Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) A Bill to criminalise Muslim instant divorce practice of "triple talaq" remained stuck in Rajya Sabha in face of a combined opposition insisting that it be scrutinised by a select committee of the House.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, which was passed by Lok Sabha on December 27 last year, had come up for discussion just once in the subsequent seven sittings of the House but couldn't pass through the opposition muster.

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) The CPI and the AAP staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha Wednesday when the voting on the bill to give 10 per cent reservation to the general category poor was taken up in the House.

CPI leader D Raja said the party walked out in protest when the voting process started.

As soon as the bill was introduced in the House, DMK member Kanomozhi demanded sending the bill to a select committee for further scrutiny. Her demand was supported by members of several parties, including Raja.

Rahul: “PM got a woman (Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman) to defend him on Rafale.” (sort of saying that PM is hiding behind saree)

Jaipur/Agra, Jan 9 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said the prime minister got a woman to defend him in Parliament as he couldn't do so himself, a remark that appeared to trigger a sharp retort from Narendra Modi who accused the opposition of insulting Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Calling Modi a prime minister who claimed to have a broad chest, Gandhi said, the prime minister had "run away" from debate in Parliament on the defence deal.

KANPUR: A new revelation has startled the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). It was nothing but the direct flow of domestic waste into the river through the pumping station.

On his inspection of Sheetla Bazaar pumping station here on Wednesday, the State Pollution Control Board’s officer Kuldeep Mishra found that as many as twenty MLD domestic wastes were flowing into the Ganges.

09 Jan 2019; AFP: India's ancient city of Varanasi is clearing the way for a grand temple corridor by razing hundreds of houses, wiping away its oldest neighbourhood and upsetting locals.

The aim is to improve accessibility for pilgrims by providing a direct pathway from the Ganges river to the 18th-century shrine of Lord Shiva, the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

KANPUR: Howrah-Jodhpur Express remained standing at Kanpur Central after a brawl between GRP personal and the pantry car manager on Tuesday afternoon.

Their argument ensued with the water bottle issue. According to news reports, the GRP personal did not pay the price of two water bottles taken from the pantry car. The manager demanded the money but he was allegedly beaten by the railway policeman. The pantry car manager complained of this incident to the control room.

Meerut: BJP worker Rajiv Tyagi, president, Kharkhoda Vyapar Sangh, went to the police station and asked help to rescue his 'father' from a pit. It was revealed later that the ‘father’ he wanted to be pulled out of the pit was actually a bull.

KANPUR: Files with applications for arms license are compiled at Arms Licence Section at the Collectorate here. Inspecting the section on Tuesday the district magistrate, Vijay Vishwas Pant found several irregularities. Expressing deep resentment at laxities he warned the dealing clerk and sought his clarifications in this regard. Herewith he also gave strict warning to other employees for dereliction in duty.

KANPUR: A farmer's family faced pangs of suicides one after another in Bidhnu. Less than a month ago the farmer's daughter had died. This tragedy doubled with the son's suicide on Tuesday evening. His dead body was found hanging on a tree outside the village. The mother was not consolable.