LIVE! TMC likely to release candidate list on Friday

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Wed, 03 March 2021

TMC likely to release candidate list on Friday

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23:44 TMC likely to release candidate list on Friday

Trinamool Congress is likely to release its full list of candidates for the coming assembly poll on Friday and its election manifesto early next week, party sources said.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will release the candidate list like in the previous elections, the sources said.

"Though we had prepared the draft list even before the poll dates were announced on February 27, we had initially decided to release the list in phases. But now most likely the entire list of 294 candidates will be declared on March 5 by the party supremo," a senior TMC leader said.

The party is likely to release its manifesto on March 9, he said.

According to TMC sources, the party has decided to omit from the candidates list the names of several sitting MLAs who are 80 years old or are more.

The party plans to nominate more youths, women, and leaders with clean image and acceptability in their respective areas, they said.

Nearly 30 per cent of the 294 constituencies, including those held by 19 MLAs who have switched over to BJP, are likely to have new candidates, the sources said.

"Reports by Prashant Kishor's I-PAC on every MLA and their constituencies are likely to play a key role in the candidate selection," another TMC leader, who was present at the meeting, said.

In 2016 the TMC had won 211 seats in the 294-member House.

The Left-Congress alliance had bagged 77 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party three.

The election this time, which will see a stiff contest between the TMC and the BJP, will be held in eight phases beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27.

Votes will be counted on May 2.

After having a marginal presence in the politically polarised state for decades, the BJP has emerged as the ruling Trinamool Congress's main rival in the last couple of years.

It had managed to win 18 out of 42 seats in the Lok Sabha polls of 2019 and followed it with inducting popular TMC MP, MLAs and ministers into the party. -- PTI

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha condemned the income-tax raids on premises of Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and others on Wednesday, claiming that the Centre was trying to 'harass' supporters of the agitation against farm laws.

The searches are part of an investigation against production house Phantom Films, which was dissolved in 2018, and its then promoters Kashyap, director-producer Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Vikas Bahl and producer-distributor Madhu Mantena.

The raids by the Income Tax Department were carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune in the morning and were continuing till evening.

In a statement, the SKM acknowledged the 'fearless support' by many international and national celebrities, and well-known individuals who had been lending support to the farmers' movement against the contentious agriculture laws.

'Instead of fulfilling the farmers' legitimate demands, the government is seeking ways to harass and attack farmers and their supporters,' the SKM, an umbrella organisation of many farmer unions, said.

The IT raids unleashed on Taapsee Pannu and others 'are part of this desperate attempt by the government', it said, condemning the searches.

Both Kashyap and Pannu, who worked together in the 2018 film Manmarziyaan and are now collaborating in the upcoming film Dobaara, are known to be outspoken about their views on a range of issues, including the farmers' protest against the three agri laws.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three border points into Delhi since November 26 demanding a repeal of three farm laws. -- PTI

22:17 PM pic at petrol pumps violates poll code: EC

The Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday directed all petrol pump dealers and other agencies to remove hoardings advertising central government schemes that carry photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the premises of the facilities within 72 hours, an official said in Kolkata.

The use of the prime minister's photograph in such hoardings violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the official of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said.

Earlier in the day, a Trinamool Congress delegation met ECI officials and alleged that the use of Modi's photographs in hoardings informing people of various central schemes violates the poll code.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force after the ECI announced poll dates for the state on February 26. -- PTI

22:04 Sasikala quits public life, seeks DMK's defeat

In a statement, VK Sasikala has announced that she was quitting public life.

The confidante of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa also asked the AIADMK cadre to stand united and ensure that the DMK is defeated in the forthcoming assembly elections.

This is the text of her letter in Tamil:

'As per the thinking of my elder sister Puratchi Selvi Jayalalithaa who I forever pray to, she had said that the golden rule of Puratchi Thalaivar MGR and hers must continue in Tamil Nadu for more than a hundred years, for which the children of one mother, Amma's true followers, must together fight the coming elections with unity.

'Amma's followers must remember that she had pinpointed the common enemy DMK as evil and be smart enough to prevent it from coming from power and work to establish Amma's golden rule.

'Those of Amma's true followers who cared for me and showed affection, and to those with good thoughts, my heart-felt thanks.

'Just as I was Amma's sister to implement her thoughts when she was alive, I am the same after her demise.

'I have never craved power, position or authority. I will always be grateful to Puratchi Thalaivi's dear followers and the Tamil people.

'I am leaving politics and will forever pray to god and my elder sister Puratchi Thalaivi that Amma's golden rule is formed once again.'

For those of you wondering what Parakala Prabhakar, Finance Minster Nirmala Sitharaman's husband, has to say on the renaming of the Motera cricket stadium after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here's the link to Mr Prabhakar's YouTube channel, where he dissects the issue.

For those of you not in the know, the finance ministers husband is a PhD from the London School of Economics and is managing director of RightFOLIO which is into data science, political analysis, digital marketing etc. His Twitter bio describes him as a political economist, policy consultant, chess player and music lover.

Among his assignments is serving as the communications director with Cabinet rank for the Andhra Pradesh government between 2014 and 2018.

20:53 HDFC too cuts interest on home loans to 6.75%

Mortgage major HDFC also cut its interest rate offering on Wednesday, making credit cheaper 0.05 per cent to its customers.

The 'best customers' having good credit histories will be now able to get new loans at 6.75 per cent after the cut, irrespective of the home loan amounts, officials said.

The move comes two days after similar announcements by rivals SBI and Kotak Mahindra Bank, who are now giving home loans at 6.70 per cent and 6.65 per cent, respectively.

"HDFC reduces its retail prime lending rate (RPLR) on housing loans, on which its adjustable-rate home loans (ARHL) are benchmarked, by 0.05 per cent, with effect from March 4," an official statement said.

The change will benefit all existing HDFC retail home loan customers, it added.

or the existing customers, the interest rates will get repriced 0.05 per cent automatically on the existing interest rates. However, they will have to approach the lender if they wish to go as low as 6.75 per cent, which will require payment of a fee.

Santhali actress Birbaha Hansda joins TMC in presence of party leader Partha Chatterjee.

20:49 TMC trains recently inducted actors for campaign

The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday conducted the first training session for recently inducted Bengali film personalities for the election campaign, both on social media and on the ground.

A senior TMC leader conducted the training session at the party headquarters for the cinema personalities, who had taken up the ruling party's flag at recent public functions.

Directors Raj Chakraborty and Sudeshna Roy, Eastern India Motion Pictures Association chairperson Piya Sengupta and several small screen actors including Ranita Das, Sourabh Das and Manali Dey attended the session.

"There were discussions on ways to undertake the campaign on social media and other platforms effectively to put across our views in an emphatic, rational and objective manner without hurting anyone or being unfair," Chakraborty, who had recently joined the TMC but had been close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for several years, told reporters.

"We learnt a lot on the first day, while more such sessions will be held in the coming days. We wanted to learn more as political workers," he said.

Roy, also a popular filmmaker who was close to the ruling party before joining it formally last month, said, "The session was fruitful. Rather than merely mouthing 'Khela Hobe' (game on), we need to be conversant with the contents of the campaign, its highlights, the government's achievements and figures."

Actor Ranita Das said they were taught about the differences between Mamata Banerjee's pet scheme 'Kanyashree' and the Centre's 'Beti Bachao Beti Padho Abhiyan', among other things.

"We need to be updated on the details of all such schemes before speaking to the people and drawing comparisons," she said.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly will be held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his cabinet colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in New Delhi to discuss strategies for Assam sssembly elections ahead of the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled tomorrow at the party headquarters.

This meeting of Assam BJP's core group at Shah's residence carries much significance as the list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls is likely to be released in tomorrow's CEC meeting.

Tomorrow's meeting is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, party chief J P Nadda and party leader BL Santosh among others.

The CEC is expected to clear the name of the candidates for polls and will also release the list of the candidates.

In the last assembly election in 2016, the BJP scripted history and formed the government for the first time in Assam ending Congress' 15-year rule led by former chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front won a combined 86 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly.

BJP bagged 60 seats, AGP 14 and BPF 12 seats.

The BPF this week joined the Congress-led seven-party grand alliance 'Mahajath' after snapping ties with the ruling BJP.

The Mahajath comprises of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), All India United Democratic Front, Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist Liberation, and the Anchalik Gana Marcha.

Assam assembly elections will be held in three phases.

In the first phase, 47 seats in 12 districts will go to the polls on March 27.

In the second phase, 39 constituencies in 13 districts will go to the polls on April 1 while 40 assembly constituencies in 12 districts to go on polls on April 6.

Counting of votes will take place on May 2. -- ANI

Ria Jain, judged America's best Bollywood dancer

20:00 Winners of Dance Pe Chance competition in USA announced

Winners of the 37th edition of the annual Dance Pe Chance solo dance competition 2021, organised by the Federation of Indian Associations NY NJ CT, were announced recently.

The event, part of the 72nd Indian Republic Day celebration, was organised over a span of two weekends.

The auditions were held on February 13 and 14, while the finals were on February 20 and 21.

Started nearly four decades ago, DPC has had approximately 20,000 participants till now, who have showcased their Bollywood dancing skills.

Celebrity judges for the final round were well-known Indian actress and dancer Sudha Chandran, South Indian actress and Kuchipudi dancer Laya Gorty and Bollywood choreographer Feroz Khan. Expert judges included choreographers and dancers Swati Vaishnav, Prashasti Majmundar and Anil Diwakar.

Rayan Siddamsettiwar was adjudged the best in the minor category, followed by Nayan Nampally and Dhilan Shetty at the second and third positions.

In the junior category, Ria Jain bagged the first prize, while Arya Prasad and Simone Shah took home the second and third prizes respectively. Ria was also adjudged America's Best Bollywood Dancer.

Keshav Agiwal was ranked first in the senior category. Diya Bhatt was at the second and Riya Chaturvedi at the third place in the same category.

Among the adult participants, Shreya Baral got the first prize, with Kiran Kumar Jandhyala at the second and Carol Chettiar at the third place.

Ankur Vaidya, chairman of FIA NY NJ CT, said, "Dance Pe Chance, also America's Best Bollywood Dancer and FIA's almost 4-decade-old Republic Day celebration platform, was forced to become virtual due to the pandemic. The contest was held in strict compliance with CDC guidelines and Covid-related mandates. It is indeed a privilege to see a sincerely dedicated and 100% voluntary effort placed to showcase our community's talent."

Photograph: Kind courtesy @bcpatilkourava/Twitter

19:39 Health officer gets notice for vaccinating K'taka minister at home

A show cause notice has been served on a health officer in Haveri for having inoculated the state Agriculture Minister B C Patil and his wife at home breaking the protocol on the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The National Health Mission director-(Karnataka) Arundhathi Chandrashekar in her show cause notice to Dr Jayanand M, Reproductive and Child Health programme officer of Haveri, asked him to explain why the protocol was broken.

According to the government of India guidelines, the vaccination should be done at the designated hospitals and it was conveyed repeatedly in many meetings, the director said.

Yet, the norm was flouted, bringing a bad name to the health department, she stated in her notice, adding that in case the RCH officer was found wrong, then disciplinary action would be taken against him.

Health officials said no one should take the shot at home as it will be difficult to monitor or give proper treatment during Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI).

The Centre has asked for a report from the Karnataka government on the matter.

Despite facing flak from various quarters including Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, Patil said there was nothing wrong in getting inoculated at home.

Patil, 64, and his wife took the vaccine on the second day of the vaccination drive on Tuesday to cover people aged above 60 and those aged between 45-59 with co-morbidities. -- PTI

Karnataka minister takes vaccine at home, triggers controversy

19:17 IT officials leave Anurag Kashyap's residence

Income Tax officials have left the residence of film director Anurag Kashyap in Mumbai after conducting a raid on Wednesday.

Earlier today, Income Tax officials conducted raids at the properties of film director Anurag Kashyap, film producer Vikas Bahl and actor Taapsee Pannu in Mumbai, sources said.

Offices and residences of Kashyap, Bahl and Pannu were searched in the raids, sources in the Income Tax Department added.

More details are awaited. -- ANI

West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said that the partys state unit has shortlisted on an average of 4-5 names per seat for the initial two phases of polling in the state and the list of candidates for those phases will be finalised on March 4.

The party's Central Election Committee (CEC) that makes the decision of who will contest from which constituency will meet in New Delhi on Thursday to finalise the candidates list for 60 seats.

Polling will be held in 30 seats each on March 27 and April 1.

One of the constituencies going to polls in the second phase is Nandigram from where Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to contest.

"We have received 120-140 names from our district units for the first two phases. In addition to that, there are hundreds of other names. We had 20-25 names for each seat and from that, we have shortlisted around 4-5 names per seat. There will be some more omission and after that, it is for the party leadership to decide," Ghosh said.

"This reflects that people from various walks of life are very eager to join us," he told reporters.

Elections in Bengal, poised to be a tough contest between the TMC and the BJP, will be held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29.

Votes will be counted on May 2.

According to state BJP sources, the party has decided to field many young faces and professionals during its recent two-day core committee meeting.

Apart from the 19 Trinaomool Congress MLAs, including former ministers Rajib Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari who are most likely to get tickets from their old constituencies, the saffron camp is also expected to nominate several personalities from the Bengali film industry.

Ghosh's name is also doing the rounds for the Kharagpur Sadar seat which he had won in 2016 before resigning in 2019 after getting elected to the Lok Sabha, and Gopiballupur seat, the sources said.

The BJP later lost the Kharagpur Sadar seat to the TMC during a by-poll.

The party, however, is in two minds on whether to field Adhikari from the Nandigram seat or not.

He was the MLA of this seat before resigning and joining the saffron party in December last year.

After having a limited presence in the politically polarised state for decades, the BJP has emerged as the ruling TMCs main rival by winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the 2019 general elections.

With the BJP's strength increasing in the state in the last few years, its leaders are upbeat that the party will end Mamata Banerjee's 10-year rule in the assembly polls. -- PTI

The central election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party will meet on Thursday to finalise its first list of candidates for five assembly polls, with top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected to attend the meeting.

The party is likely to clear its candidates for the first phase of the polls, scheduled for March 27, in Assam and West Bengal.

The BJP core groups of the two states will deliberate with the central leadership, including party president J P Nadda, to narrow down the list of probables before the CEC picks the candidates.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state party chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass will be part of deliberations for their state, while key organisational leaders from West Bengal, including state party chief Dilip Ghosh, will attend the meeting to discuss the names of candidates for their state.

Elections in Assam will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while polling in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will take place in a single phase on April 6.

Elections for the West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases, up from seven last time, beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27.

The second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections has been scheduled for April 1 and will cover 30 constituencies, followed by the third phase on April 6 for 31 seats, fourth on April 10 for 44 constituencies, fifth on April 17 for 45 seats, sixth for 43 seats on April 22, seventh phase on April 26 for 36 seats and the last and eighth phase on April 29 for 35 seats.

The BJP has high stakes in West Bengal and Assam. While in Bengal it has mounted an aggressive all-out campaign, deploying a number of leaders drawn from various states and considered adept in poll campaigning, to end the 10-year-old reign of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In Assam, where the party came to power for the first time in 2016, the BJP has been pulling out all the stops to retain power, with the Congress joining hands with regional parties to capture its old bastion.

-- PTI

A Maharashtra government official from Nanded on Wednesday requested the district collector to allow him to tie a horse he wants to ride daily to reach his office on the campus of the collectorate.

This unusual request was made by Satish Deshmukh who works as Assistant Auditor in the Employment Guarantee Scheme department in Nanded district collector's office.

Deshmukh stated that he wanted to purchase a horse as he cannot use his two-wheeler owing to some issue in his spine.

He submitted the letter to collector Vipin Itankar on Wednesday, a copy of which soon went viral on social media.

'I have some issue in my spinal cord due to which I cannot use a two-wheeler to reach the office. I have decided to buy a horse for coming to the office in time. I request you that I be allowed to tie a horse on the premises of the collectorate,' Deshmukh wrote. -- PTI

17:49 Gainers and losers in Sensex rally

The BSE Sensex on Wednesday surged nearly 1,148 points to breach the 51,000-level and the NSE Nifty recaptured the 15,200-mark on Wednesday, propped up by intense buying in financial and energy stocks.

At the closing bell, the 30-share Sensex was up 1,147.76 points or 2.28 per cent at 51,444.65 -- the biggest single-day rise since February 2.

Intra-day, the index swung 1,243 points.

The Sensex rally was driven by Bajaj FinServ, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, HDFC and Axis Bank.

Of the 30 Sensex constituents, 27 closed in the green.

Bajaj Finserv rose the most by 5.15 per cent. Reliance Industries rose by 4.52 per cent a day after its telecom arm emerged as lead buyer in spectrum auctions. Reliance Jio picked up 488.35 MHz of spectrum in bands such as 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz for Rs 57,122.65 crore.

Bharti Airtel, which bid about Rs 18,699 crore to pick up 355.45 Megahertz, rose by 0.92 per cent.

Covaxin has demonstrated an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 per cent in its Phase 3 clinical trial, says Bharat Biotech.

The trials involved 25,800 subjects, the largest ever conducted in India, in partnership with Indian Council of Medical Research, it said.

More details awaited. -- ANI

17:13 In a first, jawans to join PM-led defence meet

For the first time, jawans from armed forces would be taking part in the Combined Commanders' Conference to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week.

The Combined Commanders' Conference was till now involved only Commander-in-Chief rank officers who along with their respective services chiefs would be addressed by the prime minister and given the directives on dealing with the security challenges perceived by the government.

"The jawans would take part in different discussions involving issues related to the functioning of forces and operations," government sources told ANI.

Sources said the suggestion to involve jawans in the discussions came from the Prime Minister's Office itself.

The jawans participating in the discussions would include junior commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers and they would be giving presentations on topics given to them, the sources said.

Sources said the insights of jawans come in very handy in day to day functioning of the forces and during the recent India China clash also, the jawans provided valuable suggestions during the digging of trenches and building defences against the Chinese.

The PM has changed the usual way of conducting the combined commanders' conference as he took it out from the South Block and held it on operational bases.

After his first address in 2014, at a conference in the south block, it has been held on aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and Jodhpur airbase.

This time, it is being held in the Kevadia town of Gujarat in front of the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel's Statue of Unity where the top brass of the military would be staying in tents for the duration of the conference. -- Ajit K Dubey/ANI

V Ponraj with former President APJ Abul Kalam

17:03 Kamal Haasan inducts Kalam's advisor Ponraj as party vice president

A month ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, actor turned politician Kamal Haasan inducted former President and scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's scientific adviser V Ponraj as the vice president of his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Wednesday.

The Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2. The term of the 15th legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu is ending on May 2, 2021.

As many as 6,28,23,749 electors will choose candidates for the 16th legislative assembly elections in the state.

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is contesting the elections in a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has joined hands with the Congress.

This time actor-turned-politician Hassan's party MNM is also in the fray.

In December 2020, Hassan inducted former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Santhosh Babu, as the general secretary of his MNM.

Haasan had launched the Makkal Needhi Maiam on February 21, 2018, in Madurai.

Chinese hackers have been trying hard to crack Indian cyber space.

There have been more aggressive attempts of hacking by Chinese hackers since last one year.

Various government organisations like the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) are following trends and keeping a track of attempts made by Chinese post Galwan clash.

Experts said attempts from China have increased in the last year, which further amplified after the Indian government banned Chinese applications post the Galwan clash.

Recently a report has emerged this week claiming that two Indian companies, which are supplying COVID-19 vaccinations -- Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech -- are under cyber attack by a Chinese hacking group APT10, also known as Stone Panda and actively targeting one such company. Sources claimed that CERT-IN is looking into this matter.

Also, Telangana electricity department officials have also claimed that they have received alerts from CERT-IN about Chinese malware trying to enter the cyber system of the department.

Earlier on Tuesday, Union Power Minister R K Singh had said, "We should remain alert," while refuting claims that the blackout in Mumbai last year was due to a Chinese cyber-attack.

Sources in the government said that all alerts were issued regarding such attempts and concern agencies have been asked to educate organisations about such attempts and keep them updated with new threats.

Chinese hackers, majorly focus on big institutions instead of Individual, sources claimed.

The NCIIPC, which comes under the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) also documented details about Chinese hackers and their modus operandi about attacks generating from China recently.

The NCIIPC is a national nodal agency for all measures to protect the nation's critical information infrastructure.

It protects and delivers advice that aims to reduce the vulnerabilities of critical information infrastructure against cyber terrorism, cyber warfare and other threats.

Sources said this organisation has compiled data of attempts of cyber attack from China in the last year, which had seen an upward trend.

While giving details about a China-based threat, NCIIPC's Threat Assessment group said, 'Emissary Panda also known as APT-27 is a China-based threat actor that involves in targeting foreign embassies to collect data related to government, defence and technology sectors.

'Activities of Emissary Panda have been noticed since 2010 during attack in organisations across the world including financial services firms, US defence contractors, and a national data center in Central Asia.'

The organisation dedicated more than half a dozen of pages to various China-based threats on Power, IT and government sectors in its last newsletter of 2020.

NCIIPC further warns that when malicious attackers gain access to an industrial control system, they are able to disrupt industrial control and safety processes, leading to costly outages, damaged turbines, threats to personnel safety and even environmental disasters.

The threat assessment group of NCIIPC also provided about another Chinese hacker group Elderwood and said, 'Elderwood is a Chinese cyber espionage group that attacked Google in 2009 using Hydraq Trojan horse known as Operation Aurora and Google also confirmed that some of its intellectual property had been stolen.

'Interesting highlights of their approach include the use of the seemingly unlimited amount of zero-day exploitation, attacks on service providers working for the target organisation.'

Meanwhile, experts said attempts post the Galwan clash have been increased and various government organisations are dealing with it in a coordinated manner.

Rakshit Tondon, a cyber expert who works with various state and central agencies said China has always been like that but whenever there is some direct military conflict, the attempts increase.

"There is no official confirmation that Chinese hackers have successfully hacked any system of India but there have been aggressive attempts in the last year. Whenever there is such a (military) conflict, the Chinese increase their attempts. It was further amplified after India banned Chinese applications," he told ANI. -- By Ankur Sharma/ANI

16:11 Sensex zooms 1,148 pts, Nifty tops 15,200

Continuing their winning run for the third session in a row, the BSE Sensex surged nearly 1,148 points to breach the 51,000-level and the NSE Nifty recaptured the 15,200-mark on Wednesday, propped up by intense buying in financial and energy stocks.

At the closing bell, the 30-share Sensex was up 1,147.76 points or 2.28 per cent at 51,444.65 - the biggest single-day rise since February 2. Intra-day, the index swung 1,243 points.

Likewise, the NSE Nifty climbed 326.50 points or 2.19 per cent to end at 15,245.60.

The Sensex rally was driven by Bajaj FinServ, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, HDFC and Axis Bank. Of the 30 Sensex constituents, 27 closed in the green.

Foreign investors had bought equities worth Rs 2,223.16 crore on net basis in Indian capital markets on Tuesday, exchange data showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, stock markets extended gains on Wednesday despite an overnight retreat on Wall Street.

Meanwhile, Brent Futures rose by 1.84 per cent to trade at USD 63.77 per barrel.

On the forex market front, the rupee rose by 65 paise to end at 72.72 against the US dollar. -- PTI

The Bombay high court has directed OTT platform Amazon Prime to take down a Telugu movie until the makers of the film deleted a scene in which a city-based actor's photograph was allegedly used without prior permission.

Justice Gautam Patel on Tuesday heard a defamation suit filed by model and actor Sakshi Malik against Venkateshwara Creations Pvt Ltd for allegedly using her photograph without permission in their movie.

Malik's advocate Saveena Bedi said the scene showed Malik's photograph, referring to her as a commercial sex worker.

"Simply using another's image, and most especially a private image, without consent is prima facie impermissible, unlawful and entirely illegal. In a given case, it may also be defamatory, depending on the type of use," the court said in its order.

The order copy was made available on Wednesday.

"The fact that the image has been illicitly used is bad enough. It only makes matters worse when used in a plainly derogatory and demeaning vein," Justice Patel said.

The court directed the OTT platform to take down the movie within 24 hours until the said scene is deleted.

"It is not acceptable for them (movie's makers) to merely pixelate or blur the images. The entire sequence, which has the image of the plaintiff (Malik), is to be removed immediately," Justice Patel said.

Malik's advocate Bedi had argued that the actor has a huge fan following on social media and has also appeared in a few Bollywood songs.

Bedi argued that Malik's photo was used illicitly by the defendant in a Telugu movie titled V that was released on Amazon Prime on September 5, 2020.

As per Malik's suit, she had commissioned a photographer in 2017 for creating a portfolio.

"In August 2017, she (Malik) posted some photographs from the portfolio on her Instagram account. One of these photos was used in a scene of the Telugu movie where there is reference to a commercial sex worker," Bedi said.

According to the suit, this was an unauthorised invasion of privacy and unauthorised use of private material.

15:44 WhatsApp add news features for voice messages

Instant messaging application WhatsApp Messenger's latest update on iOS has brought a slew of features, including a new animation for voice messages and the ability to disable receipts for these messages.

According to Mashable, the latest update is now live on the Apple Store and comes with minor changes to the instant messaging app.

The new features include a new progress bar animation that has been added for voice messages.

With the new update, once a voice message has reached the end of the audio bar, it will automatically go back to the start. Currently, this feature is only available for users who have iOS 13 and above.

As reported by Mashable, another newly added feature is the ability to disable read receipts for voice messages. WhatsApp users now would be able to turn off the read receipts that notify the sender whether you've listened to the audio or not.

To use the new feature a user needs to go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy.

This new capability is being rolled out by WhatsApp for users in Brazil, Iran and Indonesia. The versions compatible with the feature include Android 2.21.3.19 and newer versions, as well as iOS 2.21.31.2 and above.

WhatsApp has also finally rolled out the WhatsApp mute video feature for Android users, Mashable reported.

South Africa pace great Dale Steyn on Wednesday apologised for his criticism of the Indian Premier League, saying he never intended to "degrade or insult" the world's biggest franchise-based T20 tournament.

The 37-year-old veteran fast bowler said his statement that cricket is sometimes forgotten amid all the money talk in the IPL was taken out of context in social media.

"IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career, as well as other players too. My words were never intended to be degrading, insulting, or comparing of any leagues. Social media and words out of context can often do that," Steyn tweeted.

"My apologies if this has upset anyone."

Steyn's apology came after he claimed on the sidelines of the Pakistan Super League 6, where he is representing Quetta Gladiators, that money is given more importance than the game in the IPL.

Steyn had said that this was one of the reasons why he had not featured regularly in the event.

"I think when you go to the IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten," Steyn, who was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in the last IPL held in the UAE, had stated.

In January this year, Steyn announced that he is opting out of the IPL 2021 but will play other leagues around the world.

Steyn's decision led to RCB releasing him ahead of the auction.

Steyn played 95 IPL matches, picking up 97 wickets with a best of 3 for 8. But the South African's repeated injury breakdowns didn't help his cause and he featured in just 12 IPL matches in the last three seasons. -- PTI

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said creating a single authority for the financial capital is the top priority for the state government which will help "settle better accountability".

Sixteen agencies, including the city civic body, agencies under the state government like MMRDA and Mhada for housing, and also some under the Central government like Airports Authority of India and Ports, run the financial capital at present, he said.

Explaining the rationale behind such proposition, Aaditya Thackeray, who is son of Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, said a single authority will help set better accountability by fixing

responsibility on a single entity for all of the city's requirements.

"What we are looking at now is to have a single authority in Mumbai, a single parent body that will run Mumbai," Aaditya Thackeray said during a session with industry body CII, when asked about what is the top priority for the state government at present.

In the remarks, which come amid reports that Shiv Sena's alliance partners in the state government are unhappy with such a move, Aaditya Thackeray said having such an authority is the "first thing" of focus.

The NCP and the Congress are ruling constituents in the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai currently controlled by the Shiv Sena had first made the suggestion of appointing itself as a single authority for the city.

The Congress and the NCP are reportedly peeved at the same.

"So, when we have a single point authority, you also have a single point responsibility. You can hold us to more accountability than ever before," the tourism minister said, without mentioning MCGM as the chosen agency.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray said it will take a lot of efforts to de-reserve the status granted to the over 800-acre green patch at Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon, and stressed that such a status is essential to protect the flora and fauna endemic to the site.

He said Maharashtra will focus on domestic tourists for the next two years as the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic will make foreign arrivals difficult.

The minister specifically mentioned a policy on beach tourism, ease of doing business initiatives for the sector and agri-tourism as focus areas, claiming that hotel properties in the Konkan belt and ones near Mumbai are having full occupancy right now.

Assuring the industry captains that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board will not "poke its nose" into affairs of industry, Aaditya Thackeray, who also handles the environment portfolio, said the board will sit together with

the industries department to chart out policies.

He said work on 80 per cent of over Rs 1.30 lakh crore of investment proposals for which Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) have been signed since June 2020 is underway, and advocated co-existence of industry which creates economic growth opportunities while taking care of the environment.

The financial capital is trailing Bengaluru and New Delhi when it comes to startups ecosystem because of the wrong policies in the three-four years, and the government wants to catch-up on the same, he said.

The state is still focused on the USD 1 trillion GSDP aspiration, Aaditya Thackeray said, choosing not to give a timeline by which it will be achieved. -- PTI

The government has lifted the time restriction on receiving COVID-19 vaccine jabs so as to increase the pace of immunisation, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday.

People can now get vaccinated round-the-clock according to their convenience, he said in a tweet, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi values the health as well as the time of the citizens of the country.

"The government has lifted the time restriction to increase the speed of vaccination. People can now get vaccinated 24x7 according to their convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the value of health as well as the time of citizens," Vardhan tweeted in Hindi.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told a press conference on Tuesday that the timeline of vaccinating the beneficiaries from 9 am to 5 pm has been done away with and it is up to the hospitals to decide whether they want to continue administering the vaccines even after that.

"Co-WIN 2.0 does not provide 9 am-5 pm vaccination sessions. It has done away with that timeline. If a hospital has the capacity, the system permits it to do vaccination even after 5 pm in consultation with the state government. This has been briefed both to the state governments as well as the private and government hospitals," he said.

The second dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 started being administered from February 13 for those who have completed 28 days since the receipt of the first dose. The vaccination of frontline workers started on February 2.

The next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

More than 1.56 crore (1,56,20,749) vaccine doses were administered in the country through 3,12,188 sessions, according to a provisional report till Wednesday 7 am.

The beneficiaries include 67,42,187 healthcare workers (first dose), 27,13,144 HCWs (second dose), 55,70,230 FLWs (first dose), 834 FLWs (second dose), 71,896 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 5,22,458 beneficiaries aged above 60 years. -- PTI

Actor Sushmita Sen on Wednesday said that she has started shooting for season two of her web series Aarya in Jaipur.

The Disney+ Hotstar series, which released in June last year, is an official remake of the popular Dutch crime-drama Penoza.

In a social media post the 45-year-old actor said that she is excited to begin shoot for the sophomore season.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman 'Reborn' #Aarya #season2 #jaipur #khammaghani #privet I love you guys!!! #superexcited," she wrote alongside a photo from the sets (see alongside).

In the show, Sen plays the role of Aarya Sareen, a happily married woman whose world turns upside down when her husband (Chandrachur Singh) is shot.

She gets to know that he may have been involved in an illegal drug racket which now threatens her family.

Created by Ram Madhvani and Sandeep Modi, Aarya received critical acclaim when its first season debuted on the streamer.

The show marked Sen's return to the screen, a decade after her last Hindi film No Problem.

Madhvani serves as the director on the show along with Modi and Vinod Rawat.

Penned by Sandeep Shrivastava and Anu Singh Choudhary, the first season of Aarya also featured Namit Das, Manish Chaudhary, Jayant Kripalani, Vikas Kumar, Sikander Kher, Maya Sarao, Sugandha Garg and Ankur Bhatia.

Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka continue to report a surge in fresh COVID-19 cases and they account for 85.95 per cent of the cases reported in a span of 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said that 14,989 new cases were registered in a span of 24 hours.

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 7,863. It is followed by Kerala with 2,938, while Punjab reported 729 new cases.

"Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Karnataka have shown the maximum increase in new cases on a week on week basis," the ministry said.

Maharashtra alone accounted for a weekly increase of 16,012 cases.

In percentage terms, Punjab reported a weekly increase of 71.5 per cent (1,783 cases).

The Centre is continuously engaging with the states and union territories reporting higher caseload of active cases and those reporting a spike in the daily new COVID-19 cases, the ministry underlined.

States and UTs have been advised to maintain a continued rigorous vigil for containing the spread of COVID-19 so that the gains of collective efforts are not squandered away, the ministry said.

Need for effective testing, comprehensive tracking, prompt isolation of positive cases and quick quarantine of close contacts are strongly emphasised.

The central government has also rushed high-level teams to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir to support them in their fight against the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. The three-member teams are headed by joint secretary-level officers in the health ministry.

They will ascertain reasons for the surge and coordinate with the state health departments in COVID-19 control and containment measures.

India's total active caseload has reached 1,70,126 on Wednesday. India's present active caseload now stands at 1.53 per cent of the total positive cases.

Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has resigned from the BS Yediyurappa government following allegations of sexual harassment. Jarkiholi has sent his resignation letter to the chief minister.

Purported video clips showing Ramesh Jarkiholi getting intimate with an unidentified woman, were widely aired by Kannada television news channels.

The allegation, just ahead of the Budget session of the state legislature starting from Thursday, has come as a huge embarrassment to B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, a MLA from Gokak, who was earlier with the Congress, was among the chief architects of the downfall of the Congress-JD-S coalition government that eventually paved the way for the BJP to come to power.

The Income Tax Department on Wednesday searched premises linked to Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, Phantom Films, co-promoted by director Anurag Kashyap, and a talent hunt company as well as some others, officials said.

They said the searches are part of a tax evasion probe and conducted at about 20 locations in Mumbai and Pune.

The premises of businesses linked to Pannu and other promoters of Phantom Films, including Vikas Bahl, are also being covered, they said. -- PTI

Pic: Reuters

13:26 10 mn firms to benefit from doing away with GST audit

Information: Kind courtesy CA (Dr) Raj Chawla:

1. Income-tax penalties (other than exclusions), imposable by Addl. CIT/JCIT & below, shall remain with National Faceless Assessment Centre. CBDT Order of 26.2.21.

2. Government's decision to do away with the mandatory Goods and Services Tax annual audit requirement by professionals such as chartered accountants will help over 10 million firms save audit fees worth about Rs 30,000 crore annually, besides reducing compliance burden.

3. Securities and Exchange Board of India has proposed sweeping changes to rules governing independent directors, including norms that pertain to their appointment and removal, eligibility criteria and remuneration structure. The regulator plans to introduce the dual-approval system for the appointment and removal of independent directors.

4. Establishment of branch office (BO), liaison office (LO) or project office (PO) in India. Establishment of a BO/LO is permitted under general permission route and specific permission ('Govt' approval route).

President Ram Nath Kovind receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at RR Hospital.

12:44 Goa CM Pramod Sawant gets Covid vaccine jab

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant received his first dose of vaccine against Covid-19 at a primary health centre near Panaji on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old politician is a trained medical doctor and comes under the category of health professionals.

A nurse explained the inoculation procedure to Sawant before he received the jab at the primary health centre in Sankhalim in North Goa district.

Talking to reporters after getting inoculated, Sawant said people should not be afraid of taking the vaccine. "I took the jab to bolster people's trust in the vaccine," he said, adding that there are no major complaints from people who have received the vaccine shots.

Sawant said even after getting vaccinated, people should continue to follow social distancing, wear mask and use sanitiser to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The nationwide inoculation drive began January 16 and it was expanded on March 1 to vaccinate people above 60 years of age and those in the age bracket of 45 to 59 with co- morbidities.

12:38 Landslide blocks J-K highway

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for traffic on Wednesday due to a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, leaving over 300 vehicles stranded, officials said.

The 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, was blocked by a landslide at Shabanbass area in the district in the early hours.

An oil tanker was trapped in the landslide, they said, adding work is underway to clear the landslide. -- PTI

Representational image

12:29 Army officer shoots himself dead in J-K

An Army officer allegedly shot himself dead at an Army depot in Khonmoh area of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

Lieutenant Colonel Sudeep Bhagat, who was posted at the depot, died on the spot, they said.

It was not immediately known why the officer took such an extreme step. -- PTI

In a bid to intensify the crackdown on people not wearing masks, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has asked the city police force to collect fine from at least 1,000 such violators per day in each zone, an official said on Wednesday.

Mumbai is divided into 12 police zones and the city police are authorised to collect a fine of Rs 200 from people not wearing masks, as mandated under COVID-19 norms.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolis, Singh hasasked the city police force totake strict action against those not wearing masks in public places, the official said.

He said Singh recently asked all senior inspectors to improve the performance of their respective police stations and achieve the zonal target of 1,000 such cases per day.

The Mumbai police are making efforts to increase the awareness among citizens about containing the spread of COVID-19, city police spokesperson S Chaitanya said.

"The idea behind setting the target of 1,000 cases for each zone per day is to sensitise people about following guidelines issued by the government about wearing mask and maintaining physical distance in public places," he said.

The official said 50 per cent of the fine collected from mask rule violators will be used for police welfare activities and the remaining amount will be given to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Since the enforcement of lockdown in March last year, the city police have so far registered cases against 57,692 people under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) for violating various COVID-19 prevention norms, another official said.

Out of these people, 25,947 were arrested and later released on bail, he said.

Since April 18 last year, 10,490 people were penalised for not wearing masks in public places, he added.

On Tuesday, Mumbai reported 849 new cases of COVID-19, raising the tally to 3,27,619.

The city has so far reported 11,476 deaths due to the disease, as per official figures. -- PTI

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has won four out of five seats in Delhi civic body bypolls.

The Congress has won one seat.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's party won Kalyanpuri, Rohini, Trilokpuri, Shalimar Bagh while the Congress secured victory in Chauhan Bangar.

In a tweet, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia congratulated his party and wrote: "Congratulations to the Aam Aadmi Party workers on winning 4 out of 5 seats in the MCD by-election. People of Delhi are fed up of the BJP's rule. In next year's MCD election people will vote for @ArvindKejriwal's honest politics."

The BJP presently controls all three of the national capital's municipal bodies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended people working for the protection of wildlife on World Wildlife Day on Wednesday, and said that everything possible should be done to preserve forests and safe habitats for animals.

On the occasion, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu called for putting in dedicated efforts to save and preserve the wildlife and create greater awareness on the need to maintain a healthy ecological balance on the planet.

Modi tweeted, I salute all those working towards wildlife protection. Be it lions, tigers and leopards, India is seeing a steady rise in the population of various animals. We should do everything possible to ensure protection of our forests and safe habitats for animals." -- PTI

10:31 India records 14,989 new COVID-19 cases

India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,11,39,516 with 14,989 new infections, while the active cases were recorded above 1.7 lakh after a month, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll increased to 1,57,346 with 98 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 active caseload has increased to 1,70,126 which comprises 1.53 per cent of the total infections, the data stated.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,08,12,044 which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.06 per cent, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.41 per cent.

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

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 21,84,03,277 samples have been tested up to March 2 with 7,85,220 samples being tested on Tuesday.

The 98 new fatalities include 54 from Maharashtra, 16 from Kerala and 10 from Punjab.

A total of 1,57,346 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 52,238 from Maharashtra followed by 12,502 from Tamil Nadu, 12,343 from Karnataka, 10,911 from Delhi, 10,270 from West Bengal, 8,728 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,169 from Andhra Pradesh.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. -- PTI

Amid speculation over Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly attending the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata on March 7, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that it would be up to the former cricketer to decide whether he will be there or not.

If the former Indian captain considers attending the programme, health and weather conditions permitting, he will be most welcome, BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya told reporters in Kolkata.

Ganguly was discharged from hospital on January 31, three days after he underwent a fresh round of angioplasty to clear clogged coronary arteries.

Two more stents were implanted during the surgery.

Following a mild heart attack in early January, he was diagnosed with Triple Vessel Disease. A stent was inserted into one of the blocked arteries at that time.

"We know Sourav is under rest at home. If he considers attending the meeting, health and weather conditions permitting, he will be most welcome. If he is present, we think he will like it. The crowd will also like that. But we

don't know. It is for him to decide," Bhattacharya said.

There was no word from the side of the 48-year-old BCCI chief on the issue.

There has been speculation that he will join politics ahead of the assembly election in the state. -- PTI

10:07 Sensex, Nifty firm up gains in early trade

Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty continued their upward journey in the opening session on Wednesday, propped up by significant gains in financial stocks.

The BSE barometer Sensex was trading higher by 411.23 points or 0.82 per cent at 50,708.12 in early session, and the Nifty was up 124.65 points or 0.84 per cent at 15,043.75.

The Sensex rally was driven by HDFC, SBI, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, L&T and ICICI Bank spurting as much as 1.4 per cent.

Of the Sensex constituents, 25 traded in the green.

On Tuesday, the Sensex had rallied 447.05 points or 0.90 per cent, and the Nifty had jumped 157.55 points or 1.07 per cent, extending gains for the second day in a row.

Foreign investors bought equities worth a net Rs 2,223.16 crore in Indian capital markets on Tuesday, exchange data showed.

Elsewhere in Asia on Wednesday, stocks were trading higher in afternoon deals despite an overnight retreat on Wall Street.

Meanwhile, Brent Futures rose 0.64 per cent to trade at 63.02 per barrel. -- PTI

The United States on Tuesday expressed concerns over Russia and China using COVID-19 vaccines to engage with countries in a way where they're "not holding them to the same standard" the US and a number of other countries would do.

"We are concerned by Russia and China using vaccines to engage with countries in a way where they're not holding them at times to the same standard the United States and a number of other countries would hold them to on human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and even freedom of media. Of course that's a concern," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

"But the President's focus is on ensuring the American people are vaccinated. We look forward to engaging with and continuing to engage with and contributing to the global community's effort to do that. But our first priority is vaccinating the American people," she said.

Psaki was responding to a question if the Biden administration is worried that the US is going to be left far behind Russia and China which are giving vaccine to African and South American countries by tens of millions.

The United States, she said, has also made a major contribution to COVAX which is an international body coordinating the safe, equitable, fair distribution of vaccines across the country. That is the mechanism and the body that the US feels this should be done through, the press secretary said. -- PTI

A letter in the name of 'Jaish Ul Hind' claiming responsibility for parking a vehicle with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai appears to be a hoax, the Mumbai police said on Tuesday.

The letter, posted on messaging app Telegram on Sunday, also demanded payment in crypto currency and provided a link to a webpage for depositing it.

On the same evening, another letter posted by a group claiming to be the 'real' Jaish Ul Hind said it had not posted the first message and it had nothing to do with the car found near Ambani's house.

Officials of the Mumbai Crime Branch during their probe found that the link in first letter did not lead to any webpage.

Investigators suspect that the letter was merely a prank, a senior police official said.

A Scorpio with gelatin sticks was found parked on Carmichael Road near 'Antilia', the multi-storey residence of Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, on Thursday evening. -- PTI

In a major setback to United States President Joe Biden, Indian-American Neera Tanden on Tuesday withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, after the ruling party and the administration failed to muster enough votes in the Senate to secure her confirmation.

Tanden, 50, had been facing a tough time for the confirmation of her nomination over her past Twitter outbursts against several lawmakers, including those from her own Democratic Party.

Biden accepted her withdrawal and indicated that Tanden might be brought in the administration in some other capacity.

Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden's nominees. Eleven of the 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed, most with strong bipartisan support.

"I have accepted Neera Tanden's request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget," Biden said in a statement.

The President indicated that she will have a role to play in his administration.

"I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work," Biden said.

Earlier in a letter to Biden, Tanden said it has been an "honour of a lifetime to be considered for this role and for the faith placed in me. "I am writing to you to withdraw my nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget," she wrote.

"I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House has worked to win my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities," Tanden said in the letter.

"I am incredibly grateful for your leadership on behalf of the American people and for your agenda that will make such a transformative difference in people's lives," she wrote. -- PTI

08:13 WB poll: Cong, ISF break ice over seat-sharing

The Congress and the Indian Secular Front on Tuesday managed to break the ice between them over seat-sharing for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal but talks are still underway for some constituencies, sources said.

Newly floated Indian Secular Front had initially demanded 15 seats from the Congress, but the party had agreed to give only five to it.

However, during the fresh talks, the grand old party agreed to give eight seats in all but the Abbas Siddiqui-led party is demanding two-three more constituencies, they said.

"The talks were held in a positive manner and we agreed to put up a united fight against communal BJP and undemocratic TMC to ensure their defeat. All the participants understood the need for the talks to succeed to prevent splitting of votes," a Congress leader said.

The final list is scheduled to be announced on March 7 and 8 and a large number of young CPI-M leaders will find place in it, a leader of the party said.

ISF chairman Naushad Siddiqui had earlier said that the party is positive that the unresolved issues will be sorted out soon.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose had earlier cautioned Abbas Siddiqui against speaking out in public against the Congress as they are in an alliance.

State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had earlier said that seat-sharing equations changed after the ISF joined the alliance.

"Initially, it was only the Left Front and the Congress and the seat adjustment was done in a particular manner. We had earlier sought 130 seats but now we have another party in our United Front. We have got 92 seats and discussions are on over a few more," he had said. -- PTI

00:05 TMC writes to EC for PM's pic on vaccine paper

The Trinamool Congress has written to the Election Commission of India in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modis photo, name and message being used on digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates given to beneficiaries.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien put out a tweet saying that his party would approach the Election Commission over the issue, especially since the MCC has come into force post the announcement of election dates last week.

In his letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, TMC MP Derek OBrien said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "debarred from publicising his name and claiming credit in this manner through governments Co-WIN platform of vaccination after dates for Assembly elections in four states and a Union Territory were announced.

He also urged the chief election commissioner to stop PM Modi from taking unfair advantage and undue publicity at taxpayers cost during the conduct of elections.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP and former Indian Medical Association chief Santanu Sen termed the decision to place PM Modi's photo on the certificates given to those who have recieved the Covid vaccine a "publicity stunt". He also questioned why the prime minister took the vaccine shot without wearing the mask, which he says is against the World Health Organization norms.

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