Breaking News, January 11 | Highlights

Customs officials at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday seized 1.48 kg gold, valued at Rs 72.80 lakh, from three women passengers who arrived from Dubai. The gold was seized in three separate cases, Customs officials said. Two of the passengers had hid the gold inside their undergarments while the third had concealed the gold in the rectum.

US Climate Envoy John Kerry is likely to visit the country soon to take forward the India-US Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue, officials said on Tuesday. While some officials said the visit should take place by the end of this month depending on the Covid situation, others said there is no final fix on the dates so far.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that demand of money for the purpose of construction of a house is a dowry demand, which is punishable under Section 304-B of the Indian Penal Code.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli, said: "In the facts of the instant case, we are of the opinion that the trial court has correctly interpreted the demand for money raised by the respondents on the deceased for construction of a house as falling within the definition of the word 'dowry'."

A fresh diplomatic spat has brewed between Nepal and India after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent announcement to expand the road across the Lipulekh area which Nepal claims as its own.

Addressing an election rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Haldwani in Uttarakhand on December 30, Modi had announced that his government is further widening the road built in the Nepali territory of Lipulekh.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that a woman meting out cruelty on another woman becomes a more serious offence, as it upheld the conviction of the (now) 80-year-old mother-in-law of the deceased, under the IPC's Section 498A, and sentenced her to three months imprisonment.

Two labourers were killed while two suffered injuries when a wall of an under construction building collapsed on Tuesday in Noida near here, an official said. According to the official, the incident took place in the afternoon at plot no D-96, Sector 26 in Noida. The four labourers, identified as Pushpa Bai, 35, Bharat Patel, 50, Maya, 30, Rameshwari, 32, all residents of Chhattisgarh were working at the site. "As soon as the accident became known the four of them were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Pushpa Bai and Bharat Patel succumbed to their injuries," the official told IANS. The injured are currently undergoing treatment at Kailash Hospital.

Three railway employees were killed and five others injured in a head-on collision between a tower wagon and a trolley in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Tuesday, an official said. The accident took place between McCluskieganj and Nindra railway stations during maintenance work in the evening, Tori railway station Superintendent Ashok Kumar told PTI. Two employees died on the spot, while the third succumbed to his injuries during treatment, he said. The deceased have been identified as Junior Engineer Prince Kumar, and trolley man Niranjan Kumar and Rajmuni Singh.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of a plea seeking removal of blockade on the national capital's borders noting that the protesting farmers have already cleared the roads and the issue "does not survive for consideration". When the matter came for hearing, a bench of justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh asked the petitioner, "Now you are free, wherever you are going, no problem." In her plea, Noida resident Monicca Agrawaal said during the blockade, people faced hardships at the UP Gate on Delhi border and it took her over two hours to reach Delhi compared to 20 minutes earlier.

Delhi Police opposed the bail plea of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid on Tuesday, saying that the “ultimate objective” of the riots conspiracy was to bring the government of India to its knees and destabilize the foundation of democracy. Khalid and several others have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), astringent anti-terror law, and are accused of being the "masterminds" of the riots which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured in 2020. The arguments on their bail pleas have been going on for more than five months.

The Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday said it has rescued four fishermen who were stranded on a fishing boat near Musal Island in Gulf of Mannar on late Monday evening. The Coastal Security Guard (CSG), Chennai informed the Coast Guard that one mechanised fishing boat with four crew was stranded off Musal Theevu 12 nautical miles (around 23 km) from Pamban. It was reportedly drifting from land due to engine failure.

Government doctors across Haryana went on strike on Tuesday over their demands and Health Minister Anil Vij subsequently enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). Acceding to one of their key demands, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also pitched in by giving in-principle approval to the creation of specialist cadre post for MD or MS doctors.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his counterparts from Poland and Portugal, focusing on ways to expand overall bilateral cooperation. After the phone talks with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Jaishankar said the focus was on the importance of more political exchanges, expanded trade and smoother travel.

Two activists of the Hindu Munnani were arrested by the Podanur police in Coimbatore on Tuesday over the desecration of the statue of Periyar or E.V. Ramasamy Periyar. The statue in front of the Thanthai Periyar Study Centre was found desecrated on Sunday morning with saffron powder and garlanded with slippers.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday appointed Arun Kumar Chatterjee as the next Indian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. "Shri Arun Kumar Chatterjee, presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kyrgyz Republic. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the MEA said in a statement.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said that they have filed second supplementary charge sheet against one Sohrab Hussain in connection with a counterfeit Indian currency racket case. He was allegedly pumping fake Indian currency in India. It was a cross border conspiracy and Bangladesh connection has been found by the probe agency.

Delhi Police have denied reports of exodus of migrant labourers from the national capital over the fear of imposition of another lockdown in the city, an official said here on Tuesday. "Labourers are not migrating from the city. These are all rumours," the official said.

Accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit has filed an application in Special NIA court and has demanded the court to have an in-camera trial of the case

Odisha government extends maternity leave benefit from 90 days to 180 days for eligible women employees of aided colleges under Higher Education Department: Department of Higher Education, Govt of Odisha