Highlights of the day: Earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hits Chamba region in Himachal Pradesh

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10:03 PM

5.3 earthquake hits Chamba region in Himachal Pradesh

An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hit the Chambal region in Himachal Pradesh.

9:57 PM

Nato is not and will not be party to the conflict in Ukraine, says Stoltenberg

Nato "is not and will not be party to the conflict in Ukraine," Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference on Thursday. "We don't have any plans of having Nato combat troops inside Ukraine, there has been no request for that," he added.

9:11 PM

Vistara cancels flights on Thu; efforts continue to address pilots' issues

Vistara continued to cancel flights on Thursday as the Tata Group works to address pilot issues, while fares spiked in some routes due to cancellations, according to sources and travel industry executives. A day after Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan apologised to pilots about the issues and assured them of taking steps to resolve them, the airline saw cancellations of around 20 flights. The number of flight cancellations was in the double digits on Thursday but less than 26 cancellations were seen on Wednesday and the situation is improving, the sources said. Vistara, which is to operate more than 300 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule, has decided to temporarily scale back operations. Meanwhile, two pilots' groupings on Thursday said the problems raised by Vistara pilots are not isolated but rather indicative of systemic issues across Tata Group aviation entities.

7:45 PM

Enforcement Directorate files prosecution complaint against Hemant Soren in 'land scam'

Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Ranchi has filed a Prosecution Complaint against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren under PMLA, 2002 for acquiring, possessing, and concealing proceeds of crime in the form of an 8.8-acre immovable property at Bariyatu, Ranchi. "Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Ranchi has filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) against Hemant Soren & four others in one of the cases of land scam being investigated under the provisions of PMLA, 2002, for acquiring, possessing and concealing the proceeds of crime in the nature of an immovable property admeasuring 8.8 acres at Bariyatu, Ranchi," as per a press release.

7:43 PM

Arvind Kejriwal urges court to allow more time with lawyer

Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday moved a city court urging it to allow him to spend more time with his lawyer in order to prepare for cases pending against him in several parts of the country.

 

Kejriwal moved the application claiming that two meetings every week with his lawyer, as permitted by the court, was not sufficient since he was facing multiple cases in various states and needed more time for consultation.

 

The AAP leader urged the court to increase the number of meetings to five per week.

 

The application is likely to come up for hearing before special judge for ED cases Kaveri Baweja on Friday.

 

The court had on April 1 sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

7:24 PM

Lok Sabha Election 2024: CPI(M)'s promise for governor appointments

On CPI(M)'s promise regarding the appointment process of the Governor, in their manifesto, party leader Brinda Karat said, "Now Central government sends things one-sidedly and there is no consultation, which is the infringement of federal character. We said that in a discussion along with CM, three names will be selected, and on that hold a discussion with state government representatives and do the appointment based on the consensus. So, this is the consultation process of the governor...However, the situation is that the BJP leader becomes governor and...Therefore, the dignity of the governor's position has gone down, so that's the position of CPI(M) on changing the process..."

7:08 PM

Alaska Air says Boeing paid $160 mln in compensation after MAX 9 grounding

Alaska Air Group said on Thursday that Boeing had paid about $160 million to the airline in the first quarter as initial compensation to address the hit from the temporary grounding of 737 MAX 9 jets. The payment is equivalent to lost profits in the quarter, the carrier said in a filing, adding it expects additional compensation. An Alaska Airlines-operated MAX 9 jet experienced a mid-air cabin panel blowout in January, which led the U.S. aviation regulator to order a temporary grounding of 171 jets for inspections. "Although we did experience some book away following the accident and 737-9 MAX grounding, February and March both finished above our original pre-grounding expectations," Alaska said. The airline will now exclude the compensation from its calculation for first-quarter adjusted loss per share, which is expected to be $1.05 to $1.15. It had earlier planned to include the payment in its results.

7:08 PM

Rescuers in Taiwan search for those missing or stranded after major earthquake kills 10

Rescuers searched Thursday for missing people and worked to reach hundreds stranded when Taiwan's strongest earthquake in 25 years sent boulders and mud tumbling down mountainsides, blocking roads. Ten people died and more than 1,000 were injured. The powerful quake struck during the morning rush hour a day earlier, sending schoolchildren rushing outdoors and families fleeing their apartments through the windows.

7:07 PM

Visit your areas, solve problems of people: CM Kejriwal's message to AAP MLAs

Arvind Kejriwal has asked AAP MLAs to visit their constituencies daily and ensure people do not face problems, his wife Sunita Kejriwal said on Thursday, as she conveyed the Delhi chief minister's message from Tihar jail. In a digital briefing, she said that Kejriwal, in his message, said even though he is in jail, the two crore people of Delhi, who are his family, should not face any problems. "We need to solve their problems apart from official work," Sunita Kejriwal said while delivering the AAP chief's message. Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy, is in judicial custody till April 15.

4:57 PM

No increase in prices of essential medicines this fiscal year, says Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated today that there will be no increase in prices of essential medicines this fiscal year in view of negligible growth in wholesale price-based inflation. Interacting with editors of news agency PTI at its headquarters, Mandaviya assured that this is "Modiji's guarantee." When asked about reports of hike in rates of essential drugs, he said, "It is absolutely incorrect. There will be no increase in the price of medicines."

4:47 PM

BJP placed objectionable hoardings across Delhi, have used photo of CM Kejriwal, says Atishi

"The BJP has placed many objectionable hoardings across Delhi, at some places they have even used the photo of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We filed a complaint against this, 6 days back but surprisingly no action has been taken. It's worrying as it raises questions over the level playing field for Lok Sabha elections... Today we met CO Delhi regarding the hoarding issues and got the assurance, but still, if action won't be taken, we will seek time from the ECI. Even the ECI doesn't give time to meet the opposition leaders. This Lok Sabha elections are becoming historic for all the sad reasons," Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi said today.

4:44 PM

Rouse Avenue court reserves order on framing of charges in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh case

The Rouse Avenue court reserved order on framing of charges in sexual harassment case against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for April 18.

4:23 PM

Delhi Excise policy case: Court reserves order on interim bail of BRS leader K Kavitha

The Rouse Avenue court has reserved its order on interim bail of BRS leader K Kavitha for Monday.  She had sought interim bail on the grounds that her son has exams.

3:17 PM

Swiggy appoints Suparna Mitra as independent director

Delivery firm Swiggy today announced the appointment of Suparna Mitra, Titan Company Ltd CEO Watches and Wearables Division, as an Independent Director on its board. Mitra joins Swiggy's other independent directors that include Anand Kripalu - MD & Global CEO at EPL Limited and Chairperson of the Swiggy board, Shailesh Haribhakti - Chairman of Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates, and Sahil Barua - Managing Director & CEO at Delhivery.

3:16 PM

DMK was party to Katchatheevu deal with Sri Lanka, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saidon Thursday the regional party was very much a party to the then Centre's negotiations with Sri Lanka on Katchatheevu island and the outcome five decades ago.