Live: Brooklyn subway shooting suspect arrested after manhunt, say reports

Live news updates: Of the 29 people who were hospitalized in connection with the subway shooting, 10 remain hospitalized: CNN.com.

1:08 PM

SC refuses to entertain plea seeking to enact uniform law for Trust and trustees

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a petition seeking to direct and declare that the Centre can enact only uniform law for Trust and trustees, charities and charitable institutions, and religious endowments and institutions. A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, however, granted liberty to the petitioner to pursue any remedy as available in law. Thereafter, the petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay withdraw his petition.

12:36 PM

New Zealand reports 9,495 new community cases of Covid as country further relaxes restrictions

New Zealand recorded 9,495 new community cases of Covid on Wednesday, the country's Ministry of Health said in a statement. Of the new community infections, 1,828 were detected in the largest city of Auckland, according to the ministry. In addition, 47 new cases of Covid were detected at the New Zealand border, said the ministry, Xinhua news agency reported.

12:13 PM

SC asks Uttarakhand govt to file status report into speeches made in Haridwar Dharm Sansad

Supreme Court asks Uttarakhand government to file a status report into the speeches made in Haridwar Dharm Sansad allegedly inciting violence against minority communities.

 

11:48 AM

Contractor death: Karnataka minister booked for 'abetment of suicide'

A case has been registered against Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) minister K S Eshwarappa for abetment of suicide in connection with the death of a civil contractor, police said on Wednesday. They said Eshwarappa has been named as the first accused in the case.

 

The FIR was registered based on a complaint from Prashanth Patil, brother of Santhosh Patil, who had levelled bribery charges against the senior minister earlier. Patil was found dead at a lodge in Udupi in a case of suspected suicide.

11:41 AM

Vandalism outside CM House: Delhi HC grants bail to 8 persons

The Delhi High Court has granted bail to eight people who were arrested in a case related to the protest and the vandalism outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in March.

 

The court noted that the accused have been in custody for 14 days and the evidence collected, so far, is of such nature that they cannot tamper with it.

 

Others who had been identified in photos have been issued notices under Section 41A (of the) CrPC and are also participating in the investigations. Thus, the continued custody of the applicants (accused) in jail is not called for only because some investigations are still going on, Justice Asha Menon said in an order passed on Tuesday.

11:35 AM

Polish and Baltic Presidents Set to Visit Kyiv

The presidents of Poland and the three Baltic states are heading to Kyiv in a show of support that follows the visits of other leaders to the Ukrainian capital, including from Boris Johnson and European Union chiefs.

 

U.S. President Joe Biden ramped up his condemnation of Vladimir Putin by accusing the Russian president’s forces of committing genocide in Ukraine, as Washington prepares a new military aid package for Kyiv. Russia has been massing its forces in the east of Ukraine with a fresh push expected to try and seize control of the broader Donbas region.

 

11:24 AM

Sri Lankan government invites protesters to the table

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it is ready to talk with the protesters, who have occupied the entrance to the President's Office in Colombo.

The protests have entered the fifth day.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Wednesday that the government is willing to talk with the young protesters, who started a two-day protest on April 9 in Galle Face Green, iconic city point opposite the country's former Parliament, which now runs as the President's office.

In a move to discourage the protest and send those attending it to villages ahead of Sinhala and Tamil New Year on Wednesday and Thursday (April 13 and 14), the government on Friday (April 8) declared a week-long holiday. But, the protest has been continuing with people gathering from around the country and putting up tents, free food provided and other facilities arranged.

11:22 AM

Russia accuses US-funded labs of developing bio-weapons

US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine were engaged in developing components of biological weapons, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has said.

"It is impossible not to mention the activities conducted by the US and its allies near the Russian borders," Medvedev said at a government meeting.

Such activities were not aimed at searching for effective means of protection against dangerous diseases or cooperating with the international community, he stressed, Xinhua news agency reported.

11:21 AM

Rajnath Singh arrives in Hawaii to visit US Indo-Pacific Command HQ

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived in Hawaii for a brief visit to the Headquarters of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, a unified combatant command of America's Armed Forces responsible for the key Indo-Pacific region.

On his arrival from Washington, DC, Singh was received by Commander, US INDOPACOM Admiral John Aquilino.

"Reached Honolulu in Hawaii for a visit to the Headquarters of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). I shall also be visiting the Headquarters of US Army Pacific and Pacific Air Forces, during my brief stay in Hawaii," Singh tweeted on Wednesday.

11:20 AM

Indian Consulate in Shanghai closes in-person services as COVID crisis worsens in China

The Indian Consulate in Shanghai has announced the suspension of in-person consular services as China's gleaming business hub with 26 million people struggled with mounting COVID-19 cases, putting the country's dynamic zero-case policy to the test.

Indian citizens in Eastern China Region may apply at the Embassy of India, Beijing for availing urgent consular services, the Consulate said in a notice issued on Tuesday.

"As the City of Shanghai continues to remain sealed and controlled in different degrees by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the Consulate General of India will remain inaccessible and will not be in a position to provide consular services in person, said the notice posted on the Mission's official website.

11:19 AM

India logs 1,088 fresh Covid cases, 26 deaths in 24 hrs

India reported 1,088 fresh Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, against previous day's 796 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

 

In the same period, as many as 26 Covid-related deaths occurred across the country, taking the total fatalities to 5,21,736.

 

The active caseload has declined to 10,870. Active cases now constitute 0.03 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

 

A total of 1,081 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic is now at 4,25,05,410. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.76 per cent.

11:19 AM

India logs 1,088 fresh Covid cases, 26 deaths in 24 hrs

India reported 1,088 fresh Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, against previous day's 796 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

 

In the same period, as many as 26 Covid-related deaths occurred across the country, taking the total fatalities to 5,21,736.

 

The active caseload has declined to 10,870. Active cases now constitute 0.03 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

 

A total of 1,081 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic is now at 4,25,05,410. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.76 per cent.

10:07 AM

LA authorities on high alert after NYC subway shooting

Authorities in Los Angeles (LA) are on high alert in the wake of a New York City subway shooting that has left 20 people injured.

While noting there had been no credible threats to the Metro system which was operating normal service, the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) said in a statement that it is "on heightened alert and is working with its security partners at the local, state and national levels to monitor threat levels and share information."

As a precaution, LA Metro said it would deploy additional security personnel at transit stations in LA County and urged transit riders to report suspicious activities.

9:27 AM

Global Covid caseload tops 500.3 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 500.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.18 million and vaccinations to over 11.12 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Wednesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 500,363,741 and 6,183,944 respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 11,120,130,100.

9:25 AM

CBI searches EPFO offices in Nagpur, seizes documents

A joint team of the CBI and the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation vigilance cell conducted searches at two EPFO offices in Maharashtra's Nagpur city following some complaints of irregularities against EPFO employees, officials said on Wednesday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) anti-corruption branch in Nagpur and the EPFO's vigilance team from Mumbai started the searches on Tuesday morning in the EPFO offices located at Tukdoji square and Umred road here and continued till late night, they said.

"Several incriminating documents were seized during the searches," an official said.