Month: April 2024

In his first public appearance since the firing incident outside his upscale Bandra residence, superstar Salman Khan stepped out to welcome Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as he arrived to meet at the Galaxy Apartments on Tuesday.

In a video clip of the visit that was widely circulated across social media platforms, Salman was seen ushering CM Shinde into his residence.

Salman’s father and popular screenplay and dialogue writer from yesteryear, Salim Khan, politician Baba Siddique and his son Zeeshan Siddique were also inside the actor’s apartment as CM Shinde came calling.

In the clip, CM Shinde was seen having a discussion with the superstar, with the others seated around them.

The chief minister assured Salman and his family members of their safety, adding that they were being provided with increased security cover in light of the firing incident.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Sunday, last week, CM Shinde spoke to Salman over the phone and provided him with additional security cover. Shinde also brought up the firing incident with the Mumbai Police Commissioner and suggested increasing the superstar’s security.

He assured Salman that the government was with him and he need not worry.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Kutch Police arrested the two accused persons and handed them to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Later, a city court sent the two accused to the custody of the Mumbai Crime Branch until April 25 in connection with the firing incident.

The accused, identified as Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) from Bihar, were presented before the court after a medical examination.

The two men, who came on a motorbike, fired four rounds outside the Galaxy Apartments, where the actor resides, around 5 am on Sunday morning and fled.

CCTV footage showed that both accused sported caps and carried backpacks. The clip also showed them firing in the direction of the actor’s home.

After the arrest of the accused, Kutch DSP AR Zankant said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

“Mumbai Police is investigating the case of firing outside the residence of actor Salman Khan. We informed the Kutch Police that the two accused had fled to the Gujarat district. Different teams were formed to catch the accused. They were eventually arrested by the Kutch Police and handed over to the Mumbai Police. During primary interrogation of the accused, we learned that they were in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” DSP Zankant said.

Notably, since November 2022, Salman’s security level has been elevated to Y-Plus after threats from gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar. The actor was also authorised top carry a personal firearm and has also acquired a new armoured vehicle for added protection.

On Monday, Salman’s brother Arbaaz Khan issued a statement on the family’s behalf, saying they all have been affected due to the ‘disturbing’ firing incident.

“The recent incident of firing by two unidentified person in 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. Unfortunately, some people claiming to be close to our family and pretending to be the spokesperson have been making loose statements to the media saying it’s all a publicity stunt and the family remains unaffected which is not true and these views should not be taken seriously,” the statement read.

He also shared that the family was fully cooperating with the Mumbai Police in the ongoing probe into the incident.

“No member of the Salim Khan family has made any statement regarding this incident 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,” Arbaaz added in his statement. (ANI)

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Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, during a phone call with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani, issued a stern warning, emphasising that any action against Iran’s interests will be met with a severe and extensive response against all those involved, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

Raisi highlighted recent regional developments, emphasising the ongoing plight of Palestinians in Gaza. He underscored the urgent need for effective measures to halt the Israel’s atrocities.

He stressed the need to take deterrent measures against the continuation of the Israel’s crimes in Gaza, especially by Islamic countries.

While the oppressed and powerful people of Gaza are still victorious in the field with their resistance, pedicide, genocide, and horrific crimes by the (Zionists) Isreal, are supported by the United States and some Western countries, he added, according to IRNA.

He condemned the terrorist attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus as a desperate act stemming from the Israel’s failure to achieve its objectives in Gaza.

Raisi criticised the United Nations and the UN Security Council for failing to condemn the consulate attack, stressing Iran’s right to legitimate defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. He also cited the necessity of taking deterrent actions against the ongoing crimes of Israel, particularly by Islamic nations.

Meanwhile, Emir Hamad Al Thani reaffirmed the strong bond between Iran and Qatar, noting their mutual support. He commended Qatar’s efforts to denounce the Israel’s aggression against Iran’s consulate in Damascus, highlighting global solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Referring to Qatar’s efforts to condemn the Zionist regime’s aggression against Iran’s consulate in Damascus, he said, “Today, we are witnessing the highest level of global and popular convergence in support of the Palestinian cause, and the Israel regime is trying to distract the world public from its crimes by creating tension in Gaza.”

He lauded Iran’s strategic response to the Israel’s crimes, emphasising its clear message for everyone, IRNA reported.

Notably, Israel’s war cabinet is set to meet on Tuesday to deliberate on its reaction to Iran’s drone and missile assault, as relayed by a source to CNN.

This upcoming meeting marks the fifth session of the war cabinet following a string of strikes by Tehran on Israel on Sunday, initiated in retaliation to a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.

The recent assault from Iran over the weekend represents a significant escalation, being the first instance of direct fire from Iranian territory towards Israel. These events unfold against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions stemming from Israel’s military operations in Gaza, CNN reported. (ANI)

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The Delhi Police on Tuesday informed the Patiala House Court of Delhi that it has obtained all the requisite sanction under section 45 of UAPA and under Section 196 CrPC for the prosecution of the accused in the NewsClick Case.

Delhi Police Special Cell, through Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh, submitted that all the sanction orders have been obtained, in total, there are three different sanction orders which are being filed in the form of supplementary chargesheet under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Noted the submissions, the Additional Sessions Judge, Dr Hardeep Kaur, deferred the matter for April 30, 2024, on the point of cognizance of chargesheet filed in the case and said she will have to read the chargesheet to take cognizance.

The chargesheet has been filed by Special Cell of Delhi Police recently in Patiala House Court and contained nearly 8,000 pages with annexures.

Special Public Prosecutors Advocate Akhand Pratap Singh and Suraj Rathi apprised the court that the chargesheet named Prabir Purkayastha and PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd as an accused.

According to Delhi Police, a chargesheet has been filed against Newsportal Newsclick and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, in a case registered under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, following allegations that News Portal received huge money for pro-China propaganda.

In the matter, Newsclick HR Head Amit Chakraborty has been turned approver in the case.

Prabir Purkayastha, founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, along with the head of its human resources department, Amit Chakravarty, were arrested in the case on October 3, 2023. Both were arrested under stringent provisions of the UAPA under sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the UAPA, along with IPC sections 153A and 120B.

The Delhi Police FIR stated that foreign funds in crores have been infused illegally in India by Indian and foreign entities inimical to India in pursuance of a conspiracy to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, to cause disaffection against India and to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of India.

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell, in its FIR against news web portal NewsClick’s founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha, stated that People’s Dispatch Portal, owned and maintained by M/S PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd., has been used for intentionally peddling false narratives through paid news in lieu of crores of Rupees of illegally routed foreign funds as part of conspiracy.

“Foreign funds in crores have been infused illegally in India by Indian and foreign entities inimical to India in pursuance of a conspiracy with the intention to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, to cause disaffection against India, and to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of India,” the FIR stated. (ANI)

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Heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over parts of Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Konkan, Saurashtra and Kutch, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, and Telangana over the next five days, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday in its latest update.

To be precise, heat wave conditions are expected in isolated pockets of Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal during April 16-20; north Konkan, Saurashtra and Kutch during Tuesday-Wednesday; coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Wednesday-Thursday and Telangana during Tuesday-Thursday.

Besides, the weather bureau updated that hot and humid weather is very likely to prevail over Gangetic West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Rayalaseema from Tuesday-Saturday; Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe on Tuesday-Wednesday; coastal areas of Gujarat from Tuesday-Thursday; Konkan and Goa during Thursday-Saturday.

The warm night is very likely to prevail over Madhya Maharashtra during Tuesday-Thursday and over Odisha during Wednesday-Saturday.

In the first spell of heat wave, heat wave conditions prevailed over parts of east and peninsular India in early April.

Regions that experienced heat waves in the first spell were Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, North Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Rayalaseema and Telangana.

Heatwave is a condition of air temperature that becomes fatal to the human body when exposed. It is defined based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal.

In certain countries, it is defined in terms of the heat index based on temperature and humidity or based on the extreme percentile of the temperatures.

The heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more for plains and at least 30 degrees Celsius or more for Hilly regions.

IMD advised people to avoid heat exposure, wear lightweight, light colour, loose, cotton clothes, cover head, use a cloth, hat or umbrella. (ANI)

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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev apologised to the Supreme Court on Tuesday for publishing misleading advertisements and making comments against allopathic medicines and assured that he will “remain conscious about it in future”.

Co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., Ramdev, tendered unconditional apology “for the mistakes”, adding that “What we did at the time was not correct. We will be conscious about it in the future.”

Acharya Balkrishna, Patanjali’s Managing Director, also apologised to the apex court and said that their conduct was not deliberate.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Patanjali, told the top court that they are “ready to give a public apology to show contrition.”

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah personally interacted with Ramdev and Balkrishna who were personally present in the courtroom.

While recording an undertaking by Patanjali and its representatives that they propose to voluntarily take some steps to redeem themselves and show their good intentions, the bench adjourned the matter till April 23.

The apex court said that the duo are not off the hook yet and will think about accepting their apologies.

“This is irresponsible behaviour. The previous history of yours is damaging. We will think over it, whether to accept your apology or not,” Justice Kohli said.

The bench told Ramdev that he was “not so innocent” and criticised him for his “irresponsible behaviour”.

The apex court said, “We are not saying we will forgive you. We cannot be blind to your earlier history; we will think about your apology. You are not so innocent that you were completely unaware of what was going on in Court. At this moment, we are not saying they are off the hook.”

It was hearing the contempt case against Patanjali Ayurved, Ramdev and Balkrishna in connection with the misleading advertisements of their products.

A petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against an alleged smear campaign carried out by Patanjali and its founders against the Covid-19 vaccination drive and modern medicine.

Earlier, on two occasions they tendered unconditional and unqualified apology with regard to issue of advertisement. However, the bench had refused to accept their affidavits tendering apologies and slammed them for the misleading advertisements carry out by them and the company.

During today’s hearing, the bench said it wanted to interact with Ramdev and Balkrishna and asked them what they wanted say.

“What we did at that point of time, it should not have been done. We apologies for that. This all happened in the excitement of work. It wouldn’t happen in future,” Ramdev told the bench with folded hands.

Balkrishna told the bench that they should not have done it.

Justice Kohli said they cannot claim a cure for specific diseases in its advertisements and it is illegal to advertise medicines as specific cures for diseases.

“Advertising medicines for the treatment of specific diseases is not permitted. Neither a doctor, not a pharmacy can do that. It is irresponsible to do that,” the bench told Ramdev.

Justice Amanullah said every citizen is bound by the law and they cannot degrade allopathy while promoting its products.

“Your apology is not coming from your heart,” Justice Amanullah said.

The bench asked them to appear before it on April 23 also.

Earlier, the apex court also slammed the Uttarakhand government for being “hand-in-glove” with errant licensing officers who failed to take action against Patanjali for publishing misleading advertisements.

The top court had earlier also directed Patanjali not to publish false advertisements in the future and later issued contempt of court notices to the company, Ramdev and Balkrishna. (ANI)

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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the verdict of Supreme Court on the matter of electoral bonds should be respected as “it is the highest body and has to be respected”.

The remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview with ANI, accused the opposition parties of “spreading lies” over the electoral bonds scheme and said “everyone will regret it when there is an honest reflection”.

Speaking to ANI, DK Shivakumar said, “The Supreme Court has given the decision. We all have to bow to the decision of the Supreme Court because that is the highest body which we all have to respect. So I hope everyone in this country will respect and accept the decision on the verdict of the Supreme Court.”

The Supreme Court in February this year struck down the electoral bond scheme and said it was unconstitutional.

In its decision, the Supreme Court asked the SBI to stop issuing electoral bonds. In compliance with a directive from the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of India (ECI) uploaded data on electoral bonds on its official website. The data was provided by the State Bank of India (SBI) on the directions of the apex court.

In an interview with ANI, PM Modi said the electoral bonds scheme was aimed at curbing black money in elections and said the opposition wants to run away after making allegations.

He said of the 16 companies that gave donations when action was taken by probe agencies, only 37 per cent of the amount went to the BJP and 63 per cent to opposition parties opposed to the BJP.

“This is the success story of electoral bonds, there were electoral bonds, so you are getting a trail which company gave, how it gave, and where it gave. Whether what happened in the process was good or bad can be an issue of debate….I never say that there is no shortcoming in decision-making. We learn after discussing and improving. There is a lot of scope for improvement in this as well. But today we have completely pushed the country towards black money, hence, I say everyone will regret it. When they think honestly, everyone will regret it,” PM Modi said. (ANI)

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath said on Tuesday that the world space community needs to develop skills to go far beyond Earth’s orbit, like the Earth-moon systems and solar planetary exploration.

“We also need to develop skills, especially when you are looking at future exploration, possibly not within the Earth’s orbit, but also far beyond Earth’s orbit, especially in the Earth-moon systems as well as in solar planetary exploration. I think all those areas are also becoming crowded. Especially domains like the moon are also becoming crowded. I believe that this group will be looking at that aspect as well in greater detail in the coming days…,” Somanath said while speaking at the inaugural meet of the 42nd Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).

The ISRO chief also issued a declaration saying that India aims to create debris free space missions by 2030.

“Debris free space missions by all Indian actors, governmental and non-governmental by 2030. India also encourages all other space actors to follow this initiative for long term sustainability in the outer space,” Somanath said.

The ISRO Chief said that India is in the process of creating mechanisms and structures to ensure that debris is not generated.

“We are creating mechanisms and structures within the space systems so that impact generated debris are not propagated substantially in large numbers. A lot of this has been going on in the last many years very well. We need all those activities much stronger in the coming days,” Somanath said.

Speaking about re-orbiting the non-functional space objects, the ISRO chief said, “As far as ISRO is concerned we have a very clear laid out program in space exploration and space utilisation. Currently we have 54 spacecraft’s in our orbit, plus there are non-functional objects. We have been taking very careful action wherever it is possible to dispose of or remove the space object from its active role once it is over and re-orbit and bring it to a safe location…”

The ISRO cheif also proposed to ensure that the orbit around 400 kilometers are protected so that more space stations can come up to ensure sustained human presence in space.

“Our long-term space program definitely look at debris and its mitigation as one of the important topics. With the goal of building a space station in the coming days, we look at orbit where there are more space stations coming up at 400 km. I think this area should be protected for sustained human presence in space,” Somanath said.

Somanath also stressed on having a relook into all space agreements to ensure less debris generation by all prayers in space.

“We have to look at the agreement on all the space stations and all space actors including private space actors who comply with the guidelines of how to make sure space is sustainable and make sure we do not propagate activities so as to create more debris so that human beings continue exploration of space in the coming days,” the ISRO chief said. (ANI)

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The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday released a new list of eleven candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The BSP has fielded Athar Jamal Lari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest polls from the Varanasi parliamentary constituency.

According to the list, the Mainpuri Lok Sabha ticket has been changed and given to Shiv Prasad Yadav while Shrikala Singh, wife of gangster-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh, lodged in jail, has been fielded from the Jaunpur constituency.

The BSP has fielded Muslim Khan in Budaun while Chhotelal Gangwar will contest from Bareilly.

Udraj Verma will contest from Sultanpur seat and in Farrukhabad, the party candidate is Kranti Pandey.

Mayank Dwivedi will contest the Banda seat and Khwaja Shamsuddin will contest from Domariaganj.

In Ballia, the party has fielded Lallan Singh Yadav and Umesh Kumar Singh will contest from Ghazipur.

Notably, the BSP has opted not to form any alliances for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. Instead, it is set to contest independently in the state.

Earlier, the BSP nominated Mazid Ali from Saharanpur, Shreepal Singh from Kairana, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Surendra Pal Singh from Nagina, Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Shaukat Ali from Sambhal, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Abid Ali from Aonla, Aneesh Ahmed Khan alia Phool Babu from Pilibhit, and Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.

Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.

The votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)

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India has allowed a limited quantity of onion exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka, at a time when the staple vegetable’s outward shipments have been kept under restrictions.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), issued a notification late Monday evening, permitting the export of an additional 10,000 metric tons (MT) of onions to the UAE (above 24,000 tonne already allowed) and 10,000 tonne to Sri Lanka, facilitated through the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).

In March, the centre allowed the export of 50,000 tonne onions to Bangladesh.

The government has extended the ban on the export of onions until further orders.

Initially, India had in early December 2023 prohibited the export of onions till March 2024. The DGFT notification said the export of onions will be, however, allowed based on permission granted by the central government to other countries based on the request made by the countries.

In August, the government imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export of onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market until December 31, 2023.

The central government subsequently set a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of USD 800 per tonne on a free-on-board basis for the export of onions with effect from October 29.

The central government had, though, exempted the export of ‘Bangalore rose onion’ from the export duty, with a small rider — goods meant for export shall be allowed to be exported subject to the exporter furnishing a certificate from the Horticulture Commissioner, Government of Karnataka, certifying the item and quantity of Bangalore Rose Onion to be exported.

Bangalore rose onion is a variety of onion grown in and around Bengaluru, Karnataka. It got the coveted Geographical Indication tag in 2015.

Faced with rising onion prices, the central government has been releasing the staple vegetable from its buffer stock. The central government had earlier decided it would maintain 3 lakh tonne of onions in the 2023-24 season as buffer stock. In 2022-23, the government maintained 2.51 lakh tonne onion as buffer stock.

Buffer stock is maintained to meet any exigencies and for price stabilisation if rates go up significantly during the lean supply season.

Rabi onion harvested during April-June accounts for 65 per cent of India’s onion production and meets the consumer’s demand till the Kharif crop is harvested in October-November. (ANI)

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