PM to undertake three-nation tour in the first week of May 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a three-nation tour covering Germany, Denmark and France during May 2-4, the Ministry of External Affairs has announced. The tour is the first overseas travel by the Indian leader which has additional significance as it will take place in the backdrop of the unfolding war in Ukraine. 

Birth, death reporting to be automated

The Central government is planning to revamp the Civil Registration System (CRS) to enable the registration of birth and death in real-time with minimum human interface that will be independent of location, according to the 2020-21 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

  Opposition irked by PM Modi’s VAT remark 

Opposition leaders on Wednesday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments that States ruled by them had not reduced value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel despite the Centre slashing excise duty and they should do so at the earliest in order to benefit the consumers.

  Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari takes oath as Pakistan’s foreign minister 

Scion of Pakistan’s leading political dynasty, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Wednesday took oath as the foreign minister in the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a crucial juncture as he faces multiple challenges such as fixing strained ties with the US and finding a way to restart the peace process with neighbouring India.

  Singapore executes Indian-origin Malaysian despite pleas he was disabled 

 Singapore on Wednesday executed a Malaysian man convicted of drug smuggling after a court dismissed a last-minute challenge from his mother and international pleas to spare him on grounds he was mentally disabled. 

  Uttar Pradesh removes loudspeakers from religious sites  

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said it had removed 10,923 unauthorised loudspeakers from religious places and lowered the volume of 35,221 loudspeakers to within the permissible limit. 

  Jammu and Kashmir High Court refuses to quash FIR under UAPA for lawyer’s social media posts 

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Wednesday refused to quash a first information report (FIR) lodged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against a lawyer for his social media posts. The court said lines such as “slaves of the Government of India” or “they [the people] are under occupation of armed forces of the country” are not protected by the right to freedom of expression. 

  Birth, death reporting to be automated 

The Central government is planning to revamp the Civil Registration System (CRS) to enable the registration of birth and death in real-time with minimum human interface that will be independent of location, according to the 2020-21 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). 

 IPL 2022 | Tewatia and Rashid the heroes as Titans clinch a last-ball thriller 

Rashid Khan had a forgettable outing thus far in the long night. The formidable leg-spinner had been taken apart by the left-handed Abhishek Sharma who slog-swept his googlies, striking against the turn for three sixes. 

  Labour codes to be rolled out soon 

The four labour codes, which were passed by Parliament in 2019 and 2020, would be implemented soon, with only a handful of States left to draft their own rules under the codes, Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday. 

  Ukraine doing better at a tactical level: Navy chief 

Superiority between weapons will always be there and the Ukrainians are doing better at a tactical level, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Wednesday in the context of the Ukraine war, while speaking at the Raisina Dialogue summit.