LIVE! Delhi records April's hottest day in 5 yrs

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Sat, 09 April 2022

Delhi records April's hottest day in 5 yrs

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22:25 At 42.4 degrees C, Delhi records April's hottest day in 5 yrs

The blistering heatwave sweeping across Delhi-NCR intensified further on Saturday with the maximum temperature in the national capital rising to 42.4 degrees Celsius, the highest in April in five years, and nearing the 45-degree mark in neighbouring Gurugram.

The capital had recorded a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius on April 21, 2017. The all-time highest maximum temperature for the month was 45.6 degrees Celsius on April 29, 1941.

The India Meteorological Department said this is the first time in 72 years that Delhi has recorded such a high temperature in the first half of April.

The meteorological office has issued an orange alert warning of a severe heatwave in the city on Sunday too.

The IMD uses four colour codes for weather warnings -- green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).

The maximum temperature of 42.4 degrees Celsius at Delhi's base station, Safdarjung Observatory, was eight notches above normal for this time of the year.

At 44.5 degrees Celsius, Gurugram was 10 degrees warmer than average. Gurugram's all-time high maximum temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius was recorded on April 28, 1979.

The mercury settled at 45.2 degrees Celsius in Haryana's Faridabad.

Barring SPS Mayur Vihar, which recorded a high of 40.2 degrees Celsius, all automatic weather stations in the city recorded maximum temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius, IMD data showed.

The weather stations at Ridge, Ayanagar, Mungeshpur, Najafgarh, Pitampura and Sports Complex recorded maximum temperatures of 43.9 degrees Celsius, 43.6 degrees Celsius, 43 degrees Celsius, 43.3 degrees Celsius, 43.4 degrees Celsius and 43.9 degrees Celsius, respectively. -- PTI

22:11 Pak Assembly session adjourned again

The National Assembly session to decide the fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan via voting on a no-confidence motion against him stands adjourned yet again.

It was expected to resume at 9:30 pm (local time) after Isha prayers but appears to have been delayed.

An Indian-origin man who ran a secretive extremist Maoist cult in London and was sentenced to 23 years in jail by a United Kingdom court for a string of sexual assaults six years ago has died in jail.

Aravindan Balakrishnan, known to his followers as Comrade Bala, was sentenced for six counts of indecent assault, four counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm back in 2016.

The 81-year-old found guilty of brutal violence died in custody at HMP Dartmoor prison in south-west England on Friday, the UK Prison Service said.

The cult leader had been convicted following a jury trial in December 2015, where it emerged that he had kept his daughter in captivity for over 30 years of her life.

The daughter described her situation in court as "horrible, dehumanising and degrading".

Sentencing Balakrishnan in January 2016, the judge said: "You decided to treat her as a project, not a person. You claimed to do it for her to protect her from the outside world, but you created a cruel environment."

Balakrishnan, born in a village of Kerala, lived and grew up in Singapore and Malaysia before moving to the UK in 1963 to study at the London School of Economics.

It is there that he met Chanda, whom he married in 1969 at about the time he began his collective.

Scotland Yard raided the couple's flat in Brixton, south London, in November 2013 after two followers had called the Palm Cove Society charity seeking help.

Balakrishnan had denied charges of rape and told the jury that he was the focus of competition between jealous women who made sexual advances at him.

The sentencing followed a lengthy investigation into a case which Scotland Yard detectives described as completely unique.

Detective chief superintendent Tom Manson, from the Metropolitan Police's Organised Crime Command, said at the time: "It seems extraordinary that Balakrishnan could command such control over so many people, however all of the victims have told us in great detail that they very much believed his claims of power and greatness and the threats he made to them. They all described feelings of fear and being totally controlled him.

"All of the women have faced huge challenges in adapting to day-to-day life since they left Balakrishnan's control but with the support of a number of charities and professionals are making exceptional progress and their bravery deserves recognition and praise, he added. -- PTI

21:08 Pak Assembly session adjourned till 10 pm

The proceedings of the National Assembly's crucial session during which voting could take place on a no-confidence motion against embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was adjourned till 9.30 pm (10:00 pm IST) on Saturday, shortly after it resumed after Iftar break.

The National Assembly has suspended its proceedings till 7:30 pm (IST 8:00 pm) for Iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramzan to break the day's fast.

Soon after the session resumed, it was again adjourned.

The session will now resume at 9:30 pm (10:00 pm IST) after Isha prayers.

21:02 IMD's Twitter handle hacked

The India Metrological Department's Twitter handle was hacked on Saturday evening and efforts were on to restore it, officials said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the hacking.

This comes at a time when the IMD handle has been attracting a lot of traffic due to the ongoing intense heatwave in parts of India.

"The Twitter handle has been hacked and we are trying to restore it," IMD Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

20:39 Pak Assembly session resumes for no-trust vote

The proceedings of a crucial session of the National Assembly for voting on the no-confidence motion against embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan resumed on Saturday after Iftar.

The National Assembly has suspended its proceedings till 7:30 pm (IST 8:00 pm) for Iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramzan to break the day's fast. Voting on the no-confidence motion is expected after 8 pm (IST 8:30 pm).

The crucial session of the National Assembly to decide the fate of Prime Minister Khan began on Saturday morning.

Shortly afterwards, Speaker Asad Qaiser decided to adjourn the session when Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif took the floor on a point of order and made a small speech reminding the Speaker that he was bound to go ahead as per the apex court's order.

During his speech, the lawmakers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf kept interrupting by constantly speaking and kept calling him a beggar - a tacit reference to his recent statement where he said, "beggars can't be choosers".

Speaking in the National Assembly session after the adjournment, Khawaja Saad Rafique of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said the Speaker had promised that the voting would be held after Iftar.

According to Geo News, the voting is expected to take place after 8 PM. The session was originally adjourned till 12:30 pm, but was seemingly delayed as Opposition and government members held meetings.

Separately, the government has filed a review petition against the apex court's decision to set aside the deputy speaker's April 3 ruling, the Dawn newspaper reported.

A new version of the Pinaka rocket system has been successfully flight-tested by the DRDO and the Indian Army at the Pokhran firing ranges, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

As many as 24 Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket Systems (EPRS) were fired for different ranges during the last fortnight and the weapons met the required accuracy and consistency, it said.

The EPRS is the upgraded version of the Pinaka variant that has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade.

The ministry said the rocket system has been upgraded with advanced technologies enhancing the range to meet the emerging requirements.

"Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket System (EPRS) and Pinaka Area Denial Munition (ADM) rocket systems have been successfully flight-tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Army at Pokhran firing ranges," the ministry said in a statement.

"With these trials, the initial phase of technology absorption of EPRS by the industry has successfully been completed and the industry partners are ready for user trials/series production of the rocket system," it added.

The Pinaka rocket system has been developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune, supported by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, another Pune-based laboratory of the DRDO.

After establishing the performance efficacy of the enhanced range version of Pinaka, the technology was transferred to Munitions India Limited and Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.

"Rockets manufactured by MIL under transfer of technology from DRDO were flight-tested during this campaign. Different variants of munitions and fuses which can be used in the Pinaka rocket system were also successfully test evaluated in the Pokhran field firing range," the defence ministry said.

DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy has congratulated the teams involved in the project for completing the flight trials of the rockets. -- PTI

20:23 NCP MP Supriya Sule's security upgraded

A day after MSRTC employees staged an angry protest outside NCP president Sharad Pawar's residence here, the Maharashtra police on Saturday upgraded the security cover provided to his daughter and MP Supriya Sule from `X' category to `Y plus', an official said.

During the protest outside Pawar's bungalow on Pedder Road on Friday, Sule, the MP from Baramati, had faced the angry protesters and tried to reason with them.

After the incident, police increased the security of the Pawar family.

"Sule's security was elevated to Y plus escort as a precautionary measure," said a senior official.

The security at Pawar's Mumbai residence as well as at his house in Baramati in Pune district has been enhanced too, officials said.

Police have arrested 110 persons in connection with the protest. -- PTI

Sri Lanka's central bank has decided to hike interest rates by an unprecedented 700 basis points to tame high inflation amid the worst economic crisis that has led to protests across the country and put President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under mounting pressure to resign.

The move comes as Sri Lanka's main Opposition party SJB on Friday announced that it will move a no-confidence motion against the government of President Rajapaksa and is prepared to impeach the embattled leader if he fails to address the concerns of the public facing hardships due to the economic crisis.

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on Friday decided to increase the Standing Deposit Facility Rate and the Standing Lending Facility Rate of the Central Bank by 700 basis points to 13.50 per cent and 14.50 per cent, respectively, effective from the close of business on April 8.

The Board noted that the inflationary pressures could further intensify in the period ahead, driven by the build-up of aggregate demand, domestic supply disruptions, exchange rate depreciation and the elevated prices of commodities globally.

It was of the view that a substantial policy response is imperative to arrest the buildup of added demand-driven inflationary pressures in the economy and preempt the escalation of adverse inflationary expectations, to provide the required impetus to stabilise the exchange rate and also to correct anomalies observed in the market interest rate structure.

Meanwhile, protests continued across the country, demanding the resignation of the President and the entire Rajapaksa family from the government.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the capital on Saturday, demanding President Rajapaksa's resignation as the country experiences its worst economic crisis since independence from British rule in 1948.

Large crowds carrying the national flag and banners walked into Central Colombo's Galle Face Esplanade, despite a government notice reading the place is out of bounds due to urgent construction work. One of the placards read: "Go home, Gota!"

Protests are being organised via social media networks. According to users on Facebook, the number of people at the protest on Saturday in Central Colombo is set to swell to 1 million. -- PTI

Actor Priyanka Chopra has urged world leaders to stand up and deal with the "humanitarian and refugee crisis" emerging out of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Chopra, who is the goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, took to her Instagram on Friday and posted a video, appealing to the world leaders to support the crisis in Eastern Europe and asked for action to be taken to help the displaced people from Ukraine.

"World leaders, this is a direct appeal to you. We need you to answer the call from activists and advocates working to support the humanitarian and refugee crisis that we are watching unfold every day in Eastern Europe. We need you to take immediate action to help the displaced people from Ukraine, and all around the world, she said.

Chopra stated that more than two million children have been forced to leave everything behind in search of safety in the neighbouring countries.

"Together with 2.5 million children internally displaced inside Ukraine, it's one of the fastest, largest large-scale displacements of children since World War II. These numbers are staggering, she said.

The actor believes the traumatic experiences of the war will forever be etched into the memories of many youths.

"None of these children will ever be the same again after what they have seen and what they have experienced, she said.

"So the leaders of the UK, Germany, Japan, Norway, and Australia, when you meet to decide how much funding you will give to support humanitarian aid, will you stand up for refugees everywhere? Will you contribute the billions they need," she added.

On a concluding note, Chopra asked her fans and followers to support the cause.

I'm asking everyone who sees this video to please amplify this call. Post yourself, share a video from an activist or share this video, so that our leaders know we need the world to stand up and support refugees. This is the largest refugee crisis we have seen as human beings, she said.

Earlier, Chopra in the month of February had dubbed the Russian military attack on Ukraine as "terrifying" and said it was difficult to understand how the situation had escalated to a "catastrophic point". -- PTI

The Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday wondered if the "attack" on the residence of party supremo Sharad Pawar in south Mumbai was a pre-planned conspiracy to create instability in the state and demanded that his security cover be upgraded.

A group of striking employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) had staged a sudden protest outside 'Silver Oak', Sharad Pawar's bungalow on Pedder Road in south Mumbai on Friday afternoon, accusing him of not doing anything to help them. Some of the protesters had hurled footwear in the direction of Pawar's residence. Police have so far arrested 110 people in connection with the protest.

Incidentally, Pawar, a former Union minister, enjoys Z plus security cover.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, NCP chief spokesman Mahesh Tapase said party workers will not sit quietly if the attack was politically motivated and aimed at creating instability in the state.

"Was the attack on Pawar's house part of a pre-planned conspiracy to create instability in the state?" Tapase asked.

He said the NCP's election manifesto never spoke of the merger of the MSRTC with the state government but highlighted the modernisation of the corporation.

Employees of the state transport body, which has over 90,000 persons on its payroll, are on strike since November 2021. While Pawar's party is part of the ruling coalition, the transport portfolio is held by the Shiv Sena's Anil Parab.

The main demand of the striking workers is that the cash-strapped transport corporation is merged with the state government. -- PTI

Imran Khan is the "first captain who is running from the pitch with wickets because he fears that he will lose the match," Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said in the National Assembly on Saturday, as he asked the embattled Prime Minister to "show some sportsman spirit," before leaving office.

Pakistan Parliament's crucial session to take up a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan resumed after a long adjournment on Saturday and voting on the motion is expected to take place in the evening after a discussion on the so-called "foreign conspiracy" against his government.

The PPP Chairman trained his guns on Khan, who was conspicuous by his absence in the National Assembly, when the session began at 10.30 am on Saturday, in line with the landmark Supreme Court order.

"Imran Khan is not present in the Parliament because he cannot defend himself. Conspiracies against the constitution will not succeed," he said, while adding that before Khan leaves his office, he should "show some sportsman spirit."

Bilawal told the Speaker Asad Qaiser that he was violating the Constitution and the court's order.

"You cannot take up anything else except for what is on the agenda. Not only you, the speaker also did the same," he told him, demanding that voting be held on the no-confidence motion.

"If you don't come to today's agenda, then you should know that the opposition will not leave [...] we will snatch our constitutional rights from you."

He said that the government of Khan had lost its majority in the assembly. "We can debate on the foreign conspiracy for 100 days but first conduct voting."

The PPP Chairman alleged that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was responsible for the premier's troubles, again calling for a vote to be held on the no-confidence motion.

Bilawal, 33, stated that the National Security Committee meeting's minutes do not mention the no-confidence motion in it.

18:34 Imran calls cabinet ministers meeting at 9 pm

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of his cabinet ministers late on Saturday night, even though his government is expected to lose the no-confidence motion scheduled to take place later in the evening, according to local media reports.

Khan has summoned the Cabinet Meeting at 9.00 pm at the Prime Ministers' House in Islamabad.

Important decisions are expected in the meeting, Geo News reported quoting high-level sources.

However, the meeting has taken many by surprise as the no-confidence vote is expected to be completed by around 8.00 PM and Khan has little chance of surviving it.

Khan, who has been saying that he will fight till the last ball, may delay the Opposition parties' no-confidence vote by making his Members of National Assembly make lengthy speeches on the purported "foreign conspiracy" in bringing down his government, the sources said.

Khan has been claiming that the Opposition's no-confidence motion against him was the result of a "foreign conspiracy" because of his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power.

In an address to the nation on Friday, the 69-year-old prime minister reiterated his allegations that a senior US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.

The US has bluntly rejected the allegations. -- PTI

18:16 A R Rahman's tweet triggers language debate

The main opposition in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK on Saturday said people may learn Hindi on their own volition but imposition of the language is unacceptable.

An image posted by Oscar winning music composer A R Rahman on Tamil language has meanwhile led to an animated debate in the social media on languages.

Quoting Dravidian icon, the late C N Annadurai, AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam said if needed, people willing to learn Hindi may do so voluntarily. However, foisting Hindi on people is never acceptable, the AIADMK coordinator tweeted.

The former Chief Minister said his party stood firm in the two language policy of Tamil and English in keeping with the ideology of Annadurai. "#StopHindiImposition," Panneerselvam said.

Meanwhile, several Twitter users linked Rahman's post apparently to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on Hindi and subsequent reactions from several quarters.

Reacting to Amit Shah's statement on April 7 that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative to English and not to local languages, Chief Minister M K Stalin had said that it would wreck the nation's integrity.

The Rahman posted image's caption 'Tamizhanangu' is obviously a pointer to invocation song to mother Tamil.

A line, appearing as a footnote to the image, is from a popular poem of celebrated Tamil nationalist poet Barathidasan and it denotes that Tamil language serves as the root to the rights of the Tamil people.

An artistic depiction of a white saree clad woman in the centre, against a background of red is seen as a subtle reference to mother Tamil and opposition to imposition of Hindi.

While a section of social media users lauded Rahman saying he has posted this image with a red background to denote opposition to Hindi and full support to Tamil, there were others who questioned him on the intent behind posting the image.

A user, replying to the top notch musician alleged that Rahman built his career, earned money and fame and everything by doing Hindi movies and now started targeting Hindi.

On Thursday, Presiding over the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee in Delhi, Shah had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided that the medium of running the government is in the official language and this would definitely increase the importance of Hindi. -- PTI

Thirteen people have been arrested and booked for sedition in connection with the "anti-national" sloganeering inside the famous Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, police said on Saturday.

The accused had received instructions from Pakistani handlers of terror outfits to disrupt Friday prayers and create a law and order situation by provoking people, Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar Rakesh Balwal said.

The sloganeering took place after the culmination of congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of the city on Friday with around twenty four thousand people in attendance -- the largest in recent history, Balwal said.

In addition to sedition charge, those arrested will also be booked under the Public Safety Act, he added.

"About a dozen persons started anti-national and provocative sloganeering for a while. They were joined by a few others even though most of the gathering remained aloof," he said.

"There was also an altercation between the persons indulging in sloganeering and the volunteers of Intezamia (managing) Committee of the mosque who tried to stop the sloganeering and hooliganism, he added.

This led to clashes between the two sides, the SSP said, adding that the "hooligans" were evicted from the mosque by the volunteers.

"Even after coming outside, more than a dozen of them tried to provoke others by continuing to raise the provocative slogans but failed. They then dispersed seeing the police presence around, he said.

Balwal said a case was registered under sections 124A (sedition) and 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code at the Nowhatta police Station.

"During the course of the investigation, technical means were adapted to identify the hooligans and raids were conducted at different locations which led to the arrest of two main instigators of sloganeering -- Basharat Nabi Bhat, resident of Hawal, and Umar Manzoor Sheikh, resident of Bahuddin Saab, Nowhatta," he said.

Both have been formally arrested in the case.

"Eleven more accused were subsequently arrested in this case who were involved in the sloganeering and hooliganism inside the Jamia Masjid and at the gate," the SSP said.

The Imran Khan government has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court's verdict on the Deputy Speaker's ruling over the no-trust motion in the National Assembly.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had overturned a move by PM Khan to block a parliamentary vote seeking to oust him.

The dismissal of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was "unconstitutional", the Supreme Court had said.

It reconstituted the national assembly and ordered the Speaker to call a session.

16:12 Covishield, Covaxin prices cut to Rs 225

A day before Covid vaccine booster shots become available to all Indian adults, the prices of Covishield and Covaxin at private hospitals have been slashed by more than half.

Both the vaccine doses will now cost Rs 225.

While Covishield has been slashed from Rs 600, Covaxin is down from Rs 1,200 per dose.

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and Bharat Biotech cofounder Suchitra Ella made the announcement on Twitter today.

Actor-model Malaika Arora, who recently sustained minor injuries after she met with an accident, says she is recovering and will return to work soon.

Last week, Arora met with an accident near Khopoli on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and was admitted to a hospital and kept under observation. She came home the same day.

On Saturday, the 48-year-old actor shared a lengthy note on Instagram, thanking all those who took care of her and prayed for her well-being.

She said moments like these are not "epiphanies but strong reminders" that one must always offer gratitude to those, who shower love and good wishes, especially at a time when it is most needed.

"A big heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for being there making sure I come out of this with renewed vigour. I'm now on my road to recovery and I assure you, I'm a fighter and I'll be back before you know it!," Arora wrote.

She said the last few days and the events that unfolded have been quite "unbelievable".

"Thinking about it in retrospect feels like a scene from a film and not something that actually happened, she added.

The actor expressed gratitude to her own staff, doctors, family and friends for all their care and support.

"Thankfully, immediately after the accident, I felt like I was enveloped with the care from so many guardian angels -- be it my staff, the people who helped me reach the hospital, my family who stood by me throughout this ordeal and the amazing hospital staff. My doctors ensure my safety in the most caring way possible at every step.

"They made me feel safe and secure instantly and I am so very grateful for that. And finally, ofcourse the love that came in from my friends, family, my team and my Insta fam was just so reassuring," she wrote.

Arora's partner actor Arjun Kapoor, sister Amrita Arora, friend Kareena Kapoor Khan, had visited her this week. -- PTI

The father of a rape victim in the infamous Asaram Bapu case has expressed threat to his life and that of his family by the self-styled godman's supporters.

This comes a day after a girl's body was recovered from a car parked inside one of Asaram's ashrams in Gonda.

"A follower of Asaram left a threat letter at our house after hurling abuses at me on March 21. Derogatory language has been used in the letter and the person has also mentioned his address on it," the victim's father told PTI over phone on Saturday.

Following the threat, the police deployed two constables outside their house and since then, one of them was withdrawn from duty.

On the day the man received the threat, he said the only constable on duty was not present.

"I have given a written complaint regarding this but the police have not done anything about it," the man claimed.

Superintendent of Police, Sitapur, S Anand said, "We have not received any report regarding any threat given to the victim or her family. Appropriate action will be taken if we receive such a complaint. However, I will also get the incident looked into at my level."

The victim in this case had accused Asaram of rape in 2013.

On April 28, 2018, the court awarded life imprisonment to the self-styled godman.

He is currently in a Rajasthan jail.

Meanwhile, the police are yet to arrest the accused in the case pertaining to the recovery of the 13-year-old girl's body from a car at Asaram's ashram on Friday. -- PTI

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor and her entrepreneur husband Anand Ahuja have reported a theft of Rs 2.4 crore from their New Delhi residence, police said on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Amrutha Guguloth said that the couple had filed a report on February 23 about a theft at their house on Amrita Shergill Marg.

They had complained that some cash and jewellery worth Rs 2.4 crore was stolen.

They had noticed the theft on February 11, but approached the police only on February 23, the DCP said.

A case under section 381 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Tughlaq Road Police Station on the same day and investigation was started, she said.

Teams have been formed and examination of the evidence is underway, she added. -- PTI

The National Assembly session to decide the fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan has resumed after a lengthy delay.

According to Geo News, the voting is now expected to take place after 8 pm local time, post iftaar.

MGP's Sudin Dhavalikar

15:06 Goa CM inducts three more ministers; MGP's Dhavalikar figures in list

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday expanded his cabinet by inducting three more MLAs as ministers, including Sudin Dhavalikar, who belongs to the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai administered the oath of office to the three new ministers.

Apart from Dhavalikar of the MGP, two BJP MLAs -- Nilkant Halarnkar and Subhash Faldesai -- took oath.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan.

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant was present along with other members of the cabinet.

Sawant had taken oath as the chief minister along with eight other ministers on March 28 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaving three ministerial berths vacant at that time. With the addition of three, there are now 12 members in his cabinet, including Sawant himself.

Dhavalikar was a minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led as well as Sawant-led governments between 2017 till 2019 before he was dropped from the cabinet ahead of the last Lok Sabha polls.

Halarnkar was minister in the erstwhile Congress-led governments and had shifted his political affiliation to the BJP in 2019 along with nine other MLAs.

Faldesai became a minister for the first time.

In the recently concluded elections in Goa, the BJP won 20 seats, one short of the majority in the 40-member House. Three independent MLAs and two legislators of the MGP had extended their support to the BJP. -- PTI

The Madhya Pradesh Congress burnt the effigies of film actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar for allegedly being selective in their criticism of fuel price hikes and inflation, with the party highlighting some of their tweets when the UPA was in power.

The ruling BJP, meanwhile, called the Congress' move to burn effigies of the two actors on Friday as an act of frustration.

"In 2012, these actors used to tweet against fuel price hikes and inflation by writing that vehicles can be purchased but one would need loans to buy petrol, diesel. At that time, an LPG cylinder used to cost Rs 300-400, while petrol and diesel was around Rs 60 per litre," Congress MLA PC Sharma, who organised this protest, told PTI on Saturday.

These actors are now silent under the BJP dispensation despite LPG cylinders costing over Rs 1,000 and petrol-diesel retailing in the Rs 100-120 range, Sharma said.

"They have no concern for the common man," the Congress leader alleged.

Hitting back, MP Medical Education Vishwas Sarang called the move unfortunate and said the Congress used to praise Bachchan when he was a Lok Sabha MP from that party.

The Congress no longer likes Bachchan as he refused to accept the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, Sarang claimed.

"Amitabh Bachchan is a film megastar loved by the entire world. Burning his effigy shows the frustration of the Congress," the BJP leader said. -- PTI

14:54 UP Police books seer who issued 'rape threat'

A Uttar Pradesh seer, who allegedly delivered a hate speech against a community and made a rape threat, has been booked, police in Sitapur said on Saturday.

Bajrang Muni Das, the mahant of the Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram in Khairabad town, allegedly made the speech and threat on April 2 and the video of it surfaced on social media platforms on Thursday.

"A case has been registered against Mahant Bajrang Muni Das over his hate speech in Khairabad. After collection of evidence and inquiry, police will initiate action accordingly," Additional Superintendent of Police Sitapur, Rajiv Dikshit, said.

Das has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections related to making hate speech and derogatory statements.

Hours after the case was registered against Das on Friday, a video surfaced online, in which he apologises and says his statement was presented in a "wrong way".

"My statement has been presented in a wrong way. I seek unconditional apology for the same," he said.

The National Commission for Women on Friday sought Das' arrest and reprimanded police saying it cannot be a mute spectator and should take appropriate measures to curb such incidents.

In a two-minute video containing the hate speech, which is said to have been recorded on April 2, Das can be heard saying if any Hindu girl is teased by a man belonging to a particular community, he would himself rape a woman of that community. -- PTI

Bilawal Zardari Bhutto in Parliament

14:39 Pak Oppn meets NA Speaker, demands immediate voting

A delegation of Pakistan Opposition leaders met with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in his chamber on Saturday and demanded immediate voting on the no-confidence motion that could seal the fate of embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan, following the adjournment of the session over ruckus in Parliament.

The historic session of the National Assembly to decide the fate of Prime Minister Khan began on Saturday.

Shortly afterwards, however, Speaker Qaiser decided to adjourn the session when Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif took the floor on point of order and made a small speech reminding the Speaker that he was bound to go ahead as per the top court's order.

During his speech, the lawmakers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf kept interrupting by constantly speaking and kept calling him a "beggar" -- a tacit reference to his recent statement where he said, "beggars can't be choosers".

Following the adjournment of the National Assembly session, a delegation of the joint opposition met with Speaker National Assembly Qaiser in his chamber to again urge him to carry out his constitutional responsibility towards the house, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

The Opposition demanded the voting on the no-confidence resolution take place on Saturday, as per the Supreme Court's orders.

The delegation maintained that the house should be run as per the apex court's ruling, adding that the lawmakers from the treasury benches were intentionally creating a ruckus in the parliament.

The joint opposition's delegation also consisted of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto. -- PTI

Two people were arrested for allegedly robbing the handbag of a 54-year-old counsellor working at the Italian embassy in New Delhi, police said on Saturday.

On April 2, the counsellor, a Noida resident, lodged a complaint at the Lodhi Colony police station about the robbery that had taken place on the Barapulla flyover on March 30, a senior officer said.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 7 pm when she was going home from her office in Chankyapuri.

The bag contained a mobile phone, Aadhar card, PAN card, service ID card, two debit cards, a pair of gold earrings and a gold ring, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Benita Mary Jaiker said.

During investigation, it was revealed Narender (26) of Sunlight Colony and Ashish Barwa (28) of Hari Nagar, Ashram, had been arrested by the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station in a robbery case on March 31, they said.

The duo disclosed during interrogation that they had committed a robbery on March 30 near Soochna Bhawan, and the mobile phone looted of the complainant was recovered from their possession, the police said. -- PTI

The Pakistan Assembly session is yet to reconvene.

The session was set to start at 12:30 pm local time.

No official reason has been given for the delay.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was conspicuous by his absence in the National Assembly, which commenced its proceedings on Saturday to take up the no-confidence motion on the direction of the Supreme Court.

The no-confidence motion is listed fourth on the day's agenda of the National Assembly.

While the Opposition has come out in full force, very few members of the treasury benches were seen in attendance. Prime Minister Imran Khan was also not present in the House, reported Geo News.

Pakistan federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government could be shifted to next week.

As proceedings of the Pakistan National Assembly session began with the specific mandate to take up the no-confidence motion against the government and the election of the new leader of the House got underway today, Geo News reported that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has prepared its strategy to scuttle the proceedings and delay the voting by directing MPs to give lengthy speeches on the 'foreign conspiracy"

Talking to Geo News, the minister for information and law said that the foreign secretary will brief the House on the "threat letter", so the voting on no-confidence may not happen and may be deferred till next week.

The news outlet stated that according to sources, despite the court's orders, the PTI-led government has planned not to conduct voting on a no-confidence motion today.

They added that PTI members of the National Assembly have been directed to hold "long debates during the NA session," so the voting can be "avoided due to a shortage of time."

Gujarat reported its first case of XE, a sub-variant of Omicron, after a man from Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19 during his visit to Vadodara, an official said on Saturday.

The man had tested positive for the infection last month and later returned to Mumbai. But the report about detection of the XE sub-variant in him was received on Friday, he said, adding that the man's current status is not known to the authorities in Vadodara.

XE, the latest mutant of Omicron may be more transmissible than the previous ones, the World Health Organization has said.

"A man from Santa Cruz in Mumbai, had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 12 during his visit to Vadodara. His wife was accompanying him," Medical Officer of Health, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Devesh Patel said.

As per the results of his sample's genome sequencing received yesterday, he is found to have been infected with the new mutant XE, a sub-variant of Omicron, he said.

The man had visited Vadodara due to some work and stayed at a hotel. After developing fever, he got himself tested for COVID-19 at a private lab, the result of which came positive, Patel said.

"He was found positive on March 12. His sample was sent for genome sequencing. As per the result, declared yesterday, he was found infected with a new mutant XE variant," he said.

"He had provided local address of his relatives for his sample. He had returned to Mumbai on his own soon after. No further status of the patient is known to the local authorities," Patel added.

Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser adjourns the House proceedings till 12.30pm local time.

Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged, the music icon confirmed on her official website

The couple, who rekindled their romance in 2021 nearly 18 years after they called off their last engagement, are planning to get married now.

Lopez, 52, first teased the "exciting and special" announcement on her Facebook and Instagram page, following which she shared an email to her inner circle.

The message shared on Lopez's website for fans included a clip of the singer admiring a huge, green diamond on her ring finger.

Lopez and Affleck, 49, first started dating after working on the movie Gigli.

They got engaged in November 2002, but Lopez called off the engagement in early 2004, and got married to singer Marc Anthony by June of the same year.

The couple went on to have twins Max and Emme in 2008.

Affleck married actor Jennifer Garner in 2005 and welcomed three children together: daughters Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel.

Fondly addressed as 'Bennifer' by the fans and media alike, Lopez and Affleck reconciled last year in May following the pop star's split with Alex Rodriguez.

Shahbaz Sharif/ANI

11:26 Pak speaker urged to stand for Constitution, law

Leader of Opposition in Pakistan National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif has said that Speaker Asad Qaiser would carry out Saturday's proceedings of the House as per the Supreme Court order.

"I hope you (Speaker) will carry out today's proceedings of the House as per the Supreme Court order. I urge you to stand for the Constitution and law. You must catch this moment with your conviction,' said Shahbaz Sharif.

There should also be a discussion on the issue of "international conspiracy" on Saturday, said Speaker Asad Qaiser. -- ANI

The Pakistan National Assembly began its crucial session to vote on the no-confidence motion brought against the Imran Khan government by the Opposition on Saturday morning.

Foreign Minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi present in the National Assembly.

The sitting follows the ruling of the Pakistan supreme court setting aside the ruling of Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri rejecting the no-confidence motion.

The court set aside the dissolution of the Pakistan National Assembly and all the subsequent decisions taken.

It gave directions for holding a sitting of the National Assembly "not later than 10:30 am on April 9" for the no-trust vote, and that the National Assembly session must not be adjourned until a vote on the motion.

The Supreme Court also said that if Imran Khan is removed as a result of the no-confidence motion, the new leader of the House should be elected in the same session. -- Agencies

The Karnataka government has banned animal slaughter and sale of meat on Ram Navami.

"We will follow government orders and not conduct business on Sunday,' said Mohammed Zamrud, a mutton retailer from Cox Town, in Bengaluru. -- ANI

Voting on no-trust motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan can be shifted to next week, said Federal Minister for Information and Law Fawad Chaudhry, reports Pakistan's Geo News. -- ANI

10:41 Members start reaching Pak Parl for trust vote

Members of the National Assembly have started to arrive at Parliament House on Saturday morning ahead of the crucial no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan following the Supreme Court order, reported Pakistan's media.

Security forces have been deployed outside the Pakistan National Assembly in Islamabad on the day of no-confidence vote against Imran Khan. -- ANI

Six fire-fighters were among nine people who were injured while trying to douse a blaze at an electrical components manufacturing factory in the Anand Parbat area here on Saturday morning, officials said.

It is suspected that the fire broke out after an LPG cylinder exploded around 5:15 am, they said.

Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused by around 7:05 am, the officials said. Six fire department personnel, a policeman, a Delhi Disaster Management Authority official and a local were injured, the Delhi Fire Services said. -- PTI

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09:48 India reports 1,150 new COVID-19 cases, 83 fatalities

India reported a single-day rise of 1,150 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally in the country to 4,30,34,217, while the count of active cases fell to 11,365, according to the Union health ministry on Saturday.

The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,21,656 with 83 daily fatalities being reported, data updated by the ministry at 8 am showed.

The count of active cases currently comprises 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate is at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.

A reduction of 127 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, the data showed.

While the daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.25 per cent, the weekly positivity rate was at 0.23 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,25,01,196, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent, the data showed.

The cumulative number of doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 185.55 crore.

India's COVID-19 infection tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020.

The country crossed the grim milestones of two crore cases on May 4, 2021 and three crore on June 23. -- PTI

Days after Will Smith's slapping incident at Oscars 2022, the board of governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, on Friday, voted to ban the The Pursuit of Happiness star from all the Academy events for for 10 years.

The decision has been announced by the Academy via statement.

"Today, the board of governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith's actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards," president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in the statement.

The decision was made during a Board of Governors meeting held on Friday in Los Angeles.

The meeting, initially scheduled for April 18, was expedited after Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week, CNN reported.

The statement continued, "The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage."

"During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room," the letter went on to state. "For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short -- unprepared for the unprecedented," David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson added. -- ANI

President Joe Biden believes that the US-India partnership is the most important relationship the United States has in the world, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday (local time).

Speaking about the India-US 2+2 dialogue under the Biden administration next week, the White House press secretary said that the President expects that the dialogue will continue driving forward US' work with India and shared goals in Indo-Pacific region.

"President Biden believes our partnership with India is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. As you know, he met with Presi- -- Prime Minister Modi and other Quad leaders in March. He expects that at this 2+2, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin will continue driving forward our work with India and our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world," she said in a statement.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III will welcome Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an enhanced honour cordon ceremony at the Pentagon on April 11 (Sunday). -- ANI

09:14 Imran Khan to finally face no-trust vote today

Amid the chaotic political play for over a week, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will finally face the no-trust vote on Saturday following the Supreme Court's order.

Interestingly, for Pakistan National Assembly, which has notably never seen a prime minister complete the full 5-year-tenure and this is not going to be the first no-confidence motion against an elected leader.

Imran Khan's government suffered a setback on Thursday as Pakistan Supreme Court set aside the ruling of the deputy Speaker Qasim Suri in which he had rejected the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition.

The court set aside the dissolution of the Pakistan National Assembly and all the subsequent decisions taken.

It gave directions for holding a sitting of the National Assembly "not later than 10:30 am on April 9" for the no-trust vote.

Reinstating the National Assembly, the court also declared that the prime minister and federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers, etc, stand restored to their respective offices as on April 3.

The top court further ruled that the National Assembly session must not be adjourned until a vote on the motion. -- ANI

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09:12 Voting for 27 UP legislative council seats underway

Voting for 27 seats coming under local authorities'constituencies in the biennial polls for the Uttar Pradesh legislative council commenced on Saturday.

According to the office of the Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer, there are 95 candidates in the fray.

Polling will take place at 739 centres, and as many as 1,20,657 voters expected to exercise their franchise.

Voting will be held for the following local authorities' constituency -- Moradabad-Bijnor, Rampur-Bareilly, Pilibhit-Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Lucknow-Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Barabanki, Bahraich, Gonda, Faizabad, Basti-Siddharthnagar, Gorakhpur-Maharajganj, Deoria, Azamgarh-Mau, Ballia, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Jhansi-Jalaun-Lalitpur, Kanpur-Fatehpur, Etawah-Farrukhabad, Agra-Firozabad, Meerut-Ghaziabad and Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur.

These seats are spread over 58 districts in the state.

Voting began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm.

Counting will take place on April 12. Nine MLCs from eight local authorities' constituencies have been elected unopposed.

The constituencies are Budaun, Hardoi, Kheri, Mirzapur-Sonbhadra, Banda-Hamirpur, Aligarh, Bulandshahr and Mathura-Etah-Mainpuri. -- PTI

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08:30 Farmers asked to make passage of vehicles via toll plazas free on Apr 9

Haryana Bharat Kisan Union-Chaduni chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni on Friday asked the farmers to make passage of vehicles through various toll points free for three hours across the state on Saturday over various demands of the peasants.

In a video message on Friday evening, he appealed to the farmers to gather at toll points and make passage of vehicles through the toll plazas free for three hours from 10 am to 1 pm, he said.

Chaduni said a memorandum regarding the farmers' demands, which include Rs 500 per quintal bonus on wheat purchase, will be given to the government officials concerned at the toll points.

"We have to give a memorandum demanding Rs 500 per quintal to the farmers on their wheat purchase. These memorandums have to be given to the government officials at toll points," Chaduni said in his message to the farmers.

He said the memorandum for bonus on wheat will be addressed to the prime minister while the toll plazas-related memorandums will be addressed to the Union minister of road transport and highways.

During the farmers' agitation against now repealed agri laws, toll collection at most points had remained suspended for nearly a year in Haryana as the protesters had camped at the toll booths. -- PTI

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08:18 Lashkar commander killed in Anantnag encounter

A Lashkar-e-Tayiba local commander has been killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district early on Saturday morning, said the police.

"LeT commander Nisar Dar has been killed in Sirhama area of Anantnag district during the encounter with the security forces. Search is going on in the area to nab his accomplices,' said inspector general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar. -- ANI

00:40 Lt Gen ADS Aujla next Chinar Corps commander

Counter insurgency operations expert Lieutenant General ADS Aujla has been appointed as the next commander of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.

The officer has commanded a division in the Kashmir valley and has vast experience in counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration operations, Army officials said.

Aujla would succeed Lt Gen Devendra Pratap Pandey in Chinar Corps who is moving to the Army War College in Mhow as its Commandant.

The Chinar Corps is the Indian Army's main formation tasked with combating terrorism and counter-infiltration operations in the Kashmir valley and along the Line of Control with Pakistan.

Aujla belongs to the Rajputana Rifles regiment of the Indian Army and commanded the 15th battalion of the infantry regiment. -- ANI

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