The Union home ministry has asked Punjab to take “stringent action” to suppress “disruptive activities under the guise of farmers’ protest,” while also criticising the state government for permitting gatherings near its borders with Haryana. In a late advisory issued on Tuesday, the ministry expressed concern over the “deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab,” citing inputs from central agencies. This advisory comes as protesting farmers, equipped with cranes and excavators, planned to resume their march towards Delhi on Wednesday following unsuccessful talks with the Union government regarding guaranteed prices for their produce. Meanwhile, authorities in Haryana have set up barricades on the border with Punjab and blocked a highway to prevent farmers from advancing towards the Capital, located approximately 200 km away. Dig deeper

Senior politician Sharad Pawar claimed on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in the Rajya Sabha is limited to a mere 20 minutes during discussions on issues concerning the common people and formulation of policies in the Parliament. Pawar also criticised PM Modi’s act of bowing down at the Parliament door, labeling it as “theatrical.” Addressing an event to inaugurate the memorial of slain Leftist leader Govind Pansare in Kolhapur, Pawar emphasized the importance of presenting a unified front against “regressive” forces. While not directly naming the Prime Minister, he said that power is being misused in India. Pawar leads the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar faction, formed following the Election Commission’s decision to grant the Ajit Pawar faction permission to utilize the ‘NCP’ name. Dig deeper

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India News

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Global Matters

A man, previously arrested in Arizona, Florida, and Texas, has been taken into custody for allegedly killing a woman in a SoHo hotel room in Lower Manhattan. Police suspect that Raad Almansoori may be a serial attacker who targeted women across different states. The victim, 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, a mother from Queens, was found dead in the hotel room on February 8. Her body, showing signs of being beaten and strangled, was discovered by a hotel maid under a blanket. According to a spokesperson from the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner, her death has been officially ruled as a homicide caused by neck compression and blunt force trauma. Dig deeper

Entertainment Focus

Actor Shah Rukh Khan won the award in the Best Actor category at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards (DPIFF) 2024. He was honoured for his performance in Atlee’s directorial Jawan. In a video shared by a fan account, Shah Rukh said in his acceptance speech that he hadn’t received the Best Actor Award in a long time. He added that it seemed as if he “would not get it again”. Dig deeper

Lifestyle and Health

In an era defined by fast-paced living, our skin often bears the brunt of dehydration, pollution, stress and the inevitable march of time hence, the quest for youthful radiant skin has led to the rise of skincare solutions, with hyaluronic acid emerging as a transformative ingredient. Present in our bodies, hyaluronic acid plays a pivotal role in collagen and elastin production, the building blocks of youthful skin. Dig deeper

Sports Goings

Congratulatory messages started pouring in the moment Virat Kohli, on Tuesday, took to Instagram to announce the birth of his second child. Kohli said his wife, the Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, delivered a baby boy last Thursday. They named the boy Akaay. The couple already have a daughter named Vamika. Kohli’s Instagram post garnered 8.2 million likes and 377 thousand likes by Wednesday morning. Among those who commented on Kohli’s post were former India cricketer Virender Sehwag, former England batter Kevin Pietersen, and former Australia pacer Brett Lee. Dig deeper

That’s all we have at this hour in our Afternoon briefing. Catch you in the evening.