India

Lucknow, Feb 18 (PTI) A court here discharged 17 alleged Tablighi Jamat members, booked early last year for various offences during the COVID-19 lockdown, of all charges, saying there was no prima facie evidence on record to make them stand trial.

Out of the 17, seven are Indonesian nationals.

Kolkata, Feb 19 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to skip the Niti Aayog's governing council meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20, sources said on Friday.

The council, the apex body of the government's think tank, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories (UTs), several Union ministers and senior government officials.

New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the issue of women safety, after two teenage girls were found dead in a field in Unnao.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government is not only suppressing the Dalit society but is also crushing the honour and human rights of women in the state.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Unnao incident is heart-wrenching.

Coimbatore, Feb 18 (PTI) A farmer died by suicide on his farm near here early Thursday as he was apparently upset over the torture and abusive language allegedly used by a private financial firm for not repaying a loan, police said.

In a letter purportedly written by him and recovered from his house, the 30-year-old Anandan said the employees of the financial firm had used abusive language for the delay to repay the Rs 45-lakh loan, the police said.

Hyderabad, Feb 18 (PTI): Hyderabad has been recognised as a '2020 Tree City of the World' by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

The recognition is for the commitment of the city to growing and maintaining urban forest.

Chandigarh, Feb 19 (PTI) The body of a 72-year-old farmer was allegedly gnawed at by rats at the mortuary of the civil hospital in Haryana's Sonipat district, prompting the authorities to order a probe.

The incident came to light on Thursday morning when the family of Rajender found injury marks on his face and foot.

Kolkata, Feb 19 (PTI) West Bengal minister Jakir Hossain, who was seriously injured in a bomb blast, is stable now, an official of the state-run hospital where he is undergoing treatment said on Friday.

Hossain, the minister of state for labour, was injured after unidentified attackers hurled a crude bomb at him at Nimtita railway station in Murshidabad district on Wednesday night.

Chennai, Feb 18 (PTI) Chris Morris on Friday became the most expensive buy in the IPL auction history with Rajasthan Royals shelling out Rs 16.25 crore (Rs 162.5 million) for the South Africa all-rounder even as uncapped players such as Karnataka's K Gowtham also hogged the limelight with hefty deals here.

Spin bowling All-rounder Gowtham was bought for a record Rs 9.25 crore by the Chennai Super Kings. The 32-year-old is currently with the Indian team as a net bowler for the ongoing Test series against England.

RKanpur: Concern and consent are different words with varied meanings but to our surprise, the students of a posh school are using it for a similar meaning.

When the schools begin offline classes with a strict rule of the mask, sanitiser and separate water bottle, the consent letter by the parents became a matter of utmost significance. It was first accepted on the format issued by the school staff. Later the students were told to bring a handwritten consent letter signed by the parents.

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved signing of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, a kind of a free trade pact, between India and Mauritius which is aimed at liberalising norms to boost two-way commerce.

The Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius, an official statement said.