India

KANPUR: Though Sisamau Nullah with a cost of 63 crore rupees has been tapped, the Ganges' biological water quality is yet not improved in every respect. It stays nearly on the same assessment which was done during the year 2014-15 and the year 2015-16 respectively.

This glaring fact has surfaced following a recent report presented by the Central Pollution Control Board. The analysis is in compliance with the apex court’s order.

KANPUR: Passengers’ ire led to worse situation owing to delay in trains’ departure after a sudden stoppage. Their infuriated reactions resulted in passengers’ injury, glass window rupture and other discomfited situations.

Angered examinees boarding Padmavat Express pelted stones on Delhi-Kanpur Shatabdi Express near Bhaupur on Sunday. A few passengers injured and the train did not move for a one-and-a-half hour for further journey.

KANPUR: In view of the forthcoming Kumbh fair on the confluence of three rivers in Allahabad, there has been formed a total of eight teams to watch over the clean flow of water in the Ganga River. In this connection, the tanneries are under the direct close watch of the district administration.

What has been strictly examined was that these tanning units should run its drums in a half capacity.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) A Delhi court Friday directed the CBI to cancel the look out circular (LOC) issued against former IAF chief S P Tyagi, who is an accused in the VVIP chopper scam.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the probe agency to inform the concerned authorities about it.

CBI had issued LOC against Tyagi in 2013. It is a circular issued by the authorities to check if a person who is travelling is wanted by the law enforcement agencies.

Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) Student leader Kanhaiya Kumar Saturday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the "encyclopedia" of fake news.

Speaking at an interactive session organised by the All India Professional Congress here, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) said the prime minister cannot "fool" people through "fake news".

"Fake prime minister cannot fool people with fake news. The PM is an encyclopedia of fake news", he said.

Jaipur, Dec 23 (PTI) A 32-year-old woman was allegedly stoned to death by her husband in the Rajsamand district of the state, police said Sunday.

Police have detained Narsingh Rawat for allegedly killing his wife of 12 years, Rekha Devi, following a heated argument, police said, adding that the couple has four children.

"The accused (Rawat) following a dispute with his wife, stoned her to death," SHO Bheem Police Station Labhu Ram said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 22; GANASHAKTI: Criticising the Centre's decision to authorise 10 agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt data contained in any computer system, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Saturday said the order was an "attack" on individual freedom and the Right to Privacy.

Vijayan said it was even more "disturbing" that the media, members of legislatures and even judiciary have not been excluded from the ambit of the order.

Mumbai, Dec 23; GANASHAKTI: Close to 1 million employees of various banks, including private lenders, have called for a one-day strike on December 26 to protest against the proposed amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.

The strike call comes on the heels of an officers union of state-run banks observing a day-long strike last Friday on similar grounds along with demand for immediate settlement of their wage negotiations.

New Delhi, Dec 22; PTI:  The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Saturday arrested Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case.

Michel was produced before Special Judge Arvind Kumar where the ED sought his 15-day custody.

The court allowed the ED to interrogate the British national inside the courtroom for 15 minutes after the agency sought his custodial interrogation. Michel was arrested thereafter.

New Delhi, Dec 22; PTI: In a relief to the common man, the GST Council Saturday cut rates on 23 commonly used goods and services, including TV screens, movie tickets and power banks.

The annual revenue implication of the rate cuts would be Rs 5,500 crore, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

The council rationalised the 28 per cent slab by bringing down the tax rate on seven items in the highest tax bracket, thereby leaving only 28 items in the slab.