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Wed, 24 April 2019
5.9-magnitude quake rocks NE
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23:42 5.9-magnitude quake rocks NE
A quake measuring 5.9 shook northeastern states in the early hours of Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property from anywhere due to the earthquake, authorities said.
The epicentre of the quake, which hit the region around 1:45 am, was about 40-km southeast of Along and 180-km southwest of Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, the IMD said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone and enquired about the impact and possible damages caused by the earthquake in the state and other parts of the region.
"The prime minister despite his extremely busy electioneering schedule took out time to assess the impact and possible damage caused by the earthquake.This shows his love and concern for Assam and other northeastern states," Sonowal said.
While the IMD said the quake measured about 5.9, the United States Geological Survey pegged it at 6.1.
Arunachal Pradesh Director General of Police S V K Singh said he contacted superintendents of police of all districts but no damage was reported from anywhere.
The districts where tremors were felt included those bordering Bhutan, Tibet and Myanmar, he said.
Prof Trilochan Singh, who was a geologist at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, described it as a 'shallow earthquake', considered dangerous for its impact within a radius of 40-50 km.
Mild earthquakes often occur in this Himalayan state, located in seismic zone 5, Singh said.
The earthquake zoning map of India divides the country into 4 seismic zones (Zone 2, 3, 4 and 5) unlike its previous version, which consisted of five or six zones.
According to the present zoning map, Zone 5 expects the highest level of seismicity whereas Zone 2 is associated with its lowest level.
A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake also struck Tibet close to India early Wednesday, authorities said.
There were no reports of casualties.
The quake, which struck at 4.15 am, jolted Medog county in Nyingchi city which is located close to Arunachal Pradesh. -- PTI
22:19 Denied nod to land chopper, Shivraj threatens DM
Anguished over being denied to land his chopper, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday resorted to threatening the Chhindwara district collector asking what will happen to him if he (Chouhan) comes back to power again.
He said, "O puppet collector! I will come back to power once again. What will happen to you then?"
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that Chief Minister Kamal Nath was intoxicated with power but he will not bow to his tactics.
Chauhan was scheduled to land in Umreth at around 5.30 pm but he was informed that he was allowed to land there only by 5 pm and not beyond that time.
"I would have reached Umreth at around 5.30 pm. But my staff was informed that I was allowed to land there by 5 pm, else they won't let me land," Chouhan told reporters in Chhindwara .
The former CM decided to not take the helicopter as he had to talk to the people of Gurmandi area in Chhindwara. -- ANI
21:52 BJP contesting on highest no. seats in its history
The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 437 candidates in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the highest number of seats the party has contested so far and perhaps for the first time more than its principal rival Congress.
The BJP had contested 427 seats in 2014 and won 282 of them, while the Congress had fielded candidates in 450 seats and bagged just 44.
Political observers say the BJP contesting on more seats than the Congress as a result of its expansion across the country post 2014.
The party also lost its ally in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where the party is contesting on all seats.
Similarly, the Congress is contesting on less number of seats than the BJP this time because it has allied with more parties as compared to 2014.
In Karnataka, where the party had contested on all seats in 2014, is now in alliance in with the Janata Dal-Secular.
The party has expanded its alliance in Bihar with the entry of new partners. -- PTI
21:07 Madurai bench of Madras HC lifts ban on TikTok
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court lifted the ban on Chinese video app TikTok on Wednesday.
The bench, led by Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar, lifted the ban on the basis of select regulatory conditions.
Earlier in this month, the Madras high court had banned the app due to the spread of pornographic content on its platform.
Senior advocate Isaac Mohanlal, who represented the app in the court, said that more than a million videos have been deleted and special teams have been constituted for closely monitoring content on the app.
The court, in its April 3 order, had directed the Centre to ban the mobile app, voicing concern over 'pornographic and inappropriate content' being made available through the app.
The order also restrained the media from telecasting videos made using the app.
The order had come after the court noted that through this app, children are being exposed to inappropriate content including pornography, adding that minors are also being exposed to strangers through this app.
"It is evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate contents are made available in this kind of cyber applications. The children are exposed to strangers and there is a possibility of the photographs and other private details of the children are being landed in the hands of predators or third parties," the bench had observed.
TikTok, an app that allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has over 54 million monthly active users in India. -- ANI
20:23 Gambhir's papers okayed hrs after AAP objection
The nomination of Bharatiya Janata Party's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir was accepted by the poll authorities on Wednesday, hours after the Aam Aadmi Party raised objections, alleging that documents submitted by him had 'shortcomings'.
AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi had alleged that there were 'issues' with the affidavit submitted by the cricketer-turned politician in his nomination.
"The stamp paper which has been furnished is dated April 23, 2019 whereas the notarial stamp on two of his affidavits have a date of April 18 and April 19 respectively," the AAP candidate said in a statement.
Her allegation was later examined by the Returning Officer of the constituency.
"Gambhir's nomination was examined by the authorities and has been accepted," a senior official of the Delhi CEO Office said.
Tuesday was the last day of filing nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, which is due on May 12.
The AAP had also raised objections on nominations filed by sitting South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
AAP's South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha on Wednesday alleged that Bidhuri's nomination also had a few 'shortcomings'.
A hearing was slated to take place in the evening at the Returning Officer's (RO) Office, a senior official had earlier said.
Bidhuri, a BJP leader is the lawmaker from the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. -- PTI
20:02 Truth and religion always win: Pragya on court ruling
Reacting to a court ruling which rejected the demand that she be barred from contesting polls, Malegaon blast accused and Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur on Wednesday said 'truth and religion' always win.
A special court for the National Investigation Agency cases in Mumbai on Wednesday rejected the application filed by the father of a victim of the 2008 Malegaon blast seeking to bar Thakur from contesting the Lok Sabha election.
"Truth is truth. Truth and dharm (religion) always triumph," Thakur, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Bhopal against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, told reporters in Bhopal.
Nisar Sayyad, who lost his son in the blast, had moved the court last week.
Rejecting his application, special judge V S Padalkar said the NIA court was not the right forum for the plea.
Thakur's lawyer J P Mishra submitted in the court that she was fighting the election for the 'cause of ideology' and for the 'sake of the nation' and 'to condemn the people who say there is Hindu terrorism'.
Sayyad had said that Thakur got bail (from the high court) on health grounds, but if she was healthy enough to contest election, then she has misled the court.
Thakur's lawyer, however, said her condition had improved but she had not fully recovered.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured in a blast at Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in north Maharashtra's Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Thakur and others in the case, alleging they were part of a Hindu extremist group which carried out the blast.
Thakur is facing trial in the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. -- PTI
19:16 SL Prez asks defence secy, police head to resign
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has asked Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and country's police chief Pujith Jayasundara to resign after their failure to prevent the deadly suicide blasts despite having the prior intelligence inputs about the attacks, a media report said on Wednesday.
In his address to the nation for the first time since the Easter Sunday blasts that killed 359 people and wounded more than 500 others, Sirisena last night said he will make make changes in top positions in the security establishment within the next 24 hours.
President Sirisena has requested Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayasundara and Defence Secretary Fernando to resign from their posts, the Sunday Times reported, quoting sources close to the president. Sirisena last night said that the people were questioning why action had not been taken by the top security officials despite the availability of intelligence support from a friendly neighbouring country.
Former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake is being considered for the post of Defence Secretary, the paper added.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter blasts in Sri Lanka and identified the seven suicide bombers who were involved in the attacks. -- PTI
IMAGE: A priest walks towards the St Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church three days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels across the island on Easter Sunday, in Colombo, on Wednesday. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters
18:59
BSE Sensex today.
18:30 Rohit Shekhar's wife sent to 2 day police remand
Rohit Shekhar Tiwari's lawyer wife Apoorva Shukla, arrested in connection with his murder, was sent to two-day police custody by a Delhi court on Wednesday.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat allowed interrogation of Shukla after the police sought her 3-day custody.
The judge also directed that the accused will be medically examined as per rules and allowed her lawyer to be present with her during interrogation and serve a copy of first information report.
The police told the court that they want to find out more clues related to this case and ruled out the possibility of any other suspect.
The lawyer appearing for Shukla opposed the plea for custody saying that she has cooperated throughout the investigation.
Earlier in the day, police had arrested her on charges of his Tiwari's murder, citing a 'turbulent and unhappy' marriage as the motive.
Rohit Shekhar, the son of the late veteran politician N D Tiwari, was smothered to death on the intervening night of April 15 and 16, an autopsy report said.
Apoorva, a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court, was being questioned in connection with the killing since last Sunday. -- PTI
18:20 PM aware I exist, also reads my work: Twinkle quips after Modi interview
Author and columnist Twinkle Khanna on Wednesday took Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments about her criticism of him on social media in 'positive' stride, saying she was glad he was not only aware about her existence but also her work.
Modi talked about Khanna's critique of his policies on Twitter in an interview with her husband, actor Akshay Kumar.
The prime minister joked that Kumar must be leading a relatively 'peaceful' life at home since Khanna vented all her anger against him on Twitter.
"I keep tabs on social media to know what is happening in the world. I also keep an eye on your and Twinkle Khanna's Twitter accounts. The way she vents her anger against me, your family life must be quite peaceful.
"She would take out all the anger against me. You must be at peace. In a way, I feel I have helped you, especially in Twinkle ji's case," Modi told Kumar in Hindi.
Khanna was quick to respond to the quote from the interview shared on the Bharatiya Janata Party's official Twitter account.
'I have a rather positive way of looking at this - Not only is the Prime Minister aware that I exist but he actually reads my work,' she tweeted.
Later in the interview, billed as 'candid and completely non-political', the prime minister also recalled meeting Khanna's maternal grandfather, entrepreneur Chunnibhai Kapadia.
Khanna, a newspaper columnist, is the author of books such as Mrs Funnybones and The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. -- PTI
17:46 Everybody wants Modi to continue as PM: Yogi
Everybody in the country wants Narendra Modi to continue as our Prime Minister, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while addressing an election rally here on Wednesday.
"Three phases of elections are over. Everywhere there is one voice and one desire - Narendra Modi should continue as the Prime Minister of India," he said.
"Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat should be the ideal dream and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government will help realise this dream," he said.
Highlighting the importance Chandauli for the state, Adityanath said: "Chandauli in reality is a very important place with a spiritual heritage besides being in the lap of the holy river of Ganga."
"It is also the food bowl of the state. Chandauli is also the workplace of late Jan Sangh thinker Deendayal Upadhyaya. Sufficient minimum support price has been ensured by the Central government," he said.
"In the first year of our government, we bought 37 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. In the second year, we bought 52 lakh metric tonne while in the coming year we plan to buy 55 lakh metric tonnes of wheat at Rs 1,860 per quintal," he said.
Talking about the hard work done by local MP Mahendra Nath Pandey, Yogi said: "From Central schools, roads, hospitals, to domestic gas connections for the poor, a lot has been done for the people of Chandauli."
Uttar Pradesh, where 80 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, is undergoing polls during all seven phases. So far, the election has been held for 26 Lok Sabah seats in the state. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. -- ANI
17:34 Afraid of Modi, Congress doing 'tantra-mantra': BJP
The Uttarakhand unit of Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said the Congress was resorting to 'tantra-mantra' as the party has failed to 'corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every other way'.
The remark came a day after former chief minister Harish Rawat reportedly claimed in Haldwani that Modi would lose if Priyanka Gandhi contested against him as his horoscope had kalsarpa yog, which meant he would ultimately face defeat at the hands of a woman.
"Having failed to corner Modi in every other way, the Congress is now resorting to tantra-mantra (superstition)," Uttarakahand BJP media chief Devendra Bhasin said on Wednesday.
Bhasin said Rawat's statements reflect the Congress' deep-seated fear of Modi and the party's desperation to grab power.
"It only shows Congress' desperation in the face of certain defeat," he added.
Bhasin claimed that people were with Modi and he is all set to helm the country's affairs for the next five years. -- PTI
17:20 India's voice heard due to my foreign trips: PM
Often in the line of opposition fire over his foreign trips, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India's might was being acknowledged globally because of his numerous visits abroad.
Taking on the opposition for the criticism that he was seen more abroad than in the country during his tenure as the prime minister, Modi said, hardly five years back India found it difficult to get its voice heard, but now the world stands with it.
"I read somewhere that Didi (Mamata Banerjee) has said this chaiwala was busy making foreign trips all these five years, but today India's might is being acknowledged everywhere because of these visits," he said while addressing an election rally in Kamarpara in Birbhum district.
Taking a dig at the opposition, he said, anybody whose party is contesting even 20-25 seats, wants to become the prime minister.
"Sab ghungroo bandhke taiyar ho gaye (everybody is decked up to take the hot seat)," he said, mocking them.
Thanking the Election Commission for its efforts to hold free and fair elections, the prime minister said, "Didi, however, is angry with the poll panel because of this very reason."
He also claimed that after the three phases of polling it has become clear from news reports that the Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's 'sun is about to set' in West Bengal.
"If Didi has the power of goondas, we have the strength of democracy," he added. -- PTI
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election rally ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo
16:21 Akhilesh claims Yogi can't use a laptop
"If I give a laptop to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he would waste two days, said former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday.
"Yogi Adityanath has stated that if there were no Constitution in India, Akhilesh would have been grazing buffalo. If I give him a laptop, he will waste two days on that. If he can have such thoughts about me, then his thoughts about the poor will be incomparable," said Yadav, while addressing an election rally in Hardoi, which goes to poll on April 29.
"What would Yogi Adiyanath be doing, if there were no Constitution? I will not say anything as you all know," he said and accused the BJP of "following divide and rule policy of the Britishers."
"Our country is going through a tough time. What Britishers did in our country is being done by the BJP. They are following the divide and rule policy. They make people fight with each other on the basis of their caste and religion. The party has not done enough for the poor," he said. -- ANI
16:10
Priyanka Gandhi terms Prime Minister Narendra Modi "Pradhan Prachar Mantri" or chief publicity minister.
16:09 Mehbooba demands release of Yasin Malik
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday demanded the release of separatist leader Yasin Malik."Yasin Malik should be released immediately as he is really unwell. Also other members of Jamaat-e-Islami should be released. Sadhvi Pragya on whom there are several serious accusations has been set free," Mufti said.
Delhi's Patiala House Court today sent Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik to judicial custody till May 24 in connection with a 2017 terror funding and conspiracy case.
Mehbooba also lodged a note of protest against a slew of measures brought about in the valley recently. -- PTI
15:59 Punjab CM's warning to ministers
Punjab CM and Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh: As per the high command's decision, incumbent ministers in Punjab who do not succeed in ensuring a victory for the Congress, specially from the constituencies they represent, will be dropped from the cabinet.
15:30 Can Cong win Mahoba? Priyanka steps in
Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday held a roadshow in Mahoba in favour of Pritam Singh Lodhi Kisan, the party candidate from Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat.
Pritam Singh joined Priyanka in the roadshow where a large number of supporters joined her.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Kunwar Pushpendra Singh Chandel had won from Hamirpur seat. He had defeated Pritam Singh Lodhi.
This time too, the two leaders are pitted against each other.
Uttar Pradesh, where 80 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, is undergoing polls during all seven phases. So far, the election has been held for 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. -- ANI
15:03 No ban on Pragya's candidature in LS polls
In a major relief to BJP's candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a special NIA court on Wednesday turned down the application filed by the father of a man victim of the 2008 Malegaon terror blast seeking to bar her from contesting the ongoing elections.
Special NIA Judge Vinod Padalkar while negating the plea, said, "In the ongoing elections this court does not have any legal powers to prohibit anyone from contesting elections. It is the job of the electoral officers to decide. This court can't stop the accused from contesting elections. This application is negated by this court."
During the course of hearing, Special Judge Padalkar stated that the agency cannot mention that there is no prima facie case against Thakur.
"....When a court of earlier NIA Judge had dismissed the discharge application, it means that the court has prima facie found material in the charges against the accused. At this juncture, NIA cannot state that there is no prima facie case against the accused as NIA has not challenged the order before the high court," Padalkar's order read.
During the course of hearing, NIA counsel told the court that the agency can't say anything on this as it cannot stay anyone's candidature in the election.
"That can be done by Election Commission itself. According to us, this court has no jurisdiction to prevent anyone from contesting elections as per Representation of People's Act," the NIA submitted before the court.
He also raised a question about the timing of the application and asked the lawyer of the applicant that if Pragya was in good health, why there was no objection to exemption given to her from appearing in the court.
On Tuesday, Thakur filed her response to the plea and dubbed the petition as "frivolous" adding that the plea was filed with a "political agenda" and was "publicity stunt"."
Thakur is among the seven accused facing trial in the Malegaon blast case, wherein six people were killed and a dozen others were injured when a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded in Maharashtra's Malegaon on September 29, 2008. -- ANI
14:28 PM snubs Oppn over EVM malfunction complaints
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday snubbed Opposition for crying foul over EVM malfunction in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.While addressing a rally at Jharkhand's, the Prime Minister said,
"They (Opposition) used to abuse Modi but since yesterday they have started to abuse EVMs. It seems that they have now decided to put the blame of their loss on the EVMs, just like a student whose exam does not go well, returns home and gives excuses that he did not have a good pen or the paper quality was bad.
"As three phases of the elections are over, the Opposition is left with no option but to accept the defeat," he added.He also slammed the Congress party for not doing enough to combat the menace of terrorism in the country.
"Two days back, everyone saw how terrorists targeted churches in Sri Lanka on Easter. The terrorists targeted the devotees on a holy day. Similarly, India use to face the same problem before 2014. The Congress which was in power at that time was scared of taking action against them," said the Prime Minister. -- ANI
13:30 Rest in peace
In Bengaluru, former PM HD Deve Gowda and Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy pay tribute to KG Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa, two JDS party workers who lost their lives in the Sri Lanka bombings.
13:14 SC summons CBI, IB on conspiracy against CJI
The Supreme Court Wednesday directed the CBI, IB and Delhi Police chiefs to appear before it and meet in chambers the judges hearing a lawyer's claims of a larger conspiracy to frame CJI Ranjan Gogoi on allegations of sexual harassment. The matter is being heard a three-judge special bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.
The bench said it will meet the CBI and IB directors and the Delhi Police commissioner in "secret".
"It is not an enquiry. We are meeting these officers in secret. We don't want any evidence to be disclosed," the bench also comprising justices R F Nariman and Deepak Gupta said. The matter relates to the independence of the judiciary in the country, the bench said. Mishra has termed the entire episode as "very disturbing".
It directed that the officers will meet the judges in chamber at 12:30 pm and the bench will reassemble to hear the matter again at 3 pm.
The lawyer, Utsav Singh Bains, has submitted a report in the Supreme Court regarding his claims that there was a conspiracy to frame the Chief Justice of India in a sexual harassment case. The court perused the report of the lawyer, which was filed in a sealed cover, about allegations that there are some who manage verdicts. -- PTI
Image: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.
12:54 Unhappy with marriage, wife killed ND Tiwari's son
Unhappy with the marriage, Apporva Shukla Tiwari smothered her husband Rohit Shekhar Tiwari to death while he was drunk, said the police after arresting her on Wednesday.
"She was unhappy with the marriage, Apoorva smothered him while Rohit was drunk. She committed the crime herself without any help. She will be produced in the court soon," officials of the Delhi Police Crime Branch said.
Apoorva was arrested today after three-day of interrogation. The arrest comes after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Sunday took Apoorva, a maid and a servant to an undisclosed location for interrogation in connection with Shekhar's death.
A case of murder (Section 302 of Indian Penal Code) was registered on Thursday after the post mortem examination report revealed that Rohit died an "unnatural death" due to "strangulation and smothering."
Rohit had fought a long battle in court to prove that he was the son of the stalwart Congress leader ND Tiwari. The former Chief Minister had refused to give his blood sample for a DNA test in 2012, but the same was proven two years later. -- ANI
11:29 Wife arrested in Rohit Shekhar's murder
Police on Wednesday arrested Rohit Shekhar Tiwari's wife on the charge of murder. Rohit's death took a twist with the needle of suspicion pointing at three individuals -- his lawyer wife Apoorva, chauffeur Akhilesh and trusted domestic help Golu.
The three were the only people present on the first floor of the Defence Colony bungalow where Rohit, the 40-year-old son of former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister ND Tiwari, was killed on the intervening night of April 15 and 16.
Earlier, police had questioned Apoorva in connection with the case. The Crime Branch team, probing the mysterious death of Rohit Shekhar, had earlier said it was awaiting FSL report to establish the role of the three suspects who were seen in a CCTV footage going to the first floor of house where the deceased stayed.
11:11 Twinkle quips: PM aware that I exist!
Twinkle Khanna reacts to PM Modi saying that he reads her tweets and is aware that she holds a different point of view from her husband Akshay Kumar about him.
@mrsfunnybones tweeted, "I have a rather positive way of looking at this-Not only is the Prime Minister aware that I exist but he actually reads my work :)."
In a candid interview with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, PM Modi said, "I never thought of coming this far because as a child I had not seen anything beyond the village. The journey started and the country took me along."
The hour-long interaction between the prime minister and the 'Khiladi' star, broadcast on Wednesday, was on a non-political theme, delving into the life of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister.
Image: Twinkle Khanna chills during Thanksgiving in November 2018. Pic courtesy: @mrsfunnybones
10:56 Death toll climbs to 359 in Sri Lanka bombings: police
The death toll in Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bomb attacks has risen to 359, police said on Wednesday amidst nationwide search operations to nab the perpetrators of the country's worst terror attack.
Several people were arrested in connection with the attacks on Tuesday, Police spokesman Ruwan Guansekera said. "The number of death now is 359," Guansekera said.
The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter blasts in Sri Lanka and identified the suicide bombers who were involved in the attacks. Seven suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, in the country's worst terror attack.
Gunasekera said that the search operations were carried out during Tuesday night's curfew hours in different parts of the country. Police arrested scores of people with their suspected links to the National Thowheeth Jamath, the group which officials beleive carried out the bombings.
Over 10 people have been arrested from the Muslim minority concentrated areas of Aluthgama and Beruwela, south of Colombo, police said. Further six were arrested at Katuwapitiya in the western coastal area where the bombed St Sebastian's Church is located. Giving information on the suicide bombers, the police said that the attacks at the Cinnamon Grand and Shangri La Hotels had been carried out by two brothers. -- PTI
10:21 Parineeti Chopra to star in Hindi remake of The Girl On The Train
Parineeti Chopra has been roped in for the official Hindi remake of Hollywood thriller "The Girl On The Train", the makers announced Wednesday. The actor will play an alcoholic divorcee, who becomes involved in a missing person's investigation.
The role was originally played by Emily Blunt, who received critical acclaim for her performance in the 2016 film. Parineeti said the viewers will see her in a different avatar with this film.
"I want to do roles that audiences haven't seen me in before and ones that require a lot of prep and homework, which is why 'The Girl On The Train' really worked for me. The character is an alcoholic and a victim of abuse, and I haven't explored anything like her on screen before," she said in a statement. The yet-to-be-titled film, based on Paula Hawkins' 2015 bestseller, will be directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. -- PTI
10:20 Tremors felt in Arunachal
This too is happening in the country. A medium-intensity earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hit Arunachal Pradesh early Wednesday, the National Centre for Seismology said. The epicentre of the quake was West Siang district, it said. The quake occurred at 1:45 am at the depth of 10 kilometres. The northeast region falls under a high-seismic zone and is prone to quakes.
-- PTI
-- PTI
10:12 The PM-Akshay chat: Mamatadi sends me kurtas
In the midst of the election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to talk about his personal life.
Here are some highlights of the 'non-political' interview:-
- I never thought that I would ever become the PM of this country. I am overwhelmed to see that people love me
- I am disciplined and like to follow a strict routine. I give 100% to my work and inspire my team to work hard
- I get angry, but have never expressed it. I was CM for a very long duration but did not get even a single opportunity to express anger
- I was fond of reading biographies. I have been influenced by Ramkrishna Mission
- I have great friends in the opposition. Mamata di (West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee) has sent me kurtas which she personally selected. Sheikh Hasina sent me some special mithai from Dhaka. When Mamata di heard that, she sent me mithai too.
-- The impression that has been created, that I'm strict and I get angry, a similar impression has been made about me and clothes. Till I became CM I used to wash clothes myself.
- I wanted to become a soldier during 1962 war.
-- I avoid using humour in today's times as I fear that my words will be twisted and misinterpreted for TRP.
-- Yes I do read tweets. I read tweets, yours and your wife Twinkle Khanna's too. Maybe due to the difference in views that you both have regarding me, I am sure you quarrel and hence you probably don't fight about other things (said in jest).
08:47 Chabahar port project won't be impacted by sanctions on Iran: US
The Chabahar port project, being developed by India in Iran, will not be impacted by United States President Donald Trump's decision not to renew exemptions that let eight countries including India to buy Iranian oil without facing American sanctions, a State Department official said.
"The exception for reconstruction assistance and economic development for Afghanistan, which includes the development and operation of Chabahar Port, is a separate exception, and is not affected by yesterday's announcement," a State Department Spokesperson told PTI.
A day earlier, Trump decided not to grant sanctions exemptions to any oil customers of Iran, further squeezing Tehran's top export commodity.
"The President's South Asia strategy underscores our ongoing support of Afghanistan's development as well as our close partnership with India," the spokesperson said.
"We seek to build on our close relationships with both countries as we execute a policy of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime," said the spokesperson in response to a question on the decision taken by Trump. -- PTI
08:32 Those doubting Balakot should've been tied to missiles: Fadnavis
In a potential controversial statement, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said had the BJP government known opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi would ask for proof of Balakot strike then they would have attached one of their leaders to the missile fired on Pakistan.
"Only Pakistan and Congress party's Rahul Gandhi were asking for proof of Balakot air strike. If we had known about it earlier, then one of your leaders could have been attached with a missile which was fired on Pakistan to go and see what our armed forces have done," said Fadnavis while addressing a public rally here on Tuesday.
He later clarified that he had made the remarks in jest.
"Pakistan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi always used to ask for proof of Balakot airstrike, so I jokingly said if we would have known about it, one of your leaders could have been attached with a missile fired on Pakistan and then you could have seen what our jawans did," Fadnavis said.
Following the terror attack in which India lost over 40 CRPF personnel when a JeM operative targeted their convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14, the Indian Air Force conducted an air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26.
The Maharashtra chief minister also hit out at the Congress and said the party only made false assurances and that speeches by its leaders are a source of entertainment. -- ANI
00:08 Google employees faced retaliation for walkout
Google employees who organised a worldwide walkout in November against sexual harassment at the company are reportedly facing retaliation for their actions.
According to a Wired report, two employees Meredith Whittaker, the head of Google's Open Research, and Claire Stapleton, a marketing manager at YouTube, were told their roles would change 'dramatically' and that they will have to abandon their work on AI ethics in order to stay at the company.
Last year, in response to Google's mishandling of sexual claims by its employees against top-level executives at the company, more than 20,000 full-time workers and contractors walked off their jobs in protest.
-- ANI
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