Rahul Gandhi's Top Aide, KC Venugopal, To Contest From Alappuzha

In a sign of the Congress's focus on the southern states, where it is perceived to be in a much stronger position than arch-rival BJP, the party has decided to field KC Venugopal from Alappuzha in Kerala despite him being a sitting Rajya Sabha MP.

Mr Venugopal, who had held the seat since 2009, had opted not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections because he was playing a key role in the Congress' overall strategy for all 543 constituencies. The Congress had ended up losing the seat to the CPM that year.

When he was asked why he was contesting the Lok Sabha polls again, the Congress General Secretary said on Friday, "Brother, our priority is to win the maximum Lok Sabha seats to defeat Narendra Modi in the next elections. Our target is to win the maximum number of parliament seats for the Congress party."

Seen as a top organisation man as well as the right-hand man of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Mr Venugopal has been a three-time MLA and a two-term MP. He was a cabinet minister in the Kerala government as well as a junior minister in the Union government twice. 

In the list of 39 candidates announced by the Congress on Friday, 16 are from Kerala. Apart from Mr Venugopal, another name that stands out is that of Shashi Tharoor, who will be contesting from Thiruvananthapuram.

Mr Tharoor, who has held the seat since 2004, will face off against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the BJP, who will be making his electoral debut. 

The Congress is in power in three states in the south - Karnataka and Telangana, where it has a majority on its own, and Tamil Nadu, where it shares power with the DMK. 

The BJP, on the other hand, does not have a government in any southern state. It had also won only 29 of the 129 seats (130 including Puducherry). These had come from Karnataka and Telangana, where it is expected to face a stiffer challenge this time around. 

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Biden Warns Against Trump's "Revenge, Retribution" In High-Stakes Speech

US President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union address Thursday to attack election rival Donald Trump for plotting "revenge and retribution" while offering skeptical voters his own optimistic version of an American comeback.

In one of the most important speeches of his long political career, the 81-year-old Democrat will try to ease growing concerns among voters about his age by painting himself as the only alternative to to anti-democratic Trump in November's election.

"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy," Biden was to say in the primetime speech starting at 9:00 pm (0200 GMT), according to excerpts released by the White House.

"Now some other people my age, see a different story," he said in a clear dig at Trump, although without mentioning his name. "An American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That's not me."

The oldest president in US history, Biden narrowly trails in the polls behind Republican former president Trump, who at 77 is just four years younger than him.

Biden routinely paints Trump -- who was impeached twice and faces multiple criminal indictments including for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss -- as a threat to the survival of US democracy.

In his speech, Biden was also to slam Republican abortion opponents, saying they have "no clue about the power of women in America," in what Democrats see as a key vote-winning issue.

With many Americans struggling from high prices, Biden was to say of the US economy that "in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told."

Biden was also set to use the annual speech on the floor of Congress to overcome doubts about US support for Israel's war on Hamas, and for Washington's backing for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.

Biden was to announce during the speech that he has ordered the US military to set up a port on Gaza's coast to bring in more aid, reflecting the acute political pressure from many in his own party on the issue.

Biden's age under scrutiny

However, the millions of Americans tuning in to the spectacle will be watching not just what Biden says in the joint session of Congress, but how he says it.

Will he stumble, for example? Or will he mix up the names of people and countries, deepening concerns fueled by a recent special counsel report that described him as elderly and forgetful?

The White House said Biden was fully prepared for the speech -- and ready for any repeat of last year's heckling by Trump allies, which he successfully parried with spirited ripostes.

Ahead of the speech, Trump said Biden was "on the run from his record" and accused him of "horrific devastation" during his three years so far in office.

Trump vowed a "rapid response" to Biden during the speech.

"It's time to tell Crooked Joe Biden -- you're fired," Trump said in a video "prebuttal", making a well-worn reference to the catchphrase of his former TV reality show "The Apprentice."

Trump, who is seeking a historic White House comeback, continually mocks Biden's health and mental acuity, despite his own repeated verbal slips.

The White House meanwhile released a light-hearted video showing Biden talking to Hollywood stars who have previously played US presidents, including Geena Davis, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman.

In line with tradition, First Lady Jill Biden will host a number of guests chosen to highlight the White House's priorities. 

This year they include a Texan woman forced to leave the state for an abortion, auto workers leader Shawn Fain, whose union recently backed Biden, and the prime minister of Sweden, which became NATO newest member on Thursday.

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska and the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were both invited but were unable to attend, the White House said.

The speech comes two days after Trump and Biden all-but set up a rematch of the 2020 election with their sweeping wins in this week's "Super Tuesday" primaries -- but it is a sequel that polls show many US voters do not actually want.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Gurugram Trader Shot Dead In Front Of Mother, Wife And Children

In a daring, bone-chilling murder caught on camera, a scrap trader from Gurugram was killed after being shot multiple times by three men in front of his mother, wife and two little children. The mother, who tried to intervene and prevent the men from shooting her son, also suffered a bullet injury to the leg.
 
The responsibility for the murder, which took place in Haryana's Rohtak, has been claimed by Rohit Godara, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who alleged in a video that the man who had been shot was a bookie and associated with their rivals, the Kaushal Chaudhary-Amit Dagar gang. 

Officials said the alleged murderers had escaped from a reform home in Jaipur and were paid to kill the businessman. They were arrested from near the Nepal border, while trying to flee, on Wednesday night.

Murder Footage
 
The scrap trader, identified as Sachin, was headed to Punjab's Sangrur with his mother, wife and children to attend a wedding. The family stopped at a restaurant in Rohtak's Lakhan Majra on the evening of February 29.
 
CCTV footage shows Sachin walking out of the restaurant to his SUV and, as he nears it, his wife and one of his children enter the frame. A white car that had been waiting by the roadside drives towards the SUV and Sachin's unsuspecting wife asks her child to move out of the way. As the car stops near the SUV, the man's mother and the other child, a toddler, also come into view.
 
The wife can be heard shouting, "Look, they are looting him". Two of the men then open fire at Sachin, who was in the driver's seat. While the wife takes the children to safety, the mother runs towards Sachin and the people shooting him. 

After firing a few rounds, the men head towards their car before coming back to the passenger's side of the SUV and opening fire again, pushing away Sachin's mother, who was trying to save him. 
 
Even as the mother keeps lamenting, "my child has been killed", the men collect something from the SUV and leave in the waiting car. 
 
In her complaint to the police, the mother, who suffered a bullet injury herself, said Sachin died on the spot. She said the attackers also took away his cellphone.
 
Gangster's Video
 
In a video that is now going viral, a man claiming to be gangster Rohit Godara, who had also taken responsibility for killing Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in Jaipur in December, can be heard saying, "I am Rohit Godara Goldy Brar (a reference to another Lawrence Bishnoi gang member). The bookie (Sachin Goda) of Gurugram, who considered himself the biggest bookie of Delhi has been killed in Lakhan Majra, Haryana."
 
"We take full responsibility for this. He was a partner of our enemies Kaushal Chaudhary and Amit Dagar," the gangster said.
 
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had made national headlines after it had claimed responsibility for the murder of Sidhu Moosewala in 2022. It is also said to have links with Khalistani outfits. 

'Scrap And Property Dealer'

Sachin's younger brother, Amit, said he was a scrap businessman. "My mother was also shot in the leg. My brother was shot 10-15 times. He was a scrap dealer and property dealer."

Asked about Rohit Godara claiming Sachin was a bookie, Amit said, "I don't have knowledge of any such thing. We want justice."

A childhood friend, Deepak, said Sachin had received threats recently. "He was not linked to any gang, he was a scrap and property dealer. Three to four years ago, his partner was also killed after extortion attempts," Deepak said. 

A police official said the gang war angle is also being investigated. 

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Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Convict In High Court For Passport For UK Travel

S Nalini, one of the convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking an order from the central and state governments to allow her husband Murugan to appear for an interview to obtain a passport to travel to the UK and live with his daughter there.

In the petition filed in this regard, Ms Nalini mentioned that while the Supreme Court has released all seven people, her husband Murugan has been kept in a special camp in Trichy since he is a citizen of Sri Lanka.

Ms Nalini and Murugan were released from jail following the Supreme Court order on November 12, 2022.

As she wants to live with her daughter who lives in London, she mentioned that she and her husband have applied for passports to travel to all countries and were called for an interview on January 30, 2024.

She mentioned that her interview was completed but her husband could not attend the interview when called by the Sri Lankan Consulate.

As two people have already died in a month due to the bad conditions in the camp, she said in the petition that she wants to join her daughter before anything happens to her husband.

So, she has requested the central and state governments to allow her husband to go to the Sri Lankan Consulate in Chennai for the interview.

In the petition, she has also requested to order the police to provide adequate security if required.

The bench of Justice MS Ramesh and Sundar Mohan at Madras High Court is hearing the plea.

Justice Sundar Mohan announced that he would recuse himself from hearing the case.

Subsequently, the registration department has been directed to obtain the Chief Justice's approval for listing Ms Nalini's case in another session.

Nalini Sriharan, one of the six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who was released in November 2022, told ANI, "I am thankful to the people of Tamil Nadu who supported me for the last 32 years."

The country's longest-serving woman prisoner serving a life sentence, Ms Nalini was released from the Vellore jail following an order from the Supreme Court, freeing all six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan and RP Ravichandran, in the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Maldives Military To Have Operational Control Of Chopper, Crew From India

The Maldivian defence force on Thursday said it will have operational authority over the helicopter given by India to the island nation and the civilian crew that will pilot it.

Addressing a press conference, the Principal Director of Plans, Policy, and Resources Management for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Colonel Ahmed Mujuthaba Mohamed said that discussions are underway for withdrawing Indian troops from the Maldives.

He emphasised that the government of President Mohamed Muizzu has decided not to permit any foreign troops to remain stationed in the Maldives beyond May 10, PSM News, the state broadcaster reported.

Last week, India said its first civilian team of technical experts has reached the Maldives to replace the military personnel operating an advanced light helicopter in the island nation.

"The first team of technical personnel to operate the advanced light helicopter has reached the Maldives. It will replace the existing personnel who were operating this platform," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing on February 29.

Following a second meeting of the high-level core group that was set up to address the issue of withdrawal of the Indian military personnel, the Maldivian foreign ministry had said India will replace all its military personnel in two phases by May 10.

India's ties with the Maldives came under stress as Muizzu, seen as a pro-China leader, maintained after assuming charge as the president in November that he would keep his election promise of expelling all Indian military personnel from his country.

Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his country.

His government this week signed a deal with China's military under which Beijing will supply "non-lethal" weapons to the Maldives free of cost. Local media quoted President Muizzu as saying that the non-lethal weaponry would include tear gas and pepper spray.

Colonel Mujthaba also said that the Indian helicopter stationed in Addu City is currently undergoing repairs, and in its place, 26 civilians have arrived in the Maldives with a replacement helicopter.

He noted that the familiarisation process is in progress and said the Indian troops will depart from the Maldives as planned. He also said the MNDF will have operational authority of the Indian civilians and vehicles associated with the helicopter.

According to the Maldivian government, 88 Indian military personnel were in the Maldives primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.

The Indian aviation platforms have provided humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the Maldivians for the last few years.

Muizzu defeated India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential runoff held in September last year.

The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean region. The overall bilateral ties, including in defence and security, witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian-Origin Woman Charged With Murder Of 10-Year-Old Daughter In UK

A 33-year-old Indian-origin woman on Wednesday appeared before a UK court charged with the murder of her 10-year-old daughter, who was found dead at their home in a town in the West Midlands region of England.

Jaskirat Kaur, also known as Jasmine Kang, appeared before Wolverhampton Magistrates Court charged with the murder of Shay Kang, described as "bright and fun-loving" in a tribute from her school. West Midlands Police said the girl had been found with injuries at an address in Rowley Regis on Monday and pronounced dead at the scene.

"Our thoughts remain with Shay's family and friends. Her tragic death has had a profound impact on those who knew her as well as the wider community. We ask that they are left to grieve in private as our enquiries continue," said Detective Inspector Dan Jarratt of West Midlands Police.

"The community has understandably been left shocked by what's happened, and we'll continue to have a police presence and offer our support in the area over the coming days," he said.

Jaskirat Kaur had been arrested on Monday from the residential property where her daughter's body was found. A cordon remains in place at the property on Robin Close and a post-mortem is to be held in due course to establish the cause of death.

"At this stage we are not looking for anyone else as part of the investigation," the police said at the time.

Brickhouse Primary School, where Shay was a pupil, issued a statement to say the school was deeply saddened by the tragic death.

"Shay was a bright, happy, fun-loving child who was well liked by all, and she will be very sadly missed by everyone. School is the heart of the community and we have already begun working with our children and staff to support them following this devastating news," read the statement. Tributes including toys, cards and balloons have since been laid near the police cordon on Robin Close in the town of Rowley Regis, where the schoolgirl lived with her mother. Some parents of children who attended the same school have also set up an online Go Fund Me fundraiser to collect money for Shay's funeral, with over GBP 3,800 raised so far.

The fundraiser reads: "As you may be aware she had no family except her mum. The purpose of this is to come together as a community to help raise funds for her funeral and to also help with flowers, head stone etc.

"She didn't deserve this at all and the best we can do is make sure she flys (sic) high in the most beautiful way."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Thala' MS Dhoni Joins CSK In Chennai Ahead Of IPL 2024. Internet Explodes

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni landed in Chennai on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The defending champions posted a picture of Dhoni, who led them to their fifth title last season, exiting a vehicle on social media, captioning it "#THA7A Dharisanam!" Speculation is rife that this season will be Dhoni's final one as a player. Last year, the 42-year-old mostly came out to bat towards the fag end of CSK innings. CSK began their pre-season training camp on Saturday with the first batch of CSK players landing here a day before.

The players who have arrived so far include Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Simarjeet Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Mandal, Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu (all-rounder).

#THA7A Dharisanam!#DenComing pic.twitter.com/dJbdsDd6wf

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 5, 2024

CSK will open their IPL 2024 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22. 

Barely two weeks before the start of the IPL, the enigmatic MS Dhoni sent speculation into overdrive by claiming that a "new role" awaits him in the "new season" in a viral social media post on Monday.

The former India captain, who led the Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title last season, however, neither mentioned the league nor elaborated on the new role, leaving everyone guessing.

"Can't wait for the new season and the new 'role'. Stay tuned!," Dhoni wrote in a rare social media post on Facebook. Speculation is rife that this season will be Dhoni's final one as a player.

ThalaiVanakkam!#DenComing pic.twitter.com/YYsyEXPAJY

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 5, 2024

Last year, the 42-year-old mostly came out to bat towards the fag end of CSK innings. He has not yet clarified on whether he will captain CSK in IPL 2024.

At the post-match ceremony after winning the final last year, Dhoni was asked if he will retire on a high, but the Ranchi dasher, in his inimitable style, deflected the query by saying that it would amount to taking an easy way out.

He went on to add that he would try to come back next season as CSK captain if his body allowed him.

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