India

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) As many as 30 children are abducted in Maharashtra every day, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Deshmukh made the revelation in a written reply to a question asked by NCP MLC Vikram Kale.

"Around 30 children are kidnapped in Maharashtra every day, of which 72 per cent are girls," the minister said.

Deshmukh also said that the state plans to introduce a special act on the lines of Andhra Pradesh's Disha Act to expedite trials in cases of violence against children and women.

Srinagar, Mar 5 (PTI) Broadband internet services were restored in Kashmir on Thursday, a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration lifted a ban on social media in the Union territory, ending a seven-month information blackout in the valley, officials said.

Internet services were snapped across all platforms on August 4 last year. The next day, the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Bengaluru, Mar 5 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday defended the proposed hike of three per cent in taxes on petrol and diesel, saying it was "necessary."

In the budget tabled, the chief minister has mooted three per cent hike in petrol and diesel from the existing 32 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.

Ludhiana, Mar 5 (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday accused the BJP-led Union government of not being serious on any probe into riots in Delhi.

The Central government is not serious about inquiry into Delhi riots which resulted in huge loss of human lives and public property. The administration and police appeared to be mere spectators, Yechury said here.

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) A Rolls Royce car, paintings of famous painters MF Hussain and Amrita Sher-Gil and a designer handbag belonging to fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi garnered over Rs 51 crore in the second auction conducted on Thursday.

As many as 40 items went under the hammer, marking the completion of auction of items seized by the Enforcement Directorate.

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday appointed a cabinet sub-committee to study issues related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Population Register (NPR).

The issue of whether the CAA and NPR should be backed is seen as a potential source of friction between Thackeray's party, the Shiv Sena, and its coalition partners Congress and NCP.

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) The Al-Hind Hospital in Mustafabad where those injured in the northeast Delhi violence are undergoing treatment turned into a marriage hall as 19-year-old Rukhsar got married in a sombre ceremony.

Rukhsar's wedding was earlier scheduled to take place on Tuesday. However, it was called off last minute as all that her family had bought for the wedding -- clothes, jewellery etc -- was looted in the riots that broke out over a week ago.

Canning (WB), Mar 6 (PTI) Two suspected smugglers were arrested after two deer hides worth over Rs 1 crore were found in their possession in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, police said on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, Mandir Bazar police station officer-in-charge Sanjay Dey visited the hotel room of the alleged smugglers in Lakshmikantapur posing as a customer, a source in the Sundarban police district said.

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day amid continued protests by the Opposition over the Delhi violence and other issues.

The House was adjourned after the passage of two Bills -- the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill.

Mumbai, Mar 6 (PTI) Security at Yes Bank headquarters, its branches and ATMs across Mumbai was tightened to avert any untoward incident, as hundreds of account holders of the crisis-hit private lender rushed to withdraw money, an official said on Friday.

The RBI on Thursday imposed a moratorium on the capital-starved Yes Bank, capping withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account.