India

Beijing, Aug 23 (PTI) China successfully launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite from its Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Sunday.

The satellite, Gaofen-9 05, was sent into orbit by a Long March-2D carrier rocket.

A multifunctional test satellite and another satellite named Tiantuo-5 were also launched via the rocket.

Sunday's launch was the 343rd mission of the Long March rocket series, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Bloomsbury India on Saturday announced it has withdrawn itself from publishing a book on the Delhi riots of February after there was outrage over a virtual pre-publication launch, which it said was being organised without its knowledge.

The publishing house faced massive backlash online on Friday after a purported advertisement of the book launch on Saturday with BJP leader Kapil Mishra as a guest of honour did the rounds on social media.

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The Centre has constituted the National Council for Transgender Persons to formulate policies, programmes, legislation and projects regarding members of the community for achieving equality and full participation by them.

The council was established by the Centre in exercise of the powers conferred by the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, according to a gazette notification issued late on Friday night.

Kolkata, Aug 22 (PTI) Several community puja organisers in Kolkata switched to the digital mode to enable people have 'darshan' of idols on Ganesh Chaturthi on Saturday.

The shift came as many organisers imposed restrictions on the entry of visitors to the marquees to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted people on the occasion, tweeting: "Heartiest greetings to all on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi".

Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) For the first time in the country, anti-fibrotic drugs have been used to treat patients suffering from COVID-19-related lung fibrosis and breathlessness which has helped in the recovery of four such patients in Maharashtra's Pune, the Army has said.

Kozhikode, Aug 22 (PTI): A 53-year-old man, injured in the Air India Express plane crash here on August 7, died at a hospital on Saturday, taking the toll in the mishap to 20.

V Ibrahim from Wayanad district died here this noon, a senior district official said.

Eighteen people, including the pilot and co-pilot, were killed and several others injured when the flight from Dubai with 190 people onboard overshot the tabletop runway at the Karipur airport and fell into a valley. It had broken into pieces in the impact.

New Delhi, Aug 22(PTI) In a bid to bring back the pandemic-hit city economy on the track, the Delhi government has started an amnesty scheme for late payment dues on rent lease and brought down interest rate to 10 per cent on such dues, providing relief to factory owners, officials said.

The move will benefit thousands of factory owners in Delhi, ruling AAP's Trade wing convener Brijesh Goyal said.

Bareilly, Aug 22 (PTI) Around 14 cows were run over by a goods train in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district on Saturday, an official said.

Sub-divisional magistrate, Aonla, KK Singh said around 14 cows were run over by a goods train near Bisharatganj station on the Bareilly-Chandausi rail line in the morning.

The SDM also said two seriously injured cows have been sent for medical treatment while the dead cows have been buried.

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 23 (PTI) Two employees of an inter-college in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district were arrested for allegedly raping a woman colleague and making a video of the crime to blackmail her, police said on Sunday.

They were arrested after the woman lodged a police complaint, Station House Officer (SHO) Karmvir Singh said.

The woman has alleged that the two men had raped her and were blackmailing her with the video, police said.

The incident took place at Kandhla town in the district.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The assembly elections in Bihar, due later this year, would be held on time, highly placed sources in the Election Commission said on Sunday amid demands by some political parties for postponing the polls in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The term of the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly comes to an end on November 29.

Indications are that the polls could be held sometime in October-November.

"Bihar elections are definitely happening on time," a senior official of the poll panel said on Sunday.