A telephone call from Sri Lanka’s then Prime Minister Sirima R.D. Bandaranaike to her Indian counterpart Indira Gandhi in January 1974 may perhaps be considered to have saved the bilateral negotiations on the contentious Katchatheevu islet issue from getting derailed.
Vistara cancels nearly 1,000 flights in April to stabilise operations
Vistara has cancelled nearly 1,000 flights for the month of April in order to ensure stability in its operations, which saw a massive disruption last week over hectic rosters for pilots and unrest from a section of cockpit crew over pay cuts. The move will provide a much needed buffer to the airline in pilot rosters.
Kashmir: Mehbooba to contest from Anantnag-Rajouri, to face off against Ghulam Nabi Azad
The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday announced it will field candidates from all three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley, with party president Mehbooba Mufti contesting from south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat. This seat is likely to see J&K’s main electoral battle, with National Conference’s Mian Altaf, Democratic Progressive Azad Party’s (DAPA) Ghulam Nabi Azad, and J&K Apni Party’s Zaffar Manhas already in the fray. The BJP is yet to field its candidates from the Valley’s three seats.
Number of women candidates grew 16-fold from 1957 to 2019: ECI data
In 1957, there were just 45 women candidates contesting the Lok Sabha election; by 2019, this figure had risen to 726, Election Commission data shows, even as the percentage of women in Parliament has increased from 4.5% in 1957 to 14.4% in 2019. The number of male candidates, on the other hand, has grown from 1,474 in 1957 to 7,322 in 2019.
Onion traders cry foul over underpriced exports to UAE
Amid an extended ban on onion exports, farmers and traders are miffed that some shipments allowed by the government to markets like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been sold at a pittance, even as global prices have soared, yielding windfall profits for selected importers.
Will re-join BJP within next 15 days, says NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Eknath Khadse on Sunday officially confirmed that he would be returning to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) within the next fortnight. However, Mr. Khadse’s daughter, Rohini Khadse, said she would remain with the NCP (SP). Ms. Rohini was the head of the women’s wing of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
A key architect of India’s tax reforms and the chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission Vijay Kelkar has called upon the country’s next government to undertake urgent reforms in the “unnecessarily complex” Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, such as switching to a single tax rate of 12% and sharing revenues with local governments and municipal corporations.
Top U.N. court to hold hearings in a case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s Gaza conflict
Preliminary hearings open on Monday at the United Nations’ top court in a case that seeks an end to German military and other aid to Israel, based on claims that Berlin is “facilitating” acts of genocide and breaches of international law in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
U.S., Britain, Australia weigh expanding AUKUS security pact to deter China
The U.S., Britain and Australia are set to begin talks on bringing new members into their AUKUS security pact as Washington pushes for Japan to be involved as a deterrent against China, the Financial Times reported. The countries’ Defence Ministers will announce discussions on Monday on “Pillar Two” of the pact.
Israel to pull back some troops from South Gaza as war crosses six months
Israel’s military announced on April 7 it was drawing back some forces from a Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza following a major phase of its offensive, bringing troop presence in the territory to one of the lowest levels since the six-month war began.
IPL LSG vs GT | Yash Thakur, spinners wreak havoc as Super Giants overpower Titans
Gujarat Titans collapsed spectacularly against pace and spin as Lucknow Super Giants broke its losing run to the former in the IPL with a 33-run win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Sunday. Titans’ biggest threat Mayank Yadav bowled only one over and went off the field but it found the man of the hour in seamer Yash Thakur whose fine spell (five for 30) destroyed the visiting side.
Record flood waters rise in Russia’s Urals, forcing thousands to evacuate
Flood waters were rising in two cities in Russia’s Ural mountains on Sunday after Europe’s third longest river burst through a dam, flooding at least 6,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee with just their pets and a few belongings. A string of Russian regions in the Ural Mountains and Siberia, alongside parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan have been hit in recent days by some of the worst floods in decades.
