Finland’s government resigns after healthcare reform fails
Finland’s PM Juha Sipilä tendered his government’s resignation after a reform of the healthcare system failed. The government said the reform could’ve kept the annual growth of Finland’s social and healthcare expenses to 0.9% from the current estimate of 2.4% between 2019-2029. The resignation was approved but the President asked the government to stay until a new one is appointed.
150 shanties burnt in Meerut over anti-encroachment drive
Over 150 shanties were burnt and several vehicles were damaged by mobs after authorities tried to remove encroachment in Meerut’s Sadar Bazar area on Wednesday. Agitated over the anti-encroachment drive, miscreants reportedly resorted to stone pelting, after which police had to baton the crowd and arrest four men. The mob then reportedly set few shanties on fire, which spread rapidly.
Expected decision for speedy Ram Temple construction: Ramdev
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order that referred the Ayodhya dispute for court-appointed and monitored mediation, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said he had expected a decision that would expedite the Ram Temple construction. “Nevertheless, we welcome the court’s decision,” he added. “This isn’t a land or title dispute, it’s a matter related to integrity of the nation,” he further said.
7cr LPG connections given under Ujjwala Yojana in 34 months
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said that seven crore LPG connections have been distributed within the last 34 months under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Pradhan said that the government has not only provided the connections to the poor, but also distributed happiness to them. PMUY was launched on May 1, 2016.
Begin probe into missing Rafale papers from Parrikar: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the probe into the “missing” Rafale papers should start from Goa CM Manohar Parrikar. Parrikar was the Defence Minister when the Rafale deal was signed with France. Rahul’s statement comes after Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that some documents pertaining to purchase of Rafale jets were stolen from Defence Ministry.
Infosys to deliver digital services to UK’s Rolls-Royce
British ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce has selected Bengaluru-based Infosys as a strategic long-term partner to deliver engineering and digital services to meet its customers’ needs for sustainable energy. “We’ll support Rolls-Royce to become more productive, agile and innovative,” Infosys Executive VP and Global Head of Manufacturing said. The financial details of the deal weren’t disclosed.
BJP allies with AJSU in Jharkhand for Lok Sabha polls
BJP General Secretary Bhupender Yadav on Friday announced that it will form an alliance with All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) for the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand. While BJP will contest on 13 seats, AJSU will fight on one seat. The announcement comes after BJP’s parliamentary board meeting which was called to discuss the strategy for the upcoming general elections.
SP chief Akhilesh’s wife Dimple to fight polls from Kannauj
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday announced that his wife and two-time MP, Dimple Yadav, will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj. Meanwhile, Usha Verma will contest from Hardoi and Purvi Verma from Lakhimpur Kheri. This comes hours after SP released its first list of six candidates for the elections.
Cong fields man who threatened to chop PM Modi, for LS polls
Congress, in its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, has named party leader Imran Masood as its candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur. Masood, during the run-up to the 2014 elections, had threatened the then Gujarat CM, PM Narendra Modi, and said, “If Modi tries to turn UP into Gujarat, then we’ll chop him into tiny pieces.”
Allahabad HC stays Sonakshi’s arrest in ₹37-L cheating case
Allahabad High Court on Friday stayed the arrest of actress Sonakshi Sinha after a case was lodged against her for allegedly cheating an event organiser of ₹37 lakh. The organiser accused Sonakshi of not showing up for an event in Delhi, despite receiving payment for it. However, the court declined the actress’ plea to quash the FIR against her.
Azim Premji Trust sells Wipro shares worth ₹684 crore
India’s third largest software services firm Wipro’s promoter Azim Premji Trust sold 2.66 crore shares for ₹684 crore on Friday. The philanthropic trust is part of the promoter group that held 74.30% stake in the company as of December last year. Shares of the Bengaluru-headquartered company fell nearly 5% on Friday.
ArcelorMittal gets approval to take over Essar Steel for ₹42,000 cr
The National Company Law Tribunal on Friday approved the world’s largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal’s ₹42,000 crore bid to buy Essar Steel. The tribunal had earlier rejected a late offer made by Essar Steel promoters, the Ruia family. “We continue to believe that our settlement proposal of ₹54,389 crore is the most compelling one available to Essar Steel creditors,” Essar Group said.
Nirav Modi living in ₹72-cr flat in London, has new business: Report
Fugitive diamantaire and PNB scam accused Nirav Modi is living in ₹72-crore apartment in London’s West End, British newspaper The Telegraph reported. Nirav has started a new diamond business, which was incorporated in May 2018 and is linked to his flat, the report added. The Interpol had issued a Red Corner notice against Nirav on CBI’s request last year.
RBI levies ₹71 cr fine on 36 banks over software misused in PNB scam
The RBI on Friday said it has levied penalties totalling ₹71 crore on 36 banks for not complying with directions primarily on linking SWIFT financial messaging platform to their core banking software. PNB employees had exploited this loophole for facilitating alleged fraudulent transactions worth over $2 billion. The penalties ranged from ₹1 crore to ₹4 crore for each bank.
9 terrorist training camps of JeM active in Pak: Indian official
Twenty-two terrorist training camps, including nine of Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are active in Pakistan but no action is being taken against them, a senior Indian official said. Pakistan is unlikely to stop funding terror activities “unless the cost of it is too heavy for it to pay”, the official added. JeM claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack.
Reports of kidnapping of Army soldier in J&K incorrect: Govt
The Defence Ministry took to Twitter on Saturday to clarify that the media reports of the abduction of a serving Army soldier from Qazipora Chadoora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district are incorrect. “Individual is safe. Speculations may please be avoided,” Defence Spokesperson tweeted. Various media reports on Friday claimed the soldier was abducted by terrorists from his home.
Levi’s #IShapeMyWorld celebrates the power of the collective
This International Women’s day, Levi’s unveiled the fifth season of the Levi’s #IShapeMyWorld campaign with a new music video that celebrates the collective power of women and their determination to inspire change. The video features 21 female change-makers from different industries such as entertainment, fashion, sports, journalism. The track is composed by singer Anushqa, featuring rapper Hard Kaur.
Peter Mukerjea ‘silent killer’ of Sheena Bora: CBI to court
The CBI on Friday told a special court that former media executive Peter Mukerjea is the “silent killer” of Sheena Bora, while opposing his bail plea in the murder case. Special public prosecutor Bharat Badami argued that CBI has sufficient evidence to prove Mukerjea’s role in the conspiracy. “He knew everything. It’s the question of…suppression of facts,” Badami said.
All mountain railways to have glass-enclosed coaches: Goyal
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said that all mountain railways in India will now have glass-enclosed coaches. “Given the positive feedback…order for 100 vistadome coaches has been given to the concerned production unit,” Goyal added. Vistadome coaches have large windows on the sides and glass panels on the roof to provide better viewing experience.
2 Delhi metro stations renamed in honour of martyrs
Two stations on Delhi Metro’s red line extension have been renamed in honour of martyrs, officials said on Friday. Rajendra Nagar Metro Station has been renamed as Major Mohit Sharma Rajendra Nagar station and the New Bus Adda station has been renamed to Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda). This comes days after Pulwama attack where 40 CRPF jawans were martyred.
Nirav Modi spotted wearing ₹9L jacket in London, says ‘No comments’
British newspaper ‘The Telegraph’ has shared a two-minute video online wherein PNB scam accused and diamantaire Nirav Modi can be seen roaming in London streets wearing a ₹9-lakh jacket made from ostrich leather. In the video, a journalist can be seen asking the fugitive if he has got political asylum in the UK to which Nirav repeatedly says, “No comments”.
Choksi’s firm likely sold lab-grown diamonds as natural: US probe
Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s US firm, Samuels Jewelers, may have sold lab-grown diamonds by falsely certifying them as natural stones, a probe alleged. This was allegedly done through a laboratory “secretly” controlled by Choksi through a British Virgin Islands firm. The report also claimed the firm received $20 million from fraudulent Letters of Undertaking issued to Gitanjali Gems by PNB.
UK’s ‘ISIS bride’ Shamima Begum’s third child dies in Syrian camp
The third child of Shamima Begum, who fled the UK to join the terrorist organisation Islamic State, died of pneumonia in a Syrian refugee camp on Thursday. Begum had attempted to return to the UK after the Islamic State collapsed but was stripped of her citizenship by the UK government. She had earlier lost two children to malnutrition and disease.
Woman jailed in UK’s 1st female genital mutilation conviction
A 37-year-old Ugandan woman has been jailed for 11 years after becoming the first person in the UK to be convicted of female genital mutilation (FGM) for performing the act on her three-year-old daughter. She was also handed a further two year-jail for possession of indecent images and extreme pornography.
Mizoram Cabinet approves Liquor Prohibition Bill
The Mizoram Cabinet on Friday approved the proposed Mizoram Liquor Prohibition Bill, 2019, officials said. Liquor was prohibited in the state from 1997 till January 2015 with the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act in force. The previous Congress government had allowed opening of wine shops in the state from March 2015.
116-year-old Japanese woman named world’s oldest living person
The Guinness World Records has officially confirmed Japan’s Kane Tanaka as the world’s oldest living person at 116 years 66 days old as of March 9. Tanaka, who was the seventh of eight children, married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child. She usually wakes up at 6am and enjoys studying maths, Guinness said.
PM Modi flags off Delhi Metro’s Blue Line extension in Noida
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Noida City Centre-Noida Electronic City section of Delhi Metro’s Blue Line via remote on Saturday. The 6.6-km-long extension comprises six stations, Sector 34, Sector 52, Sector 61, Sector 59, Sector 62 and Noida Electronic City, all of which are elevated. Metro services on the extended line will begin at 4 pm on Saturday.
Man jailed for breaking into Taylor Swift’s home for 2nd time
A 23-year-old man named Roger Alvarado has been arrested for breaking into singer Taylor Swift’s home in New York for the second time. Alvarado allegedly broke a window and entered the singer’s apartment on Thursday when she was not at home. The man had earlier served six months in prison after breaking into Swift’s home in April, last year.
