Live | Modi addresses nation, says Indian women will never forget who denied them their rights

Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday (April 18) to deliver the first three of a 10 billion Australian dollar (USD 6.5 billion) fleet of Japanese-designed warships, with the first due for delivery in three years.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the first three Mogami-class frigates in Japan. Australia plans to build another eight in a shipyard in Western Australia.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles attended a signing ceremony aboard the Mogami-class frigate JS Kumano, which is part of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, docked off the Australian city of Melbourne.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Saturday (April 18), concluding the Budget session that began on January 28.

Chairman CP Radhakrishnan said that the House functioned for 157 hours and 40 minutes, achieving a productivity of around 110 per cent during the session. He said that during the special three-day sitting of the House from April 16 to 18, it elected Harivansh as the Deputy Chairman.

The budgetary allocations approved, the policies endorsed, and the priorities affirmed during this session, which have a direct bearing on the life of every citizen of Bharat, he said.

Radhakrishnan said the session commenced with the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address spanning over four days, during which 79 Members of this House participated with effusive energy and earnestness.

"Overall, the House functioned for a total of 157 hours and 40 minutes. The productivity of this session stood at 109.87 per cent. During the session, we had the opportunity to raise 117 questions, 446 zero-hour submissions and 207 special mentions.”

German hard rock band Scorpions, known for hit tracks such as "Wind of Change" and "Blackout”, has cancelled its shows in India due to “unforeseen medical circumstances affecting the band members".

The band, which was founded in Hanover in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, was set to perform in Shillong on April 21 at JN Stadium, followed by stops at Delhi-NCR on April 24 at HUDA Grounds, Bengaluru on April 26 at NICE Grounds, and Mumbai on April 30 at Jio Gardens, BKC. The "Coming Home" India Tour was produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.

The organisers shared an Instagram post announcing the cancellation of the shows on Saturday (April 18).

"We regret to inform you that the Scorpions 'Coming Home' India Tour scheduled in Shillong on April 21st, Delhi-NCR on April 24th, Bengaluru on April 26^th, and Mumbai on April 30th, stands cancelled due to unforeseen medical circumstances affecting the band members. We apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused to fans. The band are very keen to perform in India when possible and within their schedule. All the tickets purchased on bookmyshow will be automatically refunded within 7-10 working days," it added.

The Scorpions last performed in India during the 2000s, touring the country as part of their "Acoustica Live Tour" in August 2001 with a concert in Bengaluru, and later during the "Humanity World Tour" in December 2007, when they played shows in Shillong, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

The Gagan Thapa-led faction has been recognised as the official Nepali Congress by the Supreme Court, dealing a blow to Sher Bahadur Deuba. A division bench of Justices Saranga Subedi and Nripa Dhwoj Niroula on Friday (April 17) ruled in favour of the Election Commission’s (EC) recognition of the current Central Working Committee (CWC) led by Thapa, myRepublica newspaper reported.

Thapa, 49, was elected as the Nepali Congress president in a special general convention from January 11 to 14 in Kathmandu, which was challenged by the Deuba-led faction. Former prime minister Deuba and party’s acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka had challenged the EC’s decision as well as the validity of the special general convention, arguing that the recognition of the Thapa-led leadership was unconstitutional, unlawful, and contrary to the party statute.

The Deuba faction later moved the Supreme Court on January 18.

With the verdict, the SC dismissed their petitions, effectively affirming the legitimacy of both the EC’s decision and the leadership structure emerging from the special general convention.

On March 19, Thapa had submitted his resignation as president of the Nepali Congress after the party's defeat in the recently-held general elections. However, his resignation was rejected by the CWC and he has since continued to lead the party.

The Nepali Congress (NC) secured just 38 seats in the 275-member Lower House known as the Pratinidhi Sabha. Thapa, who was projected as the NC's prime ministerial candidate, also lost from Dhanusha-4 constituency.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the Congress party blocking the Women's Reservation Bill had denied India a "historic step towards women's empowerment”.

A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislative bodies in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday (April 17) in the Lower House of Parliament. The bill intended to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

A key ally of the NDA government at the Centre, Naidu observed that it was not just political obstruction but "betrayal of millions of women" who deserved equal voice and rightful representation in the Parliament. "The nation will remember," Naidu added.

Further, the NDA ally highlighted that by defeating the delimitation and constitutional amendment bill (women's reservation bill), the opposition parties have done a "great disservice to the nation”.

"With the freeze under Article 81 set to end after the first census conducted post 2026, the forthcoming census exercise will reset seat distribution purely on population, potentially leading to a steep decline in representation for Southern, North-Eastern, and smaller states," said Naidu.

According to Naidu, NDA's proposal was a "sincere effort" to preserve federal balance, protect the voice of Southern, North-Eastern, and smaller states, and ensure 33 per cent representation for women.

Meanwhile, Janasena founder and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said a great opportunity to increase women's power in legislative bodies was missed by the opposition parties.

"Had the opposition parties approved the women's reservation bill, then they (women) would have got respect," said the actor-politician in a press release. Had this bill been approved, all the women in India would have been happy, he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday (April 18) said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states. Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states, and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.

"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.

The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.

"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.

A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday (April 17) in the Lower House. While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.

The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday (April 18).

The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday (April 17), a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.

As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.

"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.

Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has said the fire he ignited over the delimitation exercise issue has "scorched" Delhi's arrogance, dealing a "severe blow" to the BJP and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was perhaps the first defeat faced by Modi in his twelve years in office, Stalin claimed, and said the "massive defeat" was just the beginning, and that total annihilation would follow in the April 23 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.

"With the responsibility of chief minister of Tamil Nadu, given to me by you (people), the fire ignited by Stalin has 'scorched' Delhi's arrogance. Our struggle (against delimitation) succeeded. Black shirt force has defeated the saffron brigade," Stalin said on Friday (April 17), reacting to the defeat of the delimitation bill in Parliament.

Addressing a poll rally in Dindigul in support of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance candidates, Stalin, who is the president of the DMK, said this was also "a massive pre-poll defeat for AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

"They (BJP) thought that we would be lethargic if the delimitation bill was brought during elections. But Tamil Nadu is always vigilant. It is Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin who is in Tamil Nadu," he said, and added that the BJP's defeat will start from TN.

"This is the first blow to the saffron party. At least from now onwards, don't provoke Tamil Nadu. You will not be able to bear it (if we retaliate),” Stalin added.

On the criticism to black flag protest, he asked, "Did we not bang them? This is not sufficient for them. Ensure total defeat of the BJP and its 'slave' Palaniswami on April 23. This will be the real blow."

He said this was not an ordinary defeat, but one that would be remembered in history even after 100 years.

At a poll campaign in Theni, Stalin said the bill's defeat in Parliament was just a "trailer." "More victories will follow us. We will win over 200 seats," he said.