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Fri, 03 March 2023
Night curfew in parts of Meghalaya after violence
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23:50 Night curfew in parts of Meghalaya after violence
Following post-poll violence in some constituencies in Meghalaya, the administration on Friday imposed indefinite night curfew at certain places with immediate effect.
Issuing an order, Eastern West Khasi Khasi Hills District Magistrate W Nongsiej imposed night curfew from 6 pm to 6 am at Mawsawa, Sangshong village, Umwiehsup and Mairang Mission village.
He noted that on Thursday night, violence and arson was committed by an unruly mob who torched five government vehicles, one private vehicle and pelted stones.
The mob also damaged the office building of the deputy commissioner.
"It ... appears to me that the said violence and arson was carried out by members of certain organised groups and associations to achieve their objectives," Nongsiej said.
He also said it is apprehended such groups may continue with "unlawful assembly and acts of violence as well as arson" to further their interest.
Therefore, in order to "ensure peace and security of the general public and to safeguard public properties", the DM promulgated the prohibitory orders. -- PTI
23:26 Japanese PM plans three-day visit to India from March 19
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to visit India later this month for talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi, a government source said on Friday, even as Tokyo holds the presidency of the Group of Seven nations this year, the Nikkei Asia reported.
Kishida's trip to India, currently chair of the Group of 20 economies for 2023, would come weeks after his government did not send Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to a meeting of the G-20 top diplomats, held for two days through Thursday in New Delhi.
Hayashi's absence triggered a backlash that Japan's decision not to dispatch the country's foreign minister to the G-20 gathering could cast a shadow over relations between the two Asian nations.
Nikkei Asia reported that Kishida, who is likely to visit India for three days from March 19, has been eager to confirm with Modi that Tokyo and New Delhi, as this year's G-7 and G-20 presidents, will work together more closely to tackle issues stemming from Russia's war in Ukraine, the source said.
In tandem with other G-7 members, Japan has been bolstering economic sanctions on Russia.
But India has abstained from implementing punitive measures against Russia. India has also emerged as a key nation of the "Global South," a term that collectively refers to developing countries in areas such as Asia, Africa and Latin America. -- ANI
23:06 No gold jewellery sale from April 1 without hallmark
Sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts hallmarked without six-digit alphanumeric HUID -- unique identification number -- shall not be permitted from April 1, the government on Friday said.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday chaired a meeting to review the activities of Bureau of Indian Standards.
To promote quality culture in micro scale units, it has been decided that the BIS will provide 80 per cent concession on the certification/minimum marking fee across various product certification schemes.
Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal.
It was voluntary in nature till June 16, 2021.
After that, the government decided to implement mandatory gold hallmarking in a phased manner.
In the first phase, it was made mandatory in 256 districts and 32 more districts were added in the second stage, taking the total number to 288 districts. 51 more districts are being added.
"Starting from 1st April 2023, the sale of only gold jewellery with HUID shall be permitted," an official statement said.
Nidhi Khare, additional secretary in the department of consumer affairs, said that "in consumers interest, it has been decided that after March 31st, sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts hallmarked without HUID will not be permitted."
At present, she said four digits as well as six-digit HUID are being used currently.
She said the hallmarked gold jwellery items are being sold across the country, even in those districts where it is not mandatory yet because of consumers demand for quality product. -- PTI
22:49 'Pathaan' breaks 'Baahubali 2' Hindi record, director Siddharth Anand reacted
There's no stopping Pathaan.
The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer has become highest grossing Hindi film ever, breaking Baahubali 2 record.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote on Twitter, "#Pathaan #Tamil + #Telugu [Week 5] Fri 2 lacs, Sat 3 lacs, Sun 5 lacs, Mon 2 lacs, Tue 2 lacs, Wed 2 lacs, Thu 2 lacs. Total: Rs 18.24 cr. NOTE: #Pathaan #Hindi + #Tamil + #Telugu *combined* biz: Rs 528.29 cr. #India biz. Nett BOC."
The Hindi lifetime collection of Baahubali 2 stood at a staggering Rs 510.99 crore.
With Pathaan surprassing the collection of SS Rajamouli's Baahubali in Hindi, director Siddharth Anand expressed happiness on Twitter.
"Crossed The Lifetime Collections Of #Baahubali2 In Hindi. Proud Moment For Me...!!! Once Again Thanks To All The Audience Who Encouraged The Film #Pathaan," he tweeted.
Released on January 25, Pathaan also stars John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana among others. -- ANI
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
22:25 Attack on Bihar migrants: Nitish to send team to TN
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday decided to send a team of senior state government officials to Tamil Nadu for looking into allegations of attacks on migrants, which snowballed into a major issue notwithstanding vehement denials by the southern state.
Leader of the Opposition in Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, after a meeting with the CM, claimed that the state government has agreed to a proposal to also send an all-party delegation to the southern state on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the chief minister's office, it was decided that the team will include officials from the police department while the chief secretary and the DGP here have been directed "to keep a constant watch" on the situation in Tamil Nadu.
"The government is fully sensitive towards the matter," asserted the statement. According to highly placed sources, the team is scheduled to leave on Saturday and likely to comprise four officials, two of them with roots in Tamil Nadu which will enable them to get "internal feedback", cutting through the barriers posed by language.
The move came even as deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, while speaking in the state assembly earlier in the day, sought to go by the version of the Tamil Nadu DGP who has rubbished reports of attacks on Hindi-speaking people in that state.
Yadav, incidentally, has also faced flak from the opposition BJP in Bihar for having visited Tamil Nadu amid the crisis to attend a function organised on the occasion of the birthday of M K Stalin, the Chief Minister of the southern state. -- PTI
21:54 MP assembly adjourned till Mar 13 amid BJP-Cong tussle over MLA suspension
The budget session of the Madhya Pradesh assembly was on Friday adjourned till March 13 amid a tussle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress MLAs on the suspension of an opposition MLA and calls for the Speaker to stay away from the proceedings due to a no confidence proposal against him.
As soon as the assembly convened for the day, Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Govind Singh wanted to know fate of the no confidence proposal moved by his party against Speaker Girish Gautam over the suspension of MLA Jitu Patwari on Thursday.
In reply, MP Parliamentary Affairs minister Narottam Mishra said it was he who had moved the proposal for Patwari's suspension and that the Speaker acted as per rules once it was passed by voice vote.
Meanwhile, Congress MLAs Sajjan Singh Verma and Kunal Chaudhary said Gautam should refrain from being part of the proceedings due to the proposal of no-confidence against him.
In the meantime, Mishra flung a book detailing rules and regulations of running the House, which elicited protests from the Congress, with opposition MLA Vijay Laxmi Sadhoo rushing to the Well of the House and his colleagues saying Mishra's act was unbecoming.
The House was adjourned for some time and after it reconvened, Congress MLAs continued claiming Mishra was disrespecting Babasaheb Ambedkar, under whom the Constitution was drafted, by throwing the rule book at the LoP. -- PTI
21:18 IMA advises not to use antibiotics for seasonal fever
Indian Medical Association in a notice posted on social media advised people and medical practitioners to avoid prescription of antibiotics to the increasing patients of with seasonal fever, cold and cough.
"Give only symptomatic treatment, no need to give antibiotics," said the IMA statement.
It further said that it is common to have seasonal cold or cough from October to February period because of influenza and other viruses.
The IMA said that several other antibiotics are being misused for certain conditions and are developing resistance among patients.
"The most misused antibiotics are amoxicillin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin," it said.
Representational image/ANI
20:49 Class 12 student flees exam centre with answer sheet in Maha
In a bizarre incident, a Class 12 student appearing for the Higher Secondary Certificate examination in Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Friday ran out of the exam centre with his answer sheet, which is now missing, an official said.
The student was appearing for the Maths exam at Nagsen Madhyamik Vidyalay in Vedant Nagar police station jurisdiction in the afternoon, he said.
Just 10 minutes before the duration of the paper was to end around 2 pm, the teen sought permission to go to the toilet and when the invigilator denied his request, the boy ran out of the classroom, the official said.
Only one page of the boy's answer sheet was found at his desk and the rest was missing, he said.
The police was soon informed and a search was launched for the student, who scaled the compound wall and entered a private library nearby, the official said.
After being brought back to the centre, the boy did not respond to any questions about the missing answer sheet or give a reason for his action, he said.
The police has initiated the process of registering an offence in this regard, inspector Brahma Giri told PTI.
"The Maharashtra Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has been informed about the incident. Further action will be taken as per rules," RT Chavan, centre head of Nagsen Vidyalay told reporters. -- PTI
20:25 Scribe accuses Twitter of stealing his concept of special tick for heads of state
A city-based journalist has filed a complaint of cheating against Twitter and its owner Elon Musk, accusing them of stealing his concept of a new label or `tick' for the accounts of prominent personalities including heads of state.
Twitter assigns a blue tick to ordinary verified accounts, but those of prominent personalities -- such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi or US President Joe Biden -- get a brown tick.
In his complaint filed before a magistrate's court in suburban Andheri, journalist Rupesh Singh sought action under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and the Copyright Act.
The complaint was filed on March 1, but the details were available on Friday.
Besides Musk, the complaint also named former Twitter India head Manish Maheshwari.
Being a senior journalist, writer and director, he is very active on Twitter, Singh said in the complaint filed through Advocate Niraj Gupta.
He noticed that all verified Twitter accounts have blue ticks whether they are of ordinary users or prominent personalities likes heads of state, he said.
Singh developed and created the concept that verified Twitter accounts of prominent personalities should be given different-colored ticks, and shared it on the wall of the microblogging site in May 2022, the complaint claimed. -- PTI
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan/ANI Photo
20:08 T'gana moves SC against guv for not clearing bills
The Telangana government has approached the Supreme Court over the Governor allegedly keeping some bills, passed by the legislature, pending, without taking a decision on them.
The state government's plea, filed through the chief secretary, is expected to come up for hearing after the Holi vacation, official sources said in Hyderabad on Friday.
In response to the state government moving the Supreme Court over the alleged delay in taking a decision with regard to the bills, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday said friendly interactions would have been more helpful.
"Dear @TelanganaCS Rajbhavan is nearer than Delhi. Assuming office as CS you didn't find time to visit Rahbhavan officially. No protocol!No courtesy even for courtesy call. Friendly official visits & interactions would have been more helpfull which you Don't even intend," she tweeted.
"Again i remind you Rajbhavan is nearer than Delhi @TelanganaCS," she said.
Relations between Raj Bhavan and the BRS government have not been on the best of terms and Soundararajan had earlier complained of protocol not being followed with regard to her office. -- PTI
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
19:54 Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife claims actor has thrown her, kids out of house
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's estranged wife Aaliya (Zainab) on Friday claimed the actor has thrown her and their two children out of his house.
In a series of videos posted on Instagram, Aaliya said the actor has deputed guards to not "let us in".
"... After being in the house for 40 days I stepped out as office bearers at Versova police station called me urgently... but when I went back to the house with my children Nawazuddin Siddiqui had deputed a number of guards to not let us in (sic)," she captioned the video.
In the clip, the actor's daughter, 12, can be seen crying while the couple's son, 7, is standing with his mother.
Siddiqui has not responded to his wife's claims and as of now no case has been registered with the police.
Some videos, circulating on social media, also showed the actor trying to meet his ailing mother only to be stopped by his brother Faizuddin.
Last month, the Bombay high court suggested Nawazuddin and his estranged wife to try and amicably resolve their differences pertaining to their two minor children.
Siddiqui had moved HC with a habeas corpus (produce the person) petition seeking direction to his estranged wife to reveal the whereabouts of their children.
The actor could not be reached for a comment. -- PTI
19:30 Rupee gains 63 paise to close at 1 month high of 81.97 against US dollar
The rupee appreciated by 63 paise to close at a one-month high of 81.97 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, as fresh foreign fund inflows and positive domestic equities supported investor sentiments.
Forex traders said positive PMI services data also boosted investor sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.28 against the American currency and finally settled at 81.97 (provisional) against the greenback, registering a gain of 63 paise over its previous close of 82.60.
During the trading session, the rupee touched a high of 81.92 and a low of 82.35 against the dollar. -- PTI
19:22 Maha panel to discuss Raut's 'chor' jibe meets
The newly-constituted 28-member privileges committee of the Maharashtra assembly met for the first time on Friday under the chairmanship of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rahul Kul.
The committee was set up by assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar on Wednesday under Kul amid uproar over Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut allegedly calling the Vidhimandal (state legislature) "chor-mandal" (council of thieves).
However, Raut's issue did not figure in the meeting, senior Congress MLA and committee member Nitin Raut told PTI.
"The issue is not on the agenda of the committee as of now. Speaker Rahul Narvekar will announce on March 8 if the notice will be sent to the committee. The next meeting of the privileges committee will be on March 9," he said.
Pic courtesy BCCI
19:07 ICC rates Ind vs Aus Indore match pitch as poor
The ICC on Friday rated the pitch used for the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match at the Holkar Stadium as "poor" after Australia beat India by nine wickets in a little over two days.
The poor rating also earned Indore, three demerit points and will remain active for five years rolling period.
India were all out for 109 and 163 in their two innings while Australia managed 197 in their first essay before knocking off the required 76 runs for a win on the third morning.
"ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials and after consulting with captains of both teams. Following the assessment, the venue has received three demerit points," the release issued by the global body stated.
The report has been forwarded to the BCCI, who now have 14 days if they wish to appeal against the sanction.
18:49 Plan to make 120 Vande Bharat trains in Latur facility moving quickly: Official
The plan to make 200 advanced Vande Bharat trains, including a major portion in Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur in Maharashtra, has taken a decisive step with the lowest and second lowest bidders being chosen in a Rs 58000-crore tender, an official said on Friday.
Rail advisory committee member Shamsundar Mandhana said 120 of these rakes, or a total of 1,920 coaches, will be made in Latur and the rest in Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
He said Latur Lok Sabha MP Sudhakar Shrangare was making efforts to ensure work on these state-of-the-art 16-coach rakes begin in Latur as quickly as possible.
The railway ministry had announced a couple of days ago that a consortium of Russia's CJSC Transmashholding and Indian PSU Rail Vikas Nigam Limited was the lowest bidder, followed by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and private rake manufacturer Titagarh Wagons.
Of the Rs 58000 crore earmarked for the project, Rs 26,000 crore will be upfront payment for the delivery of the trains, while the Rs 32,000 crore will be paid for maintaining the trains over a 35-year period. -- PTI
O Panneerselvam
18:28 TN bypoll loss: OPS attacks 'traitor' Palaniswami
Deposed All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader O Panneerselvam on Friday launched a scathing attack on the party's interim chief K Palaniswami for the Erode East bypoll loss, calling him a "traitor", who was heading an "authoritarian" group.
OPS, as Panneerselvam is known, squarely blamed Palaniswami for the party's poor electoral show.
The Congress bettering its victory margin from 9,000 in 2021 to the 67,000 now showed that the main opposition party AIADMK was in a "weakened position," he said.
In a fiercely contested Erode East bypoll, Congress' EVKS Elangovan drubbed AIADMK's KS Thennarasu.
The counting of votes polled on February 27 was taken up on Thursday and the DMK-backed Elangovan emerged victorious.
He recalled he had withdrawn the candidate proposed by his faction "on the advice of the Supreme Court" and with the aim of securing the popular -- PTI
18:09 RBI slaps Rs 3-cr penalty on Amazon Pay-India
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday said it has imposed a penalty of over Rs 3.06 crore on Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions related to Prepaid Payment Instruments and Know Your Customer direction.
"It was observed that the entity was non-compliant with the directions issued by RBI on KYC requirements," the RBI said in a statement.
The RBI had issued a notice to Amazon Pay-India advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance with the directions.
"After considering the entity's response, RBI concluded that the aforesaid charge of non-compliance with RBI directions was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty," it said.
The central bank, however, added the penalty is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the Amazon Pay-India with its customers.
Amazon Pay is the digital payment arm of e-commerce giant Amazon. -- PTI
17:44 Excise scam: Manish Sisodia moves Delhi court for bail
Delhi's former deputy chief minster Manish Sisodia, arrested in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam, moved a city court on Friday seeking bail, his lawyer said.
The application is likely to come up for hearing before special judge M K Nagpal on Saturday, advocate Rishikesh said.
Sisodia, who was sent to CBI custody on Monday, is scheduled to be produced before the court tomorrow when his CBI remand ends.
The CBI had on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22 after nearly eight hours of questioning during which his answers were allegedly not found satisfactory. -- PTI
17:15 Gainers and losers in Sensex pack
The Sensex on Friday jumped nearly 900 points and the Nifty rallied over 272 points on Friday, bouncing back from the previous day's fall, following a positive trend in global equities and fresh foreign fund inflows.
The BSE Sensex rallied 899.62 points or 1.53 per cent to end at 59,808.97 after starting the trade on a positive note.
During the day, it jumped 1,057.69 points or 1.79 per cent to 59,967.04.
The NSE Nifty advanced 272.45 points or 1.57 per cent to settle at 17,594.35.
From the Sensex pack, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries, ITC, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Tata Motors, HDFC and Titan were the major gainers.
Tech Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Nestle and Asian Paints were the laggards.
Representational image/ Pixabay.com
17:13 Cough syrup deaths: 3 pharma firm employees held
The Noida police on Friday arrested three employees of a city-based pharmaceutical firm whose cough syrup is alleged to have led to the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan last year, officials said.
The arrests come after an FIR was lodged late Thursday night against five officials of Marion Biotech, including two of its directors, over a complaint by a drugs inspector of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, they said.
The central and Uttar Pradesh state drug authorities had checked samples of Marion Biotech's drugs and found 22 of them to be "not of standard quality" (adulterated and spurious), according to the complainant drug inspector.
"Three persons named in the FIR have been arrested, while the two directors of the company are at large. Those arrested are Tuhin Bhattacharya, head operation; Atul Rawat, manufacturing chemist; and Mool Singh, analytical chemist," Phase 3 police station in-charge Vijay Kumar said. -- PTI
Ashwin Sanghi
16:54 Writer Ashwin Sanghi to debut in crime thriller genre with 3-book series
Bestselling author Ashwin Sanghi will come out with a three-book crime thriller series, introducing the character of a "flawed but brilliant ex-cop Prakash Kadam", publisher HarperCollins India announced on Friday.
The book series, titled Kutta Kadam will follow the exploits of the anti-hero as he hunts down criminals on the streets of Mumbai.
Talking about the upcoming series, Sanghi said that he will continue writing books in his popular "Bharat" series at the interval of every two years.
"I will now also give my readers a series of books in an entirely new crime thriller series every alternate year, starting 2024. As you know, I had co-written two crime thrillers along with James Patterson in 2014 and 2017. Both these titles became international bestsellers," the author of Chanakaya's Chant said in a statement.
"The new series, titled 'Kutta Kadam', is my first solo outing in the crime thriller genre and I hope that these books and their future web series adaptations will keep my fans engrossed," the author said.
The series will kick off with three books - each focused on a different case and Kadam's investigation of it.
Each book will be accompanied by a new season of a web series, the publishers said. -- PTI
16:28 Pawan Khera's bail extended till March 17
The Supreme Court extends interim bail granted to Congress leader Pawan Khera against wh,om multiple FIRs have been registered over his remark on PM Narendra Modi, till March 17.
Last week, a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala also granted states of Assam and UP wherein FIRs have been lodged against him under sections 153 A, 500, 504, 505 (2) of IPC for referring the PM as "Narendra Gautamdas Modi' time to file their counter.
Sergey Lavrov
16:19 Angry Russia FM asks G20: What about Afghanistan?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday hit out at western nations, accusing them of raking up the Ukraine issue during G20 meetings and claiming that nobody "gave a damn" over the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia in previous deliberations of the grouping.
Participating in the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, a combative Lavrov also wondered why everyone was asking Russia whether it was ready to negotiate to end the war when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had signed a decree making negotiations with Moscow under President Vladimir Putin a "criminal offence".
Lavrov said US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg have publicly stated that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield.
"They say Russia must suffer a strategic defeat and this they say is existentialist for the west in the context of global domination. This is a blunt admission," he said.
Referring to the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Thursday, the Russian minister said the western leaders had raised the Ukraine issue, but wondered whether previous declarations of the grouping ever discussed the situation in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan or Yugoslavia.
"Nobody was giving a damn about anything but finances and macroeconomic policies which the G20 was formed for... when Russia has started to defend itself, there is nothing except Ukraine that is of interest to the G20," he said.
"It is a shame. If they say it is existentialist for them, it is existentialist for us," he said, adding that Moscow had been warning the West for decades against the expansion of NATO and pushing arms into Ukraine to prepare them for war against Russia.
Lavrov said the countries in Europe were not affected by what Russia was doing in Ukraine, but by the reaction of the West on Moscow's actions in the region after ample warnings.
"They do not remember when Serbia was bombed. Joe Biden, a senator at that time, bragged that he promoted that approach. When Iraq was ruined as a state, a few years later Tony Blair said it was a mistake. You think the United States has the right to declare a threat just like they did to other countries, but no one questions it for that," the minister added.
Maha CM in Chinchwad last year
15:59 CM on anger against BJP: What about Chinchwad?
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday mocked the Maha Vikas Aghadi over its excitement following the victory of an MVA-backed candidate in Kasba Peth bye-election, saying the BJP has historically swept state and general elections after a few setbacks in bypolls.
Speaking in the legislative assembly during the debate on the governor's address to the joint sitting of both Houses, Shinde said, "Now in the next elections, I am also with the BJP. We are the Shiv Sena that contested the last election in alliance with the BJP while you all had contested the election separately."
Shinde said the Shiv Sena and BJP have identified what went wrong in the Kasba Peth bypoll and the government will win over the people of the constituency in 2024 when assembly elections are to be held in Maharashtra.
Two Assembly segments in Pune district Kasba Peth and Chinchwad voted on February 26 in bypolls necessitated due to the death of BJP MLAs Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, respectively. Of these, the Kasba Peth bypoll was won by the Congress, a constituent of the MVA, with a margin of 10,950 votes.
BJP candidate Ashwini Jagtap, the wife of late MLA Laxman Jagtap, won from Chinchwad by defeating Vitthal alias Nana Kate of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), another MVA partner, by 36,168 votes.
"How is it that the NCP is rejoicing over the win in Kasba saying the common man defeated the BJP... Then can it be said that people defeated you in Chinchwad," he asked.
AAP leader Atishi shares a student's letter to Manish Sisodia
15:34 AAP set up 'I love Sisodia' desks in schools: BJP
The BJP on Thursday claimed that the Delhi government is going to set up 'I love Manish Sisodia' desks in state-run schools to rally support for the arrested leader, a charge denied by the AAP.
Sisodia, who had 18 portfolios in the Delhi government including education, resigned from the Cabinet following his arrest by the CBI in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.
It is regrettable that even after Sisodia's arrest, the Delhi government "is not stopping its dirty politics in the name of education and has now stooped as low as to involving innocent school kids in it," Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.
In response, the Delhi government issued a statement saying, "There is no involvement of any government department or government employee in any such activity. It is just BJP agenda."
The BJP leader said, "Under the patronage of Delhi government, special 'I love Manish Sisodia' desks will be set up in government schools to garner forced support for Sisodia from students."
"Delhi BJP strongly condemns this dirty politics of forcing school kids to support Sisodia and urge that this 'I love Manish Sisodia' desk scheme be immediately shelved," he said.
Senior AAP leaders, meanwhile, shared messages penned by students for Sisodia. Atishi, who will soon be included in the Cabinet as a minister, shared images of the messages on Twitter.
"BJP people: No matter how many false allegations you make, but the love that the children of Delhi have got Manish Sisodia, you cannot shake it," she said.
Jasmine Shah also retweeted similar messages and said: "Wow... Children of Delhi are showing an unprecedented outpouring of love for their favourite Education minister with messages of #ILoveManishSisodia."
Kapoor, however, urged Delhi LG V K Saxena in a tweet to stop the campaign.
In another tweet, the BJP leader tagged NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo and alleged that parents were being pressured by AAP to get such messages penned for Sisodia. "@NCPCR_ & @KanoongoPriyank ji Please see how shamelessly AAP is campaigning for Manish Sisodia by pressurising government school students. Parents are being pressurised to write letters otherwise students will be failed in exams." PTI
15:20 Cong can't be seen even with binoculars: Shah
Accusing the Congress of insulting its veterans, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on his birthday is something which all political parties should learn on how to treat such leaders.
Addressing a public meeting in Bidar, Shah said the Congress always insulted its leaders -- be it S Nijalingappa or former Chief Minister Veerendra Patil. He claimed that only the BJP knows how to treat party veterans with dignity.
"Prime Minister Modi was in Karnataka recently and the way he felicitated Yediyurappa in front of people is something which all the political parties should learn. They should learn how to respect their elderly, stalwarts and popular leaders," Shah said.
Attacking the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Minister said, "What has happened to the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi? They are raising slogans, "Modi Teri Kabr Khudegi. The Aam Aadmi Party is also shouting 'Modi Mar Ja' (May Modi die)."
Shah said such "sloganeering" will not help because the Prime Minister has the blessings of the people. "The more you indulge in mudslinging, lotus (BJP's party symbol) will bloom further," he said. Shah alleged that the Congress and the JD(S) are dynastic parties, and they can never do good to the people of Karnataka. Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May.
Shah added, "Results of Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya were declared yesterday and Congress has been wiped out from these states and they have lost in such a way that they cannot be seen even with a binocular."
15:02 India to get $1bn aid from World Bank
The World Bank and India on Friday signed two complementary loans of USD 500 million each to support and enhance the country's healthcare infrastructure.
Through this combined financing of USD 1 billion (about Rs 8,200 crore), the bank will support India's flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), launched in October 2021, to improve the public healthcare infrastructure across the country, the multilateral funding agency said in a statement.
In addition to the national-level interventions, one of the loans will prioritize health service delivery in seven states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, it said. The agreement was signed by Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and World Bank India country director Auguste Tano Kouam, it said.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the urgent need for pandemic preparedness and health system strengthening around the world and was a stark reminder that pandemic preparedness is a global public good, said Auguste Tano Kouam.
The two projects are supporting India's decision to increase the resilience and preparedness of the country's health systems against future pandemics, it said, adding, this will be of great benefit for the population of the states participating in the projects and will generate positive spillovers for other states.
India's performance in health has improved over time. According to the World Bank estimates, India's life expectancy at 69.8 in 2020, up from 58 in 1990 is higher than the average for the country's income level. -- PTI
14:32 Sangma to take oath as Meghalaya CM on Tuesday
National People's Party (NPP) chief Conrad Sangma is likely to take oath as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on March 7.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and NPP MLA Prestone Tynsong told ANI that, the oath-taking ceremony would likely to place on March 7.
"Today we met the Governor and stake claim to form a government. We have the sufficient number," Prestone Tynsong said.
NPP Chief Conrad Sangma on Friday met Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan at Raj Bhawan in Shillong and submitted his resignation letter as Chief Minister and stake claim to form the government.
A total of 29 newly elected MLAs along with Conrad Sangma were present at Raj Bhawan.Out of them, 26 MLAs are from NPP, two MLAs from BJP and one Independent MLA.
14:00 Sonia Gandhi in hospital, condition 'stable'
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi due to fever, doctors said on Friday. According to a health bulletin issued by the hospital, her condition is stable.
She was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, a spokesperson of the hospital said. D S Rana, Chairman, Trust Society, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said Gandhi has been admitted to the hospital under the supervision of Arup Basu, senior consultant, Department of Chest Medicine, and his team, "on account of fever".
"Gandhi is under observation and undergoing investigations. Her condition is stable," the bulletin added.
13:42 Adani, Ambani, Apple to invest in poll-bound K'taka
Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls jobs and investment for the state.
Apple phones would be built in a new 300-acre factory in Karnataka creating about one lakh jobs, according to Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Apple phones to be built in a new 300-acre factory in Karnataka, tweeted Chandrasekhar. Bommai said: "Apple phones to be built in the state soon. Apart from creating about 100,000 jobs, it will create a whole lot of opportunities for Karnataka".
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Friday said his group will be investing in Andhra Pradesh to set up a 10 gigawatt renewable solar energy project.
The Adani group will set up two new cement manufacturing plants, 15,000 MW of renewable power projects and a data centre in Andhra Pradesh as it looks to double down on its presence in the state.
The Karnataka Assembly polls are due sometime before May 2023.
13:32 Rahul defaming India abroad: Thakur on Pegasus
Lashing out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his claim of being snooped on through Israeli spyware Pegasus, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said it is his habit to raise unfounded allegations and 'defame' India on foreign shores.
The Union minister's statement comes in the wake of Rahul Gandhi claiming, in a lecture at Cambridge University, that his phone was being spied on through Pegasus, and that he was warned by Intelligence officers to be "careful" about what he says on the calls.
"I had Pegasus on my phone. A large number of politicians had Pegasus on their phones. I have been called by Intelligence officers who told me, 'Please be careful about what you are saying on the phone because we are sort of recording the stuff'. So this is the constant pressure that we feel. Cases on the Opposition. I have got a number of criminal liable cases for things that should under no circumstances be criminal liable cases. That's what we are trying to defend," the Congress leader said in his address.
Hitting back at Rahul, Thakur asked why he did not submit his phone for examination before the Supreme Court-appointed committee, which was set up to look into the snooping allegations against the government.
"What was his compulsion that he could not submit his mobile phone (before the committee) to have it checked for Pegasus spyware? He is already on bail in a (National Herald) corruption case. What was there in his phone that he needed to hide? Why did he and other leaders (who Rahul claims were allegedly spied on) not submit their phones? It has become his habit to defame India on foreign shores," Thakur said.
While not naming billionaire investor George Soros, who was recently in the news over his statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a security conference in Munich, Thakur said, "It could be Rahul Gandhi's hatred towards the Prime Minister (that makes him raise such allegations). But it also raises larger questions on the Congress' agenda to defame the country repeatedly from a foreign land, sometimes from a foreign friend. Has Congress lost its faith in our constitutional institutions? Will Congress continue to raise questions about India's democracy? Rahul Gandhi left no stone unturned in defaming India on foreign land," the Union minister added.
Pic: Hitesh Harisinghani
13:22 Kiara is brand ambassador for Slice
Kiara Advani is the new face of beverage brand, Slice. She replaces Katrina Kaif.
13:02 Adani to set up cement plants, data centre in AP
The Adani group will set up two new cement manufacturing plants, 15,000 MW of renewable power projects and a data centre in Andhra Pradesh as it looks to double down on its presence in the state, Karan Adani, Gautam Adani's son, said on Friday.
The apples-to-airport group plans to double the capacity of the two sea ports it operates at Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram in the state, he said at the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit here but did not give investment numbers.
The investments will be on top of the Rs 20,000 crore already invested in the state, which created more than 18,000 direct and 54,000 indirect jobs. Adani, who is the CEO of the group's port company Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd and the son of group founder and chairman Gautam Adani, said the group will set up cement plants with total capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum at Kadappa and Nadikudi in the state as well as a 400 MW data centre in Visakhapatnam.
This is the first public appearance from the Adani family in the country since a damning report by a US short-seller caused a USD 140 billion rout in shares of the group's listed companies.
Gautam Adani was a notable absentee at a similar investor summit organised by the Uttar Pradesh government in Lucknow last month. Gautam Adani had attended the previous UP investor summit.
Karan Adani said currently, Adani Group operates two largest private ports in Andhra Pradesh - Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram, with a total capacity of 100 million tonnes per annum. "In the next 5 years, not only do we aim to double this capacity, but also transform these ports into industrial port cities," he said.
File pic
12:47 6 AAP leaders held over foul language against PM
Six local leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party have been booked here for allegedly using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issuing threats and burning his effigy, police said on Friday.
The FIR was registered at the Gadwar police station of the district based on a complaint by station in-charge Raj Kumar Singh, they said.
According to the complaint, the accused used abusive language against the prime minister, the CBI and the ED, issued threats and burnt Modi's effigies during a protest over AAP leader Manish Sisodia's arrest at the Gandhi Ashram trisection in Ratsad town on Thursday. Police said they tried to apprehend the leaders from the spot but they managed to flee. Singh said efforts were on to nab them. PTI
12:36 SC to set up bench to hear K'taka hijab ban
The Supreme Court Friday said it will set up a three-judge bench to hear the plea of Muslim girl students to sit for examinations in Karnataka government schools while wearing a hijab.
"I will create a bench," said a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala when a woman lawyer sought urgent hearing of the plea saying girls are on the verge of losing another academic year as the exams are being held in government schools which are not permitting wearing of headscarf.
Initially, the CJI said the matter will be listed for hearing after Holi vacations. The examinations are scheduled to be held after five days, the lawyer said, adding, "They have missed one year. They will miss another year."
On being told by the bench that the matter has been mentioned on the last day before the vacation, the lawyer said it has been mentioned twice earlier. Without specifying the date, the bench then said it will create the bench.
The matter was last mentioned for urgent hearing by lawyer Shadan Farasat on behalf of the students. The court had said it will take a call on listing a plea for allowing Muslim girl students to sit for examinations in Karnataka government schools while wearing hijab.
Following the apex court's split verdict on the issue of ban on sporting the Islamic headscarf in educational institutions in Karnataka, girls in hijab are not being permitted to take the exams scheduled to begin from March 9, the bench was told.
On March 15, 2022, the high court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students of the Government Pre-University Girls College in Karnataka's Udupi seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, ruling it is not a part of the essential religious practice in the Islamic faith. PTI
12:22 Bommai deflects graft charges against BJP MLA
The Lokayukta police have recovered Rs 6 crore cash from the house of BJP MLA Madaal Virupakshappa's son Prashanth Kumar a day after he was caught taking Rs 40 lakh bribe from a contractor.
According to Lokayukta sources, Prashanth, the chief accounts officer of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, was caught red-handed on Thursday evening while accepting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from a contractor at the Karnataka Soap and Detergent Limited (KSDL) office.
Virupakashappa is the chairman of KSDL and Prashanth was allegedly receiving 'first instalment' of the bribe on behalf of his father, the Lokayukta sources said.
The policemen also found three bags full of cash from the KSDL office. The Lokayukta sleuths raided Prashanth's house immediately after he was caught and continued their operations on Friday.
The Lokayukta sources said on Friday they recovered Rs six crore in cash from Prashanth's house. Prashanth was caught while taking bribe from a contractor who had supplied chemicals required by the KSDL for soap and detergent production. The MLA's son had demanded Rs 81 lakh and Rs 40 lakh was the first instalment. The contractor had approached the Lokayukta a week ago and the trap was laid.
Reacting to the arrest, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the trap was a proof that the Lokayukta has been revived to contain corruption unlike the previous Congress regime which created a separate anti-corruption bureau apart from the Lokayukta institution to cover up their wrong deeds.
"Due to the lack of a strong Lokayukta in the past, many corruption cases during the Congress regime could never got investigated," Bommai told reporters in Bengaluru.
"We have been repeatedly saying that we will conduct impartial probe. Our stand in this case as well is that the independent Lokayukta institution will carry out impartial investigation and whoever has done wrong will face action. There is no change in our stand," Bommai said.
"All the information and the money found there everything is now with the Lokayukta. Let an independent and justified investigation take place. Our objective is that the truth should come out like whose money it was and for what purpose it was meant," he added.
Regarding Congress state president D K Shivakumar's statement that this incident was a proof that the current BJP government is 40 per cent commission government, Bommai said there were many corruption charges against Congress MLAs and ministers but they covered it up by creating the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
He also said many corruption cases during the Congress regime have been given to the Lokayukta, which will investigate and bring out truth. -- PTI
12:11 SC to hear on March 13 TMC leader Saket Gokhale's bail plea
The Supreme Court on Friday said it will consider on March 13 a plea filed by Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale seeking bail in a case related to alleged misuse of money collected through crowdfunding.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath said it has not gone through the case file.
"We will have it immediately after vacation. This file came late night, we have not seen the file. We will take it up after reopening," the bench said.
Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for Gokhale, submitted that the petitioner has always maintained that he has collected money from crowdfunding. This is not a case to deny bail, he said.
The top court posted the matter for hearing on March 13. The Gujarat High Court on January 23 had refused bail to Gokhale and asked him to approach the court only after a charge sheet is filed. Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch from Delhi on December 30, 2022, in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding. He is facing charges under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 467 (forgery) of the IPC.
12:02 Sangma stakes claim to form govt in Meghalaya
National People's Party chief Conrad K Sangma meets Meghalaya governor, to stake claim to form a government.
Sangma claimed to 'have absolute majority with more than 32 MLAs on our side in 60-member Meghalaya assembly'. -- PTI
Conrad Sangma's NPP won 26 seats
11:44 Meghalaya post-poll violence: Many injured, 1 dead
Post-poll violence that erupted in at least three assembly constituencies in Meghalaya left several people injured, while one person was found dead in a mysterious circumstance, officials said on Friday.
Several incidents of violence were reported in Mariang constituency in Eastern West Khasi Hills, Shella in East Khasi Hills and Mokaiaw in West Jaintia Hills, where prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC were clamped, they said.
A number of vehicles parked in the compound of the deputy commissioner's office in Mairang were set on fire, a senior district official told PTI.
One person was also found dead in a mysterious circumstance at the place of violence, he said.
The incident took place soon after Congress supporters had on Thursday gheraoed the DC's office, expressing dissatisfaction over the Mairang assembly constituency results.
Meghalaya Assembly Speaker and UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh defeated his nearest rival of the Congress, Batskhem Ryntathiang, by a slender margin in Mairang. Lyngdoh was declared re-elected from the assembly seat as he secured 19,066 votes, while the Congress nominee got 18,911 votes.
The district police fired tear gas shells to disperse the violent crowd last night, the official said. In another incident in Sohra, supporters of the NPP hurled stones at the office of the SDO after they were disappointed with the Shella assembly constituency results.
"The situation is under control now and additional forces have been deployed," district SP MGR Kumar said.
United Democratic Party candidate Balajied Kupar Synrem won the Shella seat, defeating National People's Party nominee Grace Mary Kharpuri by 434 votes.
In West Jaintia Hills, the district administration has imposed a curfew in Sahsniang village following a clash between two groups after the announcement of the assembly poll results on Thursday.
There is an apprehension that the violence may spread and intensify if left unattended and it may result in destruction of property and loss of lives, said an order issued by the local administration.
The NPP emerged as the single-largest party in Meghalaya on Thursday, bagging 26 seats out of the 59 constituencies that went to polls on February 27.
The UDP, which was NPP's ally in the Conrad K Sangma government, emerged as the second-largest party, winning 11 constituencies. It had won only six seats in the 2018 polls.
The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC won five seats each, while the BJP secured two constituencies. The newly formed Voice of the People Party (VPP) won four seats, while the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the People's Democratic Front won two seats each. Two Independent candidates also emerged victorious. PTI
Ravindra Dhangekar
11:12 'Kasba results show deep discontent against BJP'
Launching an attack on the BJP after the latter lost the Kasba Peth Assembly to the consensus MVA candidate, the official mouthpiece of Shiv Sena (UBT), Saamana, on Friday claimed the bypoll result goes to show the deep-seated public discontent against the BJP in Maharashtra and across the country.
In an editorial published on Friday, the mouthpiece said, "The result of Kasba Peth (Assembly bypoll) shows the deep-seated public discontent against the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra and in India as well. The voters are aware of all that is happening around them and hence voted against the BJP. The bypoll result in Kasba is being celebrated across Pune. This celebration will continue till 2024, not just in Maharashtra but across the country as well."
On the victory in Kasba Peth, the editorial claimed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had breached a BJP bastion.
MVA-backed Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar won the Kasba Peth bypoll, trouncing BJP's Hemant Rasane by 10,915 votes.
"These bypolls had to be held owing to the untimely demise of BJP MLAs Muktatai Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, and it is the BJP, which now has to bear the embarrassment of losing the prestigious seat of Kasba," the Saamana editorial read further.
On the MVA's loss in the other bypoll for the Chinchwad Assembly seat of Pune, the editorial stated that the BJP only emerged victorious after a struggle.
"In Kasba, the Maha Vikas Aghadi's candidate Ravindra Dhangekar defeated BJP's Hemant Rasne (by a comfortable margin), while in Chinchwad, the wife of late MLA Laxman Jagtap, emerged victorious only because of a three-way split in the Opposition votes. Had it been a contest between two candidates like Kasba, the BJP, which believes in 'Khokeshahi' (splashing cash to seize power), would not have won," the editorial read.
"The contribution of the 'original' Shiv Sena, which was in the alliance at that time, was equally important in the BJP's victory in the town till date. If the Shiv Sainiks had not put it its efforts at the time, then this so-called citadel of the BJP would have collapsed long time back," it read.
The Kasba seat was considered a BJP stronghold in Maharashtra as the party held the constituency for 28 years.
The bye-election in Kasba was necessitated after the BJP's Mukta Tilak died after a prolonged battle with cancer in December 2022.Girish Bapat, who is presently a BJP MP from Pune, represented the seat five times till 2019.
The victory of Congress in Kasba is significant as it was the first direct contest between the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the MVA after the change of guard in the state last year. -- ANI
Sonia Gandhi
10:54 Fraudster held for posing as Sonia's PA, minister
Officials of the Delhi Police Special Cell have arrested a person, accused of posing as a Union Minister with ill intention, officials said on Friday.
The Special Cell has arrested Sanjay Tiwari and his three accomplices in the case.
"Sanjay is accused of posing as a Union Minister and calling up a person, sitting in a Constitutional post," Delhi Police Special Cell said. The police added that the imposter is being interrogated in detail jointly with an intelligence agency.
"Sanjay has a similar criminal record in the past and had posed as Sonia Gandhi's Personal Assistant (PA) in 2017," Delhi Police said further. Police's investigation into this matter is underway. Further information is awaited. -- ANI
Rs 6 crore cash found in BJP MLA's house
10:40 K'taka BJP MLA's son raided, Rs 6 cr cash found
The anti-corruption wing of Lokayukta on Friday raided the residence of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Maadal Virupakshappa's son Prashant Maadal and recovered Rs 6 crore cash.
The search operation is still on. Earlier on Thursday, Karnataka Lokayukta officers caught Virupakshappa's son while taking a bribe of Rs 40 lakh.
"The anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta yesterday caught Prashanth Maadal, son of BJP MLA Maadal Virupakshappa while taking a bribe of Rs 40 lakh. Over Rs 1.7 crore in cash was recovered from his office," Karnataka Lokayukta said.
Lokayukta was on duty after getting a complaint about the demand for a bribe. According to Lokayukta, more than Rs 1.7 crore in cash was found at Prashanth Madal's office.
Virupakshappa's son Maadal is a chief accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). Notably, Maadal Virupakshappa is the chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited. Further investigation is underway, officials added.
10:11 Blinken@Quad: Can't allow Russia to get away ...
US Secy of State Antony Blinken addressing the Quad FMs meet at Delhi.
"For us future is Indo-Pacific...We are rightly focussed on what is happening in Ukraine. If we allow Russia to do what it is doing in Ukraine then that's a message to the aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it," Blinken says. "We (Quad) are now engaged in working together to help countires to deal with humanitarian situations in natural disasters. We are working on things that are really critical. This is not a military group."
Blinken was speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2023 in Delhi themed "The Quad Squad: Power and Purpose of the Polygon,", where all Quad Foreign Ministers participated in-person.
India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says the Quad is working in 2023 because we have a leadership less burdened by baggage.
The meeting is being chaired by Dr S Jaishankar, and will see the participation of Foreign Ministers of Australia, Penny Wong and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
09:34 Pakistan: Inflation hits highest level on record
Monthly inflation, measured by a basket of products called the Consumer Price Index (CPI), jumped to 31.6 per cent in February year-on-year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday.
Last month, prices rose at the fastest pace ever in the country's history, according to available data, with food, beverage and transport costs driving inflation to a point where analysts fear "families will have to make choices and sacrifices," reported the Dawn.
This was the highest annual rate since available data, i.e. July 1965, according to the research firm Arif Habib Ltd, and is also expected to rise even further in the coming months.
Inflation surpassed 30pc last month after having stayed above 20pc for eight months from June to January. Inflation was 12.2pc in February last year, reported Dawn.
09:31 Quad FMs meet begins in Delhi
Quad Foreign Ministers Meet: EAM S Jaishankar, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attend the Raisina Dialogue 2023 in Delhi.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong addressing the meet says, "India is a critical power, great power in the region that there is no reshaping of the Indo Pacific without India. We've seen that Indian is a civilisational power that brings a different perspective to some of the challenges of these time."
A panel discussion on "The Quad Squad: Power and Purpose of the Polygon," will be held today where Quad Foreign Ministers will be participating at the event this morning
The meeting will be chaired by External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, and will see the participation of Foreign Ministers of Australia, Penny Wong and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
Sandeep Deshpande with MNS chief Raj Thackeray
09:11 MNS leader attacked with stump during morning walk
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande was injured after being attacked with a stump by three unidentified persons while he was on a morning walk in central Mumbai's Dadar area on Friday morning, a police official said.
Deshpande received minor injuries in the incident and is out of danger, he said. "Three unidentified persons attacked MNS leader Deshpande with a stump during his morning walk at Shivaji Park," the official said, adding that nobody has been arrested in this connection so far.
A first information report (FIR) is being registered at the Shivaji Park police station, he said -- PTI
08:53 Dhoni, Abhishek's PAN used for credit card fraud
In a bizarre case of cyber fraud, fraudsters allegedly procured PAN details of several Bollywood actors and cricketers from their GST Identification Numbers which are available online, and got credit cards issued in their names from Pune-based fintech startup 'One Card'.
Some of the celebrities whose names and details were used by the fraudsters are Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Madhuri Dixit, Emraan Hashmi and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Shahadra Rohit Meena said, "Since investigation into the matter is underway, we cannot comment further on it."
The company got wind of the fraud subsequently but not before the fraudsters used some of these cards to purchase products worth Rs 21.32 lakh. It immediately alerted the Delhi Police which swung into action and arrested five of them.
The five accused, identified as Puneet, Mohd Asif, Sunil Kumar, Pankaj Mishar and Vishwa Bhaskar Sharma, acted in close coordination to defraud the company in a very unusual manner, Delhi Police sources said.
"After arrest, when they were interrogated, they disclosed their unique modus operandi. They used to get GST details of these celebrities from Google. They were very well aware that the first two digits of GSTIN are state code and the next 10 digits are PAN number, one of the sources said.
The source added, "Since the celebrities date of birth are available on Google, these two -- PAN and date of birth -- complete the PAN details. They got the PAN cards remade fraudulently putting their own pictures on it so that during video verification, their looks match with the photo available on PAN/Aadhaar card."
For instance, the PAN card of Abhishek Bachchan had his PAN and date of birth but a picture of one of the accused. They forged their Aadhaar details in similar fashion. After getting this information, they applied for credit cards. During video verification, they were asked questions related to their financial activities which they answered easily as they had got all such details from CIBIL. The source informed that they were aware that these celebrities possibly have good CIBIL scores which would brighten their chances of getting credit cards.
"Also, they were aware that the online verification system cannot identify Abhishek Bachchan as a film star. So the picture of accused Pankaj Mishra with Abhishek Bachchan's PAN and Aadhaar details worked well to get a card issued," he added.
Further investigation is on and it is suspected that they might have used similar modus operandi to get credit cards from other banks and financial institutions.
Police sources also informed that they did online research for several months to find ways to use loopholes in the online verification and issuance of credit cards.
The Pune-based FPL Technologies Private Limited issues "One Card" which is a contactless metal credit card along with a virtual rendition of the same in the One Card and One Score App so that the customer can use it for any online or app-based transactions or purchases, the company said in its complaint to the police.
The company further alleged that these fraudsters approached the company through their app by uploading the details such as PAN and Aadhaar number to get credit cards issued in their names. -- PTI
08:41 I had Pegasus on my phone: Rahul@Cambridge
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack at the Centre during a lecture at Cambridge University, alleging that an attack has been unleashed on the basic structure of Indian democracy while also claiming that Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to snoop into his phone.
Rahul claimed that he had been warned by the intelligence officers to be "careful" while speaking on the phone as his calls were being recorded.
Congress leader and ex-advisor to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sam Pitroda shared the YouTube link of Rahul Gandhi's address to MBA students at Cambridge Judge Business School on the topic of 'Learning to Listen in the 21st Century', on Twitter.
"I myself had Pegasus on my phone. A large number of politicians had Pegasus on their phones. I have been called by intelligence officers who told me, 'Please be careful about what you are saying on the phone because we are sort of recording the stuff. So this is the constant pressure that we feel. Cases on the Opposition. I have got a number of criminal liable cases for things that should under no circumstances be criminal liable cases. That's what we are trying to defend," the Congress leader said in his address.
In August last year, the Supreme Court-appointed committee, set up to look into the allegations of the government allegedly using Pegasus for snooping, had concluded that the spyware was not found in the 29 mobile phones examined by it, but the malware was found in five mobile phones.
08:26 Deepika Padukone to present Oscars
Deepika Padukone, who was seen on jury duty at Cannes 2022, is one of the presenters at Oscars 2023. Padukone will be joining the likes of Emily Blunt, Samuel L Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B Jordan, Janelle Monae, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Connelly, Riz Ahmed and Melissa McCarthy, among a few others to be part of this honour. The 95th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, 2023 (March 13 in India).
The actress shared the news on Instagram.
Tunisha Sharma with Sheezan Khan/Instagram
00:49 Tunisha suicide: Court order on jailed TV actor Sheezan's bail plea likely on Mar 4
A court in Maharashtra's Palghar district is expected to give its order on the bail application of television actor Sheezan Khan, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of his co-star Tunisha Sharma, on Saturday (March 4), his counsel informed on Thursday.
Advocate Sharad Rai, who argued for Khan's bail, said additional sessions judge SM Deshpande at Vasai will deliver the order.
The hearing on the bail plea was held in-camera. Khan (28), arrested for alleged abetment of Sharma's suicide late last year, is currently in jail under judicial custody.
Khan and Sharma (21) were allegedly in a relationship but had a break-up later.
Sharma allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself on December 24, 2022, on the sets of a TV serial near Valiv in the district.
Khan was arrested the next day on a complaint lodged by Sharma's mother. -- PTI
Representational image
00:30 Drone bomb threat to Varanasi airport, probe begins
A case was registered after a letter threatening to blow up Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Babatpur in Varanasi with a drone bomb before Holi was received by authorities, the police said on Thursday.
On the basis of a complaint by Shakti Tripathi, chief security officer of the airport, a case has been registered at Phulpur police station and investigations have started, they said.
Pindra ACP Amit Pandey confirmed that a letter threatening to attack the airport was received.
The police have registered a case and started investigation, he added.
According to police, the anonymous letter addressed to a senior official was received by the airport administration through post. -- PTI
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