India

Lucknow, Feb 21 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh police's Special Task Force Sunday raided the Delhi offices of Popular Front of India and its student wing CFI, officials said here, days after a CFI leader was sent to five-day police custody for allegedly funding PFI members to create unrest after the Hathras gangrape incident.

On February 17, a court in Mathura had sent PFI's student wing leader Rauf Shareef to five-day police custody.

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (PTI) Kerala took a major step forward in its progress towards a knowledge society with theinauguration of the country's first Digital University, based in Technocity at Mangalapuram near here on Saturday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presided overthe function, where Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is also the Chancellor of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (KUDSIT), unveiled the varsity plaque.

Both the Governor and the Chief Minister addressed the function through video conferencing.

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Solar winds may have led to Mars losing its atmosphere, according to a computer simulation study which confirms the long held belief that planets need a protective magnetic field to block such harmful radiations in order to sustain life.

Kanpur, Feb 20 (PTI) A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly abducted and raped in a village in Ghatampur here, following which three accused have been arrested, police said on Saturday.

Superintendent of Police (Rural), Brajesh Srivastava said the minor girl had gone out on Friday to attend nature's call when the three youths, including Anurag alias Chote, arrived there and allegedly took her away forcibly.

The girl was taken to a nearby isolated place where she was allegedly raped by Anurag, the SP added.

Azamgarh (UP), Feb 20 (PTI) Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Singh Yadav here on Saturday had a meeting AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Both leaders were in the district to attend the wedding of AIMIM state president Shaukat Ali's daughter.

Kolkata, Feb 21 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said that social media has become so powerful that it can even topple governments, leading to anarchy and weakening democracy, and solutions to tackle this are needed to be found within the constitutional framework.

Speaking at the launch of his new book 'Because India Comes First', Madhav said democracy is stressed and facing new challenges with the rise of "non-political" and "non-state" forces.

New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) Chandrayaan-3, India's third mission to Moon, is likely to be launched in 2022, ISRO chief K Sivan has said.

The COVID-19 lockdown has hit several projects of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) including Chandrayaan-3, which was scheduled to be launched in late 2020, and Gaganyaan, the country's first manned space mission.

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 21 (PTI) The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad has sought to cancel the national-level voluntary online exam on 'gau vigyan' (cow science), saying it was an attempt to spread superstition and to saffronise the education sector in the country.

NEW DELHI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand Sunday said the death toll in the dam disaster has risen to 67 and the search for missing people was underway.

"As of now, a total of 67 bodies and 28 human body parts have been retrieved from different places," reads a statement issued by police. "Out of these 37 bodies and one body part has been identified."

Police said DNA profiling of the unidentified bodies have been carried out.

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong case for repealing archaic laws and making it easier to do business in India stating that the centre and states need to work closely to boost economic growth.

Addressing the Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog, the Prime Minister said that the private sector should be given full opportunity to become a part of government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme.