In a post on X, Satish Kumar, who is DCP Crime with the Delhi police, said he had a harrowing experience with IndiGo flight 6E 2702 from Ayodhya to Delhi. 

He said the flight's scheduled departure time was 3:25 pm and scheduled arrival time was 4:30 pm but at around 4:15 pm, the pilot announced that there was bad weather at the Delhi airport and that the plane had 45 minutes of holding fuel. 

"The pilot attempted landing twice, couldn't due to bad weather and still wasted lot of time deciding the next course of action. 

"At 5:30 p.m. (after a lapse of 75 minutes since the Holding fuel announcement) the pilot announced that he'll finally attempt landing at Chandigarh... finally the plane managed to land at 6:10 p.m. at Chandigarh Airport after a lapse of 115 minutes since the 45 minutes holding fuel announcement," Kumar said in the post on Sunday evening. 

Kumar also said that he got to know after landing from the crew that there was only 1 or 2 minutes of fuel left. -- PTI

The Congress, a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, had staked a claim over Sangli in western Maharashtra, but the constituency was allotted to the Shiv Sena-UBT as per the seat-sharing formula finalised by the three-party opposition alliance. 

Recently, Vishal Patil and Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam from Palus-Kadegaon in Sangli district met top leaders in New Delhi and requested them to get the Sangli seat in the state's sugar belt for the grand old party. 

However, their efforts did not materialise as the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit bluntly refused to part with the seat. 

On Monday, Vishal Patil along with his supporters visited the district election office and filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate. 

The Shiv Sena-UBT has fielded wrestler-turned-politician Chandrahar Patil from Sangli, which will vote in the third phase on May 7 along with 10 other Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. -- PTI

According to IMD's Bhubaneswar centre, 18 places in the state reported temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. 

While Baripada was the hottest, Bhubaneswar, Chandbali, and Nuapada also faced sweltering heat, each reaching 41.2 degrees Celsius, weathermen said. 

Other regions, including Jagatsinghpur, Paralakhemundi, Khurda, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, also experienced temperatures ranging between 40 and 41 degrees Celsius, the Met said. 

The IMD predicted that due to prevailing northwesterly/westerly dry air and high solar insolation, the day temperature would cross 40 degrees Celsius at many places during the next four days. 

The temperature would be around 38 to 40 degrees Celsius in coastal Odisha while it would be between 39 to 42 degrees Celsius in the interior pockets, it added. 

Moreover, night temperatures are anticipated to rise by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in several areas over the next three days. 

In light of the heatwave conditions, the IMD has issued a Yellow Warning for Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Khurda, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Kandhamal districts for April 16. -- PTI

Kotak Bank customers faced difficulties in completing transactions like UPI payments, money withdrawals, and also accessing online banking in the morning and took to social media to voice their issues. 

Late in the evening, at about 10 pm, a bank spokesperson said, "Normalcy has been restored" on the tech servers. 

All through the day, the bank was working to resolve the situation and go back to functioning normally. 

Earlier in the day, the bank said that its "technical servers are experiencing intermittent slowness" and work is on to restore the services at the earliest. 

It can be noted that the Reserve Bank has been pressing lenders to be very diligent on such aspects and has also taken exemplary actions in the past against some lenders because of outages. -- PTI

According to the data released by the Election Commission, Rajasthan ranks first in the country in terms of seizure of inducements. 

State Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that a record Rs 812.77 crore worth of seizures have been made since March 1. 

These include cash worth Rs 36.79 crore, liquor worth Rs 41.71 crore, drugs worth Rs 121.79 crore, gold and silver including other precious metals worth Rs 49.21 crore, freebies worth more than Rs 563 crore and other suspicious items. 

Seizures worth more than Rs 20 crore each were made in 20 districts of the state. 

Gupta said that the value of goods and cash seized since March 16, after the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha general elections, is more than Rs 712 crore. 

The total value of seized inducements was Rs 51.42 crore during the entire period of the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha General Elections 2019. 

He said that this time this figure has crossed Rs 700 crore even before the first phase of voting. -- PTI

Prima facie, the shooters had conducted recce around Galaxy Apartment in Banda, where Khan lives, a few days ago, he said. 

The police suspect a VPN (virtual private network) was used for uploading the Facebook post, allegedly by Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on Sunday, he said. 

A VPN establishes a digital connection between a computer and a remote server owned by a VPN provider, creating a point-to-point tunnel that encrypts personal data, masks IP addresses, and allows the user to sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the Internet. 

The FB post claiming responsibility surfaced on Sunday at around 11 am, hours after shots were fired by two unidentified bike-borne men at Khan's residence around 5 am. 

"The IP address of the FB post was traced to Portugal. We are verifying," the officer added. -- PTI

A video of the alleged incident where Surya is seen exiting a venue amid chaos after he was allegedly heckled has gone viral on social media. 

The complaint was lodged by the organisers of the meeting of the cooperative sector representatives against Congress candidate for Bengaluru South (Sowmya Reddy) and her supporters, Surya's office said in a release. 

Surya is the BJP's candidate from Bangalore South. 

According to the release, on April 13, key representatives of the cooperative sector had organised a "meet and greet" with Surya at his election office. 

The representatives alleged in their complaint: "Individuals associated with the Congress party, without an invitation, forcefully entered the meeting and caused disruption." 

They demanded that FIRs be filed against the Congress candidate and her associates, and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

Prima facie, the shooters had conducted recce around Galaxy Apartment in Banda, where Khan lives, a few days ago, he said. 

The police suspect a VPN (virtual private network) was used for uploading the Facebook post, allegedly by Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on Sunday, he said. 

A VPN establishes a digital connection between a computer and a remote server owned by a VPN provider, creating a point-to-point tunnel that encrypts personal data, masks IP addresses, and allows the user to sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the Internet. 

The FB post claiming responsibility surfaced on Sunday at around 11 am, hours after shots were fired by two unidentified bike-borne men at Khan's residence around 5 am. 

"The IP address of the FB post was traced to Portugal. We are verifying," the officer added. -- PTI

Prima facie, the shooters had conducted recce around Galaxy Apartment in Banda, where Khan lives, a few days ago, he said. 

The police suspect a VPN (virtual private network) was used for uploading the Facebook post, allegedly by Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on Sunday, he said. 

A VPN establishes a digital connection between a computer and a remote server owned by a VPN provider, creating a point-to-point tunnel that encrypts personal data, masks IP addresses, and allows the user to sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the Internet. 

The FB post claiming responsibility surfaced on Sunday at around 11 am, hours after shots were fired by two unidentified bike-borne men at Khan's residence around 5 am. 

"The IP address of the FB post was traced to Portugal. We are verifying," the officer added. -- PTI

While filing his nomination as a BJP candidate from Dharwad Lok Sabha segment on Monday, Joshi declared movable assets worth Rs 2.72 crore in his name, Rs 5.93 crore in his wife Jyoti's name, and Rs 32.03 lakh in their dependent daughter Ananya Joshi's name. 

The former state BJP chief has immovable assets worth Rs 11.24 crore in his name and Rs 86.39 lakh in his wife's name. 

The couple together have total liabilities of Rs 8.01 crore, according to the election affidavit. 

A Bachelor of Arts graduate, the 61-year-old Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Minister, a four-time MP, has no criminal case pending against him. -- PTI

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande also directed Advocate General Birendra Saraf to go through the alleged hate speeches made by some MLAs in Mira Road in January and determine if action needs to be taken against them. 

The bench was hearing a bunch of petitions against the alleged inflammatory speeches made by BJP MLAs Nitesh Rane, Geeta Jain and Telangana MLA T Raja Singh. 

The pleas claimed the speeches were made after communal violence and demanded registration of FIRs against the MLAs. 

The bench said the high court cannot prevent any rallies from being organised, but the police will have to take all measures to make sure that there is no law-and-order problem. 

Advocate Karim Pathan, appearing for one of the petitioners, submitted in the high court that some rallies on Ram Navami are purposely taken through minority areas and outside mosques. 

The bench then asked Saraf, appearing for the state government, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. 

"Ensure that routes are changed. Ultimately, if there is a law and order problem comes, you'll face problems and police also has to face", the bench said. 

"We cannot stop any public rally. But we expect your officers to take appropriate action in accordance with law if there is any breach," it added. -- PTI

Two motorbike-borne unidentified persons opened fire outside the actor's house here on early Sunday morning at around 5am before fleeing the spot, according to the police. 

"The recent incident of firing by two unidentified person on a motorcycle at Galaxy apartment the residence of the Salim Khan family is very disturbing and unnerving. Our family has been taken aback by this shocking incident that took place (sic)," Arbaaz said in the statement posted on Instagram. 

Arbaaz said some people claiming to be close to the family were making "loose statements to the media" and calling the incident a "publicity stunt", which is not true as they had not spoken to the media. 

"At this time, the family is helping and cooperating with the police in the investigation of this untoward incident. We have faith in the Mumbai police and we have been assured they will do everything in their capacity to protect and secure our family. Thank you everyone for your love and support," the statement read. -- PTI

Ekta Vishnoi, deputy director general at Sports Authority of India and woman behind the now well-established Fit India Movement. 

While she has already made in the world of fitness, she is now making even bigger waves in the world of Powerlifting having won multiple medals and broken records at the recently concluded National Senior Powerlifting Championship in Hyderabad. 

At 50, Vishnoi competed with girls half her age and won a Silver in the deadlift with the best lift of 165kg and a Bronze overall with the best lifts of 132.5 kg in the squat, 70 kg in the bench press and 165 kg in the deadlift. 

With these lifts, she also broke all records of the Master 2 category in the competition. 

Earlier, Vishnoi had also won the gold medal in the national masters powerlifting championship and a gold and a silver medal in the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship and Asian Powerlifting Championship, 2022. 

For her feat, she was also awarded a certificate of honour by e Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in 2023. -- ANI

Pathak and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Kejriwal in Tihar on Monday. 

Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, Kejriwal is currently in judicial custody and is lodged in Tihar jail. 

A person in judicial custody cannot sign documents which are political in nature. 

DG (prisons) Sanjay Baniwal, in an interaction with PTI editors in Delhi, said, "Only two things the person is allowed to sign -- one is his legal papers or a complaint but those should be non-political in nature or about his situation, or letters to family members or property papers." 

Pathak, who is the Aam Aadmi Party's national general secretary (organisation), at a press conference conveyed the chief minister's plan of action for reviewing the functioning of various departments in the coming days. 

"From next week, the chief minister will call two ministers to jail every week and there he will review the work of their departments and give them guidelines and directions," he said. 

"We will undertake whatever legal process are needed (to make this happen). From next week, when the ministers meet, the government will start functioning from jail in a proper format," Pathak said. -- PTI

This is the first time the party has reacted on the issue. 

Vijayendra said that his brother and Shimoga MP B Y Raghavendra, who is seeking re-election, will win the seat by over two lakh votes and people will teach a lesson to Eshwarappa. 

Eshwarappa, a former deputy chief minister who had also served as the party's state unit president, has entered the fray blaming Vijayendra and his father and veteran party leader BS Yediyurappa for his son KE Kantesh being denied the ticket to contest from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat. 

"We will take disciplinary action against him (Eshwarappa), and voters of the constituency will also take action against him. The more he speaks, double the votes that will come in favour of Raghavendra," Vijayendra said in Hasan in response to the 75-year-old's allegation of Yediyurappa favouring his sons and the party's Bangalore North seat candidate Shobha Karandlaje. 

Speaking to reporters here, he said Raghavendra is a popular MP and people will reject such "loose talks" by Eshwarappa. -- PTI

A church leader and multiple worshippers were stabbed during a service and one man has been arrested, according to the police. 

Viral video footage circulating on social media captured the harrowing moment when, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, standing at the altar, was approached by a man in a black jumper who then stabbed him in the chest. 

The bishop fell to the ground, enduring further attacks as parishioners rushed to his aid, managing to separate the assailant from him, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. 

In the aftermath, video footage revealed the bishop on the floor as parishioners applied bandages to his head. 

The episode was livestreamed. 

Emmanuel, known for his leadership in an ultra-conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox faith and his involvement in the Christian Lives Matter movement, has attracted attention for his fiery sermons and anti-LGBTQ stance. 

The police arrested one individual in connection with the attack, who is currently assisting with their inquiries, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. -- PTI

The petitioners had requested permission for the procession, starting from near Shibpur IIEST to Ramkrishnapur ferry ghat on the banks of the Hooghly. 

Justice Jay Sengupta permitted the procession, stipulating that no provocative slogans are to be chanted and that it must proceed without stopping en route on Ram Navami, which falls on Wednesday. 

The court mandated that the procession will be held with a maximum of 200 participants and five volunteers will monitor that the number is not breached. 

The West Bengal government had highlighted unrest during last year's procession, indicating an ongoing NIA investigation into the incident. 

In light of this, the government proposed an alternative route for the procession, which the organisers contested, leading to their petition in the high court. -- PTI

 Accusing the ruling BJP at the Centre of attempting to capture all the Constitutional institutions of the country, he said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls is a fight between those who want to protect the Constitution and those who want to destroy it.

 He was addressing party workers and voters after taking out a roadshow in Vellimunda in this high range constituency. He said the Constitution is the document that protects the rights of all Indians regardless of the language they speak, the community they are from, the religion they practice and the state they belong to. "Everybody is the same in the eyes of the Constitution," he said. 

 "You understand very well that the BJP is attempting to capture all the (Constitutional) institutions of our country, one by one," he alleged. Whether it is the judiciary, Election Commission, CBI, ED, Income Tax department or the high bureaucracy, the RSS is infiltrating these systems by putting their men, he further charged. And on the other side, there is the INDIA bloc which believes that these institutions belong to India and not to any one organisation, he said.

 "These institutions are not the personal property of the Prime Minister. They are the property of every single Indian citizen," Gandhi asserted. He said that every now and then, some BJP MP says that they would change the Constitution. 

 "Let me make it very clear, the Congress party will not let the RSS change the Constitution of India," he said. Gandhi further said that it is the duty of the Congress party to protect every single Indian regardless of their community, religion and state. This is the sacred duty of the Congress party, he added.

 Ramesh, who recently was on a campaign tour to northeastern states such as Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram, said there is a "strong undercurrent" of support and sympathy for the Congress because the issues in the Lok Sabha elections are quite different from those in the assembly elections. 

 "The issue in the Lok Sabha election is the preservation of the special provisions for the Northeast in our Constitution -- 371-A for Nagaland, 371-B for Assam, 371-C for Manipur, 371-F for Sikkim, 371-G form Mizoram, 371-H for Arunachal Pradesh. There is a fear that a government that can bulldoze the abolition of Article 370 can very well bullldoze the abolition of Article 371 and its special provisions," Ramesh said at a press briefing at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. 

 "So the most important issue in the Northeast is the preservation of the religious diversity, linguistic diversity, food diversity, and very important issue in the northeast in the last few days is the food...the freedom to eat what you want to eat," he said.

 "The freedom to eat, freedom to dress, freedom to profess one's faith...basic freedoms are at stake. That is the real issue in the Northeast," he said.

 He was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. This is the 17th arrest in the case by the ED. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested last month and he is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody. Chanpreet Singh was earlier arrested by the CBI too in the same case. The money laundering case stems from the Central Bureau of Investigation FIR. 

 The ED had earlier informed the court that Chanpreet Singh "managed" cash payments made to survey workers, area managers, assembly managers and others who were undertaking campaigning for the AAP during the 2022 assembly elections.

 It is alleged by the agency that the 'South Group' -- comprising BRS leader and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others -- paid Rs 100 crore bribe to AAP for obtaining a prime position in the Delhi liquor market as part of the scrapped excise policy for 2021-22, which has now been scrapped.

 Out of these alleged kickbacks, the ED has claimed, Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP to fund its Goa election campaign. PTI

 "As part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport's (CSMIA) monsoon contingency plan, the primary runway 09/27 and the secondary runway 14/32 will remain temporarily non-operational on 9th May 2024, for pre-monsoon maintenance and repair work," the release said. A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has already been issued to airlines and other stakeholders in December to plan rescheduling of flights ahead of time. "Hence, maintenance and repair work of the runway will not impact any flight movement or cause inconvenience to its passengers," the release said. 

 The airport has a network of runways, taxiways and aprons encompassing nearly 1,033 acres. The annual runway maintenance work involves inspection of the runway surface for micro texture and macro texture wear and tear that may have occurred due to day-to-day operations and help strengthen the airside strip, as per the release.

 Extending losses to the second session, the 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 845.12 points or 1.14 per cent to settle at a more than two-week low of 73,399.78. During the day, it plunged 929.74 points or 1.25 per cent to 73,315.16. The NSE Nifty declined 246.90 points or 1.10 per cent to finish at 22,272.50.

 The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was in the negative zone from April to October and had turned positive in November at 0.26 per cent. The inflation in March 2023 was 1.41 per cent. 

 "The annual rate of inflation based on all-India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is 0.53 per cent (provisional) for the month of March, 2024 (over March, 2023)," the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement on Monday. 

 Food inflation moved up marginally to 6.88 per cent in March from 5.42 per cent in the same month a year ago, data showed. Inflation in vegetables was 19.52 per cent, up from (- 2.39) per cent in the same month a year ago. WPI for potato witnessed a jump of 52.96 per cent against a deflation of 25.59 per cent, while for onion 56.99 per cent as compared to (-) 36.83 per cent in March 2023.

The incident, which occurred on a Sunday morning, saw two unidentified individuals opening fire outside Khan's residence, prompting swift action from law enforcement.

According to preliminary findings, the assailants arrived at the scene on a motorcycle, covering their faces under helmets, indicating a "meticulously planned attack." 

They discharged a total of four rounds during the incident, leaving behind a live cartridge at the scene.

Senior officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, promptly responded to the scene to oversee the investigation.

As the investigation progresses, new details have emerged shedding light on the perpetrators' movements and planning.

It has been revealed that the accused had purchased an old car from the Raigad area, which they used to travel to Mumbai and carry out the firing incident. Authorities are now delving into the process of selling and buying this car, questioning individuals connected to the case.

Furthermore, it has come to light that the accused had planned to leave Mumbai shortly after the firing incident. Their black bike, which was used in the attack, was found parked on the stairs near Mount Mary Church, close to the Bandra police station.

The bike, purchased from Pen Tehsil in Raigad with registration from Panvel RTO, was seized by the Mumbai police as part of their investigation.

The transfer of the case to the Mumbai Crime Branch signifies a crucial step in the ongoing investigation, as multiple teams work diligently to unravel the details behind this brazen attack.

The incident has sparked heightened tension and scrutiny, with both the public and authorities eagerly awaiting further updates on the investigation.

After the news of the firing broke, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Salman over the phone regarding the incident.

Shinde also discussed with the Mumbai Police Commissioner and suggested increasing Salman Khan's security.

Since November 2022, Salman Khan's security level has been elevated to Y-Plus due to threats from gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar. Khan has also been authorized to carry a personal firearm and has acquired a new armoured vehicle for added protection.

 "Even today, just based on BJP's instructions, the DIG of Murshidabad was changed. Now, if there are riots in Murshidabad and Malda, the responsibility will lie with the Election Commission. The BJP wanted to change the police officers to trigger riots and violence. If there is even one riot, the ECI will be responsible as they are looking after law and order here," she said.

 The TMC supremo said she would conduct a hunger strike outside the EC office for 55 days if needed. 

 "If I can fast for farmers for 26 days (during anti-land acquisition protests in Singur), I can go on a hunger strike for 55 days outside your office as well," she said. 

 Banerjee slammed the BJP for threatening the opposition with jails. "I will see how many jails you have. How many cops do you have? How many people will you thrash? I have been assaulted a lot of times. I know how to fight. I am not a coward," she said.

 Earlier in the day, while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, Banerjee dared the Income Tax officials to check the chopper used by BJP leaders for election campaign, a day after a row erupted over the TMC's claim of a "raid" by Income Tax officials targeting a helicopter used by party leader Abhishek Banerjee. Banerjee, while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, alleged that the BJP is misusing central agencies against the TMC ahead of the elections. 

 "Income Tax officials conducted a raid and searched Abhishek Banerjee's chopper before the trial run but found nothing. Those I-T officials claimed that we had inputs that there was money and gold in the chopper, but they found nothing. We don't engage in such acts. It is the BJP that is involved in such things. But will the officials of the central agency ever dare to check BJP leaders' choppers," she said. 

 The Trinamool Congress on Sunday said its general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's helicopter was raided by Income Tax officials at Kolkata's Behala flying club and alleged this was part of a deliberate ploy by the BJP to harass and intimidate opposition candidates whom they cannot engage with politically. 

 As a row erupted over the TMC's claim of a "raid", I-T department sources claimed that there was no enforcement action such as a search or survey and the TMC leader wasn't even present in the chopper. 

 The TMC supremo also accused the BJP of misusing central agencies and not allowing a "level playing field for all political parties," in the elections.

 IMD officials said the maximum temperature in the three districts could go up to 38 degrees Celsius. A heatwave warning has issued for the country's financial capital as well as Raigad and Thane districts for Monday and Tuesday, an IMD Mumbai official said. 

 "Maximum temperature is likely to be in the range of 36 to 38 degrees Celsius," the official said. The civic administration in Mumbai has already issued guidelines for people to tackle the heatwave this summer season. PTI

 However, normal cumulative rainfall does not guarantee uniform temporal and spatial distribution of rain across the country, with climate change further increasing the variability of the rain-bearing system. Climate scientists say the number of rainy days is declining while heavy rain events (more rain over a short period) are increasing, leading to frequent droughts and floods.

 Based on data between 1951-2023, India experienced above-normal rainfall in the monsoon season on nine occasions when La Nina followed an El Nino event, India Meteorological Department chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told a press conference in Delhi. 

 India is likely to see above-normal rainfall in the four-month monsoon season (June to September) with cumulative rainfall rainfall estimated at 106 percent of the long-period average (87 cm), he said.

 Positive Indian Ocean Dipole conditions are predicted during the monsoon season. Also, the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is low. 

These conditions are favourable for the Indian southwest monsoon, he said. Moderate El Nino conditions are prevailing at present. It is predicted to turn neutral by the time monsoon season commences. 

Thereafter, models suggest, La Lina conditions may set in by August-September, Mohapatra said. India received "below-average" cumulative rainfall -- 820 mm compared to the long-period average of 868.6 mm -- in 2023, an El Nino year. Before 2023, India recorded "normal" and "above-normal" rainfall in the monsoon season for four years in a row. -- PTI

 The 76-year-old British-American author was on stage in August 2022 when he was stabbed up to 12 times by accused Hadi Matar in prison for attempted murder. 

 In an interview with the BBC ahead of the release of his detailed account of the attack in Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder' this week, the author admitted that losing an eye is something that "upsets me every day" and that the memoir was his way of fighting back against what happened. "I actually thought he punched me very hard. I didn't realise it was a knife in his hand, and then I saw the blood, and I realised there was a weapon," said Rushdie, recalling the moment of the attack at the Chautauqua Institution.

"I think he was just slashing wildly at everything. So, there was a very big slash across my neck and stab wounds down by the middle of my torso and two to the side, and then there was the wound in my eye, which was quite deep. It looked terrible. I mean, it was very distended, swollen, and it was kind of hanging out of my face, sitting on my cheek like a soft-boiled egg, and I am blind," he recalls. 

 "I remember thinking I was dying. Fortunately, I was wrong," he said. Rushdie recounted how his attacker came "sprinting up the stairs" and stabbed him 12 times in an attack lasting 27 seconds. 

 "I couldn't have fought him. I couldn't have run away from him," he told the BBC. He fell to the floor, where he lay with "a spectacular quantity of blood" all around him before he was rushed to a hospital by helicopter and spent six weeks recovering there. 

 Rushdie had spent several years in hiding after the 1988 publication of the controversial The Satanic Verses' triggered threats against his life, with the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa against him. The New York-based novelist, knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to literature, admitted he had thought someone might "jump out of an audience" one day. 

 "Clearly, it would've been absurd for it not to cross my mind," he admitted. The attack damaged Rushdie's liver and hands and severed nerves in his right eye. He finds he has to take greater care when walking down the stairs, crossing a road, or even pouring water into a glass. But he considers himself lucky to have avoided brain damage. "It meant I was actually still able to be myself," he shared, adding that his new book recounting the horror, which formally releases on Tuesday, is dedicated to "the men and women who saved my life".

 In Knife', the author has an imaginary conversation with his attacker: "In America, many people pretend to be honest, but they wear masks and lie. And would that be a reason to kill them all?" He has never met the accused but is likely to come face-to-face with him in court when the trial gets underway later this year. 

 He recalls how, when he was lying in a pool of blood, he found himself "idiotically thinking" about his personal belongings, including that his Ralph Lauren suit was getting ruined and that his house keys and credit cards might fall out of his pocket. 

 "At the time, of course, it's ludicrous. But in retrospect, what it says to me, is there was some bit of me that was not intending to die. There was some bit of me that was saying, 'I'm going to need those house keys, and I'm going to need those credit cards'. He added that it was a "survival instinct" that was saying to him: "You're going to live. Live. Live." Since the attack, Rushdie has spoken out about the growing stresses on freedom of speech around the world, and in this week's interview reiterated his worries. "

 Special Judge for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kaveri Baweja, extended Kejriwal's custody after he was produced before the court through video-conferencing on the expiry of his period of custody granted earlier. 

 The ED sought an extension of Kejriwal's custody, saying the investigation was at a crucial stage. PTI

 "This idea that India should have only one leader is an insult to every single young Indian," he said. 

 Gandhi was addressing party workers and voters in this high range constituency after a massive road show as part of his election campaign. He asked why India could not have more leaders and claimed that this line of thought is the main difference between the Congress and the BJP. 

 The MP said the Congress wants to listen to the people of the country and love and respect their beliefs, language, religion, culture. But, the BJP wants to impose something from the top, he alleged. 

 "We did not get freedom from the British to be colonised by the ideology of the RSS. We want India to be ruled by all her people," he said. Gandhi, who is seeking his electoral luck again from Wayanad, came to the constituency for the second time after the date of the Lok Sabha polls were announced.

 He kicked off the poll campaign in Wayanad early this month by filing his nomination papers and holding a massive road show. Gandhi won from Wayanad with a record margin of 4,31,770 votes during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Polling in Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 26. PTI

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta adjourned to next Monday the plea of Purkayashta, seeking bail on medical ground, as senior advocate Kapil Sibal representing him was unavailable.

Earlier, the apex court had directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to set up a medical board to examine the health condition of Purkayastha.

It had asked the AIIMS director to constitute the board and submit a report which shall also consider the jail records and complete medical history of the petitioner.

The direction of the apex court came after Sibal told the bench that the report filed by the prison authorities about his client's medical condition was not correct. -- ANI

 Mann, who was accompanied by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, said they met Kejriwal for half-an-hour but they were separated by a glass wall and interacted over a phone call. 

 "I became emotional seeing him. He is being treated like a hardcore criminal. What is his fault? Is it his fault that he built mohalla clinics?" said Mann. 

 The Punjab chief minister said he was asked by Kejriwal to visit different places for campaigning for INDIA bloc candidates.

 He also said the Aam Aadmi Party will emerge a strong political force on June 4, when Lok Sabha election results are announced. Pathak said Kejriwal was worried about the people of Delhi and was constantly inquiring whether they were getting subsidies. 

 "Even while being inside jail, he is worried about the people of Delhi. He said that from next week, he will call two ministers to discuss issues. He has also asked party MLAs to go out among people," Pathak said. 

 The meeting took place in the 'mulakat jangla,' a room divided with a glass wall, a Tihar jail official said. Security was already heightened with local police being deployed outside Tihar jail, given that Mann is Z+ protectee.

 Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked the BJP ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's poll campaign engagements in the violence-hit state. 

 "The Prime Minister has abandoned all responsibility for the BJP-manufactured crisis in Manipur. However, his Home Minister has found the time to campaign in the state today, and we hope he takes the initiative to answer a few questions on behalf of the PM," Ramesh said in a post on X.

 Since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out in Manipur, the prime minister has not visited the state even once, he said. 

 "He (Modi) has not even given an appointment to, or taken a call from, the Chief Ministers, MLAs, or any other political representatives of the state. In fact, he has barely even acknowledged the crisis, barring a three-minute speech that he delivered when forced to by the Opposition," Ramesh said.

 In the meantime, Rahul Gandhi has visited the state twice to understand the situation and extend solidarity to the people of Manipur, he said. 

"What explains the prime minister's refusal to engage with this issue, "indifference or cowardice", he asked. Ramesh said the situation in Manipur "verges on that of a civil war", with a complete breakdown of all law and order. 

 "More than 200 people have been killed, more than 60,000 displaced, and thousands of weapons have been stolen from the state police. BSF soldiers have been shot at, policemen have been killed, and mobs have stormed into and burned down Government offices," he said. 

 On March 11, Khwata Khunou, the last Meitei village in Manipur to have withstood the violence was burned to the ground, he said. -- PTI

 The meeting took place in the 'mulakat jangla,' a room divided with a glass wall, a Tihar jail official said. He added that Mann and Kejriwal, who is lodged in Tihar's jail number 2 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, spoke to each other via intercom.

 According to the official, the Punjab CM met Kejriwal as a common visitor, as per the rules of the jail manual.

 On Saturday, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh had alleged that the Tihar administration was not allowing Kejriwal to meet his family and Mann in person. The officials, however, said that Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, and other visitors have been meeting the Delhi chief minister in the same way, twice a week.

 Security was already heightened with local police being deployed outside Tihar jail, given Mann's Z+ security status. The Delhi chief minister and AAP national convenor was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. He is in judicial custody till April 15. 

 The ED has accused Kejriwal of being involved in the "entire conspiracy of Delhi liquor scam, in drafting and implementation of the policy, for favouring and benefiting the quid pro receiving kickbacks and eventually using part of proceeds of crime generated out of the scheduled offence in the election campaign for Goa Assembly elections". PTI

The national transporter has so far electrified 95 per cent of the broad-gauge track network by 2023-2024.In 2021, the Union ministry of railways said in a Rajya Sabha answer that the Indian Railways is 'likely to electrify all broad gauge rail lines by 2023-24.'Officials said the target is in sight now. "The Indian Railways is rapidly progressing to accomplish 'Mission 100 per cent electrification' and become the largest green railway network in the world."

Around 7,188 km have been electrified in FY2023-24. This is the highest electrification ever in the history of the Railways,' a senior official said. Notably, the railways electrified only 3,306 km of tracks in the previous financial year by February. This renders the electrification done in March more than the previous 11 months combined.According to officials, electrification works of about 3,700 km were in progress by the beginning of March, and a large number of works are typically completed towards the end of the financial year.

 "About 95 per cent of the broad gauge network is electrified. The electrification data also accounts for new lines, doubling/tripling, and multi-tracking of lines, which are currently in progress,' another senior official said in response to a query.

As of February 29, 14 states and Union Territories in India -- Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Puducherry, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand have been fully electrified. The network in these states and UTs aggregates to 24,383 route km.

For environmental and strategic reasons, rail electrification has been a key point on the Centre's agenda.

The line haul cost per thousand gross tonne kilometres (GTKM) is 2.25 times more expensive for passenger traffic and 3.05 times for freight traffic for diesel traction compared to electric, owing to better fuel cost and efficiency. 

Moreover, electrified lines can handle heavier freight and longer passenger trains and reduce delays on account of traction change.

-- Dhruvaksh Saha/Business Standard

 Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, an accused in the murder of Singh and a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit founder Hafiz Sayeed, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Lahore on Sunday. 

 According to sources, Tamba was attacked by motorcycle-borne assailants in the Islampura area of Lahore in Pakistan and was rushed in critical condition to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 

 Hooda, who played the titular role in Omung Kumar's "Sarbjit", shared a page link on X and reacted to the news of Tamba's death. 

 "KARMA. Thank you Unknown Men'. Remembering my Sister Dalbir Kaur and sending love to Swapandeep and Poonam, today some justice to Martyr Sarabjit Singh has been served," he wrote, referring to Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur, who died in 2022, and his daughters Swapandeep and Poonam. 

 Singh was sentenced to death by Pakistan after he was convicted of terrorism and spying in 1991. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 49 in Jinnah Hospital Lahore on the early morning of May 2, 2013, after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by inmates including Tamba, inside the high-security Kot Lakhpat jail. PTI

 People in these villages routinely encounter big cats that stray into their farms from the adjoining Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), a bustling habitat for the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris). Sometimes these encounters even prove fatal. 

As per official records, more than 22 people from these villages have been mauled to death by tigers since November 2019. On April 9, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a political rally in the Puranpur area in support of BJP candidate Jitin Prasada, 55-year-old farmer Bhole Ram was mauled to death by a tiger. 

 While PM Modi, in his address, announced to "take the grandeur of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to the world", the family members of Bhole Ram and some other villagers were not pleased.

 "Our lives are at the mercy of gods. We don't know when a tiger will leap out of the field and make us or our children its prey," said Paras Rai, a relative of Bhole Ram and resident of the Jamunia village located on the boundary of the PTR. The village saw deaths of four persons, including Bhole Ram, in the last six months due to tiger attacks. The deaths have made the man-animal conflict a poll issue in Pilibhit. 

The villagers, who face a constant threat to existence because of tigers, have been demanding measures to prevent tigers from venturing out of the forest. Political parties have also started to realise the issue. 

Samajwadi Party candidate and former minister Bhagwat Saran Gangwar visited Bhole Ram's family members on April 11 and assured them of his support. Gangwar raised the issue during the political rally held by party president Akhilesh Yadav in the district on April 12. 

 "People are being killed by wild animals. We will solve the problem once we come to power," he said. 

 Former Uttar Pradesh CM Yadav also raised the issue and attacked the BJP. "Animals from the wild are killing people. I also saw a video of a tiger sitting on a wall being chased by people. This government has not done anything about the problem." 

 Umashankar Pal, a farmer who lost his brother to a tiger attack in 2022, said, "We want the authorities to put up a fence on the boundaries of the forest to stop the tigers. But nothing has been done yet. We continue to see tigers in our farms on a regular basis which poses a threat to our lives." 

 The villagers, predominantly farmers with small land holdings, cannot make do without their farms where the big cats are the biggest threat to their life. Almost all the people killed by tigers met their fate in the fields

 Police said Unni was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be saved.

 Meanwhile, his family said the rope was tied across the road without any warning and in the night it was difficult to identify it. "The rope was tied as part of the security arrangements for the PM's visit. However, there was no ribbon or any reflective markers to make it visible at night," a relative told the media. PM Modi will be addressing two public meetings as part of the BJP's election campaign in Kerala today. PTI

 Though the retired judges, including four from the apex court, did not specify the incidents which prompted them to write to the CJI, their letter came amid amid a war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition parties over the actions against some opposition leaders in corruption cases.

 With affected leaders and their parties moving courts to seek relief, the BJP has often accused them of using judicial decisions selectively and cited any lack of relief for several arrested leaders to rebut the opposition's criticism. The retired judges, including justices (retired) Deepak Verma, Krishna Murari, Dinesh Maheshwari and M R Shah, accused the critics of having insidious methods with clear attempts to sway judicial processes by casting aspersions on the integrity of courts and the judges. "Such actions not only disrespect the sanctity of our judiciary but also pose a direct challenge to the principles of fairness and impartiality that judges, as guardians of the law, have sworn to uphold," they said in the letter titled "Need to safeguard judiciary from unwarranted pressures". 

 The strategy employed by these groups is deeply troubling, ranging from the propagation of baseless theories intended to malign the judiciary's reputation to engaging in overt and covert attempts to influence judicial outcomes to their favour, they said. 

 "This behaviour, we observe, is particularly pronounced in the cases and causes of social, economic and political significance, including the cases involving certain individuals, wherein the lines between advocacy and manoeuvring are blurred to the detriment of judicial independence," they added. The letter writers said they are particularly concerned about the tactics of misinformation and the orchestration of public sentiment against the judiciary. 

 "The practice of selectively praising judicial decisions that align with one's views while vehemently criticising those that do not, undermines the very essence of judicial review and the rule of law," they said. They urged the judiciary led by the Supreme Court to fortify against such pressures and ensure that the sanctity and autonomy of the legal system are preserved. "It is imperative that the judiciary remains a pillar of democracy, immune to the whims and fancies of transient political interests," they said. PTI

 The daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao was arrested from the Tihar Jail, where she was lodged after her arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

 The CBI produced the accused before the court on expiry of her three-day police custody granted earlier by the judge and sought her JC. The CBI told the court that she was not required for further custodial interrogation. Advocate Nitesh Rana, representing Kavitha along with Deepak Nagar, opposed the police plea, saying the grounds were not sufficient to keep her in custody since she is no longer required for custodial interrogation.

 CBI officials had recently questioned Kavitha inside prison after obtaining permission from a special court. The BRS leader was questioned about the WhatsApp chats recovered from co-accused Buchi Babu's phone and documents related to a land deal, after which an amount of Rs 100 crore was allegedly paid to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in kickbacks to swing the excise policy for the national capital in favour of a liquor lobby. 

 The ED arrested Kavitha (46) from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15, and she was in judicial custody in the case.

 Foreign fund outflows and hotter-than-expected US inflation data also played spoilsport for the markets. Extending its previous day's decline, the 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 929.74 points to 73,315.16. 

The NSE Nifty declined 216.9 points to 22,302.50. From the Sensex basket, Tata Motors, State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Power Grid, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance and Asian Paints were the major laggards.

 Tata Consultancy Services climbed nearly 1 per cent after the IT services major on Friday reported a 9 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 12,434 crore in January-March quarter of FY24 due to strong domestic business even as the company struggled in its key markets overseas. 

 Nestle and HCL Technologies were the other gainers. In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong were trading lower while Shanghai quoted in the positive territory. Wall Street ended significantly lower on Friday.

 "The manifesto of the BJP is very good. What they say, they deliver. I welcome it," Deora, who recently joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) quitting the Congress, told ANI. 

 "Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), 4 crore families have been given permanent houses. Now their plan is that in the coming five years, they will give 3 crore more families permanent houses. This is a very good plan. I want to see this plan implemented in Mumbai and Maharashtra. This is the dream of Mumbaikars. Everyone should have permanent houses," he added. 

 The BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' was unveiled in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, national president JP Nadda, other senior leaders, and senior union ministers at the party's New Delhi headquarters on Sunday . 

 The manifesto has the tagline "Modi ki Guarantee," with a focus on more development, women's welfare, and a roadmap for "Viksit Bharat" (developed India). According to the BJP, the year 2025 will be declared the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Year'. The BJP election manifesto promised 'One Nation One Election' and "single electoral roll".

The manfisto released by the BJP also focuses on bringing forward more Lakhpati Didis. It promises to make electricity bills zero with the PM Surya Ghar Yojana. Also, the manifesto of BJP features India's Olympics bid in 2036, the implementation of the National Education Policy, and a law against paper leaks, among other promises.

 In its election promise, the party also aims to make the nation the third largest economy in the world. The manifesto set the goal of making India a "global manufacturing hub."

Kshatriya community members have again demanded that the Bharatiya Janata Party remove Union minister Parshottam Rupala as the party candidate for the Rajkot Lok Sabha seat, vowing to intensify their protest in the coming days.

The Kshatriya community, also called Rajputs, held a public meeting at Ratanpur village in Gujarat's Rajkot district on Sunday, at a time when the ruling BJP has announced that Rupala will file his nomination papers on April 16.

"We are firm on our demand for withdrawal of Rupala's candidature. We have demanded from the BJP that Rupala has to go and we stand firm on the demand, Ramjubha Jadeja, a core committee member of the Kshatrya community, said addressing the meeting.

Gujarat's 26 Lok Sabha seats, including Rajkot, will go to polls in a single phase on May 7 and votes will be counted on June 4. 

The BJP won all the seats in the state in 2014 and 2019.

"Rupala insulted our daughters and sisters. Then he played a farce of seeking apology. But we have rejected his apology. We will continue with our protest against Rupala. BJP must withdraw him as the Lok Sabha candidate from Rajkot," Jadeja said.

"In the past, when people made mistakes, the BJP leadership took action against such people, which includes the case of Nupur Sharma (former party spokesperson)," he said.

Jadeja said the community will intensify its agitation in the coming days as he thanked Kshatriyas from other states like Rajasthan for extending support to the community members in Gujarat in their fight against Rupala. -- PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea against a high court order that has upheld his arrest in a money-laundering case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam.

In a massive blow to the chief minister, the high court has upheld his arrest in the money-laundering case, saying the Enforcement Directorate was left with "little option" after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation.

The high court has dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party leader's petition challenging his arrest by the ED and subsequent remand in the federal agency's custody.

The matter pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 that was later scrapped.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

He is in judicial custody till April 15 and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reached out over phone to the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had calls with his Saudi and Israeli counterparts, amid signs of an escalating crisis in the Middle East following Iran's strikes on Israel.

Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, which Tehran said was in response to the April 1 strike on its consulate in Syria.

Almost all Iranian drones and missiles were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.

The diplomatic overdrive to fight the crisis came soon after US President Joe Biden had a conference call with G-7 leaders and had separate telephonic conversations with King Abdullah of Jordan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. 

In all the calls, the American leadership emphasised on the need to avoid further escalation in the region and reaffirmed America's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel. 

They also reaffirmed the importance of diplomatic efforts to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza that provides lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, the state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout of the calls that Blinken had with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Blinken thanked Fidan for Turkish's ongoing engagement to prevent further escalation in the region, and discussed with Shoukry the importance of ongoing efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza and protecting Palestinian civilians, as well as achieve an immediate ceasefire that secures the release of all hostages.              

"Blinken thanked Jordan for its leadership in providing life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, including through joint US-Jordan airdrops and overland deliveries," Miller said.

In his call with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Blinken reiterated that while the US does not seek escalation, it will continue to help Israel defend itself. The secretary and the foreign minister agreed on the importance of a coordinated diplomatic response, Miller said.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Austin, in his call with Saudi Minister of Defense, Khalid bin Salman, emphasised that US does not seek escalation, and will continue to defend Israel and U.S. personnel. 

Austin underscored the importance of the enduring US defence partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reiterated the US commitment to working with the Kingdom and other partners to deescalate tensions in the region, Ryder said. -- PTI

The United States destroyed more than 80 UAVs and at least six ballistic missiles launched by Iran at Israel, the Pentagon said Sunday.

This includes a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven UAVs destroyed on the ground in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen prior to their launch, the US Central Command said.

Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, which Tehran said was in response to the April 1 strike on its consulate in Syria.

Almost all Iranian drones and missiles were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.

On Saturday and Sunday morning, US CENTCOM forces, supported by US European Command destroyers, successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen, the media note said.

"Iran's continued unprecedented, malign, and reckless behaviour endangers regional stability and the safety of U.S. and coalition forces. CENTCOM remains postured to support Israel's defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all our regional partners to increase regional security," it said.

The G-7 leaders on Sunday unequivocally condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct and unprecedented attack against Israel, saying the development risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.

Israel described the attack as a "clear violation" of the UN Charter and international law, and accused Iran of stoking regional instability, calling on the Security Council to "unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] as a terrorist organisation".

Iran said it had launched the operation in exercise of its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. -- PTI