POLITICS

Thousands of Afghan refugees to be evicted from the UK Home Office hotels with no offer of housing

Thousands of Afghan refugees brought to the UK during the Kabul evacuation will be evicted from their Home Office hotels with no offer of housing, the government has revealed. A Home Office letter, seen by The Independent, has been sent to Afghans living in government hotels telling them that they need to start searching for private rented accommodation as existing support will end from 2 May. Around 8,000 Afghans are living in hotels in the UK after fleeing the Taliban in August 2021. The government announced plans to evict them in March, saying the refugees would be given a few months’ notice. But initial reports said all refugees would be offered a property to live in. Now, the Home Office has said that only “some Afghan families…

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Azharuddin Khan a brave cop disguised as reporter to overpower gun-wielding man in Bengal school

It was a normal Wednesday afternoon at the Muchiya Chandramohan High School in West Bengal’s Malda until a gun-wielding man barged into a packed classroom where Class 8 students were seated. Holding a gun and shouting at the students, the man allegedly threatened to kill them and the class teacher.  Both teachers as well as school children were gripped with fear as the man, identified as Dev Ballav, held the pistol in one hand and read a newspaper with another.  #WATCH | Malda, WB | A gun-wielding man, Deb Ballabh, tried to hold hostage students in a classroom of Muchia Anchal Chandra Mohan High School. He was later overpowered & arrested by Police. No one was injured in the incident. A police…

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Russian tennis star barred from plane and left at airport ‘with no food for 18 hours’

Tennis star Vitalia Diatchenko revealed she had been stuck in a Cairo airport for 18 hours after allegedly being barred from a flight due to her Russian passport. The 32-year-old, who was born in Sochi, has been forced to pull out of the Corsica Tennis Championships after missing her flight. Diatchenko claimed she had all the required support letters needed to make the journey. However, she was apparently informed that she would not be able to complete the trip by the Polish airline Lot. The World No 250 wrote a lengthy post on her Instagram story slamming the predicament. She claims she was not allowed to leave the airport, was left to sleep on a bench and did not eat,…

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Withdrawing summons issued to Arvind Kejriwal in property defacement case: Goa police tell HC

The Goa police on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that they are withdrawing the summons issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in which he was asked to appear before them on April 27 in a case related to the illegal sticking of posters on public properties during the 2022 Assembly elections campaign. The police had issued the notice suo motu to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener on April 13 under section 41 (A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). But Kejriwal challenged the summons issued to him by the Pernem police, asking him to appear before the investigating officer on April 27 in connection with the case. The case was heard by a division bench…

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China to send envoy to Ukraine to broker peace

China said it would send an envoy to Ukraine to broker a “political settlement” to the war after Xi Jinping and Volodymyr Zelenksy spoke for the first time since the Russian invasion. The Chinese and Ukrainian presidents spoke for nearly an hour in their first contact since Russia invaded two years ago. Mr Zelensky said:  I had a long and meaningful phone call with 🇨🇳 President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations.— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2023 Ukraine has been seeking a formal call with Mr Xi since he visited Moscow last month in what some Western officials criticised as…

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Same-sex marriage: Centre says court can’t rewrite, alter fundamental architecture of law as conceived at time of framing

The Centre’s submission came when the court was hearing pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage. It asserted that the legislature alone can deal with the issues raised in the pleas. In his written submissions, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the impact of the socio-legal recognition of same-sex relationships as “marriage” on the society as a whole has to be kept in mind before any decision is taken in the matter. “The matter cannot be just viewed as an individualistic constitutional pursuit, and the larger interests of human society and Indian society need to be appreciated in this regard,” he said. Mehta said it is only the legislature which can, in its wisdom after gathering all details,…

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Sudan’s Bashir and allies out of jail, Khartoum fighting flares

Sudan’s capital resounded with gunfire and explosions on the western outskirts on Wednesday, eroding a truce amid collapsing basic services, dwindling food supplies and the opening of a prison that let out allies of a jailed former autocrat. With the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) showing no sign of easing, the army said former president Omar al-Bashir had been transferred to a military hospital before hostilities started on April 15. It said Bashir was moved from prison with at least five former members of his regime, including Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, who along with the former president is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes for atrocities during an earlier conflict in…

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Air India row: Entire crew grounded after pilot allows woman into cockpit on Dubai-Delhi flight

Nearly two months after an Air India pilot allowed a female friend into the cockpit during a Dubai-Delhi flight, aviation watchdog DGCA has directed the airline to deroster the entire crew till investigations are complete, according to a senior official. A cabin crew member of the flight had filed a complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the pilot allowing a female friend into the cockpit. The incident happened on February 27. On the condition of anonymity, the official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said though prima-facie, the cabin crew seems to have no role in the incident, the entire crew of the flight has been derostered pending investigations. Pilot to remain grounded until…

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Taliban kill Islamic State leader who masterminded airport bombing that left 13 US service members dead

The Tailban have killed an Islamic State group leader who masterminded the Kabul airport suicide bombing that left 13 US service members dead. The US military informed the families of the 11 marines, the sailor and the soldier killed in the blast during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. About 170 Afghans were also killed in the bombing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport on 26 August 2021. Family members of the US personnel shared the information in a private messaging chat group, according to one marine’s mother. The account from the families was confirmed by US officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The IS leader, whose identity has not yet been released, was killed…

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Gujarat HC judge recuses from hearing Rahul Gandhi’s plea against his conviction

Justice Gita Gopi of Gujarat High Court on Wednesday recused herself from hearing the criminal revision application of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging a Surat court’s refusal to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case. Senior advocate Pankaj Champaneri, representing Gandhi, on Wednesday morning requested for urgent circulation of Gandhi’s plea for hearing on April 29 before the court of Justice Gopi, which is allotted with criminal revision application matters. Assistant public prosecutor Maithili Mehta while submitting that the prosecution cannot object to the petitioner’s request for urgent circulation, added that the public prosecutor (Mitesh Amin) will be appearing in the matter and that the state has a “serious objection” to the prayer of staying of conviction, as has been sought…

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