Another worker accompanying them was in serious condition and admitted to a hospital in the district, located around 500km from Mumbai, an official said. 

The incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Bhaucha Tanda area under the jurisdiction of Sonpeth Police Station, he said. 

According to the official, six labourers entered the septic tank located in a farm on Thursday afternoon. 

While cleaning the tank, they started feeling suffocated and fell unwell. 

All of them were rushed to a nearby hospital, where five of the workers were declared dead on arrival, he said. 

An accidental death case was registered at the Sonpeth Police Station and a probe was underway, said the official. -- PTI

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Thursday proposed the introduction of a diploma course in medicine, aiming at combating a "shortfall' of doctors in hospitals in the state. 

The panel includes senior doctors and representatives from the Indian Medical Association and the West Bengal Medical Council, the official said. 

"In order to improve the access of healthcare, especially in the rural areas, the state government has formed an expert committee to explore the possibility of developing healthcare professionals with three years of classroom and practical training," he said. 

The panel will submit its report within 30 days. -- PTI

The Enforcement Directorate, probing the case, has claimed Yusuf had assisted Mirchi in buying properties in India using money earned through illegal activities. 

However, special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court judge MG Deshpande, while granting the accused bail, held that except bare allegations, there was nothing to show Yusuf had any knowledge regarding Mirchi's source of money. 

The judge also pulled up the central agency for delaying trial in the case. 

Based on multiple FIRs registered under provisions of the IPC and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against Mirchi, the ED had registered its case against him, his family members and others. 

Mirchi died at the age of 63 in London in 2013. 

There are 21 accused in the case, including the wife and son of Mirchi, realtors Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhwans and some firms. -- PTI

The accused was identified as Tushar Chauhan son of Congress leader Naresh Chauhan who unsuccessfully contested the 2022 assembly elections from the Nachan assembly segment. 

The incident occurred when the minor identified as Lakshita was crossing the service line after getting down from the school bus. 

The Thar jeep coming from the Nerchowk hit her in village Tarot on National Highway near Sundernagar, they said. 

The victim was rushed to Medical College Nerchowk and further shifted to PGI Chandigarh in critical condition, where she succumbed to injuries. 

The body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem. Tushar has been booked for rash driving endangering human life and causing death by negligence under sections 279, 337, 338 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code. 

His vehicle has been impounded and a forensic team has collected the evidence from the scene of the crime, they added. -- PTI

Confirming reports of the firing incident, Islamabad police said there were no casualties. 

"All policemen were safe. Search teams are checking the vicinity," the Islamabad police said in a tweet.   

The police said shots were fired at their personnel in the capital's G-11 and G-13 sectors.      

Separately, a Dawn.com correspondent at the Islamabad high court said gunshots were also heard there, from where PTI chief Imran Khan is yet to depart after hearings in several cases.      

The Dawn.com correspondent said security was increased at the IHC premises after gunshots were heard, but the situation was back to normal now.      

A Dawn.com correspondent, who is present on the site, has said snipers were posted at the buildings surrounding the high court.      

This incident came hours after the IHC barred authorities from arresting PTI chairman Imran Khan in cases, including those that are undisclosed, registered across the country until May 15, Dawn reported. -- ANI      

Last month, Yaccarino interviewed Musk onstage at an advertising event in Miami. 

Earlier on Thursday, Musk said he had selected a chief executive for Twitter but did not disclose her identity. 

In a tweet, he wrote, "She will be starting in 6 weeks!"

Later on Thursday he tweeted, 'I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!' 

Linda will focus on business ops while I will focus on product design and new technology, he added.

"The governor has not approved any National Security Act against any individual himself. We request the citizens not to share/promote such unverified forwards or contents. Appropriate action as per law will be initiated against those found propagating false and misleading information,' said Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan in a statement issued on Friday. -- ANI

The e-rickshaw driver's wife was sleeping in the house along with her daughter Siya (8), sons 3-year-old Kunj and seventh-month-old Chotu, and niece Riya (9) when the incident occurred early on Thursday morning, they said. 

"The husband had put a couple of batteries of the e-rickshaw on charging inside their room. It appears that one of the batteries exploded due to overcharging around 5 am on Thursday," a police official said. 

The woman's husband had gone outside the house to attend nature's call and narrowly escaped the blast that shook the neighbourhood. 

However, the woman and the four children sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital, the official said. 

"While the woman, her son Kunj and niece succumbed to injuries on Thursday night her daughter and seventh-month-old son are currently in hospital," the police official added. 

The bodies were sent for post-mortem on Friday and a probe was underway into the matter, police said. -- PTI

The untitled feature will be produced by Devgn, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak under the banner Ajay Devgn Ffilm and Panorama Studios, respectively, a press release stated.  

The movie marks the first collaboration between the 54-year-old star and Bahl, known for films such as Queen, Super 30 and Goodbye. 

The project, which is currently in the pre-production stage, will go on floors next month and will be extensively shot in Mumbai, Mussoorie and London. 

Devgn was most recently seen in Bholaa, the Hindi remake of Tamil hit Kaithi. 

His next release is Maidaan, which is based on the golden years of Indian football. 

It is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma of Badhaai Ho! fame. -- PTI

They were welcomed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at Kalyani helipad in the Chhabra suburb of the city. 

The chief minister presented Sonia Gandhi a memoir of traditional musical instruments. 

They would stay at Vadra's house at Chhabra in the vicinity of the Rashtrapati Niwas 'The Retreat'. 

The house, which is a blend of English and hill architecture, has grey slate roofs and is located amidst serene surroundings of thick deodar forests. -- PTI

The Reserve Bank of India conducted a statutory inspection for supervisory evaluation of the bank with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2021. 

"A scrutiny of the bank was carried out by RBI in July 2020 based on a high-value fraud reported by another bank," the central bank said in a statement. 

After scrutiny, the RBI found that the bank failed to link interest on floating rate retail loans and loans to MSME to an external benchmark and also failed to link interest on floating rate rupee loans sanctioned and renewed during financial year 2020-21 to its Marginal Cost of Lending Rate. 

The public sector lender, the RBI said, opened several savings deposit accounts in the name of ineligible entities, registered dummy mobile numbers in several credit card accounts, and failed to pay any interest on deposits accepted under the daily deposit scheme and prematurely withdrawn within 24 months of opening of the accounts. 

The RBI also said the bank recovered SMS alert charges from customers, not on actual usage basis, and failed to undertake ongoing customer due diligence and put into use robust software for generating alerts when transactions were inconsistent with customer profile. -- PTI

The ATS had detained the man a few days ago on suspicion that he had recently smuggled heroin into the state through sea route, the official said. 

"During questioning, he disclosed that the (smuggled) consignment had been kept at a place in Paddhari taluka of Rajkot district. Our team searched the place and found 31 kg of heroin," he added. 

The seized drug was worth Rs 217 crore in international markets, the ATS official said. 

The Nigerian national was put under arrest on Thursday and the ATS has obtained his custody till May 24 from a court, he said. -- PTI

A five-judge Constitution bench unanimously held on Thursday that it cannot restore the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray as the former chief minister resigned without facing a floor test in June last year. 

Sources said Patole also apprised Gandhi of the political fallout of the SC verdict and ways to further strengthen the party in Maharashtra. 

The Congress is in alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party and is seeking to contest the next assembly elections in late 2024 together. -- PTI

Navlesh, from Patna city, allegedly hanged himself in his PG accommodation in Krishna Vihar in Landmark City late Thursday. 

The Class 12 student had been preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for over a year. 

In a suicide note found in his room, the boy mentioned study-related stress and frustration over not performing well in routine tests at his coaching centre for his step, Kunhari police station SHO Ganga Sahay Sharma said. 

On Wednesday, Dhanesh Kumar Sharma (15), a resident of Bulandshahr district in UP, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room in the same area. 

On Monday, Mohammed Nasid (22), from Bengaluru, had taken his life by jumping off the 10th floor of a building in Vigyan Nagar. 

Eight suspected suicide cases of students have been reported so far this year in Kota. -- PTI

Raut, who belongs to the Shiv Sena-UBT, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022 in the case. 

He is now out on bail. 

RN Rokade, special judge for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, granted his plea on May 11. 

The detailed order became available on Friday. 

Raut's petition said that he had applied to the Secretary General of Rajya Sabha for the renewal of his diplomatic passport, but was asked to obtain the PMLA court's permission. 

The prosecution told the court that Raut is not supposed to leave India without the court's permission as per his bail conditions. 

But there is no condition regarding passport renewal. The court observed that the prosecution did not contend that the applicant had flouted any of his bail conditions. 

"Merely the applicant being prosecuted under the provisions of PMLA, 2002, is not sufficient to deny permission for renewal of the passport," it said. -- PTI

Gehlot was arrested on February 14 while his father Virender Singh, cousins Naveen and Ashish, and friends Lokesh and Amar were arrested three days later. 

The police had said the five co-accused were arrested after their role in the killing was ascertained. 

The final report was filed in the link court of Metropolitan Magistrate Paras Dalal. 

The charges have been levelled charges under IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen offender) 202 ( intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform) 212 (harbouring offender) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy). 

The matter has been posted for further proceedings on May 25. -- PTI

Two shops, one house, and a Himachal Road Transport Corporation godown were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in Dhalli in the suburbs of Shimla around 12.05 am Thursday, officials said. 

A labourer from Nepal, who sustained minor burn injuries while sleeping in a shop, was rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital Shimla. 

He is currently under treatment. 

Property worth Rs 1 crore, including equipment and 4,000 old and new tyres, were damaged in the blaze, officials said. 

Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot from Mall Road, Chotta Shimla and Boileauganj. 

It took them more than three hours to douse the fire, they maintained. 

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. However, the possibility of a shot circuit leading cannot be ruled out, they added. -- PTI

Aryan Khan was arrested in an alleged drug bust case on the Cordelia cruise ship on October 2, 2021, they said. 

The NCB, which had filed a charge-sheet in the drugs-on-cruise case, gave a clean chit to Aryan Khan, while an SIT set up by the anti-drugs agency claimed the probe led by Wankhede had lapses. 

They said the searches were spread across 29 locations across Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi and Kanpur. 

It is alleged that IRS officer Wankhede and others had allegedly demanded Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Aryan Khan in the alleged drug bust, they said. -- PTI

It set aside an October 14 order of the Varanasi district court that rejected a plea for scientific investigation, including carbon dating, of the structure. 

The high court ordered authorities to ensure no harm is done to the structure claimed to be a Shivling. 

The mosque authorities say it is part of a fountain in the wazu khana, where ablutions are performed before namaz. 

Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra passed the order on a revision petition challenging the Varanasi court order. -- PTI

There will be no merit list to "avoid unhealthy competition", the board announced. 

The board has also decided to scrap awarding first, second and third divisions based on students' scores, officials said. 

"No merit list will be declared by the CBSE to avoid unhealthy competition among students. However, the board will issue merit certificates to 0.1 per cent of students who have scored the highest marks in the various subjects," a senior board official said. 

The pass percentage is higher than the 83.40 recorded in 2019 in the pre-Covid period, the official added. 

The pass percentage last year was 92.71. 

Girls continued to outshine boys, recording a six percentage point higher passing rate. -- PTI

 Interacting with reporters in New Delhi, the Rajya Sabha member said the Supreme Court has in fact given a "constitutional cloak" to the BJP-Shiv Sena government which was sworn in after Uddhav Thackeray resigned as a majority of his party's MLAs changed their allegiance to Eknath Shinde who replaced him at the helm. 

 The Shinde faction of Shiv Sena was later recognised by the Election Commission as the real Shiv Sena due to the majority support it enjoyed in the party's legislature groups in the state and in Parliament. 

 Jethmalani said the Supreme Court, in its judgment on Thursday, rejected five of the seven prayers made by the petitioners and granted only two. With the court disapproving then governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to call a floor test for Thackeray to prove his majority, the senior lawyer said it was a "sham, hollow and irrelevant victory" for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the coalition of the Congress, NCP and the Uddhav faction of Shiv Sena, as it had no "practical" effect as the judges in their unanimous verdict also upheld the swearing-in of Shinde. 

 Jethmalani, however, added that he does not agree with this aspect of the judgment but qualified it by saying that the apex court is right as its verdict is final. He said the Supreme Court has only asked the Assembly Speaker to revisit the matter of recognising Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the Shiv Sena while setting aside the earlier decision as against the law. Gogawale can be appointed to the position again, he said. The Speaker will decide on the matter, including the issue of disqualifying MLAs who had rebelled and backed Shinde, on merit, the Rajya Sabha MP added. 

 "They are claiming victory in the face of defeat," he said about the opposition's claim. The senior lawyer also slammed Thackeray and his allies for claiming moral victory, saying the morality of the issue was preconceived as it was the former chief minister who broke his party's pre-poll alliance with the BJP after winning due to the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thackeray did it to become chief minister and he betrayed the will of the people which is the most important aspect in a democracy, Jethmalani said.

 Until Friday morning, over a hundred people visited the local government hospital complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea, Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Rajkumar Dangi said. While one lot of the patients was sent home after preliminary medication, 50 people were hospitalised and are undergoing treatment, he added. Dangi said the samples of sweets served at the ceremony have been sent for testing. PTI

 A bench of Chief Justices DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said the court registry has received the report of the apex court-appointed Justice (retd) AM Sapre committee on the issue and would like to hear the matter on Monday after perusing the findings of the panel.

"We will go through the report in the meantime. We will take up the matter on May 15," the bench said. 

 During the hearing, the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for SEBI, that it may grant the market regulator three months instead of six it has sought to wrap up the probe into allegations of stock manipulation. 

 Cautioning a lawyer, appearing for petitioner Jaya Thakur, it said this court has said nothing about any regulatory failure on the part of SEBI. "Be careful when you make allegations. This may affect the sentiments in the stock market. It's all your allegations and the panel has been formed to look into it," the bench said. PTI

The ED had summoned him on Friday. Patil, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, had on Thursday said he had written to the central agency seeking time as he had to attend some marriages in the family.

The former state finance minister had also told reporters that he never had any association or financial dealings with Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS). 

Patil, who has held home and finance portfolios in the Maharashtra government in the past, has sought 10 days for appearing before the agency, sources said.

 The ED on Wednesday carried out searches against two former auditor firms of IL&FS -- BSR and Associates and Deloitte Haskins and Sells -- in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities at the company.

Several women wrestlers came out against the WFI chief, accusing him of sexual harassment. The protesting grapplers continue to camp outside the Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding the arrest of Singh, a BJP MP, and his removal from the wrestling federation. 

Delhi Police are also in touch with foreign agencies to find out more about the allegations he faced on his overseas visits. The police they have collected photos and videos as evidence from different places.

Delhi Police on Friday filed a status report on the application moved by woman wrestlers in an alleged offence of sexual offence levelled against WFI Chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The court was also informed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the matter.

Delhi Police filed two FIRs on April 28 following the notice by the Supreme Court. Earlier this year, prominent wrestlers came forward to lead a protest against the WFI chief, following which the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur, announced the formation of an 'oversight committee' to probe allegations against the WFI, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and some coaches. Wrestling Federation of India Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar is also named as an accused in the FIR.

 Khan was arrested Tuesday in the Al-Qadir Trust case by authorities following the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) order to probe him in the alleged corruption when he was present in the premises of the IHC. 

 The IHC upheld his arrest but the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated his incarceration declaring no one could be arrested from inside the court and ordered his release as it directed police to keep him in the Supreme Court's protection and produce him before the high court at 11 am.

 A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha questioned the West Bengal government saying the film is being screened in the rest of the country without any problem and there appears to be no reason for the ban. 

 "Movie is running in the rest of the country including in states having similar demographic composition and nothing has happened. This has nothing to do with the artistic value of the film. If people do not like the movie, they will not watch the movie," the bench told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the West Bengal government.

 Singhvi said according to intelligence inputs, there may be a situation of law and order problem and peace among different communities may be breached. 

 The bench also asked the Tamil Nadu government to specify measures taken to provide adequate security to theatres screening "The Kerala Story".

 "The state government cannot say that it will look the other way when theatres are attacked and chairs are being burnt," the bench told advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, appearing for Tamil Nadu government, after he submitted that there is no ban on the movie. Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for producers of the movie, said there is de facto ban in Tamil Nadu as theatres screening the movie are being threatened and they have dropped the screenings.

 "For West Bengal, we are seeking quashing of the ban order," he said. "We are issuing notices to both the states and they may file their response by Wednesday. We will take up the matter on Thursday," the bench said.

 "The Kerala Story", starring Adah Sharma, was released in cinemas on May 5. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film claims women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State(IS). PTI

 At least four FIRs related to extortion were registered against Singh in Mumbai and adjoining Thane. The order revoking his suspension was issued by the state home department on Wednesday, the official said. 

As per the order, the period of the retired IPS officer's suspension should be treated as he was on duty, he said. Singh was suspended in December 2021 when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in office. PTI

Speaking to ANI, Ahmed said, "We have already decided with whom we are going to form the government. We will announce it to the public when the appropriate time comes." JD(S) spokesperson mentioned that they have certain programs for the betterment of people of the Karnataka. 

He said that they know who is capable of working for issues such as women empowerment, farmers, education, employment and much more. "We have certain programs for the betterment of Karnataka. And we know who is capable of fulfilling that. The party knows who is going to work for issues such as women empowerment, farmers, education, employment, etc and we will go with the same," he said. 

 Earlier on Thursday, on a question about forming an alliance with JD(S), in case the party falls short of a majority, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that national leadership would take a decision on this issue. 

 "At that time, National leadership is going to take a decision. The question does not arise. I am certain that the party will get 115-117 seats. All leaders worked hard. I am confident that the BJP will form the government. Let us wait and watch," he said. 

 Congress is expected to have a clear edge in Karnataka in the assembly elections held on Wednesday with four exit polls giving it a full majority and some predicting a hung assembly with an advantage to the party. A few exit polls also said that BJP is ahead in the sweepstakes to form the government.

 The overall pass percentage in Class 10 results this year is 93.12 per cent, which is 1.28 percentage points less than last year's 94.40 per cent. In the Trivandrum region, 99.91 per cent of students have passed the CBSE Class 10 board exam while in Guwahati, 76.90 per cent have qualified.

 Senior party leaders, including the Congress' Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra and co-in-charges Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore were present at a meeting at the party's Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Road office during which they are likely to discuss Pilot's march. 

 Pilot on Thursday launched a 125-kilometre 'Jan Sangharsh Yatra' from Ajmer to Jaipur to raise the issue of corruption during the previous BJP regime led by Vasundhara Raje and cases of paper leaks in government recruitment exams. Pilot has said his march is not against anyone but over issues of corruption.

 He claimed that he has been writing to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for a year and a half for action on corruption but nothing has been forthcoming. The five-day yatra mounts pressure on the party leadership months ahead of the assembly elections slated for later this year with the Congress also facing anti-incumbency, apart infighting in the state unit. 

 Pilot and Gehlot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed the government in the state in 2018. 

In 2020, Pilot led a failed revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party's state unit president and deputy chief minister. The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister had last month defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Gehlot over his "inaction" on alleged corruption during the Raje government. PTI

 The police team is headed by the deputy inspector general (investigation), the Dawn newspaper reported. It was reported that the joint investigation team probing cases against Imran has informed the Islamabad High Court that it seeks the arrest of chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan faces 121 cases across the country, including for committing treason and blasphemy and inciting violence and terrorism.

 Twelve cases of terrorism have been registered against Khan in Lahore and 14 cases have been registered in Faisalabad. Khan, 70, appeared before a special bench of the Islamabad High Court for a hearing on his bail plea in a graft case amid tight security. The bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, took up the ex-premier's bail plea. PTI

 Acting on security agencies' advice, permission for the event organised by the 'Sikhs For Justice' group in Blacktown City was revoked by the city council, The Australia Today newspaper reported. 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Sydney on May 24 to attend the Quad Summit to be hosted by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 

 "Council has, this morning, cancelled this booking as it is in conflict with adopted Council policy and due to risks to Council staff, Council assets and members of the public which cannot be practicably mitigated," a statement by the council said. Banners and posters of the event placed around the city were removed, citing a lack of approval. An investigation is also underway against the Victoria-based group, the report said. 

 A connection to unaccounted money trail is what we are looking into," an official close to the matter was quoted as saying in the report. This development comes after the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a prominent Hindu temple in Sydney was defaced last week, allegedly by pro-Khalistani elements, with anti-India graffiti on the walls, in the latest incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in the country. 

 In March, during the visit of Prime Minister Albanese to India, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of frequent attacks on Hindu Temples with him and conveyed his concerns.

 Justice Prathiba M Singh passed the order after considering that there was a severe threat which was evident from the comments made by viewers on the news reports and videos available online. The high court issued notice to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), Press Council of India (PCI), News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) and Google LLC, Twitter Inc. It also issued notice to Chairman of Sudarshan News, Suresh Chavhanke, Odisha Television Limited, Pittie Media LLP, Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited which is the owner of The Organiser, Voice of the Nation'. 

 The high court asked the parties to respond to the petition filed by the man, who is also facing a rape case lodged by the woman, and listed it for further hearing on May 24. 

 Petitioner Azmat Ali Khan, who claims to be a renowned classical music teacher, sought removal of news items and videos published and circulated on online platforms regarding the FIR lodged against him on April 19 by the woman, a Delhi resident, accusing him of forcing to convert.

 The petitioner's counsel contended that such publication and circulation is being carried out by giving a communal angle to the entire story and it was done to incite hatred in the communities involved. PTI

He also took a swipe at the BJP's central leadership. 

"There is no need of demanding resignation from the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on moral grounds. We know he will not resign even in his dreams. There is a huge difference between former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the current people," Pawar told reporters.

"The next Assembly session will be held in the month of July. We will use our rights to see what we can do about this issue," he added.

He also said that Congress leader Nana Patole resigned as Speaker without consulting then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and if a new Speaker had been elected immediately, the 16 MLA belonging to the Shinde camp would have been disqualified.

"Our Speaker had resigned then without asking our CM Uddhav Thackeray, that should not have happened. Even if he resigned, we could have elected a new Speaker immediately. If we had our Speaker, then those 16 MLAs would have been disqualified then," he said.

The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance have said that the Shinde government should resign on moral grounds following the Supreme Court verdict.

Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had said on Thursday that the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra "is illegal and formed against the Constitution".

Chief Minister Shinde on Thursday said that former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had acted as per the situation at the time."I won't talk about what Supreme Court said about the then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, but I would say that he acted as per the situation at the time," he said at a press briefing.

Read what the SC said in the Sena vs Sena case here. 

The counting of votes polled for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, which witnessed a fierce fight between archrivals BJP and the Congress, besides the JD(S) will be taken up on Saturday as the parties are waiting with bated breath to know their fate over the possibility of a hung assembly.

 

A SIT has been formed with six police teams including four women police officers. A team of 10 people was formed under the supervision of a woman DCP. Statements of Assistant Secretary WFI Vinod Tomar were also recorded. Vinod Tomar is also an accused in the Delhi Police's FIR. 

"Brij Bhushan has asked that some video evidence and mobile data be collected in his clarification. The SIT will also interrogate Brij Bhushan further," the police said. 

 Delhi Police teams went to Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Haryana and collected evidence on the wrestlers' complaint. "Delhi Police is in touch with the concerned agencies even where allegations have been levelled outside the country," the police said. 

 The electoral fortunes of top leaders-- Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of the BJP, Congress heavyweights Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and  HD Kumaraswamy of JD-S, among many others will be known on Saturday. 

 The counting will begin at 8 am in 36 centres across the state, and poll officials expect a clear picture about the outcome is likely to emerge by mid-day. Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the State, especially in and around the counting centres, to avoid any untoward incidents, official sources said. 

The state registered a "record" turnout of 73.19 per cent in the voting on May 10, to elect representatives to the 224 member Assembly. With most exit polls predicting a tight contest between the Congress and BJP, leaders of the two parties seem "jittery" over the outcome, while the JD(S) appears to be expecting a hung verdict, which would enable it to play a role in government formation. 

 Most pollsters have given an edge to the Congress over the ruling BJP, while also indicating the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state.

 Having banked on the Modi juggernaut, the ruling BJP is looking to break a 38-year-old poll jinx where the people have never voted the incumbent party to power, while the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

 It also remains to be seen whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) will emerge as a "kingmaker" or a "king" by holding the key to government formation, in the event of a hung verdict, as it has done in the past.

 Passing through the lanes and bylanes of the interior city, Additional Director General of Police (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar reached a checkpost at Panthachowk, an area always bustling with traffic as it forms part of the National Highway connecting the Valley with the rest of the country. 

 A 1997-batch IPS officer, Kumar took out time to stand with his jawans who have been tirelessly maintaining tight vigil along the crucial highway, a possible route for terrorists to enter the city. 

 Kumar, who was accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police Rakesh Balwal, found out about the difficulties of the personnel besides guiding them in performing their job in pressing circumstances. 

 "This is a high-pressure job but, in the end, we have to be 100 per cent alert. Any failure can prove costly," Kumar told the police personnel on duty. 

 Talking to PTI Video, Kumar said the police force is completely geared up to meet any challenge. "Generally, we have a naka (checkpost) for 365 days but whenever an important event happens, every one of us is on the roads to ensure that people sleep peacefully. "The number of checkposts has definitely increased and many of my senior officers are moving around the city in the last 15 days. Today, I have come out myself to boost their morale and stand next to my jawans on the road," Kumar said.

 He said patrolling is part of maintaining night domination of the areas and helps in countering any threat of a terrorist sneaking into the city from South Kashmir. 

 He accepted that there is a threat from terror groups in view of the forthcoming G20 meeting. 

 "Obviously, the threat is there but what are we here for? Let us not forget the motto of J-K Police that says 'A saga of sacrifice and courage'. Nothing untoward will happen," Kumar said. 

 Kashmir will host the third G20 tourism working group meeting from May 22 to 24. The first working group meeting on tourism was held at the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in February and the second one in West Bengal's Siliguri in April.

 On Thursday, the police received information regarding the email sent to the school in which the sender said "I am going to blast the school at 11 am on May 12", according to a senior police officer. Personnel from the police, bomb disposal squad and cybersecurity team reached the school and checked the computer system/mail. 

The email was received at 6.17 pm on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Rajesh Deo said. Technical investigations revealed that the email address from which the mail was sent belonged to a student, who denied any involvement, he said.

 Two teams of the bomb disposal squad along with sniffer dogs and local staff members searched the premises but nothing suspicious was found. Further technical investigation/inquiry is in progress, the police added. PTI

 India conducted five nuclear tests of advanced weapon designs between May 11 and 13 at Rajasthan's Pokhran desert that propelled the country into a select group of nations having capabilities to develop nuclear weapons. The tests, carried out during the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, were the culmination of a committed team effort and backed by the development of the necessary know-how and expertise over decades. The tests triggered strong reactions from many countries. India maintained that it carried out the tests to have 'credible minimum deterrence' and it will follow the approach of "no first use", noting that it would not be the first one to launch a nuclear weapon. In 2003, India officially came out with its nuclear doctrine that clearly elaborated on the 'no first use' policy. 

Read our coverage on India's historic moment 25 years ago here.  

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which closely monitors the cyclonic storm said, "The SCS "Mocha" intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lay centred at 05:30 hours IST of 12th May 2023 over central adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal near latitude 13.2N and long 88.1E, about 520 km west-northwest of Port Blair." 

 IMD earlier had predicted cyclone 'Mocha' of turning into a severe cyclone by midnight of Thursday.

However, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed eight teams and 200 rescuers in West Bengal's Digha after warnings about cyclone 'Mocha' of intensifying into a severe storm."We've deployed 8 teams. 200 rescuers of NDRF deployed on the ground and 100 rescuers on standby," said Singh, while speaking to ANI.

While Sharing an update Sanjeev Dwivedi, IMD senior scientist, Bhubaneswar also predicted that the cyclonic storm is lightly to recurve and on the 12th of May evening it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal.

"The Cyclonic storm is likely to recurve and on the 12th of May evening, it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal. On 13th May it will take peak intensity. The system is under continuous surveillance," said Sanjeev Dwivedi.

 The panel, headed by Justice (Retired) Rumi Phookan, has been asked to submit its report within two months, the chief minister said in a tweet on Thursday night. 

 Other members of the committee are Assam advocate general Debajit Saikia, additional advocate general Nalin Kohli and senior advocate Nekibur Zaman.

 Following my announcement to form an expert committee to examine the legislative competence of state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy, the state government has constituted the committee today.

The committee has been given a deadline of 60 days to submit its report, the chief minister said on the microblogging site. Sarma had announced on Tuesday that the state government would set up an expert committee of legal luminaries to scrutinise the legality of banning polygamy in the state by the legislative assembly. 

 He had also said that the proposed panel would examine the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 along with Article 25 of the Constitution in relation to the Directive Principles of State Policy for a Uniform Civil Code.

"It seems that even the ongoing internal strike has not affected its sponsoring of terrorism as it is maintaining a high number of terrorists in the multiple launchpads along the Line of Control (LoC) with India. The agencies are receiving inputs that terrorists have come to launchpads from their camps and are waiting to be pushed towards the Indian side," sources in the security establishment said. 

According to the sources, as per the agency inputs, different groups of terrorists numbering between 10-20 are waiting at the launchpads in Neelam Valley, Leepa Valley and the Jhelum Valley.

"The Indian security forces are keeping a close watch on the activities of the Pakistan Army and terrorist grouping sponsored by it in the Indian territory. The Pakistani terror groups have been activated by the Pakistan Army and their government to disrupt the forthcoming G-20 meeting in Kashmir valley on May 23-24", the sources said.

Asked about the activities of the Pakistan Army on the LoC and if they have reduced numbers in areas close to India to quell protests in cities, sources said, "There has been no reduction in troop numbers by the Pakistan Army as they maintain a sizeable number in Cantonment land to deal with such issues."

 The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted cyclone 'Mocha' of turning into a severe cyclone by May 14. "#CycloneMocha will convert into a severe storm on May 12 & a very severe cyclone on May 14, as per the predictions," said Gurminder Singh, Commandant, 2nd Battalion, NDRF. 

 "We've deployed 8 teams. 200 rescuers of NDRF deployed on the ground and 100 rescuers on standby," said Singh, while speaking to ANI. While Sharing an update Sanjeev Dwivedi, IMD senior scientist, Bhubaneswar also predicted that the cyclonic storm is lightly to recurve and on the 12th of May evening it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal.

 "The Cyclonic storm is likely to recurve and on the 12th of May evening, it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal. On 13th May it will take peak intensity. The system is under continuous surveillance," said Sanjeev Dwivedi.

Earlier today in the morning IMD said that the deep depression lying over the Southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm Mocha. In this regard, Indian Coast Guard has also issued an official statement that its units have been placed on high alert amid the warning of the IMD for cyclonic storm Mocha. 

The statement said that the ICG is geared up for response to the cyclonic storm as indicated by IMD and the update had been shared with the fisheries and civil administration.

 "The Congress has a phobia of the RSS, so its leaders keep making baseless allegations against the RSS," he said in a statement on Thursday.

 "Sangh workers always play their role in society with devotion like a soldier without any discrimination while the Congress is nothing more than a scattered organisation dedicated to one family," he said. 

 Honouring terrorists and cursing patriots is the reason for the Congress' downfall, he said. Joshi said the chief minister should introspect because his party MLAs accuse him of being a "fascist". 

 "He calls himself Gandhi of Mewar but his entire five years were spent in the fight for the chair. He is afraid of his defeat in the 2023 elections, therefore Gehlot is saying anything to get noticed by Rahul Gandhi," he said. PTI

The United States will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan, the Biden Administration said on Thursday, maintaining that it does not have a position on one candidate or the other.

The official's comments came in the wake of the arrest of former Pakistan premier Imran Khan in a corruption case, which led to violent protests across the main cities of the country and the calling of the army to contain the unruly supporters.

"We continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan closely, and as the US has said before, we don't have a position on one candidate or one political party versus another. What our interest is a safe and secure, prosperous Pakistan. That is in the interest of the US-Pakistan relations, and we call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

The United States, he said, does not have a favoured candidate or a favoured political party, not just in Pakistan but as it relates to any government system around the world.

"A prosperous and strong, democratic Pakistan is critical to US interests. That remains unchanged."

"On some of these areas, such as press freedom, human rights, things of that nature, we have consistently raised these issues with our counterparts not just in Pakistan but in other countries where we have a perspective to offer on that," Patel said in response to a question.

Patel said the US is looking to continue to strengthen economic ties between the two countries with collaboration in areas of security, renewable energy, climate crisis, and increasing agricultural trade.

"That's what we mean by a strong, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan that is critical to US interests."   -- PTI

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has decided to step down from the post.

The billionaire has decided not to function as Twitter CEO after a few weeks.

Musk shared the development in a tweet on Friday, and said, 'Excited to announce that I've hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!.'

He did not name the person but announced that the new CEO will take charge in about six weeks.

The decision will mark Musk's new role as executive chair and CTO.

Musk declared that he will be overseeing products, software and sysops in foreseen future.

The news came after the outgoing CEO announced of adding another update to Twitter allowing its verified users to have early access to encrypted messaging service.

The update is currently available only for verified users.

Earlier on May 11, Musk shared a tweet updating about the early version of the encrypted messaging being launched.   -- ANI

The former chief minister's visit to the temples will take place a day after the Supreme Court delivered its much-awaited verdict in the 2022 political crisis in the state triggered by a rebellion in the undivided Shiv Sena. 

The Supreme Court held on Thursday it cannot reinstate the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government headed by Thackeray since the Shiv Sena leader, the then-CM, chose to resign in June last year without facing a floor test in the wake of the rebellion in his party. 

The ruling means Eknath Shinde, who led the revolt, will continue to be the chief minister of Maharashtra. -- PTI

Singh said the saffron outfit is divided in three factions -- "Shivraj BJP (Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan), Maharaj BJP (a reference to Jyotiraditya Scindia who hails from a royal family) and Naraj BJP (disgruntled members in the party)". 

The Rajya Sabha MP said he does not want to be chief minister again. 

"I don't want to become chief minister, but MP Congress president Kamal Nath will be the chief minister (if Congress wins). Poll tickets would be given on the basis of a survey for which a team is on the job," the veteran Congress leader told reporters in Singrauli while responding to a query on whether he would become the next CM if his party wins. 

"There are three types of saffron people in the state -- Shivraj BJP, Maharaj BJP and Naraj BJP," he said. 

Singh accused the 'Shivraj and Maharaj factions of the BJP' of indulging in corruption and claimed the third "faction" comprises people who formed the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (earlier avatar of BJP) and activists who are ignored by the party. -- PTI

The accused, identified as Chavanni and Attar Rehman, were also lodged in jail number eight of Tihar prison in which Tajpuriya was stabbed to death allegedly by four members of a rival gang, they said. 

According to police, Chavanni is a local gangster and involved in some assault cases, while Rehman is a convict in a kidnapping case from Gujarat. 

A senior police officer said that Rehman had allegedly helped the four assailants get rid of the weapons used in the murder while Chavanni had covered the CCTV camera with a bedsheet during the incident that took place on May 2. 

The assailants had used improvised weapons to kill Tajpuriya, the police said, adding they were seized. 

"During investigation, we analysed the CCTV cameras and found that the four assailants who killed Tajpuriya were helped by more inmates. The investigation revealed that Chavanni and Rehman were present at the spot at the time of the incident and they had helped the four accused in hiding the murder weapon after the assault and covering the CCTV camera by using a bedsheet. However, the entire crime was captured in other CCTV cameras installed near the scene of crime and inside the cell," the police officer said. -- PTI