Security personnel fire tear gas shells as students protest against the killing of two missing students by unknown miscreants and demand peace in Manipur, Imphal. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Manipur violence | A year on, number of FIRs brought down from 11,000 to 3,000
A year after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, the clean-up of records has brought down the total number of violence-related First Information Reports (FIRs) from over 11,000 to around 3,000, a government source told The Hindu .The number of cases had shot up due to overlap, several duplicate FIRs for the same incident and thousands of Zero FIRs, the official said.
Raj Bhavan employee accuses West Bengal Governor of sexual harassment
An employee at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Thursday alleged that she was sexually harassed by West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose. The woman also lodged a complaint at the Hare Street police station in Kolkata. The development came hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to arrive at the Raj Bhavan for a night stay. He is scheduled to address three election rallies in West Bengal on Friday.
Election Commission asks political parties to stop registering voters for post-poll welfare schemes
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed all political parties to cease enrolling or registering voters for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes under the “guise of surveys”, saying it amounts to corrupt practice under election law. The poll body said some political parties and candidates have been engaging in activities that blur the lines between legitimate surveys and partisan efforts to register individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes.
All ‘Adverse Events Following Immunisation’ (AEFI) after COVID-19 vaccinations continue to be monitored, a senior Union Health Ministry official, who did not wish to be named, said on Thursday .Earlier this week, the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has admitted in a U.K. court that its COVID-19 vaccine had the potential to cause thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a rare side effect associated with blood clotting.
Prajwal Revanna booked for rape; lookout circular issued
The Karnataka Police booked Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna on rape charges on May 2, and issued a lookout circular against the “absconding” MP a day after he failed to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing his alleged sexual crimes.
India protests Chinese road construction at Shaksgam Valley in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
India has registered its protest with Beijing against China’s “illegal attempts” to “alter facts on the ground” in the Shaksgam valley of occupied Kashmir, which faces the Siachen glacier, the Ministry of External Affairs said on May 2. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was responding to questions on Chinese road construction in the valley.
Sri Lanka political parties flag poll aspirations on May Day
With a presidential election expected later this year,the May Day rallies of all main political parties in Sri Lanka seemed a prelude to their poll campaigns. Leaders of various political camps made a direct pitch to the people in their respective public events, seeking their support in what would be the first election since the island nation’s debilitating economic crisis in 2022.
Police make arrests at UCLA in tense clashes with Israel-Hamas war protesters
The police arrested pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the U.S. overnight, notably at the University of California, Los Angeles, where chaotic scenes played out early on Thursday as officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators and made arrests. The police removed barricades and began dismantling demonstrators’ fortified encampment at UCLA after hundreds of protesters defied orders to leave, some of them forming human chains as police fired flash-bangs to break up the crowds.
Bad weather returns to U.A.E., several flights cancelled
Heavy rains and thunderstorms lashed the U.A.E. on May 2, leading to the cancellation of several international flights, two weeks after Dubai was hit by unprecedented storms that paralysed the emirate for days. On May 1, the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) elevated the readiness and preparedness levels of the national system to deal with the situation.
Iran slaps sanctions on U.S., U.K. over Israel support
Iran announced on Thursday sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. It said the sanctions targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the U.S. special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Organisers of Eurovision Song Contest ready to remove Palestinian flags or symbols
Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest said on May 2 they reserve the right to remove any Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols at the show next week in Sweden. The announcement came amid heightened tensions surrounding Israel’s participation in the annual music competition over its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month. Pro-Palestinian groups are expected to stage large protests in Malmo to raise awareness of their cause.
India’s manufacturing sector activity moderated slightly in April, but still witnessed the second-best improvement in operating conditions in three-and-a-half years, as per the seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI) which fell to 58.8 from the 16-year high of 59.1 recorded in March.
NPCI inks pact with Bank of Namibia for developing UPI-like instant payment system
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on May 2 said its overseas arm has signed a pact with the Bank of Namibia (BoN) for developing a Unified Payments Interface(UPI)-like instant payment system for Namibia. By leveraging technology and experiences from India’s UPI, the partnership seeks to help Namibia modernise its financial ecosystem. This includes improving accessibility, affordability and connectivity with both domestic and international payment networks, and interoperability.
IPL-17 | Sunrisers pull off a one-run heist with a thrilling last-ball victory over Royals
Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned out to be the hero, striking the big blows when it mattered most, to help Sunrisers Hyderabad pull off a sensational one-run win over table-topper Rajasthan Royals, in an IPL match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Thursday.
India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets, take 3-0 unassailable lead
A dominant India grabbed an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match women’s T20I series as they pummelled Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third match in Sylhet on May 02.