From the Waqf Bill debate and a nationwide UPI outage to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s surprise move and Val Kilmer’s passing, here are the top 10 headlines that defined April 2.
From heated political debates in the Lok Sabha over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to a nationwide disruption in UPI payments, April 2 was marked by major developments that grabbed headlines across India.
The Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges on Wednesday as the ruling NDA defended the Waqf (Amendment) Bill against opposition claims that it was unconstitutional and targeted minorities. Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the bill aimed at ensuring transparency in Waqf property management, not interfering in religious matters. Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju echoed this, stating that the amendments were necessary to correct provisions introduced by the UPA government. While BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, and LJP (Ram Vilas) backed the bill, the INDIA bloc opposed it, with Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi alleging it undermined constitutional values and disenfranchised minorities. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of using the bill for political polarisation, predicting internal discontent within the ruling alliance.
Shah rejected claims that appointing non-Muslims to Waqf boards violated community rights and accused the opposition of fear-mongering for political gains. He emphasized that the bill addressed mismanagement and corruption in Waqf properties, citing past amendments by the UPA as "extreme" and a tool for appeasement politics. Highlighting instances of alleged property misuse, he insisted that the law would protect poor Muslims from exploitation. Meanwhile, Gogoi questioned the lack of consultation with minority representatives, raising concerns over Clause 3, which defines individuals practicing Islam. BJP’s Anurag Thakur dismissed opposition concerns, stating that the bill was about enforcing the law and preventing corruption, rather than communal politics.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has discovered that ASAR Social Impact Advisors, one of three Bengaluru-based firms under investigation for alleged funding from the Soros Foundation, also received ₹8 crore as an inward remittance from USAID, the U.S. foreign aid agency previously scrutinized by the Donald Trump administration, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
The probe is linked to an alleged foreign exchange violation case involving the Open Society Foundations (OSF), founded by billionaire George Soros, and its investment arm, the Economic Development Fund (EDF).
Comedian Kunal Kamra on Wednesday apologised to a banker who allegedly had to cut short his trip after being summoned by the Mumbai Police in connection with a defamation case against him.
Expressing regret for the inconvenience caused, Kamra assured the banker that he would arrange a vacation anywhere in India. “I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience that attending my show has caused to you. Please email me so that I can schedule your next vacation anywhere you’d like in India,” he wrote on X.
The Karnataka High Court has ordered bike taxi aggregators, including Rapido, to halt operations in the state within six weeks, Bar and Bench reported. The ruling, issued on Wednesday by Justice B Shyam Prasad, came after petitions from Rapido’s parent company, Ropeen Transportation Services Private Limited, along with Uber and Ola, were dismissed.
As per the report, the companies had sought legal recognition for bike taxis as transport services and requested permission to register Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) two-wheelers as transport vehicles. They had also urged the court to direct authorities to establish regulations for bike taxi services. Rapido, which has been operating in Bengaluru, had further sought protection from any government action that could impact its business.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services faced a major disruption across multiple apps on Wednesday, marking the second major outage in a week.
According to DownDetector, 449 complaints were recorded by 8 PM, with 53% of users reporting issues while transferring funds. A similar outage had occurred on March 26, affecting digital transactions and causing widespread inconvenience for users relying on the instant payment interface.
The Centre on Wednesday appointed Poonam Gupta, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), PTI reported.
Gupta replaces MD Patra, who stepped down in January. She joins M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar, and Swaminathan J as the RBI’s four deputy governors. As per the report, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved her appointment for a three-year term from the date of joining.
Myanmar's military regime has declared a temporary ceasefire to facilitate relief and rehabilitation efforts following last week's devastating earthquake.
According to state-run MRTV, the ceasefire will be in effect from April 2 to April 22 after a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake struck the country, killing over 2,700 people and triggering a humanitarian crisis. The announcement, made during MRTV's nightly news bulletin, stated that the pause in hostilities aims to aid recovery efforts in the aftermath of Myanmar’s deadliest disaster in decades.
The decision follows reports that the military had continued its offensives despite the catastrophe, with rebel groups and Amnesty International accusing the junta of carrying out airstrikes against armed opponents.
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a surprising move from Mumbai to Goa due to personal reasons, departing from the domestic powerhouse that shaped his rise to international cricket.
The left-hander formally requested a transfer in a letter to the Mumbai Cricket Association on Tuesday, and the governing body promptly approved his release. Jaiswal, 23, will represent Goa from the 2025-26 season and is a strong contender for the captaincy. However, with a packed international schedule, his availability for the state side remains uncertain.
Also read: Yashasvi Jaiswal to play for Goa: Look back at opening batter's career in Mumbai
Amid the growing social media trend of Studio Ghibli-style photo edits, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined in, sharing a heartwarming image with his newborn son in the beloved animation style.
Posting on X, the 39-year-old tech entrepreneur shared an edit of himself napping while his son, nestled in his arms, peacefully dozed off. Altman had announced in February that he and his husband, Oliver Mulherin, had welcomed their baby.
In an emotional post, he revealed that the child was born prematurely and is currently receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Val Kilmer, the acclaimed actor known for his roles in Top Gun, The Doors, and Batman Forever, has passed away at the age of 65, The New York Times reported. According to his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, the cause of death was pneumonia. The actor had battled health issues for years following his diagnosis with throat cancer.
Born in California and trained at Juilliard, Kilmer became one of Hollywood’s most prominent leading men in the 1990s. He made his film debut in the 1984 spy comedy Top Secret!, which earned him a devoted fan base. However, it was his portrayal of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, the rival of Tom Cruise’s character in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, that catapulted him to stardom.
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