भावना रावत
– फोटो: फाइल फोटो
Scott Besant said an executive order is in the works to require banks to collect citizenship information.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said a proposed executive order that would make it mandatory for banks to collect citizenship information is in the process. “It is in process. And I don’t think that’s unreasonable, because: Why don’t we have information about who is in our banking system? I have a place in the UK; They want to know who lives in each apartment. And how do we know it is not part of some foreign terrorist organization?” Besant told Semaphore. This would be a step in the administration’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. Under the proposal, Real ID will not be considered an eligible document for banking purposes. When the proposal was first reported, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, said he strongly supported the idea, and wrote to the Treasury Department, urging “a comprehensive review of the existing rules that allow illegal aliens to obtain financial services and access to the American banking system.”He said, “Access to the American banking system is a privilege that should be reserved for those who respect our laws and sovereignty.” “When individuals are allowed to open accounts without verifying legal status, we are allowing illegal aliens to establish financial roots and integrate economically, all while bypassing the legal channels that millions of people properly use.”Any possibility of making a US passport mandatory to open a bank account in the US could create panic as the order could impact millions of Americans. In a country with a population of more than 340 million, only 183 million US passports were in circulation in 2025. American Banker reported that depending on the state, only half of the US population has a passport. For example, eight out of 10 New Yorkers have a passport, but only two out of 10 West Virginians do. A record showed that the 10 states with the lowest abstention rates (37 percent or less) voted for Trump in the last three elections.The Washington Post said that Wall Street executives had warned administration officials that the plan would be an impractical administrative burden. Jeremy Kress, associate professor of business law at the University of Michigan, warned that the plan is “a way to weaponize the banking system to achieve political goals.”
New Delhi: In a move in line with New Delhi’s consistent position that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is an integral part of India, a provision has been included in the Delimitation Bill, 2026 Election Commission To delimit the Jammu and Kashmir constituencies which are currently occupied by Pakistan, whenever they “cease to be occupied”.The number of elected members of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is 90; This does not include the 24 seats in PoJK that remain ‘vacant’ and are not taken into account in calculating the total membership of the Assembly. The Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 authorizes the Delimitation Commission to decide on the revised strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, which will not be less than the existing 114 seats. It withdraws the provision of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act to exclude PoJK area and seats while delimiting the regional constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.The Bill proposes to amend Section 15 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act to increase the number of women nominated to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by the Lieutenant Governor from two to three. However, this will increase only after the readjustment of constituencies based on fresh delimitation comes into effect.According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the provisions of the Union Territory Government Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 are based on the existing constitutional framework relating to population, delimitation and reservation.
प्रतापगढ़ से एक बड़ी खबर सामने आई है, जहां जिला जेल में बंद एक कैदी की संदिग्ध परिस्थितियों में मौत के बाद मामला तूल पकड़ता जा रहा है. मृतक की पहचान दीपक उर्फ राहुल के रूप में हुई है, जिसने कथित तौर पर जेल के अंदर आत्मदाह कर आत्महत्या कर ली। घटना के बाद प्रशासन में खलबली मच गई और जांच शुरू कर दी गई. वहीं, मृतक के परिजनों ने इस मामले को आत्महत्या नहीं बल्कि हत्या बताया है. पोस्टमार्टम के बाद शव परिवार को सौंप दिया गया है, जिसके बाद परिवार ने कई गंभीर आरोप लगाए हैं.
पोस्टमार्टम के बाद शव परिजनों को सौंप दिया गया
घटना के बाद मृतक के परिजन देर रात ही प्रतापगढ़ पोस्टमार्टम हाउस पहुंचे, जहां डॉक्टरों के पैनल ने शव का पोस्टमार्टम किया. प्रक्रिया पूरी होने के बाद शव परिजनों को सौंप दिया गया और वे उसे लेकर अपने घर चले गये. पोस्टमार्टम रिपोर्ट आने के बाद ही मौत का असली कारण स्पष्ट हो सकेगा।
परिजनों ने रिश्वतखोरी और प्रताड़ना के आरोप लगाए
मृतक के भाई रोहित ने जेल प्रशासन और पुलिस पर गंभीर आरोप लगाए हैं. उन्होंने कहा कि उनके भाई को जेल न भेजने के नाम पर दिनेश और दीपक नाम के इंस्पेक्टरों ने 10 लाख रुपये लिए थे, लेकिन इसके बावजूद उन्हें जेल भेज दिया गया. रोहित ने यह भी आरोप लगाया कि जब उसने पैसे वापस मांगे तो उसे धमकी दी गई। उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि उनके भाई को जेल के अंदर लगातार प्रताड़ित किया गया और धमकी दी गई.
आत्महत्या नहीं हत्या का आरोप
रोहित ने साफ कहा कि उसके भाई ने आत्महत्या नहीं की बल्कि उसकी हत्या की गई है और अब कहानी आत्महत्या की बनाई जा रही है. उन्होंने पूरे मामले की निष्पक्ष जांच की मांग की है.
प्रशासन ने शुरू की जांच, तीन कर्मी निलंबित
गौरतलब है कि यह घटना शुक्रवार दोपहर जेल के अंदर हुई, जिसके बाद जेल प्रशासन में हड़कंप मच गया. मामले में लापरवाही बरतने पर डिप्टी जेलर ध्रुव श्रीवास्तव समेत तीन जेल कर्मियों को डीआइजी ने निलंबित कर दिया है. फिलहाल प्रशासन प्रथम दृष्टया इस मामले को आत्महत्या मान रहा है, लेकिन सभी पहलुओं पर जांच जारी है.
New Delhi: I-PAC promoter director Vinesh Chandel, who was arrested here late on Monday night, was sent to 10 days’ ED custody after being produced before the Patiala House court at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon around midnight. The judge gave his verdict at 3.30 in the morning.Meanwhile, the ED has issued summons to I-PAC’s founding director Prateek Jain’s wife Barbie Jain and Prateek’s brother Pulkit Jain, asking them to appear for questioning at the agency’s headquarters on Wednesday. The judge noted prima facie evidence of Chandel’s involvement in unaccounted cash transactions and hawala transactions. It was observed that I-PAC promoter director Vinesh Chandel had “directed the deletion of emails and sensitive data including deletion of financial records” immediately after the ED search on April 2, 2026, and said that “by doing so, the arrested person has deliberately attempted to destroy physical evidence and create obstruction during the investigation”.The court recorded that Chandel “knowingly aided and abetted actively in the process and activity involving the proceeds of crime, including its concealment, possession, acquisition, use and disposition as untainted property”, making him liable under Section 3 of the PMLA.The ED gave Chandel custody till April 23 and directed him to interrogate him under CCTV surveillance and undergo medical examination every 48 hours.According to agency sources, ED’s money trail in its ongoing investigation into the West Bengal coal scam has tracked hawala transactions allegedly linked to I-PAC. Although Chandel’s arrest came this year on a separate FIR filed by the Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police, the investigation into the coal scam began in Kolkata in 2020.The ED had earlier estimated that the proceeds of crime from the coal scam would be more than Rs 1,300 crore. Rujira Banerjee, wife of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, is one of the suspects in the case and has been called for questioning by the ED several times. ED has also interrogated Abhishek in the case.“Being a founding director and key decision-maker, Vinesh exercised control over the financial and operational affairs of the company and was actively involved in the process of generating the proceeds of crime,” the ED said.The agency accused I-PAC of “dividing receipts among banking channels and unaccounted cash components, including money received from political parties”. Among the documents seized from the I-PAC offices, the ED had recovered a note with reference to “50% cheque”, which allegedly indicated cash receipts from the parties.“These funds were used for election-related expenses and other purposes including influencing public perception,” the ED said in its remand note. It said I-PAC has found evidence of receiving Rs 13.5 crore as “unsecured loan” during 2019-2021 from Ram Sethu Infrastructure, with which it had no significant business relationship.
Lona Drews has come forward as the fifth woman to publicly accuse California Democrat and Representative Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct. Drews is a former model and software company owner. She appeared at a press conference in Beverly Hills with her attorney Lisa Bloom. She detailed an alleged incident from 2018, where she claims Swalwell drugged her, raped her, and choked her until she passed out and thought she was going to die.
Recalling the incident about seven years ago, Drews said he met Swalwell while living and working in Beverly Hills. At the time, she was running a fashion software company, and she claims Swalwell offered to use his political connections to help her business. At their third meeting, they were attending the inauguration of a restaurant and planned to go to a political event afterwards.According to Drews, Swalwell wanted to stay in his hotel room to pick up paperwork. She alleges that after having only one glass of wine that evening, she felt incapacitated and “heavy” when they reached the room. She claims that she did not consent to any sexual activity and was unable to move or resist. Drews said she did not report the incident to police in 2018 because she was fearful of Swalwell’s power and her family’s ties to law enforcement. However, she recorded the events in a journal and discussed them in therapy. These records are to be used by his legal team to provide evidence to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Before Drews came forward, four other women had already made serious allegations against Eric, leading him to resign from Congress this week and drop out of the California gubernatorial race:
Eric Swalwell, through his attorney Sara Azari, has “categorically and unequivocally” denied all allegations of sexual assault and rape. He admitted “errors in judgment” regarding his personal life and resigned his seat. But he says the criminal allegations are false.
KOLKATA: Not a single applicant who has approached the appellate tribunal against deletion of SIR names nor their lawyers have any clarity about the process to be followed to get back in the voter list.Alok Basu, a resident of Haridevpur, had gone to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation of Joka for two consecutive days – Sunday and Monday – with the hope that the tribunal would hear his case on the ground that his last name was wrongly recorded as ‘Bose’, leading to the name being deleted. But there is no information about the hearing yet.
“I have contacted my BLO, he doesn’t know. Neighbors – several people – whose names have been omitted, are in touch on whether we are being called for hearing. We don’t know whether we will be heard or whether our fate will be based on the same absurd logic that got us removed in the first place,” Basu said.“They could have had some website where the hearing dates could have been listed,” said Raghunath Chakraborty, a lawyer who provides legal advice extensively to the removed voters in Howrah. Advocates like Chakraborty and advocate Saikat Thakurata are helping people from weaker economic backgrounds file appeals and representing them pro bono.While 16 tribunals have started functioning from Monday, according to Chief Justice Sujoy Paul’s letter to the Supreme Court on Monday, the removed electors and their lawyers are confused about how they will be called for hearing and where they can see the orders passed by these tribunals.During the April 6 hearing in the SC, CJI Surya Kant, referring to CJ Paul’s letter, said that a retired Chief Justice had raised the issue regarding the process of providing ‘personal hearing’ to the affected party.Calcutta High Court lawyer Firdous Sameem said, “There is no clarity on how the applicant will be called. Will it be a personal hearing or will the tribunal only go through the documents already submitted. Interestingly, what documents will be given to the tribunal is also now known to the applicant.”He has the experience of appearing for two candidates fielded by Congress and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) namely Motab Shaikh from Farakka and Kechabuddin Shaikh from Kaliganj respectively.In Motab’s case, Sameem physically appeared at Bichar Bhawan, where documents were provided and Motab’s name was later restored, allowing him to stand as a candidate. Citing the Supreme Court order of September 8, 2025, former judge TS Sivaganam said that Aadhaar card can be accepted as a supporting document. Although it is not proof of citizenship, it is “one of the documents enumerated for the purpose of establishing the identity of a person”.Meanwhile, in Kechabuddin’s case, Sameem is given a conference call link and presents his client’s case. Kechabuddin was also present during the hearing. Ultimately, his name was also directed to be included as it was found that it was clear from the documents given that he is a permanent resident of village Haat Gobindpur, Nadia. Sameem suggested that there could be an online platform where the orders are uploaded as the lawyer had also cited Motab’s case as a priority in the petition filed in the Supreme Court on Monday. Even though a three-member panel comprising former CJ TS Sivagnanam, Justice Pradipta Roy and Justice Pranab Kumar Deb was constituted by CJ Sujoy Paul following the April 7 SC order to prepare the SOP, the removed electors are confused about how they will be called for hearing. Now all they have is an ‘Appeal Number’ which was sent via SMS to their registered mobile.
ऋषिकेश-गंगोत्री राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग पर नागणी बाजार के पास बाइक की चपेट में आने से एक महिला की मौत हो गई। वहीं, बाइक सवार घायल हो गया. उन्हें उप जिला अस्पताल नरेंद्रनगर में भर्ती कराया गया है।
us President donald trump Said on Tuesday that new peace talks with Iran could resume “in the next two days”, even as Israel and Lebanon agreed to resume direct talks, marking parallel diplomatic movement on two major fronts in the Middle East conflict.The development comes after weekend talks in Islamabad failed, leading Washington to impose a blockade on Iranian ports. Despite the setback, signs of renewed engagement suggest that efforts to stabilize the region are still ongoing.Trump said that a new round of talks can be held in Pakistan with Tehran in the next two days.“You should really be there, because something could happen in the next two days, and we’re more than willing to go there,” he told The New York Post.His comments signaled that Iranian officials are seeking compromise even as tensions remain high after more than six weeks of conflict.Talks held in Islamabad over the weekend failed to make any breakthrough, raising doubts over the survival of the two-week ceasefire, which still has about a week left.The war, which began on February 28, has severely disrupted global energy flows, with Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil and gas shipments.
In a separate diplomatic development, Israel and Lebanon agreed to launch direct talks after talks in Washington.U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “Participants had productive discussions on steps toward resuming direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.”“All parties agreed to commence direct talks at a mutually agreed time and place,” he said.Meeting, brokered by the Secretary of State marco rubioThe meeting lasted more than two hours and is being seen as a rare breakthrough between the two countries, which have been formally at war for decades.Lebanon was drawn into the wider conflict on March 2 after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in support of Tehran. Escalating tensions led to Israeli attacks and ground attacks, killing more than 2,000 and displacing more than a million.
कौशांबी जिले से चोरी की एक बड़ी घटना सामने आई है, जिससे इलाके में दहशत का माहौल है. पश्चिम शरीरा थाना क्षेत्र के लोधन का पुरा गांव में चोरों ने एक किसान के घर को निशाना बनाकर बड़ी वारदात को अंजाम दिया। बताया जा रहा है कि परिवार के खेत पर जाने के दौरान चोरों ने खाली घर का फायदा उठाया और ताला तोड़कर अंदर घुस गए और लाखों रुपये का सामान चोरी कर लिया. घटना की जानकारी मिलते ही पुलिस मौके पर पहुंची और जांच शुरू कर दी.
एक खाली घर को निशाना बनाया
गांव निवासी राजवंत कुमार लोधी के मुताबिक, वह अपने परिवार के साथ रात करीब आठ बजे गेहूं काटने के लिए खेतों पर गए थे। इसी दौरान अज्ञात चोरों ने उनके घर को निशाना बनाया. घर में किसी के न होने का फायदा उठाकर चोर मुख्य दरवाजे का ताला तोड़कर अंदर घुस गये।
बक्सा तोड़कर कीमती सामान उठा लिया गया
घर में घुसने के बाद चोरों ने अंदर रखे बक्सों को भी तोड़ दिया। चोर बक्सा में रखी लाइसेंसी राइफल, 12 जिंदा कारतूस, करीब आधा किलो वजनी बेल्ट, एक पाव का छागल, करीब तीन लाख रुपये के आभूषण और करीब दस हजार रुपये नकद लेकर फरार हो गये. चोरी की इस घटना से परिवार को भारी नुकसान हुआ है.
लौटकर दंग रह गया
पीड़ित परिवार जब खेत से लौटा तो घर का नजारा देख सन्न रह गया। घर के अंदर दरवाजा टूटा हुआ था और सामान बिखरा हुआ था. उन्होंने तुरंत पुलिस को सूचना दी.
पुलिस जांच में जुटी
सूचना मिलते ही पुलिस मौके पर पहुंची और जांच शुरू कर दी। पुलिस आसपास के लोगों से पूछताछ कर चोरों का पता लगाने का प्रयास कर रही है। इलाके में बढ़ती चोरी की घटनाओं से ग्रामीणों में डर का माहौल है और लोग सुरक्षा बढ़ाने की मांग कर रहे हैं.
(रिपोर्ट: राम किशन, कौशांबी)
