Latest news today (April 24): Presenting FE’s Breaking News today. We will keep you updated on all major news, views and much more throughout the day.
Akhilesh Yadav to contest LS polls from Kannauj. Will file nomination on Thursday, Samajwadi Party posted on X. (PTI)
Amritpal Singh, leader of Waris Punjab De who is presently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under the National Security Act, has declared his candidacy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Rajdev Singh Khalsa, Amritpal’s legal counsel, told The Indian Express that he will run as an Independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday hit back at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over his voicing support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'redistribution of wealth' remarks and said the Defence Minister should not lower his dignity by uttering such "blatant falsehoods".
Chidambaram also asked Singh where in the Congress manifesto there was a mention of redistribution of assets to infiltrators.
"I am disappointed that a sober politician like Mr Rajnath Singh should speak falsehoods." (PTI)
Israel is "moving ahead" with an assault on Hamas in Rafah, the only Gaza Strip city yet to be subjected to a ground offensive in the half-year-long war, and will work to spare Palestinian civilians there, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Ukraine received a new 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) tranche of financial support from the European Union on Wednesday and hopes to get another 10 billion euros later this year, officials said. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the EU, which has provided Ukraine with 31 billion euros, had become the biggest donor of budget financing to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. (Reuters)
In a big setback for Kotak Mahindra Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has restricted the private sector bank from onboarding new customers through digital channels and issuing fresh credit cards, according to a press realease issued by the apex bank. (Read More)
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's health took a hit after he fainted during a poll rally in Maharashtra's Yavatmal in afternoon. A clip going viral on social media showed Gadkari collapsing on the stage during his address. He was taken by the party workers. No official statement has been released so far.
The World Bank has suspended new disbursements from a $150 million fund to expand a national park in southern Tanzania, a spokesperson said on Wednesday, after the lender received allegations of killings and evictions by rangers last year.
The country's drugs and pharmaceuticals exports increased 9.67 per cent year-on-year to USD 27.9 billion in 2023-24, even as the total exports dipped by 3 per cent in the last fiscal. (PTI)
Restaurants and hospitals in the area are providing discounts on their services to encourage citizens to vote in the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Dubbed the "Democracy Discount," eligible citizens can enjoy a 20% discount at participating restaurants in Noida and Greater Noida by showing their inked voter finger on April 26 and April 27.
Police reported that during a pre-wedding ceremony in a village, a 24-year-old woman named Lakshmi threw toilet cleaner at Rakesh Bind (26). Lakshmi, allegedly carrying the cleaner in a plastic bag, had a previous relationship with Rakesh and was upset about his impending marriage, according to local sources.
PayU, a fintech company, announced on Wednesday that it has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank to function as a payment aggregator. Earlier, in January 2023, RBI had returned PayU's applications, requesting resubmission within 120 days. With this approval, PayU can onboard new merchants for digital payment services.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought clarification from the Election Commission on certain aspects regarding the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and summoned a senior poll panel official at 2 pm.
Ex-Japanese prime minister Taro Aso has met former president Donald Trump and both the leaders discussed the enduring importance of the US-Japan alliance to their physical and economic security in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
The U.S. Senate voted late Tuesday by a wide margin to send legislation to President Joe Biden that would require Chinese owner ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations within about nine months or face a ban.
The Senate has passed USD 95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars. (AP)

