Man detained after ‘shotgun cartridges’ thrown into Buckingham Palace grounds
Days ahead of King Charles’ May 6 coronation, Buckingham Palace was temporarily cordoned off after a man approached the palace and allegedly threw objects — thought to be shotgun cartridges — into the palace grounds.
India criticises USCIRF report, calls it misrepresentation of facts
India on May 2 categorically rejected as "biased" and "motivated" a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that alleged "severe violations" of religious freedom in the country. In its annual report on religious freedom, the USCIRF asked the U.S. State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern” on the status of religious freedom
Bilkis Bano case convicts playing for time: Supreme Court judge K.M. Joseph
Supreme Court judge Justice K.M. Joseph said that it was “more than obvious” that the men released early from life imprisonment for gangraping Bilkis Bano and murdering her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots were raising a maze of procedural objections in successive court hearings to avoid his Bench. The oral remark came after the courtroom rang with submissions made by the lawyers for the 11 released convicts, who claimed that they were not served notice of the case.
Elaborate security measures were finalised on Tuesday for the upcoming meeting of delegates from G20 nations in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar from May 22 to counter the potential threats of ‘fidayeen’ attacks and threats posed by the use of vehicles and drones by militants. The National Security Guard (NSG) teams will be deployed for counter-’fidayeen’ attacks along with the police’s Special Operation Groups, and also to counter drone-borne threats at all venues.
Centre extends time to submit joint options for higher PF pension till June 26
The Centre has extended the time to submit joint options to claim higher provident fund pension till June 26. The deadline to submit the applications was on May 3. The EPFO said more than 12 lakh applications have been received till date. It added that the timeline is being extended to facilitate and provide ample opportunity to the pensioners and members so as to to ease out any difficulty being faced by them.
Nine years after ban, coal mining to resume in Meghalaya, says CM Sangma
Coal mining in Meghalaya, banned since April 2014, is likely to be resumed legally by July. At an election rally on May 1, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the Centre had approved mining leases for four persons, thus paving the way for scientific mining in the State. Despite the ban on rat-hole coal mining, the fossil fuel has been extracted and transported illegally for years in Meghalaya.
China, Russia, Pakistan Foreign Ministers to attend May 4 SCO meet in Goa
The Foreign Ministers of China and Russia will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Goa on May 4 and 5, on key visits expected to lay the groundwork for Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin to travel to India in early July. The China and Russia led Eurasian security grouping also includes four Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — while India and Pakistan were added to the group in 2017.
India temporarily relocates embassy from Khartoum to Port Sudan
India has decided to temporarily relocate its embassy from the violence-hit Sudanese capital city of Khartoum to Port Sudan in view of the prevailing security situation in the African country. India has been operating military aircraft and naval ships from Port Sudan to evacuate its citizens from the African country.
AAP used hawala, cash route to funnel liquor policy kickbacks for Goa polls: ED
The Enforcement Directorate has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of "using" a part of the ₹100 crore kickbacks allegedly received from the 'south group' liquor lobby to meet its expenditure for the Goa Assembly poll campaign in 2022. The accusation has been made in the agency's supplementary charge sheet filed in the Delhi Excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Ukraine Minister apologises for Goddess Kali tweet, says ‘we respect unique Indian culture’
Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova, who recently visited India, on May 2 expressed "regrets" over the depiction of Goddess Kali in a "distorted manner" by the Defence Ministry and apologised for the act, saying her country and its people respect "unique Indian culture". The Ukraine Defence Ministry's tweet, which has now been deleted, was captioned "Work of art" with an image of Goddess Kali superimposed over a blast fume.
Do not want to talk about audio clips, says T.N. CM Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 said he was not ready to talk about the recent audio clippings, which the opposition claimed purportedly contained the voice of State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan implicating the ruling party in corruption. On Monday, Mr Rajan, had met the Chief Minister during which he is believed to have explained his stand on the issue.
Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea seeking stay on release of movie 'The Kerala Story'
The Supreme Court on May 2 refused to entertain a plea seeking a stay on the release of the movie The Kerala Story on grounds that its the "worst kind of hate speech” and an “audio-visual propaganda”. The Bench said, “There are varieties of hate speeches. This film has got certification and has been cleared by the board. It's not like a person getting on the podium and starts giving uncontrolled speech. If you want to challenge the release of the movie, you should challenge the certification and through appropriate forum”.
