Indian Sub-continent

Jaipur, Dec 7 (PTI) The authorities prevented the marriage of a 14-year-old girl, who complained on a helpline in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district, just days before the proposed ceremony.

The girl, a Class 9 student, was scheduled to be married off on December 11. Badi Sadri SHO Kailash Chandra said they made the family sign a bond that they will not marry off the girl till she attains the permissible age of legal marriage.

The girl had called the helpline on Monday, after which police were informed.

Varanasi, Dec 7 (PTI) A mosque on the road leading to the Kashi Vishwanath temple here has been painted "saffron" by the authorities ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit on December 13, according to a masjid committee panel member.

There was no immediate comment from the authorities over the claim but an official had earlier said all buildings on the road are being given an uniform colour, which is "light pink".

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit back at trolls on Tuesday for mocking a picture at a wedding in which he figured, saying he is used to being trolled by an "organised brigade of Bhakts" but dragging non-political people into "your malice is not cool".

Several people on Twitter shared a picture of Tharoor at the wedding, taking jibes at him over his picture with the young couple on their marriage day.

Shillong, Dec 8 (PTI) Meghalaya government has issued new guidelines making it mandatory for people entering the state to register with the government website and download the Arogya Setu App and the Behavioural Change Management App, an official said.

The new guidelines were issued after the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in some states, the official said on Tuesday.

Thane, Dec 8 (PTI) At least 40 BMW cars were destroyed in a massive fire that broke out in a showroom cum godown in the Turbhe MIDC area of Navi Mumbai, a Fire Brigade official said on Wednesday, adding that no casualty was reported.

Chief Fire Officer, MIDC fire services, RB Patil said the blaze erupted in the showroom of BMW cars around 5.30 AM on Tuesday which destroyed the cars parked there.

At least 40-45 BMW cars were totally charred in the fire which was brought under control at around 1 PM on Tuesday by ten fire engines, he added.

Muzaffarnagar, Dec 8 (PTI) Absconding school manager, accused of attempting to rape two girls after taking them to another school on the pretext of a practical exam, was arrested late Tuesday night from Purkazi area of the district, police said.

Arjun Singh was nabbed while another accused manager Yogesh Chouhan was already arrested and sent to judicial custody till December 21.

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday evening also produced the two girls before a women magistrate and recorded their statements under section 364 of the CRPC.

New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Nagaland People's Front leader K G Kenye on Wednesday raised a demand in the Rajya Sabha for the withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).

The demand comes days after 14 civilians died in incidents of firing in Nagaland's Mon district on December 5.

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,648,383 today, as 6,822 new cases were registered, during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data.

The number of daily cases is the lowest in 558 days.

Besides, as many as 220 deaths, due to the pandemic since yesterday morning, took the total death toll to 473,757.

There are still 95,014 active COVID-19 cases in the country, a fall of 3,402 during the past 24 hours. The number of active cases in the country is the lowest in 554 days.

KABUL, Dec 7 (NNN-ANA) – The Taliban caretaker government in Afghanistan, has established a military unit, to protect the forests and prevent deforestation in the mountainous country, a spokesman of the government said, today.

Approved by the cabinet of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the 450-member military unit, would be deployed in both crop-yielding, such as pistachio and regular forests countrywide, deputy spokesman of the caretaker government, Inamullah Samangani, wrote on Twitter.

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation's largest oil firm, has renewed a deal to buy up to 2 million tonnes of crude oil in 2022 from Russia's Rosneft, the Russian oil producer said.

IOC had in February 2020 signed a deal with Rosneft Oil Company to import up to 2 million tonnes of oil via the port of Novorossiysk. In 2021, the deal envisaged supply of up to 1.7 million tonnes of crude oil but IOC bought just on parcel or shipload as the cost of transporting the oil made it uneconomical, when compared to alternatives.