India

Paris, Oct 8 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday and receive the first of the 36 Rafale aircraft in the French port city of Bordeaux, where he will perform 'Shastra Puja' on the occasion of Dussehra and take a sortie in the fighter jet.

Badaun (UP), Oct 7 (PTI) Twenty-two head of cattle died allegedly due to nitrate poisoning after overeating green millet fodder in a government-run cow shelter here, the district administration said on Monday.

Two caretakers of the 'gaushala' have been taken into custody for questioning and the fodder, which was brought from Kasganj, has been sent for testing, District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said.

The DM said the man who sold the fodder to the cow shelter was also being questioned.

Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said "all will respect" the Supreme Court's decision on the title suit over the 2.77 acre of disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land, being heard daily by the court.

"The court has been continuously holding hearings on the issue and all people will respect the court's decision," the chief minister told a news conference here.

Adityanath made the remark days after he asked people to draw inspiration from Lord Rama and said "a very good news" awaits all.

Jaipur, Oct 7 (PTI) Activists, theatre artists and filmmakers staged a protest in the Pink city on Monday over registration of a sedition case against 49 celebrities after they had expressed concern over rising incidents of mob lynching in an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They condemned the filing of the case against celebrities like Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramchandra Guha, Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap and Revathi.

Mumbai, Oct 7 (PTI) A total of 3239 candidates are in the fray for the October 21 assembly elections in Maharashtra for the 288 seats up for grabs where the BJP-led NDA alliance and the Congress-NCP combine are locked in keen contests marked by defections, rebellions and one-upmanships.

The Election Commission had received 5543 applications for all the 288 segments, an official said on Monday, adding that 3239 nominees are left in the race after withdrawals and rejection of 800 applications due to technical errors.

Srinagar, Oct 7 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday directed lifting an over two-month-old advisory which had asked tourists to leave the Valley due to "terror threat".

The governor directed withdrawal of the advisory with effect from October 10.

The advisory was issued on August 2, days before the issuance of the presidential order revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, negating the Article 370 of the Constitution.

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) The Congress on Monday appointed Ajay Kumar Lallu as its Uttar Pradesh president, replacing Raj Babbar, and revamped the state unit, bringing in four vice presidents, 12 general secretaries and 24 secretaries.

Ajay was the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Uttar Pradesh and is a two-time MLA from Tamkuhi Raj constituency. He is considered close to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is the party's General Secretary (Incharge, Uttar Pradesh East).

Aradhana Misra 'Mona' has been appointed as CLP leader in place of Ajay.

Muzaffarnagar, Oct 8 (PTI) A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death in Shamli district, police said on Tuesday.

According to Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar Tiwari, the girl's body was found in an agricultural field in Kailshikapur village, which comes under the jurisdiction of Gahripukhta police station, on Monday evening.

He said it appeared that she was strangulated to death with her 'dupatta' after rape.

Banda (UP), Oct 8 (PTI) Unable to repay their loans, two farmers allegedly committed suicide in Mahoba and Hamirpur districts, officials said on Tuesday.

In Mahoba, Shankar Kushwaha (44) committed suicide by jumping in front of a train on Monday, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Devendra Singh said.

Palghar, Oct 8 (PTI) A court here in Maharashtra has awarded life imprisonment to a 50-year-old man for raping his teenaged daughter-in-law in 2015.

Additional Sessions Judge A U Kadam, in her order on Monday, said the accused, who worked as a driver in a government department and resided in Palghar, needed to be convicted with a strong sentence.

She pronounced the accused guilty under Indian Penal Code sections for rape and criminal intimidation and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.