India

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Delhi is likely to record another "severe" cold day on Friday as frosty winds from snow-covered Western Himalayas continue to sweep the national capital, the India Meteorological Department said.

The city had recorded a "severe" cold day on Thursday as the maximum temperature dropped to 15.2 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal and the lowest this season so far.

On Friday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) The BJP in Kerala has braved many odds to make its presence felt in the state's bipolar politics, dominated for decades by the traditional coalitions-CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-headed UDF.

But, once again the saffron party has failed to create magic in electoral politics in the southern state as it couldn't perform according to its expectations when the counting for the crucial local body polls was taken up on Wednesday.

Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI) In the wake of Suvendu Adhikari severing all ties with Trinamool Congress on Thursday, a senior party leader said that one or two people leaving the party will have no effect on it.

Adhikari relinquished his primary membership of Trinamool Congress after submitting his resignation from West Bengal assembly on Wednesday fuelling speculation that he will join the saffron brigade.

NEW DELHI, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Indian space research organisation ( ISRO) Thursday successfully launched a communication satellite CMS-01 onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle -- PSLV-C50, officials said.

The satellite was launched from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at 3:41 p.m. (local time).

Kochi, Dec 17 (PTI) A court here on Thursday granted the Enforcement Directorate seven days custody of Popular Front of Indias student wing leader K A Rauf Sharif, arrested by it in connection with a money laundering probe being conducted against the Kerala-based outfit.

Considering a plea by the ED, the Special Court on Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases here sent the Campus Front of India (CFI) leader to its custody till December 24.

New Delhi/Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI) The government will press ahead with the sale of public sector companies that have been approved by the Cabinet, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.

Highlighting that FDI flow into India is much higher compared to other emerging economies, she said India's strong macroeconomic fundamentals, ability to do reforms and a stable government help attract long-term foreign funds into Indian businesses.

Cuttack, Dec 17 (PTI) A 25-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Thursday by a special court in Odisha's Cuttack that convicted him of raping a girl.

The special POCSO court also fined Rama Munda alias Rama Laguri Rs 10,000, besides directing a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the survivor's family.

Judge Bandana Kar found Laguri guilty under IPC Section 376 (2) (i) that deals with rape, and Section 6 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi may flag off the country's first driverless metro train later this month in the national capital, official sources said on Thursday.

The train will be flagged off on the Magenta Line (Janakpuri West- Botanical Garden) of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), they said.

"A proposal has been sent to the Prime Minister's Office to flag off the driverless train around December 25," a source said.

Banda (UP), Dec 18 (PTI) A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her brother-in-law in a village here, following which the accused was arrested, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Wednesday night when the woman was alone in her house, SHO of Bisanda police station Narendra Pratap Singh said.

The accused had also threatened to kill her two-and-a-half-year-old child if she told anyone about the incident, according to police.

Kolkata, Dec 18 (PTI) Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Kolkata on Friday night on a two-day visit to take stock of the BJP's affairs in the state as the assembly elections draw near, amid a rebellion within the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Speculations are rife that heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who quit the Trinamool Congress and gave up cabinet portfolios in the Mamata Banerjee government, may join BJP during Shah's visit along with a slew of disgruntled TMC leaders, including some MLAs such as Silbhadra Dutta and Jitendra Tiwari.