Breaking News, February 4 | HIGHLIGHTS

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday questioned the government over Rs 200 crore being set aside for assistance to Afghanistan, asking if it was correct to give funds to the Taliban-ruled country by "slashing" Budgetary allocation for education, health and Delhi. Kejriwal also advised the government not to "meddle" in others' work while sharing a news report over differences between the Centre and the Supreme Court over the appointment of judges.

A fire broke out at Somaiya Hospital in Sion, Mumbai on Saturday evening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. According to BMC officials, at least four fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot. 

Five judges were appointed to the Supreme Court on Saturday with the Centre clearing the names recommended by the Collegium on December 13 last year. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted to announce the appointment of Justice Pankaj Mithal, Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court; Justice Sanjay Karol, Chief Justice, Patna High Court; Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, Chief Justice, Manipur High Court; Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah of Patna High Court; and Justice Manoj Misra of Allahabad High Court as apex court judges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to iconic singer Vani Jayaram, who passed away on Saturday, and said she would be remembered for her melodious voice and rich works. Her works covered diverse languages and reflected different emotions, he said in a tweet, adding that her death is a major loss for the creative world. Condolences to her family and admirers, the prime minister said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Saturday settled at 25.3 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, the India Meteorological Department said. The relative humidity oscillated between 81 per cent and 42 per cent, it said. The minimum temperature settled at 9 degrees Celsius, one notch above the season's average, it said.

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has approved 126 posts of principals and deputy education officers in city government-run schools which had lapsed as these were "lying vacant" for more than two years, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday. The officials have alleged that the lapse has happened due to "apathy and inaction of the AAP government".

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has increased its direct stake in Indus Towers by acquiring 23.01 per cent shares held by its completely owned subsidiary Nettle Infrastructure, a regulatory filing said on Saturday.
Bharti Airtel now holds 47.95 per cent stake in Indus Towers. The telecom operator earlier directly held 24.94 per cent stake and 23.01 per cent through its subsidiary Nettle Infrastructure.

A Bihar-based rights activist on Saturday filed a complaint against yoga guru Ramdev for allegedy hurting religious sentiments of Muslims with his remarks at a recent meeting of seers.
Tamanna Hashmi lodged the complaint against Ramdev before a local court here and demanded the registration of an FIR against him.

 A Pakistani drone carrying about 6 kg narcotics has been shot down by the Border Security Force along the International Border in Rajasthan on Saturday, a senior officer said. The flying machine was brought down during the intervening night of February 3-4 in Srikaranpur area of Sriganganagar sector of the state.

 A man bit off the right ear of a sub-inspector while he was being taken in the police vehicle after being held in a road rage incident in this Kerala district, police said on Saturday. Vishnu Prasad, the SI of the Town Police Station here, suffered injuries in the unexpected attack and sought immediate medical treatment on Thursday late night.

A 16-year-old Nepalese girl who was trafficked across the border allegedly for human sacrifice, was rescued from India, and Nepal's law enforcement officials have arrested six people, including five women, for their alleged involvement.

The victim, a seventh-grade student, was lured into this sinister scheme with the promise of being offered huge sums of money besides getting the blessings from the biggest tantrik in India, Nepal Police officials said.

A court at Bhiwandi in Thane district which is hearing a case of alleged defamation filed by an RSS worker against Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said it would pass order on the Congress leader's plea seeking permanent exemption from appearance on March 4.

 A special court on Saturday granted bail to Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh in a defamation case filed by a BJP leader whom he had accused of being involved in the Vyapam scam that rocked Madhya Pradesh in 2013. The court dealing with cases against MPs and MLAs granted relief to the Congress leader in the defamation case filed in 2014, said Singh’s lawyer Ajay Gupta told PTI.
Singh had been asked to appear in court.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be on a two-day visit of Gujarat from Sunday and will participate in programmes of the Self-Empowered Women's Association (SEWA) founded by social worker and Gandhian Ela Bhatt who passed away in November last year.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wrote a letter to the Centre seeking a grant of Rs 927 crore to take up special development work for the G20 summit in the national capital.
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sisodia said it will not be easy for the Delhi government to spend an extra Rs 927 crore from its limited resources for the G20 summit preparations.

A court on Saturday rejected the bail applications of seven people arrested in connection with the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi town of Gujarat, in which 135 people were killed. The court of principal sessions judge P C Joshi refused to grant bail to the seven accused, including two managers of Oreva Group, the company which was given the contract for operation and maintenance of the bridge.
The British-era bridge on Machchhu river collapsed on October 30, 2022, days after it was reopened following repairs.

Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday. Top Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said in a Telegram post that 116 Ukrainians were freed. He said the released POWs include troops who held out in Mariupol during Moscow's monthslong siege that reduced the southern port city to ruins, as well as guerrilla fighters from the Kherson region and snipers captured during the ongoing fierce battles for the eastern city of Bakhmut.

TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee Saturday slammed the Centre for sending central teams to West Bengal and said attempts are on to malign the state government as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not bowed down to it. The cadres of the CPI(M)-led Left Front have also joined hands with the saffron camp, he said hitting out at the BJP.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday paid obeisance at the famed Baba Baidyanath temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar. He performed special prayers at the temple, which is one of the 12 'jyotirlingas'.
A team of priests assisted the Union home minister in performing the prayers amid tight security in the temple complex.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday said the Jammu and Kashmir administration was keeping a close watch on two dozen structures in Doda developing cracks but denied the situation was akin to the land subsidence witnessed in Joshimath. The best possible assistance will be extended to the affected families of Nai Basti in the Thathri area, situated around 35 km from the Doda town along the Kishtwar-Batote National Highway.

Veteran singer Vani Jayaram who has sung over 10,000 songs in 19 languages including the very popular Hindi number 'bole re papihara' died here on Saturday. She was 77 and was living all alone at a downtown apartment. Her husband predeceased her and she has no children.

More than 100 people on Saturday staged a sit-in demonstration to protest the desecration of a three-centuries-old idol in a place of worship in Imphal. Unidentified people on Friday desecrated the idol in one of the oldest places of worship in the state, protected under the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday attacked the Centre for discontinuing the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, alleging that the government is on an "overdrive" to make life more difficult for students from minority communities. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest civic body in the country, on Saturday presented Rs 52,619.07 crore budget for the year 2023-24, with the budgetary estimates crossing the Rs 50,000 crore-mark for the first time.

The BJP on Saturday appointed Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan its in-charge for the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls, a party statement said. Tamil Nadu BJP unit president K Annamalai will be the co-incharge for the high-stakes polls where both the ruling party and the opposition Congress have launched intensive public outreach for the elections likely to be held in April-May.

The Enforcement Directorate has questioned and recorded the statement of Alankar Sawai, a close aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a money laundering case in which TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale was recently arrested by the agency in Gujarat, officials said. Sawai was questioned and also confronted with Gokhale in Ahmedabad over three days earlier this week, they said.

A special court here has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl. Special Judge, POCSO Court, Tara Agrawal, also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Shivam Yadav (22) after finding him guilty in the October 2020 case, Special Public Prosecutor Rakesh Mehrishi said. 

The Delhi University will offer two seats each under supernumerary quota to orphans in all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes from the next academic year, officials have said. Such students will also be exempted from payment of any kind of fees, they said.

Manipur: Explosive device goes off at fashion show venue, no casualties reported

Haryana's Health and AYUSH Minister Anil Vij has announced that state government employees will get reimbursement for Ayurvedic treatment in addition to the allopathic ones. He also said the government is emphasizing promoting treatment using Ayurvedic medicines. The Haryana government also proposes to include Ayurveda subjects in the MBBS course in the state, he said in Ambala on Friday.

A newly married woman allegedly ended her life by hanging herself in Nagla Ramsundar village here, police said on Saturday. Balrai police station in-charge Rajneesh Yadav said that the woman, Komal (21), got married to Harendra Singh in December last year. Her husband was unemployed, the police official said.

A woman along with her four-year-old daughter allegedly jumped in front of a goods train following a dispute in the family near Meva Nawada railway station of Sahaspur, police said on Saturday. The woman, Saba Iqbal (30) had remarried two years ago after divorcing her first husband. Arifa was the child of her first husband, police said.

A 53-year-old CRPF assistant sub-inspector allegedly shot himself with his service rifle at a guard post at the Intelligence Bureau director's residence here, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday around 4 pm, they said.

The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celsius, a notch above season's average, the India Meteorological Department said. The weatherman has predicted strong surface winds during day time while the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 25 degree Celsius.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred in Afghanistan at around 09:07 am today. The depth of the earthquake was 186 Km km below the ground: National Center for Seismology

Earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hits Ukhrul, Manipur