Indian Sub-continent

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 25 (PTI) Two people were arrested here for allegedly drugging a Class 10 student and gang-raping her, police said on Saturday.

The minor girl had gone for tuition classes on Thursday from where two people allegedly drugged her and took her to a forest area near Sadpur village, according to a complaint lodged by her family.

Two more people were waiting there and all four allegedly raped her, as per the complaint.

New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) The Christian community in the national capital celebrated Christmas on Saturday with caution as fewer people reached churches amid concern over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had directed district magistrates to ensure that no Christmas and New Year gatherings take place in the national capital.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): Pakistan on Friday said that as a victim of falsehood and propaganda, it remains committed to countering the virus of disinformation, and will continue to do this through encouraging international cooperation, including under the auspices of the United Nations.

Pakistan-sponsored resolution entitled “Countering Disinformation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York by consensus, Foreign Office said in a statement issued here.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter.

Transported by 63 rail wagons to Afghanistan's northern city Mazar-I-Sharif and received by Afghan officials, the batch includes foodstuffs, fuel and winter clothes that will be distributed among destitute Afghans as the country is facing economic crisis.

Kanpur: Cash recovery of approximately Rs 150 crores from searches in Kanpur at several locations related to Trimurti Fragrance has been reported.

Vivek Johri, the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs on Friday said that this is the "biggest haul ever".

The teams remained at various premises of businessman Piyush Jain counting cash.

According to media reports, Piyush Jain's son, Pratyush Jain, has been taken into custody by the DGCI officials.

Kanpur; 25 Dec 2021 (UMMN): Researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Kanpur, said that third Covid wave will hit  the country in February 2022.

Scientists urged people not to panic and take necessary precautions for their safety as this wave is likely to be a mild one.

A group of scientists from IIT- Kanpur deployed a statistical methodology on the basis of an algorithm for clustering to estimate the parameters.

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) India recorded 122 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in a span of 24 hours, the highest so far, pushing its tally in the country to 358, 114 of which have either recovered or migrated, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The 358 Omicron Covid variant cases have been detected across 17 states and union territories so far, it showed.

Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of 88 cases of the Omicron variant, followed by Delhi with 67, Telangana 38, Tamil Nadu 34, Karnataka 31 and Gujarat 30.

Agra (UP), Dec 24 (PTI) A private bank automated teller machine (ATM) carrying Rs 8.20 lakh was stolen under Tajganj police station limits on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said.

According to sources, the ATM kiosk was located just 400 metres away from the police post in Kalal Kheria area.

Agra Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sudhir Kumar Singh told reporters on Friday that the incident took place around 2.45 am and that four teams have been constituted to nab the accused.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A massive fire swept through a river ferry in southern Bangladesh early Friday, leaving at least 37 dead and 72 injured, as passengers jumped off the vessel and swam to the shore, officials said.

The blaze broke out around 3 a.m. on the MV Avijan-10 off the coast of Jhalokati district on the Sugandha River.

The United News of Bangladesh news agency quoted fire officer Kamal Uddin as saying the ferry was carrying 800 passengers from Dhaka, the capital, to Barguna, nearly 250 kilometres (155 miles) to the south.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 23 (APP): Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution regarding humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan as “a step in the right direction towards helping the Afghan people in dire need.

“As called for by the OIC, pathways should now be found towards revitalizing of the Afghan economy and unfreezing of the assets that rightfully belong to the Afghan people,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Asif Iftikhar said in a statement.