LIVE! G-23 leaders to meet tomorrow at Sibal's home

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Tue, 15 March 2022

G-23 leaders to meet tomorrow at Sibal's home

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23:26 Veteran Fox News photojournalist killed while reporting in Ukraine

A veteran war photojournalist of Fox News, Pierre Zakrzewski, was killed while reporting in war-torn Ukraine, the Fox News Network said on Tuesday, reported CNN.

Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott wrote to employees, "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski," adding "Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine."

Zakrzewski was a veteran war photojournalist who had "covered nearly every internal story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria," Scott said.

As per the chief executive, Zakrzewski was with correspondent Benjamin Hall "when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire."

He informed that Benjamin Hall remains hospitalized in Ukraine.

"His talents were vast and there wasn't a role that he didn't jump in to help with in the field -- from photographer to engineer to the editor to producer -- and he did it all under immense pressure with tremendous skill," Scott said.

"He was profoundly committed to telling the story and his bravery, professionalism and work ethic were renowned among journalists at every media outlet," reported the news channel. -- ANI

Delhi Metro services will not be available in the first half of the day on March 18 in view of the Holi festival, officials said on Tuesday.

At present, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is handling operations and maintenance of over 390 km of network, comprising 286 metro stations, including the Rapid Metro in Gurugram and Aqua Line in Greater Noida, and is ranked amongst one of the world's largest metro networks, the statement said.

"On the day of the 'Holi' festival, ie, 18th March, 2022 (Friday), Metro services will not be available till 14.30 hrs on all lines of Delhi Metro including Rapid Metro/Airport Express Line. Metro train services will thus start at 14.30 hrs from terminal stations on all lines on 18th March and will continue normally thereafter," the DMRC statement read. -- PTI

22:48 G-23 leaders to meet tomorrow at Sibal's home

Congress's G-23 leaders will meet at Kapil Sibal's residence on Wednesday to discuss the situation obtaining in the party in the aftermath of its embarrassing loss in the assembly elections in five states and the CWC's endorsement of Sonia Gandhi's continuance as president.

Sources close to the Group of 23 leaders said they have also invited Congressmen who don't constitute the bloc but feel changes are required, including at the leadership level, to revive its electoral fortunes.

The group, which has been critical of the leadership, had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 demanding an organisational overhaul.

The decision to convene a meeting of the G-23 came on a day when Sonia Gandhi sought the resignation of Congress presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa following the party's dismal performance in the assembly elections.

Sibal, in his latest salvo targeting the leadership had said the Gandhis should step aside and give some other leader a chance to helm the party, provoking a backlash from Gandhi family loyalists who accused him of speaking the language of the BJP and RSS. -- PTI

A court in Mumbai on Tuesday issued a bailable warrant against Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty's mother in a case related to alleged non-repayment of a loan of Rs 21 lakh.

Metropolitan Magistrate (Andheri court) R R Khan had earlier this week issued summons to Shilpa, her mother Sunanda and sister Shamita in a cheating case filed by a businessman over loan repayment.

The family challenged the summons before the sessions court.

On Monday, sessions judge A Z Khan stayed the magistrate's order against Shilpa and Shamita, but gave no relief to their mother.

The deceased Surendra Shetty (Shilpa's father) and Sunanda seemed to be partners in his firm while no documents have been produced to show that their daughters were partners too and had any concern with the loan, the court had said.

On Tuesday, the magistrate refused to grant exemption from appearance to Sunanda Shetty who did not remain present, and issued a bailable warrant against her, said advocate Zain Shroff of Y & A Legal which is representing complainant Parhad Amra.

Amra has alleged that Surendra Shetty borrowed money from him in 2015 and it was supposed to be repaid by January 2017, but was never repaid. -- PTI

Arvind Kejriwal

21:44 HC throws out plea on AAP, Kejri's Khalistan ties

The Delhi high court on Tuesday termed as completely frivolous and dismissed a petition filed by a Congress leader seeking a high-level enquiry against the Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that they have links with Khalistani separatists.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla also asked the counsel for the petitioner not to file such frivolous petitions.

In your petition, you say that the authorities are cognisant of the letter of erstwhile chief minister of Punjab to the Union home minister. Where is the question of we directing for any enquiry? Please don't file such frivolous petitions. It is completely frivolous. Is there any reason to think that authorities will not take action or are not taking action, the bench said while dismissing the petition.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Congress leader Jagdish Sharma seeking an investigation into the allegations that AAP and its national convenor Kejriwal have links with banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and other Khalistani forces and have received funds from them to contest the elections in Punjab.

The petition referred to a letter written by former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi leveling the same allegations and former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas's statement on the same lines.

One letter of Gurpant Singh Pannu, the founder member of Sikhs for Justice, was also found where it was written that SFJ has given its support to AAP in the elections to the state assembly on 2017 and similarly in these elections too, the SFJ has exhorted the electorate to vote for Aam Aadmi Party.

Taking into account this letter, the chief minister of Punjab has also written a letter to Amit Shah (home minister) for investigating this matter, that is, the connection of Aam Aadmi Party and its convenor Arvind Kejriwal with these separatist forces, the petition filed through advocate Rudra Vikram Singh said.

It said considering the seriousness of the allegation, the home minister has replied to the erstwhile CM of Punjab assuring him of thorough investigation in the matter, and added that considering the life threat to the whistleblower Kumar Vishwas, the home ministry has provided Y category security to him.

The allegations were such serious in nature that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also made an announcement to be aware of these separatist forces and the party who is supported by these separatist forces. Despite the allegations being so serious in nature and there may be a security threat to the country by Aam Aadmi Party and party chief Arvind Kejriwal, no enquiry has been initiated by the central government, it said.

The petition also sought temporary suspension of AAP's recognition and also bar the party from contesting any elections till the enquiry is completed.

-- PTI

Reflecting the dissensions in the party, senior Congress leaders on Tuesday lashed out at their colleague Kapil Sibal for his remarks against the leadership with the party's Lok Sabha whip accusing him of speaking the language of the BJP and the RSS.

Manickam Tagore, a staunch Rahul Gandhi loyalist, said the RSS and the BJP want the Gandhis to be out of leadership position to kill the Congress party and destroy the idea of India.

Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera said Sibal should elections for the post of Congress president instead of making public comments against the leadership.

"Why RSS and BJP wants Nehru-Gandhi's out of the leadership? Because without Gandhi's leadership Congress will be become Janata party. It's easy to kill Congress then it's easy to destroy the idea of India (sic)," Tagore said on Twitter.

"Kapil Sibal knows it but why he is speaking the language of RSS/BJP," the Congress' Lok Sabha whip asked.

Khera also put out a Twitter post hitting out at Sibal.

"Dr Harshvardhan did not ask you to step aside from Chandni Chowk. He fought an election and defeated you Kapil Sibal. Those who want to lead Congress are free to fight upcoming election for the position of party president instead of chanting everyday against current leadership," Khera tweeted.

Sibal has said Gandhis should step aside and give some other leader a chance to lead the party.

"Leadership is in cuckoo land' I want a sab ki Congress'. Some want a 'Ghar ki Congress'," Sibal told the Indian Express in an interview. -- PTI

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21:01 3 Indians evacuated from Ukraine via Russia

Three Indians stranded in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson have been evacuated through Simferopol and Moscow, the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indian embassy in Russia facilitated the transit of the Indians and that they have already boarded their flights from Moscow.

"Three Indians stranded in Kherson have been evacuated via Simferopol and Moscow. They boarded their flight from Moscow a short while ago. @IndEmbMoscow facilitated their transit and accommodation en route," Bagchi said in a tweet.

Simferopol is a major city on the Crimean Peninsula.

The Russian defence ministry on Tuesday said its troops have taken control of the Kherson region.

India had also evacuated its nationals from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova after they crossed over to these countries from Ukraine through land border transit points.

Ukraine had closed its airspace for civilian aircraft after Russia began a military operation in the east European country. -- PTI

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20:34 CISF gives security consultancy for Ram temple, submits 1st draft report

The Union home ministry has deputed CISF to provide comprehensive security consultancy to the under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said on Tuesday.

The development came after the Uttar Pradesh government sought the services of the Central Industrial Security Force's anti-sabotage security experts to work in tandem with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the body entrusted with the construction of the temple, from the construction stage itself.

"The UP government sent a proposal to the MHA seeking the services of the CISF consultancy wing for the under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya two months back. The state government desired that CISF experts are engaged in formulating all security aspects for the project right from the beginning," a senior security officer said.

The CISF recently submitted the first draft report of the project to the UP government, he said.

The state government will bear the cost of the consultancy services rendered by the CISF that should be around 18.75 lakh, the officer said.

A team of experts, led by a senior commandant rank officer of the CISF, has been camping in Ayodhya for the last few months for the project, another officer said.

"The CISF consultancy team has advised the temple trust and its office bearers about all the physical and gadget-based security requirements that need to be incorporated during the construction and after the structure is ready," the official said.

"It has also provided inputs to keep the temple complex safe from fire and other hazardous accidents apart from recommending an overall anti-sabotage plan," the officer said.

The temple trust had said in January that the third phase of the construction of the temple, including the plinth work, has begun and is expected to be completed by May.

"The construction work of the temple is progressing according to the plan, and by December 2023, devotees will be able to get the opportunity of Lord Shri Ram's darshan," the trust had said. -- PTI

The Delhi high court Tuesday directed former Janata Dal-United president Sharad Yadav to vacate within 15 days the government bungalow occupied by him in the national capital, saying that since he was disqualified as Rajya Sabha MP in 2017, there can be no justification to retain the accommodation.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla directed Yadav to and over the bungalow at 7, Tuqhlak Road in New Delhi to the government within 15 days" saying more than four years have elapsed since he was disqualified as Rajya Sabha MP.

The high court said it was not inclined to continue with the interim order passed by a single judge on December 15, 2017, by which he was allowed to avail the official perks and facilities of an MP including the use of his official residence at Tuqhlak Road here till the petition is decided.

However, the Supreme Court in June 2018 had partially modified the high court's order, saying that he could retain his official accommodation but would not be entitled to salary and other benefits.

On Tuesday, the high court disposed of an application by the Centre seeking to lift a stay on the vacation of a government bungalow occupied by him in the national capital as he was disqualified as Rajya Sabha MP in 2017.

The December 15, 2017 order stands vacated, the division bench said and listed the main petition for hearing on April 21.

The bench said until and unless Yadav's disqualification is set aside, he has no right to occupy the government accommodation and added that the provision of perks, including residential accommodation, are provided to the functionaries of the state to enable them to discharge their functions.

It said the perks are conferred to any individual personally and they are not given for life. -- PTI

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday announced setting up of a 'Chair of Excellence' in memory of India's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India, a leading military think tank.

The announcement, made at a ceremony, came a day ahead of the 65th birthday of Gen Rawat who was killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 along with his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel.

The 'Gen Bipin Rawat memorial Chair of Excellence' will focus on the field of jointness and integration among the armed forces.

"Late Gen Bipin Rawat who served as India's first CDS as well as the 27th Chief of Indian Army was an outstanding professional and was in the midst of steering one of the most radical transformations of the Indian military," the Army said.

"The Chair of Excellence is a befitting tribute to the astute leadership and professionalism of the General," it said in a statement.

In his remarks, the Army chief said Gen Rawat was passionate about strategic thoughts and invested considerable time and energy in the activities of various think tanks.

"And, therefore, his 65th birthday provided an opportune moment to reinforce the services' bond with their intellectual institutions. The Chair will be open to veterans of three services and civilians having expertise in the field of national security," Gen Naravane said.

The Army chief is also serving as the officiating chairman, chiefs of staff committee. PTI

19:44 Congress reviews UP poll results

The Congress on Tuesday held a meeting to review its poor performance in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, identify shortcomings and chalk out future plans for the politically-crucial state.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra chaired the review meeting which was attended by the party's top state leaders.

The meeting comes two days after Vadra presented her report regarding the party's drubbing in the polls at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Sources said the meeting will discuss threadbare the performance in each constituency in UP, where the Congress won only two seats out of 403 and got a vote share of 2.33 percent.

The party will chalk out its roadmap for the state where it contested all the without any alliance after many years. -- PTI

After the party's drubbing in the just-concluded assembly polls, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked the party's state unit chiefs in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur to resign.

The development comes two days after the Congress Working Committee discussed threadbare the reasons for the party's debacle in these Assembly polls.

The Congress failed to win in any of the states and lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party.

"Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi has asked the PCC presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to put in their resignations in order to facilitate reorganisation of PCCs," chief spokesperson of the party Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter.

The CWC, in its marathon meeting, had asked the Congress president to initiate necessary changes in the organisation in order to strengthen it.

"The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges," it had said after the meeting. -- PTI

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18:55 No plan to introduce cryptocurrency: Govt

There is no plan to introduce cryptocurrency by the government, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Currently, cryptocurrencies are unregulated in India, he said in a written reply.

"RBI does not issue cryptocurrency. Traditional paper currency is a legal tender and is issued by RBI in terms of provisions of RBI Act, 1994. A digital version of traditional paper currency is called Central Bank Digital Currency," he said.

RBI is currently working towards a phased implementation strategy for introduction of CBDC and examining use cases which could be implemented with little or no disruption, he said in another reply.

Introduction of CBDC has the potential to provide significant benefits such as reduced dependency on cash, higher seigniorage due to lower transaction costs, etc, he added.

Printing of notes have declined over a period of time, he said, adding, during 2019-20 notes worth Rs 4,378 crore were printed which came down to Rs 4,012 crore in 2020-21.

Replying to another question, he said, financial health of the country includes many facets.

"Stable stock market along with well-functioning and sophisticated market infrastructure is one indicator to assess a country's financial health. The stock markets are indicative of economic growth in the medium to long term as the stock prices reflect the market's expectation on future corporate earnings/profitability and hence the underlying confidence in economy," he said. -- PTI

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18:47 No decision yet on country-wide NRC: Govt to Lok Sabha

The Centre has not yet taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens for the entire country, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The minister said on the direction of the Supreme Court, the supplementary list of inclusions and the list of exclusions for the NRC in Assam have been published on August 31, 2019.

Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level, he said in a written reply to a question.

An update of the NRC (also referred to as NRIC) has been carried out only in Assam.

When the final list of the NRC was published in 2019, a total of 19.06 lakh people, out of 3.30 crore applicants, were excluded, triggering a huge political row in the country. -- PTI

Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha was on Tuesday evicted from the Rajasthan Assembly with the help of marshals for interrupting Minister Shanti Dhariwal's speech in the House and raising slogans.

Lodha, who is also Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's advisor, had through an Attention Motion during the Zero Hour raised the issue of an "innocent" person being in jail on murder charge in Barlut of Sirohi district.

Not paying heed to the rulings of Speaker C P Joshi, the independent MLA interrupted parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal's reply in the House and started raising slogans against the police.

"The House cannot run according to you. This cannot be allowed at all. I request the rest of the MLAs also not to behave in such a way that I have to make some unpleasant decisions," Joshi warned.

Dhariwal said action will be taken against any policeman found guilty after probing the entire case.

An investigation is necessary before taking action and it will be done in a week, he said.

Lodha intervened again saying that in 2018 also he had to gherao the Barlut police station on behalf of the Congress party against the attitude of the police.

On this, the speaker said, "Referring to the past is not significant in this case and you do not want to hear the minister's reply."

As Lodha continued raising slogans, Joshi ordered marshals to evict him from the House. -- PTI

Pic: PTI Photo

18:14 Plea filed in SC against K'taka HC order on hijab

A plea was Tuesday filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka high court verdict which dismissed pleas seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, saying the hijab is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.

The petition has been filed in the apex court by a Muslim student against the high court judgment.

Earlier in the day, the high court dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi, seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom.

The prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction, constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to, the high court said in its order.

18:07 BSE Sensex top losers

Tata Steel was the top laggard in the Sensex pack on Tuesday, sliding 4.89 per cent, followed by Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Reliance Industries, HCL Tech and PowerGrid. -- PTI

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17:56 Over 8.22 cr taxpayers in FY20, says FM

India had 8.22 crore taxpayers, which include individuals and corporates, in 2019-20, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

"Total number of taxpayers for AY 2020-21 is 8,22,83,407. The projected total population of the country as on March 1, 2021 .... was 136.30 crore," Sitharaman said.

The number of taxpayers include persons who pay income tax and corporate tax and who have either filed a Return of Income or in whose case tax has been deducted at source.

Sitharaman further said the government has implemented the non-filers monitoring system which assimilates and analyses in-house information as well as transactional data received from third-parties to identify such persons/entities who have undertaken high value financial transactions with potential tax liabilities but have not filed their returns.

"The (tax) department seeks to bring more non-filers into the tax net by formulating region-specific strategies by the field authorities for identifying potential non-filers, holding of outreach programmes to encourage voluntary compliance and extensive use of mass media for creating awareness, issuing statutory notices to enforce compliance, simplification in income-tax returns and filing process to encourage voluntary filing," she said.

Further, e-mails and SMS reminders are issued to taxpayers to file ITRs and pay their due taxes. -- PTI

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17:26 Punjab lifts all Covid restrictions

The Punjab government on Tuesday lifted all Covid-related restrictions in the state, according to an order.

However, the people have been advised to follow Covid-appropriate behavioural norms.

"In exercise of the powers conferred under section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897, read with all other enabling provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005, in supersession of all previous instructions on the subject, all COVID-19 related restrictions are removed with immediate effect," the order issued by the state department of home affairs and justice said.

"However, the residents of the state are advised to follow Covid-appropriate behavioural norms," it added.

The directions in this regard have been issued to all divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and senior police officials in the state.

Several restrictions were imposed by the authorities to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state. -- PTI

Comedian Kapil Sharma has thanked veteran actor Anupam Kher for squashing 'false allegations' against him that he deliberately didn't invite the team of "The Kashmir Files" on his popular TV show for promotions.

Last week, Sharma came under fire with a section on Twitter criticising him for not calling the film's cast on "The Kapil Sharma Show", which routinely features stars promoting their upcoming releases, while others defended the decision saying comedy should not be done on a serious subject like Kashmiri Pandits' exodus.

In a tweet on March 7, when a user asked the film's director Vivek Agnihotri to appear on the popular show, the filmmaker responded saying, "It's his and his producers choice whom he wants to invite. As far as Bollywood is concerned, I'd say what once Mr Bachchan was quoted saying about Gandhis: Woh raja hai, hum rank".

The tweet snowballed into a controversy with certain people attacking the host-comedian on various social media platforms.

During an interview with a news channel on Monday night, the lead star of the movie, Kher was asked by the anchor the reason behind not appearing on the popular television show, to which he said that he was invited but he turned down the offer considering the sensitive subject of the film.

"To be very honest, I must say it here, I was called to be on the show. I had told my manager that this is a serious film, (so) I won't be able to go on the show. I want to put my point over here. This happened two months ago, when I was invited. I had been on the show before a couple of times. It is a funny show," Kher said.

The veteran actor, however, added that Agnihotri was not in the know of the decision. -- PTI

A 24-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar for allegedly posting objectionable picture of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former CM Mayawati on social media, officials said.

The accused had shared the morphed picture of Adityanath and Mayawati on Facebook on March 13, they said.

The local Jewar police had lodged an FIR on its own after taking note of the reaction of several social media users over the post, officials said.

"The accused has been identified as Amir Khan, a resident of Dayanatpur village under Jewar police station limits. He was held near the Sabauta underpass on Tuesday morning," a police spokesperson said.

SHO, Jewar police station, Umesh Bahadur said Khan works as a daily-wage construction worker and was being produced in a local court as per procedures.

"He did not share with the police why he had put out the morphed picture," he said.

The FIR has been lodged on a complaint by a local police official, who probed the matter after the issue was highlighted by a Twitter user.

Khan has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 152B (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505(2) (public mischief) and under provisions of the Information Technology Act, according to the police. -- PTI

Underlining how Ukraine is being "decimated before the eyes of the world", United Nations chief on Monday warned that a meltdown of the global economy due to the conflict is provoking a hunger crisis that is hitting the poorest, hardest.

Addressing the media outside the Security Council chamber in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that with each passing hour in Ukraine, the death and destruction is getting worse: "Whatever the outcome, this war will have no winners, only losers."

The Secretary-General said the UN and humanitarian partners were working "to ensure safe passage from besieged areas, and to provide aid where security permits, allowing around 600,000 to receive some form of aid since the bombardment began.

And with Russia raising the alert level of his country's nuclear forces, the UN chief described it as a "bone-chilling development."

He said the prospect of a nuclear war, "once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility. The security and safety of nuclear facilities must also be preserved".

"It is time to stop the horror unleashed on the people of Ukraine and get on the path of diplomacy and peace", he said, noting that he had been in close contact with countries including China, France, Germany, India, Israel and Turkey - on mediation efforts to end Russia's invasion.

"The appeals for peace must be heard. This tragedy must stop. It is never too late for diplomacy and dialogue. We need an immediate cessation of hostilities and serious negotiations based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law."

We need peace now, he added. "Peace for the people of Ukraine. Peace for our world."

The nearly two million now displaced inside the country, and close to three million who have become refugees in the past two weeks - the vast majority women and children - are becoming increasingly vulnerable, he warned.

Russia and Ukraine represent more than half of the world's supply of sunflower oil and about 30 per cent of the world's wheat, he added, noting that Ukraine alone provides more than half of the World Food Programme's (WFP) wheat supply.

"Food, fuel and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing. Supply chains are being disrupted. And the costs and delays of transportation of imported goods - when available - are at record levels," Guterres said and added that all of this is hitting the poorest the hardest. -- ANI

15:48 SC stays Centre's ban on MediaOne news channel

The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed till further orders the January 31 order of the Centre banning telecast of Malayalam news channel MediaOne on security grounds.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath said that the news and current affairs channel will continue its operations as it was operating prior to the ban of telecast.

The bench left the question open on whether content of files on the basis of which the ban order was passed be given to the channel to enable it to defend itself.

The top court asked the Centre to file a detailed counter affidavit by March 26 on the appeals filed by the channel against the high court order.

On March 10, the top court had sought response from the Centre on the channel's plea of against the Kerala high court order upholding the Centre's decision to ban its telecast on security grounds.

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Tuesday assured Chief Minister M K Stalin that the anti-NEET Bill adopted recently by the state Assembly would be forwarded to the Centre for Presidential assent.

Stalin called on Ravi at the Raj Bhavan here and urged him to expeditiously send the Bill to exempt Tamil Nadu from the purview of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for getting Presidential assent, an official release said.

On February 8, the Tamil Nadu assembly had adopted once again the anti-NEET Bill and sent it Raj Bhavan for getting Presidential assent.

The previous anti-NEET Bill, passed on September 13, 2021 by the DMK regime was returned after 142 days to the government by Governor Ravi. -- PTI

The Centre on Tuesday released guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination of children between 12-14 years that will begin from March 16 and said only Corbevax vaccine would be used for the beneficiaries of this age group.

Two doses of Biological E's intramuscular vaccine Corbevax would be administered to the beneficiaries in the 12-14 years age group at an interval of 28 days, the guidelines said.

The Centre shared also these guidelines with states in a letter issued on Monday.

COVID-19 vaccination of children between 12-14 years will begin from March 16 and only Corbevax vaccine would be used for the beneficiaries of age group 12-13 and 13-14 years, it said.

Beneficiaries between 14-15 years have already been covered during the vaccination for 15-18 years' age group.

According to the guidelines, as of March 1, 2021 there are as many as 4.7 crore children aged 12 and 13 years in the country.

Also, precaution dose can now be provided to all persons aged 60 years and above and the prioritization and sequencing of this dose would be based on completion of nine months -- 39 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose.

The guidelines said the vaccination of precaution dose should be with the same vaccine with which primary vaccination was done.

According to the guidelines, all beneficiaries born in 2010 or earlier -- those who have already attained the age of 12 years -- will be able to register on CoWIN.

"The vaccination slots will be booked for 12-14 years age group for "CorBEvax" only through Co-WIN. Vaccinator has to ensure that the vaccine is administered to only those children who have completed the age of 12 years on the date of vaccination and if a child is registered but has not attained the age of 12 years, the vaccination is not to be given," the guidelines said.

The registration can be done through the following modes -- self-registration through an existing account on Co-WIN of a family member or by creating a new account through a unique mobile number (this facility is available for all eligible citizens presently), it said.

It can also be done through onsite registration by the vaccinator in facilitated registration mode and appointments can be booked online or onsite (walk-in) for 12-14 years.

Vaccination of 12-14 years would be conducted through dedicated inoculation sessions -- that is earmarked COVID-19 vaccination centres for 12-14 years' age-group -- to avoid their unintended vaccination with any other COVID-19 vaccines.

The guidelines said all citizen irrespective of their income status are entitled to free COVID-19 vaccination at government Covid centres. -- PTI

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that the SP-led alliance had got 51.5 per cent of the postal ballots in the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly election, and that it won 304 seats on this basis.

"The SP-alliance got 51.5 per cent of the postal ballot votes, which means that the SP registered victory on 304 seats," he said in a Hindi tweet.

"This is telling the truth about the victory of the SP-led alliance in the election. Thanks to every government employee, teacher and voter, who cast their postal ballot.

"The ruling party should know that deceit does not give any strength," said Yadav, targeting BJP, which won the election winning 255 seats. -- PTI

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday called the Karnataka high court's decision to uphold the hijab ban as "deeply disappointing", saying it was not only about religion but the freedom to choose.

"Karnataka HC's decision to uphold the Hijab ban is deeply disappointing. On one hand we talk about empowering women yet we are denying them the right to a simple choice. Its isn't just about religion but the freedom to choose," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter.

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi, seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said it was a "travesty" that the court did not uphold the basic right of a woman to choose how she wants to dress.

"Very disappointed by the verdict of the Karnataka High Court. Regardless of what you may think about the hijab it's not about an item of clothing, it's about the right of a woman to choose how she wants to dress. That the court didn't uphold this basic right is a travesty, Omar said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Sajad Lone-led Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference said in a tweet, "Karnataka High Court upholds decision on #HijabBan. The already growing imbalance in country further erodes individual's belief in the idea of India & is impacting democracy."

"The resulting fatalism causes maximum people to give up on democracy, & alienation grows further," it said. -- PTI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would set up a bench to hear on Wednesday a plea challenging the grant of bail by the Allahabad high court to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that left eight people, including four farmers, dead.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submission of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for some farmers, that there was an attack on one of the prime witnesses of the case.

The people who attacked the witness threatened by saying "now that BJP has won, they will take care of him," Bhushan said, adding that other co-accused are also seeking bail relying on the Allahabad high court order granting bail to Ashish Mishra.

The CJI said he would constitute the bench which had heard the case earlier and list it for hearing on Wednesday.

A bench of the CJI and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli had earlier heard the case pertaining to the incident that had left eight people, including four farmers, dead and had appointed a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to monitor the probe.

On March 11, the top court had agreed to list for hearing on Tuesday the plea seeking cancellation of Mishra's bail in the case.

A single-judge bench of the high court, on February 10, had granted bail to Mishra who had spent four months in custody.

Three family members of farmers who were killed in the violence have sought a stay on the February 10 bail order of the high court, saying the verdict was "unsustainable in the eyes of law as there has been no meaningful and effective assistance by the state to the court in the matter". -- PTI

Children cool off in the heat wave

14:07 Mumbai-ites told to stay indoors in heat wave

In the wake of severe heat wave conditions in Mumbai and neighbouring districts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has appealed to citizens to stay safe and hydrated and avoid going out in the afternoon.

A person suffering from a heat stroke should immediately be taken to hospital, it said, and asked people to increase the intake of water and other healthy fluids.

The India meteorological department has issued an 'orange alert' (severe heat wave conditions in some parts) for Tuesday and a 'yellow alert' (heat wave conditions in isolated parts) for Wednesday.

It has predicted that the maximum temperature in Mumbai will be around 40 degrees Celsius over the next two days.

On Monday, suburban Santactruz recorded the maximum temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius, as per the met department.

In view of the IMD's warning, the Mumbai civic body took to Twitter to inform citizens about the do's and dont's and asked them to "stay hydrated and safe".

To minimise the impact during the heat wave and to prevent a serious ailment or death because of the heat stroke, the BMC also asked people to avoid going out in the sun, especially between 12 noon and 3 pm. It suggested people to carry water while going out in the afternoon.

"Drink sufficient water and as often as possible, even if not thirsty," the BMC said and asked people to avoid strenuous activities when the outside temperature is high.

It also asked citizens to avoid tea, coffee, soft drinks, high-protein and stale food, and suggested that people use a hat or an umbrella and also use a damp cloth on head, neck, face and limbs if they work outdoors.

The BMC also asked people to take ORS (oral rehydration salts) and homemade drinks like lassi, torani (rice water), lemon water and buttermilk which help to re-hydrate the body. Use fans and take bath in cold water frequently, it said.

"If a person faints or falls ill, he/she see a doctor immediately," it stated.

The BMC also suggested that if a person suffers from sun stroke, he/she should lie in a cool place under a shade. Wipe with a wet cloth or wash the body frequently, and pour normal temperature water on the head, it said.

The person should immediately be taken to the nearest health centre, it said.

"The patient needs immediate hospitalisation, as heat strokes could be fatal," the civic body said.

-- PTI

13:29 No relief to Nawab Malik in PMLA case from HC

The Bombay high court on Tuesday denied any interim relief to Maharashtra cabinet minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik in a money laundering case, and refused to pass an order for his release from judicial custody.

Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on February 23 this year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act over a property deal allegedly linked to the aides of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

He is currently in judicial custody.

The minority affairs minister had challenged his arrest and as an interim prayer, sought that he be released from custody immediately.

However, a bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak on Tuesday denied any such interim relief to Malik.

The bench said the minister's petition had raised some debatable issues and the court needed to hear at length the arguments from both sides before passing any final orders.

"As certain debatable issues are raised, they require to be heard at length. We are not inclined to allow prayers in the interim application," the HC said.

Following his arrest, Malik had filed a habeas corpus plea through senior advocate Amit Desai, claiming that his arrest by the ED and the consequent remands were illegal.

He had sought that his arrest in the case be quashed and set aside and in the interim, he be released from custody immediately.

The ED has accused Malik of being part of an alleged criminal conspiracy to usurp a property in Kurla area of Mumbai that currently has a market value of Rs 300 crore and belongs rightfully to one Munira Plumber. -- PTI

13:27 SRK teases with news of OTT app launch

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday teased the launch of his OTT platform, leading to congratulatory messages from friends and collaborators from the industry.

Shah Rukh took to Twitter and shared an announcement poster, which read "SRK+, coming soon".

Shah Rukh and his production banner Red Chillies Entertainment, however, are yet to confirm if SRK+ is indeed his new OTT app.

The 56-year-old actor, who has been away from the big screen since his last release Zero in 2018, captioned the post 'Kuch kuch hone wala hai, OTT ki duniya mein (something is going to happen in the world of OTT'.

Salman shared Shah Rukh's tweet and congratulated the actor.

"Aaj ki party teri taraf se @iamsrk. Congrats on your new OTT app, SRK+," the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor wrote.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap tweeted that he was collaborating with the superstar on the new OTT app.

"Dream come true! Collaborating with @iamsrk on his new OTT app, SRK+," Kashyap wrote captioning the actor's announcement.

Shah Rukh's collaborator and friend Karan Johar also congratulated him on the new app.

"Biggest news of the year! @iamsrk, this is going to change the face of OTT. Super excited!!!"

Shah Rukh had ventured into the digital streaming space as a producer with Bard of Blood and Betaal, both series streaming on Netflix. The projects were backed by his production house.

Shah Rukh will be next seen in Pathaan, gearing up for a January 25, 2023 release. The spy actioner has been backed by Yash Raj Films and directed by Siddharth Anand of War and Bang Bang fame.

The Congress will review on Tuesday its poor performance in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls to understand its shortcomings and chalk out future plans for the politically-crucial state.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will chair the review meeting which will be attended by party's top state leaders.

The meeting comes two days after Vadra presented her report regarding the party's drubbing in the polls.

Sources said the meeting will discuss threadbare the performance in each of the seats in UP, where the Congress won only two seats and got a vote share of only 2.33 percent.

The party will chalk out its future plan and roadmap for Uttar Pradesh where it contested all the seats alone without any alliance.

This is the first time after many years that the Congress contested of its own. -- PTI

The Mumbai police have registered an FIR against BJP MLC Pravin Darekar in connection with an alleged bank scam case, an official said on Tuesday.

The FIR against leader of opposition in the state legislative council was registered on Monday under various IPC sections, including 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 120-b (criminal conspiracy) following a complaint by Aam Aadmi Party functionary Dhananjay Shinde.

The complainant alleged that Darekar posed as a labourer, which was later found wrong.

He was the Mumbai Bank chairman from 2011 to 2021 and allegedly indulged in various financial irregularities, he said.

Shinde said he approached the MRA Marg police in Mumbai on January 8 to lodge an FIR against Darekar for allegedly cheating people, the bank and the cooperative department.

The infighting in the Congress continued after the Congress Working Committee meet, with the party's Lok Sabha whip Manickam Tagore Tuesday hitting out at senior leader Kapil Sibal for his remarks against the leadership and accusing him of speaking the language of the RSS-BJP.

Tagore, a staunch Rahul Gandhi loyalist, said the RSS and the BJP want the Gandhis to be out of leadership position in the party in order to kill the Congress party and destroy the Idea of India.

"Why the RSS and BJP wants Nehru-Gandhi's out of the leadership? Because without Gandhi's leadership Congress will be become Janata party. It's easy to kill Congress then it's easy to destroy the idea of India (sic)," Tagore said on Twitter.

"Kapil Sibal knows it but why he is speaking the language of RSS/BJP," he asked.

Sibal has said that Gandhis should step aside and give some other leader a chance to lead the party. "Leadership is in cuckoo land. I want a Sab ki Congress'. Some want a 'Ghar ki Congress'," Sibal told the Indian Express in an interview.

The remarks came after the Congress Working Committee met on Sunday, and after almost five hours of deliberations urged Sonia Gandhi to continue to lead and initiate changes required to strengthen the party.

The CWC also rejected Gandhi's offer to make any and every sacrifice for the party, which was construed by some as an offer of Gandhi family to step aside, and reposed faith in her leadership.

The Congress put out a video of all its former leaders from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, on its Twitter handle.

"We will fight on. We will overcome. We will continue to raise your voice," the party said. -- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said everyone should abide by the verdict of the high court on the Hijab row, and cooperate with the state government in implementing it.

Calling for maintenance of peace and order in the society, he also asked students to focus on their education, by accepting the court verdict.

"I have just now got to know through the media about the high court's order regarding the case related to uniform (in class rooms). The court has upheld the uniform and has said that Hijab is not an essential religious practice," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said this was a matter concerning the future and the education of students, and nothing is more important than education.

"Every one should abide by the verdict of the three judges bench of the high court. While we (govt) implement it (the order) everyone should cooperate and maintain peace. Maintaining peace and order in the society is of utmost importance. I appeal to the people, leaders of all communities, parents, teachers and students to accept the order and cooperate in imparting education to students, in accordance with the court order," he added.

The Karnataka high court today dismissed petitions filed by a section of Muslim students, seeking permission to wear Hijab inside the classroom.

The prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction, constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to, a three-judge bench of the court consisting of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice J M Khazi further noted.

Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih has thanked India for its help during the Covid pandemic, highlighting that India donated vaccines and generously aided the island nation on many occasions.

During an address to the people of his country on Sunday, Solih thanked Maldives' friendly bilateral partners who assisted it in COVID-19 response efforts.

"I take this opportunity to highlight India, Japan, USA, UAE, China, Bangladesh, WHO and some of the UN agencies for their support," Solih said.

In the last two years, India has generously aided us on many occasions, he noted.

"India donated the most number of vaccines. India purchased financial bonds worth USD 250 million to help recover our economy. We received a lot of equipment from India essential to provide health services," the Maldivian president said, according to a translation of his speech put out by his office.

At the same time, a travel corridor was enacted between the two countries to ensure continued tourist arrivals, Solih said.

He also highlighted that India also eased up access for Maldivians needing urgent health care, allowing them to travel to the country.

This privilege was not afforded to any other country besides the Maldives, he added.

India helped several countries during the pandemic, especially with the supply of Covid vaccines. -- PTI

Underlining that the Bharatiya Janata Party is against dynasty politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it is because of him that children of several MPs didn't get tickets in the recently concluded assembly polls, according to sources.

Both Modi and BJP president J P Nadda were felicitated at the BJP parliamentary party meeting in Delhi for the saffron party's election victory in four states.

In the recently concluded assembly polls in five states, the BJP retained power in four, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the meeting, Modi asked the party MPs to fight against dynasty politics as it is dangerous for democracy, sources said.

To fight dynasty politics, the BJP has to put a check on such practices within the organisation, Modi said, adding that if the children of some party MPs didn't get tickets in assembly polls, it was because of him, according to sources.

Modi also appreciated the recently-released film The Kashmir Files and suggested that such movies should be made more often, sources said.

According to BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who was present in the meeting, Modi asked the parliamentarians to identify 100 such booths in their respective constituencies where the BJP got relatively fewer votes and identify the reasons behind it.

However, he also thanked the MPs for their support to the party, Tiwari said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also gave a presentation on the evacuation exercise under Operation Ganga to help stranded Indians leave war-stricken Ukraine. -- PTI

On accidental firing of missile into Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today in Rajya Sabha said that "our missile system is highly reliable and safe".

Singh said that on March 9, 2022, during the routine maintenance and inspection of the missile unit, around 7 pm, one missile got accidentally released.

"It was later known that the missile fell in Pakistan's territory. The incident is regrettable. But it's a relief that no losses happened. I would like to inform the House that the government has taken this matter very seriously and official order for high-level probe has been given," Singh said.

He further said, "The exact cause of the incident can be known only through a probe. I would also like to say that in the context of this incident, standard operating procedures of operations, maintenance and inspections are also being reviewed."

"We give highest priority to safety and security of our weapon system. If any shortcoming found in this context, it'll immediately be rectified. I would like to assure the House that our missile system is highly reliable & safe. Our safety procedure and protocols are high level," the defence minister said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda were felicitated at the party's parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on Tuesday for the election victory in four states.

At the start of the meeting, BJP MPs observed two-minute silence to pay tributes to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who died on February 6, sources said.

Tributes were also paid to Naveen Shekharappa, a fourth-year medical student killed in shelling in war-stricken Ukraine and Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was killed in Karnataka in the midst of hijab row, they said.

The meeting, which is currently underway, is expected to be addressed by both Modi and Nadda.

In the recently concluded assembly results, the BJP retained government in four states, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Pic: PTI Photo.

10:55 K'taka HC rejects plea to wear hijab in classroom

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by Muslim girl students seeking permission to wear the hijab in classroom.

"We are of the considered opinion that wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith," the HC said.

Prescription of school uniform is a reasonable restriction which students could not object to, the court said while pronouncing its judgment.

The Delhi police has recovered the mobile phone of former MP Vijay Goel and arrested a 22-year-old man who had snatched it from him, officials said on Tuesday.

Saajan, a resident of Daryaganj, had allegedly snatched Goel's phone last evening when he was going from Daryaganj towards the Red Fort through the Upper Subhash Marg, the police had said.

Saajan, who had allegedly snatched Goel's phone from him near the Red Fort in north Delhi, was arrested from Daryaganj area, they said.

The mobile phone has been recovered, the police said, adding that the accused was previously involved in four such cases.

Describing the incident, Deputy Commissioners of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi had said Monday that around 6.45 pm, when Goel's car was near the Jama Masjid metro station, a person came towards him, snatched his phone from his hand and fled.

10:45 Missile firing: Rajnath to address Parl today

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the "inadvertent firing of missile" that landed in Pakistan last week.

India on Friday said that a missile was accidentally fired from a military base and expressed regret that it landed in Pakistan on March 9.

Pakistan Army had said that an Indian projectile had entered the Pakistani airspace and caused some damage to surrounding areas after it fell near a place called Mian Channu in their territory.

The Indian Defence Ministry said that it has ordered a court of enquiry into the incident adding that it was a matter of relief that there was no loss of life due to the accidental firing.

"On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level court of enquiry," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident," it said. -- ANI

The United Kingdom government will lift all its remaining COVID-19 pandemic related international travel restrictions from this Friday, including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country.

From 4 am GMT on Friday, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit travel details or take a PCR test even if they are unvaccinated. The change would remove the remaining rules in place for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and another test two days after arrival.

"The UK is leading the world in removing all remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions, and today's announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other," UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday evening.

"I said we wouldn't keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we're delivering on today providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays. I look forward to continuing to work with the travel sector and partners around the world to keep international travel moving," he said.

The Easter break in April is a popular holiday period in the UK and the changes have been timed to help families make travel plans without the need for additional requirements.

"As we learn to live with COVID-19, we're taking further steps to open up international travel once again ahead of the Easter holidays," said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

"We will continue monitoring and tracking potential new variants and keep a reserve of measures that can be rapidly deployed if needed to keep us safe. We can remove these final restrictions thanks to the incredible success of our vaccination programme, which has seen more than eight out of 10 adults across the UK boosted," he said.

According to official figures, 86 per cent of the UK population has received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 67 per cent of the population has had a third top-up booster dose.

The UK government said that it will maintain a range of "contingency measures in reserve", which would enable "swift and proportionate" action to delay any future harmful variants of COVID-19 entering the country.

According to officials, the default approach in future will be to use the "least stringent measures", if appropriate, to minimise the impact on travel as far as possible, with contingency measures will only be implemented in extreme circumstances. -- PTI

India logged 2,568 new coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,29,96,062, while the active cases dipped to 33,917, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday.

The death toll climbed to 5,15,974 with 97 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.08 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate further improved to 98.72 per cent, the ministry said.

A reduction of 2,251 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,24,46,171 and the case fatality rate was recorded as 1.20 per cent.

10:05 Goa Cong chief resigns over poll debacle

Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar has resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for his party's poor performance in the recently concluded state assembly elections.

All India Congress Committee's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao told PTI on Tuesday that Chodankar has sent his resignation to the AICC.

Chodankar was at the helm of affairs of the Congress during the recent elections held for the 40-member Goa Assembly.

The Congress managed to win 11 seats and its ally Goa Forward Party secured one seat, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party by bagging 20 seats.

After the poll results were declared last Thursday, Chodankar had offered to quit while accepting moral responsibility for his party's poor show.

Sources in the Congress said Chodankar's resignation will be accepted and a new face will replace him.

"Leaders like Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira and Elvis Gomes are front-runners for the post," they said.

Amonkar and Sequeira won the recent assembly polls, while Gomes, a former bureaucrat, lost the election from Panaji assembly seat.

The sources also did not rule out the possibility of the Congress considering senior leader Digambar Kamat, who won the poll Margao assembly seat, for the top party post in the coastal state.

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats, but it failed to form government.

The BJP, which had then bagged 13 seats, came to power with the support of some regional parties and independents.

This time, the Congress was hoping for a clear mandate to avoid the fiasco of 2017, but failed to win a majority. -- PTI

China reported two times more new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday from the previous day as the country faces, by far, the biggest outbreak since the pandemic began.

The country identified 3,507 new locally spread cases in the last 24 hours, up from 1,337 a day earlier, The Washington Post reported citing China's National Health Commission.

China has imposed various rules to keep the COVID-19 cases away from the country since the deadly initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 but the fast-spreading variant known as "stealth omicron" is testing China's zero-tolerance strategy.

The country's COVID-19 cases are low as compared to elsewhere in the world but in the first two weeks of March, China recorded over 10,000 cases which exceeded the previous flare-ups.

Till now, no new deaths were reported in the multiple outbreaks across China. Most of the new cases were reported in northeast China's Jilin province, where 2,601 infections were reported, according to The Washington Post.

After recording the highest COVID-19 cases in Jilin, the authorities there have barred residents from leaving the province and travelling between cities within it.

The nine million residents of Changchun, the provincial capital and an auto manufacturing hub, have been locked down since Friday as authorities conduct repeated rounds of mass testing both there and in the city of Jilin.

Meanwhile, Guangdong province in the southeast, where the metropolis and major tech centre of Shenzhen has been locked down since Sunday, reported 48 new cases. -- ANI

Two weeks after the virtual Quad summit and amid the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart in Rome and held discussions on a range of issues, including bilateral relation and Russia's war against Ukraine, the White House said.

"We do have deep concerns about China's alignment with Russia at this time, and the national security adviser was direct about those concerns and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions," a senior administration official told reporters on Monday.

The pre-planned meeting in Rome went on for seven hours. The official described it as intense, reflecting the gravity of the moment as well as their commitment to maintaining open lines of communication.

During the meeting, Sullivan described to Yang Jiechi the unity of the US and its allies and partners, the unprecedented coordination with its European and NATO allies in particular, as well as the intense and unprecedented engagement by Asia Pacific allies in bringing the cost on Russia for its actions, the senior official said.

"They had an extensive conversation on Russia-Ukraine, with the national security adviser laying out where we are, how we got here, and what the risks are that we see lying ahead," the official said.

Additionally, they discussed crisis management and ways to manage strategic risks, following up on the discussion in November between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the importance of doing so towards the goal of managing the competition between the two countries to ensure that it does not veer into conflict.

"This meeting, of course, comes not only amid Russia's intensifying invasion in Ukraine, but also the intense work in recent months with our allies and partners in Europe and Asia," said the official.

"The president, as you know, has been coordinating closely with our Indo-Pacific partners to support the solidarity. And of course, just less than two weeks ago, President Biden convened a secure video meeting of the Quad leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States to discuss the war against Ukraine and the implications for the Indo-Pacific," the official added. -- PTI

Apple has released a software update that enables iPhone users to unlock their devices while having face masks on.

The new update, iOS 15.4, released on Monday also includes a host of other features for existing iPhones.

In a statement, Apple said the new feature allowing users to unlock their iPhones using Face ID while having masks on is exclusive to iOS 15.4 ??and only available on iPhone 12??, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, and iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max.

Once the device is updated, users will see the option to use Face ID with a mask on the welcome screen, the statement said.

Other improvements in the update include safety messages during AirTag setup, a new Siri voice and the ability to answer questions about time and date while offline.

Tap to pay on iPhone, a service that allows users to accept credit cards through Apple Pay; Universal Control, a feature that allows users to drag and drop files between an iPad and a Mac; the ability to scan text directly into a file in the Notes app; and additional SharePlay integration to allow users to quickly share songs and other content over FaceTime are other features included in the update. -- PTI

08:15 Karnataka HC verdict on hijab row today

The full bench of the Karnataka high court, which concluded its hearing in the hijab case, is likely to pronounce its verdict today.

The demand by a section of girls in an Udupi pre-university college to wear hijab inside their classrooms erupted into a major row after some Hindu students turned up in saffron shawls with the issue spreading to other parts of the state, even as the government insisted on a uniform norm.

According to the lawyers appearing for the petitioner girls from Udupi district, the matter pertaining to hijab case has been listed for Tuesday as serial No. 1 and the court may spell out the operative part of the verdict from 10.30 am onwards.

The full bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice J M Khazi was constituted on February 9 on a petition filed by girls from Udupi who prayed that they should be allowed to wear Hijab even inside the classroom along with the school uniform as it was part of their faith.

On January 1, six girl students of a college in Udupi attended a press conference held by the Campus Front of India in the coastal town protesting against the college authorities denying them entry into classrooms wearing headscarves.

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