Breaking News, March 15

Candidates who qualify for the Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS) or Cost and Works Accountant (ICWA) exams will now be treated equivalent to postgraduate degree holders, according to the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday declared movable assets worth over Rs 47 lakh while filing his nomination for the April 6 Assembly
polls from Edapadi constituency and said he had no immovable assets in his name.
 

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM on Monday announced candidates for the three seats it is contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The party named T S Vakeel Ahmed (Vaniyambadi), B M Aminullah Ahmed (Krishnagiri) and M Mujib ur Rahman (Sankarapuram) as its candidates, AIMIM said on twitter.

The AIMIM has tied up with TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK for the Tamil Nadu elections.

Union Cabinet to meet tomorrow via video conference

The Telangana budget for 2021-22 would be presented in the state assembly on March 18.

Delhi Court awards death penalty to convict Ariz Khan in 2008 Batla House encounter case. The court calls the case as 'rarest of rare case'

High-level official meeting underway at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, in wake of the increase in COVID-19 cases in Karnataka.

BJP Parliamentary Party meeting to be held on March 17 in Parliament.

Rs 2,000 currency notes have not been printed in the last two years even as the quantum of India's highest denomination currency note has come down, the Lok Sabha was informed Monday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said 3,362 million currency notes of Rs 2000 denomination were in circulation on March 30, 2018, constituting 3.27 per cent and 37.26 per cent of the currency in terms of volume and trade respectively.

As of February 26, 2021, 2,499 million pieces of Rs 2,000 notes were in circulation, constituting 2.01 per cent and 17.78 per cent of banknotes in terms of volume and value, respectively.

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan files his nomination for Coimbatore South assembly constituency ahead of Tamil Nadu Elections 2021.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee raises slogans in Purulia says," Chaie na BJP ke chaie na, chaie na Congress ke chaie na, CPM ke chaie na. BJP ke bidai dao...Khela hobe, dekha hobe, jeeta hobe." 

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami files his nomination from Edappadi as AIADMK candidate for Tamil Nadu Elections 2021.

JeM commander Sajjad Afghani killed during Shopian encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. He was involved in the recruitment of new youths into terrorism. One AK 47 rifle with UBL shell and one USA made rifle's M-4 carbine recovered in the encounter. Two terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed have been killed in the encounter.

DMK president MK Stalin holds a roadshow in Kolathur after filing nomination for Tamil Nadu Elections 2021.

Police officer Sachin Waze placed under suspension by an order of Addl CP Special Branch, said Mumbai Police PRO, S Chaitanya. He was arrested by NIA in connection with its investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai.

Locals protest in Kerala's Chelari, Malappuram as NIA conducts raid at the residence of Popular Front of India (PFI)'s Thenhipalam area president, Hanifa, in connection with ISIS-related case.

A total of 22,74,07,413 samples tested for COVID-19 up to March 14, 2021. Of these, a total of 7,03,772 samples were tested yesterday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

NIA raids underway at 5 location in Delhi, Kerala and Karnataka in connection with ISIS-related cases.

Sensex dropped 511.55 points, currently at 50,280.53.

India reported 26,291 new COVID-19 cases, 17,455 recoveries, and 118 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

• Total cases: 1,13,85,339
• Total recoveries: 1,10,07,352 
• Active cases: 2,19,262
• Death toll: 1,58,725 
• Total vaccination: 2,99,08,038

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who recently joined TMC, has been appointed as its vice president and national working committee member. 

At least 8 people sustained injuries after pressure cooker bomb exploded at govt office in Siraha,Nepal. One person was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment

Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (Revolutionary) has claimed responsibility for blast.

Indonesia's Health Ministry on Sunday reported 4,714 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the country's total tally to 1,419,455. The death toll rose to 38,426 including 97 more deaths from the coronavirus epidemic, the ministry said. According to the ministry, 5,647 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,243,117.

US President Joe Biden has said that the first virtual summit of the Quad leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, went very well and everyone seemed to like it a great deal. Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,” the Quad grouping comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan. The representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007. Biden on Friday opened the first Quad Leaders’ Summit held virtually and attended by Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"It (Quad summit) went very well. Everyone seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters on Sunday in his first reaction on last week’s Quad summit involving leaders from Australia, India and Japan.
 

Maharashtra: Roads across Nagpur wear a deserted look as the city enters a week-long lockdown today

In view of prevailing law and order situation at the Ghazipur border and considering public convenience, the carriageway of NH-24 going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi has been opened after consultation with police officials of Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh: Delhi Police

Police have booked a son of a former Congress MP and 11 others in a land fraud case, according to officials. They have been accused of getting a five-bigha plot in the Civil Lines area here converted from leasehold to freehold by concealing facts. The case was registered on the complaint of Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Prem Prakash Upadhyay at the Kotwali police station.
 

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan's car was allegedly attacked by a young man late Sunday when the actor-politician was proceeding towards a hotel after campaigning for the April 6 Assembly polls, a party leader said. Haasan was not injured in the incident though his vehicle's windscreen was damaged.
 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday set a target of "zero infection" even as the COVID-19 tally in the state mounted to 3,38,192 with 71 fresh cases. In a video message, Patnaik appealed to the people to follow health safety protocols so that the state can achieve the goal and requested them not to be complacent with the daily number of new coronavirus cases remaining below 100. 

Siding with farmers protesting the Centre's new agriculture laws, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to offend them. Speaking at an event in his home district, Malik said if the Centre gives legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, farmers will relent. The Meghalaya Governor also claimed that he prevented the arrest of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait when he heard rumours about it.

Malik further said he had requested the prime minister and the home minister not to use force against farmers, and not to send them home from Delhi empty-handed. "None of the laws are in favour of farmers. Acountry in which farmers and soldiers are not satisfied, that country cannot move ahead. That country cannot be saved. Hence, the Army and farmers should be kept satisfied,” Malik said urging PM Modi and Home Minister Shah not to offend them.  

UN Secretary-General's special envoy condemns bloodshed in Myanmar amid increasing violence

Nepal: At least 8 injured after pressure cooker bomb explodes at govt office in Siraha