Indian Sub-continent

NEW DELHI, Dec 22 (NNN-PTI) – At least three persons died and 44 others injured, when a fire broke out at an oil refinery, in India’s eastern state of West Bengal yesterday, confirmed a state government official.

The fire that broke out in the Haldia Refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was extinguished subsequently.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital. An enquiry has been ordered into the incident.

KABUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has received a batch of assistance donated by the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC).

A handover ceremony was held Tuesday at ARCS complex in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, attended by Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and ARCS Secretary General Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis.

"As Afghanistan's friendly neighbor and sincere friend, China attaches great importance to the difficulties that Afghan people currently face," Wang said at the ceremony.

Balasore (Odisha), Dec 22 (PTI) India Wednesday successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the indigenously-developed, surface-to-surface missile Pralay' off the Odisha coast, the DRDO said.

The solid-fuel, battlefield missile developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation is based on Prithvi Defence Vehicle from the Indian ballistic missile programme.

The missile, launched from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island around 10.30 AM, met all the mission objectives, the DRDO said in a statement.

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Militancy will start crumbling gradually in Kashmir after two-three years of resistance and in a period of 8-10 years, it is likely to be brought to an ineffectual state, says former Army chief Gen (retd) N C Vij.

He has come out with a book "The Kashmir Conundrum: The Quest for Peace in a Troubled Land" in which he tries to give a complete picture - starting with a history of Jammu & Kashmir and its people to the abrogation of special status.

Kanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited suggestions from students, alumni for its inclusion in his speech at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur convocation ceremony to be held on December 28, as has been reported.

This is clear from his Twitter in this regard.

He writes: I look forward to being at IIT Kanpur on the 28th of this month to address the convocation ceremony.

This is a vibrant institution which has made pioneering contributions towards science and innovation.

I invite everyone to share suggestions.

Panaji, Dec 21 (PTI) Carlose Almeida, the BJP MLA from Vasco, on Tuesday quit the ruling party and resigned as a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly ahead of state polls.

The MLA said he was quitting as he had been asked to work in the constituency under the leadership of Daji Salkar against whom he had filed a case of fraud.

Assembly polls are due in the coastal state early next year.

Almeida became the second BJP MLA to quit the party and seventh legislator to resign from the Assembly in the recent weeks.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held talks with Fran ois Delattre, the Secretary-General of France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, focusing on bilateral issues as well as the situation in the Indo-Pacific.

Delattre is on an official visit to India from December 20 to 22.

The visit comes close on the heels of the trip to India by French Defence Minister Florence Parly.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) A Delhi court granted bail to chartered accountant Rajiv Aggarwal on Tuesday in a money-laundering case related to an alleged loan fraud involving an amount of Rs 7979.3 crore.

Special Judge Sanjay Garg granted the relief to Aggarwal, saying he had already spent 95 days in custody.

Aggarwal was arrested on September 17 in relation to the case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate in 2019.

Ferozepur (Pb), Dec 21 (PTI) Demanding a complete waiver of farm loans and compensation to the kin of those who died during the anti-farm laws stir, farmers blocked railway tracks at various places in Punjab for the second day on Tuesday, affecting the movement of 156 trains.

According to Ferozepur division railway officials, 84 trains were cancelled, 47 short-terminated and 25 short-originated.

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 22 (PTI) A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped and the act filmed by two men here, police said on Wednesday.

The victim has identified the accused as Sharif and Talib Hassan. They are absconding, police said.

The girl, in her complaint filed at the Kakroli police station, alleged that the the two men took her to an isolated place and raped her. They also recorded the act on a mobile phone and threatened her of leaking the video if she revealed the matter.