LIVE: CBI to probe corruption allegations against Deshmukh from tomorrow

Latest News LIVE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to begin his two-day bilateral visit to India from Monday. Follow LIVE UPDATES Here

1:55 PM

Govt determined to end Naxal menace, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the government is determined to take the ongoing fight against the unrest created by naxals to its logical conclusion.

 

The minister, who is on a visit to Chhattisgarh, made the comment after paying tributes to the 22 security personnel who were killed by naxals in the state on Saturday.

 

"Paid tributes to the brave security personnel who were martyred while fighting the naxalites at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

 

"The country will never forget your bravery and sacrifice. The whole country stands behind the bereaved families. We are determined to take the ongoing fight against the unrest created by the naxals to its logical conclusion," said Shah.

1:48 PM

LIVE: Will give up acting if it hinders my political career, says Kamal Haasan

Acting is my profession. I will continue to work in cinema. But if it poses a hurdle for my political career, I will give it up. I will finish movies that I signed earlier and then think about taking new assignments, says Kamal Haasan

1:44 PM

Latest News: Election officer suspended in Assam poll money theft case

Barpeta election officer Shashi Kumar Deka was suspended in connection with the theft of Rs 55 lakh from his office chamber, an order from the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam said.

 

As per the order issued by CEO Nitin Khade on Sunday night, Deka was placed under suspension with immediate effect till the completion of the inquiry.

 

The district's Assistant Commissioner Gayatri Sarma was given the responsibility of the election officer of Barpeta, which is going to the polls in the third phase on Tuesday.

1:39 PM

LIVE: I will win Bengal on one leg, says Mamata

I will win Bengal on one leg and in the future, will get victory in Delhi on two legs, says West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Hooghly

1:28 PM

Naxals have suffered heavy losses in this encounter which continued for 4 hours: Baghel

Naxals have suffered heavy losses in this encounter which continued for 4 hours. We have information that they took dead bodies & the injured Naxals in four tractor-trollies... We need to speed up development works in interior areas: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in Jagdal

1:15 PM

This unfortunate incident has taken this fight two steps forward: Amit Shah

On behalf of PM, & Central govt & the country, I pay tributes to the security personnel who lost their lives in the Naxal attack. The country will always remember their sacrifice for taking the fight against Naxals to a decisive turn. In past few years, the fight against Naxalism has reached a decisive turn and this unfortunate incident has taken this fight two steps forward. I held a review meeting with Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel & officers of security forces. The officers said that this fight should not weaken, which shows that the morale of our jawans is intact. I want to assure the countrymen that this battle (against Naxals) will be intensified & we will win it in the end. We have successfully set up camps in interior areas in last few years, which has annoyed Naxals resulting in such type of incidents: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Jagdalpur

 

1:00 PM

SBI hikes home loan rate to 6.95 pc

Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has revised its home loan rate to 6.95 per cent effective April 1. With the revision, the lowest rate of 6.70 per cent regime for limited period ended in March 31. During the limited period, the bank offered home loan starting from 6.70 per cent for loans up to Rs 75 lakh and 6.75 per cent for loans in the range of Rs 75 lakh-Rs 5 crore. As per information posted on its website, the new rate effective April 1 is 6.95 per cent.

12:48 PM

Watch: IAF helicopter participates in fire fighting operations

12:28 PM

Israel PM back in court as parties weigh in on his fate

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared in court for the resumption of his corruption trial. The evidentiary phase of the trial begins on Monday as Israel's political parties meet with the president to weigh in on who should form the next government following last month's inconclusive elections. The March 23 vote was largely a referendum on Netanyahu but produced no clear verdict. Israel's longest-serving prime minister faces charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust in three long-running corruption cases. He has dismissed the allegations as a witch hunt by hostile media and law enforcement.

12:13 PM

Amit Shah chairs high-level meet over Sukma encounter

12:08 PM

HC asks CBI to probe Param Bir Singh's allegations against Deshmukh

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry within 15 days into allegations of corruption and misconduct made by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni said this was an "extraordinary" and "unprecedented" case that warranted an independent inquiry. It directed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) director to complete the preliminary inquiry within 15 days and then take a decision on further course of action.

 

12:06 PM

IAF pressed into action as fire rages in Uttarakhand's Tehri

11:57 AM

Indian shares plunge as record Covid-19 surge stokes growth fears

Indian shares tumbled and the rupee weakened on Monday as daily coronavirus infections reached a record high and fresh curbs were imposed in the financial capital of Mumbai, sparking worries about the pace of the country's economic recovery. India's coronavirus caseload jumped by more than 100,000 to surpass 12.5 million on Monday, while the death toll crossed 165,000. Maharashtra state, home to Mumbai, imposed stringent curbs including a complete lockdown on weekends. The NSE Nifty 50 index dropped 2.27% to 14,530.55 by 0450 GMT, while the S&P BSE Sensex slid 2.37% to 48,843.65. "The market had run up on the back of the opening up of the economy, and the resultant increase in demand. That entire story is again at risk," said Siddharth Khemka, head of retail research at Motilal Oswal Securities in Mumbai.

11:41 AM

Vietnam elects new President

The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam on Monday elected Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as President. A resolution on electing Phuc as the new President was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5 per cent at the ongoing 11th session of the 14th NA, Vietnam News Agency reported. In his swearing in statement, Phuc vowed to be absolutely loyal to the nation, the people and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and to work hard to fulfil the duty assigned by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the state and the people. This is the first time in history that the NA elected an incumbent Prime Minister as the state President, Xinhua news agency reported.

11:31 AM

If not intel failure, then poorly designed, incompetently executed op: Rahul Gandhi on Bijapur Naxal attack

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday reacting to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General Kuldiep Singh's "no operational or intelligence failure" remark, said this meant that the operation was poorly designed and incompetently executed. "If there was no intelligence failure then a 1:1 death ratio means it was a poorly designed and incompetently executed operation," the Congress leader tweeted tagging a news clipping of CRPF DG's "no operational and intelligence failure" remark. "Our Jawans are not cannon fodder to be martyred at will," he added. On Sunday, the CRPF DG, who visited Chhattisgarh to monitor the situation following the Naxal attack, had said that there was absolutely no intelligence or operational failure in the operation.