Election Commission halts release of Modi biopic, cites ‘serious threat to level-playing field’

  • The Election Commission of India on Wednesday stayed the release of PM Narendra Modi, a biopic on the prime minister, until the end of polling.
  • The poll body ruled that displaying material that promotes a political figure would go against the core principle of the election-time guidelines.
  • The Lok Sabha elections will be held from April 11 to May 19, with results being declared on May 23. The film was slated to be released on April 11.

Top Court Rejects Centre’s “Classified Documents” Stand On Rafale Papers

  • The Supreme Court today flat-out rejected the centre’s argument that classified documents accessed by the media on the Rafale fighter jet deal can’t be evidence.
  • The court said it will examine the secret documents while considering petitions asking for a review of its order giving the government a clean chit on the deal that the opposition alleges was corrupt.
  • This means classified documents sourced by the media without authorisation can be considered by the court.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wins record fifth term in office: Reports

  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won the Israeli national election, securing a record fifth term in office despite running neck in neck with his challenger Benny Gantz, the country’s three main television channels said.
  • With 97 percent of the votes counted, neither of the candidates’ parties had captured a ruling majority, but Netanyahu was clearly in a strong position to form a coalition government with other right-wing factions that have backed him.

Japan Confirms Wreckage Found Is That Of Crashed F-35 Fighter Jet

  • Search and rescue teams found wreckage belonging to a Japanese Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter that disappeared over the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan, a military spokesman said.
  • Japan’s first squadron of F-35s has just become operational at the Misawa air base and the government plans to buy 87 of the stealth fighters to modernise its air defences as China’s military power grows.

India, Pakistan to hold technical meet on Kartarpur on April 16

  • Pakistan said on Monday that it will hold a technical meeting with India on April 16 to discuss the modalities for the corridor linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab.
  • India and Pakistan last month held a meeting of technical experts on the Kartarpur corridor.