8 APRIL 2014

Ø  An Australian naval ship hunting for MH370 has detected fresh underwater signals consistent with aircraft’s black boxes, in what officials on Monday said was the “most promising lead”,raising hopes of solving the unprecedented month-long aviation mystery.

Ø  Doyen of cinematography V.K. Murthy, who carved a niche for himself by presenting striking images in black and white to the celluloid world, passed away at his residence. He was 91. Murthy’s demise marks the end of a glorious chapter in Indian celluloid history. 

Ø  Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed in a blast while defusing an improvised explosive device planted by Maoists in Aurangabad district.

Ø  The Arunachal capital Itanagar was on Monday put on the country’s railway map with the first passenger train of about 400 commuters arriving at Naharlagun near here.

Ø  The 135th death anniversary of one of India’s freedom fighters, Begum Hazrat Mahal, was observed at a major mosque in Kathmandu. A wreath-laying ceremony was organised by the Embassy of India at the Jame-e-Masjid amid a gathering of community leaders and the embassy staff. This is the first-ever ceremony in the memory of the wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh (Uttar Pradesh), who rests in the tomb in the heart of the capital.

Ø  Pro-Russia activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk have proclaimed independence from Ukraine and asked Russia to send in troops to protect them from the government in Kiev.

Ø  United States Defence Secretary Charles Hagel on Monday was given an unexpected tour around China’s first aircraft carrier soon after arriving here on a three-day visit aimed at building trust between the two countries amid rising regional tensions. Mr. Hagel, who arrived in the northeastern port city of Qingdao from Japan, was escorted around ‘Liaoning’, China’s first aircraft carrier, which is close to becoming fully operational, by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).