India

Srinagar, 31 July 2021: Two Kashmiris were killed on Saturday by Indian security forces in Pulwama district of the Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

Indian Security force’s spokesperson claimed that one of the separatist was of Pakistani origin.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday promised an open-door policy to resolve any issue faced by the industry as he sought foreign and private investments to boost domestic oil and gas production.

At an investor meet called to promote India's latest offering of discovered fields for bidding, Puri said India, besides offering the world's fastest-growing energy markets, also offers a rule-based regime.

Fatehpur (UP), Jul 30 (PTI) A local court here on Friday sentenced a man to seven years' imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old girl in 2011.

Additional district and sessions judge Nitya Pandey awarded the sentence to 24-year-old Kamlesh and imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 on him.

The incident had taken place in April 2011 in a village in the Sultanpur Ghosh area.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday held a telephonic conversation with his Nepalese counterpart Gen Purna Chandra Thapa, focusing on bilateral military and defence cooperation in the backdrop of evolving security scenario in the region.

Officials said the talks focused on ongoing military cooperation between the two countries as well as ways to further expand it.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 30 (PTI) Kerala administered a record number of over 4.96 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, State Health Minister Veena George said.

George said the health department today vaccinated 496,619 people through 1,753 vaccination centres across the state, of which 1,498 were government and the rest private centres.

On July 24, the state had vaccinated 4.91 lakh people.

The minister in a release said such record vaccination is possible only if the state gets enough supply of vaccines.

Kota (Raj), Jul 30 (PTI) A POCSO court in Rajasthan's Bundi on Friday sentenced a man to 20-year imprisonment for raping a minor girl three years ago.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 upon the convict.

Public prosecutor Rakesh Thakur said Yaadram Jat of Alwar district had raped a four-year-old girl in June 2018 and a complaint against him was lodged by her parents.

Judge Alka Bansal held him guilty of the crime under Sections 376 of the IPC and provisions of the POCSO Act, he said.

Shillong, Jul 31 (PTI) BJP minister in the Meghalaya government Sanbor Shullai encouraged the people of the state to eat more beef than chicken, mutton and fish, dispelling the apprehension that his party was against it.

Shullai, a senior BJP leader who was sworn in as a cabinet minister last week, said everybody was free to eat whatever they want in a democratic country.

NEW DELHI, July 30 (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed in a landslide in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said on Thursday, adding to a growing death toll from heavy monsoon rains in the country.

State Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said seven bodies had been recovered during rescue operations that were still underway. "Three people are still missing and rescuers are looking for them," he added.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Supreme Court will next week hear a plea by senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar seeking an independent probe by a sitting or a retired judge into the Pegasus snooping matter.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana on Friday took note of senior advocate Kapil Sibal's submissions that the petition, which has been numbered after filing with the apex court registry, needed an urgent hearing in view of its wide ramifications.

New Delhi, July 30 (PTI) High tariffs faced by domestic exporters in the European Union and the UK as compared to zero duty access given by these countries to nations like Bangladesh and Cambodia are affecting India's exports performance, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh also said that the textile industry has been hugely affected due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.