India

Coimbatore, Dec 27 (PTI) All the mangled remains of the helicopter, which crashed at Nanjapachatram near Coonoor in the Nilgiris district killing 14 including the country's first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat have been collected from the site.

All the parts were brought to Sulur air base here with the engine and other larger parts being lifted with an electric rope and transported by lorries to Sulur, police said on Monday.

New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first half of next month which would be his first trip abroad in 2022, people familiar with the development said on Monday.

Both sides are looking at firming up the visit around January 6 but there is no finality on the dates yet, they said.

Kanpur: The whole of the day passed amid cloudy weather. There was absolutely no sign of sun. Though showers also brought a colder feel. 

The showers did take place as was forecast. 

Nature's fury was in full impetus as colder conditions and showers kept up Tuesday's temperature harsher. 

However, the highways remained occupied with heavy vehicles.

As the schools remained closed during these harsh days the little ones did not dare to cross the door of their respective homes.

On the roads, vehicles did move on as the sound of horns.

Etah (UP), Dec 27 (PTI) A 55-year-old Etah businessman was shot dead on Monday evening in Aligarh, police said.

SHO Vijay Singh of Aligarh's Kwarsi police station said businessman Sandeep Gupta was gunned down at 8 pm by two motorcycle-borne sharpshooters who intercepted the trader's car at Centre Point on Samad Road in the city and pumped several bullets into the vehicle.

After the shootout, the trader was rushed to a local hospital here, where he was declared brought dead, the SHO said.

Kanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi started off his address at the 54th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur here today with a quip, "Is it necessary to be this serious at a convocation?" He launched blockchain-based digital degrees at the ceremony.

UP Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the function as guests of honour.

Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on Tuesday said she has tested positive for coronavirus.

The minister, who contracted the viral infection last year also, had been attending the ongoing winter session of the state Legislature and replied to various questions pertaining to her ministry in the state Legislative Council on Monday.

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice were making every effort to weaken the firm foundation laid down by party leaders over the years to develop a strong India.

In a message to Congress workers on the party's 137th Foundation Day, Gandhi said, "History was being falsified and detestable efforts were being made to erase the Ganga-Jamuni' culture of the country."

Kanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project today. He boarded the metro train at IIT Kanpur metro station and thus becomes the first VVIP passenger of the service.

He was accompanied by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Kanpur Metro Rail Project comprises two corridors and has a total length of 32.5 km.

The first corridor from IIT- Kanpur to Naubasta is 23.8 km long. The second corridor is 8.6 km long from Chandrashekar Azad Agriculture University to Barra- 8.

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) A yellow alert has been sounded in Delhi and some restrictions imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in view of rising number of Covid cases in the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

The yellow alert entails restrictions like night curfew, closure of schools and colleges, opening of non essential shops based on an odd even basis, halved seating capacity in Metro trains and buses among others.

Kolkata, Dec 26 (PTI) Former union minister and Trinamool Congress leader Babul Supriyo, who joined TMC three months back, on Sunday took a swipe at his former party predicting five disgruntled saffron party MLAs who quit the BJP West Bengal's MLA WhatsApp group, may now sever their links with the party.

However, one of the five MLAs Ambica Roy on Sunday expressed his desire to rejoin the WhatsApp group stating he had made a mistake and wished to "remain a loyal soldier of BJP."