Live news: 26 die in fire near Delhi metro station, more than 40 injured

Live news updates: From crisis in Sri Lanka and Ukraine, to the political developments back home and more, catch all the live updates on latest news here

8:01 AM

ICMR simulator set up after 2nd wave helped India's Covid response: Experts

A user-friendly, web-based modelling 'simulator' developed by ICMR after the second wave of Covid helped health officials and policymakers in various states to model plausible scenarios for a third wave in India, according to an article published in the British Medical Journal.

 

Based on experience, experts recommended use of such initiatives to bolster pandemic preparedness in other countries in South and South-East Asia.

 

The simulator was developed by ICMR in collaboration with Imperial College London and Dure technologies, a locally present (India-based) consultancy firm.

 

The collaboration was spearheaded by Dr Samiran Panda, additional DG ICMR and head of Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Division.

8:01 AM

Biden backs NATO's open-door policy in call with Sweden, Finland leaders

US President Joe Biden, in a call with leaders of Sweden and Finland discussed close defense cooperation between countries and underscored his support for NATO's open-door policy.

 

This comes as Finland and Sweden have started discussing the possibility of abandoning long-term neutrality and joining NATO amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

 

"President Biden underscored his support for NATO's Open Door policy and for the right of Finland and Sweden to decide their own future, foreign policy, and security arrangements," said a White House press release after the call.

 

8:01 AM

Congress Chintan Shivir: Sonia Gandhi expresses dire need for reforms, organisational changes

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday called for urgent changes in the organisation and emphasised that "extraordinary situations can be faced only in extraordinary ways" as the party is facing an unprecedented situation.

 

In an opening address at 'Chintan Shivir' in Udaipur, Gandhi said, "The organization is facing an unprecedented situation. We are in dire need of reforms and changes in strategy. Extraordinary situations can be faced only in extraordinary ways."

 

"The party has given us a lot, now it is the time to pay off the debt. We have to keep personal expectations in the interests of the organization," she said while reiterating her message of the previous Congress Working Committee.

11:08 PM

More than 70 people in Delhi building that caught fire

More than 70 people were in the building when the fire started on the first floor and engulfed the structure. Police personnel said they rescued many by breaking the windows in and using ropes, Hindustan Times website reported.

 

11:03 PM

Delhi Police recover 26 bodies from fire

Delhi Police says they have recovered 26 bodies from a fire at a building near Mundka Metro station.

10:56 PM

20 die in fire near Delhi metro station

At least 20 people died in a fire near Mundka metro station in Outer Delhi on Friday, Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg said. He added that the toll could go up as the fire continued to rage till Friday night and a rescue operation was still underway.

 

9:02 PM

China reacts to new Sri Lanka PM's appointment, says following 'latest developments'

China, one of the largest creditors of Sri Lanka, on Friday reacted warily to the appointment of Ranil Wickramasinghe as the country's Prime Minister succeeding pro-Beijing Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying it supports the government's efforts to sustain stability in the face of chaos. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that China and Sri Lanka enjoyed a traditional friendship and that Beijing has been following  closely the developments in Colombo.

"As a traditional, friendly country to Sri Lanka, we closely follow the latest developments, and we also support the Sri Lanka government's effort to sustain stability," Zhao said.

8:41 PM

New Sril Lanka PM Wickremesinghe meets ambassadors

Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister, on Friday met with ambassadors of India, Japan, the US and China and discussed the formation of an international forum for financial assistance to his country that’s engulfed in its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn-in as Sri Lanka's 26th prime minister on Thursday to stabilise the country.

8:07 PM

US consumer sentiment deteriorates in early May

US consumer sentiment deteriorated in early May as concerns about inflation persisted, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan said its preliminary consumer sentiment index fell to 59.1 early this month from a final reading of 65.2 in April. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index dipping to 64.

 

7:17 PM

Nagaland CM to meet Shah on autonomy issue

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio along with legislators of the all party United Democratic Alliance will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah next week to hold discussions to resolve the decades-old Naga political issue, a state minister said on Friday. The decision to this effect was taken during the first meeting of the Core Committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Naga Issue of the state government on Friday following the April 29 merger of 21 out of the 25 Naga People's Front (NPF) legislators to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

7:11 PM

RBI appoints Ranjan, Pattanaik as executive directors

The Reserve Bank on Friday said Sitikantha Pattanaik and Rajiv Ranjan have been appointed as executive directors with effect from May 1. Ranjan will also serve as an ex-officio member of the rate-setting panel Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

6:07 PM

2 LeT terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J-K's Bandipora

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who had recently infiltrated into Kashmir were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bandipora district on Friday, police said.

 

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Brar in the Aragam area of Bandipora in north Kashmir following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

 

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists fired upon security forces personnel, who retaliated.

5:51 PM

Leader says Turkey opposes letting Finland, Sweden join NATO

A report by the Swedish government on the changed security environment facing the Nordic country after Russia's invasion of Ukraine says Moscow would react negatively to Sweden joining NATO and launch several counter-measures.

 

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country is not favourable toward Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. As a NATO member, Turkey could veto moves to admit the two countries.

 

We are following developments concerning Sweden and Finland carefully but we are not of a favourable opinion, Erdogan told reporters.

 

The Swedish government's security policy analysis, which will be used as a basis for Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's Cabinet to decide whether to seek membership in the Western military alliance, was presented to Swedish lawmakers on Friday.

5:51 PM

Maruti Suzuki finalises site for new manufacturing facility in Haryana; to invest Rs 11,000 cr in first phase

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Friday said it will invest Rs 11,000 crore in the first phase of its new manufacturing facility in Haryana.

 

The company on Friday completed the process of allotment of an 800-acre site at IMT Kharkhoda in Sonipat district with HSIIDC (Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited), the auto major said in a regulatory filing.

 

The new plant's first phase with a manufacturing capacity of 2.5 lakh units per annum is expected to be commissioned by 2025, subject to administrative approvals.

 

In the first phase, the investment would be over Rs 11,000 crore, MSI said.

5:44 PM

Delhi Police declares AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan as 'bad character'

The Delhi Police has declared Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan as a "bad character", according to an official document.

 

The proposal for declaring Khan as a "bad character" was sent on March 28 by the Jamia Nagar police station in Southeast district and approved on March 30.

 

A total of 18 FIRs have been registered against him, the document stated.