Feb 20 News Live: RSS' defamation case: Rahul Gandhi to appear before Bhiwandi court

Tension in Jyotirmath over offering of namaz in govt building, authorities meet community leaders

Authorities in Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand held a meeting with community members, amid simmering tension after a video of namaz being offered in an under-construction government building surfaced on social media.

The municipality on Thursday withdrew the verbal permission given for offering namaz in the building and locked it. Jyotirmath Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chandrashekhar Vashisht told reporters that a meeting was held on Thursday with members of both communities as a precautionary measure for peace.

He said police have been instructed to keep a vigil on elements that may disrupt the atmosphere. Some Hindu outfits met the district magistrate and superintendent of police on the issue and demanded an investigation.

At the heart of the controversy is a video in which some people are seen offering namaz in an under-construction table tennis court in the Meat Bazaar area of ​​Jyotirmath municipality.

Amit Shah to launch second phase of Vibrant Villages Programme in Assam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will on Friday launch the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), which will cover 1,954 border villages in 15 states and two Union territories.

Designed to ensure comprehensive and sustainable development of border villages, the VVP-II will be a centrally-funded scheme with an outlay of Rs 6,839 crore up to financial year 2028-29, a government statement issued on Thursday said.

Shah will launch the programme from Nathanpur in Cachar, Assam. "Tomorrow, will launch Vibrant Village Program-II (VVP-2) in Assam. VVP realised Modi Ji's vision for the development of the first villages of India," he said in a post on X on Thursday. He said VVP pivoted all facilities to border villages available in other parts of the nation.

"It checked migration from border villages, made them thriving centres of habitation, bolstering border security manifold. VVP-II will fortify more borders by extending these benefits to a wider range of villages," the home minister said.

The programme focuses on improving essential infrastructure, enhancing access to basic services, and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, thereby fostering secure, resilient and prosperous border communities in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, the statement said.

6-year-old killed as e-rickshaw overturns in Delhi's Janakpuri

A six-year-old girl was killed while her grandmother sustained injuries after the e-rickshaw in which they were travelling collided with a car and overturned in west Delhi's Janakpuri area, an official said on Thursday.

Speaking to PTI, the grandmother recalled the horror, saying they had just begun their routine journey to school when tragedy struck.

"I had boarded the e-rickshaw with my granddaughter and we were on our way to her school. It was an ordinary morning. Suddenly, a speeding car rammed into our rickshaw with tremendous force. Before I could understand what had happened, I was thrown onto the road," she said.

Her voice trembled as she described the scene. "When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the ground. My granddaughter was lying beside me. My hand was soaked in blood. I was in shock and pain, but all I could think about was her," she told PTI.

The grandmother said she saw the girl bleeding profusely. "I begged a car driver, who was standing there watching us, to help and take the child to the hospital. Instead of helping, he ran away. I don't remember if it was the same car which hit us," she alleged, breaking down.

New Trump administration order could lead to detention of thousands of legal refugees

The Trump administration has issued a sweeping new order that could lead to the arrest of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the United States but do not yet have permanent residency, overturning years of legal and immigration safeguards.

A memo filed by the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Thursday federal court hearing in Minnesota says refugees applying for green cards must return to federal custody one year after they were admitted to the US for review of their applications.

DHS “may maintain custody for the duration of the inspection and examination process,” said the memo, which was filed Wednesday.

Advocacy and resettlement groups slammed the order, which will likely face legal challenges and could sow confusion and fear among the nearly 200,000 refugees who came to the United States during the Biden administration.

The order is the latest in a series of immigration restrictions by the Trump administration, which has upended longstanding policies toward refugees, including dramatically reducing the number admitted into the country. A memo obtained by The Associated Press late last year said the administration was planning a review of all refugees admitted to the US during the Biden administration, and immediately suspended green card approvals for refugees who arrived during those years.

The administration has cited national security and economic concerns for its changed policies. Experts say refugees let into the country already undergo extensive vetting.

Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian-American, officials say

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian-American during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry and a witness said Thursday.

Raed Abu Ali, a resident of Mukhmas, said a group of settlers came to the village Wednesday afternoon where they attacked a farmer, prompting clashes after residents intervened. Israeli forces later arrived, and during the violence armed settlers killed 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam and injured several others.

Abu Ali said that the army shot tear gas, sound grenades and live ammunition. Israel's military acknowledged using what it called “riot dispersal methods” after receiving reports of Palestinians throwing rocks but denied that its forces fired during the clashes. “When the settlers saw the army, they were encouraged and started shooting live bullets,” Abu Ali said. He added that they clubbed those injured with sticks after they had fallen to the ground.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed Abu Siyam's death from critical wounds sustained Wednesday afternoon near the village east of Ramallah. Abu Siyam's killing is the latest in a surge in violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank, which killed 240 people last year, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Seventeen Israelis were killed over the same period. The Palestinian Authority's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Abu Siyam was the first Palestinian killed by settlers in 2026.

US pays about USD 160 million of nearly USD 4 billion it owes to UN

The United States has paid about USD 160 million of the nearly USD 4 billion it owes the United Nations, the UN said Thursday, and President Donald Trump promised more money to the financially strapped world organization.

The Trump administration's payment last week is earmarked for the UN's regular operating budget, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told The Associated Press. The UN has said the United States owes USD 2.19 billion to its regular budget, including USD 767 million for this year, as well as USD 1.8 billion to a separate budget for the far-flung UN peacekeeping operations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned late last month that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States.

He said in a letter to all member nations that cash for the regular budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect UN operations. UN officials have said 95 per cent of the overdue payments to the U.N.'s regular budget is from the United States.

Trump renews claim he ‘stopped’ India-Pak war, adds: ‘11 costly jets shot down’

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his claim of mediating between India and Pakistan during a military standoff in May, 2025. New Delhi has, on multiple occasions, rejected any third-party mediation in the matter. 

Speaking at his Board of Peace event, Trump once again brought back his claim of planes being shot down, alleging that “11 jets were shot down.” This claim has also been strongly denied by India. "When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don't want to fight...11 jets were shot down. Very expensive jets..." the US President said during the event. 

Trump has, over recent months, alleged more than 80 times that he halted the India-Pakistan conflict. He has further, at different times, given different numbers for his remarks on jets being shot down.

Earlier this month, the US President claimed that the number of jets shot down in the military standoff was 10. In his initial claim made last year, he mentioned of five jets falling during the war. The number increased to seven jets in August, and to eight jets in November, followed by 10 and latest 11.