Indian Sub-continent

Pilibhit (UP), Dec 3 (PTI) A 15-year-old schoolgirl escaped the clutches of her kidnappers here on Friday by jumping out of the car she was being taken in, police said.

The class 9 student was grabbed by four kidnappers when she was on her way to school in the Barkheda police station area of the district, they said.

The kidnappers first beat her up, which caused her to fall unconscious, and then, they put her in a car and sped away towards the Tanakpur highway, the police said.

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) New Zealand were tottering at 38 for six at tea after left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler in history to take all 10 wickets in an innings on day two of the second Test here on Saturday.

India were all out for 325 during the second session with Patel entering the history books.

Indian bowlers then ran through New Zealand batting with Mohammed Siraj taking three wickets.

KABUL, Dec 3 (NNN-ANA) – Afghanistan’s private airline company, Kam Air, resumed its flights from Kabul to Dubai late on Wednesday, the company said yesterday.

“Kam Air is all set to launch its commercial flights to foreign destinations, after three months of suspension, with the first flight leaving Kabul for Dubai starting on Wednesday,” the company said in a statement.

According to the statement, 105 passengers left Kabul for Dubai by the first flight, late on Wednesday night.

KABUL, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada on Friday issued a special decree regarding women's rights and directed relevant authorities to take actions to safeguard these rights.

"The Islamic Emirate's leadership directs all relevant Organizations, Ulema-e Karam (scholars) and Tribal Elders to take serious action to enforce Women's Rights," Afghan caretaker government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

02 Dec 2021; MEMO: The interim government of Afghanistan, on Thursday, protested a UN Committee's decision not to allow its envoy to resume the Afghan seat at the UN, Anadolu News Agency reports.

A nine-member Credentials Committee of the General Assembly on Wednesday decided to defer its decision on the applications by the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan and military junta of Myanmar to replace their countries' envoys.

Colombo, Dec 3 (PTI) The Chinese embassy here has confirmed that an energy project in Sri Lanka's northern province has been suspended.

"Sino Soar Hybrid Technology, being suspended to build hybrid energy system in 3 northern islands due to security concerns from a third party, the embassy tweeted.

China has instead inked a contract with Maldives to establish 12 solar power plants at 12 Maldivian islands, it said.

Hyderabad, Dec 2 (PTI): The Cyberabad Police here on Thursday said they have busted two fake call centres in New Delhi and Noida and arrested 28 people, including several women, for allegedly duping citizens by posing as employees of a State-run bank and an app-based loan platform.

Police raided the fake call centre in Delhi and arrested a gang of 14 involved in as many cases in Cyberabad Commissionerate and 195 cases all over the country, Cyberabad Commissioner of Police Stephen Raveendra told reporters here.

Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) The rupee on Thursday slipped 12 paise to close at 75.03 against the US dollar, weighed by uncertainties over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 75.06 and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.90 and a low of 75.07 against the US dollar.

The local unit finally settled at 75.03, down 12 paise over its previous close of 74.91.

Lalitpur (UP), Dec 2 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government, alleging that it left people to die and stopped them from entering the state while they were walking back home during the coronavirus lockdown.

The pictures seen during the Covid pandemic "were not even seen during the Partition", he alleged during a rally at Ginaut Bagh of Lalitpur district.

"Who can forget the pictures when a lockdown was imposed and our labourer brothers had to come from other places," Yadav said.

New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Defending party chief Mamata Banerjee's statement that there is "no UPA", TMC MP Derek O'Brien on Thursday said there has been no United Progressive Alliance for the last 10 years.

Banerjee met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Wednesday and called for fighting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly, while taking a veiled swipe at the Congress leadership.