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12:31 PM

Amit Shah to arrive in Patna on Saturday for two-day visit

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Patna on Saturday evening for a two-day visit to Bihar, where he will address rallies in two districts on Sunday.

He is expected to arrive at Jay Prakash Narayan Airport in Patna around 6.30 pm and senior BJP leaders and Union ministers from Bihar will receive him, state party president Samrat Choudhary said.

 

11:55 AM

BSF firing pushes back suspected Pak drone spotted along IB in Jammu

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday said its troops opened fire at a suspected Pakistani drone along the International Border here, forcing it to retreat.

A massive search operation is underway to ensure no weapons or narcotics were airdropped by the drone, a BSF spokesperson said.

"A blinking light (of a suspected drone) was observed around 12:15 am (Saturday) on the IB in the night in the general area of Ramgarh. Alert troops fired towards the blinking light due to which it (drone) was forced to return," he said.

 

11:13 AM

Communal violence on table for BJP with 2024 polls approaching, alleges Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday alleged that communal violence was on the table for the BJP with the 2024 general elections approaching, and recent incidents in West Bengal and Gujarat were a "trailer."

Violence and arson was reported from West Bengal's Howrah district after clashes broke out between two groups during Ram Navami festivities, with the BJP and the TMC trading barbs over it.

Violence during Ram Navami festivities on Thursday was also reported from Gujarat and Maharashtra.

11:02 AM

NYC Mayor Eric Adams wants to build bridges between India and US, says his aide

New York City Mayor Eric Adams loves the Indian American community and wants to build bridges between India and the United States, his Indian American aide has said.

"Definitely he's looking to travel (to India) and build the bridges between India and the US. He loves the Indian American community, he told PTI on Friday on the sidelines of the event here.

 

10:48 AM

Tech spending in India poised to grow by 9.6% this year

Tech spending in India is poised to grow by 9.6 per cent this year and the IT spending growth is set to regain pre-pandemic levels, with 2024 expected to be even better, a report has shown.

The Indian economy is poised for a 0.8 per cent growth in the 2023 fiscal year, according to Forrester's 'India Tech Market Outlook for 2023 and 2024'.

 

10:36 AM

Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut gets death threat in Lawrence Bishnoi's name

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut has received a death threat allegedly in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

According to party officials, Raut received a WhatsApp message on his mobile late on Friday night on the alleged threat.

The message warned that whenever Raut is seen in New Delhi, he would be shot dead with an AK-47 rifle.

10:19 AM

Madhya Pradesh: Former BJP MP Makhan Singh Solanki joins Congress

Former BJP MP Makhan Singh Solanki joined Congress on Friday ahead of the state assembly election to be held later this year.

He joined Congress Party in the presence of Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh in a program organized by the district congress committee in Barwani.

 

10:17 AM

Swedish national arrested in Mumbai for molesting IndiGo cabin crew

A Sweden national was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly molesting a cabin crew member onboard an IndiGo flight from Bangkok, officials said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as, Klas Erik Harald Jonasm, 63, police said.

The Swedish national was handed over to Mumbai police by the airline staff when the flight landed at Mumbai Airport on Thursday, officials said.

 

9:57 AM

Mercury settles at low of 15.7 deg C in Delhi, light rain likely during day

The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 15.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department. The relative humidity was 83 per cent at 8:30 am.

The IMD has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain or drizzle during the day.

9:40 AM

Amritpal Singh dares to demand Khalistan due to 'Hindu Rashtra' talk by BJP, RSS: Rajasthan CM Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday claimed that the Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh dared to speak about Khalistan because of the frequent refrain by the BJP and RSS of 'Hindu Rashtra'.

 

"A new name has emerged in Punjab, Amritpal. Amritpal Singh says that if Mohan Bhagwat and Narendra Modi could talk about Hindu Rashtra, then why should I not talk about Khalistan? Look at his audacity. He got the courage to because you talk about Hindu Rashtra?" Gehlot said addressing the divisional-level workers' conference here.

 

"It is easy to start a fire but it takes time to extinguish it. This is not happening for the first time in the country. Indira Gandhi was killed because of this. She did not let Khalistan be created What should I say today?" Gehlot said.

9:35 AM

Amit Shah to visit Mizoram Saturday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Mizoram on Saturday during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 2,414 crore, officials said.

Shah will inaugurate the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters complex at Zokhawsang and the integrated command and control centre under the smart city limited

9:30 AM

Sri Lanka's inflation drops further to 50.3%

Sri Lanka's inflation decreased to 50.3 per cent in March from 50.6 per cent the previous month amid the ongoing economic crisis, official statistics revealed.

 

The year-on-year inflation of the food group dropped to 47.6 per cent in March from 54.4 per cent in February, and inflation in the non-food group increased to 51.7 per cent from 48.8 per cent in February, reports Xinhua news agency.

9:22 AM

Wimbledon lifts ban on Russian and Belarusian players, allows them to compete under neutral flags

Wimbledon lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian players and will allow them to compete in the Grand Slam this year as "neutral" athletes, the organisers announced on Friday.

 

Those who compete as "neutral" athletes and abide by "suitable criteria" will be allowed to compete in the Grand Slam in July.

 

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Wimbledon barred players from Russia and Belarus last year. In 2022, Wimbledon's ranking points were taken away due to the ban.

9:14 AM

White House refuses to pay for Twitter's Blue verification: Report

As Elon Musk gears up to start removing legacy verified Blue check marks from Saturday, the White House is reportedly not going to pay to have its staff's official Twitter profiles continue to be verified.

 

According to a report in Axios, White House director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, has sent guidance to the staffers via an email.

 

"It is our understanding that Twitter Blue does not provide person-level verification as a service. Thus, a blue check mark will now simply serve as a verification that the account is a paid user," the email read.

9:08 AM

Mansukh Mandaviya lays foundation stone of 500 bedded hospital in Dehradun

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandviya on Friday virtually laid the foundation stone of 4 health projects in Dehradun which includes 500 bedded Hospital at New Block in Doon Medical College, Dehradun, and three 50 bedded Critical Care Blocks at Rudraprayag, Nainital and Srinagar.

Appreciating the commitment of the Uttarakhand govt towards the health sector, the Union Health Minister stated that "The Government of Uttarakhand is speeding up the work in the health sector, where a total of 14 critical care blocks are being constructed, 7 under the PM-ABHIM scheme and 7 under ECRP-II".

"Through these initiatives, better health facilities for emergency care will be easily available to the general public living in remote areas of the mountainous region", he further stated.