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Hundreds of people are protesting in India’s capital for a second day to demand the release of a rival to the prime minister before next month’s general election.

Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s top elected official and a prominent anti-corruption campaigner, was arrested by a federal agency on Thursday night.

India’s Enforcement Directorate, which is controlled by Narendra Modi’s government, has accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of accepting one billion rupees (£9.5m) in bribes over the city’s alcohol policy.

Enforcement Directorate, a federal agency that probes economic offenses, takes Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, leader Arvind Kejriwal, right, to their office after arresting him from his residence, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 21, 2024. Federal agency accused Kejriwal and his ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago, a top leader of his party said. (AP Photo/dinesh Joshi)
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Arvind Kejriwal, right, was arrested on Thursday. Pic: AP

A court has ordered for him to be held in custody until 28 March.

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – also known as the Common People’s Party – has denied the “fabricated” allegations and vowed he will remain Delhi’s chief minister as he fights the case in court.

AAP is part of an alliance of opposition parties who have joined together as the main challenger to Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Rivals claim the prime minister is using law enforcement agencies to orchestrate a crackdown and harass opponents in the run up to the national poll.

Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, posted a message on behalf of her husband on the AAP X account.

It quoted Kejriwal as saying he was not surprised by his detention as he has “struggled a lot”, and warning against “several forces within and outside India that are weakening the country”.

Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, shout protest slogans during a protest against the arrest of their party leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, March 23, 2024. Hundreds of protesters in India's capital took to the streets for a second day Saturday, demanding to the immediate release of one of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top rivals, as the country gears up for a national election next month. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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Pic: AP

Kejriwal protest. Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

To chants of “Kejriwal is Modi’s doom” and “Dictatorship won’t be tolerated,” protesters on Saturday accused the Indian leader of ruling the country under a state of emergency.

It comes after hundreds of AAP supporters and some senior party leaders on Friday clashed with the police, who took a number of them away in buses.

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The BJP says law enforcement agencies are acting independently of the government, with a spokesperson accusing Kejriwal’s party of playing the “victim card”.

But critics point out investigations against rivals who later defected to Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have been dropped.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the launch of the redevelopment project of the Sabarmati Mahatma Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
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Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term. Pic: AP

Kejriwal’s arrest represents another setback for the opposition alliance, with the country’s Congress party accusing the government on Thursday of freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute to cripple it.

Kejriwal launched the AAP in 2012 and has campaigned on a promise to rid India’s political system of corruption – with a broom as his party’s logo.

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In 2023, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Kejriwal’s deputy, Manish Sisodia, and AAP politician Sanjay Singh as part of the alcohol corruption case. Both remain in jail.

India’s general election is due to take place in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, with results due to be declared three days later.

It is widely expected that Mr Modi will win a third term.

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Scottie Scheffler: World number one golfer detained by police near PGA Championship course

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Scottie Scheffler: World number one golfer detained by police near PGA Championship course

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained and handcuffed by police for reportedly attempting to get around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident near a course.

Play in the second round of the US PGA Championship at Valhalla golf club in Kentucky was delayed following the incident in which a pedestrian was hit by a shuttle bus, according to Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).

The 27-year-old was apparently attempting to drive past a police officer when he was stopped.

An unverified video posted online shows one officer leading Scheffler to a patrol car while another says to a camera: “Right now, he’s going to jail, he’s going to jail and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Period.”

ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, said on air: “Traffic had been backed up and building.

“Scottie Scheffler tried to enter Valhalla Golf Club using a side median, at which point a police officer instructed him to stop.

“Scheffler attempted to continue to go, the police officer then attached himself to the side of Scheffler’s car.

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“Scheffler stopped the vehicle as he turned into Valhalla Golf Club at the entrance, about 10 to 20 yards from the point at which the police officer first told him to stop.

“At that point the police officer instructed Scheffler to get out of the car.

“He rolled down the window, the police officer grabbed his arm and started pulling at it.

“He reached inside, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pushed him up against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs.”

A statement released by LMPD earlier, said officers had been called to reports of a collision involving a male pedestrian and a bus at around 5am.

It added: “As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating.”

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French police shoot dead armed suspect who ‘planned to set fire to synagogue’

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French police shoot dead armed suspect who 'planned to set fire to synagogue'

French police have shot and killed an armed suspect outside of a synagogue, the interior minister has said.

The incident in Rouen, northern France, on Friday morning happened after the individual was intent on setting fire to the town’s synagogue, Gerald Darmanin said.

“I congratulate [national police officers] for their reactivity and their courage,” he added.

According to regional authorities, police rushed toward the man as smoke was rising from the synagogue.

He was carrying a knife and an iron bar when an officer shot him dead. His identity and motive are unclear.

Local broadcaster France 3 reported firefighters were at the scene. A city hall official said shortly before 8am that the fire had been brought under control.

Rouen mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol also said on social media the town is “bruised and in shock”.

He thanked first responders on the scene and said there were “no victims other than the armed individual”.

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The president of France’s Consistoire Central Jewish worshippers body Elie Korchia added police “avoided another anti-Semitic tragedy”.

France has already raised its security level to its highest level ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris over conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat of terror attacks.

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Donald Trump trial star witness Michael Cohen accused of lying about hush money phone call

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Donald Trump trial star witness Michael Cohen accused of lying about hush money phone call

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.

Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.

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Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.

But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.

“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.

Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.

“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”

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Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16th 2024 in New York City, U.S. Steven Hirsch/Pool via REUTERS
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters

That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.

Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.

“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.

“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.

Michael Cohen (right) leaves his apartment building in New York on Tuesday. Pic: AP
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Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP

Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.

He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.

Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.

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