Manipur bleeds again as fresh Kuki-Naga tension leaves 3 dead saturdAY 25 april, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard US crackdown Trump to act on China using US AI Three persons were killed in two separate incidents of firing between the armed groups of Manipur’s rival tribal communities Kukis and Nagas on Friday The Trump administration is vowing to crack down on foreign tech companies’ exploitation of US artificial intelligence models, singling out Chinese firms A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 New Delhi l l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Houses set on fire, Many sustained injuries Security forces near Mullam village recovered two bodies at 11.25 am. The deceased were found in camouflage outfits and had bullet injuries. Earlier, an exchange of fire broke out between armed groups at Mullam village. AAP-ration Lotus in RS as Paytm Payments Bank loses licence Chadha, 6 others join BJP B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai Cross two-thirds mark to duck anti-defection law’s disqualification A nu p Ve r ma an d H a r p r eet Ba j w a @ New Delhi/ Chandigarh The AAP’s Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha imploded on Friday with seven of its 10 members, led by Raghav Chadha, breaking away and merging with the ruling BJP . It came days after the party axed Chadha as its parliamentary party chief. Ironically, Ashok Mittal, who replaced Chadha as the AAP’s head in the Upper House, too bolted. The others defectors were Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh. They comfortably crossed the two-thirds criteria for defection, leaving the AAP shell-shocked. Assuming Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan approves the merger, the BJP’s strength will go up from 106 to 113, which is 10 short of a simple majority in the 244-member House. As for the post-merger NDA, its strength of 146, including nominated members, is 17 short of two-thirds majority Two-thirds majority is what . is needed to pass Constitution amendment bills. “Seven MPs have signed the document, which was submitted to the Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. I, along with two other MPs, personally handed over the signed documents,” Chadha said on X. Justifying his defection, Chadha said, “The AAP that I gave 15 years of my life has AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and others arrive to meet BJP president Nitin Nabin, before their merger in New Delhi on Friday | Parveen Negi stepped away from honest politics. I was the right man in the wrong party I am moving away . from the party and going close to people. Today, the AAP is corrupt and compromised.” A livid AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said, “The people of Punjab should remember the seven names.” Their exit will have far reaching ramifications for the ruling AAP in Punjab, especially since assembly election are due next year. The state government is already facing strong anti-incumbency due to perceived ‘non-performance’ and the poor law and order situation. Political analyst Dr Jagrup Singh Sekhon blamed it on the AAP’s structural flaw — the over-centralisation of Kejriwal. “The problem is everything AAP implosion Feb 2026: Early signs of AAP differences over parliamentary strategy, issue prioritisation April 2: Raghav Chadha axed as AAP’s deputy leader in RS; Ashok Mittal named replacement April 3-10: Chadha revolts, AAP friction deepens April 24: Chadha resigns from AAP, joins BJP along with six other RS MPs revolves around Kejriwal, which is not desirable in the political setup.” Another analyst Kuldip Singh described the split as an existential threat for the party Social activist Anna . Hazare rubbed it in. “They (the rebels) must have faced some trouble in AAP, which is why they left,” he said. P3, P4, P7 Pos t m e r g e r , NDA 1 7 s h o r t o f t wo - t h i r d s m a j o r i t y NDA (post merger) 146 Two-thirds majority 163 Simple majority 123 BJP (post merger) 113 Opposition 75 Others 23 Actual RS strength : 244 The Reserve Bank of India on Friday cancelled Paytm Payments Bank’s licence with immediate effect and directed it to wind up operations. In a statement, RBI said it cancelled the banking licence as the entity consistently failed to meet regulatory requirements. The move comes two years after the regulator imposed business curbs on Paytm Payments Bank over violations, including lapses in customer due diligence. The order follows years of regulatory friction and persistent non-compliance. “The affairs of the bank were conducted in a manner detri- mental to the interest of its depositors, thereby not complying with regulatory norms. The general character of the management of the bank is prejudicial to the interest of depositors as also the public interest. No useful purpose or public interest would be served by allowing the bank to continue. The bank also failed to comply with the conditions stipulated in the licence,” RBI said in a statement. The central bank ordered its winding up and said it will make an application before the High Court. RBI said the licence cancellation is ordered under Section 22(4) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Why RBI went after it The Reserve Bank of India initiated action against Paytm Payments Bank after a comprehensive system audit report and compliance validation report by external auditors flagged persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank. According to the FY25 annual report, Paytm Payments Bank has 30 million bank accounts RBI said the bank has enough liquidity to repay its deposit liability upon winding up. As of March 31, 2025, Paytm Payments Bank held customer West Asia crisis Peace hopes emerge as Araghchi in Pak, US team to fly in today day 56 A g en c i e s @ Islamabad/Tehran Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reached Pakistan late on Friday night, rekindling hopes of a peace deal to clear the war clouds over Gulf skies. While Iran’s official version for the visit is “bilateral consultations”, Araghchi is expected to discuss with Pakistani interlocutors the future of the US-Iran ceasefire and ways to de-escalate the conflict in the region. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-inlaw Jared Kushner will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning to hear what the Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire by 3 weeks Israel and Lebanon extended their shaky ceasefire by three weeks on Friday, as Iran’s foreign minister prepared for meetings with officials in Pakistan, which has been mediating efforts to end the wider West Asia war | P9 Iran team has to say . It was not immediately known if Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the earlier delegation to Pakistan on April 11, also accompanied Araghchi to Islamabad. According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency Araghchi , will fly to Muscat and then Moscow after his engagements in Islamabad. A senior Pakistan official said Araghchi will hold talks with the Pakistani mediators, expressing hope that this would set the stage for a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran. The development comes a day after the US issued shootto-kill orders on Iranian boats found to be laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday the US military , said it now has three aircraft carriers—the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R Ford and USS George H W Bush— in West Asia. The three battle groups comprise over 200 aircraft and 15,000 sailors and marines, it added. This is the first time since the 2003 Iraq war that three aircraft carriers are deployed in the region. SC allows minor to abort her 28-week pregnancy S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday allowed a 15-year-old girl to terminate her 28-week pregnancy , noting that forcing her to continue the unwanted pregnancy will be an insult to her right to live with dignity and reproductive autonomy . “No court can force a woman, especially a minor, to carry a pregnancy to full term, against her will. The pregnant woman carrying an unwanted pregnancy if compelled to continue such a pregnancy, then the constitutional rights of the pregnant woman would be breached,” said a two-judge bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench said the choice of the pregnant woman is relevant rather than that of the unborn child, adding that continuation of such a pregnancy could have long lasting repercussions on the minor’s mental health, educational prospects, social standing and overall development. “Constitutional courts must prioritise the best interests of the pregnant woman over the statutory and procedural limitations under the Medical Termination of Pre gnancy (MTP) Act when dealing with cases of unwanted pregnancies, likely to result in major mental and physical trauma,” the court aded. The bench passed the order after factoring in the minor’s mental distress, as it was reported that she had attempted to take her own life multiple times. She is currently admitted in AIIMS, Delhi. E x p r ess Re a d 20 get life term in ’18 Assam mob lynching The District and Sessions Court of Nagaon in Assam on Friday awarded life imprisonment to 20 people, convicted in the June 8, 2018 lynching of two men in Karbi Anglong district. The court, which imposed a fine of `20,000 on each of them, had convicted them last Monday. The lynching of two friends—Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath—had triggered nationwide outrage. Oppn moves fresh RS motion to remove CEC Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has come under fresh attack from the Opposition. Seventy-three members of the Rajya Sabha have submitted a notice for his removal from the Election Commission, alleging “proved misbehavior” under various constitutional provisions. The move comes days after a similar notice was rejected in both houses. | P7 kashmir all-weather rail link from April 30 18-month protest ends Administration staff help bring down activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa from a 400-foot BSNL tower after he ended his 560-day protest, in Samana, Patiala district on Friday. He had demanded stricter laws against sacrilege incidents in Punjab | PTI The direct train service between Jammu and Srinagar will start from April 30 with the introduction of specially designed Vande Bharat, which can maintain high speed even in sub-zero temperature during the winters, said officials deposits of `1,395 crore across wallet, and current and savings accounts. Payments banks can’t accept credit and can take deposits only up to `2 lakh. Backed by One 97 Communications, Paytm had obtained the licence in August 2015 that allowed it to take small deposits but not give out loans. RBI has been after the bank since March 2022 when it barred it from onboarding new customers. In January 2024, RBI had ordered the bank to stop accepting fresh deposits due to non-compliance of rules. Again in March 2024 it prohibited the bank from accepting new deposits, credit transactions, or top-ups in customer accounts, wallets, Fastags and or NCMC cards. SC: Form SIT to probe rape, murder of Ghaziabad kid S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh DGP to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case of a four-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and killed in Ghaziabad last month. The court was hearing a plea filed by the victim’s father, a daily wager, seeking a court-monitored probe either by a SIT or the CBI into the case. Lending credence to the case of the victim’s father, a bench headed by CJI Surya Kant directed that the SIT should consist of women police officers and headed by an officer of the rank of commissioner or IG. The court directed that the SIT be notified immediately and begin investigation without delay. “The SIT should be notified preferably on Friday or by 11 am on Saturday,” the bench noted. The order stated that the victim’s parents were dissatisfied with the probe conducted by Ghaziabad police. Expressing concern over the handling of the case, the SC said, given the “barbaric” nature of the offence, the matter warranted prompt and sensitive handling, which appeared lacking. “The SIT has been tasked with examining all grievances raised by the victim’s family, including concerns regarding the protection of key witnesses,” the SC said. Appearing for the victim’s parents, Senior Advocate N Hariharan raised concerns over the conduct of the police. On March 16, the victim was allegedly lured away by a neighbour on the pretext of buying chocolates. When the child did not return, her father launched a search and found her lying unconscious and soaked in blood. On April 10, the SC pulled up the Ghaziabad police for “improper” handling of the case. Swiss CEO out, Indian interim chief of Noida int’l airport E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The newly opened Noida International Airport appointed its current chief financial officer Nitu Samra as interim CEO on Friday This comes af. ter the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) denied security clearance to CEO Christoph Schnellmann, a Swiss national, delaying the launch of flight operations at the airport. A 2011 order by the BCAS mandates that the CEO of any Officer responsible for security measures: BCAS The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) denied security clearance to CEO Christoph Schnellmann, a Swiss national, last week. A 2011 order by BCAS mandates the CEO of any greenfield airport is responsible for implementing security measures. greenfield airport shall serve as the security coordinator, responsible for implementing security measures, effectively requiring the role to be held by an Indian citizen. In a statement, Noida International Airport said, “With immediate effect, Nitu Samra has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis, until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.” Schnellmann, who has led the airport as CEO since August 2020, will move to the Board of Directors as executive vice-chairman. Earlier this week, the BCAS rejected Schnellmann’s security approval on the grounds that he is a foreign national, which violates nor ms for greenfield airports. Positioned as NCR’s second airport, Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on March 28, 2026. The airport has been developed and will be operated by Swiss company Zurich Airport International AG. Together, the Delhi and Noida airports will function as an integrated aviation system, easing congestion, expanding passenger capacity and positioning the region among the world’s leading aviation hubs. Phase I of the Noida International Airport has been developed with an outlay of `11,200 crore under a public-private partnership model.