NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday told Twitter users about his disqualification from the Parliament.
On Sunday morning, Rahul changed his bio to -Dis’Qualified MP – on his official Twitter account.

The development comes a day after Rahul addressed his first press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi after he was convicted in a criminal defamation case on Thursday over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019.
On Friday, the Congress leader was disqualified as a Member of Parliament from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
The disqualification will bar 52-year-old Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.
As per the law, Rahul will also be required to vacate his official bungalow in case his conviction is not stayed within a month — an unlikely prospect if he seeks legal remedy against the conviction.
During his press conference on Saturday, Rahul alleged that democracy is under attack and that he is “not scared to ask questions about the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group”.
He made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Delhi. “My voice is being suppressed,” Rahul Gandhi said and claimed that he spoke to the Speaker against the false accusations made by four ministers but was not allowed to speak.
(With inputs from agencies)

Bhojpuri actress Akanksha Dubey has committed suicide at a hotel in Banaras. The actress hanged herself in one of the rooms of Hotel Sarnath. The actress was a resident of Parsipur which comes under the Chauri police station area of Bhadohi district.
A person close to the actress confirmed the news to ETimes, “It was her first day on the sets of the new film ‘Nayak’. The makers were shooting in Varanasi. Today around 9 am when her makeup boy went to call her at her hotel, she was found dead in the room. She was shooting alongside Aklesh Verma.”

On the work front, Akanksha Dubey recently completed the shooting of ‘Mitti’ with Bhojpuri singer-actor Yash Kumar. The movie also stars Raksha Gupta in a pivotal role. It is directed by Chandan Upadhyay and produced by Arvind Prasad and Prem Shanker.

NEW DELHI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly says India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant “must take his time to heal properly” from his injuries, before making a comeback to competitive cricket.
Pant was involved in a road accident in the early hours of December 30 as he was driving from New Delhi to Roorkee. He is currently recovering after undergoing treatment for his injuries.
Ganguly said that the Delhi Capitals franchise, of which Pant has been the skipper in last few seasons, will definitely miss the wicketkeeper-batter in the upcoming Indian Premier League. Ganguly is serving as DC’s director of cricket.
“I am sure that the national team is missing him as well. He’s young and he has got a lot of time left in his career. He’s a special player and he must take his time to heal properly. We wish him all the best and I’ll meet him as well,” Ganguly said in a release issued by the IPL franchise.
Ganguly has been keenly observing all the players during the pre-season camp at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here in the lead-up to IPL 2023.
Speaking about the season, he said, “It’s been great to work with the boys and I am looking forward to the season starting. Net practice is good, but we want to get into match mode. And (coach) Ricky (Ponting) has been fantastic. He brings a lot of intensity during training.”

When asked about David Warner, the Delhi Capitals captain for this season, Ganguly said, “David Warner is looking forward to leading the side. He’s always up for the challenge and he’s a great player. He has got a lot of runs and experience under his belt.”
Delhi Capitals will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their first game on Saturday.
(With inputs from PTI)

NEW DELHI: Amid rising Covid cases in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the citizens, during his 99th episode of ‘Mann ki Baat‘, to remain vigilant. India reported 1,890 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, highest in 149 days.
The PM started his third ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of this year by remembering two organ donors — one a 39-day-old baby girl from Punjab’s Amritsar, youngest till date, and another 63-year-old woman from Jharkhand.
He talked to the parents of the infant, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Supreet Kaur, and the son of the elderly woman over phone, saying that their families took very inspiring decision.
The PM said when a person donates one’s body after death, it creates a possibility for eight to nine people to get a new life. “It is matter of satisfaction, that today awareness about organ donation is also rising in the country. The families of the people who have donated their organs have actually accomplished a lot of ‘punya’, In our country altruism is held in such a high place that people do not hesitate to sacrifice their everything for the happiness of others. For this reason, we are told the stories of those who gave their bodies like King Shibi and Dadichi Rishi from childhood,” said the PM, urging the countrymen to come forward in this direction. “One decision of yours can save the lives of many people.”
He added the awareness about organ donation is increasing in the country today. “In 2013, there were less than 5,000 cases of organ donation in our country. But in 2022, their number has increased to more than 15,000.”
Here are the other points he touched during his address:
Women empowerment
Prime Minister Modi talked about a number of women who achieved newer heights in their respective fields over the last few days like film director Kartiki Gonsalves who documentary won an Oscar award and India’s Under-19 women’s cricket team members.
“Today, our woman power has a very big role in the country. India’s Nari Shakti is leading from the front, imparting new energy to India’s dreams,” he said giving example of some women achievers.
“Producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves brought laurels to the country by winning an Oscar for their documentary, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ … Earlier this year, India’s Under-19 women’s cricket team created history by winning the T-20 World Cup,” said PM Modi.
Asked for suggestions on 100th episode
Prime Minister Modi said he was happy that there is a lot of enthusiasm among the countrymen regarding the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat. “I am getting a lot of messages, phone calls. I am very eager to know your suggestions and opinions regarding the 100th episode.”
‘Mann ki Baat’ is a monthly address, aired on All India Radio on the last Sunday of every month, through which Prime Minister Modi interacts with countrymen. The programme started on the occasion of Vijayadashami on October 3, 2014.
The show airs on All India Radio and Doordarshan’s entire network, as well as on the AIR News website and newsonair mobile app. Following the Hindi broadcast, AIR broadcasts the programme in regional languages.
‘Mann Ki Baat’, will complete its 100th edition on April 30.
In the run-up to the centenary episode, AIR launched a campaign from March 15, focussing on the impact of the programme on the transformation of India, according to a statement.
The campaign brings out 100 identified themes highlighted by the PM in Mann Ki Baat episodes till date. The relevant sound bytes of the PM from each episode of Mann ki Baat is being broadcast in all bulletins and other programmes across the AIR network including 42 Vividh Bharati stations, 25 FM Rainbow channels, 4 FM Gold channels and 159 primary channels.
The campaign will concludes on April 29, a day before the 100th episode.
(With inputs from agencies)

BHOPAL: The wide smile on Manu Bhaker‘s face said it all. Before the 25m pistol final on Saturday here at the ISSF World Cup, and even before the rapid stage of qualification, Manu was trying her best to hide her nervousness. Her father was by her side for all this while, perhaps because he had spotted the jitters in her daughter and tried comforting with his presence.
It’s been two years, since the Delhi World Cup in 2021, that Manu was on the podium of a senior international event. She had come close a few times and was close again now. Quite clearly, she didn’t want to let it slip.
She started the ranking match nervously, but held her nerve to find 14 hits, the same as eventual gold medal winner Doreen Vennekamp of Germany, and leave compatriot Esha Singh behind to enter the medal match.
While the second ranking match was on, Manu laid back in her chair, closing her eyes and throwing her head back in some sort of meditation routine. She wanted it badly, and once China’s Yaxuan Xiong was eliminated in the medal match, a podium place for Manu was confirmed.
It turned out to be bronze for Manu, before Ziyue Du of China lost a close battle to Vennekamp to settle for silver.

After returning from the medal ceremony, a relieved Manu Bhaker talked to Timesofindia.com, among other reporters, to put her sense of relief into words.
Talk us through your state of mind and preparation en route to winning this bronze medal…
Entire day, the second half, I was very nervous. I was trying to do whatever I had planned. I was able to do, say, 70% of that. The match was good, so was the qualification. There’s always scope to do better in the final. Today in some seires I was good, some series could have been better, technically. I think the whole day I kept fighting to do better and better. As you saw, in some series there were 3 hits, 5 in another, 2 in the next, then 5 again. Like this, I was putting in a lot of effort. I got the medal, so it was worth it.
Were there more nerves involved in qualifying for the final or was the pressure more in the medal match?
Definitely, it (nervousness) was more in the final. There were a lot of people cheering, and I wanted to give them something at least. I was happy that there were so many people to support us. It’s good for shooting that so many people are turning up.
Before the rapid stage of qualification, you were seen sitting in the lawns doing some juggling with tennis balls. Is that part of preparation?
Juggling – it’s just timepass, to keep my head clear so that no other thoughts occupy my head. It is a fun way to improve concentration. I was sitting in the sun for Vitamin D, nothing as a ritual (laughs).

TOI Photo
Have you introduced any change in your technique after the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics?
There isn’t a major change, honestly. I would say I have done whatever the coaches tell us to and performed accordingly in matches. The way the national camp went, it was good. Coaches are supportive, so I am working with all of them. They are always there to support and guide me whenever there’s any need. Munkh (pistol coach Munkhbayar Dorjsuren) ma’am, I was working with her, then Ronak (Pandit) sir, Samaresh (Jung) sir. All of them are very, very good coaches, experienced.
What’s the role of the high performance director Dr. Pierre Beauchamp?
He supervises everything and if any athlete needs certain guidance with any specific thing, he is always there to help us psychologically or strategically. Plus, he also monitors every athlete.
Have you analysed anything about yourself after winning this medal?
I was in many World Cups during the last 2-3 years. I would say I am really happy how I am improving in the 25m sports pistol. I definitely need to work more in the 10m (air pistol). I was fourth in the Korea World Cup, I missed the final in Egypt by 10x. I hope I’ll keep improving.
What went wrong in the 10m event here?
Only one series was very, very bad (89). Apart from that, after the bad series, I was able to shoot a series of 99, which is good. There’s not a lot wrong with 10m, just some minute things that we’ll work on in the next camp with our coaches. I have taken note of that.

TOI Photo
What have been the inputs of foreign coach Munkhbayar?
Plans are made by the coaches, Munkh ma’am, and I am following that. She told me to do certain things, and I was able to do those 75% of the time, not 100%. It will definitely improve with time. Munkh ma’am is very experienced. She has played in so many Olympics, I think 5 or 6. That definitely adds up to something. We need guidance.
What are your takeaways from the Bhopal WC?
The major difference (between the Olympics and this edition of the WC) is that I was not very experienced at that time (Tokyo Olympics). I was a newbie – well, not exactly a newbie (smiles). I won the quota and was 19 when I played the Olympics. This cycle is shorter and I think from all the competitions I have played, there have been ups and downs. I have faced difficulties like weapon malfunction on the biggest stage and how to deal with that. I hope all this will add up to something really great.

NEW DELHI: The Indian government summoned the Canadian high commissioner and expressed deep concern regarding the recent actions of separatist and extremist groups towards its diplomatic mission and consulates in Canada.
In a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday, the Government of India sought an explanation on how such elements were allowed, in the presence of police, to breach the security of its diplomatic mission and consulates.
Canada was reminded of its obligations under the Vienna Convention, and asked to arrest and prosecute the individuals who have already been identified as being involved in such acts, the statement said.

The ministry hoped that the Canadian government will take all steps needed to ensure the safety of its diplomats and security of its diplomatic premises so that they are able to fulfil their normal diplomatic functions.
On Sunday last, an event to be attended by the Indian envoy to Canada in British Columbia province had to be cancelled due to security concerns after a violent protest by Khalistan supporters.
The event was organised at the Taj Park Convention Centre Surrey to welcome the high commissioner of India, Sanjay Kumar Verma’s first visit to the west coast.
The event was ultimately cancelled for security reasons, Global News, the news and current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network, had reported.
Indian-origin journalist Sameer Kaushal, who was at the venue to cover the protest, was also assaulted by protesters.
Canada has also seen a rise in anti-India activities recently by Khalistan supporters who have vandalised some Hindu temples.
Last September, the ministry of external affairs issued a statement condemning the rise of hate crimes against Indians and anti-India activities in Canada.