Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Inflation based on wholesale prices inched up to 2.93 per cent in February over the previous month on account of firming up of prices of food items, including vegetables and cereals, according to government data released Thursday.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was 2.76 per cent in January this year and 2.74 per cent in February 2018.

Jammu, Mar 14 (PTI) The cross-LoC trade between Poonch-Rawalakot remained suspended for the second day on Thursday even as there was no report of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

It was suspended after five mortar shells hit the cross-LoC facilitation centre at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district on Wednesday at around 12.30 pm, when the process of scanning of trucks was almost complete.

Though there were no casualties in the shelling, several sheds including the one housing the X-Ray scanner were damaged.

Kashmir, Mar 14, 2019: Mohammad Ismail Wani, a National Conference leader was shot at on Thursday by a gunman in Thajeewara area of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police has said.

Wani was rushed to a nearby hospital, which referred him to a hospital in Srinagar, the official said.

"My @JKNC_ colleague Mohd Ismail Wani, block President Bijbehara block in South Kashmir of has been shot & injured. He has been referred to Srinagar. Praying for his recovery," party's vice-president Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Lucknow, Mar 14 (PTI) The Samajwadi Party and the BSP will hold a series of joint rallies for the Lok Sabha polls, with the first being on April 7 in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband town.

The general election is going to start on April 11 and will continue till May 19. Polling on the 80 seats in the state will be held in seven phases.

There will be several joint rallies in the state and besides the SP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will be also part of these public meeting, Samajwadi Party chief spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said.

New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully test fired indigenously developed, low weight, Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile for the second time on Thursday in the ranges of Rajasthan desert, a statement said.

The missile is incorporated with advanced features including state-of-the-art Imaging Infrared Radar (IIR) Seeker with integrated avionics, it said.

The first test was conducted on Wednesday.

KANPUR: Even when we talk about casting our votes at the certain polling booth, we tend to talk about it with much hint than realism. Sure, we know that voters seek basic facilities at the booth. Despite strict instructions on the part of Election Commission, the booths still lack water and electricity facilities in all the ten assembly constituencies. Out of 3514 polling booths in the district, as many as 57 booths have no electricity connection. As regards proper drinking water arrangement at the polling booths, it is too poor.

KANPUR: There is no stop in death cases in Ghatampur hooch tragedy which has risen to eight now, as news reports said. As many as four villagers are still in critical condition. A pall of gloom pervades in three villages of Ghtampur owing to deaths occurring daily. All the victims had consumed liquor being sold illicitly through the grocery shops in several villages of Ghatampur.

Nagercoil (TN), Mar 13; GANASHAKTI: Launching a frontal attack on the AIADMK-BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday alleged the state government was controlled by the Prime Minister's Office, something that has never happened before.

In his first public rally to launch the UPA poll campaign in the southern state, Gandhi said "today, the government in Tamil Nadu is controlled by the Prime Minister's Office."

The accusation has been often repeated by the DMK to target the ruling AIADMK.

Muzaffarnagar, Mar 13 (PTI) A man, who witnessed the killing of his two brothers during the Muzaffarnagar riots, was shot dead at Khatoli here, police said Wednesday.

The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining areas in August and September 2013 had claimed more than 60 lives while over 40,000 people were displaced.

Guwahati, Mar 13 (PTI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finalised its alliances in the Northeast, setting a target of winning at least 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from eight states of the region, party general secretary Ram Madhav claimed on Wednesday.