 that aired on Pogo.

Kashmiri Pandit Shot At In 4th Terrorist Attack In 24 Hours Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:49 AM PDT Shopian (Jammu and Kashmir): A Kashmiri Pandit was shot at by terrorists in Shopian on Monday. Shopian Police received information about a terror crime incident in the Choutigam area of Shopian, where terrorists had fired upon a civilian at 8 pm. Senior police officers reached the terror crime spot. “Preliminary investigation revealed that terrorists had fired upon a Kashmiri pandit identified as Bal Krishan near his house at Choutigam Shopian. In this terror incident, he had received critical gunshot injuries,” the police said in a statement. The injured Kashmiri Pandit was immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital for the treatment of his injuries. Police have registered a case in this regard under relevant sections of law. The investigation is in progress and officers continue to work to establish the full circumstances of this terror crime. The area has been cordoned and searches in the area are going on. Earlier, two CRPF jawans suffered injuries in the terrorist attack at Maisuma in Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Later, one jawan, who was injured in the terrorist attack succumbed to his injuries.

Chandigarh Belongs To Haryana: Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:36 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Calling Punjab’s resolution claiming Chandigarh as political rhetoric, senior Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said Chandigarh belongs to Haryana and will always remain so. Hooda chaired the Congress Legislature Party meeting at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi on Monday. 24 MLAs were present in the meeting of the legislature party. “Today, in the CLP meeting, we discussed the resolution passed in Punjab Assembly regarding Chandigarh. We will oppose this resolution strongly because Chandigarh belongs to Haryana,” Hooda said after the meeting. Hooda further said that on the basis of the report of the Shah Commission, Chandigarh belonged to Haryana and will remain so. He said that there are three issues between Punjab and Haryana – water, territory and Chandigarh. “There is an issue of water (SYL), territory and capital. We will first raise the issue of water. Punjab has passed this resolution many times but there is no meaning to this. This is just a political gimmick. The resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly is just political rhetoric. Apart from that in BBMP (Bhakra Beas Management Board), the conventional member used to be from Haryana. But the Central government has made an amendment. We will also raise this issue,” Hooda said. He said a resolution will be brought in Haryana Assembly on Tuesday. “We will oppose this strongly. If needed, we will also go to the President of India,” added Hooda. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday moved a resolution in the assembly seeking the transfer of Chandigarh to the state.

Sri Lanka’s Forex Reserves Plummet To USD 500 Million Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:28 AM PDT Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Financial crisis in Sri Lanka continues to worsen with the Forex reserves plummet to USD 500 million. Frequent street protests, including the March 31 campaign organised by the Civil Society organisations outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa were staged over the hardships caused by spiralling inflation, extended power outages, and shortages of essential commodities. Even though the political parties have distanced themselves from these protests Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan government, has extended moral support to these protests and has separately planned to hold protests across Sri Lanka on April 7. Sri Lankans on Monday staged a protest at Independence Square in Colombo against the government of Sri Lanka and voiced their demand for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The country is currently battling a deep economic crisis. On Sunday, 26 Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers resigned en masse from their positions amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis. All 26 of them signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new Cabinet to be formed. Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to be in the office and all other members of the Cabinet have tendered their resignations to the PM. The country’s government on Saturday blocked access to social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, but lifted the ban on Sunday afternoon after the PM’s son Namal Rajapaksa spoke against it.

Birbhum Violence: Mamata Banerjee Gives Job Letters To Victim Families, Says She Kept Her ‘Words’ Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:13 AM PDT Kolkata (West Bengal): Amid the row over Birbhum violence, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday handed over appointment letters to ten people from the victim families from Botui village. Banerjee spoke to the families via video conferencing. She instructed the Birbhum District Magistrate to ensure that these ten people do not have any problem joining the work. Briefing media persons, the Chief Minister said, “I kept my words. Today I am giving government jobs to 10 people in group D (who were affected by Birbhum violence). People whom we lost will never come back. But everyone needs to move forward in order to survive. This is a step in the right direction for those who are there.” As many as nine people were killed in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum last month 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. Five accused have been arrested in the Birbhum violence incident.

China Sees Unprecedented Outflow Of Capital By Foreign Investors Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:57 AM PDT Beijing [China]: China is witnessing an unprecedented outflow of capital since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict in February and the level has almost reached the March 2020 level that marked the Covid outbreak. The scale and intensity of the outflow are unprecedented as the same is not observed in the rest of the emerging markets. The timing of the change in the level suggests that Russia’s military conflict with Ukraine is probably driving the foreign investors to review their positions. Government Bonds have also faced similar pressure. Outflows during March may be caused by the US delisting its concerns, Worsening coronavirus outbreaks, the negative impact of sanctions on Russia, and the US interest rate hike vis-a-vis China.

China Ensnarled Sri Lanka Into A Debt Trap: Report Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:44 AM PDT Geneva [Switzerland]: As Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis in decades and struggles to pay loans, China turns a blind eye after ensnaring the island nation in a debt trap, said a European-based Think Tank. A major problem that Sri Lanka is facing is its huge foreign debt burden, and it owes over USD 5 billion to China alone. Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves are shrinking partly because of construction projects built with Chinese loans that are not making money, European Foundation For South Asian Studies (EFSAS) reported. Its dollar-denominated debt repayments due this year total more than USD 6 billion, including a sovereign bond of USD 1 billion maturing in July. There is growing concern among rating agencies and economists that the country would not be able to pay even this, said the think tank. According to the think tank, China refused to respond to Sri Lanka’s appeal to reschedule its huge debts, and its Ambassador to Sri Lanka said on March 21 that his country was more keen on considering a further USD 1 billion loans and USD 1.5 billion credit line. As a recent report in the Hong Kong Post put it, the end result of reckless borrowing from China to finance unprofitable infrastructure projects was what had contributed to putting Sri Lanka in this debt trap to begin with, EFSAS reported. The report added that “China has shed some crocodile tears over the economy of Sri Lanka getting caught in a quagmire after hobnobbing with the BRI projects of China, record inflation, soaring food prices and the sufferings of the people. The key concern, however, is how such a negative situation would impact the attitude of Colombo towards borrowings from China, and what it would mean for the ultimate relations between China and Sri Lanka”, EFSAS further reported. According to World Bank estimates, over half a million Sri Lankans have already fallen below the poverty line since the pandemic struck. The bank described this as a “huge setback equivalent to five years’ worth of progress”. The Sri Lankan government had declared an economic emergency in 2021 in view of rising food prices, a depreciating currency, and rapidly depleting forex reserves. The Sri Lankan economy depends on imports for a wide range of essential items. The shortages of essential items such as food, medicines and fuel is forcing poor Sri Lankans, especially daily wagers, to flee the country. Sri Lanka has so far relied on loans from countries such as China, India, Japan, and institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, the think tank said. India, which stands to be directly impacted by the fallout of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, has made a serious effort to bail out its beleaguered neighbour. Since January, it has helped Sri Lanka with USD 2.4 billion, including a USD 400-million currency swap and a USD 500-million loan deferment, EFSAS reported. On March 17, Sri Lanka signed a USD 1-billion credit line with India for the procurement of food, medicines, and other essential items. After the agreement to extend the line of credit was inked, the spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India had always stood with the people of Sri Lanka and would continue to extend all possible support to the country, the think tank reported.

HC Dismisses Plea Challenging Appointment Of Delhi Chief Secy As Election Commissioner Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:43 AM PDT The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the petition challenging a notification appointing Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev as Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of NCT of Delhi for conducting the elections to Municipal Corporations of Delhi. The Bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla on Monday dismissed the plea after not being satisfied with the argument extended by Advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, who appeared for the petitioner on the ground that the incumbent Chief Secretary does not hold two posts. Earlier, the Delhi Government, in its reply had opposed the plea and sought dismissal of the petition. The reply filed by the Delhi Government said, “a conscious mala fide attempt has been made to create prejudice by giving a misleading and slanted version of the corrected factual and legal position.” The appointment was made bona fide by the Lieutenant Governor, who is a competent authority, in accordance with the extant statutory procedure and the most eligible and suitable person was selected after consideration of all eligible candidates, the reply submitted. It was also stated that the appointment does not fall foul of the judgement of the Supreme Court in Fouzia Imtiaz Shaikh case, in as much as the appointee will not be holding an additional charge and will cease to be a government servant prior to the date of which he assumes charge of the office of Election Commissioner. It was further stated that the appointment is not in violation of Article of the Constitution. Therefore, it is submitted that the Court may dismiss the petition with heavy and exemplary cost, the reply read. The Petition has sought direction from the Delhi Government to quash the withdrawal of the notification dated November 25, 2021, offered an appointment for the post of election commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi to the working chief secretary Vijay Dev (IAS Officer) w.e.f. April 21, 2022. The plea stated that the said notification is in violation to the rule of law and settled principles of appointment procedure of the public office as the same being motivated towards vested interest in order to affect the forthcoming scheduled election of Municipal Corporation of Delhi as well as in clear violation to the Article 243K of the Constitution of India which enshrined the appointment of independent election Commissioner as interpreted and laid down by Supreme Court of India. Petitioner Dr Nand Kishore Garg, former BJP MLA through Advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi stated that the appointment is politically motivated as the Chief Secretary has been privy to all the administrative and policy decision of the Government of Delhi and hold a position like Election Commissioner at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi may be exposed to the possibility of manipulation of the outcome of the election process. It also stated that, said that notification is improper in as much as it had been announced prematurely even when the post of election commissioner is not vacant only to ensure unquestioned allegiance to the commands of the Delhi Government in lieu of extended service tenure of five year of the serving chief secretary of Delhi. The petitioner seeks court direction for a broad guideline for the appointment of election commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi ensuring the impartiality and neutrality of the candidate who would be an independent person of high integrity being not entrusted with any kind of government assignment.

Senior IFS Officer Vinay Mohan Kwatra Appointed New Foreign Secretary Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:32 AM PDT The Centre on Monday appointed senior Indian Foreign Service officer Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new foreign secretary. Kwatra, a 1988-batch IFS officer, is currently serving as Ambassador in Kathmandu since January 2020. He will replace incumbent Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a 1984-batch IFS officer. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Kwatra to the post of Foreign Secretary upon the superannuation of Harsh Vardhan Shringla on April 30, a Ministry of Personnel order issued on Monday mentioned. Born in 1965, Kwatra holds a degree of Master in Science (M.Sc.) He has previously served at the Ministry of External Affairs, and Prime Minister’s Office as Joint Secretary. Kwatra has also served as Minister (Commerce) at the Embassy of India in Washington D.C. from May 2010 to July 2013. Between July 2013 and October 2015, Kwatra headed the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and later served as the head of the Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry where he dealt with India’s relations with the United States and Canada. Kwatra has served in different positions in many of India’s missions abroad and in India. Kwatra holds an experience of nearly 32 years in a range of assignments.

‘Manufacturing Defect’, Amit Shah Commenting On His High Pitched Voice In Lok Sabha Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:03 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said in Lok Sabha that his high-pitched voice does not reflect anger but is “my manufacturing defect” evoking smiles and laughter from members. He also said that he does not get angry except on questions related to Kashmir. Moving the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill 2022 for consideration and passage in the House, Amit Shah said that the bill was aimed at making the investigation of crime more efficient and expeditious and increasing the conviction rate. He sought to allay the apprehension of opposition members about the bill including on the right to privacy. As opposition benches made some comments, Amit Shah said he will respond to the point made by “Dada”. As a Trinamool Congress member quipped in a lighter vein that the minister responds to Dada in an angry tone, the minister made everyone smile with his reply. “I never scold anyone. My voice is a little high-pitched. It is my manufacturing defect. I do not get angry, get so, on question related to Kashmir,” he said. Parliament had in August 2019 passed a bill to abrogate Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. During the passage of the bill, there was a heated exchange between Amit Shah and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Responding to Chowdhury, Amit Shah had then said “What do you think we are doing. We are ready to sacrifice our life for the country.” The House later took up discussion the bill that provides for legal sanction for taking appropriate body measurements of persons who are required to give such measurements to “make the investigation of crime more efficient and expeditious”. The bill seeks to define ”measurements” to include finger impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, and biological samples and their analysis. It seeks to empower the National Crime Records Bureau to collect, store and preserve the record of measurements and for sharing, dissemination, destruction and disposal of records. The bill also seeks to empower a Magistrate to direct any person to give measurements and empower police or prison officer to take measurements of any person who resists or refuses to give measurements. The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni.

European Union condemns Russian ‘atrocities’ committed in Ukrainian towns Posted: 04 Apr 2022 07:49 AM PDT Brussels [Belgium]: The European Union on Monday condemned in the strongest possible terms the reported atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in a number of occupied Ukrainian towns that have now been liberated. High Representative Josep Borrell in a declaration on behalf of the EU on Russian atrocities committed in Ukrainian towns, said that haunting images of large numbers of civilian deaths and casualties, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure show the true face of the brutal war of aggression Russia is waging against Ukraine and its people. “The massacres in the town of Bucha and other Ukrainian towns will be inscribed in the list of atrocities committed on European soil,” read the statement. According to the statement, the Russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area. They are subject to the international law of occupation. The perpetrators of war crimes and other serious violations as well as the responsible government officials and military leaders will be held accountable, said the statement. The European Union supports all measures to ensure accountability for human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine by Russian Armed forces. “In particular, we fully support the investigation launched by the ICC Prosecutor into war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as the work of the OHCHR Commission of Inquiry. The EU is assisting the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and Civil Society focused on collection and preservation of the evidences of war crimes,” read the statement. “We stand in full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in these sombre hours for the whole world. The EU will continue to firmly support Ukraine and will advance, as a matter of urgency, work on further sanctions against Russia.” Russian President Vladimir Putin “must stop this war” immediately and unconditionally. Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities. Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised to help Ukraine with military aid to fight Russia.

Sports Ministry To Spend Rs 190 CR On Training Of Athletes For Commonwealth, Asian Games Posted: 04 Apr 2022 06:08 AM PDT The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has finalised the Annual Calendar of Training and Competitions (ACTCs) for 33 Sports disciplines and earmarked a sum of Rs 259 crores for the financial year 2022-23 as Assistance to various National Sports Federations (NSFs). Of this, as much as Rs 190 crores will be spent on athletes for their training, foreign exposure, equipment and support staff for Commonwealth Games 2022 and Asian Games 2022. The budget has been decided based on detailed discussions with 33 NSFs on their planned competition and training calendar for the year 2022-23, with special emphasis on the proposals regarding the training and competition requirements of athletes participating in the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG)at Birmingham, the UK in August 2022 and Asian Games at Guangzhou, China in September 2022. The Ministry, in active consultation with the NSFs, has carefully considered and approved every proposal made to further enhance the support being given to Indian athletes who are bound for these two prestigious international events. Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur stated that the Government has taken note of the plans and proposals for training and competitions submitted by NSFs for the year 2022-23, and particularly with regard to the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2022, Asian Games 2022 and Para Asian Games 2022, and approved the ACTCs. “Funds will not be a constraint for the preparations of the athletes and the Ministry will provide all necessary help and support to the players and NSFs,” stated Anurag Singh Thakur as per an official release. Funding to NSFs under ACTC for 2022-23 has been done based on revised norms made effective from March 1, 2022. Significant enhancements have been made in various components of the Scheme to cater to the changing requirements of the sport. Under the revised norms, the quantum of assistance for National Championships has increased to Rs 51 lakh for High Priority, Priority and Indian Traditional Sports, and for General category sports, which were earlier known as ‘Others’ to Rs 30 lakhs, as against Rs 22 lakhs (uniform earlier for all categories of sports disciplines). Allowance for General Sports Training Kit (Like tracksuits, T-Shirts, Shorts, Warm-up shoes etc.) has been doubled to Rs 20,000/- per athlete once a year for the National Campers. For encouraging the NSFs to host international tournaments in the country, the quantum of assistance has been enhanced to Rs 1.00 Crore from the earlier Rs 30 lakh. To attract qualified and top-quality support personnel, remuneration has been enhanced substantially. Remuneration of sports doctors and doctors has been increased to upto Rs 2 lakh per month from the earlier Rs 1 lakh per month and that of head physiotherapists and physiotherapists to upto Rs 2 lakh per month and upto Rs 1.5 lakh per month respectively from the earlier Rs 80,000 per month.

Sri Lankan Army Deployed At Fuel Pumps To Curb Stocks Amid Crisis In Colombo Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:46 AM PDT Amid the ongoing unrest in Sri Lanka following the economic crisis, the Sri Lankan military has been deployed at the fuel pumps in Colombo to stop the stocking of fuel, petrol, and LPG gas. In the Ernest de silva Maratha area in Colombo, Sri Lankan army personnel could be seen guarding the fuel pump that cannot stock any fuel, ANI reported from Colombo. “We are here to stop stocking fuel for checks and to control the chaos,” an army jawan told ANI without disclosing the name. Long queues can be seen at every fuel pump in Colombo since morning for diesel, the owner of a school van said, “We have been waiting for diesel for eight hours and are unable to get it.” Red Cross vans laden with large oil drums at the fuel pump are also queuing up for diesel supplies. Not only this, the fuel pump administration has informed the fuel pumps by messaging that, “Fuel will not be given in the drum”. In Colombo too, there are long queues in many parts of the city due to supply stagnation in the midst of the current economic crisis. A consignment of 40,000 metric tons of diesel from India reached Sri Lanka on Saturday, the fourth such assistance from New Delhi to mitigate the spike in power cuts in the island nation, which is facing an unprecedented economic and energy crisis caused due to shortage of foreign exchange.

Imran Khan Nominates Former CJP Gulzar Ahmed As Caretaker Prime Minister Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:36 AM PDT After undergoing a political crisis, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday nominated former chief justice, Gulzar Ahmed, as the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan. The announcement was made by the Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry. He said Imran Khan made this decision after approval from the PTI’s core committee, according to Dawn newspaper. Gulzar Ahmed’s nomination follows a letter written earlier today by President Dr Arif Alvi to the prime minister and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to propose names of suitable persons for appointment as caretaker premier under Article 224-A(1 )of the Constitution, the Pakistani newspaper reported. This comes a day after the National Assembly deputy speaker disallowed a no-trust confidence motion against Imran Khan. Also. President Arif Alvi dissolves National Assembly on Khan’s advice. Ahmed, who was sworn in as the 27th chief justice of Pakistan on December 21, 2019, was born on February 2, 1957, in Karachi. He has served as the chief justice till February 2022, according to Dawn newspaper.

Parliamentary Committee Recommends Induction Of NCC Cadets, Sportspersons In NDRF Posted: 04 Apr 2022 05:26 AM PDT In a bid to strengthen the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates recommended that the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and sportspersons should also be incorporated into the disaster relief teams. “The committee believes that it will strengthen the NDRF teams in every district of the country,” says the Estimates Committee in its annual report. Taking cognizance of the increase in fire incidents in forests across the country, the committee recommended that these incidents should also be brought under the ambit of NDRF rescue teams. “The NDRF Regional Response Centre (RRF) should be immediately established in the regions it is not present yet,” says the 13th report of the committee chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Pune Girish Bhalchandra Bapat. The 30-member committee also recommended that the schemes relating to increasing the strength of the NDRF battalion should be completed within the stipulated timeframe. Parliamentary Committee on Estimates comprises 30 MPs of Lok Sabha from across the party lines. The committee is tasked with recommending alternative policies, and administrative reforms in order to bring about efficiency.

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Meets Nepalese Delegation Posted: 04 Apr 2022 04:47 AM PDT Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the legislators and coordinators of the Parliamentary Committee of Nepal and discussed multiple issues to cement ties. He, while talking to ANI after meeting the delegation of Nepal, said, “Nepal’s delegation has come to the Forest Department. Many committees have come and have done a lot of studies. They have shared their experience. They also feel that today, a new India is being formed under the leadership of Modi Ji and the respect for India has risen globally. Nepal is our neighbour and we share a bread-daughter relationship that has evolved over generations. We have the border from Dharchula to Udham Singh Nagar. Nepal’s delegation was led by Bharat Bahadur Khadka who is also an MLA of Nepal. He said that both Nepal and India share a strong political and cultural relationship for centuries. Earlier, on Friday, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in India along with his wife Arzu Deuba. On his first day of the three-day official visit, he met Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) President JP Nadda at the party headquarters in Delhi, and then he went on to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla. On the second day, Deuba met PM Modi where both the Prime Ministers jointly launched multiple projects which are likely to boost connectivity between the two countries while they expressed hope that the key initiatives being taken by them would take India-Nepal relations to new heights. On the last day of his official visit, he came to Varanasi to offer prayer at the famous Kaal Bhairav temple and Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Ashok Gehlot Slams Centre Over Karauli Communal Violence, Urges PM To Address The Matter Posted: 04 Apr 2022 04:37 AM PDT Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot lashed out at the Centre for Karauli communal violence on Saturday, and said that the Central government should take responsibility and condemn recent communal violence in Rajasthan. The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to react to the gruesome incident as soon as possible. Speaking to reporters today, Ashok Gehlot said, “PM Modi should take responsibility and condemn recent communal violence in Rajasthan. It’s his duty to maintain law and order. I urge him to address the issue soon.” “It is everyone’s right to propagate the goodness of any religion. But the unrest spread by playing DJ, raising slogans in the procession, and anti-social elements sparked riots. In the process, innocent lives get trapped and those who are not involved in the riots die. To stop the violence and disturbance in the country, the central government should give a strong message,” he said. The Chief Minister added, “The Prime Minister should condemn the anti-social elements, try to establish law and order in the country and anti-social elements should be punished.” The Rajasthan police on Monday arrested 46 people and detained seven others for interrogation following a stone-pelting incident during a religious procession in Karauli on Saturday. The Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Bharatpur Range, Prasanna Kumar Khamesra said, “After stone pelting took place during the procession in Futa Kot area Main Bazaar Karauli on Saturday, the police acted promptly and arrested 46 people and detained seven people for interrogation.” “13 accused have been arrested in connection with the incident in the case registered at Police Station Karauli and 33 people have been arrested for violating curfew order. 07 people have been detained for questioning. A total of 21 two-wheelers and four-wheelers were also seized by the police,” Khamesra added. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday held a meeting with senior officials on the law and order situation in the state. This comes after violent clashes in Karauli city of Rajasthan. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was imposed in the Karauli district of Rajasthan on Saturday and the internet was shut down after stones were pelted during a religious procession that day. Section 144 was imposed in Karauli from 6:30 pm on April 2 till 12 am on April 4. “Section 144 has been imposed in Karauli from 6:30 pm, April 2, till 12 am on April 4, in connection with a case of stone-pelting at a ‘Shobha Yatra’ (bike rally) in the city. Internet services have also been shut in the area on April 2 and 3 (till midnight),” said Karauli DM Rajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Imran Khan Summons PTI Parliamentary Board Meeting To Discuss Ticket Distribution For Next Election Posted: 04 Apr 2022 04:03 AM PDT Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Board on Tuesday to discuss ticket distribution in the next election, reported local media citing sources. The meeting, which will be chaired by Khan, comes after President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday, reported ARY News. Notably, while the federal cabinet stands dissolved, Imran Khan will continue to perform his duties as the prime minister, said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Twitter. The development comes as National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who was chairing Sunday’s session, dismissed the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the Constitution. Following this, Imran Khan in his address to the nation called the no-trust motion against him a ‘foreign agenda’. “It was a foreign agenda, I want to tell the people don’t get disturbed the God is looking over the nation,” the media outlet quoted him as saying. “The Speaker has decided to use his authority. I have sent advice to the President for dissolution of the assemblies,” he added. In line with Khan’s proposal, President Alvi also dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday with the elections likely to be held in the next 90 days.

SC Agrees To Hear Plea Challenging Jharkhand HC’s Order Granting Bail To Lalu Yadav Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:38 AM PDT The Supreme Court on Monday asked Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav to file a reply on the plea challenging the Jharkhand High Court order granting bail to him in a case related to the fodder scam. A bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B.R. Gavai agreed to hear a plea challenging the Jharkhand High Court order granting bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and asked the RJD leader to file a reply on it. The Court was hearing petitions challenging the orders of the Jharkhand High Court dated April 17 2021 in the Dumka treasury matter and October 9 2020 in the Chaibasa treasury matter concerning fodder scam. The Rs 950-crore fodder scam (the total scam of five fodder scams, Lalu has been proven guilty of) relates to the fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from government treasuries in various districts of undivided Bihar. The scam came to light after a raid conducted by Deputy Commissioner of Chaibasa Amit Khare at the Animal Husbandry Department in January 1996. The CBI was roped in by the Patna High Court in March 1996 after increasing pressure to investigate the case. The CBI registered an FIR in the case at a time when Bihar was still undivided. In June 1997, Yadav was named an accused in the case for the first time in the charge sheet filed by the CBI.

Lakhimpur Kheri Incident: Grave Offence, But Ashish Mishra Not A Flight Risk Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:22 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on the plea seeking to cancel the bail granted to the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, Ashish Mishra, in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. During the hearing, the Uttar Pradesh government today the apex court that although the offence is “grave”, Mishra is “not a flight risk”. Notably, the SC-appointed committee had recommended preferring the appeal to cancel the bail of Ashish Mishra. Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government said, “It is a grave offence but accused Ashish Mishra is not a flight risk,” while adding that the case is “serious” where 4-5 people have died and “is a matter of trial”. A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana reserved the order after hearing all the parties. The apex court was hearing a plea seeking to cancel bail to Ashish Mishra, who is the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, granted by the Allahabad High Court on February 10. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for petitioners, urged the Supreme Court that the Allahabad High Court order granting bail to Mishra should be set aside. Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Ashish Mishra, justified the Allahabad High Court order. Senior Advocate Jethmalani submitted that all witnesses are under police protection and there is no possibility of witness tampering. He also apprised the Court that the state has vehemently opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in Allahabad High Court. Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for petitioners, had submitted that the order of Allahabad HC suffered from complete non-application of mind. Earlier, in an affidavit, Uttar Pradesh Government told the Supreme Court that the state has taken all efforts to protect the witnesses and families of victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. The Uttar Pradesh Government had told the Supreme Court that all the witnesses are regularly contacted by the police for appraisal of their security conditions. The submission of Uttar Pradesh came in an affidavit, replying to the petition seeking to cancel bail to Ashish Mishra. Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court it had opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra in the Allahabad High Court and the submission of the petition that the State did not effectively oppose the bail application of the accused Ashish Mishra is completely untrue. In the earlier hearing advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, said that one of the prime protected witnesses was brutally attacked, a few days after bail was granted to Ashish Mishra. Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. In the Special Leave Petition, family members of the deceased challenged the Allahabad High Court order dated February 10, 2022, wherein Ashish Mishra was granted regular bail. The petitioner said that the Allahabad HC order is unsustainable in law. They also said that they have approached the Apex Court as the State of Uttar Pradesh has failed to prefer any appeal against the impugned order. Ashish Mishra was released from jail in February followed by Allahabad High Court granting him bail. Eight people, including four farmers, had died in violence on October 3, 2020, in Lakhimpur Kheri. Earlier, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee headed by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Sri Lanka Crisis: President Rajapaksa Announces 4 New Ministers Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:11 AM PDT Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Following the mass resignation of his Cabinet ministers, President Rajapaksa on Monday named at least four ministers, to maintain legitimacy and stability of Parliament and other functions of the country until a full Cabinet is appointed, even as he asked opposition members to join a unity government in the face of protests against an economic crisis. The President replaced his brother Basil Rajapaksa and named Ali Sabry, previous Minister of Justice, as the new Finance Minister, according to President’s media division. The four new ministers were sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today. Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the Minister of Education and Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando was sworn in as the Minister of Highways, Colombo Post reported. Prof. GL Peiris was re-appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena said the President made these appointments this morning to maintain government affairs until a full permanent Cabinet is appointed. The President has already requested all political parties represented in Parliament to contribute to find a solution to the national crisis in the country. A permanent cabinet will be appointed after discussions with the political parties, the Colombo Post added further. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa has invited all political parties in the country to accept ministerial portfolios and work together to find a solution to the national crisis. In a letter, the President said that the current crisis was the result of several economic and global concerns and that a solution needs to be found within the democratic process of the country. As one of the leading democracies in Asia, it needs to be addressed within the framework of democracy itself, the letter stated, adding that “together we must work together in the national interest for benefit of citizens and future generations.” On Sunday, 26 Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers resigned en masse from their positions amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis. All 26 of them signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new Cabinet to be formed, the English language newspaper Daily Mirror reported. Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to be in the office and all other members of the Cabinet have tendered their resignations to the PM, News Wire reported. Meanwhile, a 36-hour long curfew that was imposed on Sri Lanka on Saturday evening at 6 pm was lifted on Monday morning at 6 am but the country is still under a state of emergency. The country’s government on Saturday blocked access to social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, but lifted the ban on Sunday afternoon after the PM’s son Namal Rajapaksa spoke against it.

Delhi HC Issues Notice In PIL For Setting Up Of 42 Commercial Courts For Speedy Redressal Of Cases Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:02 AM PDT The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Government of NCT Delhi, Registrar General and others on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions for setting up 42 more Commercial Courts, as notified by the Delhi Government on April 13, 2021, to ensure speedy redressal of commercial cases instituted in Delhi in the larger public interest. The bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Navin Chawla on Monday sought status reports in regards to the availability of infrastructure, Judicial officers and courtrooms and listed the matter for July 5, 2022. “The efficiency of the Legal System and the time taken to resolve the commercial disputes is an extremely important factor in deciding the growth of investment and overall economic and social development of the nation,” said the petitioner Amit Sahni, who is a practising advocate. “The delay caused in the dispensation of justice has taken note of High Courts and the Supreme Court from time to time and the directions have been issued to recruit the pending vacancies in different courts of the country,” the petitioner added. According to the petition, at present, a total of 22 commercial courts have been functioning in Delhi but the additional 42 Courts as approved by the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi on 22 March 2021 and subsequently notified on April 13, 2021, have yet to be appointed. “As against the world’s best practice towards the timeline for disposal of commercial disputes of 164 days, Delhi takes 747 days in deciding a commercial dispute. Mumbai, on average, takes only 182 days,” said the petition. The plea further stated that despite notification of 42 additional commercial courts by the Government of NCT Delhi, the said posts have not been created by the High Court of Delhi through its Registrar General. The Petitioner further states, “Delhi courts have been over-burdened, as per the data available on the official website of District Courts, Delhi. Till February 2022, there are 26959 cases pending in 22 Commercial Courts functioning in Delhi District Courts, thus, it is essential to appoint 42 dedicated Commercial Courts.” “In order to expedite the justice delivery system at least concerning commercial disputes, the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act, 2015 has been passed by the Government, which provides for a separate set of Commercial Courts to be set up by the State Governments at the District Level to try suits and claims pertaining to Commercial Disputes,” the plea read.

Grammys 2022: The Biggest Snubs And Surprises Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:01 AM PDT Las Vegas (Nevada): At the 64th annual Grammy Awards, held on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, 87 trophies were handed out, with Jon Batiste receiving a leading five wins. As usual there were many snubs and surprises this year too. Billie Eilish, who recently won the Oscar for best original song, and has won seven Grammys over the course of her young career, failed to win any Grammys this year despite earning seven nominations. Silk Sonic’s sweep was also somewhat of a surprise as they weren’t predicted to take home record of the year or song of the year. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared via video and shared a message about his country’s situation with Russia. “The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” he said. There were several such moments that made the night bigger than the music and with an event of such a large magnitude it’s impossible to not have snubs and surprises. Here’s a look at some of them: Surprise: Silk Sonic The musical duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak had the only perfect record of the night, at least among nominees with a significant number of nominations. They won in all four categories in which they were nominated, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. It seemed like if the band would have been nominated for album of the year then probably they could have gotten that one, too. Snub: Justin Bieber The pop superstar had bagged eight nominations this year, a total topped only by Jon Batiste, who amassed 11 nods. However, Bieber went home empty-handed. After nearly 13 years of stardom, he has won two Grammys (from 22 nods). Surprise: Jon Batiste Even though Jon Batiste was this year’s nominations leader with astonishing 11 nods and he even prevailed in five of those categories, however, him winning Album of the Year for ‘We Are’ came out of nowhere as he was up against pop blockbusters by Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber. Snub: BTS South Korean boy band BTS might be global sensations, but Grammy isn’t quite ready to give them any golden gramophones. Coming off of their last year’s nomination for ‘Dynamite’, they were up this year for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their smash hit ‘Butter’. However, in a stunner, it was Doja Cat featuring SZA who took home the award for ‘Kiss Me More’. Surprise: Bo Burnham The comedian’s ‘All Eyes on Me’ from his Netflix special ‘Inside’ won the best song written for visual media honour, beating last year’s Oscar winner for best original song, ‘Fight for You’ from Judas and the Black Messiah. ‘All Eyes on Me’ is only the second song written for a TV show to win in that category. Snub: Kanye West Usually, when an artist gets an Album of the Year nomination, as Kanye West did for ‘Donda’, they are pretty much guaranteed to rule over their genre-specific album category. But Kanye lost out to Tyler, the Creator and his ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ LP during the premiere ceremony held before the main telecast. However, Kanye did end up winning two other rap categories, (Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance). The 64th Annual Grammy Awards, which kicked off on Sunday night was hosted by Trevor Noah for the second year in a row.

Post-Merger, HDFC Twins To Be 2nd Largest Company In India Posted: 04 Apr 2022 02:26 AM PDT The combined market capitalisation of HDFC Bank and Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) soared to Rs 14.22 lakh crore on Monday after the two companies announced the merger proposal. The HDFC twins’ market capitalisation has surpassed the valuation of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has a market cap of Rs 13.73 lakh crore. The Board of Directors of HDFC Ltd and HDFC Bank on Monday approved a proposal for the merger of the two leading financial institutions of the country. As per the terms of the deal, shareholders of HDFC Ltd will receive 42 shares of HDFC Bank for 25 shares held. Existing shareholders of HDFC Ltd will own 41 per cent of HDFC Bank. Post the merger, HDFC Bank will be 100 per cent owned by public shareholders and existing shareholders of HDFC Limited will own 41 per cent of HDFC Bank. After the merger announcement, the share price of HDFC skyrocketed by over 13 per cent. With this surge, the company’s market capitalisation crossed Rs 5 lakh crore. The HDFC Bank’s share price surged by nearly 10 per cent after the merger announcement. With this rally in the share price, the market capitalisation of HDFC Bank crossed Rs 9 lakh crore. The country’s largest IT firm TCS is currently the second-largest company in terms of market capitalisation. Reliance Industries is India’s largest company with a market capitalisation of around Rs 18 lakh crore.

Not Ruling Out Terror Angle, UP Govt Hands Over Gorakhnath Temple Incident To ATS Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:59 AM PDT Not ruling out the terror angle to the incident involving a person allegedly forcibly entering the Gorakhnath Temple and assaulting the police personnel, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to hand over the probe to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The accused allegedly attacked the police constables outside the gate of the Mutt and forcibly tried to enter the temple while raising religious slogans. While speaking to ANI, Prashant Kumar, Additional director general (ADG), Law and Order, on Monday said, “A man forcibly tried to enter the temple premises and attacked the on-duty police personnel with a sharp weapon.” “The accused has been identified as Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi, a resident of Gorakhpur,” added the ADG. He further stated, “The case has been transferred to ATS as we cannot rule out the terror angle in the incident and a detailed investigation has been initiated.” Vipin Tada, SSP Gorakhpur, said, “The accused tried to forcibly enter the Gorakhnath Temple while raising religious slogans but he was stopped by the police.” “Two police personnel have been injured in the incident and treatment is being provided to them,” Tada added. The SSP further added, “Cases have been registered against the accused under Section 301 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal code, Section 7 (Molesting a person to prejudice of employment or business) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932 among others.” Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the government has taken congnisance of the incident that took place on Sunday.

WHO Suspension For Covaxin Supply Only For UN Agencies: Sources Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:44 AM PDT The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) suspension of supplies of Covaxin of the Bharat Biotech supply is not related to safety or efficacy issues but only to supply for United Nations agencies, sources said. “Received some feedback… will do those modifications. WHO has said nothing related to safety or efficacy,” sources in Bharat Biotech told ANI. “It’s (WHO post EUL inspection) a routine inspection for Covaxin,” sources added. As per the sources, the WHO suspension of the Covaxin supply is only for the UN agencies. “We are now only doing direct supplies to other countries and nine others under ‘Vaccine Maitri’,” sources said. They further added that the suspension of supply will not impact the vaccine supply of Covaxin. “We intend to apply for full licensure for Covaxin from the WHO,” the Bharat biotech source said. Sources further said that they haven’t received a final copy of the official report from the WHO yet, and “once we will receive the report we will reply to it”. Recently, in a statement on WHO’s suspension of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech said, “For the millions who have received COVAXIN, the vaccine certificates issued still stand valid as there is no impact on efficacy and safety of the vaccine.” Bharat biotech has further said that the company is slowing down the Covaxin production for facility optimization and the company will focus on pending facility maintenance, process and facility optimization activities. “As all existing facilities were repurposed for the manufacture of COVAXIN, with continuous production during the past year, to meet the public health emergency of COVID-19, these upgrades were due. Certain highly sophisticated equipment which were required to enhance the process stringency were unavailable during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has to be stressed that the quality of COVAXIN was never compromised at any point in time,” the company sources said. The company has also mentioned that they are working for further improvements and upgrates to ensure that the production of Covaxin continues to meet the increasing global regulatory requirements. “Notwithstanding this excellent safety and efficacy record, Bharat Biotech is diligently working to further improvements and upgrades to ensure that the production of COVAXIN continues to meet the ever increasing global regulatory requirements. Since patient safety is the primary consideration for any new vaccine, there can be no compromises in meeting operational excellence objectives,” the company added. The Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech’s anti-Covid Vaccine, Covaxin, has been suspended by WHO under the Covax facility, announced the UN health body on Saturday, attributing it to deficiencies in manufacturing practices. The WHO is today confirming the suspension of supply of Covaxin produced by Bharat Biotech through UN procurement agencies and recommending to countries that received the vaccine to take actions as appropriate,” the WHO stated. However, the UN body has clarified that there will be no issues related to the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. “The risk assessment to date does not indicate change in the risk-benefit ratio. The data available to WHO, indicate the vaccine is effective and no safety concern exists. For continuation of vaccination with alternative sources of COVID19 vaccines, countries should refer to the respective SAGE recommendation,” WHO said. On inspection by WHO, Bharat Biotech has said, “During the recent WHO post-EUL inspection, Bharat Biotech agreed with the WHO team on the scope of the planned improvement activities and indicated that they will be executed as soon as practical.” This suspension has been done after the WHO post-emergency use listing inspection that was conducted between March 14-22.

UP Police Arrests 3 Accused In Bank Robbery Of 18 Lakhs Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:20 AM PDT Three accused of bank robbery of around Rs 18 lakh from a bank have been arrested with the joint effort of Police and Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team, on Sunday. An operation was carried out on Sunday and the Siyana police along with the SWAT team solved the case in 36 hours. The three accused have been identified as Ravi Chowdhary, Chirag Ahlawat and Sagar Tyagi, police informed. Senior Superintendent of Police, Santosh Kumar Singh said that with the joint efforts of the SWAT team and the Siyana police the operation was carried out and the three accused were arrested. Adding further Singh said, “The three accused injured in an encounter were arrested by the Siyana police. The incident took place near Chingrawathi when the police were checking. Three youth on a bike were spotted moving towards the checking spot, on being stopped the accused tried to escape from the spot. As the police tries to siege them, the accused open fired on the police. In retaliation, the three accused were shot in their legs and got injured. Later, they were arrested and brought to the police station.” He further said that “The accused Ravi has given Rs 1.5 lakh to his brother from the total robbed amount. Police are trying to recover that.” Police have recovered three bags full of Rs 11, 73,500. A two-wheeler, one pistol of 32 bore with three cartridges, and two revolvers of 315 bore with four live cartridges and two shells were also recovered from their possession. The incident took place on Saturday when three armed masked youth riding on bikes robbed Ujjivan Small Finance Bank located in the city. The miscreants had looted Rs 18 lakh from the bank by taking bank employees and customers at gunpoint and fled from the spot. According to the police, the bank alleged the robbery of around Rs 18 lakh in FIR, but on further investigation, it was found that the robbed amount was Rs 13,23,500. The Police had registered the case under section 392 of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation into the case is underway.

As the Major Sahab raised his head terrorists fired 100 shots – Watch Lt Col Arun Chandel to know more….. Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:08 AM PDT Lt.Col Arun Chandel- A young Captain from a 3rd generation family in uniformed services joined an elite Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army. A spirited officer bubbling with josh and hunger for adventure threw himself between life and death, beyond the call of duty in a military operation, undeterred by the emotional blitz of being recently married with a newborn child. In recognition of his devotion to duty and courage of very high order in the face of militants' fire, Captain Arun Kumar Chandel was awarded 'Sena Medal' for gallantry.

Tyler, The Creator Is Now A Two-Time Grammy Winner Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:52 AM PDT Rapper Tyler, the Creator, on Sunday, scored his second Grammy for Best Rap Album. He won the coveted trophy for his album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’. He earlier took home the same award for ‘IGOR’ in 2020. “Congrats Best Rap Album winner – ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ @tylerthecreator,” a tweet read on the official Twitter handle of Grammys. Tyler, too, took to Twitter to express his joy after bagging the award. “thanks wow yeah,” he tweeted. Every year, the Grammys honour musical artists, compositions and albums. They have been held every year since 1959. This year, the number of categories has been bumped to 86.

Sri Lankan President Invites Opposition Parties To Join Government To Tackle Crisis Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:44 AM PDT Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all political parties in the country to accept ministerial portfolios and work together to find a solution to the national crisis. In a letter, the President said that the current crisis was the result of several economic and global concerns and that a solution needs to be found within the democratic process of the country. As one of the leading democracies in Asia, it needs to be addressed within the framework of democracy itself, the letter stated, adding that “together we must work together in the national interest for benefit of citizens and future generations.” Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a crash in the tourism sector. On Sunday, 26 Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers resigned en masse from their positions amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis. All 26 of them signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new Cabinet to be formed, the English language newspaper Daily Mirror reported. Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to be in the office and all other members of the Cabinet have tendered their resignations to the PM, News Wire reported. Meanwhile, a 36-hour long curfew that was imposed on Sri Lanka on Saturday evening at 6 pm was lifted on Monday morning at 6 am but the country is still under a state of emergency. The country’s government on Saturday blocked access to social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, but lifted the ban on Sunday afternoon after the PM’s son Namal Rajapaksa spoke against it. Earlier on Saturday, India delivered 40,000 MT of diesel to Sri Lanka to help ease the power crisis in the island country. As part of the US 500 million oil line of credit (LoC) extended by India to Sri Lanka, this was the fourth consignment of fuel delivered to Colombo. Further, India has supplied around 200,000 MT of fuel to the island nation over the last 50 days.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Resigns Amid Economic Crisis Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:11 AM PDT As Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis since independence, the Governor of the country’s Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal on Monday said he has submitted his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Cabraal’s statement comes seven months after he stepped into the role amid the worst economic and political crises in Sri Lanka in decades. Cabraal announced his decision to step down from the post in a Twitter post today. “In the context of all Cabinet Ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor, Central Bank, Sri Lanka to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” tweeted Cabraal today. Cabraal, a veteran policymaker who was named governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in September amid a deepening foreign exchange crisis, favoured reducing reliance on foreign debt, especially from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund. The 26-member Sri Lankan cabinet submitted letters of resignation – but not Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis in the country. They have all signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new cabinet to be formed, the English language newspaper Daily Mirror reported. The country is witnessing protests over the government’s handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. Sri Lanka’s economy has been in a free fall since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the crash of the tourism sector. Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a food, fuel, power and gas shortage and has sought the assistance of friendly countries for economic assistance.

Bad Bunny Takes Home Grammy For His Album ‘El Ultimo Tour del Mundo’ Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:44 PM PDT Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny won his second Grammy for his album ‘El Ultimo Tour del Mundo’ in the Best Musica Urbana Album category. The rapper was up against Rauw Alejandro (‘Afrodisiaco’), J Balvin (‘Jose’), Karol G (‘KG0516’), and Kali Uchis for her album ‘Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)’. It is Bad Bunny’s second Grammy win, following his first triumph last year in the category then known as Best Latin Pop or Urban Album for ‘YHLQMDLG’. The Best Musica Urbana Album Grammy Award (Latin Music Field) is a new category for Grammys. The 64th Annual Grammy Awards kicked off on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Trevor Noah is hosting the event for the second year in a row.

Former Haryana Congress Chief Ashok Tanwar To Join AAP Today Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:37 PM PDT Former Lok Sabha MP Ashok Tanwar is all set to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday in Delhi. Tanwar had joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in November 2021. The move of Tanwar is coming on the back of the AAP sweeping the recently held Assembly elections in Punjab. Tanwar, incidentally, after quitting Congress has been on a party-hopping spree while also launching his own party ‘Apna Bharat Morcha’ in February 2021. He was once known to have been a close aide of the former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi when he was in-charge of the Indian National Youth Congress (INYC). Tanwar was the chief of INYC. However, Tanwar after a prolonged turf war with the former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda quit Congress in October 2019 ahead of the state Assembly polls. He had then charged that Congress has drifted away from its basic ideology. In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, Tanwar had extended his support to Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and campaigned against Congress. Before joining the TMC, Tanwar had also launched a new political party ‘Apna Bharat Morcha’ in February 2021. During the launch of his party, he had quoted cartoonist RK Laxman and said, “The real Congress will be reduced in size through constant splits.” Tanwar had called Laxman’s words a reality of today’s Congress while adding that his party will work with a three-pillared approach of dialogue, debate, and discussion. Notably, as a part of Congress, Tanwar held key positions such as President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, and secretary of the All India Congress Committee. He was also a former president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and was the youngest to head the Youth Congress. Tanwar rose to prominence when he fought the election for the president of the students’ union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). In 2009, he won the Lok Sabha elections from Sirsa in Haryana as a Congress candidate. However, he had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

TMC Press For Women’s Reservation Bill In Last Week Of Budget Session Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:29 PM PDT Submitting a notice under Rule 168 in the House on Monday Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP, Derek O’Brien has moved a motion to introduce the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill this week in Parliament. Taking to social media the TMC leader tweeted on Monday “Open dare to 56-inch Prime Minister of India. Introduce the long-pending Women Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha this week before April 8. And accept and put to vote @AITCofficial motion under Rule 168.” Claiming his political party of having a maximum percentage of women candidates as Member of Parliament, he tweeted that the percentage shares of women in TMC are 37 percent, while the center ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has only 13 percent. Introduced in the year 1996, Women reservation bills seek to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. The bill was introduced by the United Front government led by Deve Gowda in the Lok Sabha. The bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the year 2008. It was further referred to the standing committee in the year 2008. After scrutiny by the standing committee, it was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 and sent to the Lok Sabha. However, the Bill lapsed with the end of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014. The second half of the Budget session commenced on March 14 and will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11.

Doja Cat Turns Emotional While Receiving Her First Grammy Award Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:23 PM PDT Singer Doja Cat became emotional while bagging her first Grammy Award along with SZA for ‘Kiss Me More’ in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. Expressing her gratitude to her counterpart SZA, Doja during her first Grammy win’s acceptance speech said, “SZA, you are everything to me. … You are the epitome of talent. You’re a lyricist. You’re everything.” She then gestured for SZA to speak on the stage. This #Grammys clip has it all: -Avril Lavigne -Doja Cat & SZA winning for pop duo performance -Lady Gaga helping SZA with the train of her dress -Doja Cat running from the bathroom to accept the award -BTS & Olivia Rodrigo -Doja getting emotionalhttps://t.co/rjX2S54hkr pic.twitter.com/R82aAyhwH6 — Variety (@Variety) April 4, 2022 “Thank you Doja, thank you to my mama, thank you to God, and thank you all. I’m glad you made it back in time,” SZA said. Speaking back into the mic, Doja cried and said “I like to downplay sh**, but this? It’s a big deal. Thank you, everybody.” Prior to the emotional speech, the young girls made everyone laugh with their conversation. So basically after Doja and SZA were announced winners for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance at the ceremony, Doja took to the stage in a hurry. SZA, who walked up to the podium on crutches, told her, “You went to the bathroom for like five minutes, are you serious?” Out of breath, Doja told the crowd, “I have never taken such a fast piss in my whole life.” Doja and SZA won the award over BTS, Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco, and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.

HDFC To Be Merged With HDFC Bank Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:07 PM PDT Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) on Monday announced that its board has approved a transformational merger of its wholly owned subsidiaries HDFC Investments Limited and HDFC Holdings Limited with HDFC Bank Limited. Following the transformational merger, HDFC will own 41 per cent stake in HDFC Bank, according to and HDFC Bank filing with the stock exchanges. As part of the deal, shareholders of HDFC Limited will receive 42 shares of HDFC Bank (face value of Rs 1 each) for 25 shares of HDFC Limited (face value of Rs 2 each). The proposed merger is expected to be completed by second or third quarter of the Financial Year 2024. HDFC said the proposed transaction would enable HDFC Bank to facilitate a larger quantum of credit into the priority sector including agriculture, while also offering a faster origination, improved operational efficiency, and reduced default rates. Meanwhile, shares of HDFC and HDFC rallied 13.57 per cent to Rs 2783.60 at 10 am, while HDFC Bank traded 9.74 per cent higher at Rs 1654.20. The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex surged 1202.71 points or 2.03 per cent to 60,479.40 points at 10 am.

COVID-19: India’s Daily Cases Fall Below 1000 Mark, Active Case Below 13000 Posted: 03 Apr 2022 10:58 PM PDT With 913 new COVID-19 cases reported in India in the last 24 hours, the number of daily new infections on Monday fell below the 1000 mark after 715 days, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Also, the number of active cases fell below the 13,000 mark after a gap of 714 days. With 13 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll from COVID-19 in the country stands at 5,21,358. According to the ministry, the active caseload stands at 12,597 which accounts for 0.03 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. The daily positivity rate stands at 0.29 per cent. Active cases less than 13,000 after 714 days Meanwhile, 1,316 patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total recoveries to 4,24,95,089, stated the ministry. As many as 79.10 crore COVID tests have been conducted in the country so far, including 3,14,823 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, as per the ministry. A total of 184.70 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

China Sends Military, Doctors To Shanghai Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Posted: 03 Apr 2022 10:40 PM PDT China has sent the military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai city which has been facing the worst COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Chinese media outlet. Citing Chinese People’s Liberation Army Daily, Global Times reported that the country dispatched more than 2,000 medical staff to Shanghai in one of its biggest-ever public health responses. The medical staff were drawn from seven medical units affiliated with the army, navy and joint logistics support force. Upon arrival in Shanghai, they quickly carried out medical treatment, nucleic acid testing and other essential tasks, the newspaper said. According to Global Times, a Chinese Air Force heavy transport Y-20 aircraft was parked at an airport in Shanghai early Monday morning. Shanghai will conduct city-wide nucleic acid testing on Monday. The city on Monday reported 425 confirmed and 8,581 asymptomatic domestically transmitted cases, the highest daily increases since the latest outbreak, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the city to over 60,000. Regions including East China’s Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces, North China’s Tianjin, and Central China’s Hubei province have also sent medical teams to help Shanghai combat the outbreak, with the total number of medical staff from other regions supporting Shanghai reaching about 10,000 as of Sunday, as per Global Times. Meanwhile, China reported 1,366 new local COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Last month, China has faced its worst outbreak since the coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan. From March 1 to 24, the country had reported 56,000 infections — more than the total cases in Wuhan two years ago.

Rajasthan: 46 Arrested, Seven Detained For Questioning After Stone-Pelting On Religious Procession In Karauli Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:44 PM PDT The Rajasthan police on Monday arrested 46 people and detained seven others for interrogation following a stone-pelting incident during a religious procession in Karauli on Saturday. The Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Bharatpur Range, Prasanna Kumar Khamesra said, “After stone pelting took place during the procession in Futa Kot area Main Bazaar Karauli on Saturday, the police acted promptly and arrested 46 people and detained seven people for interrogation.” “13 accused have been arrested in connection with the incident in the case registered at Police Station Karauli and 33 people have been arrested for violating curfew order. 07 people have been detained for questioning. A total of 21 two-wheelers and four-wheelers were also seized by the police,” Khamesra added. IG Prasanna Kumar Khmesra said, “In view of the sensitivity of the incident, he immediately reached Karauli on the spot and took stock of the situation along with Superintendent of Police Karauli Shailendra Singh Indoliya, called the necessary police force and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) from other districts of the range and imposed it on the spot for peace and order.” Police Headquarters, for close supervision of the situation, has sent ADG Sanjib Kumar, IG Bharat Lal Meena, DIG (Crime branch) Jaipur Rahul Prakash, DCP Mridul Kachawa, and DCP Jaipur Narayan Togas to Karauli, informed the police. IG Khamesra added, “To maintain law and order in the area, the situation is being closely monitored by police patrolling at various places in the city. A flag march was conducted in the city by the police force.” The situation is under control but a curfew has been imposed in the city as a precautionary measure, he added. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was imposed in the Karauli district of Rajasthan on Saturday and the internet was shut down after stones were pelted during a ‘Shobha Yatra’ procession that day. Section 144 was imposed in Karauli from 6:30 pm on April 2 till 12 am on April 4.

Fuel Prices On Steady Upward March, CNG Too Dearer By Rs 2.5/kg Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:36 PM PDT In another hike in fuel prices, petrol and diesel rates have gone up by 40 paise each on Monday, while the price of CNG has also been increased by Rs 2.5 per kg today. With the 12th price revision in 14 days, the total increase in fuel rates in two weeks is now Rs 8.40 per litre. In the national capital, petrol and diesel are priced at Rs 103.81 per litre and Rs 95.07 per litre respectively today. While in Mumbai, petrol costs Rs 118.83 (increased by 84 paise) per litre and diesel Rs 103.07 (increased by 43 paise) per litre. Meanwhile, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has also hiked the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in Delhi by Rs 2.5 per kilogram. With the new price that will come into effect from today, April 4, CNG will now cost Rs 64.11 per Kg in the national capital. The increase in prices has also created a political uproar as the Opposition has been staging protests and demanding a decrease in fuel prices. Today, CPI Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, Binoy Viswam gave a Suspension of Business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 over “the increase in prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene…” There had been a pause in the revision of fuel prices since November 4 last year, which was broken on March 22, following the crude oil going upwards in the wake of the Russian military operations in Ukraine. Prices are set to be raised further given the sharp jump in crude oil prices in the international markets. It will have a cascading impact on the prices of other items and lead to inflationary pressure and hurt growth while also impacting the prices of other items. Meanwhile, Congress is holding a nationwide protest campaign ‘Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ against price rises under which it is organising rallies and marches across the country from March 31 to April 7. Notably, on November 3 last year, the Centre had cut excise duty by Rs 5 per litre on petrol and Rs 10 per litre on diesel to bring down the retail prices across the country. Following this, several state governments had reduced Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel to provide relief to people.

AR Rahman Attends Grammy 2022 With Son Ameen Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:29 PM PDT Indian singer-songwriter and composer AR Rahman, during the 2022 Grammys, provided fans with a sneak peek into this year’s ceremony by sharing pictures of the event on his social media. Rahman, who arrived at the ceremony with his son, AR Ameen, took to his Twitter handle and posted a few images, live from the grand event. The musician could be seen wearing an abstract-printed yellow and brown coloured blazer, while his son donned a full-sleeved multicoloured shirt and paired it with classic black trousers and silver shoes. In one of the pictures, Rahman could be seen smiling for a selfie while seated beside his son at the Grammys ceremony, whereas in another one he along with his son could be seen gracing the red carpet of the event. For the unnerved, the notable musician has previously won two Grammy awards, both for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. He won the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for motion picture, television or other visual media and Best Song written for motion picture television or other visual media (‘Jai Ho’). The 2022 Grammys, which kicked off on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is being hosted by Trevor Noah.

IPL 2022: Livingstone’s All-round Performance Guides Punjab Kings To 54-Run Win Against CSK Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:40 PM PDT Liam Livingstone scored 60 runs with the bat and took two wickets with the ball to guide Punjab Kings to a 54-run win against Chennai Super Kings here at Brabourne Stadium on Sunday. CSK lost their third consecutive match of the season while Punjab registered their second win of the season. Chasing a 181-run target Chennai Super Kings got off to a poor start losing Ruturaj Gaikwad to Kagiso Rabada caught in the first slip to Shikhar Dhawan for 1. In the next over IPL debutant, Vaibhav Arora got his maiden wicket in the league dismissing opener Robin Uthappa for 13 caught by captain Mayank Agarwal as CSK lost their second wicket for 14. In his next over Vaibhav Arora got his second wicket in the match as Moeen Ali played on delivery from outside the off-stump for a duck. In the fifth over Arshdeep Singh was introduced into the attack and the left-arm pacer cleaned up CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja for a duck to leave his side in trouble at 23/4. In the eighth over Ambati Rayudu was sent packing for 13 by Odean Smith as Chennai lost half of its side for 36. Playing his 350th match Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked into bat and along with Shivam Dube took the team’s total beyond a 50-run knock. Shivam Dube played the attacking role while Dhoni ensured that Chennai does not lose another wicket to take the partnership beyond the 50-run mark. Dube notched up his half-century off just 26 balls. The 62-run partnership was broken by Liam Livingstone as he dismissed Dube for 57 off 30 balls. In the very next ball, he dismissed Dwayne Bravo caught and bowled for a golden duck. In the next over Dwaine Pretorius was dismissed by Rahul Chahar in the next over to leave Chennai in deep trouble at 107/8. Dhoni showed some fight with some late flourish but Chennai still needed 60 runs of the last three overs. Chahar dismissed Dhoni caught behind by wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma for 23 off 28 balls. Leg-spinner Chahar delivered the final nail in the coffin dismissing Chris Jordan for 5 and bowling out CSK for 126 to win the match by 54 runs. This was CSK’s third consecutive defeat of the season. Earlier in the day CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and opted to bowl first and his decision proved to be the right one with Mukesh Choudhary getting the prized scalp of Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal for 4 in the second ball of the match. In the next over CSK got another wicket as Chris Jordan and wicket-keeper MS Dhoni ran out Bhanuka Rajapaksa for 9 to leave Punjab tottering at 14/2. The 2014 finalists Punjab needed a partnership and Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone did exactly that. Dhawan played the supporting role while Livingstone batted aggressively to take the team’s total beyond the 50-run mark hitting Mukesh Choudhary for 26 runs in the over. Liam Livingstone notched up his half-century to take his team’s total beyond the triple-figure mark. The 95-run partnership was broken as Dwayne Bravo dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for 33 off 24 balls in the 10th over. In the next over Punjab lost Livingstone for 60 from 32 balls as CSK skipper Jadeja dismissed the danger man. Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan struck a small partnership with Jitesh being the aggressor. Dwaine Pretorius dismissed Jitesh for 26 and in the next over Chris Jordan got the wicket of Shahrukh to leave Punjab at 151/6. In his next over Jordan got his second success dismissing Odean Smith for 3. Pretorius also bagged his second wicket as he dismissed Rahul Chahar to restrict Punjab Kings to 180/8 in 20 overs to set a 181-run target for CSK. Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 180/8 in 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 60, Shikhar Dhawan 33; Chris Jordan 2/23, Dwaine Pretorius 2/30) vs Chennai Super Kings 126/10 in 18 overs (Shivam Dube 57, MS Dhoni 23; Rahul Chahar 3/25)

Imran Khan Thrusts Country Into Constitutional Crisis: Pakistan Media Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:27 PM PDT Pakistan media has criticised the dissolution of the National Assembly in the country, saying that whatever happened on Sunday violated all rules governing proceedings in the House, particularly those dealing with the motion of no-confidence. Pakistan National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on Sunday dismissed the no-trust motion against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the country’s Constitution. Moreover, Pakistan President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the proposal of Imran Khan. In an editorial published on Monday, the Dawn newspaper said that Imran Khan could have played the political game like a true sportsperson and still emerged stronger from the loss given the sharp narrative he had spun leading up to the vote. “Instead, he chose to thrust the country into a constitutional crisis. The president, too, failed to act with wisdom: instead of looking into the constitutionality of the entire process, he acted as an Imran Khan loyalist and sullied his office with his partisan decision,” the Dawn editorial said. The Pakistani newspaper argued that with the parliamentary process pulverised on the orders of a leader who continues to hold it in deep contempt, Pakistan has been thrown into the dark abyss of a constitutional crisis. “It came as a rude shock: it takes quite the fall for a self-proclaimed ‘fighter’ to display such unsportsmanlike behaviour. By tearing up the rules of the game instead of ‘playing till the last ball’, Mr Khan has dealt a fatal blow to constitutionalism and given rise to the strongest concerns yet that he may not be suited to hold public office within a democratic order,” the editorial said. After the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that “Imran’s coup” forces the country into yet another compromised election. Pakistan National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on Sunday had dismissed the no-trust motion against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the country’s Constitution. Moreover, Pakistan President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the proposal of Imran Khan. “We set out on mission to force-free and fair election. Through a vote of no confidence, electoral reforms & early elections. Were all set to achieve that. Imran’s coup undermines NCM, electoral reforms but forces yet another compromised election. Silver lining Selected is GONE!” Bilawal Bhutto tweeted. The PPP chairman said that Pakistan cannot under any circumstances compromise on the constitution. He urged the Supreme court of Pakistan to rise to the challenge and prove that country’s constitution is “more than a piece of paper.” Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that all orders and actions initiated by Imran Khan and the president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court’s order. Bandial made the observation after taking notice of the current situation in the country following the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan by NA Deputy Speaker Suri.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Makes Video Appearance At 2022 Grammys, Delivers Powerful Speech Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:18 PM PDT During the 2022 Grammys, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a pre-recorded speech amid the ongoing Russian military operation in his country. The video, which served as an introduction to John Legend’s live performance of ‘Free’ as part of a special tribute to Ukraine, had been filmed 48 hours prior to the event in a bunker in Kyiv. The special performance had been introduced by the show’s host Trevor Noah, who said, “Even in the darkest times, music has the power to lift spirits and give you hope for a brighter tomorrow. There’s nobody who could use a little hope right now more than the people of Ukraine.” "Support us in any way you can. Any – but not silence." #Grammys pic.twitter.com/UGMz4XzN9G — Access Hollywood (@accesshollywood) April 4, 2022 “The war. What’s more opposite to music?” asked the Ukrainian president while appearing on the Grammys telecast. He went on to an extended explanation of how war silences music and music can end war. He continued, “Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence. Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded. In hospitals. Even to those who can’t hear them but the music will break through anyway.” “Anyway, we defend out freedom. To live. To love. To sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence,” Zelenskyy said before urging the Grammy attendees to, “fill the silence with your music. Fill it today, to tell our story. Support us in any way you can. Any, but not silence. And then peace will come.” He concluded his speech by naming several Ukrainian cities saying, “I have dream of them living, and free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.” Zelensky’s appearance at the 2022 Grammys comes after the Oscars, where co-host Amy Schumer said that she had attempted to have the Ukrainian leader appear virtually. The 64th Annual Grammy Awards kicked off on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rahul Gandhi To Meet Telangana Congress leaders Today, Assembly Elections, Paddy Procurement Among Top Agenda Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:09 PM PDT Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will meet party leaders of Telangana today in the evening and discuss the political situation prevailing along with brainstorming on the Assembly elections scheduled next year in the state, said the sources. Discussion over the Paddy procurement issue will also be on the top agenda of the meeting. The meeting with the senior leaders of the party will take place at Rahul Gandhi’s residence. This is Rahul Gandhi’s second meeting with the Telangana party leaders in the last seven days. The meeting comes at a time when state Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is nourishing his national ambitions and calling on the parties to form a non-BJP and non-Congress alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Notably, in the last Assembly elections in 2018 in Telangana, Congress had an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party, however, could not stop the return of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s KCR government. Earlier last month, Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy dismissed possibilities of forging an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party and said the grand old party will form an alliance with any party but Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s as “he is not trustworthy”. “Congress would not forge an alliance with KCR and his party TRS at any cost because he is not trustworthy. We have seen him in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019. We can trust any other leader or party, but not KCR and TRS,” Reddy told ANI.

Sri Lanka’s Entire Cabinet Ministers Resign Amid Economic Crisis Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:33 PM PDT Sri Lanka’s entire Cabinet Ministers apart from Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to resign amid rising public anger against the government over the economic crisis in the country. They have all signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new cabinet to be formed, the English language newspaper Daily Mirror reported. The letter is currently with Sri Lankan PM and will be handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It is being reported that a new cabinet will be formed in the coming days. Confirming this development, MP Dinesh Gunawardena said Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to function and all other members of the cabinet have tendered resignation to the PM, News Wire reported. This comes less than an hour after Namal Rajapaksa, the country’s Sports Minister and son of PM Rajapaksa, resigned from all his portfolios. “I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE & PMs decision to establish stability for the people & the govt of #LKA. I remain committed to my voters, my party & the people of #Hambanthota,” Namal Rajapaksa said in a tweet. Sri Lanka is now facing the worst economic crisis. The situation is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by the clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier on Sunday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s Office refuted the reports of the resignation of PM Rajapaksa and termed them “false” adding that there are no such plans at present. On Saturday, Sri Lanka has imposed a three-day island-wide curfew after mass protests erupted in Colombo over public discontent with the government’s efforts in dealing with the economic crisis that has gripped the country. As many as 644 people were arrested in Western Province during the night for violating the curfew imposed to prevent an alleged Arab spring style coup, Colombo Gazette news portal. Sri Lankan President on Friday had declared a country-wide state of emergency to ensure “public security and maintenance of public order.”

Olivia Rodrigo Rocks Figure-Hugging Black Gown On Grammys 2022 Red Carpet Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:32 PM PDT Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo turned heads when she hit the 2022 Grammys red carpet wearing a dazzling black satin gown. Rodrigo, who was accompanied by her mother Sophia Rodrigo, rocked a full-length satin gown adorned with pink sparkles. She topped off her ensemble with matching gloves, a choker and a pink diamond necklace. The singer sported a fuchsia lip, light pink eyeshadow and a bold winged eyeliner look. The singer is nominated for seven Grammy awards this year: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Music Video and Album of the Year. After finding out about her seven nods last November, the singer shared her excitement on Instagram, posting a picture of a cake covered in sprinkles that read, “You did it bitch! 7.” Coming back to this year’s Grammys, the ceremony is being hosted by Trevor Noah. The award show is being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Grammys 2022: Lady Gaga Brings Back Old Hollywood Glamour With Her Red Carpet Look Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:22 PM PDT Singer-actor Lady Gaga was a vision to behold as she brought back true Hollywood glamour on the 2022 Grammys red carpet. The singer hit the red carpet in Las Vegas wearing a black-and-white Armani Prive gown with an elegant pleated train. She accessorised the look with a stunning necklace and stud earrings featuring purple spinels and diamonds. Just a few days before the awards show, the Recording Academy announced that Gaga would be performing during the ceremony, though she will be missing collaborator Tony Bennett, who has officially retired from performing after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Gaga is nominated for six awards this year, including Album of the Year for her joint LP with Bennett, ‘Love for Sale’. The duo is also nominated for Record of the Year, Best Pop/Duo Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Music Video/Film. It will be Gaga’s first Grammys performance since 2019, and other performers for the night include Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X. The Grammys 2022, originally set to take place in January in Los Angeles, was postponed due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the US. The awards ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, is being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UN Chief Calls For Probe In Killing Of Civilians In Bucha, Ukraine Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:14 PM PDT UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged on Sunday to conduct an independent probe of the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha near Kyiv. “I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine. It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability,” Guterres tweeted. Russian Defense Ministry has called this a staged operation by the Ukrainian authorities. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy termed this incident as “genocide.” When asked during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program if Russia is carrying out genocide in Ukraine, Zelensky replied: “Indeed. This is genocide” On Sunday, the media reports emerged with footage allegedly taken in the town of Bucha near Kyiv, with a number of bodies of dead people lying on the road. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed all photos and footage allegedly evidencing the Russian troops’ crimes in Bucha represent another provocation as all Russian units completely withdrew from the town as early as March 30. Russian First Deputy Envoy to UN Dmitry Polyansky said on Sunday that Moscow has requested a UN Security Council meeting for Monday, claiming the “provocation of Ukrainian radicals” in Bucha. “In light of the blatant provocation by Ukrainian radicals in Bucha, Russia has demanded a UN Security Council meeting be convened on Monday afternoon, April 4,” Polyansky was quoted as saying by Sputnik. Moscow will expose “the Ukrainian instigators and their Western patrons,” he added.

Imran Khan To Continue As Prime Minister Till Appointment Of Caretaker PM: Pakistan President Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:07 PM PDT In a development that is likely to worsen the political crisis in the country, Pakistan President Arif Alvi has said that Imran Khan will continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of a caretaker PM under Article 224 A of Pakistan Constitution. “Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Alvi said in a tweet. This comes after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was de-notified as the prime minister of Pakistan. A statement was issued in this regard from the country’s Cabinet Division after the dissolution of the National Assembly, Geo News reported. The de-notification comes after the deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion against the PTI chairman and termed it “unconstitutional”. Pakistan Opposition parties have been contemplating their actions going forward after the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was rejected and the National Assembly was dissolved. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan and National Assembly speaker Asad Qaisar will be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution once their government falls, Business Recorder reported. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said that the opposition will “initiate a legal battle” against the “unconstitutional ruling by the NA Deputy Speaker”. After the no-trust motion against Imran Khan was dismissed on Sunday, Pakistan Army had said it is not involved in politics. Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that all orders and actions initiated by Imran Khan and the president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court’s order. Bandial made the observation after taking notice of the current situation in the country following the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan by NA Deputy Speaker Suri.

Officials Refute Reports Of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Resignation Posted: 03 Apr 2022 10:05 AM PDT Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday refuted the reports of the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and termed them “false” adding that there are no such plans at present. Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a food, fuel, power, and gas shortage and has sought the assistance of friendly countries for economic assistance. The country is witnessing long hours of daily power cuts. Its currency has also been devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8. The streets of Colombo wore a deserted look, resembling a “no man’s land” on Sunday as a curfew was imposed on the city on top of a 36-hour nationwide curfew already in force following protests outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The cars in the city were all parked in the parking lot and the roads remain deserted, with police forces and army personnel stationed everywhere in the city and checking the vehicles. Protests were nevertheless held in the city and throughout the country, with people breaking the curfew. Protests staged by the public were reported from small streets, apartment complexes, and multiple areas around the country, the Colombo Gazette reported. The Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) also staged a protest in Colombo today against the Government with slogans of “Go Gotabaya Go”, referring to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka on Sunday arrested over 600 protestors violating the curfew in Western Province imposed from 6 pm from Saturday to 6 am on Monday. The police said that 664 individuals were arrested in the Western Province between 10.00 pm last night and 6.00 am today, reported Colombo Gazette. During the protests, an allegedly intoxicated 53-year-old male committed suicide in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house in Mirihana, local police informed. Ahead of a planned ‘Arab Spring” style protest for Sunday, the island nation had imposed a nationwide curfew starting at 6 pm in the evening on Saturday till morning 6 am on Monday (April 4) following unrest in the country with protests outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid the ongoing economic crisis in the Island country. To counter the protests, the Sri Lankan government also imposed a nationwide social media blackout after midnight on Sunday, April 3, according to an internet observatory. Some two dozen social media platforms were affected including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.

Former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Vacates Safdarjung Road Bungalow; Scindia To Get Handover Next Week Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:59 AM PDT Days after the eviction of Lok Sabha MP Chirag Paswan from a bungalow allotted to his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, former Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has also vacated 27, Safdarjung Road bungalow which was allotted to Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia last year. After months of persuasion and the threat of eviction, Nishank has vacated the bungalow occupied by him. Sources in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told ANI on the condition of anonymity that today, Ramesh Pokhriyal had informed them that he has moved out of the Safdarjung Road residence. Nishank will now occupy the residence on ’20 Tughlak Crescent Road’ which was earlier occupied by former Minister of State Jayant Sinha. In the coming week, this Safdarjung Road bungalow will be handed over to Scindia. In July 2021, when the Narendra Modi Cabinet was expanded, Rajya Sabha MP and former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was inducted into the Cabinet as a Union Civil Aviation Minister. Scindia, since then, wanted to 27 Safdarjung Road residence, which was at one time, occupied by his late father Madhavrao Scindia. According to the rules of the Directorate of Estate under the Ministry, Type VIII bungalows, which have seven rooms with quarters for domestic help, are allotted to serving ministers, Rajya Sabha members, and senior members of the judiciary. Pokhriyal was allotted the property when he was the Union Education Minister. However, citing health concerns, he resigned from the post in July last year, just ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle.

Imran ‘Tiny dictator’ Who Attempted Coup: PPP Chief Bilawal Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:56 AM PDT Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday termed Prime Minister Imran Khan as a “tiny dictator” who attempted a coup in the country by dissolving National Assembly. Bilawal’s remarks came in response to Imran Khan’s tweet where he expressed astonishment over the Opposition’s reaction to the developments at the National Assembly. “Astonished by reaction of PDM to our calling for general elections. They have been crying hoarse about how our government has failed and lost support of the people so why the fear of elections now? Democrats go to the people for support,” tweeted Khan. “Isn’t it better for PDM to accept elections rather than being part of a foreign conspiracy for regime change; and indulging in blatant purchasing of loyalties thereby destroying our nation’s moral fibre,” he added. Reacting to Imran Khan’s accusations, Bilawal said that the demand for early elections was not raised by Imran Khan but by the Opposition; however, dissolution of the assembly when a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister is pending will not be accepted. “Your coup attempt will not succeed. Early elections was our demand, not yours. No confidence, electoral reforms, early free and fair elections are our long stated goal. When there’s a no confidence motion pending against PM and speaker, you can’t dissolve assemblies and speaker can’t end the session without voting on the NCM. Today you proved you are nothing but a tiny little dictator whose ego is more important than our constitution. We proved we are ready to vote you out of parliament and will vote you out in elections,” tweeted the PPP chairman. He further asked if early elections’ demand by the Opposition was a foreign conspiracy, why the premier implemented this conspiracy by acting on the same lines. “The Foreign conspiracy was NCM, electoral reforms and early elections??? Then why did you implement this supposed conspiracy by unconstitutionally trying to dissolve parliament and call early elections,” he said. This comes after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who was chairing Sunday’s session, dismissed the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the Constitution. Further, Pakistan President Arif Alvi also dissolved the National Assembly on the proposal of Imran Khan, with the elections likely to be held in the next 90 days.

AiSPi’s Famed Pop-ups Curated To Perfection Return To Treat The Fashionistas Of Delhi Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:50 AM PDT A unique e-commerce platform for fashion and luxury, www,AiSPi.co, presents its 10th on-ground pop-up, the first one post the lockdown at Olive Mehrauli from 3 rd to 5th  April. Hand-picking the finest stories in couture, fashion, and accessories, Aisha Saraf Kothari treats her fashion-conscious buyers to some of Europe's best-kept secrets.   Fashion seekers and design lovers will get a preview into the Spring-Summer collections of careful curations of European brands at this captivating trunk show, put together by AiSPi under the sharp and cultivated eye of Aisha, an M&A consultant turned fashion curator. Stunningly beautiful, edgy and a statement in luxury, the collections on display are in the affordable diffusion price segment.  "We bring back brands that have already had resonance with the Indian fashion seeker. Besidesmany, fresh new stories that are truly European and stunningly chic" Shares Aisha. Notable designers that you can shop at her pop-up include the globally renowned brands Rosantica, L'alingi, Vanina, and Celia B among many others.  For this series, Aisha especially collaborates with two designers who are bound to complement each other. Alexia Hentsch, is a Brazilian British designer who’s designed for the Rio carnival. She does bodysuits that we combine with Akshi Joganii, a Belgian designer, and creator ofbeautiful ruffle skirts. AiSPi combines the bodysuits and the ruffle skirt to l end a sense of chic to their story. AiSPi's must-shop stories at AiSPi's Pop Up, Spring- Summer 2022 L'alingi:  A playful investment, a juxtapose of precious crystals and quirky materials. The L'alingi bags are so Oh! la! la! London. O Seven 11:  A celebration of innovative designs, this brand is a story of turning reverent into irreverent andedgy. A pearl bag with satin lining, vegan leather dumpling totes, a tiny silk-satin tote with a pearl handle that can be used in many different ways…the price points at 200-400 Euros are kind too. Rosantica: AiSPi's hero product returns. Housed in chic stores across the world, the brand ships to India an eclectic range of beautiful occasions, evening wear at amazing prices. Endowed in them richness and sharp in their cuts and silhouettes, the Rosantica handbags can compete with the best in the couture market. Georgia Hardinge: A sculptural designer of dresses, the brand uses tone on tone and plisse effect to create outfits of the future. 100% unique and uber cool.  Any Di: One of Aisha's fun finds it answers the biggest dilemma of women who always misplace their sunglasses in their big bags. AnyDi crafts keychains, which you can attach to your bag to hang your sunglasses.  Iuri: An Italian designer. He launched his new collection of container bags and totes. Very high-quality leather, treated in a very specific way to resemble a container!  Celia B: Spanish designer of beautiful prints, fun, and super easy to transition from day to dusk look. Wear it for a fine evening or a Mimosa brunch at Marbella.   Daska: A UK designer, with roots in Pakistan, she basically has a very well-priced, simple Western wear brand. Her prices start at 100 to 150 euros. Easy wear, flowy dresses that lend themselves to a myriad transition in looks. Stella Nova: A Copenhagen-based brand, very fun. You can see the boxy Copenhagen fits over here, very famous brand. Fyodor Golan: This label combines athleisure comfort with the shimmer of sequin. The design spells versatility and is also a conversation for today's laid-back times when many of us still work from home. Vanina: A well-known brand from Lebanon that brings together traditional craftsmanship and exquisite design detail. Their handbags are investments in your wardrobe.

Congress Likely To Vacate Chanakyapuri Bungalow, Rs 3.08 Cr Due Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:41 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: Days after the Centre initiated eviction proceedings, Congress is likely to vacate its bungalow in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri within a fortnight, sources said. It has also been brought to the notice of the Central government that the property at C-II/109 Chanakyapuri which was allotted to the Congress party recently has been occupied by former Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda. As per the details available, the monthly rent of this bungalow is Rs 5,07,911. Notably, the last time the rent paid was in August 2013. As of date, penalties including all other charges now stand at Rs 3.08 crores. A copy of the eviction notice sent by the Directorate of Estates under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on March 25 reads, “Whereas, I, the undersigned, am of the opinion on the grounds specified below that you are in unauthorised occupation of the Public Premises mentioned in the SCHEDULE below and that you should be evicted from the said premises…You have been continuing to occupy Public Premises as specified in the SCHEDULE below even after its allotment stands cancelled w.e.f. 26-06-2013 vide letter No. 7/259/94-TS dated 22.01.2015 issued by the DoE.” The notice further adds, “Now. therefore, in pursuance of sub-section (1) of Section 3B of the Public Premises Act. 1971, I hereby call upon you to show cause within 3 working days at 02:30 P.M. for a personal hearing as to why an order of eviction should not be made. You may appear before me in person or through a duly authorised representative capable to answer all material questions connected with the matter along with the evidence which you intend to produce in support of the cause. In case, you fail to show cause and/ or appear within the stipulated time, the case will be decided ex parte.” In February, in reply to an RTI, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had said that the Congress party had pending rent and dues for three properties including the Congress office, Sonia Gandhi’s official residence and this Chanakyapuri bungalow. As per the documentation with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, this Chanakyapuri bungalow in the national capital was given to the Congress party, but it has been brought to the notice that Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi’s secretary Vincent George has been living in this property.

It’s A Boy for Ace Comedian Bharti Singh Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:35 AM PDT Mumbai (Maharashtra): Comedian Bharti Singh, who had been expecting her first child with husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa, has shared that they have welcomed a baby boy on Sunday. Bharti took to her Instagram handle and posted a picture from her maternity shoot. In the caption, she revealed, “It’s a BOY.” Following the social media revelation, several celebs shared their wishes for the couple. Among those was filmmaker Karan Johar, who wrote, “Badhai,” followed by heart emojis. Previously, on March 20, Bharti had shared beautiful pictures from her maternity shoot. In an Insta post, the reality TV star posted a string of photos in which she radiated a pregnancy glow, wearing a ruffled rose-pink dress and flaunting her baby bump. The comedian had announced her pregnancy in December on her YouTube channel ‘LOL Life Of Limbachiyaa’s’ by uploading a video titled ‘Hum Maa Banne Wale hai’. Bharti and Haarsh tied the knot on December 3, 2017, in an intimate ceremony in Goa.

Rave Party Busted In Hyderabad, Children Of VIPs Detained Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:30 AM PDT Hyderabad (Telangana): Hyderabad Task Force Police busted a rave party at a pub in Radisson Hotel in the wee hours on Sunday and found 150 people partying and a few consuming drugs. The Station House Officer (SHO) Banjara Hills has been suspended for negligence of duty. As per a senior police official, “The powder seized was claimed as sugar by the hotel staff but it tested positive for Cocaine. All 150 people, including over 30 women, were taken into custody and shifted to Banjara Hills police station.” A Tollywood actor, a singer and a daughter of a senior IPS officer were also found in the rave party, as per sources. The Commissioner of Police Hyderabad, CV Anand, on Sunday, issued orders placing under suspension, the SHO Banjara Hills, Shiva Chandra, and issued a charge memo to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Banjara Hills, M Sudarshan for negligence towards their legitimate duties in the control of narcotics in pubs and bars.

Man Ends Life In Front Of Sri Lankan President’s House Over Power Cuts Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:16 AM PDT Colombo [Sri Lanka]: A 53-year-old man committed suicide in front of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house in Mirihana in protest against power cuts. He had climbed on a live transformer after calling for an immediate end to the power cuts, Daily Mirror reported. It further reported that police said he was intoxicated at the time of the incident. Moreover, ahead of an “Arab Spring” style protest scheduled to be staged on Sunday, a nationwide curfew has been declared by Sri Lanka. An island-wide curfew has been declared from 6 pm this evening (Saturday) to 6 am on Monday, reported Colombo Gazette. A major protest is scheduled to take place today against the Sri Lankan Government amid an economic crisis in the country. The island nation is facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Sri Lanka’s economy has been in a free fall since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the crash of the tourism sector. Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a food, fuel, power and gas shortage and has sought the assistance of friendly countries for economic assistance. Sri Lanka is witnessing at least 13-hour daily power cuts. Sri Lanka’s currency has been also devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8. Some had claimed the protest will be similar to the Arab Spring protests in the Arab world, reported Colombo Gazette. The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in response to corruption and economic stagnation and was first started in Tunisia. From Tunisia, the protests then spread to Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain, where either the ruler was deposed or major uprisings and social violence occurred including riots, civil wars, or insurgencies. Sustained street demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Iranian Khuzestan, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Sudan. Minor protests took place in Djibouti, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

6 Dead, Several Injured In Shooting Incident In California Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:07 AM PDT Sacramento (California) [US]: As many as six people died and at least nine were injured in a shooting incident in Sacramento in California, said a media report citing Sacramento police. According to the police, the incident took place early Sunday (local time) morning, reported The Washington Post. “Officers located at least 15 shooting victims, including 6 who are deceased,” Sacramento police tweeted. The media outlet cited a video posted on Twitter that showed people running through the street as the sound of rapid gunfire could be heard in the background. The video also showed multiple ambulances sent to the scene. The investigation in the matter is underway as the police informed that a “large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.”

Congress Parliamentary Party To Meet On April 5 Posted: 03 Apr 2022 07:01 AM PDT New Delhi [India]: A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary party will be chaired by the party’s interim President Sonia Gandhi on April 5 at 9.30 am in the Parliament. This comes as seven key Bills, including “The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill” and “The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill”, have been listed on the agenda of the Rajya Sabha for the last week of the ongoing Budget session. Six of the seven Bills listed on the agenda of the Rajya Sabha have already been passed by the Lok Sabha. “The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022”, passed by the Lok Sabha last week, proposes to authorise the police to take measurements of convicts and accused for the purposes of their identifications and investigations in criminal matters to preserve records. The second half of the Budget session commenced on March 14 and will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11. Moreover, these days, the Congress party is lashing out at the Centre against the fuel price hike that is reverberating across the country. Fuel prices continue to rise with petrol and diesel rates rising by another 80 paise per litre each on Sunday, taking the total increase in rates in less than two weeks to Rs 8 per litre. Congress on March 11 saw a significant defeat in Punjab wherein the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party snatched power from Congress in the state. The party also failed to make a mark in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Keeping in view of this development and ahead of the upcoming Assembly Elections slated to be held this year in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, wherein Bharatiya Janata Party is in power, the Congress Parliamentary party called by the party hold crucial importance. Notably, the Congress party is in power in five of the total states. It has chief ministers, however, only in two states: Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In the other three — Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu — the Congress is a junior partner.

‘Imran Khan Will Save Pakistan,’ Shout His Supporters Outside Parliament Posted: 03 Apr 2022 06:55 AM PDT After Pakistani President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday, supporters of PM Imran Khan started sloganeering outside Pakistan Parliament shouting: Imran Khan will save Pakistan. “Imran Khan will save Pakistan…Whoever is America’s friend is a traitor,” the supporters could be heard shouting. They were also raising “Imran Khan Zindabad” slogans. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who was chairing Sunday’s session, dismissed the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the Constitution. Pakistan Opposition has decided to stage a dharna in National Assembly till the no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan is held. After Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion against Khan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday said that the Opposition members have decided to protest against the “unconstitutional” move in the National Assembly and have decided to not leave the floor till their Constitutional rights are not given to them. Lashing out at the Deputy Speaker, he said, “He has done unconstitutional thing at the last moment. He violated the Constitution of Pakistan. The no-trust vote had to take place today as per the Constitution.” He also lashed out at Imran Khan and advised him to stop behaving like a child and running away from fights and appealed to Pakistani citizens to side with the Constitution and believe in democratic values, adding “do not allow puppet or non-democratic person to rob your rights”. This comes after Imran Khan surprised the Opposition to announce in his televised address to the nation that he has advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the national assembly. However, the Supreme Court has taken a suo moto notice of the dissolution of the National Assembly by Alvi on Sunday.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant Retains Home, Finance Ministry Posted: 03 Apr 2022 06:54 AM PDT Panaji (Goa): Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Sunday allocated portfolios to his cabinet colleagues while retaining crucial Home and Finance departments with himself. The notification, allotting portfolios to all the Ministers who were sworn in recently in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was issued by an order in the name of the Governor of Goa by Under Secretary (GA) Shripad Arlekar. The Chief Minister will hold the charge of Home, Finance, Personnel, Vigilance, and Official languages departments in the state. Vishwajit Rane has been given crucial Health and Town and Country Planning Portfolios along with Urban Development, Women and Child, and Forest departments. Mauvin Godinho has been allotted Transport, Industries, Panchayat and Protocol portfolios. Ravi Naik has been given Agriculture, Handicrafts, and Civil Supplies portfolios. The crucial Public Works Department portfolio has been allotted to Nilesh Cabral along with Legislative Affairs, Environment and Law and Judiciary portfolios. Subhash Shirodkar has been allotted Water Resources Department, Co-operation and Provedoria portfolios while Rohan Khaunte is given Tourism, Information and Technology and Printing and Stationary departments. Govind Gaude will be Minister for Sports, Art and Culture and RDA and Atanasio Monserratte has been allotted Revenue, Labour and Waste Management portfolios. Atanasio Monserratte Revenue, Labour, Waste Management BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa, winning 20 seats in the 40-member state Assembly and reducing Congress to 11 seats. It fell one seat short of the majority figure in Goa but is set to retain power in the state with the help of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independent candidates.

11 Coaches Of LTT-Jaynagar Pawan Express Derail In Maharashtra Posted: 03 Apr 2022 06:46 AM PDT Nashik (Maharashtra): A total of 11 coaches of Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)-Jaynagar Pawan Express derailed near Nashik here on Sunday afternoon, Central Railway informed. The incident took place at around 3.10 pm between Lahavit and Devlali in the Bhusaval division. An accident relief train from Manmad, accident relief medical equipment from Bhusaval and a medical van from Igatpuri have rushed to the spot. So far, no death has been reported as per a statement by the Central Railway. Due to the incident, three trains– 12109 (CSMT-MMR), 12110 (MMR-CSMT) and 11401 (CSMT-ADB) have been cancelled while three other trains have been diverted. Further details are awaited.

You are subscribed to email updates from 8PM News. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States