India

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday sought response of the Centre on a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of newly enacted three farm laws on grounds including that Parliament lacked power to make legislations on the subject.

The plea also raised questions over the validity of 'the Constitution (3rd Amendment Act) of 1954' which allegedly empowered the Centre to frame the controversial laws on agriculture.

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Adityanath government on Wednesday over the gang rape and murder in Budaun district, alleging that there was something wrong in the intentions of the Uttar Pradesh administration on the issue of women's security.

The 50-year-old woman was gang-raped and brutally murdered allegedly by a priest and two others on Sunday when she had gone to a temple. The three suspects have been booked and two of them arrested on Tuesday, police said.

Banda (UP), Jan 6 (PTI) A 45-year-old farmer committed suicide in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district following financial hardships, police said on Wednesday.

Kallu, a resident of Godhani village in Tindwari block, owed Rs 38,000 to a bank and he was worried in the absence of any work, an officer quoted the farmer's wife as saying.

He hanged himself to death on Tuesday, Tindwari police station incharge Zakir Hussain said.

An official of the Pailani subdivision said the farmer had eight bighas of land and the matter was being probed.

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) A MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Tuesday night near Suratgarh in Rajasthan, officials said.

The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, the IAF said, adding the incident took place around 8:15 pm.

"During a training sortie in the western sector, a MiG-21 Bison aircraft experienced a major technical malfunction this evening. The pilot ejected safely at about 2015 hrs. There is no loss of life," the IAF tweeted.

It said a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Haridwar, Jan 5 (PTI) Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Tuesday said his institution Patanjali Yogpeeth has become a people's movement for swadeshi, yoga and ayurveda, and rooting out foreign multi-nationals from the Indian market was his next target.

He was addressing an event marking the 26th foundation day of Patanjali Yogpeeth.

Lucknow Jan 5 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Tuesday asked mothers to try to ensure that their children do not become fixated with mobile phones.

The children of the 21st century are very sensitive. Mothers, even when they are busy, should not make their children get involved in mobile phones because this has an adverse impact," a Raj Bhavan release said quoting the Governor.

NEW DELHI, Jan 5 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 10,356,844 today, as 16,375 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, deaths mounted to 149,850, as 201 patients died since yesterday morning.

There are still 231,036 active cases in the country, while 9,975,958 people have been discharged, so far, from hospitals, after medical treatment.

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Agri export body APEDA has removed the word 'Halal' from its Red Meat Manual and clarified that for the purpose of export, the animals are slaughtered according to the requirement of the meat importing country or buyer, a move welcomed by the right-wing groups.

The revised Red Meat Manual issued by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) reads that the "the animals are slaughtered according to the requirement of importing country/importer".

Indore, Jan 5 (PTI) A total of 155 dead crows in Indore in Madhya Pradesh have been found with the H5N8 bird flu virus since the pathogen was first detected here a week back, an official said on Tuesday.

Veterinary Department Deputy Director Pramod Sharma said 155 crows were detected with the H5N8 virus (a strain of avian influenza) in the Residency area here in the last eight days.

The deadly avian influenza had not been found in any other bird species apart from crows here so far, he said.

Pilibhit (UP), Jan 5 (PTI) A 12-year-old girl was mauled to death by stray dogs in Bagva village under Jahanabad police station area here on Tuesday, police said.