The Morning Standard - April 18, 2025

In this issue

April 18, 2025

JNU professor sacked 'without benefits' for sexually harassing Japanese embassy official

A Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor has been dismissed for alleged sexual harassment of Japanese embassy official, according to the university.

1 min

Govt promises status quo on waqfs, buys time from bench

Supreme Court sets May 5 for next hearing, possible interim order on the Act

2 mins

PM Bats For Holistic Plan To Clean Yamuna

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the efforts to clean and rejuvenate the Yamuna river at a meeting attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

1 min

Sacked WB teachers get an extension

IN a partial relief to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Thursday extended till this year-end the services of terminated teachers found untainted by the CBI in the recruitment scam.

1 min

India Rubbishes K-Claim By Pakistan Army Chief

INDIA on Thursday firmly rejected Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir's statement calling Kashmir the country's \"jugular vein\", dismissing it as baseless and asserting that Pakistan's only connection to the region is its illegal occupation, which it must end.

1 min

'Nuclear missile': V-P swipe on SC timeline for Prez

IN a stunning broadside on the judiciary, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday chided the Supreme Court for setting timelines for the President to decide on Bills referred by the Governor.

1 min

38-Yr-Old Held for Hoax Bomb Calls to Red Fort

A 38-year-old man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax bomb call to Red Fort and Jama Masjid.

1 min

UG Students at IIT-Delhi Secure 850 Unique Offers, Highest in 3 Years: Officials

UNDERGRADUATE (UG) students at IIT Delhi have secured to date around 850 unique offers.

1 min

19-Yr-Old Arrested From Karnal For Murdering Woman In GTB Enclave

A 19-year-old man was arrested from Haryana's Karnal area for allegedly killing a woman in east Delhi's GTB Enclave area after the latter refused to end her association with another person, police said on Thursday.

1 min

Garbage mounds to disappear: Govt

14 to 15 lakh metric tonnes of waste at Ghazipur have already been processed, says Sirsa

2 mins

Mounting debt, BTech graduate goes on stealing spree at hospitals

Accused unemployed since lockdown, say cops

2 mins

Govt makes U-turn on April spending cap amid backlash

THE Delhi government on Thursday withdrew its earlier order that had capped departmental spending for April at 5 per cent of the total 2025-26 budget estimates.

1 min

MCD Says Will Clean 800 Drains to Remove Silt Before Monsoon Season

AIMING to ensure smooth flow of rain water during the monsoon season, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has claimed to intensify its measures to clean the drains.

1 min

Metro trial runs continue between Majlis Park and Jagatpur village in phase 4

DELHI Metro's construction work for the priority corridors of Phase 4 is making steady progress.

1 min

Politically motivated, says Pathak as BJP ups attack

Following the CBI raid at former AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak's residence, the BJP and AAP engaged in a war of words over the agency action.

1 min

HC notice on reviving case over dismissal of law officers

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought replies from top officials of the city government in connection with a petition calling for the revival of contempt proceedings linked to the sacking of ad-hoc legal officers in the prisons.

1 min

Jain Plea Against BJP MLA in Court on Apr 23

A Delhi court is expected to decide on April 23 whether to take cognisance of a criminal defamation complaint filed by AAP leader Satyendra Jain against newly-elected BJP legislator Karnail Singh.

1 min

Weekend rain, storm may bring respite from heat

THE capital continued to reel under hot conditions on Thursday, with maximum temperatures hovering above 40°C across most parts of the city.

1 min

Househelp Found Dead at Employer's Vasant Kunj Home

Her age yet to be ascertained: Police

1 min

7-member SIT to probe sexual assault of flight attendant at Medanta

The Gurugram police on Thursday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged sexual assault on a flight attendant who was on a ventilator in Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, officials said.

1 min

Pathak Booked in AAP Foreign Donation Case

CBI raids premises in national capital linked to former AAP legislator on MHA complaint on violations of FCRA norms

3 mins

Uproar after DU prof 'asked' to submit text of US varsity talk

A day after Delhi University's senior faculty member Apoorvanand Jha, who was to participate in an academic event at The New School in New York, was denied permission to travel, the professor on Thursday was yet again asked by the office of Registrar to submit the text of the speech he was to deliver at the US seminar.

1 min

RCB takes Uber to HC for trademark dig in IPL ad featuring Travis Head

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has moved the Delhi High Court against ride aggregator platform Uber over an IPL-themed advertisement that the franchise claims disparages its trademark.

1 min

JNUSU polls: ABVP disrupts election process amid cracks in Left alliance

THE Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), the student organisation which had secured a central panel seat in the JNU students' union last year joined hands with two other Leftist student bodies on the campus - the SFI and PSA — on Thursday while the AISA forged an alliance with the DSF.

1 min

Former CM Naveen all set to be elected as BJD chief for 9th term

NAVEEN Patnaik is all set to be elected as the president of BJD for the ninth consecutive term.

1 min

Prime Minister to Commission Vizhinjam Port on May 2

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Vizhinjam International Port on May 2.

1 min

Political slugfest over cow deaths

Leaders face off over 'negligence' at goshala, operated by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

2 mins

World's tallest Muruga statue to be installed in TN

IN a move that may evoke both support and dissent, the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE), PK Sekarbabu on Thursday announced the plan to install three statues for Lord Muruga, including an 184-foot-tall one at Marudhamalai in Coimbatore, which will be the world's biggest.

1 min

Book Ponmudy for 'hate speech' before Apr 23: HC

SLAMMING Minister for Forests K Ponmudy for his \"derogatory\" speech against Hindu religious sects, the Madras High Court on Thursday instructed the Tamil Nadu police to register an FIR against him for the \"hate speech\" and inform the court by April 23.

1 min

K'taka Govt Goes Hi-Tech, Using AI to Make Govt Orders Available to Public

SOON, people seeking Government Orders, notifications and circulars for information on various services and schemes can get them all within a few clicks.

1 min

K'taka cabinet meet discusses caste census report

THE special cabinet meeting that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convened to discuss the Socio-economic and Educational Survey-2015 (SES-2015) report, popularly known as Caste Census, remained inconclusive as no decisions were arrived at.

1 min

Gadkari Launches 19 Projects Worth Over ₹4K Cr in Odisha

UNION minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asserted that the road infrastructure in Odisha will be on par with those in the US soon.

1 min

Time For Indian Consumers To Unite And Assert

Consumers rarely come together to claim their rights. The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat offers an example of such mobilisation that has worked for decades

3 mins

Need Precise Data for Effective Sharing of SC Sub-Group Benefits

The Congress government in Telangana hit two birds with its notification classifying the sub-groups among Scheduled Castes for extending reservation benefits to the poorest.

1 min

Umeed Or Unmaking Of Minorities?

“The past holds us together; why should the present or the future divide us in spirit?” — Jawaharlal Nehru, convocation address at Aligarh Muslim University, January 24, 1948

3 mins

Dawoodi Bohra Leaders Meet Modi Over Waqf Act, Say Key Demands Fulfilled

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Thursday with a delegation of leaders from the Dawoodi Bohra community, who conveyed their gratitude to him for the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

1 min

India, China Likely to Resume Direct Flights, Kailash Yatra

DIRECT flights between India and China may resume soon as both countries are actively working on the necessary technical arrangements to restart the operations.

1 min

Develop swift response protocols for road accident victims, says SC

OBSERVING that road accident victims are on the rise, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed states and union territories to develop swift response protocols so that the accident victims get help at the right time.

1 min

Aadhaar authentication must to mark attendance from May 1, says NMC

To leverage the latest technology and make the attendance process user friendly, the National Medical Commission announced that they have decided to fully shift to face-based Aadhaar authentication for marking attendance.

1 min

Oppn praises SC stand, says legal battle against Waqf Act will continue

THE Opposition, including Congress, on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision of temporarily suspending the key provisions of the Waqf Act, asserting that legal battle against the unconstitutional legislation will continue.

1 min

At WAVES, startups will get a chance to make direct pitch to investors

SELECTED media and entertainment sector startups participating in live pitch session—WaveX (an initiative to provide funding and exposure), a segment of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), will get exclusive entry to phase second of Shark Tank, a business reality television series.

1 min

'Urdu, like Hindi, an Indo-Aryan language'

Dismissing a plea on Urdu signage, SC says 'language is yardstick to measure civilisational march of a community'

3 mins

New textbook titles rooted in Indian culture, knowledge systems: NCERT

FACING criticism for renaming new textbooks in Hindi, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Thursday said the books have been \"thoughtfully named to convey rootedness in India's culture and knowledge systems.\"

1 min

Tejashwi named GA coordination committee chief

THE first crucial meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections slated for later this year concluded with the setting up of a coordination committee for its alliance partners helmed by RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

1 min

Cops on toes after bomb threats to chief secy in HP

THE Himachal Pradesh police have been on high alert after the offices of the Mandi Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena received bomb threats via mail on Wednesday.

1 min

Amid Gujarat BJP Top Deck Rejig Buzz, Key Meet in Delhi

Political temperature spiked Thursday over the possibility of a new BJP chief in Gujarat after a high-stakes meeting of the BJP's top leadership at the Prime Minister's residence in Delhi strategised the party's upcoming organisational elections.

1 min

Mamata Urges Guv Not To Visit Riot-Hit Murshidabad

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not see eye to eye on Thursday regarding the former's proposed visit to riot-hit Murshidabad.

1 min

Sharia over Constitution: BJP stir against minister

JHARKHAND Minority Welfare Minister Hafizul Hasan caused a stir when he told a news channel on Monday, \"For me, Sharia is more important. We (Muslims) keep the Quran in our chest and the Constitution in our hands. Okay! So, we will first hold the Sharia and then the Constitution.\"

1 min

Record procurement forces C'garh to auction surplus paddy, Oppn peeved

THE Chhattisgarh government on Thursday began the process of e-auction of surplus paddy after a record procurement of over 149 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) on the MSP in the kharif marketing year 2024-25.

1 min

Army jawan arrested for training accused in attack on Punjab YouTuber home

AN Army jawan has been arrested for allegedly training the accused who lobbed a hand grenade at the residence of a Jalandhar-based YouTuber last month, police said on Thursday.

1 min

Probe into mystery death of firebrand MP Cong leader reopened after 28 yrs

MORE than 28 years after firebrand Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress leader Sarla Mishra's \"suicidal\" death at her house in Bhopal, a judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) court in Bhopal has ordered the police to reinvestigate the case while observing that earlier investigations appeared to have been incomplete.

1 min

Golconda Blue Gem With Royal Links To Be Auctioned

A rare 'Golconda Blue' diamond with its rich royal history tracing back to the Holkar dynasty is set for a 'once in a lifetime' grand appearance on the auction circuit as it goes under the hammer in Christie's 'Magnificent Jewels' sale in Geneva next month.

1 min

Federal Reserve Chair Powell under Don fire

PRESIDENT Donald Trump slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday, reiterating his frustration that the Fed has not aggressively cut interest rates and saying that the central bank leader's \"termination cannot come fast enough\".

1 min

Google's Digital Ad Network Declared Illegal Monopoly

GOOGLE has been branded an abusive monopolist by a federal judge for the second time in less than a year, this time for illegally exploiting some of its online marketing technology to boost the profits fueling an internet empire currently worth USD 1.8 trillion.

1 min

Russia's Supreme Court suspends ban on Taliban

RUSSIA'S Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the over two decades old ban on Afghanistan's ruling, paving the way for the establishment of full-fledged relations between Moscow and Kabul.

1 min

Overnight Israeli strike kills family of 10 in Gaza

ISRAELI strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday killed at least 23 people, including a family of 10, local health officials said.

1 min

Harvard's foreign intake on cross hairs

THE Donald Trump administration has threatened to revoke Harvard University's eligibility to enroll international students if it doesn't submit detailed records of the 'illegal and violent activities' of its foreign students.

1 min

Talks between Iran, US enter very crucial stage: UN nuclear watchdog

TALKS between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme are 'in a very crucial' stage, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said Thursday while on a visit to the Islamic Republic.

1 min

In working-level communication with US over tariffs, says China

CHINA on Thursday said it is in 'working-level communication' with the US on the deadlock over their high-intensity tariff war but asserted that the person who 'tied the bell' should untie it.

1 min

Salil Parekh to receive ESOPs worth ₹52 cr

INFOSYS has granted employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) worth ₹51.75 crore to its CEO and MD Salil Parekh in FY25.

1 min

Economy: At 4.6%, FY25 Inflation Lowest Since 2018-19

The finance ministry on Thursday said the government's strategic interventions have been pivotal in achieving lower retail inflation, which was at a 6-year low in FY25.

1 min

Adani Ports to acquire Aus terminal for $2.4 bn

ADANI Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ), India's biggest private port operator, announced on Thursday a $2.4 billion non-cash acquisition of a coal export terminal in Australia from a group company.

1 min

Infy profit down 12%, misses estimates

THE country's second-largest IT services firm Infosys on Thursday missed Street estimates and reported an 11.7% fall in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March 2025 at ₹7,033 crore as against ₹7,969 crore in the year-ago period.

2 mins

ITC to acquire maker of 24 Mantra Organic products for ₹472 crore

ITC Limited will acquire 100% stake in Sresta Natural Bioproducts Private Limited (SNBPL), a manufacturer of organic packaged food products under the '24 Mantra Organic' brand, for a total consideration of ₹472.50 crore, the Kolkata-headquartered FMCG major said in a press statement.

1 min

Hindustan Unilever assures HC to remove disparaging ads targeting rival Mamaearth

HINDUSTAN Unilever (HUL) assured the Delhi High Court on Thursday to remove from its advertisements for Lakme sunscreen, the alleged disparaging references to competitor Honasa Consumer Ltd's The Derma Co sunscreen.

1 min

Markets gain over 6% in 4 sessions

Investors gain ₹18 lakh crore this week as m-cap surged from ₹401.67 crore to ₹419.60 crore

2 mins

Retail market participation amid global crisis shows strong fundamentals: FM

FINANCE minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the massive surge in retail participation in the Indian equity markets amid global uncertainties is a reflection of the country's strong economic fundamentals.

1 min

Will not allow commercial interest to trump public interest, says Sebi chief

SEBI chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Thursday said the regulator will not let commercial interest trump general public interest in deciding on the share sale plans of country's largest equity bourse, NSE.

1 min

Check Mate: New Dimension In Bats

Over the last five days or so, the on-field umpires have administered a bat gauge test to examine if the willow carried by the batter clears guidelines according to the Indian Premier League 2025 Playing Conditions.

1 min

Sourav overcomes Pankaj Advani, crowned world champ

ACE Indian cueist Sourav Kothari clinched the 2025 IBSF World Billiards title after an emphatic victory over multiple-time winner Pankaj Advani in the final in Carlow, Ireland.

1 min

Assistant coach Nayar 'shown the door', Team to get new trainer, fielding coach

IN what could be termed as the first major casualty since India's Test debacle at home (0-3 loss against New Zealand) and away (1-3 defeat against hosts Australia), the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has apparently terminated the contract of assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

2 mins

Slow but steady Mumbai feel at home vs SRH

MI bowlers make hay on sluggish wicket, restrict Sunrisers to just 162; batters make sure no hiccup during chase

3 mins

Inter Milan can dream of treble glory again

INTER Milan's treble dream is alive and kicking after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday thanks to a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, as the Serie A giants won a pulsating last-8 tie 4-3 on aggregate.

1 min

Arteta's Arsenal Come of Age With Madrid Masterclass

MIKEL Arteta's Arsenal side came of age as they dethroned Champions League kings Real Madrid with ease to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.

2 mins

SARIS IN THE SUN

Malvika Singh is a cultural historian and publisher of Seminar magazine. Her recently published book, Saris of Memory, which includes the saris of Indira Gandhi, also covers over 40 years of relationships with master textile artists and patrons of modern India. Additionally, it's a window into her private domain.

4 mins

Into a Vivid Maze of Adventure

Are You Game?

2 mins

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