Man Serves Jail Time Over Wife's Murder, She Turns Up Alive In Court

A court here, taking serious note of lapses on the part of the police, has ordered the Superintendent of Police (SP) to submit a complete report before April 17 in connection with a case in which a woman, allegedly murdered by her husband in 2020, has now appeared before it-alive.

This comes even as Suresh, the husband of the woman named Mallige, had spent almost one-and-a-half years in jail on murder charges.

The case pertains to the arrest and imprisonment of Suresh, aged about 38, who had lodged a complaint in December 2020 stating that his wife Mallige had gone missing from Kushalnagar in the Kodagu district.

Subsequently, the police found the skeleton of a woman in Bettadarapura (Periyapatna taluk) and filed a charge sheet in court, alleging that the skeleton belonged to Mallige and that Suresh had murdered her. He was then jailed.

On April 1, Mallige was found in Madikeri by a friend of Suresh, who saw her with another man.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Fifth Additional District and Sessions Court, and she was subsequently produced before the court.

Taking serious note of the police's lapses, the court on Thursday directed the SP to submit a complete report on the case by April 17.

Speaking to reporters, Suresh's advocate, Pandu Poojari said, "Suresh, who is from a village in Kushalnagar, had lodged a complaint in 2020 at the Kushalnagar Rural Police Station regarding his wife's disappearance. Around the same time, a skeleton was found within the Bettadarapura police station limits. A year later, Bettadarapura police arrested Suresh, alleging that he had killed his wife over an illicit affair. A case was registered against him." The police had sent the skeleton for a DNA test along with blood samples from Mallige's mother.

"Even before the DNA report came, the police filed the final charge sheet in court. Later, though he got bail, the DNA test report that eventually came showed a mismatch," he said.

When a discharge application was filed citing the DNA mismatch, the court did not accept it and asked for witness examination, including that of Mallige's mother and villagers.

"Everyone deposed before the court that she was alive and had eloped with someone. The court questioned the Kushalnagar and Bettadarapura police about the loopholes in the charge sheet, but they defended their investigation and maintained that the skeleton belonged to Mallige and that Suresh had murdered her," the advocate said.

Meanwhile, on April 1, Mallige was found at a hotel in Madikeri, having a meal with a man. She was spotted by Suresh's friend, who is also a witness named in the charge sheet.

She was taken to the Madikeri police station, following which an "advancement application" was filed before the district judge's court.

"The court, treating the matter seriously, asked police to produce her immediately. She was then presented in court. When questioned, she admitted to eloping and marrying another man. She said she was unaware of what had happened to Suresh. She had been living in a village named Shettyhalli, just 25-30 km from Madikeri, but police made no effort to trace her," he added.

Calling this a very serious and rare case, the advocate said the key questions before the court now are: whose skeleton was it, and why did the police file a false charge sheet? "The court had summoned the SP and the investigating officers in the case, but they had no answers to offer. It has now directed the SP to file a complete report on the lapses before April 17 before delivering the judgment declaring Suresh innocent," he said.

Stating that he is awaiting the court's final order, the advocate said that once it is issued, he will file a writ petition in the High Court regarding the trauma his client endured and against the police for filing a false case against him.

"I will seek justice and compensation for my client. We will also approach the Human Rights Commission and the ST Commission, as Suresh is a poor man from the ST community," he said.

Further, he added there should be a probe into the skeleton case and whether there was a conspiracy by the police to close both cases by naming Suresh as the accused.

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

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"DOGE Screwed Lots Of Stuff Up": US Official On USAID Firing Notices

Termination notices sent by billionaire Elon Musk's cost-cutting team to US Agency for International Development staff were so rife with errors that corrected versions are being issued to avoid affecting pensions and pay, according to five sources familiar with the issue.

The Department of Government Efficiency "did this so quickly that they screwed lots of stuff up," said a US official, who requested anonymity, as did all of those who spoke to Reuters.

The State Department, which is assuming some of USAID's functions under the Trump administration's plan to cut US foreign aid, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

USAID's human resources staff, most of whom have been on paid administrative leave and face termination, have been brought back to the office to send out accurate notices, said the US official and a person familiar with the matter.

"My letter was completely wrong," one USAID worker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The only thing correct was my name."

It is not the first time that inaccurate termination notices have upended the lives of USAID workers since US President Donald Trump and Musk began in February to dismember America's main conduit of foreign aid.

A first round set April 21 as the final employment day for most personnel and May 30 for those tapped to help shutter the agency. Those dates were reset to July 1 or September 2 in the notices sent to some 3,500 USAID workers last Friday, two sources and workers said.

Other errors included inaccurate start dates, lengths of service and salaries, according to the person familiar with the matter, the US official, two former senior USAID officials, a congressional aide and four workers who received notices.

Unless fixed, those mistakes could result in reduced or canceled pensions or inaccurate severance pay, the sources said.

Several of the sources pointed to the US Office of Personnel Management's retirement website that says federal workers' annual pension annuity is based on their lengths of service and three highest average annual salaries.

Reuters could not learn how many USAID personnel were issued faulty notices last Friday.

SOME STAFF RECEIVED THREE INACCURATE NOTICES

Several workers told Reuters that they and other colleagues received a third termination letter on Monday night still containing inaccurate information on promotions, tenure and other data.

One worker said the total federal service listed in their notice on Friday was short by three years and by six years in the notice they received on Monday.

"I actually have federal service dating to June 2008," said the worker. "There doesn't seem to be any logic to the RIF (reduction in force) process."

"We've got people who have served for 25 years and their notices are showing they served for only three," said the U.S. official. "It affects their severance. It affects their future ability to retire."

Trump assigned Musk, a major contributor to his 2024 election campaign whose companies have federal contracts worth billions of dollars, and DOGE to ferret out waste and fraud across the U.S. government.

According to its website, the only official window into its operations, DOGE estimates it has saved U.S. taxpayers $140 billion as of April 2 through a series of actions including massive workforce cuts, asset sales, and contract cancellations.

Its savings total is unverifiable and its calculations have contained errors and corrections. Musk has said DOGE will correct mistakes when it finds them.

Since February, most USAID staff have been put on administrative leave, hundreds of contractors were fired and more than 5,000 programs terminated, disrupting global humanitarian aid operations on which millions depend.

Some termination notices sent on Friday to USAID personnel did not account for requests to waive the July 1 termination date, including from overseas staff whose children still would be in school, according to three sources.

Others had applied for waivers because they need more time to pack their homes and relocate to the U.S., the sources said.

"Some people have the wrong dates. Others have the wrong information," said the person with knowledge of the matter, adding that people given the wrong termination date "can't return home" unless their notices are reissued with the correct date.

The person said that the error-filled notices were sent under the supervision of USAID acting administrators Jeremy Lewin, a DOGE operative, and Kenneth Jackson, who have been overseeing the agency's dismantlement.

They report to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who Trump tapped as acting USAID administrator.

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

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Canada Retaliates To Trump Tariffs With 25% Levy On Some US Auto Imports

Canada said it would impose a 25 percent tariff on some autos imported from the United States, retaliating against President Donald Trump's levies that came into affect on Thursday. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced "25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with CUSMA," using the Canadian acronym for an existing North America free trade agreement.

Carney did not immediately offer detail on how many vehicles could be impacted by Canada's retaliation, but called his response "focused and calibrated."

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

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4, 6, 4, 4: KKR's Rs 23.75 Crore Buy Thrashes Cummins, Eden Gardens Erupt

Kolkata Knight Riders' under-fire middle order finally delivered as Venkatesh Iyer silenced his critics with a 25-ball fifty while Angkrish Raghuvanshi struck a fluent half-century to power KKR to 200/6 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Thursday. KKR's new-look opening pair continued to struggle, with Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (7) falling cheaply after SRH opted to bowl. But an 81-run partnership by skipper Ajinkya Rahane (38 from 27b) and Raghuvanshi (50 off 32 balls; 5x4, 2x6) laid the foundation for a competitive total.

SRH gained ground in the middle overs when 26-year-old Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis delivered a rare sight in IPL history, bowling with both hands in the same over on debut.

The ambidextrous Sri Lankan first bowled left-arm spin to Raghuvanshi before switching to off-spin against the left-handed Rinku Singh.

The over proved pivotal as he dismissed Raghuvanshi, breaking KKR's momentum.

Momentum slowed with boundaries drying up for two overs, but Iyer (60 off 29 balls; 7x4, 3x6) and Rinku (32 not out from 17 balls; 4x4, 1x6) reignited the innings.

Iyer's desperate pull off a Simarjeet beamer ended the drought, and Rinku smashed three consecutive boundaries off Harshal Patel before Iyer tore into Simarjeet with back-to-back fours.

Rinku capped off the over with a massive six over long-on, yielding 17 runs.

Iyer was at his belligerent best against Cummins in the 19th over, hammering the SRH skipper for 4, 6, 4, 4 in succession as KKR notched their first 200-plus total of the season. The hosts hammered 78 runs in last five overs.

Lighting up Eden Gardens with some fireworks

Sit back and enjoy Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer's super striking

up for Iyer in the process!

Updates https://t.co/jahSPzdeys#TATAIPL | #KKRvSRH | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/AAAqnOsRy8

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2025

Earlier Pat Cummins struck early in the third over, setting up de Kock with a short ball that was miscued to deep midwicket, while Shami dismissed an out-of-sorts Narine with a wide yorker that took the edge behind.

From 16/2 in 2.3 overs, KKR recovered through an 81-run stand between Rahane and Raghuvanshi.

Rahane broke the shackles with two crisp pull shots for sixes off Shami and Cummins, as KKR reached 53/2.

Raghuvanshi complemented Rahane with stylish stroke play, piercing gaps with drives through cover and square region.

His standout strokes came against Zeeshan Ansari -- a clean lofted six over long-off and a well-placed reverse hit past backward point. He reached a well-deserved 50 off 30 balls.

However, Ansari broke the partnership in the same over as Rahane gloved a reverse sweep to Heinrich Klaasen.

Captain Cummins' decision to underutilise spin on a pitch with variable bounce was debatable.

Leg-spinner Ansari bowled just three overs (1/25), while Mendis wasn't given another over after his match-turning spell.

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"It's Liberation Day In America," Posts Trump Ahead Of Tariffs Announcement

US President Donald Trump geared up to unveil sweeping new "Liberation Day" tariffs on Wednesday in a move that threatens to ignite a devastating global trade war.

Key US trading partners including the European Union and Britain said they were preparing their responses to Trump's escalation, as nervous markets fell in Europe and America.

Trump will unveil the levies in a grand ceremony with his cabinet members in the White House Rose Garden -- just as Wall Street stocks close at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

"IT'S LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA!" Trump posted a one-liner on his Truth Social platform early Wednesday.

The 78-year-old has promised so-called reciprocal tariffs on friends and foes alike if they target the world's largest economy, saying the levies will stop the United States being "ripped off."

But Trump has kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scale and scope, with the White House saying he was still "perfecting" them with just hours to go.

Reports say he could either hit countries with tit-for-tat tariffs, impose blanket 20 percent tariffs -- or, more probably, give some countries preferential treatment depending on their deficits.

The Republican president said in his last public appearance Monday that he would be "very kind" but gave little away.

- 'Tug-of-war' -

Critics say US businesses and consumers could bear the burden if importers pass on the cost, adding that the policy could increase risks of a recession.

"If this trade war continues through Labor Day (on September 1), the US economy will likely suffer a recession this year," Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, told AFP.

Trump's long-awaited announcement is also causing global turmoil, with stock markets jittery for days and countries in the crosshairs scrambling to decide how to react.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that whatever steps other countries take "it will be negative anyway the world over."

America's neighbors Mexico and Canada, whose economies are closely linked with the United States, are those that could suffer the most from a bruising trade war.

"I understand that it's a game of tug-of-war," truck driver Alejandro Espinoza told AFP as he waited in a queue to cross the Mexican-US border. "But unfortunately, we're the ones who pay in the end."

Major economies have however vowed retribution

The European Union will react to new Trump tariffs "before the end of April," said a French government spokeswoman.

The 27-nation bloc's initial salvo would counter US actions on steel and aluminum, followed by sector-by-sector measures.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has made intense but so far fruitless efforts to win a carve-out from Trump, said a "trade war is in nobody's interests."

"We have prepared for all eventualities -- and we will rule nothing out," he told parliament.

- 'Rebirth' -

Germany warned Wednesday that trade wars hurt "both sides."

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who goes into elections later this month dominated by tensions with Trump, said his country would be "very deliberate" in its response.

The White House said Trump's tariffs would come into effect "immediately" after Wednesday's announcement, effectively ruling out delays for negotiations.

Sweeping auto tariffs of 25 percent are due to take effect April 3, after Trump earlier imposed duties on steel and aluminum imports and goods from China.

But Trump has wobbled on several other tariff announcements since returning to office in January, blinking at the last minute with allies such as Canada and Mexico.

The billionaire has had a long love affair with tariffs, insisting in the face of experts that they are a cure-all for America's trade imbalances and economic ills.

Trump insists the levies will bring a "rebirth" of America's hollowed-out manufacturing capacity, and says companies can avoid tariffs by moving to the United States.

The tariffs meanwhile underscore the growing and profound gulf between Trump's America and many of its closest allies, not only on trade but on security, defense and almost everything else.

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

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Watch: Astronaut Sunita Williams Reunites With Her Dogs Upon Returning Home

It's been nearly two weeks since NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore returned to Earth after what turned out to be a marathon mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). And now Ms Williams has shared a heartfelt video of her long-awaited reunion with her dogs at home.

While everyone was wishing for 'Suni' to return safely from space, her two labradors, Gunner and Gorby, were the most excited to see her after months away.

On X, Ms Williams wrote, "Best homecoming ever!" and posted the clip.

Best homecoming ever! pic.twitter.com/h1ogPh5WMR

— Sunita Williams (@Astro_Suni) April 1, 2025

The video shows Ms Williams opening the door and being enthusiastically welcomed by Gorby and Gunner in her front yard. The two dogs were seen excitedly wagging their tails and bouncing around her. Ms Williams was equally ecstatic, stroking her pets and smiling.

"Who is here? Gunner, get over here. Here's my good boy," she said and embraced Gorby as Gunner eagerly rushed towards her with a stick in his mouth.

"What are you doing? Are you showing off, boys?" Ms Williams asked as Gunner fled again. "Gunner, are you giving me the cold shoulder?" she asked.

"And you too? You copycat?" Ms Williams quipped when the second dog also ran away. When she called Gunner again, "Come here," he did not appear to want to comply.

The video instantly went viral, with Space X CEO Elon Musk responding with a heart emoji.

❤️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2025

Several X users expressed joy in the comments section.

One wrote, "What a lovely video ! Wishing you long life and good health."

What a lovely video ! Wishing you long life and good health

— Siddarth Pai (@siddarthpaim) April 2, 2025

A user added, "Technically space is dogs happy place. An infinite land full of tiny balls of light."

Technically space is dogs happy https://t.co/LbCPSAA1wD infinite land full of tiny balls of light.????????????

— ????ROCKET????️???? (@MayeuxShea) April 1, 2025

Another added, "This is the most heartwarming thing to watch out for. They are adorable."

This is the most heartwarming thing to watch out for. They are adorable ❤️????????????

— Sougat Chakraborty (@sougat18) April 2, 2025

Next, Sunita Williams plans to visit India and meet with the ISRO team.

During NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Flight News Conference, Ms Williams said she found India "amazing"  each time her spacecraft passed by the Himalayas during her extended stay in space.

"I hope and I think for sure I'm going to be going back to my father's home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the Indian astronaut who's going up on the Axiom mission coming up," she said.

Sunita Williams' mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (nee Zalokar), is of Slovenian-American descent, while her father, Deepak Pandya, is from Gujarat.

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Influencer's "Fake Scars For Sick Leave" Video Is Viral, Sparks Debate

A Pune-based makeup artist's viral video, demonstrating how to fake accident scars for work excuses, has ignited a heated online debate, with viewers accusing her of promoting unethical behaviour.

Pritam Juzar Kothawala, a makeup artist, shared videos on her Instagram account, describing them as harmless skits meant for entertainment. In the first video, she demonstrated how to create realistic-looking scars to fake an accident, captioning it, "IT managers are advised not to watch this video." She emphasized that the content was purely for fun and not to be taken seriously.

"This video is especially for IT professionals who struggle to get leaves," Kothawala said, encouraging viewers to share it with friends while advising them to keep it hidden from their bosses.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pritam Juzar Kothawala (@faridas_makeup_studio)

After the video went viral, viewers asked how to maintain the illusion when returning to work after the fake injury. In a follow-up video, Kothawala demonstrated how to refresh the artificial scars to make them look convincing. "Here's my jugaad for when your leave is over," she explained, showing how to reapply the makeup.

Despite being intended as humorous content, the videos sparked criticism online. Many social media users accused Kothawala of promoting workplace dishonesty.

The backlash was swift, with users calling the videos irresponsible. A user wrote, "Sorry but not funny. This is so cheap and unethical."

Another user wrote, "This is not funny. It sets a dangerous precedent, encouraging dishonesty in the workplace."

"This is a disgraceful attempt to undermine trust between employees and employers," the third user commented. 

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