Indian Sub-continent

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen killed one Christian priest and wounded another as they were driving home from Sunday Mass in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.

Father William Siraj, 75, was shot multiple times and died instantly in the ambush in the Gulbahar neighborhood, while Father Naeem Patrick was treated briefly in hospital for a gunshot wound to the hand, officer Iqbal Shah said. A third priest in the car was unharmed.

Jammu, 30 January 2022: Five Kashmiris were killed on Wednesday by Indian security forces in Pulwama and Budgam district of the Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

Indian security forces alleged that one of the insurgent was JeM commander Zahid Wani.

Etawah (UP) Jan 29 (PTI) A divisional-level office-bearer of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, BJP's youth wing, was seriously injured after being shot at by motorcycle-borne assailants in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place in the Friends Colony police station area on Friday evening, they said.

Lucknow, Jan 29 (PTI) The Election Commission has banned all exit polls pertaining to the coming Assembly elections from 7.00 am on February 10 to 6.30 pm on March 7.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, UP's Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that conducting the exit polls, its publication in print or electronic media or its publicity has been banned from 7.00 am on February 10 to 6.30 pm on March 7.

Any person who violates the order will be punished with a two-year jail term or fine or both.

Jaipur, Jan 29 (PTI) A woman sub-inspector in Bhilwara district has accused a former BJP leader and others of gangraping her prompting the police to register an FIR on her complaint.

The woman SI lodged her complaint on Saturday following which an FIR was registered against main accused Bhanwar Singh Palara and some other people including his staffers under various sections, including 376-D of the Indian Penal Code, Bhilwara SP Adarsh Sidhu said.

He said the investigation of the case has been handed over to the additional SP, Shahpura.

Kendrapara, Jan 29 (PTI) A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in Odisha's Kendrapara district, police said on Saturday.

The concrete life-size statue at the government-run Pakhyota Upper Primary School was found uprooted from the pedestal, they said.

The school is closed at present due to the pandemic.

Ghaziabad (UP), Jan 29 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh elections will throw no surprise result, the real surprise would come up in the Gujarat assembly polls due later this year, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed on Saturday exuding confidence of forming the government after the UP assembly polls.

Making a slew of poll promises, he said his alliance government would open "Samajwadi Canteens" for the poor to get subsidized meals for Rs 10.

Similarly, "ration outlets" would be started for the poor and labourers, he said.

Jajpur, Jan 29 (PTI) A newborn girl was allegedly sold by her parents for Rs 12,000 in Odisha's Jajpur district, officials said on Saturday.

The girl was born to a couple of Sanaraipara in Dharmasala police station area on Thursday, they said.

As the couple has three daughters, they allegedly sold their newborn for Rs 12,000 to a childless couple of Mahakalapada in Kendrapara district soon after the baby was born at the community health centre, officials said.

Even the health centre was not aware of the alleged sale, they said.

Bengaluru, Jan 29 (PTI): Calling journalist Gauri Lankesh a victim of hate crime, members of civil society on Saturday expressed concern over the alleged rise in incidents of such crimes. At a webinar organised by the Gauri Memorial Trust (GMT) and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) to recall the life and courage of Gauri Lankesh on her 60th birth anniversary, the topic discussed was "Hate as a State Project."

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has changed the team probing the death of Dhanbad judge Uttam Anand, officials said on Saturday.

The development came after the Jharkhand High Court recently slammed the agency for its "laxity" in probing the murder, and observed that it seemed that the CBI was trying to quit the investigation and even protect the accused.