India

Sukma, Oct 29 (PTI) A woman Naxal was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said on Thursday.

The skirmish occurred on Wednesday in a forest between Duled and Minpa villages under Chintalnar police station area, where a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, inspector general of police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) BSP leader Mayawati on Thursday suspended seven of her party's rebel MLAs who had opposed the nomination of its official candidate Ramji Gautam for the elections to the Rajya Sabha.

Amid speculation that the MLAs could switch sides in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati also said that to ensure defeat of Samajwadi Party candidates in future MLC elections, her party will vote for BJP or any other party's candidate.

Indore, Oct 29 (PTI) Amid the soaring prices of onion, Union Agriculture Minister has said one lakh tonne of buffer stock of the key kitchen staple is being released by the government to provide relief to people.

He was talking to reporters on Wednesday after taking part in a rally in Dharampuri town of Indore district ahead of the November 3 bypolls to 28 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh.

"The government has already taken cognisance of the issue of rising prices of onion and its one lakh tonne of buffer stock is being released through NAFED," Tomar said.

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The national capital's overall air quality inched closer to the 'severe' category on Thursday morning as pollution levels rose sharply after a marginal reduction, primarily due to calm winds and spike in farm fires.

The city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 392 at 10 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 297 on Wednesday, 312 on Tuesday, 353 on Monday, 349 on Sunday, 345 on Saturday and 366 on Friday.

Mumbai, Oct 28 (PTI) NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday blamed the central government's policies for the spiralling prices of onion and said he would speak to the Centre about the stock limit imposed on the commodity traders.

Traders kept off the onion auction in most of the Agriculture Produce Market Committees in Maharashtra's Nashik district, including at Lasalgaon APMC, Asia's biggest onion market, for the third consecutive day on Wednesday to protest against the Centre-imposed stock limit on the kitchen staple.

Barabanki (UP), Oct 28 (PTI) A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in a village here, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday when the girl went out for some work, they said.

Upon hearing the screams of the girl, locals rushed to the spot and caught hold of the accused, identified as Punna alias Rakesh (38). Later, they handed him over to police, SHO Manoj Sharma said.

Srinagar, Oct 28 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Wednesday joined the other mainstream parties in opposing the new land laws notified by the Centre for the union territory.

"The Congress party rejects the new land laws and vows to fight for the protection of people's rights," JKPCC president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said while addressing a public gathering in the Gurez area of Bandipora district.

New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) Union minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said she has tested positive for COVID-19.

The women and child development and textiles minister asked the people who came in contact with her to get themselves tested for the disease at the earliest.

"It is rare for me to search for words while making an announcement; hence here's me keeping it simple -- I've tested positive for #COVID and would request those who came in contact with me to get themselves tested at the earliest," she said in a tweet.

New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Wednesday voiced support for the boycott call against French products given by Muslims in the Middle East and beyond over the controversy surrounding depictions of Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement, Jamiat general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for "supporting insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad under the pretext of freedom of expression".

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (PTI) The Congress and BJP on Thursday staged widespread protests across Kerala seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after his former Principal Secretary M Sivasankar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail in the gold smuggling case.

The Congress and Yuva Morcha, the youth organisation of the BJP, staged protests in front of the state secretariat and a few activistsof the BJP's Mahila Morcha managed to enter the complex.