Avalanche hits Gulmarg ski slopes; Russian skier dead, 6 rescued
A Russian skier died while six others, including a local guide, were rescued as an avalanche struck the ski slopes of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir on February 22, officials said. The avalanche struck the Kongdoori slopes of Gulmarg at around 2 p.m., trapping several skiers under its debris, the officials said. They said six Russian skiers and the guide were pulled out from the debris by rescuers.
CBI searches Satya Pal Malik’s premises in Kiru hydropower corruption case
The CBI on February 22 searched the premises of former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and 29 other locations in connection with alleged corruption in the Kiru Hydro Power (HEP) project, officials said. The agency started its operation in the morning with around 100 officers mobilised to swoop down at 30 locations in multiple cities, they said.
Congress no-confidence motion against BJP-JJP government in Haryana defeated through voice vote
A motion of no-confidence brought by the Congress against the BJP-JJP government in Haryana was defeated through voice vote after the opposition party’s MLAs walked out from the Assembly. At the end of a four-hour-long discussion on the motion, Congress members walked out expressing dissatisfaction with the Chief Minister’s reply. The motion was then defeated through voice vote.
Twitter all but admits defeat on Indian blocking orders
X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, has effectively waved the white flag as far as censorship requests from India are concerned. In its first detailed statement on the Union government’s frequent blocking requests to the platform, X’s Global Government Affairs team posted a defence of its users’ freedom of expression — without actually backing it with any new action to protect it. Against the backdrop of several blocking orders targeting accounts posting about the farmers’ protests at the Delhi border, this is the first time X has spoken in some detail about blocking orders from India.
Cane price hike shows govt committed to fulfilling its pledge for farmers’ welfare: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 22 underlined his government’s commitment to fulfilling its pledge for the welfare of farmers, asserting that a “historic” hike in sugarcane’s price is part of such efforts. This will benefit crores of sugarcane farmers, he said in a series of posts on X, highlighting several decisions taken by the Union Cabinet on February 21.
Cabinet Committee on Security approves ₹19,000 crore mega Navy deal for BrahMos missiles
In a mega boost for the Indian Navy, the Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the acquisition of over 200 BrahMos extended-range supersonic cruise missiles for deployment on its warships. The deal worth around ₹19,000 crore was cleared in a meeting held on February 21 evening, top government sources told ANI. The contract is set to be signed in the first week of March between the BrahMos Aerospace and Ministry of Defence.
Police will listen to each complaint in Sandeshkhali; strict action against those found guilty: DGP
West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said that police will listen to the complaints of every individual in Sandeshkhali and strict action will be taken against those found guilty. Mr. Kumar, who went to Sandeshkhali on February 21 and stayed there overnight to assess the situation in the troubled areas in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, assured of strict action against those found involved in torturing women. Meanwhile, the BJP on February 22 released a documentary on its social media handles to highlight the alleged land grab and sexual exploitation of women at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal and attacked the state’s Trinamool Congress government.
ED renews lookout notice for Byju’s founder
The ED has asked the Bureau of Immigration to issue a lookout notice against Byju’s founder Byju Raveendran with respect to an alleged FEMA violation case involving ₹9,362 crore. The Adjudicating Authority under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) had earlier issued show cause notices to Think & Learn Private Limited, which runs Byju’s, and Byju Raveendran, based on the Enforcement Directorate’s complaint alleging contraventions involving ₹9,362.35 crore.
Ranchi court denies permission to Hemant Soren to participate in Jharkhand budget session
A special court in Ranchi denied permission to former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren to participate in the state Budget session beginning on February 23. Mr. Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in a money laundering case, had filed a petition before the special PMLA court seeking permission to participate in the budget session.
Delhi Excise policy case | ED issues fresh summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Enforcement Directorate has issued a seventh summon to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the Excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said on February 22. The central agency, while issuing the seventh summon under the provisions of the PMLA, has asked him to appear before it on February 26 and rejected his contention that a fresh notice for his attendance was wrong as the matter is sub judice before a local court.
The Bombay High Court on February 21 advised the streaming service, Netflix, to first screen the docuseries titled, ‘The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth’for the CBI before airing it for the public on the platform. The order came after CBI sought a stay on the streaming of the series scheduled for release earlier on February 23. The agency’s concern in the plea is due to the ongoing trial in the Sheena Bora murder case that the agency earlier failed to obtain a stay from the trial court.
The Bombay High Court on February 22 quashed the Look Out Circulars (LOCs) issued against actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and their father Indrajit Chakraborty, an Army veteran, in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. A Division Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande questioned the arguments of the CBI and said, “The LOCs are quashed and set aside. We have dismissed your [CBI] arguments on maintainability.” The Bench also observed that the CBI’s apprehension of the three Chakrabortys fleeing the country was never mentioned as a reason in their previous circulars.
In the backdrop of multiple conflict situations across the world, India has emphasised the need to address geopolitical issues constructively and find common ground at a G20 ministerial meeting hosted by Brazil. Brazil assumed the G20 Presidency from India on December 1, 2023, and the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) is the first ministerial meeting under the Brazilian Presidency that was inaugurated on February 20.
Suspected Houthi rebel missile sets cargo ship ablaze; Israel intercepts separate attack near Eilat
A suspected missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on February 22 as Israel intercepted what appeared to be another Houthi attack near the port city of Eilat, authorities said. The attacks come as the rebels escalate their assaults over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Attackers open fire in the West Bank, killing one Israeli and wounding others
Three gunmen opened fire on February 22 morning on the road near a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing one Israeli and wounding at least eight, police said, as violence persists in the territory. Two of the attackers were killed and a third was found later and detained. Police said the attackers took advantage of the slow morning traffic around 7:30 a.m. on February 22 on the main highway east of Jerusalem and opened fire with automatic weapons at cars waiting near a checkpoint.
Taliban carries out double public execution at stadium in Ghazni city, Afghanistan
The Taliban carried out a double public execution at a stadium in southeastern Afghanistan on February 22 as thousands watched the killing of two convicted men as their victims’ relatives fired the gunshot. The Taliban’s Supreme Court had ruled that the pair were responsible for the stabbing deaths of two victims in separate attacks, according to a court statement.
Mohammed Shami ruled out of IPL, to undergo ankle surgery
Senior pacer Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of next month’s Indian Premier League owing to a left ankle injury, for which he will undergo a surgery in the U.K., a BCCI source told PTI. The 33-year-old, who is not part of the ongoing Test series against England, last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November.
