Congress leader slams detention of two journalists from MP over publication of 'fake news'
Bhopal (PTI): Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Arun Yadav has criticised the Rajasthan police's detention of two journalists from Madhya Pradesh over alleged publication of fake news, calling it an "attack on democracy".
The Rajasthan police on Friday detained Anand Pandey and Harish Divekar from Bhopal for allegedly publishing a series of fake and defamatory reports against Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari on their news portal, 'The Sutra', last month and for demanding Rs 5 crore for their removal.
The complainant claimed that the duo contacted acquaintances of the deputy chief minister, demanding several crores of rupees to delete the false reports and to refrain from publishing such content in the future.
They also allegedly threatened to damage her political and social image if the demand was not met, Jaipur police said in a statement.
Congress leader Yadav, in a post on X, said, "When journalists who tell the truth are in jail while those who spread lies roam free, then understand that democracy is in danger."
He claimed that the detention of Pandey and Divekar was a "direct attack on democracy".
"The Sutra's tagline 'we fear only god' scares the BJP government the most, because true journalists do not compromise with power," he wrote in the post.
According to the Rajasthan police, the same misleading content was also circulated on another affiliated web portal called 'The Capital'.
Technical examination and witness statements confirmed that the reports were not fact-based.
Based on the evidence collected, Pandey and Divekar were detained from Bhopal on Friday and were brought to Jaipur for further questioning.
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US renews sanctions waiver for purchase of Russian oil
Washington (PTI): The United States has extended by a month a waiver from sanctions to allow countries to buy petroleum products from Russia, days after it ruled out renewal of the special measure.
The US Department of Treasury issued an order late Friday extending the waiver from sanctions on Russian oil that is already at sea on or before April 17 through May 16.
Earlier, the US had granted an exemption from sanctions to India for buying Russian oil for a month beginning March 5. A few days later, a similar waiver was extended to several other countries, which ended on April 11.
The general licence issued by the US on Friday does not authorise any transaction involving a person, entity or joint venture located in Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or parts of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil.
The previous waiver of sanctions had made available 140 million barrels of Russian oil already loaded on ships to global markets as prices soared against the backdrop of the US war with Iran.
"Effective April 17, 2026, General License No. 134A, which was dated March 19, 2026 and expired on April 11, 2026, is replaced and superseded in its entirety by this General License No. 134B," said the order issued by the Department of Treasury.
