1. Kejriwal Took Rs 2-Crore Bribe, Alleges Ex AAP Min
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who rose from being an anti-corruption crusader to Delhi Chief Minister, became the target of a graft charge on Sunday as his former water minister, Kapil Mishra, accused him of accepting Rs 2 crore from a cabinet colleague.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia dismissed the charges against Kejriwal, who rode to power two years ago vowing to stamp out corruption.
Mishra, who was sacked on Saturday night apparently for mismanagement in water supply, cast aspersions on the integrity of the chief minister, saying a conspiracy was hatched against him because of the alleged Rs 400-crore water tanker scandal in the Delhi government.
He said he saw Kejriwal take Rs 2 crore from health minister Satyendra Jain and demanded to know what the money was for. “When I asked Kejriwal what is this for, he refused to answer and said such things happen in politics and he will explain to me later,” he said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Emmanuel Macron Becomes France’s Youngest President
Pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron won France’s landmark presidential election, first estimates showed on Sunday, heading off a fierce challenge from the far-right in a pivotal vote for the future of the divided country and Europe.
Far-right National Front must be relaunched, Marine Le Pen said after conceding defeat to centrist Emmanuel Macron in France’s presidential election .
In a short statement, Le Pen said she had called Macron to wish him “success” in tackling the “huge challenges” he faced and announced that she would lead the FN into June’s legislative elections.
Macron said his victory in Sunday’s election represented “hope” and a “new chapter” for France.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. After UP & Haryana, MP Cracks Down on Illegal Slaughterhouses
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced that all illegal slaughter houses in the state will be shut down. Madhya Pradesh becomes the third BJP-ruled state after Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to ban illegal slaughterhouses.
Chouhan made the announcement at a religious function at a Jain pilgrimage site at Mohan Kheda in Dhar district, 264 km from Bhopal.
The CM’s announcement followed Jain saint Rishabhchandra Vijay lauding him and expecting him to issue an order to shut down illegal slaughter houses in the state once he reaches Bhopal.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia in his address said not only illegal abattoirs, all the mechanised slaughter houses should be shut down in the state.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Lashkar-E-Taiba Terrorists Give Gun Salute to Slain Ultra in J&K
Four Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists fired volleys from their automatic rifles into the air to pay “respect” to slain ultra Fayaz Ahmed Ashwar, from Reshipora in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, during his funeral on Sunday.
It's rare for terrorists to be present for the funeral of their dead cohorts, and rarer for them to expose themselves by publicly displaying such support. According to police, Fayaz was a member of Hizbul Mujahideen, who was killed in a retaliatory fire by police. A hand grenade and ammunition were recovered from him.
“The Hizbul militant was active for the last two years and involved in many subversive activities,” police said. “He was active in his area and motivated youth to join militant ranks. He used to provide logistic support for safe passage of militants and their associates,” police said.
(Source: Times of India)
5. Tail of Jet Airways Flight Hits Another Plane at Delhi Airport
Disaster was averted at the IGI airport on Sunday when the tail of a Jet Airways flight 9W603, bound for Srinagar, hit the wings of another Jet Airways aircraft bound for Patna, when the flights were preparing for take-off.
No casualties were reported. Both sets of crew have been de-rostered by the airlines. The incident occurred at around 2:48 pm on Sunday afternoon. Sources say the two planes were taxing for runway 29, when the tail of the Srinagar-bound flight hit the Patna-bound aircraft.
"Two Jet Airways flights – 9W603 from Delhi to Srinagar and 9W730 from Delhi to Patna – were involved in a ground incident during taxi while preparing for departure from IGI Airport on May 07, 2017. All guests and crew on board both aircraft are safe and are being taken to the terminal for re-accommodation on subsequent flights," a Jet Airways spokesperson said.
(Source: Times of India)
6. Attack by Cow Vigilantes: 3rd Accused Held
A 40-year-old man was arrested from Jewar village on Sunday for allegedly thrashing two farmers, who were returning home with a cow and a calf on Thursday afternoon, in Greater Noida. This is the third arrest in the case.
The uncle-nephew duo, Bhoop and Jabar Singh, were assaulted on Thursday afternoon by a group of cow vigilantes in Jewar. Ashok (40), the third accused, was arrested from his home in Jewar, police said. He had been at large since the incident was reported on Thursday. Earlier on Saturday, police arrested two people in the case – Gaurav and Mahesh.
Bhoop and Jabar Singh were returning with a cow and a calf, gifted by a Muslim friend, from Mehndipur to Sirsa Khadar on Thursday afternoon when a group of men, accused them of being cattle smugglers, and allegedly thrashed them.
The two men were dragged 1.5km to Jewar police station and handed over to cops.
(Source: Times of India)
7. India to Send Team for Champions Trophy
In a climbdown from its earlier stand, the BCCI on Sunday suspended hostilities with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over revenue sharing and cleared India’s participation in the Champions Trophy next month. The squad for the eight-team tournament in England will be picked on Monday.
The decision came a day after the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) met BCCI members and asked them to be “prudent” while taking decisions at the general body meeting.
“The BCCI SGM unanimously decided that the Indian cricket team will participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. The All-India Senior Selection Meeting will be held tomorrow, May 8, in New Delhi to pick the team,” said a statement released by BCCI after the Special General Meeting in Delhi on Sunday.
(Source: Indian Express)
8. Oil Ministry to Its PSUs: Give Details of Perks, Foreign Trips of Officials
Tightening the screws on state-run companies, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is examining their spending on fringe benefits, such as perks, facilities and foreign travel, for senior officials of public sector undertakings in the oil and gas sector.
In a letter dated 14 March, Pradhan’s ministry asked all PSUs to submit a report on the perks and facilities being provided to board-level directors, highlighting their monetary implications on the company’s balance sheet and red-flagging if they did not fall within official guidelines.
Pradhan’s move follows complaints received from the Central Vigilance Commission and the Cabinet Secretariat, which indicated that PSUs under his ministry were handing out a number of such benefits to their directors — some of these perks are said to be beyond norms prescribed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).
(Source: Indian Express)
9. Cash Use Back in Vogue Despite E-Payment Push
Cash transactions are back in vogue despite the government’s push for a less-cash economy post-demonetisation, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on ATM cash withdrawals indicate.
Withdrawals from ATMs in March this year stood at 2,259 billion – 0.6 percent more than what people withdrew in the same month last year. This rate of growth is much lower than that in the corresponding period in the previous year – an increase of 11.4 percent for March 2016 as compared to March 2015.
But this could be attributed to many ATMs being reported either dysfunctional or short of cash even four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 8 November announcement to recall the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Besides, it was only on 13 March that the RBI lifted all cash withdrawal limits.
“March trends show that people are getting back to their old habit of using cash and the withdrawals have touched the same level despite restrictions and inadequate cash supply,” economist Nirupama Soundararajan of Pahle India Foundation told HT.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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