Latest news today (April 17): Presenting FE’s Breaking News today. We will keep you updated on all major news, views and much more throughout the day.
A fire broke out in a three-storey residential building in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar area, fire officials said on Wednesday.
No casualties were reported, an official of the Department of Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
A call was received at 2 pm regarding a fire on the second floor of the building. Two fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was doused within a few minutes, the official said.
Some female students were living in the building as paying guests, they said.
The residents of the building were rushed to safety after the fire broke out and no one was injured during the incident, they said.
A short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, police said. (PTI)
ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd unveiled a streamlined organizational overhaul, appointing MD and CEO Punit Goenka to directly oversee crucial verticals, notably the domestic broadcast business. Approved by the board, the new structure divides ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) into four primary segments: broadcast, digital, movies, and music. Amit Goenka, Punit Goenka’s brother and current head of digital business, assumes added responsibilities, including international broadcast, enterprise technology, broadcast operations, engineering, and direct oversight of original content such as movies. Siju Prabhakaran, who previously managed the South cluster of channels, now expands his role to include the West cluster within the domestic broadcast business.
(With PTI inputs)
European Union regulators said Wednesday they’re seeking details from TikTok on a new app from the video sharing platform that pays users to watch videos. The European Commission said it sent TikTok a “request for information” on the TikTok Lite app that has been quietly released in France and Spain. The commission wants to know about the risk assessment that TikTok should have carried out before deploying the app in the European Union. “We have already been in direct contact with the Commission regarding this product and will respond to the request for information,” TikTok said in a statement. Such evaluations are required under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, a sweeping law that took effect last year with the aim of cleaning up social media platforms. The commission is the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top enforcer of digital regulations. (AP)
On Wednesday, farmers affiliated with Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha staged a protest on a rail track near Punjab and Haryana border, demanding release of three arrested farmers. This led to diversions of several trains at Shambhu Railway Station. KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that Haryana administration assured release by April 16.
President Joe Biden is calling for a tripling of tariffs on steel from China to protect American producers from a flood of cheap imports, an announcement he planned to roll out on Wednesday in an address to steelworkers in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. (AP)
Just prior to the conclusion of campaigning for the initial phase of Lok Sabha elections, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi led a road show in support of INDIA bloc candidate Imran Masood. Spanning around 2 kilometers, the roadshow traversed areas with significant Muslim residents, starting from Jain Bagh, passing through Raiwala, JBS Inter College, Kamboh Bridge, and concluding at the Qutub Sher police station area.
In the first half of April this year, India witnessed a nearly 10 percent year-on-year increase in power consumption, reaching 70.66 billion units (BU). This growth, as per data from the power ministry, indicates a positive trend in economic activities and consumption patterns. Compared to the previous year’s period, power consumption surged from 64.24 MU to 70.66 BU during April 1-15.
Israeli forces in central Gaza destroyed rocket launchers and Hamas terror infrastructure, while also eliminating terrorists, the Israel Defence Forces said on Wednesday morning. (ANI)
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer has been fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during their IPL game against Rajasthan Royals here. KKR lost to Royals by two wickets here on Tuesday with Jos Buttler smashing an unbeaten 107 off 60 balls.
The Ram Temple in Ayodhya witnessed a unique event as the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol was anointed with a ray of sunlight, known as ‘Surya Tilak’ on the occasion of Ram Navami on Wednesday. The “Surya Tilak” of Ram Lalla was done at noon through an elaborate system connected with mirrors and lenses in the Ram Temple.
Due to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) heatwave prediction, all schools in Odisha will be closed from April 18 to 20. The forecast suggests a temperature increase of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in several areas, with some places expected to surpass 45 degrees Celsius during this period.
Sher Afzal Marwat, a key figure in Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), revealed plans for a sit-in urging the release of the party’s founder from prison, as per ARY News. Marwat stated that both the ex-Prime Minister and party leadership agreed to initiate protests after April 21.
The United Nations appealed for USD 2.8 billion on Tuesday to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but sanitation, water and health facilities. (AP)
The Telegram messaging app, one of the most popular social media platforms in Ukraine and Russia, will likely cross 1 billion active monthly users within a year, its founder said in remarks published on Tuesday.
For the third consecutive fiscal year, Japan reported a trade deficit due to escalating costs of energy and other imports coupled with a persistently weak yen. Finance Ministry data released on Wednesday revealed a deficit of 5.89 trillion yen (equivalent to USD 38 billion) for the fiscal year ending in March.
India‘s economy is projected to grow by 6.5 per cent in 2024, according to a report by the UN which noted that multinationals extending their manufacturing processes into the country to diversify their supply chains will have a positive impact on Indian exports. (PTI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently apprehended four individuals under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in relation to an alleged illegal land grab-linked money laundering case involving former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and others. The arrested individuals are Antu Tirkey, Priya Ranjan Sahay, Bipin Singh, and Irshad, according to official sources.
Officials reported that devotees began gathering at the ghats during the nighttime, with ‘Darshan’ commencing at the Ram Temple at 3:30 am. Speaking about security measures, IG Praveen Kumar, overseeing Ayodhya Range, assured that arrangements had been put in place for the devotees’ safety. He emphasized a special focus on ensuring their comfort, including provisions for drinking water, colorful tarpaulins to shield from the sun’s heat, and accommodations for their stay.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that the US will impose new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programmes and new sanctions against entities backing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defence Ministry in the coming days. (ANI)