Breaking News, February 8

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday launched the integrated web portal of the Tourism department which shall provide a one-stop solution for tourists and visitors.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the Philippines starting this weekend is set to cement special ties between New Delhi and Manila riding of their recent BarhMos missile deal, widely touted as a game-changer in the South China Sea. The two countries are now looking at working together in the fields of maritime security, intelligence-sharing, military training, procurement and logistics.

The Philippines' Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and BrahMos Aerospace Director General Atul Dinkar Rane had signed the contract worth PHP 18.9 billion in a virtual ceremony at the DND headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on January 28.

Calling it a landmark move, the western Pacific Ocean country said it realises the importance of the contract considering escalating regional tensions, especially China's strategic expansion into the South China Sea.

A total of 71,06,743 subscribers have been enrolled under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) up to January 24, 2022, during the financial year 2021-22 as per the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) as compared to 23,98,934 in 2016-17, stated union minister of state for finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in parliament.

The Minister stated that the Atal Pension Yojana is a Government of India Scheme launched on 9th May, 2015, with the objective of creating a universal social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector. The Scheme became operational from 1st June, 2015, and is being administered by the PFRDA. It is open to all citizens of India between 18-40 years of age having a savings bank account in a bank or post-office. 

The government on Tuesday told Lok Sabha that they have not denied renewal of licences to about 6,000 organisations under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), rather the registration deemed to have ceased as they failed to apply within stipulated time."

In fact, about 5,800 FCRA registered associations had not submitted their applications for renewal within stipulated time in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010," Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. FCRA registration of these associations was thus deemed to have ceased as per section 12 of the FCRA, 2010.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan wanted to play the role of bringing together the US and China because "another Cold War" would not benefit anyone, Dawn reported. He expressed these views during an interview with China Global Television Network that was filmed during his recent trip to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The interview was aired with Urdu subtitles on Tuesday.

During the interview, the Premier was questioned about Pakistan's relations with China and the US to which he replied that the world did not need 'another Cold War'. "The world should not go through a situation where it is divided into two camps, it does not benefit anyone. In fact, everyone suffers," he said, adding that people benefit when there is cooperation between countries.

Scientists at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have come up with a new method to reduce pain during cancer treatment through chemotherapy. The team comprises Nimisha Verma, Department of Anaesthesiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University and Vinod Tiwari, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering, BHU. They have come up with a novel solution through genetic engineering and nanotechnology.

"A collaborative research conducted by them, has found that it may be possible to cure CINP by genetically manipulated and delivered siRNA to target sites by nanotechnology. The research involves the blocking of expression of TRPV1 receptor through a small interfering RNA molecule (siRNA). The novel siRNA formulation suggested by the ongoing research has shown quick management of pain without side-effects," said a statement from BHU.

Shocking details are emerging from the widespread incidents of violence from across Karnataka on Tuesday in the backdrop of hijab row. The miscreants have attacked a teacher with iron rods causing severe head injuries to him in Bagalkot district. BJP MLA Haratalu Halappa stood as a mute spectator even as a student was beaten up by a mob in Shivamogga district.

Manjunath Naik (30), a school teacher has been attacked with iron rods by miscreants in Banahatti town of Bagalkot district after the violence erupted following students protest. "I was crossing the road when a group of people attacked me with iron rods on my head. I couldn't realize what was happening," a bleeding Manjunath Naik explained to media persons.

We asked govt to give a statement on the atrocities being committed on the muslim girls in Karnataka and other places in the name of hijab. But govt did not pay heed to our demand, so we staged a walkout from Lok Sabha: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress

He (PM Modi during his speech in Parliament) didn't answer my questions. We need to take the China & Pakistan issue seriously. My great grandfather served the country, I don't need anyone's certificate. BJP is scared of Congress as we say the truth: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

The national capital's most prominent garden, the sprawling Mughal Gardens, part of the President's Estate would be thrown open for public from February 12. "The Annual Rashtrapati Bhavan Udyanotsav - Mughal Gardens will be open for the public from February 12 to March 16 (except on Mondays)," a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Tuesday. Last year, the popular Mughal Gardens was closed down halfway through during the second wave of Covid pandemic.

Former prime minister HD Devegowda on Tuesday expressed concern over the planned river linking projects announced in the Union Budget, saying they will cause a shortage of drinking water in Karnataka.

Taking part in the general discussion on the budget, the veteran JD(S) leader said Bengaluru city is already witnessing a shortfall of drinking water and is utilising water out of the allocation for irrigation that was provided to Karnataka by the Supreme Court.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had anounced that draft DPRs of five river links - namely Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi Narmada, Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar and Pennar-Cauvery - has been finalised.

A Special Court in Jalandhar on Tuesday extended the ED custody of Bhupinder Singh Honey -- nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi arrested in a money laundering case, till February 11, officials said. Honey was presented in the court after his ED custody expired on Tuesday. The prosecution moved a plea before the court seeking more custody. He was arrested in a money laundering case pertaining to illegal mining in Punjab.

Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) of Bihar on Tuesday initiated an inquiry against three former top officials of Magadh range (Gaya) for irregularities during their tenure in the district. Former Magadh range IGP Amit Lodha, SSP Aditya Kumar and DM Abhishek Kumar were under scrutiny of the anti-corruption body for quite sometime. The action against them was taken on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's direction, according to an SVU official. They have been charged with using their respective posts to make disproportionate assets and having alleged links with liquor and sand mafias of Gaya district.

Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Shivamogga district of Karnataka on Tuesday following incidents of violence due to hijab row. Considering the volatility of the situation, the district administration has issued curfew orders to stop mobs and students from stone pelting. The agitating students wearing saffron shawl hoisted 'Bhagva dhwaj' in the college premises.

Education Minister B.C. Nagesh has given directions to the Education Department to take a call on declaring two-day holiday for the colleges and schools based on the prevailing situation which is turning violent in the backdrop of hijab row.

Two interstate arms suppliers were on Tuesday arrested during a late-night operation by the Delhi Police in the outer north area of the national capital.

The accused, identified as Md Ayaz alias Ajju and Rafat Khan, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, used to supply illegal arms and ammunition to Lawrance Bishnoi and Kala Jathedi gangs.

Delhi government's free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens will resume from February 14. Trains to pilgrimage centres- Dwarka, Gujarat and Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu- to leave on Feb 14 and Feb 18, respectively.

French automaker Renault on Tuesday said it has crossed the 8-lakh cumulative sales milestone in India, in a decade of its presence in the domestic market. It also said that despite the challenges faced by the industry owing to the pandemic and supply constraints, 2021 proved to be a remarkable year for Renault.

India's contribution to the Renault brand's global sales has been significant, with the country among its top five global markets, the company said in a statement.

"We are extremely delighted to have crossed the 8 lakh sales milestone in India. This has been a phenomenal journey. Over the last few years, we have established a strong foundation in India.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police has busted a fake visa racket in the national capital and arrested five people in this connection, an official said on Tuesday.

The five arrested accused were identified as Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab, Lakhvinder Singh, a resident of Rajpur, Punjab, Rajveer Singh, Anil Paul, Dushyantt and Rajkumar, all residents of Delhi.

Special Cell DCP, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said they have recovered a total of 225 passports and a huge number of fake visa stickers of different countries."Fake rubber stamps of embassies of different countries, especially European countries, have also been recovered," the official said.

Tamil Nadu Assembly again adopts anti-NEET bill

A special court here on Tuesday convicted 49 accused in the case of Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts in 2008 in which 56 people were killed. Judge AR Patel also acquitted 28 other accused in the case, giving them the benefit of doubt.

The court had concluded the trial against 77 accused in September last year.

The trial began in December 2009 against 78 people connected to the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. The number of accused later came down to 77, after one of them turned approver.

Four more accused were arrested later, but their trial has not yet commenced, a senior government lawyer said.

Fifty six people were killed and over 200 injured in 21 synchronised blasts which rocked the Gujarat city in a span of 20 minutes on July 26, 2008.

The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to grant interim bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for campaigning in the UP assembly polls.

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai, however, granted liberty to Khan to approach the concerned court and request for expeditious disposal of bail pleas.

“How can you file 32 petitions to seek bail? Don't bring politics in court,” the bench observed.

The Reserve Bank on Tuesday extended the restrictions on Millath Co-Operative Bank, Devangere (Karnataka), by another three months till May 7, 2022. As per the directions issued first on May 10, 2019, withdrawals were capped at Rs 1,000 from any account. The directions have been periodically extended till now.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the RBI said other terms and conditions of the directives will remain unchanged during the latest three-month extension.

The directions also include no new loans, new investments or taking on any new liabilities, including borrowing of funds or paying any other liabilities, sans RBI approval.

An air of tension prevailed at the MGM college at Manipal in Udupi after two groups of students wearing hijabs and saffron shawls raised slogans against each other on the campus on Tuesday. A group of girl students of the college wearing burqas and hijab entered the college and held a protest in the premises raising slogans in favour of the right to wear headscarves.

Boys and girls wearing saffron shawls also came to the college and raised slogans in retaliation. The college gate was locked by the staff, while both groups of students waited near the gate.

College principal Devidas Nayak and the teaching staff tried to convince the students, but both sides refused to relent. A large posse of the policemen are present at the spot.

The student groups are raising slogans like ‘we want justice’ and ‘Vande Mataram.’ The college management is holding talks with the district administration, sources said.

Kerala High Court upholds the order of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revoking the license & removing the name of Malayalam news channel 'Media One' from the list of permitted news channels, citing security reasons.

An Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer was dismissed by the State government on Monday after she was convicted in a bribery case.

Nandita Konwar, Assam Civil Service officer, while serving as the Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Kamrup (Metro) district, had demanded a bribe for the release of payment in respect of MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) work and she was caught red-handed in 2015.

Actor-athlete Praveen Kumar Sobti, best known for playing Bheem in the TV series "Mahabharat" and for winning an Asian Games gold medal, died following a cardiac arrest late Monday evening. He was 74. The actor breathed his last at his Ashok Vihar residence.

"He had a chronic chest infection problem. At night, when he started feeling uneasy, we called the doctor at home. He passed away between 10-10.30 PM following a cardiac arrest," a relative of Praveen said.

Praveen represented the country across various athletic events in hammer and discus throw and even won four medals at the Asian Games, including two gold medals in 1966 and 1970.

A Dalit man was stripped naked and beaten up with sticks and a burning wooden log allegedly by two persons on the suspicion of stealing a mobile phone in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. A video of the incident, which took place in Ladpura village around 7 pm on Monday, also surfaced on social media in which the man was purportedly seen being thrashed and abused, while some people stood there as spectators.

The victim later filed a police complaint in which he alleged that two persons beat him up with sticks and a burning wooden log while accusing him of stealing a mobile phone, Vijaynagar police station in-charge Rakesh Kumar Gupta said.

Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 150 points in opening trade on Tuesday, tracking gains in index majors Maruti, Titan and Bajaj Finserv amid a mixed trend in global markets. Starting on a positive note, the BSE gauge was trading 156.46 points or 0.27 per cent higher at 57,777.65 in early trade. Likewise, the Nifty surged 48.75 points or 0.28 per cent to 17,262.35.

Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, climbing 1.83 per cent, followed by Titan, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Dr Reddy’s, Tata Steel and Asian Paints.

On the other hand, PowerGrid, TCS, SBI, NTPC and Infosys were among the losers.

In the previous session, the 30-share index ended 1,023.63 points or 1.75 per cent lower at 57,621.19. Similarly, the NSE Nifty slumped 302.70 points or 1.73 per cent to 17,213.60.

Enforcement Directorate summons Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala Gold Smuggling Case, asking her to appear before its Kochi office tomorrow. She should appear in person or through an authorised representative.

Supreme Court to resume its hearing today on a petition filed by MBBS students regarding postponement of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG 2022) exam and extension of the deadline of completion of internship.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha today

16 fishermen from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu along with 3 boats apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy at 2am near Delft island: Q branch Police

Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of Rajya Sabha to be held at 9:20 AM today in Parliament. 

An FIR has been registered against two police constables for allegedly assaulting a journalist after the latter questioned them for not wearing helmets while they were riding bikes in Basugaon in Assam on Monday.

Speaking to ANI, the journalist namely Jayant Debnath said, "Two policemen on a bike were not wearing helmets, my only fault was that I questioned them saying what message would it give to the general public. They abused, assaulted me in broad daylight. When I told them I am a journalist, they got more furious."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that the party ought to be flattered that a large part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Parliament was devoted to attacking Congress.

"His entire speech was an attack on the Congress party. It was a very political speech with a large portion devoted to attacking Congress... I suppose we ought to be flattered that he sees us this way...," he stated.

Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President's Address, PM Modi on Monday slammed Congress over various issues, adding that the party has not shed its arrogance despite repetitive defeats.

The Border Security Force (BSF) troops have apprehended four Bangladeshi nationals while illegally crossing the border in the area of Border Out Post Pargumati, informed an official statement issued by BSF.

On Sunday, based on reliable information, the troops of Border Out Post Pargumati, 118 Battalion, Sector Kolkata, launched a search operation in the area.

During the operation, the jawans observed the suspicious movement of four persons near Uketan Niketan Club in Pargumati village, the official said.

West Bengal: Acting on a specific input by BSF Krishna Nagar, NCB  Kolkata seized 3375 phensedyl  bottles, 6 kg ganja, two cars, and some cash from the possession of one person in Kurulia, 24 South Parganas 

Delhi: Man and a juvenile apprehended for stabbing an auto-mechanic to death in Mahendra Park. Accused revealed that they were influenced by gangsters in movies/web series.

Their families were in debt and in order to earn easy money, they planned to rob people

President Biden on Monday (local time) met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and declared that the US and Germany are working in "lockstep" to counter Russian aggression towards Ukraine.

"Germany is one of America's closest allies," Biden said in remarks at the beginning of the meeting with Scholz at White House. 

"We're working in lockstep to further deter Russian aggression in Europe and to address the challenges posed by China and to promote stability in the Western Balkans," The Hill reported Biden as saying.

Scholz, who is on his first trip to the White House since taking over from longtime German leader Angela Merkel, said that their countries were the "closest allies and working intensely together."

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a case against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). NIA Spokesperson Sanyukta Parashar said a case has been registered against Dawood and others. The agency filed the case based on a recent order received from the Ministry of Home Affairs to register a case against Dawood. Subsequently, sources said, the anti-terror agency filed a case under UAPA against Dawood and others.

It is learnt that a special team, led by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officer in the NIA along with a Superintendent of Police, will probe the case.