POLITICS

‘Will die in encounter’, Atiq Ahmad had said

Atiq was always aware of the fact that he would meet a bloody end one day. Lucknow: Atiq Ahmad‘s words finally proved prophetic after 19 years on April 15 when he was shot dead in Prayagraj.“Encounter hoga. Ya police maari, ya koi apni baradari ka sirfira. Sadak ke kinare pade milab” (I will be killed in an encounter by either police or someone from the criminals’ tribe) – he had told reporters way back in 2004. During his trip from Sabarmati jail to Prayagraj earlier this month, Atiq Ahmad had told media persons that he was ‘safe’ only because they were accompanying his convoy.When he was shot dead on Saturday, it was, ironically, by assailants posing as journalists. Atiq was always…

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Plea in SC seeks independent committee headed by ex-SC judge to probe Atiq, brother killing

Seeking an independent expert committee Advocate Vishal Tiwari moved the apex court on Sunday and also sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017. New Delhi: A plea was moved in the Supreme Court, a day after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed under police escort, seeking a direction for setting up of an expert committee headed by a former apex court judge to investigate the killings. Advocate Vishal Tiwari moved the apex court on Sunday seeking an independent expert committee and also sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017. Ahmad and his brother were shot dead by three assailants, posing as journalists, while…

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Maharashtra Bhushan award event: 11 die of sunstroke, 50 hospitalised

To enquire after the wellbeing of the people admitted, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and others rushed to the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai: At least 11 persons succumbed to heat stroke and over four dozen hospitalised after a mammoth public event in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah conferred the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan-2022’ Award on social reformer Appasaheb Dharmadhikari. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and others rushed to the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai late Sunday evening to enquire after the wellbeing of the people admitted there. Early on Monday, NCP’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leaders visited the hospital and interacted with the patients. “After discussing with the victims, it appears that there was a…

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Dubai: At least four Indians among 16 dead after massive building fire

At least four Indians, including a couple from Kerala, were among the 16 people killed after a major fire broke out in a residential building in Dubai, injuring nine others, according to PTI. At weekend, at 12.35 pm the Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room was notified of a fire at a building in Dubai’s ancient suburb of Al Ras, according to Gulf News. According to the report, the big fire started on the fourth story of the building and quickly spread to other areas. A crew from Dubai Civil Defence HQ arrived at the scene of the fire and began evacuating residents. Teams from the Port Saeed Fire Station and the Hamriyah Fire Station were also summoned. The flames were doused by…

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Bengal schools and colleges to remain shut next week due to heatwave

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Sunday that all educational institutions in the state would remain closed the following week due to “severe” heatwave conditions. Banerjee explained that children had been experiencing health problems such as headaches after returning from school in the last few days. The CM urged private educational institutions to follow suit, and an official notification regarding the decision will be issued soon. She also requested people to avoid going out in the sun from 12 pm to 4 pm. The West Bengal government had already rescheduled summer vacation in state-run and aided schools three weeks early to May 2, except in hill areas, due to the sweltering heat. The state has been recording day…

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Sudan fighting rages for second day despite UN-proposed ceasefire

Civilians in Sudan have been subjected to a second day of heavy fighting, waking up in the capital, Khartoum, on Sunday to the sound of gunfire and military jets over the city despite a four-hour UN-proposed humanitarian ceasefire between the two main factions of the ruling military regime. The violence that broke out on Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and left at least 56 civilians in the capital dead spread to other parts of the country, with the UN’s World Food Programme suspending operations in the country after three of its employees were killed in clashes in Darfur. Fighting was also reported in the eastern border state of Kassala. It was the first…

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‘He is a drug addict’: Father of killer Lovelesh Tiwari who shot Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf

The father of one of the shooters who shot Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf on Sunday claimed that his son was a drug addict and the family did not mean anything to him. Lovelesh Tiwari is among the three shooters who opened fire at Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf when they were being taken for medical checkups in Prayagraj on Saturday. The other two shooters were identified as Arun Maurya and Sunny Singh. Today, Yagya Tiwari, father of shooter Lovelesh Tiwari, said: “We have no information about how he reached there and we didn’t mean anything to him…He is a drug addict…We don’t know anything about him.” Sunny Singh’s brother Pintu Singh said there were cases registered against…

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Putin meets Chinese defence minister, hails military cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Moscow on Sunday and hailed military cooperation between the two nations, which have declared a “no limits” partnership. Footage of the meeting posted by the Kremlin showed Putin shaking hands with Li and then sitting down at a table. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was also present. “Development of relations between our two nations is going well in all areas — in the economy, social, cultural and educational sectors, and in military departments,” Putin said in opening remarks. Beijing had announced Li’s visit to Moscow last week, saying he would meet defence officials, but made no mention of a meeting with Putin. Chinese President Xi Jinping met Putin in…

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Delhi sees 1,634 Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths; positivity rate comes down to 29.68 per cent

Delhi on Sunday reported 1,634 Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 29.68 per cent, according to data shared by the city government’s health department. With the new cases, Delhi’s Covid-19 tally climbed to 20,23,227. Three fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 26,563, the health department bulletin stated. Of the latest fatalities, Covid-19 was the primary cause of death in one of the cases, it stated. According to the bulletin, the fresh cases emerged out of 5,505 tests conducted the previous day. On Saturday, Delhi had recorded 1,396 Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 31.9 per cent — the highest in 15 months. The capital saw a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14 last year.…

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Humza Yousaf facing calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from SNP after email leak

Humza Yousaf is facing calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the SNP over claims her attempts to shut down scrutiny of the party’s finances are now being investigated by police. Leaked emails appear to show that the former first minister stopped plans to hire a fundraising manager for the party – a move for which colleagues had called in a bid to improve scrutiny and transparency of how money was being raised and spent. Meanwhile, a leaked video has emerged from the SNP’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) in which Ms Sturgeon angrily dismissed claims that there were “any problems” with the party accounts. She insisted its finances had “never been stronger” and that there were “no reasons for people to be concerned…

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