11 including ten jawans killed in Dantewada Maoist attack
Eleven people, including ten security personnel, were killed in an encounter with alleged Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada on April 26 afternoon. The deceased were jawans of District Reserve Guard (DRG), a locally raised anti-insurgency unit and were out for an anti-Naxal operations when they were ambushed, said the police.
Xi tells Zelenskyy ‘China has always stood on the side of peace’
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that China has “always stood on the side of peace”, state media reported on April 26. “On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace and its core position is to promote peace talks,” CCTV reported Mr. Xi as saying during a phone call. Mr. Xi Jinping told Mr. Zelenskyy that his government will send a peace envoy to Ukraine and other nations, state media said, after Beijing said it wants to act as mediator in Russia’s war with the country.
Chhattisgarh moves SC challenging PMLA, suit to be heard on May 4
Chhattisgarh on April 26 became the first State to move the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) alleging that central investigating agencies are being misused to “intimidate”, “harass” and “disturb” normal functioning of non-BJP State government. The Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government filed the original suit challenging the law under Article 131 of the Constitution which empowers a State to move the Supreme Court directly in matters of dispute with the Centre or any other State.
Wrestlers to PM Modi: please listen to our ‘Mann Ki Baat’
“Why are you not listening to our ‘Mann Ki Baat’,” the protesting wrestlers asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 26 and sought his time to discuss the sexual harassment allegations against his party’s MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The country’s top wrestlers resumed their agitation against the wrestling federation’s chief on Sunday, three months after they ended their sit-in protest following the formation of an oversight committee to probe into the serious allegations.
The Delhi Police in the Supreme Court on April 26 said it “felt” that “some preliminary enquiry” may be needed before registering an FIR on the sexual harassment complaints of top women wrestlers against Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The intervention by the police came within 24 hours of a Bench led by Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud remarking that the allegations were “serious”. Seven women wrestlers had urgently moved the Supreme Court. The court has listed the case on April 28.
PM Modi pays respect to former Punjab CM and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 26 paid his last respect to former Punjab Chief Minister and veteran Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal, who passed away on April 25, after a brief illness at a private hospital in Punjab’s Mohali. Mr. Modi reached Chandigarh and paid tribute to late Mr. Badal at the office of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), where mortal remains of Mr. Badal were kept for people to pay homage. The cremation will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Mr. Badal’s native Badal village in Muktsar district.
States announce steps to assist evacuees from Sudan
Several States have opened help desks and announced assistance like free travel and lodging for Indians evacuated from strife-torn Sudan once they arrive in the country. The Kerala Government said it would make necessary arrangements to bring Malayalees evacuated from Sudan by the Centre to the State. A Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided that Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) department would assist evacuees at various airports, according to the Chief Minister’s office.
A Gujarat High Court judge on April 26 recused herself from hearing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal challenging the order of the Surat sessions court that declined to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark. Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer P.S. Champaneri mentioned the case before the court of Justice Gita Gopi, seeking an urgent hearing. But after a brief hearing, the court said, “Not before me.” The development comes a day after Mr. Gandhi filed the appeal in the High Court.
After facing a delay of nearly five years, the work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor is speeding up, with the completion of the construction of 50 kilometres of viaduct and 180 kilometres of pier works, said Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. The viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers and columns that support a long elevated railway line. Building the rail corridor involves work along an alignment of 352 km passing through eight districts of Gujarat and Dadra Nagar Haveli, and contracts for building bridges, stations and tracks have been awarded over the period of two years beginning October 28, 2020.
AAP’s Shelly Oberoi wins Delhi Mayoral election unopposed after BJP withdraws from contest
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Shelly Oberoi will continue to hold the office of the National Capital’s Mayor after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its withdrawal from the Delhi Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections to be held on April 26. Ms. Oberoi therefore won the contest unopposed, as BJP announced its decision minutes after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s House meeting was convened. Presiding officer Mukesh Goel declared that AAP candidate Shelly Oberoi is the Capital’s next Mayor. Accordingly, AAP’s Aaley Mohammed Iqbal is Capital’s will also continue to hold the office of the Deputy Mayor for a second consecutive term after winning the contest unopposed.
Centre targets ‘obscenity’ on streaming platforms, despite few complaints
OTT, or over-the-top, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are facing pressure to comply with the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and to exercise further restraint in streaming mature content. This is despite the fact that two High Courts have stayed provisions of the IT Rules, which require them to appoint a grievance officer and take down content when ordered to do so by a self-regulatory body. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has issued two advisories on the issue: the first, in February 2022, told streaming platforms to ensure that a grievance officer’s details are made publicly available on their websites; the second, issued on March 24 this year, warned streaming platforms to exercise “abundant precaution in ensuring that films and web-series... do not fall [a]foul of the... Code of Ethics” that is laid out in the IT Rules.
Sri Lanka will negotiate debt restructuring with India, China and the Paris Club separately, as part of an IMF-backed plan to reduce and manage the island nation’s debt, President Ranil Wickremsinghe told lawmakers on April 26. Sri Lanka is considering restructuring its local debt parallelly with its external debt, Mr. Wickremesinghe told Parliament as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis.
Albanese to host Biden, Kishida, Modi at Quad summit in May
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said April 26 he will host President Joe Biden and the leaders of India and Japan for a security summit next month. The meeting at the Sydney Opera House on May 24 will be Australia’s first time hosting the Quad Leaders’ Summit. It will also include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
China opposes Taiwan-U.S. defence and military exchanges
China warned against continued U.S.-Taiwan cooperation on April 26, responding to reports that the U.S. military was sending officers to help train Taiwan’s counterparts and that a delegation of defence contractors would visiting the self-ruled island next week. “We resolutely oppose the U.S. having any form of official or military contact with China’s Taiwan region,” Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a weekly press briefing in Beijing.
Jailed Russian opposition leader Navalny to face new trial
A court in Moscow held a hearing on April 26 to set the stage for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to face a new trial on extremism charges that he has described as a Kremlin-ordered effort to extend his time behind bars. Navalny, who exposed official corruption and organised massive anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
IPL 2023 | Jofra Archer undergoes minor elbow surgery, fit to play vs Rajasthan Royals on Sunday
England pace spearhead Jofra Archer underwent a minor elbow surgery during his 19-day break earlier this month after an old injury resurfaced after playing one IPL game for the Mumbai Indians. According to British newspaper Daily Telegraph, “Jofra Archer travelled to Belgium for minor surgery on the troublesome right elbow during a short recent spell on the sidelines at the Indian Premier League.”
