Indian Sub-continent

MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan, Jan 8 (NNN-ANA) – A five-year-old child was killed and five people injured, in a rainfall-related incident in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman, last night, a local source confirmed today.

“The incident occurred at mid-night when the roof of a muddy house collapsed, in a slum area in Camp Baba, a locality on the outskirts of provincial capital, Mehtarlam city,” Abdul Rahman Zyyar, a local elder and member of a local council, said.

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists asked Indian authorities to immediately release a journalist in disputed Kashmir, days after police arrested him for uploading a video clip of a protest against Indian rule.

The media watchdog on Saturday said it was “deeply disturbed” by the arrest of Sajad Gul, an independent journalist and media student. It wrote on Twitter it was asking Indian authorities to “drop their investigation related to his journalistic work.”

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Temperatures fell to minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit) amid heavy snowfall at Pakistan’s mountain resort town of Murree overnight, killing at least 22 people who were stuck in their vehicles, officials said Saturday.

Atiq Ahmed, an Islamabad police officer, said eight of the 22 fatalities were from the family of fellow police officer Naveed Iqbal, who also died. Most of the victims died of hypothermia, officials said.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Coronavirus cases fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant are rocketing through India, prompting the federal government and states to swiftly reintroduce a string of restrictions.

Night curfews are back. Restaurants and bars are running at half their capacity. Some states have closed schools and movie theaters. Large gatherings are to be downsized.

But India’s political leaders are busy on the campaign trail ahead of crucial state polls, addressing packed rallies of tens of thousands of people, many without masks.

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) About 3.2 million people could have died from Covid in India by September last year, six-seven times higher than reported officially, according to a study based on one independent and two government data sources.

The research, published in the journal Science on Thursday, used an independent nationally representative survey of 137,289 adults in all states and union territories interviewed from March 2020 to July 2021.

Dehradun, Jan 8 (PTI) Political rallies, dharnas and demonstrations have been banned in poll-bound Uttarakhand till January 16 in view of the rising coronavirus cases, according to an official order.

In fresh guidelines issued late Friday night that come into effect from Sunday, Chief Secretary SS Sandhu said all political rallies, dharnas, demonstrations and public events like cultural gatherings etc will remain suspended in the state till January 16.

Gorakhpur (UP), Jan 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday distributed smart phones and tablets to students and said this will help them have access to information about employment opportunities and prepare for competitive exams.

Gonda (UP), Jan 7 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said protesting farmers should have allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach the rally venue in Punjab's Ferozepur to let him witness and address the "empty chairs" there.

Mocking the PM's security breach, Yadav said due to the cancellation of the public meeting at Ferozepur, the country was deprived of knowing why the three farm laws were brought and later withdrawn.

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) A Delhi court on Friday acquitted four men in a case related to robbing, vandalising and setting a house and shop on fire during the riots in the national capital in 2020.

Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat acquitted Dinesh Yadav, Tinku, Sahil and Sandeep. "All the accused have been acquitted. All accused are directed to file their respective bail bonds on Monday i.e. January 10, the judge ordered.

Noida, Jan 8 (PTI) In view of the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, a total of 150 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are being provided to the state by the Centre in the first phase, officials said.

These include 50 companies of the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF), 30 companies each of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and 20 companies each of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

One company of CAPF generally has around a hundred personnel.