LIVE: Some constantly questioning India's democracy, says PM in Karnataka

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Live updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated to the nation the "longest railway platform in the world" at Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station. The record has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records recently, officials said, adding that the 1,507 m long platform has been built at a cost of about Rs 20 crore. Modi at an event, also dedicated the electrification of Hosapete Hubballi Tinaighat section and the upgradation of Hosapete station, for boosting connectivity in the region.

In a major success for the indigenous industry, the Indian Navy is going to place orders for acquiring more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles which would be equipped on all the frontline warships of the maritime force. The Indo-Russian joint venture company has recently carried out test firings of the missile with a high level of indigenous content and is also going to equip the missile with an indigenous seeker too.

Inflation is expected to come down over the year, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Ashima Goyal said on Sunday, asserting that the government's supply-side action coordinated with a flexible inflation-targeting regime has kept the rate of price rise lower than that in other countries. Goyal said that India has successfully dealt with 'pluri-shocks' over the past three years, showing considerable resilience.

With influenza A subtype H3N2 virus claiming two lives in India, one each in Karnataka and Haryana, doctors in Lucknow have urged people to avoid self-medication. Sheetal Verma, senior faculty department of microbiology at King George's Medical University (KGMU) said, "The influenza A virus sub-type H3N2 is nothing new but as people are experiencing longer spells of cough, self-medication should be strictly avoided. There is nothing to panic. This variant does not lead to a pandemic but taking precautions against it will certainly help."

US Ambassador and Representative to the UN Human Rights Council Michele Taylor on Saturday (local time) raised concern over the ban on female education in Afghanistan by the Taliban, reported Tolo News. Taking to social media she tweeted that female students in Afghanistan face unacceptable restrictions on their freedom and ability to pursue education. "Over 600 million children worldwide are unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in reading and math. In Afghanistan, girls are barred from attending secondary school and face unacceptable restrictions on their freedom of movement," the statement read.

11:29 PM

Israel to weigh action after Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the government would assess the effect of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse on Israeli companies and determine whether or not to assist them.

Israel is home to a vibrant high-tech industry, and local media said Sunday that hundreds of local firms could be exposed to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Israeli business paper Globes said the bank was considered the major funding body for Israeli companies and that its fall was closing the oxygen pipe for the sector.

11:08 PM

Mumbai Indians win fourth consecutive WPL match

Mumbai Indians kept their all-win record in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) intact so far with an eight wicket win over UP Warriorz here on Sunday.

Following their fourth consecutive victory, achieved in 17.3 overs, Harmanpreet Kaur's side is on eight points from four games.

Harmanpreet smashed a 33-ball unbeaten 53, while Nat Sciver-Brunt struck a breezy 45 not out to make the chase of 159 runs look easy in the end after opener Yastika Bhatia had given Mumbai a solid start with a 27-ball 42.

10:42 PM

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 16 Indian fishermen for illegal fishing

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday said that it carried out a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers from Sri Lankan waters. In a statement, Sri Lankan Navy said that the operation led to the seizure of 2 Indian trawlers along with 16 Indian nationals northeast of Veththalakeni and off the Analativu Island.

The Sri Lankan Navy said that it continue to carry out regular patrols and operations in Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of fishing trawlers.

"As an extension of these operations, the Northern Naval Command deployed Fast Attack Craft of the 04th Fast Attack Flotilla to chase away a cluster of Indian poaching trawlers, having spotted they were engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters northeast of Veththalakeni and off the Analativu Island," Sri Lankan Navy said in statement.

9:58 PM

Trudeau in crisis-mode on Chinese interference: Report

Leaked documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) have revealed the ways in which the Chinese government has attempted to tamper with Canadian elections, Aisa Times reported.

According to the report, the leaked papers give support to a number of allegations regarding the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) behaviour that has been circulating for years. This includes the Conservative Party of Canada's claim that the interference cost it seats in the 2021 federal election, along with allegations about the operation of illegal "police stations" used by China to gather information on the Chinese diaspora in Canada, Aisa Times reported.

9:28 PM

Iran says deal with Saudi Arabia will help end Yemen's war

Iran's mission to the United Nations says a breakthrough agreement with Saudi Arabia restoring bilateral relations will help bring a political settlement to Yemen's yearslong war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of tensions that brought the two regional powerhouses to the brink of conflict and fuelled tensions across the region.

Soon after exploding in 2014, Yemen's conflict turned into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government, and Iran, which has aided the country's Houthi rebels.

9:06 PM

AIADMK top leader Palaniswami's name figures in FIR over ruckus

AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's (EPS) name has been included in an FIR registered over an incident in which a man was beaten up by party workers after he shouted slogans against EPS, police said on Sunday.

When Palaniswami was travelling in an airport bus to reach the exit area after arriving here from Chennai on March 11, a man who was also inside that vehicle, raised slogans against the former Chief Minister and filmed it on his smart phone for a live video broadcast on Facebook.

8:52 PM

Army rescues 400 tourists stranded in Sikkim after heavy snowfall

Army personnel rescued around 400 tourists stranded in Sikkim following heavy snowfall and later provided emergency assistance, including medical care and food, to them, defence officials said on Sunday.

Defence spokesman Lt. Col Mahendra Rawat said that around 400 tourists, including 142 women and 50 children travelling approximately in 100 vehicles got stranded on Saturday afternoon while returning from Natu La and Tsomgo (Changgu) Lake and soldiers of Trishakti Corps, in collaboration with police and civil administration, swung into action and launched rescue mission "Operation Himrahat".

8:32 PM

Former Andhra Pradesh CM Kiran Kumar Reddy resigns from the Indian National Congress

8:32 PM

Amit Shah sounds LS poll bugle in Kerala, targets CM on corruption

Taking on Kerala's CPI(M)-led Left government on alleged corruption in the Life Mission project, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to shed his silence on the matter.

Shah, while addressing a BJP rally here, also alleged that Communists were keeping mum on the alleged gold smuggling scam and said they will be forced to answer the public in 2024 Parliamentary elections.

"The communists are immersed in the Life Mission corruption. The Chief Minister's former Principal Secretary, M Sivasankar, was arrested in this case. I urge the chief minister to answer the people on that matter," Shah said.

8:27 PM

Islamic State conspiracy case: NIA searches 5 locations in MP, Maharashtra

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has carried out searches at five places in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as part of its ongoing investigation to unravel a conspiracy hatched by the global terror group Islamic State to expand its activities in India, an official said on Sunday.

The searches were conducted by different teams at the houses of the suspected persons at four places in Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and one location in Pune (Maharashtra), a spokesperson of the anti-terror federal agency said.

Following up on the investigational leads, the official said, NIA teams searched the houses of suspects Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni in the Islamic State- Khorasan Province (ISKP) case.

7:44 PM

PIL seeking 100 pc govt job reservation for locals in Andamans to be heard on Monday

A PIL seeking 100 per cent government job reservation for the local people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be heard on Monday at the Calcutta High Court's circuit bench.

Referring to the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where the respective administrations have decided to reserve 100 per cent government jobs for the local people, Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress' Campaign Committee chairman TSG Bhasker had on March 8 filed the public interest litigation, demanding a similar provision for islanders.

Bhasker's counsel PC Das said, In last few years, the number of unemployed youth is rising in the archipelago. Lack of private industries and struggling tourism sector, which is yet to recover from the COVID-19 impact, have became a concern among the domiciles of Andaman and Nicobar Islands when it comes to jobs."

7:17 PM

Air pollution situation in Mumbai unprecedented, says civic body; sets up panel for dust control

Flagging rising air pollution in Mumbai and bad air quality, the city civic body has set up a panel to suggest dust control measures.

The committee comprising seven members under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar, will suggest dust control measures, which will be strictly implemented in BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) areas from April 1, an official statement said on Sunday.

As per the directions given by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, the panel shall submit a report within seven days.

7:05 PM

BrahMos Aerospace set to bag $2.5 bn cruise missiles order from Indian Navy

In a major success for the indigenous industry, the Indian Navy is going to place orders for acquiring more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles which would be equipped on all the frontline warships of the maritime force.

The Indo-Russian joint venture company has recently carried out test firings of the missile with a high level of indigenous content and is also going to equip the missile with an indigenous seeker too.

"The Indian Navy proposal to acquire more than 200 of these BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles is at an advanced stage and is expected to be cleared by the Defence Ministry soon," senior defence officials told ANI.

6:29 PM

IAF Mi-17 helicopter makes precautionary landing in village near Jodhpur

An Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter made a precautionary landing at Peelwa village near Jodhpur on Sunday.

According to Indian Air Force (IAF) officials, officials carried out checks on the chopper there and now it has returned safely to the Phalodi air base there.

Pertinent to mention, India is one of the largest operators of the Mi-17V5 and Mi-17 helicopter fleets and even uses them for flying its VVIPs including the President and Prime Minister of the country.

5:57 PM

PM Modi held a road show in Karnataka's Mandya