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Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed a charge sheet against three people, including an Army officer, in the Shopian alleged fake encounter killings of three civilians in July this year, officials said on Sunday. The chargesheet was filed in the court of Principal District and Sessions judge Shopian on Saturday by the head of the Special Investigation Team, the officials said. Captain Bhupinder of 62 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army, Bilal Ahmad and Tabish Ahmad were named as accused in the charge sheet for their role in the alleged fake encounter killings of the youths hailing from Rajouri district, they said. The Army said on Friday it has completed the Summary of Evidence against two of its men involved in July's Amshipura encounter in Shopian district. A possible court martial could take place after completion of formalities, the Army officials said. The Army had ordered a Court of Inquiry earlier this year after reports appeared on social media that three youths,

09:58 (IST) Coronavirus LATEST Updates Japan sharply tightens ban on foreign visitors Japan’s government will temporarily ban entry of all nonresident foreign nationals as a precaution against a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant that has spread across Britain, reports AP. The entry ban will start Monday and last through 31 January for the time being, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Saturday. Japan banned entry of nonresident foreigners from Britain and South Africa last week, but is further stepping up border control after confirming the new variant in seven people over the last two days — five returnees from Britain who tested at airports and two others in Tokyo. 09:36 (IST) Coronavirus LATEST Updates History tells us this won't be last pandemic, says WHO chief The coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health is "doomed" without tackling climate change and animal welfare, the World

Early one summer morning in 2006, five men gathered inside a dingy apartment in the Deccan Cooperative Society in Sewri, on the eastern fringes of South Mumbai. The men busied themselves moulding a black, plasticky goo, its texture not dissimilar to the Play-Doh thousands of kindergarten children would have been amusing themselves with at around the same time. Their work was done before lunchtime: 35 kg of ammonium-nitrate explosive gel had been packed inside pressure cookers, along with detonators linked to little plastic alarm clocks, each set to 6.30 pm. “I would go first with one bag to Churchgate, and keep the bag in the First Class compartment,” one of the men later told the National Investigation Agency, in a classified interrogation [1] . “I would get down at Marine Lines station, and then go back to Churchgate.  Next, Atif would leave with two bags, and also come back to Churchgate. Abu Rashid and Sajid will take one bag each and keep the bags in the selected trains. Finally,

New Delhi: It is going to get very cold in north India, and drinking alcohol at home or year-end parties won't be a good idea, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In its latest impact-based advisory, the IMD said "severe" cold wave is expected over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and northern Rajasthan from 28 December and there is increased likelihood of various illnesses like flu, running nose or nosebleed which usually set in or get aggravated due to prolonged exposure to cold. "Don't drink alcohol. It reduces your body temperature," the advisory read. "Get indoors. Eat vitamin-C-rich fruits and moisturize your skin regularly to counter the effects of severe cold," it said. Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the regional forecasting centre of the IMD, said the mercury will increase slightly on Sunday and Monday under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance affecting the upper reaches of the Himalayas, but the rel

New Delhi: Two more persons who recently returned to Delhi from the UK, where a super-spreader strain of the coronavirus has been reported, were found to be COVID positive during a door-to-door contact-tracing and testing exercise, officials said on Saturday. With this, the number of people testing positive for the disease after returning from the UK has gone up to 21 in the national capital. All of them returned from the UK after 25 November. The two persons, residents of the city, had returned from the United Kingdom (UK) between 25 November and 21 December and had tested negative in the RTPCR test conducted at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, a senior Delhi government officer said. "Both later tested positive during the door-to-door contact-tracing drive and have been admitted to the separate ward set up at the LNJP hospital. Now, genome-testing will be conducted on them to ascertain whether they have been infected with the mutated strain in the UK or the one

New Delhi: India, which appears to have been pushed back to being the world's sixth-biggest economy in 2020, will again overtake the UK to become the fifth largest in 2025 and race to the third spot by 2030, a think tank said on Saturday. India had overtaken the UK in 2019 to become the fifth-largest economy in the world but has been relegated to the 6th spot in 2020. "India has been knocked off course somewhat through the impact of the pandemic. As a result, after overtaking the UK in 2019, the UK overtakes India again in this year's forecasts and stays ahead till 2024 before India takes over again," the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said in an annual report published on Saturday. The UK appears to have overtaken India again during 2020 as a result of the weakness of the rupee, it said. The CEBR forecasts that the Indian economy will expand by 9 percent in 2021 and by 7 percent in 2022. "Growth will naturally slow as India becomes more

Kolkata: At the centre of a row over his family being in "illegal" possession of land at Visva Bharati, a livid Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has accused its vice chancellor of acting at the behest of the Centre "with its growing control over Bengal". Sen was born in 1933 at Santiniketan, which is home to Visva-Bharati, the university founded by Rabindranath Tagore, another Nobel prize recipient and a literary giant from Bengal. Sen, in a media statement late on Friday, said the entire land occupied by him on the hallowed campus was registered on a long term lease that was nowhere close to expiry. "I could comment on the big gap between Santiniketan culture and that of the VC, empowered as he is by the central government in Delhi with its growing control over Bengal," Sen wrote. A huge controversy had erupted on Thursday, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the centenary celebrations of Visva-Bharati, when media reported that the university h

Mumbai: Saying that the Congress is not providing effective oppostiion to the BJP, Shiv Sena mouthpiece ' Saamana ' on Saturday said all anti-BJP parties, including the Sena, should come together under the banner of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Time has come for expanding the UPA, Sena's chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut told reporters later in the day. The Congress in Maharashtra, which is part of the Sena-led ruling alliance, however, said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is not part of the UPA and hence should not comment on it. "Farmers are protesting on the National Capital borders. But the rulers in Delhi are completely indifferent to this agitation. Disintegrated and feeble Opposition party is the main reason behind the government's indifference. Ineffective Opposition is leading to this disintegration of democracy," the Saamana said in the editorial. "Instead of blaming the government, the Opposition party should introspect. There has t

As the protests against the Centre's new farm laws surpassed a month, the farmers' unions on Saturday decided to resume talks and proposed 29 December as the date for the next round of talks. However, they made it clear that their demands for Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee and the modalities to repeal the three laws should be part of the agenda. The groups also demanded that the Centre should stop "spreading misinformation" on the farmers' protests and "misleading" the public on the demands of the farmers. Saturday's announcement from the farmers' groups has come after multiple rounds of talks held between the government and the protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have failed to break the ongoing impasse. The proposal for talks has come amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging the groups to return to the negotiation table. On Saturday, addressing a rally in Assam, Shah had urged the farm

Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time in life, she had walked into the prestigious council hall of the capital city's Municipal Corporation building six days ago to take oath as a Councillor of the ruling Marxist party. Though she was the 'baby' among the councillors, the proud Arya Rajendran faced the sea of onlookers in front of her with confidence and uttered the oath with sheer maturity. But, that day, the 21-year old college student-turned-councillor never thought that she would soon come back to the historic council hall as its supremo-the Mayor. If everything goes as expected, Arya, now a second year graduation student of a city college, would not only become the new Mayor of Kerala's capital, a position held by several significant personalities in the past, but also the youngest ever Mayor in the country. According to party sources, the Thiruvananthapuram district secretariat of the ruling CPM, which met on Friday, recommended Arya's name for the post

Palakkad: Two people, including the father-in-law of a 27-year old man, who was hacked to death in Palakkad district on Friday, have been taken into custody in connection with the incident, which is suspected to be a case of honour killing. Aneesh, a painter, had married Haritha (21) some three months ago. Due to the differences in their caste and financial status, the woman's father, Prabhukumar and uncle Suresh Kumar, used to threaten them often, Aneesh's relatives told media personnel. Aneesh along with his younger brother Arun, was riding a motorcycle and had stopped to get some soft drinks when they were waylaid and attacked near Thenkurissi on Friday evening. Arun, who witnessed the murder, and is yet to recover from the shock, said Haritha's father, who came on a two-wheeler with her uncle, allegedly hacked Aneesh using a sharp weapon. Aneesh's father said the accused used to threaten the couple often and despite filing a police complaint last month, no act

The number of new COVID-19 deaths across the country fell below 300 for the first time in more than six months, while the number of total cases rose to 1,01,69,118 on Saturday. Meanwhile, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Odisha joined the list of states that have reported new patients among people who have returned from the UK, where a new COVID-19 strain has been detected. However, it is not established yet whether these patients have been infected by the new strain. Authorities across states said that the samples of the patients have been sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The COVID-19 toll in India rose to 1,47,343 with 251 new deaths, the Union health ministry said in its bulletin at 8 am on Saturday. On the other hand, the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 97,40,108, pushing the national recovery rate to 95.78 percent. The COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 percent. As of Saturday, there are 2,81,667 active cor

The Centre is planning to start a single entrance test called Common Aptitude Test for admissions to central universities from the 2021-2022 academic session. These include Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Banaras Hindu University among others. The government has reportedly planned the move with proposals forwarded by the National Education Policy, recently approved by the Union Cabinet. A seven-member committee has been set up to recommend modalities and implementation of the Common Aptitude Test which will give students admission into central universities, India Today reported . Higher Education secretary Amit Khare was quoted by The Times of India as saying that the computer-based common entrance exam, which will be conducted by the NTA, will be mandatory for admission to all central universities, and will be implemented from the 2021-22 session for the central universities. Furthermore, UGC chairperson professor DP Singh said that the committee is expected to

The Institute of Actuaries of India (IAI), the conducting body of Actuarial Common Entrance Test (ACET), has released the ACET 2021 admit cards. Candidates who applied online and paid the requisite fee for the examination can download the ACET admit cards from the official website actuariesindia.org . The ACET is a university-level exam organised for providing admission in actuaries programmes in Indian institutions. According to a report in NDTV , ACET 2021 will be held online at designated centres across India on 9 January with the duration of the exams being three hours. According to the report, as per the ACET 2021 exam pattern, the common entrance test will comprise 70 multiple choice questions for a total of 100 marks. The report further mentions that the ACET 2021 admit cards will mention details of the candidates including roll numbers, application numbers, ACET 2021 exam centres, reporting time, and exam day guidelines. Here's how to download the ACET 2021 Admit Card:

Palghar: At least 33 members of a marriage party were injured, some of them seriously, when the pick-up van they were travelling in overturned in Dahanu tehsil in Palghar district of Maharashtra, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday evening near Sarani Road, a Kasa police station officer said, adding that the injured included women and children. A medical officer at Kasa public health centre (PHC) said at least half a dozen injured persons, including children, were shifted to Thane civil hospital and to a hospital at Vapi city in neighbouring Gujarat. The driver of the van is on the run, the police officer added. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/37NGocw Press Trust of India

Lalitpur: Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and over 50 party workers were arrested here on Saturday after they tried to take out the 'Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao' march without permission, police said. However, district Congress president Balwant Singh Rajput, who was among those arrested, claimed around 200 party workers were arrested. He also alleged that about two dozen party workers were injured as the police used force against them. The Congress had announced it will take out the 'Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao' march in different districts of Bundelkhand to highlight the alleged mismanagement in cow shelters under the state government. "About 50 to 60 workers, state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and district unit chief Balwant Singh Rajput were arrested from Dailwara township while trying to take out the march without permission. They have all been taken to police lines," ASP Brijesh Kumar Singh said. The Congress' six-day march was t

New Delhi: The DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir have written a new chapter in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday, and cited the transparent election process and enthusiastic participation of voters to say it is a "moment of pride" for India. Launching a scheme via video-conference to extend the benefits of Ayushman Bharat to all residents of the union territory, Modi also hit out at the Congress for offering him lessons in democracy while "not carrying out panchayat and municipal polls" in Puducherry, a UT where the opposition party is in power. Modi noted that the three-tier panchayat polls were carried out in Jammu and Kashmir in over a year after it became a union territory. Attacking the Congress without naming it, he said some people in Delhi offer him lessons in democracy day in and day out, and use "abuses" for him, but they have not carried out panchayat polls in Puducherry despite a Supreme Court order. In a recent at

The Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC) has released the admit card for the Bihar Police Steno ASI written examination to be held next month for the recruitment of 174 stenographer assistant sub-inspectors. Candidates who registered for the recruitment exam have to visit the official website of the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission bpscc.bih.nic to download their respective admit cards. According to a report by India Today , the Bihar Police recruitment exam will have 100 multiple-choice questions. Each question will carry one mark. Candidates will be asked questions from General Studies and contemporary issues and will be given 90 minutes to complete the examination. Here's how to download the Bihar Police ASI Steno admit card: Step 1: Candidates need to visit the official website bpssc.bih.nic.in . Step 2: Once there, they need to click on the link that reads 'download ASI steno admit card' on the homepage. Step 3: A new page will ap

The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) declared the results for the written test conducted for the post of Accounts Assistant (Panchayat) was declared on its official website jkssb.nic.in  on Saturday. The JKSSB had conducted the OMR-based Objective type test for Accounts Assistant on 10 November 2020, a report in  The Times of India  said. Candidates who appeared for the JKSSB Accounts Assistant (Panchayat) recruitment exam have to visit the official website and download their result and score sheet. Here's how to download the JKSSB Accounts Assistant (Panchayat) Result/ Mark Sheets 2020: Step 1: Candidates need to visit the official website jkssb.nic.in Step 2: Once there, they need to click on the notification that reads 'Result/Score Sheet of OMR based Objective type Written Test for the post of Accounts Assistant (Panchayat) conducted by J&K Services Selection Board on 10.11.2020' Step 3: Candidates will be redirected to a PDF page Step 4

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released answers to a list of frequently-asked questions (FAQs) regarding the Joint Entrance Examination - Main (JEE Main 2021), that is scheduled to be held in four sessions. The first session is scheduled to be held from 23 February to 26 February. Most queries that the NTA addressed were about the new format of JEE Main 2021. Other topics included queries about multiple sessions, attempts, etc. Here are some frequently-asked questions and their answers: When will the application window to apply for JEE (Main)-2021 be available? As per NTA, the application window to apply for JEE (Main) 2021 is open between 16 December 2020 and 16 January 2021. They have added that the fees can be paid online till 17 January 2021 and that the application window shall be reopened for a brief period for 3-4 days after the results of each session is announced. Can fees be paid together for four sessions and will the fee be refunded if the candidate does not wa

The Symbiosis International University (SIU) Saturday released the admit card for Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) 2020 exam. Candidates who have registered for the SNAP test, scheduled to take place on 9 January 2021, can download their hall tickets from the official website — snaptest.org . SNAP is held to narrow down the list of candidates who are eligible for admission to the postgraduate management programmes (MBA) and postgraduate management diploma programmes (PGDM) and is an all-India exam. The exam is being conducted in three sessions this year . While the first SNAP test was held on 20 December, the second will be held on 6 January and the last exam is scheduled for 9 January. Steps to download the SNAP 2020 admit card: Step 1:  Visit the official website — snaptest.org Step 2:  Select the tab 'SNAP 2020 admit card' Step 3: Candidates need to insert their SNAP 2020 Id and password Step 4: Login and download the SNAP 2020 admit card Candidates who appear

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh police has made more than one arrest a day since the controversial anti-conversion ordinance came into effect a month ago, having apprehended about 35 people so far. Nearly a dozen FIRs have been lodged since the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, was notified on 27 November. Eight arrests were made from Etah, seven from Sitapur, four from Greater Noida, three each from Shahjahanpur and Azamgarh, two each from Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor and Kannauj and one each from Bareilly and Hardoi, officials said. The first case was registered in Bareilly just a day after the legislation came into force. The police cracked the whip following a complaint of Tikaram Rathore, the father of a 20-year-girl and resident of Sharif Nagar village in Bareilly. He alleged that Uwaish Ahmad (22) had become friends with his daughter and was trying to "coax, coerce and lure" her to convert. An FIR was lodged at Deorania police station