India

Kolkata, Feb 16 (PTI) Assam is one of the most investor-friendly states in the country with diversity of culture being its hallmark, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Sunday.

There is a spirit of brotherhood among people of different communities and religions living in the state, Sonowal said, before inaugurating an additional Assam Bhavan building here.

Gandhinagar, Feb 17 (PTI) India, which is hosting the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Migratory Species and Wild Animals, officially took over its Presidency on Monday for the next three years

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said India will fully cooperate and ensure conservation of environment.

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to grant permanent commission to all women officers in the Army within three months and said there will not be any absolute bar on giving them command postings.

A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud rejected the Centre's argument of physiological limitations and social norms for denying them permanent commission and command postings, saying it is disturbing and against the concept of equality.

Kanpur: The Madarsa teachers appointed to teach subjects like mathematics and science were living in a state of utter penury. Their unpaid honorarium for the past 48 long months is a solid reason for their poor position. As many as 227 teachers of a total of 90 Madarsa in the city have not received the amounts fixed for them. 

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) A Delhi court on Saturday imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 on Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for not appearing in hearing on a criminal defamation complaint filed against him for his alleged "scorpion" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja imposed the cost on the Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram noting that he had failed to appear before him despite the court's earlier direction.

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution firms jumped nearly 50 per cent to Rs 88,177 crore in December 2019 over the same month previous year, reflecting stress in the sector.

Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 59,015 crore to power generation companies in December 2018, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday shared a video purportedly showing Jamia students being beaten up by police and said if no action is taken, the government's intentions would stand exposed.

She also accused the Home Minister and the Delhi Police of "lying" that Jamia students were not beaten up inside the library.

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) The Bihar Assembly polls later this year should be fought on local development issues and restraint over language must be maintained, Union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan has said.

The remarks by the BJP ally assume significance as they come after a vitriolic Delhi Assembly polls campaign in which some BJP leaders were rapped by the Election Commission for making inflammatory speeches.

Mumbai, Feb 16 (PTI) Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the Delhi Assembly poll results indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah are not invincible.

In his weekly column in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', its executive editor Raut criticised BJP's "religion-centric" political strategy while lauding the developmental works of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

Panaji, Feb 15 (PTI) President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal arrived in Goa on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which his country and the state government will sign an MoU on augmenting water supply and sewerage management.

He was welcomed at the international airport here by troupes performing traditional dances, and feted at Chicalim and Sirodao villages by local residents, officials said.