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New Delhi (PTI): Home to centuries-old tombs and some of the most exotic plants and bird species, Delhi's iconic Lodhi Garden -- often described as the 'best urban oasis in Asia' -- turned 90 on Thursday. The horticultural delight, nestled in the heart of the national capital, bordering the posh Lodhi Estate and upscale Khan Market, was opened on April 9, 1936, as 'The Lady Willingdon Park', named after the then Vicereine of India. Virtually acting as the lungs of Delhi, the wide green space, spread over 90 acres, is a top favourite of many for morning and evening walks, as also for joggers, or those looking just for some quieter moments away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This garden was laid out after shifting what was then the village of Khairpur, on the outskirts of New Delhi. At 1911 Delhi Durbar, the British had announced shifting of their imperial capital in India from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi, and a new capital city -- later named New Delhi -- was built, which was formally inaugurated on February 13, 1931, by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin. With its beautiful flora and fauna, the Lodhi Garden is also a top choice of many picnickers and tourists, both domestic and foreign. Besides, scattered monuments, a variety of plants and trees can be found here, such as neem, jamun, royal bottle palm, bamboo, eucalyptus and numerous birds, including parakeets, mynahs, kingfishers, babblers, and hornbills. "The garden happens to contain an unusually rich variety of architectural styles, ranging from Sayyid and Lodi to Mughal. The present landscaping was done by American architect Joseph Allen Stein (in 1968), and modified by a group of Japanese landscape designers," according to INTACH. Incidentally, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a Delhi-based non-profit body that works for the preservation of unprotected heritage in the country, is located in the vicinity of the garden. Purnima Datt, head of the HECS (Heritage Education and Communication Service) department at INTACH headquarters, says the garden is "our close neighbour" and also virtually a "living classroom for students" as it is an abode of so many species of plants, trees and birds, butterflies and other fauna. "INTACH and Lodhi Garden have a very symbiotic relationship. For us, we see it every time we go to work, and we have so many fond memories associated with it. Either visiting it purely for a stroll or for doing heritage walks, every time the experience is amazing, just to be there in such an open space right in the heart of the city," she told PTI. Datt said teams of INTACH have also done some conservation work in the garden in the past, and a pamphlet documenting the garden was published several years ago. INTACH's HECS is dedicated to spreading awareness, especially among young people, about India's natural, built and cultural heritage -- its natural environment, historical buildings, living traditions and artistic beauty. Places like Lodhi Garden should be preserved, treasured and cherished by people of all age groups, especially in the time of rapid urbanisation. The old wrought-iron entrance gate of the garden that opens on the Rajesh Pilot Marg (old name South End Road) has stone-built pillars on each side, which say, 'The Lady Willingdon Park' and '9th April, 1936' on each pillar. Mohammed Shah's (the last Sayyid dynasty ruler) tomb was one of the earliest ones to be built in the Lodhi Garden (renamed post-Independence) in 1444. The octagonal tomb situated near the periphery of the garden on the Lodhi Road side is one of the most photographed monuments of the garden, and has been featured in various films and advertising campaigns as well. The garden, including many of its monumental structures, has also featured in several Bollywood films such as 'Chashme Buddoor' (1981), 'Cheeni Kum' (2007), 'Fanaa' (2006), among others. It also contains the tombs of Sikander Lodi, besides Sheesh Gumbad, Bara Gumbad and a mosque. The monuments are embellished with intricate stonework and calligraphy. The garden also has a stone bridge, called 'Athpula', erected over a stream, which was a 'nullah' at the time the village was there. Hence, it is also called the 'Khairpur ka Pul', according to experts. Iconic post-colonial buildings in Lodhi Estate area -- India International Centre (IIC), India Habitat Centre (IHC), Ford Foundation, designed by Stein -- sit handsomely with the old garden. The area surrounding the Lodhi Garden, where buildings designed by Stein stand today, carries the nickname 'Steinabad', says Datt. "The famed architect designed structures in such a way that it appears a harmonious extension of the garden," she said. A lane going towards the garden from the Max Mueller Road is named after Joseph Allen Stein.

Indore (PTI): A Hindu organisation on Thursday told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) documents, including its scientific survey report, support its claim that a temple predated the mosque at the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district. The outfit, Hindu Front for Justice, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Indore bench of the HC over the Bhojshala dispute. The ASI, which is responsible for maintaining the disputed complex, is among the respondents in the case. In the petition, the Hindu side claimed that a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati existed at the 11th-century site and that its remains were used in the construction of a mosque after it was demolished. The Bhojshala complex is regarded by Hindus as a temple of Vagdevi (Saraswati), while the Muslim side identifies it as the Kamal Maula mosque. The Indore bench has been conducting day-to-day hearings since April 6 on four petitions and a writ appeal related to the site's religious character, hearing the petitioners' arguments first. On the fourth day of hearing, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for one of the petitioners, the Hindu Front for Justice, concluded his arguments before a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi. Jain submitted that a Saraswati temple existed at the site and alleged that "Muslim rulers with a mindset to oppose idol worship" demolished the Hind place of worship and reused its remains to construct a mosque at the complex. He cited the ASI's 2024 scientific survey report (prepared on HC order), its replies and affidavits filed in the case, as well as historical documents published by the central government agency in 1902 and 1904 to support his submissions. Jain asserted that the ASI material, based on the site's actual condition, supports the petitioner's case. "This does not mean that the ASI is taking sides. The ASI is only placing facts on record based on what exists at the site," he told the court. However, when Jain began referring to portions of the scientific survey report in detail, a senior lawyer representing the Centre objected, insisting that its ASI counsel's task to "demonstrate" its findings before the court. A counsel for an intervenor from the Muslim side also objected, arguing that the petitioner was relying on documents from a respondent (ASI) to support its case, which is not permissible under law. After considering the objections, the High Court allowed Jain to highlight certain relevant portions of the report prepared by the ASI, which functions under the Union culture ministry. Jain told the court that the report lists several evidences of a temple existing at the site, including religious symbols, Sanskrit inscriptions and remains of idols. Referring to the Supreme Court's verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, he emphasised that ASI reports have legal evidentiary value. He also challenged a 2003 ASI order that allows Hindus to offer prayers on Tuesdays and to Muslims on Fridays at the disputed site, urging the court to grant exclusive worship rights to the majority community. The High Court directed the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex on March 11, 2024. The survey began on March 22, 2024, and the ASI submitted its report to the court on July 15, 2024, after a 98-day exercise. The over 2,000-page report indicates that a large structure dating back to the Paramara period (9th to 13th centuries) existed at the site before the mosque, and that parts of temples were reused in the present complex. The Muslim side has questioned the ASI survey and rejected the Hindu side's claim that the site was originally a temple, alleging that certain materials included in the survey were "introduced from the backdoor".

By DASHA LITVINOVA Moscow (AP): Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday effectively criminalised the activities of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group Memorial, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent and civil society organisations in the country amid its war in Ukraine. Following a closed-door hearing, the court ruled on a petition from the Justice Ministry to designate what it called “the Memorial international civic movement” as extremist and ban its activities in Russia. Memorial said in a statement issued earlier in the day that there is no such entity but that the ruling still “would allow the authorities to crack down on any Memorial projects, their participants and supporters”. Memorial is one of the oldest and the most renowned Russian human rights organisations. It was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, less than a year after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, alongside Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, who was imprisoned at the time, and the Ukrainian organisation Centre for Civil Liberties. In a statement on Wednesday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned the actions against the group, calling them “an affront to the fundamental values of human dignity and freedom of expression" and urged Russia to “cease all harassment of Memorial and its members”. Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to ensure that the victims of the Soviet Union's political repression would be remembered, and grew to a network of smaller organisations both in Russia and abroad. The group had been declared a “foreign agent”, a designation that brought additional government scrutiny and carried strong pejorative connotations, and over the years was ordered to pay massive fines for alleged violations of the "foreign agent" law. Russian courts ordered its two main entities — the human rights centre and the International Memorial — to shut down in December 2021. Undeterred, the group continued to operate. In 2023, its members founded an international Memorial association in Geneva. Earlier this year, that association was banned in Russia as “undesirable”, a label that exposes anyone involved with it to prosecution. An extremist designation puts even more pressure on the group, as involvement with extremist activities is a criminal offense in Russia punishable by long prison terms.

Tel Aviv (AP): Worshippers were able to pray again at Jerusalem's holy sites Thursday after Israel lifted restrictions it imposed on large public gatherings throughout the war with Iran nearly six weeks ago. Jerusalem's police said on Wednesday that they would lift restrictions on all holy sites and deploy hundreds of officers and volunteers in the city. Access had been prohibited altogether, or restricted to a few dozen faithful at a time, at Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites during the now-paused conflict, when missile attacks from Iran often sent Jerusalem residents into shelters. The restrictions subdued Lent, Passover and Ramadan celebrations for many in some of the holiest sites for adherents of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, closed for much of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, reopened with dawn prayer Thursday, according to Jerusalem's Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound. At the adjacent Western Wall in the Old City — the holiest site in the world where Jews can pray — dozens of men and women were seen bowing their heads in prayer. The lifting of the restrictions comes just in time for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter on Sunday, a week after Catholic and Protestant observances and before the centuries-old ceremony known as the Holy Fire that is associated with it. On Saturday, thousands of Christians will gather in the cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulchre holding unlit candles as they pack into the sprawling 12th-century basilica built on the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried. The Greek patriarch will light candles and then the flame is passed from one candle to the next. The restrictions sparked backlash last month when Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries. That set off a wave of criticism from the United States and others. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no “malicious intent” and that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was prevented from accessing the church because of safety concerns. He was later allowed to enter on Easter Sunday. On Thursday, worshippers revelled as they entered Al-Aqsa for the first time in weeks. “It is as if human beings are reborn,” said Mohammed Al-Qassas. Being unable to pray during this period is like “feeling hungry all the time,” he said. “It's impossible to describe this feeling ... It was one of the most happiest moments in my life," said Biljana Vaslic, a tourist from Serbia who, until now, hadn't been able to enter the church. Still, others accused Israel of using the war as an excuse to restrict access. "This is a grace from God after 40 days of using the war as a pretext, but God has granted steadfastness in this mosque," said Omar al-Kiswani, director of the mosque. Even before the war, there were already heightened restrictions on people being able to access Al-Aqsa. During Ramadan prayers on Friday in early February, Israel restricted the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the West Bank to 10,000, and only allowed men over 55 and women over 50 as well as children up to 12. It has imposed similar restrictions in the past, citing security concerns.

Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan is set to host high-stakes in-person talks between the United States and Iran on Friday, aiming to consolidate a fragile ceasefire and avert further escalation in West Asia. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Wednesday, followed by a face-to-face meeting in Islamabad to settle the differences and convert the ongoing truce into a lasting peace. The delegations from the rival sides are expected to arrive in Islamabad by Thursday night to participate in the talks. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan, confirmed the participation of Tehran's delegation while emphasising that “skepticism” in his country regarding peace talks due to the ceasefire violation by Israel. “Despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative, invited by Hon. PM Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran,” he said on X. The US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, is also expected to arrive, but no time has been announced for its arrival. Reportedly, he will be joined by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. No timeframe has been given except for the completion of talks being held on Friday. Sources familiar with the development said that the talks are expected to focus on a broad framework for a long-term peace arrangement, including sanctions relief, regional security, and the future of Iran's nuclear and missile program. Tehran has indicated that discussions will be based on its proposed 10-point plan, which includes demands such as lifting of sanctions, guarantees against future attacks, and arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Despite a desire for peace, deep mistrust persists between the two sides, aggravated by the concerns of violation of the ceasefire in Lebanon. Iran is cautious because it was already in talks when the US and Israel launched the attack on April 28. Pakistan, which emerged as an unlikely facilitator in the uneven conflict, is making all-out efforts to convert the ceasefire into permanent peace.  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made hectic efforts to pull the diplomatic coup. Dar has been actively contacting his counterparts to enlist support for peace. Late Wednesday night, he spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the latest regional developments regarding the Middle East, according to the Foreign Office. He also talked with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Sabah. The upcoming negotiations are being closely watched globally, as their success or failure could have far-reaching implications for Middle East security, global energy markets, and international diplomacy. Authorities have already announced a two-day local holiday on Thursday and Friday in the capital to ensure the smooth arrival of the delegates and their stay in Islamabad, which is among the quietest and cleanest capitals of the world. On Thursday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assured US Ambassador to Pakistan Natalie Baker of foolproof security for all foreign dignitaries ahead of the crucial talks. In a meeting with the US envoy, Naqvi assured her of the security arrangements taken ahead of the talks and stated that the US delegation members were “our special guests,” according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior. “A comprehensive plan has been prepared to provide foolproof security to all foreign guests in every respect,” the minister was quoted as saying by Dawn. Citing sources, Dawn reported that a 30-member advance US team had already arrived in Islamabad to review security arrangements. In an advisory posted on X, the Islamabad Police said that special arrangements have been taken to augment the security of the city ahead of the arrival of delegates. It said diversions will be placed on the Express Highway due to the “movement of foreign delegations”, advising commuters to plan their travel accordingly. “The Red Zone and surrounding areas are closed to all types of traffic except official vehicles. Citizens are requested to avoid unnecessary travel to the Red Zone and surrounding areas to prevent any travel difficulties,” it said, adding that Islamabad Traffic Police are present on the roads for the convenience and awareness of the public. The Red Zone houses several key buildings, hotels, foreign missions and official residences of key figures. All state-run rescue departments and hospitals have been put on high alert. They have been asked to remain on standby and ensure the availability of staff and essential supplies, the sources added.

Jammu, (PTI) The advance registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra will commence from April 15 across 554 designated bank branches in the country, with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) issuing a detailed step-by-step procedure for pilgrims. Officials said that the registration and issuance of yatra permits will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to a fixed daily quota for each route at every designated branch. As per the guidelines, only pilgrims aged between 13 and 70 years will be eligible for registration, while women with more than six weeks of pregnancy will not be permitted to undertake the pilgrimage, even if they possess the mandatory health certificate. For the 2026 yatra, registration will be carried out in real time through Aadhaar-based biometric eKYC authentication, and permits will be generated online through the official portal of the Shrine Board, guidelines said. "In case of technical issues in biometric authentication, a provision for manual data entry with webcam-based photo capture has been kept as a fallback option," the guidelines read. Pilgrims will be required to submit a valid Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC), issued on or after April 8, 2026, by an authorised doctor or medical institution, along with the prescribed fee of Rs 150 per permit. For this process, the board has issued the list of doctors and institutions authorised to issue compulsory health certificates in 37 states and union territories, it said. The designated bank branches will verify the authenticity and validity of the CHC before issuing the system-generated yatra permit, which will specify the chosen route -- Baltal or Pahalgam. The permit will also bear the date on which the pilgrim is allowed to cross the access control gates at Domel (Baltal axis) or Chandanwari (Pahalgam axis), it said. According to the procedure, registration for a particular yatra date will close seven days in advance. Banks have also been directed to set up adequate help desks, conduct staff training, and undertake publicity campaigns to facilitate smooth registration, it said. The Shrine Board has advised pilgrims to ensure correct Aadhaar and mobile details during registration and follow all prescribed procedures for a hassle-free pilgrimage.

By CHAN HO-HIMAP Business Writer Hong Kong, Apr 9 (AP) Oil rose again to above USD97 a barrel and Asian stocks were trading lower Thursday on skepticism over a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. Investors were closely watching whether a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran was already slipping after a round of deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon that killed and injured hundreds. Iran again closed the Strait of Hormuz, in response to the attacks in Lebanon. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.9% to 55,824.30, while South Korea's Kospi lost 1.6% to 5,776.03. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.4% to 25,801.87. The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.7% to 3,965.70. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.1%, while Taiwan's Taiex was also 0.1% lower. US futures were down more than 0.1%. O Oil prices were up Thursday, reversing an earlier plunge on optimism over the temporary ceasefire agreement. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 2.4% to USD97.02 per barrel. It previously fell briefly to below USD92 a barrel following the temporary ceasefire announcement. Benchmark US crude was 3.3% higher on Thursday at USD97.50 a barrel. Uncertainties over global energy supply remained. The Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for energy transport where a fifth of the world's oil typically passes, was largely closed even though the US repeatedly demanded that the strait must be reopened. Talks to pursue a permanent end to the war could be taking place as soon as Friday in Pakistan, and US Vice President JD Vance is expected to be leading the negotiating team for the United States. Wall Street closed higher Wednesday following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a two-week ceasefire with Iran late Tuesday. The S&P 500 jumped 2.5% to 6,782.81. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.9% to 47,909.92. The Nasdaq composite was up 2.8% to 22,635.00. Following renewed hopes over deescalation of the war, shares of United Airlines surged 7.9% on Wednesday, American Airlines was up 5.6%, while cruise ship operator Carnival jumped 11.2%, trimming losses since the Iran war began on concerns over rising fuel costs. In other dealings, gold and silver prices fell. Gold's price dropped 0.7% to USD4,743.20 an ounce. The price of silver fell 1.6% to USD74.18 per ounce. The US dollar rose to 158.66 Japanese yen from 158.57 yen. The euro was trading at USD1.1668, up from USD1.1663.

Dubai, (AP): Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during the war, in a message that may be intended to pressure the US as uncertainty hangs over a days-old two-week ceasefire and further negotiations are expected in Pakistan. The shaky ceasefire has been largely holding between the US, Israel and Iran, although Tehran and Washington have offered vastly different explanations of the initial terms. Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and have escalated deadly strikes there, leading Iran to claim it is violating the deal. Meanwhile, Iran said it had won agreement that it would control the Strait of Hormuz, charge tolls and enrich uranium — while Trump said the deal called for the strait to be reopened and Iran to hand over its uranium stockpile. The chart of the Strait of Hormuz was released by the ISNA news agency, as well as Tasnim, which is believed to be close to the Guard. They showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the Traffic Separation Scheme, which was the route ships take through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of all oil and natural gas traded once passed. The chart suggested ships travel further north through waters closer to Iran's mainland near Larak Island, a route that some ships were observed taking during the war. It was dated from February 28 until Thursday, April 9, and it was unclear if the Guard had cleared any mining on the route since then. Oil rose again to above USD 97 a barrel and Asian stocks were trading lower Thursday on scepticism over the ceasefire. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 2.9 per cent to USD 97.46 per barrel. It had fallen briefly to below USD 92 following the temporary ceasefire announcement. Benchmark US crude was 3.7 per cent higher Thursday at USD 97.94 per barrel. Ship-tracking data from Kpler showed only four vessels with their Automatic Identification System trackers on passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day of the ceasefire. However, that does not include so-called “dark fleet” vessels, which travel with their AIS trackers turned off. Many of those “dark fleet” ships carry sanctioned Iranian crude oil out to the open market. Trump says US forces will remain in the area. US President Donald Trump posted a statement insisting that his surge of warships and troops will remain around Iran “until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with”. Trump's comments on his Truth Social platform appeared to be a way to pressure Iran. “If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the Shootin' Starts,' bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” Trump wrote. He also insisted Iran would not be able to build nuclear weapons and “the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN and SAFE.” The US and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the ceasefire agreement, and world leaders expressed relief. But more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries after the deal was announced. Israel's strikes in Lebanon Israel also intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting commercial and residential areas in Beirut. At least 182 people were killed in the deadliest day of fighting there. First responders searched overnight for missing people still under the rubble after the deadly Israeli strikes. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Thursday that an Israeli strike overnight had killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately acknowledge the strike. The violence threatens to scuttle what US Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal. Iran's parliament speaker said Wednesday that planned talks were “unreasonable” because Washington had broken three of Tehran's 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire took effect and US refusal to accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon. When the deal was announced, the prime minister of Pakistan, which served as a mediator, said in a social media post that it applied to “everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere”. A New York-based think tank warned the ceasefire “hovers on the verge of collapse”. The Soufan Centre said Israel's strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday added to the risk the deal would fall apart. “Even if Lebanon was formally outside the deal, the scale of Israel's strikes was likely to be viewed as escalatory, nonetheless,” it wrote in an analysis published Thursday. “Israel's strikes can be understood both as an effort to drive a wedge between Iran and its proxies and as a response to being allegedly sidelined in the original ceasefire discussions.” Peace talks expected in Pakistan The White House said that Vice President JD Vance would lead the US delegation to talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the war, which are set to start Saturday. Iran's ambassador in Islamabad, Reza Amiri Moghadam, wrote on X that Iran's negotiating team would arrive in the Pakistani capital Thursday night, but later deleted the post without providing further comment. His initial post said the talks would be "based on 10 points proposed by Iran”. Those include Iran enriching uranium, maintaining its control of the Strait of Hormuz and other issues that have been nonstarters in the past for Trump. The White House has repeatedly described the 10 points issued by Iran as false.

New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday registered 12 cases to probe a gherao of judicial officers, who were deputed for work relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal's Malda. The move came following a directive from the Supreme Court. In a late-night statement, the NIA said it has "re-registered 07 FIRs of PS Mothabari and 05 FIRs of PS Kalichak of District Malda, West Bengal for investigation", in compliance with a Supreme Court order dated April 6, "relating to the safety and security of judicial officers deputed for work relating to SIR of electoral rolls in Malda in West Bengal and related law-and-order incidents". "The investigation teams of NIA already moved to Malda for thorough investigation of these cases," the statement said. The apex court on Monday ordered the NIA to take over cases related to the gherao of seven judicial officers in Malda, observing that the bureaucracy's credibility was being lowered and politics was being injected into the West Bengal secretariat and government offices. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi exercised its plenary power under Article 142 of the Constitution to transfer 12 cases related to the April 1 incident. It had taken suo-motu cognisance of a letter from the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court, detailing a harrowing night when judicial officers, including three women and a five-year-old child, were held captive by a mob for more than nine hours, without food or water. The incident occurred during the SIR exercise in the Kaliachowk area of Malda district and according to the order, seven judicial officers were gheraoed by "anti-social elements". The top court pulled up West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala and told him to apologise to the chief justice of the high court for not taking his calls on the day of the incident. The bench directed the West Bengal Police to hand over all the 26 arrested accused to the NIA for interrogation along with the case papers, saying the local police could not be trusted in the matter. It directed the NIA to interrogate the kingpin of the incident, saying it appeared to be a well-planned and motivated incident. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing in the court for the chief secretary and the director general of police (DGP) of West Bengal, submitted that the kingpins -- Mofakerrul Islam and Maulana Muhammad Shahjahan Ali Qadri -- were already arrested by the local police and were in custody. In a scathing indictment, the top court said the incident "also exposes a complete failure of the state administration" and was a "brazen attempt not only to browbeat the judicial officers" but also amounted to challenging the Supreme Court's authority. As many as 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand are deployed in the ongoing SIR process to deal with more than 60 lakh objections of those who are excluded from the voter list in West Bengal. The chief justice of the high court was forced to intervene personally, placing group calls to the home secretary and the DGP, the top court pointed out, adding that the home secretary and the DGP arrived at the CJ's residence and the judicial officers, who were held hostage, were relieved after midnight. Even after the rescue, the judicial officers' vehicles were pelted with stones and attacked with sticks and bricks, the CJI noted.

Washington (PTI): Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday launched the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal here as the two countries eye the USD 500 billion bilateral trade target. Misri, who is on a three-day visit to the US, launched the portal at a virtual event that was attended by India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and officials and trade representatives from the two countries. “It will serve as a bridge ensuring continuity and ensuring that existing supply chains are reinforced, and at the same time will enable new commercial linkages to emerge and grow,” Misri said. In a video message to the inaugural function, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal urged exporters and businesses in India and the US to make greater use of the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal to boost bilateral trade. He also said that the bilateral trade is growing towards the USD 500 billion mark, an ambitious target set by both sides. Goyal said that the portal is a "runway" to the US for domestic services exporters, and it will also provide opportunities across businesses, from a farmer in Punjab to a jeweller in Surat and a software expert in Bengaluru to pharma firms in Telangana. Misri on Wednesday began his three-day visit to the US to meet with senior officials to review bilateral trade and defence relations and discuss global developments, including the crisis in West Asia. Misri's visit comes as both the US and India work to stabilise the ties after a spell of uncertainty and strain. The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on New Delhi and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May. In February, the US and India reached a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade (Interim Agreement). Misri noted the efforts of the India’s Consulate General in New York in putting together the portal along with all the stakeholders, export promotion councils, industrial bodies, and government departments from India and the United States. “In just the last year for instance, our bilateral trade reached a record USD 241 billion, making it the fourth consecutive year that the United States has been India's largest bilateral trading partner,” the foreign secretary said. Misri said several B2B platforms exist already, but a dedicated India-US platform unlocks the full potential of this bilateral partnership. “This is especially timely as we re-engage on the shared bilateral ambition towards Mission 500, doubling our bilateral trade to 500 billion dollars by 2030,” he said. Misri said the portal reflects a broader evolution in the approach because governments are not merely facilitators and witnesses from the sidelines, but actively stepping into the role of matchmakers connecting buyers and sellers, reducing friction wherever they might come up, and fostering trust.

Washington (PTI): The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Food Programme have said that the war in the Middle East has triggered one of the largest disruptions to global energy markets and will inevitably lead to rising food prices and food insecurity. In a joint statement, the heads of the three organisations said the burden of rising food prices will fall most heavily on the world’s most vulnerable populations. “The Middle East war is upending lives and livelihoods in the region and beyond. It has already triggered one of the largest disruptions to global energy markets in modern history. “Sharp increases in oil, gas, and fertiliser prices, together with transport bottlenecks, will inevitably lead to rising food prices and food insecurity,” said the joint statement issued after a meeting of the heads of the three institutions on Wednesday. They said the three organisations will continue to monitor the developments closely and coordinate the use of all available tools to support those impacted by the crisis. “The burden will fall most heavily on the world’s most vulnerable populations, particularly in low‑income, import‑dependent economies. Spikes in fuel prices and potential sharp increases in food prices are especially concerning where fiscal space is constrained and debt burdens are already high, reducing governments’ ability to protect vulnerable households,” the statement said. It said in accordance with their respective mandates, and building on existing response mechanisms, the three organisations will provide support to safeguard lives and livelihoods, and to lay foundations for a resilient recovery that delivers stability, growth and jobs. The statement came a day after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire to the hostilities that began on February 28. The US and Israel had launched attacks on Iran after it refused to give up its stockpile of nuclear fuel.

By BASSEM MROUE, JON GAMBRELL, SAMY MAGDY and SAM Tehran, (AP): The US demanded Wednesday that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Republic closed the waterway in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Iran's move cast doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war would hold. The United States and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel intensified its attacks in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what US Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal. “Aggression towards Lebanon is aggression towards Iran,” Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, wrote on X. He warned that Iranian forces were preparing a “heavy response” without revealing details. Iran accused the US of violating three clauses of its framework for a deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement with the US. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon. “The world sees the massacres in Lebanon,” he said in a post on X. “The ball is in the US court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the closing reported in Iranian state media was “completely unacceptable.” She repeated President Donald Trump's “expectation and demand" that the strait be reopened. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said American and Israeli forces had achieved a “capital V military victory” and that the Iranian military no longer posed a significant threat to US forces or the region. The Iranian military said the country forced Israel and the US to accept its "proposed conditions and surrender.” Much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms. — Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the strait, a crucial transit lane for oil. But the details were not clear, nor was it known whether vessels would feel safe using the channel or whether ship traffic had resumed. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition. The White House said Trump is opposed to tolls for ship passage through the strait. — Pakistan, which helped to mediate the deal, and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Israel said it would not, and strikes hit Beirut on Wednesday. — The fate of Iran's missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the US and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. Trump said the US would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that. Ceasefire terms are murky Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the US and Israel launched on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating. Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he did not offer details. Leavitt said Iran's original, 10-point plan was “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded.” But a new, 15-point plan Iran presented Tuesday could now “align with our own” proposal for peace, she said. The White House also said Vance would lead the American negotiating team in talks in Pakistan aimed at finding a permanent end to the war. Pakistan said the talks could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday. Iran's demands for ending the war include a withdrawal of US combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres's personal envoy arrived in Iran for talks on “the way forward.” Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel will continue to “utilize every operational opportunity” to strike Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it struck more than 100 targets within 10 minutes Wednesday across Lebanon, the largest wave of strikes since March 1. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli attacks as “barbaric.” Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused Israel of “persistently seeking to sabotage” the Iran ceasefire deal. Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same. Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from using the strait, through which 20 per cent of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. That roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff. The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted — and give it a new source of revenue. The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit and will likely not be acceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields. Iran's nuclear and missile threats survive US-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The US and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war. Trump said the US would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint US-Israeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. There was no confirmation from Iran. Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that the US would do “something like” last June's joint strikes with Israel on Iranian nuclear sites if the country refuses to surrender its enriched uranium voluntarily. Netanyahu warned in a televised address that his country was “ready to return to fighting at any time. Our finger is on the trigger.” Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. Airstrikes reported after ceasefire announcement Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart. An oil refinery on Iran's Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas. A short time later, the United Arab Emirates' air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait said three power and water desalination plants were badly damaged after 28 Iranian drones were launched at the country. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones. More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war's toll for days. In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed, and 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died. In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 US service members have been killed.