Indian Sub-continent

NEW DELHI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least two persons were killed and four others injured in a blast in India's northern state of Punjab on Thursday, said a state government official.

The blast took place inside a court complex in the state's Ludhiana district.

The explosive material was reportedly kept inside a bathroom. Following the blast, walls of the bathroom were damaged and window glasses shattered.

According to media reports, there was a lawyers' strike at the court, and hence only a few people were present in the premises when the blast took place.

KABUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent an amount of life-saving equipment to a key hospital in Kandahar city, capital of southern Afghan province of Kandahar, the organization said Thursday.

"Mirwais Regional Hospital in war-affected Kandahar Province has received 13 types of life-saving equipment to treat patients of mass casualty events in the region," the organization wrote on Twitter.

Guwahati, Dec 22 (PTI) A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Gauhati High Court by an advocate seeking an independent inquiry and a separate judicial probe into the alleged encounters by the Assam Police since May this year.

The PIL, filed by New Delhi-based advocate Arif Jwadder who hails from Guwahati, was registered on Tuesday.

Jwadder has claimed in the PIL that over 80 such encounters have taken place in Assam since the new government took charge in May this year.

Kolkata, Dec 22 (PTI) A day after its debacle in the Kolkata civic poll, the BJP on Wednesday announced the formation of its new office bearers committee in West Bengal, axed several members of its old guard and inducted new leaders to strengthen the party in the state.

The organisational revamp was being awaited since Sukanta Majumdar took over as the party's state president in September but was put on hold for three months in view of the civic poll, sources in BJP said.

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Drawing a distinction between the Trinamool Congress and Prashant Kishor-founded I-PAC, senior leader Derek O'Brien on Wednesday said the party had hired the political consultancy agency for five years and they have certain deliverables to do.

I-PAC is a political collaborator and it is distinct from the party, the TMC floor leader in the Rajya Sabha said.

Chandigarh, Dec 22 (PTI) The Haryana government on Wednesday amended its Excise Act paving the way for lowering of the legal age for consumption of liquor, its purchase or sale from the existing 25 years to 21 in the state.

In this regard, the Haryana Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by the State Assembly here.

Varanasi, Dec 23 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said cow is mother and sacred to many people and those who find this as "sin" don't realise that livelihood of crores of people depends on cattle.

The PM was addressing a rally after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 27 projects worth Rs 2,095 crore in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, just months ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Kanpur: MBBS First-year students of the Saraswati Medical College created a ruckus accusing the college management of going wrong on their results twice continuously.

They demonstrated by converging on Lucknow- Kanpur highway for two hours.

There was seen long queues of the vehicles queued up on the lane going from Lucknow to Kanpur.

Hasanganj CO helped the students to talk to the college director.

The students remained calm on the written assurance on correcting their results of the examination.

Kanpur: The Kanpur police have busted a fake Ayurvedic medicine and chyawanprash manufacturing unit in Naubasta in the Keshav Nagar area.

The arrest of two women has also been taken, according to the news reports.

The police said that the medicines and chyawanprash were prepared and supplied, claiming to increase potency and reduce obesity.

Fake medicines and chyawanprash and packing material from the spot, have been recovered.

One of the gang members, however, managed to flee.

Kanpur: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Considering the value of 'drones' in various fields including disaster relief, agriculture, maintenance of law and order, a concrete action plan should be prepared to establish a drone manufacturing unit in the state."

He also asked the state to prepare its own manual. At present, there are no clear rules for flying drones in the state.

He  further said that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry has issued a policy in this regard. Accordingly, the state government should also prepare drone rules.