Invented names will not alter reality in Arunachal Pradesh: India
India on April 4 rejected China’s renaming of several places in Arunachal Pradesh saying “invented names” will not affect the status of Indian sovereignty over the region. The official response came a day after China issued a list of eleven renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh. The matter has also drawn attention of the opposition Congress party which has accused Prime Minister Modi of giving a “clean chit to China in June 2020” after the Galwan clashes in East Ladakh that claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian soldiers.
Seven dead, 27 rescued after avalanche hits Sikkim’s Nathu La
Seven people were killed, while twenty seven others have been rescued so far after 5 to 6 vehicles and around 30 tourists were hit by an avalanche at Nathu La in East Sikkim on April 4 morning. Search and rescue efforts are underway. The avalanche, which occurred early morning at the 14th milestone on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg connecting Gangtok and Nathula, had trapped 25-30 tourists, according to defence sources. Some 350 people and 80 vehicles, which were stranded on the road because of the snow blocking the road from Nathu La, were also brought back, officials said.
Ram Navami violence | Home Ministry seeks report from West Bengal government
Following a letter by BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar to Home Minister Amit Shah regarding violence during Ram Navami in West Bengal, the Minstry of Home Affairs on Tuesday sought report from the State government. The Union Home Minister also spoke to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and took stock of the prevailing situation in the State, particularly in violence-hit areas of Howrah.
Active COVID-19 cases in India rise to 21,179
ndia logged 3,038 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 21,179, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The death toll climbed to 5,30,901 with nine deaths. While two deaths each were reported from Delhi and Punjab, one each was reported by Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in a span of 24 hours and two reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
Why do you always say what the BJP is saying, Rahul Gandhi asks a journalist
Rahul Gandhi's counter to a journalist "why do you always say what the BJP is saying" after he was asked about the ruling party's criticism of the Congress leader, evoked a sharp reaction on April 3 from the BJP which accused him of "attacking" the media again. Mr. Gandhi walked back to the media posse and asked, "Why do you always say what the BJP is saying? Every time you say what BJP is saying." "There is a very simple thing. Who owns the ₹20,000 crore in Adaniji's shell companies? It is 'benami'. Who owns it," Mr. Gandhi said, reiterating his allegations.
Donald Trump faces day in court in historic U.S. first
Donald Trump, the ex-president and frontrunner to be Republican nominee in 2024, will appear in court on Tuesday and is set to be formally charged, finger-printed and have a mug shot taken in a watershed moment ahead of next year's presidential election. The arraignment, where Mr. Trump will be in court to hear charges and have a chance to enter a plea, was planned for 2.15 p.m. (11.45 p.m. IST) on Tuesday.
India Justice Report 2022 | Judge vacancies remain endemic
Indian courts are jammed with cases and are seeing pendency increase by the day. At the same time, they are also functioning with fewer judges than the sanctioned number, the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022 said. Correspondingly, the number of cases pending per judge is rising in most States over last five years while the sanctioned strength has remained more or less the same.
World Bank cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.3% in FY24
India’s GDP is expected to moderate to 6.3%, as against earlier estimate of 6.6%, due to moderation in consumption in FY24, the World Bank said in a report on Tuesday. The report projects Current Account Deficit to moderate to 2.1% in FY24, as against 3% in the current financial year.
Kalakshetra board forms inquiry committee to look into sexual harassment allegations against staff
The Board of Kalakshetra foundation has announced that a three-member independent inquiry committee has been constituted to look into the allegations that have surfaced on campus, according to a release. The students of Kalakshetra, last week, had carried out protests demanding the dismissal of four staff members who have been accused of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour. The Board also said that Hari Padman, Assistant Professor, had been placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry, and the services of repertory artists Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath been dispensed with.
PM Modi calls for integrated response to disasters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, underlined the need for an integrated response to disasters, saying disaster in one region can have a big impact on a completely different region in a closely connected world. In his video address at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure 2023, he noted that 40 countries have become part of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in a few years.
Give plastic, take gold: Unique idea makes J&K village plastic-free
In a unique and environment-friendly initiative, Sadiwara a far-flung village panchayat in Hiller Shahabad block of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district has come up with the idea of offering a gold coin for collecting plastic waste for saving the environment. Under the scheme, if someone gives plastic waste of 20 quintals, then the panchayat will give him a gold coin.
Milk imports soar as lumpy skin disease hits cattle stock
Buying milk is getting expensive across the country and the price could soon hit an all-time high, forcing the world’s biggest producer to step up imports to boost supplies and ease cost of living pressures. Milk prices have already jumped more than 15% to ₹56 rupees a litre over the past year — the fastest rise in a decade — making it difficult for the Union Government to bring retail inflation below the RBI’s target.
Australia to ban TikTok on government devices
The Australian government said on Tuesday it would remove TikTok from all federal government-owned devices, following many other countries in the West in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. The ban underscores growing worries that China’s government could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance Ltd, to harvest users’ data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests.
