LIVE: Delhi likely to be landfill free by 2024, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

12:34 PM

Derecognise Trinamool Congress as national party: Suvendu Adhikari to EC

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and a BJP MLA, Suvendu Adhikari has urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to derecognise the Trinamool Congress as a national party.

In his letter to the EC, Adhikari has given a number of arguments in favour of his plea.

According to him, to get the national party status, a party needs to have two per cent of the total Lok Sabha seats in at least three states. "TMC has more than the required 11 Lok Sabha MPs, but they all are from the one state, West Bengal only. So, this criterion is not being fulfilled as the required number of MPs are not from at least three states and are from one state only," Adhikari's letter to EC read.

12:19 PM

Uber auto driver booked for misbehaving with female journalist in Delhi

Delhi Police have registered a case in connection to the incident in which a driver allegedly misbehaved with a female journalist in an Uber auto-rickshaw in the national capital.

"Efforts to trace and nab the accused are on," said police officials on Friday.

"On 02.03.23 at about 11.00 pm, one Ms X resident of Bharat Nagar approached police station NFC and filed a complaint against one driver. She levelled allegations of indecent behaviour as well as lascivious staring by him, while she was travelling from NFC to Malviya Nagar on 01.03.23 at about 4.40 pm," read the official statement from Delhi Police.

11:58 AM

Truck rams into bus in Haryana's Ambala, 8 killed, 15 injured: Police

Eight people were killed and around 15 injured on Friday when a truck rammed into a bus near village Kakkar Majra in this district, police said.

The incident took place on the PanchkulaYamunanagar National Highway near village Kakkar Majra, which is around 25 km from here, when the bus from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh was on its way to Baddi in Himachal Pradesh.

Three passengers of the bus were getting off at Kakkar Majra when the truck rammed into it, police said.

11:44 AM

Lokayukta raid on Karnataka BJP MLA's son: Rs 7.62 cr found at houses

Continuing with raids after catching BJP MLA's son red-handed while accepting Rs 40 lakh bribe, the Lokayukta authorities have recovered Rs 7.62 crore in his and his aides' residences, sources confirmed on Friday, adding that raids are going on at MLA's places.

Lokayukta sleuths have found the cash at the residence and office of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa's son, Prashanth, who worked as the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chief Accountant.

The authorities have arrested five persons in this connection, including Prashanth.

 

11:20 AM

South Korean, US militaries to go ahead with drills despite N Korea threat

The South Korean and US militaries said Friday they'll go ahead with large-scale annual military drills later this month despite North Korea's threats to take unprecedently strong action against such training.

It's likely that North Korea will respond to the upcoming South Korean-U.S. exercises with provocative missile tests and belligerent rhetoric because it views them as an invasion rehearsal.

In a joint press conference, the South Korean and US militaries said they will conduct the Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post training, from March 13-23 to strengthen their defense and response capabilities.

11:09 AM

India logs 283 new Covid-19 infections, active cases climb to 2,525

India logged 283 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases rose to 2,525, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The death toll stands at 5,30,772, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,87,162) and the national recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, the ministry said.

10:26 AM

High fever, long-lasting cough: Delhi under the grip of H3N2 virus

India is witnessing a bad bout of influenza, with patients showing high-grade fever and persistent cough lasting for about two weeks. Reports from various cities, especially the national capital region, show that the flu is aggressive and long-lasting with severe congestion.

According to experts, the cases pertain to the H3N2 variant of the Influenza A virus. According to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), H3N2 has been widely circulated for the last two to three months.

9:56 AM

India, Italy share conviction in rule of law, human-centric vision: Meloni

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni inaugurated the Raisina Dialogue 2023 hosted by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs on March 2, India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics.

In her inaugural address, Meloni stressed that "India and Italy shared a profound conviction in the rule of law, and a human-centric vision in which democracy, peace, science and progress went hand in hand."

Italian PM Meloni noted that the threats posed by climate change, terrorism, war and rapid digital transformations could only be addressed by greater international resolve, calling attention to the necessity for strong leadership in a time of global turbulence, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said in a press release.

9:27 AM

PM Modi to address post-budget webinar on developing tourism in mission mode

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a post-budget webinar on 'Developing Tourism in Mission Mode' on Friday, officials said.

It is part of a series of 12 post-budget webinars being organised by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget.

Prime Minister Modi will address the participants via a video conferencing link.

9:16 AM

MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande attacked with stump during morning walk; suffers injuries

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande was injured after being attacked with a stump by three unidentified persons while he was on a morning walk in central Mumbai's Dadar area on Friday morning, a police official said.

 

Deshpande received minor injuries in the incident and is out of danger, he said.

 

9:03 AM

Kerala govt to set up more courts for speedy disposal of vigilance cases

The Kerala government has decided to increase the number of courts handling vigilance matters for speedy disposal of such cases.

 

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for evaluating vigilance activities in the state, a government statement said.

8:41 AM

Two Americans arrested on charges of selling tech to Russia

The Justice Department on Thursday arrested two Kansas men on allegations that the pair illegally exported aviation-related technology to Russia and provided repair services for the equipment.

 

Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky and Douglas Robertson are charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods in violation of U.S. law.

8:30 AM

US to send more ammo, folding armoured bridges to Ukraine

The US is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including for the first time eight armoured vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, US officials said Thursday.

 

The officials said the total cost of the package will be about USD 400 million and will also include large amounts of ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. It comes just a week after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and as Ukrainian forces are preparing for a spring offensive.

8:17 AM

AAP to conduct 2,500 nukkad sabhas to inform about BJP's authoritarianism

The AAP will be conducting 2,500 nukkad sabhas across Delhi to reach out to people and inform them about BJP's authoritarianism, following the arrest of its senior leader and former minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI in the excise policy case.

 

On Thursday, an organisational meeting was chaired by Delhi state convenor Gopal Rai and the state unit decided to organise mohalla sabhas and nukkad sabhas to reach out to the residents and inform them "about the misuse of central agencies by the Modi government", the AAP said in a statement.

8:16 AM

Tripura, Nagaland poll victory affirmation of people's resolve to prosper: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Thursday described the party's victory in Tripura and Nagaland as affirmation of the northeast region's resolve to progress on the path paved by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

He termed the BJP's poll result in Meghalaya, where the party could win only two seats though it will remain a part of the next government, a humbling experience.