Hindustan Times News | 24th February 2022 | 8 AM

HT Daily News Wrap

The rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Russia invasion fears, Maha Minister Nawab Malik arrested by ED for alleged money laundering, Uttar Pradesh saw an average voter turnout of 61.65 percent in the fourth phase of the state elections & other top news in this bulletin.
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case has triggered a fresh row between the Shiv Sena-led alliance in the state and the BJP. The ruling alliance has defined the arrest as “vendetta politics” by the centre amid calls for Malik’s resignation by the BJP leaders. The state government, however, has made it clear Malik won’t be sacked. Ukraine is on the edge amid Russia invasion fears. In the latest developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is “not a threat to Russia” as he also warned that Kremlin could “start a major war in Europe”. The rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine, meanwhile, reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin claimed, “amid Kyiv’s growing aggression”. About Rs 18,000 crore has been recovered by the banks from fugitives Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, the central government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday, adding that the value of cases against the three fugitives is Rs 67,000 crore. In a major relief for the residents of Chandigarh, a strike by the staff of the electricity department was withdrawn on Wednesday. The protest began on Monday night against the move to privatise the depatment. Many parts faced blackouts for over 30 hours. Uttar Pradesh saw an average voter turnout of 61.65 per cent on Wednesday in the fourth phase of the state elections. Pilibhit recorded the highest turnout at 67.16% followed by 67.15% in Lakhimpur Kheri and 62.66% in Sitapur. In Lucknow, the voter turnout crossed the 60% mark for the first time since the 1952 assembly elections.