WFI chief says wrestlers have become toys of Congress, Opposition parties
Embattled WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on April 30 praised Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav for not associating himself with the ongoing protest by top wrestlers of the country, saying Mr. Yadav was “standing with the truth”. Mr. Singh is in the eye of a storm after the grapplers levelled sexual harassment charges against him and demanded registration of an FIR against him as well as his ouster from the WFI. Various political parties, including the Congress, AAP and others, have lend their support to the protesting wrestlers.
Watch out for the 1000th IPL match
The Indian Premier League will reach a milestone on April 30 as the second match of the day, Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, will be the 1000th match since the league started. IPL started in 2008 after India’s success in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup.
At least 11 dead after gas leak in Punjab’s Ludhiana
At least 11 people were killed and four others are reported unconscious in an incident of gas leakage from a local factory unit in Punjab’s Ludhiana on April 30. Four more people, who were taken ill, are undergoing treatment at a hospital, they added. The area has been sealed while a fire brigade and an ambulance have been deployed there, police said. A 50-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also reached the site.
Mann Ki Baat has become my spiritual journey: PM Modi says on 100th episode
In a historic moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 30 addressed the nation at 11 a.m. on the 100th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, noting that the radio broadcast is an expression of the feelings of crores of Indians and it has ensured he is never cut-off from people. The 30-minute-long 100th episode is also being broadcast live from the United Nations headquarters in New York. “Mann Ki Baat programme is a reflection of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of crores of Indians, it is an expression of their feelings,” Mr. Modi said, adding that each episode of the programme has been “special”.
‘Operation Kaveri’: India brings back another batch of 229 people from Sudan
India brought home another batch of 229 people on April 30 under its mission to evacuate stranded Indians from violence-hit Sudan. The fresh batch of evacuees arrived in Bengaluru, a day after 365 people returned from the African country to Delhi. “#OperationKaveri One more flight brings back 229 passengers to Bengaluru,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote on Twitter. Under the evacuation mission, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on April 28.
After financial crime-fighting agency ED searched Byju’s premises, the education platform’s CEO Raveendran Byju wrote to employees saying the company brought more FDI to India than any other startup and that the firm fully complies with all applicable foreign exchange laws. “As we are funded by 70+ impact investors who have satisfactorily done due diligence on our operations, including all FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) compliance, we are confident that the authorities will also come to the same conclusion,” Mr. Raveendran said in the memo sent late on Saturday.
Aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show cause notice to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson for the airline’s lapses in reporting about the incident of a pilot allowing a female friend inside the cockpit during a Dubai-Delhi flight on February 27, according to a senior official. A show cause notice has also been issued to the airline’s Head of Safety, Security and Quality Functions Henry Donohoe. A cabin crew member of the flight had filed a complaint with the DGCA about the pilot allowing a female friend into the cockpit. The incident happened on February 27.
Gujarat civic official suspended for sleeping at Chief Minister’s event
The chief officer of Bhuj municipality in Kutch district in Gujarat was placed under suspension with immediate effect for dozing off during a function attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Jigar Patel was suspended by the State’s Urban Development and Urban Housing Department on Saturday evening, hours after cameras caught him sleeping at the Bhuj function, an official said on April 30. “The order to suspend him for gross negligence and lack of devotion to duty was issued under Rule 5(1)(a) of Gujarat Civil Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1971. Disciplinary action was taken due to his misconduct and lapse,” the official said.
An Indian-origin man has been found guilty of killing three teenage boys who played a doorbell-ringing prank at his house in the U.S. State of California, according to local media reports. Anurag Chandra, a Riverside County resident, was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and three counts of first-degree murder on April 28, the New York Post reported. The incident took place on January 19, 2020, when a group of teenage boys rang Chandra’s bell on a dare, the report added.
Six students shot, wounded at Mississippi house party: report
Six high school students were injured after gunfire erupted at a house party in southern Mississippi, according to a news report. The Biloxi Sun Herald reported on April 30 that the shootings happened overnight Saturday in Bay St. Louis, about 29 miles (46 kilometers) west of Biloxi. All six students suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to area hospitals. Two were in serious condition.
Chinese ‘citizen journalist’ who reported on COVID-19 to be released after 3 years
Chinese authorities were preparing on April 30 to release a man who disappeared three years ago after publicising videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak, a relative and another person familiar with his case said. Fang Bin and other members of the public who were dubbed citizen journalists posted details of the pandemic in early 2020 on the internet and social media, embarrassing Chinese officials who faced criticism for failing to control the outbreak.
At least 4 civilians killed in Ukrainian shelling on Russian village: Governor
Four civilians died as a result of Ukrainian shelling on a village just over the border in Russia’s Bryansk region on April 29 evening, a local governor said. “Four civilians have been killed,” Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on the Telegram messaging app. Two other citizens were being treated in hospital, Mr. Bogomaz said. Mr. Bogomaz earlier said that one residential building had been completely destroyed and two other houses partially destroyed.
Uzbekistan votes on changes that extend President’s tenure, promise human rights reform
Voters in Uzbekistan, the most populous former Soviet Central Asian republic, cast ballots on April 30 in a referendum on a revised Constitution that promises human rights reforms but that also would allow the country’s President to stay in office until 2040. Approval appears certain. Backers have conducted an array of promotional events featuring local celebrities, and elections in Uzbekistan are widely regarded as noncompetitive.
Indian boxers aim for improved show at men’s World Championships in Uzbekistan
Indian boxers will be highly motivated to better the one bronze medal secured in the previous edition when they step inside the ring for the men’s World Championships, starting in Uzbekistan from May 1. There are no Olympic berths on offer but the Worlds will provide the pugilists with good preparation ahead of September’s Asian Games, which is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics. India’s hopes will be majorly pinned on six-time Asian Championship medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5 kg) in the absence of Amit Panghal, who claimed the country’s maiden silver in 2019, and last edition’s lone medallist Akash Kumar.
