Feb 26 News Live: Rahul Gandhi alleges US pressure on PM over trade deal

Two people killed in hit-and-run accident in Kerala

Two people died after the scooter they were travelling on was hit by an unidentified vehicle at Muvattupuzha here, police said on Thursday.

The deceased were identified as Muthu Raju (29) of Palanimedu in Chamarajanagar district and Sharavana D (24) of Periyapatna in Mysuru district, Karnataka.

According to police, Raju was working as a crane operator here.

The accident occurred at around 11.15 pm on Wednesday.

The FIR stated that the two were travelling on a scooter when an unidentified vehicle hit them at Pallithazham here.

Locals found the duo lying on the road and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead, police said.

Muvattupuzha police on Thursday registered a case and began an investigation to trace the vehicle involved in the accident, officials said.

The bodies will be handed over to their relatives after the postmortem examination, police added.

Delhi min temp 12.6 deg Celsius; air 'poor'

The national capital on Thursday recorded a minimum temperature of 12.6 degrees Celsius, 0.1 notch above the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 31 degrees Celsius.

Relative humidity was recorded at 86 per cent at 8:30 am.

The air quality was recorded in the "poor" category at 9 am on Thursday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 201, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.

Canada says 'India no longer linked to violent crimes in the country'

In a marked change of tone, Canada’s federal government now says it does not believe India is currently connected to violent crimes on Canadian soil. The shift was conveyed by a senior official during a media briefing ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s nine-day trip to Mumbai and New Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we're confident that that activity is not continuing," the official said. Another added, "I really don't think we'd be taking this trip if we thought these kinds of activities were continuing." as quoted by ANI.

Relations had plunged after the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Justin Trudeau later cited "credible" intelligence linking Indian agents to the death, a charge India denied. The fallout saw diplomats expelled and investigations widened.

Former adviser Jody Thomas said security concerns remain "a live issue." Meanwhile, both sides plan deeper cooperation, including liaison officers for criminal probes.

India slams Pakistan at UNHRC over J&K claims

At the High-Level Segment of the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Indian envoy Anupama Singh sharply criticised Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation over what she described as “envious” allegations concerning Jammu and Kashmir. The specific remarks from Islamabad and the OIC were not immediately available, but Singh said Pakistan’s “propaganda reeks of envy” and that India had no “desire to dignify it, but will make a few points to dismantle it with facts."

“Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of wishful rhetoric or audacious propaganda by Pakistan can alter the immutable fact that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was completely legal and irrevocable, in accordance with the Indian Independence Act of 1947 and international law,” she said as quoted by the Hindustan Times. 

Calling Pakistan’s position detached from reality, she remarked that Islamabad must be living in “La-La Land” if it dismisses the region’s development and electoral participation.

2 Naxalites gunned down in encounter with cops in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said.

The exchange of fire broke out in a forest along the Indravati river in the morning when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said.

After guns fell silent, bodies of two Naxalites, clad in uniform, along with a Self-Loading Rifle, an Insas rifle and a 12-bore rifle were recovered from the spot, he said.

Search operation was still underway, he added.

With this action, at least 25 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in the state so far this year.

Earlier, 14 Maoists were gunned down in two encounters on January 3 in the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Bijapur.

Last year, 285 Maoists were killed in various encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh.

The Centre has set a deadline of March 31 this year to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism from the country. 

Saudi bans poultry imports from 40 countries including India

Saudi Arabia has banned poultry imports from 40 countries, including India, amid health concerns due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), local media reported. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) said the ban is temporary.

Hong Kong court quashes fraud conviction of ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai

A Hong Kong appellate court on Thursday quashed fraud convictions against onetime media magnate Jimmy Lai, a rare victory in the prominent activist's legal battles.

Lai, 78, an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, will stay in prison because he was sentenced to 20 years weeks ago after being convicted in another case brought under a China-imposed national security law.

That came more than five years after he was arrested under the law, which was used in a yearslong crackdown on many of Hong Kong's leading activists.

His plight has evoked grief over the city's loss of press freedom and sparked an international outcry, though the city's authorities insist his case had nothing to do with media independence.

The conviction that was overturned Thursday was from a earlier fraud case in which prosecutors alleged that a consultancy firm controlled by Lai had used office space that his media business rented for publication and printing purposes.

Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of two fraud charges.

North Korea warns it could destroy South if threatened, but leaves door open for US dialogue

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul, state media said Thursday. However, he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five years.

State media said that Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nuclear-armed military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, targeting South Korea.

He said the accelerated development of his nuclear and missile program “permanently cemented” the country's status as a nuclear weapons state, and called for the United States to discard what he perceives as “hostile" policies toward the North as a precondition for resuming long-stalled dialogue.

The Workers' Party congress, which began last Thursday in Pyongyang, comes as Kim carves out a more forceful regional presence, leveraging his expanding military nuclear program and a growing alignment with Moscow that have deepened his standoffs with Washington and Seoul.

The official Korean Central News Agency said the North staged a military parade at the capital city on Wednesday as it wrapped up the congress, which Kim previously held in 2016 and 2021.

Hebrew University thanks PM Modi for his 'courageous' words

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "courageous words" delivered in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), emphasising that it translates "diplomatic milestones into deep academic collaborations." "Thank you, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, for the warm and courageous words you delivered this evening from the podium of the Knesset", the Israeli university said.

Re-iterating India's uncompromising policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism, Modi, amid a standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers, said, "We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel, firmly, with full conviction, in this moment, and beyond." "No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism," he added.

Last week, the Hebrew University signed an MoU with Nalanda University. A delegation led by Prof Guy Harpaz, the Vice President of Hebrew University for International Affairs, visited India to strengthen academic ties with institutions across the country.

"The deep partnership between our nations is also reflected in the academic sphere," the university stated.

Harpaz is said to have led the discussions on this strategic partnership along with Prof Eviatar Shulman from the Department of Asian Studies and the Department of Comparative Religion.

"By uniting these two world-class centres of learning, Prof Shulman and his colleagues are shattering geographical barriers to foster joint research, integrated teaching, and student exchanges," the university announced.

"At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, we translate diplomatic milestones into deep academic collaborations that shape the shared future of both nations," it noted.

"We don't just study international connections; we turn them into the foundation for generational scientific excellence," stated the university, which counts Albert Einstein among its founding members.

AI Summit protest: Dramatic standoff between Delhi, Shimla police ends after 24 hours

A high-voltage standoff between the police teams of Delhi and Shimla came to an end after a dramatic 24 hours on Thursday morning, after the Delhi Police team was finally cleared to head back to the national capital along with the three Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Summit. In the 24-hour stalemate, the Delhi Police team was "detained" for about five hours even after procuring the transit remand from the ACJM.

On Wednesday evening, the Himachal Pradesh Police registered a kidnapping case against the Delhi Police personnel and "detained" their vehicles at the Shogi border near Shimla. This occurred while they were en route to the national capital with the three Youth Congress members in custody.

The three accused, along with members of the Delhi Police, were taken to the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM II) Ekansh Kapil at 1.30 am after undergoing medical examinations at the Deendyal Upadhyay Zonal Hospital in Shimla late Wednesday night. They were granted the transit remand, and they resumed their journey.

However, early Thursday morning, the Delhi police team was detained again at Kanlog in Shimla city. They were instructed to return to the national capital with the accused and a few additional police personnel, while the remaining members were asked to stay behind and cooperate with the investigation into the kidnapping case against them.

The Shimla police also asked the Delhi team to hand over a copy of the digital evidence they possessed, which had allegedly been gathered during the arrest of the activists in Rohru.

The Delhi Police insisted that the safety of the three accused was their responsibility and that they would not leave any of their members behind. They later continued their movement towards Shoghi.

Later at the Shoghi border, however, the Delhi team was detained yet again by the Shimla police at 4 am.

The Shimla police barricaded a vehicle belonging to the Delhi Police, which contained CCTV footage and other evidence. The Delhi Police stated that this vehicle holds digital evidence, accompanying documents, and arms.

During the standoff, the Shimla police sought the keys to the barricaded vehicle, but the Delhi Police refused to hand them over.