India

Mumbai, Nov 19 (PTI) A court here on Thursday granted bail to Paul Bartels, an Australian national arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for allegedly supplying drugs to people in the film industry.

Bartels, a friend of Agisilaos Demetriades, brother of actor Arjun Rampal's partner Gabriella, was arrested on November 12.

Hyderabad, Nov 19 (PTI) Stepping up the attack on the BJP, the ruling TRS on Thursday hit out at the handling of the economy, alleging it was now in a recession, preceded by a slowdown for eight consecutive quarters prior to the COVID-19 -induced lockdown.

"While the NDA government may call it an act of God, I would call it an act of fraud....What they have done, what they have perpetrated on this country, is an act of fraud, without a question. Lakhs of workers have suffered," said TRS Working President K T Rama Rao.

Kota (Raj), Nov 19 (PTI) A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail here for raping a minor girl over two years ago.

Additional Sessions Judge Hanuman Prasad, heading the special POCSO court, on Wednesday also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on convict Ajay Meghwal, a resident of Gumanpura area in the city.

The court, set up under the provisions of the Protection of Children against the Sexual Offences Act, convicted Meghwal on the basis of depositions by at least 17 witnesses during the trial, said Public Prosecutor Suresh Verma.

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the number of containment zones has gone up to over 4,550 in the national capital, with the maximum 743 in southwest district and the lowest 148 in northeast district.

According to official data, six districts out of the total 11 have more than 400 COVID-19 containment zones - 743 (southwest), 705 (south), 587 (west), 543 (southeast), 490 (central Delhi) and 445 (northwest).

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) India's COVID-19 caseload surpassed the 90-lakh mark on Friday with 45,882 new cases, while the recoveries surged to 84.28 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 93.6 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 90,04,365 and the death toll climbed to 1,32,162 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 584 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 am showed

Srinagar, Nov 18 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has quashed the detention order of separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat and directed the administration to release him forthwith if he is not required in any other case.

A division bench of Justice Saneev Kumar and Justice Rajnesh Oswal issued the direction on Tuesday after noticing that the detention order against Bhat has outlived its life and the writ petition has become infructuous.

Lucknow, Nov 18 (PTI) Ahead of Chhath Puja, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged the people of the state to try to celebrate the festival from the confines of their homes as they had done in the previous festivals in the times of the coronavirus pandemic.

A letter from the state's Home department to the police and district administration officials, stated that in view of the Chhath festival, which is on November 19-20, women should be encouraged to celebrate the festival within their houses itself.

Indore, Nov 18 (PTI) A case has been registered against religious leader Namdev Das Tyagi, better known as Computer Baba, for allegedly obstructing a construction on a Jain sect's property in Indore district, the police said.

Since the demolition of Computer Baba's illegal ashram on government land ten days ago, three First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against him.

Bhopal, Nov 18 (PTI) The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to set up a "gau cabinet" for the protection and promotion of the cow, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Wednesday.

Opposition Congress said the BJP has forgotten its election promise of creating a separate cow ministry.

"It has been decided to constitute a `gau cabinet' for the protection and fostering of godhan (cow and its progeny) in the state," Chouhan tweeted in Hindi.

Mumbai, Nov 18 (PTI) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday started shooting for his next film, to be helmed by "War" director Siddharth Anand, according to a source close to the project.

Khan was spotted at Yash Raj Studios in a long hair look, leading to speculation that he has commenced filming for the movie reportedly titled "Pathan".

The film marks his first project after 2018's "Zero", which received a lukewarm response.