India

Balasore (Odisha), Dec 19 (PTI) India's indigenously developed Pinaka missile system, which is capable of striking up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision, was successfully flight-tested on Thursday, a defence statement said.

The Pinaka MK-II rocket is modified as a missile by integrating navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range, it said.

New Delhi,Dec 19 (PTI) Government think tank Niti Aayog on Friday will hold a consultative meeting to discuss a roadmap for population stabilisation and come out with a working paper to address key gaps in India's family planning programmes.

Increasing the basket of contraceptive choices and helping women make informed choices about delaying pregnancy are among the key recommendations expected to emerge from the meeting, the Aayog said in a release.

Mangaluru, Dec 20 (PTI) Entry of those coming from Kerala to this city was restricted at Thalappady border as police were checking identity cards before allowing them in emergency cases.

Mangaluru is on high alert after Thursday's violence and public are advised not to move out of their houses, sources said.

At least 50 men and women who had arrived by a train from Kerala were taken into custody for trying to enter the city without identity cards.

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar broke down in the courtroom at Tis Hazari District Court complex after he was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday in the 2017 Unnao rape case.

Sengar was found crying along with his daughter and sister.

The MLA was also seen crying after the judge had held him guilty on Monday.

Hyderabad, Dec 20 (PTI) Describing the remarks of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking a UN-monitored referendum over the amended Citizenship Act and the NRC as "irresponsible", Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday said the international community has nothing to do with the CAA.

Maintaining that India gave citizenship to many immigrants earlier also, the Minister of State for Home said the Centre is constantly keeping a watch on the law and order situation in various states and issued advisories twice.

Guwahati, Dec 20 (PTI) The Gauhati High Court on Friday dismissed a review petition filed by the Assam government against its order to resume mobile internet from Thursday evening.

Though the Gauhati High Court ordered to resume the service from 5 pm on Thursday, the government did not issue any instruction to the mobile operators to implement it.

Mobile internet services were restored in Assam on Friday morning, on the tenth day after it was suspended to prevent misuse of social media during protest against the contentious amended Citizenship Act.

Bengaluru, Dec 20 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday demanded a high-level probe by a sitting High Court judge into the police firing in which two persons died during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Mangaluru.

Terming the killing as "inhuman", Siddaramaiah alleged that the Mangaluru incident indicates that police themselves incited violence.

The former Chief Minister also claimed it was a conspiracy to scuttle the freedom of people by creating an atmosphere of fear.

Lucknow, Dec 20 (PTI) Anti-citizenship law protesters clashed with UP police after Friday prayers in several cities previously not hit by the agitation, including Firozabad and Bhadohi, and hurled stones and torched vehicles in some areas when they were stopped from taking out rallies.

The new areas hit by the violence included Bhadohi, Bahraich, Farrukhabad, police said, besides Gorakhpur and Sambhal, which had witnessed violent protests on Thursday too.

Patna, Dec 20 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asserted that National Register for Citizens will not be implemented in the state, putting at rest speculations raised by his JD(U)s support to the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Kumar made this clear in a terse reply to queries from journalists who had sought his response on the proposed country-wide implementation of NRC, including Bihar, as stated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the floor of the Parliament.

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The government is open to accept suggestions, if any, from people who are staging protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a top official said on Friday.

The Home Ministry is preparing the Rules for the CAA in consultation with the Law Ministry that will indicate the process to apply for Indian citizenship by eligible refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan under the legislation.