Indian Sub-continent

Srinagar, Nov 16, PTI/GANASHAKTI: Two trial runs on Srinagar-Banihal railway line were conducted successfully on Saturday, paving the way for resumption of full services in Kashmir Valley from Sunday, more than three months after they were suspended due to security reasons, officials said.

The trial runs, through the restive south Kashmir, were done after a thorough safety audit of the section, a railway official told PTI.

He said rail services in the valley should be fully operational from Sunday.

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Friday said the government will bring legislations on raising insurance cover on bank deposits from the current Rs 1 lakh and regulating multi-state cooperative banks.

These legislations will be brought during the Winter Session of Parliament starting coming Monday, the minister told reporters here.

Kolkata, Nov 16 (PTI) Describing media as the fourth pillar of democracy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged journalists to report the truth fearlessly.

Banerjee made the plea on the National Press Day.

Srinagar, Nov 15 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was on Friday shifted to a government accommodation in the city from a tourist hut located at the foothills of Zaberwan range, officials said here.

The move was necessitated as the approaching winters and frequent power cuts made it difficult to stay in the hut which was converted into a jail after she was detained on August 5 this year.

Bengaluru, Nov 15 (PTI) The CBI on Friday conducted raids at the Amnesty International Indias Bengaluru and Delhi offices.

Yes, raids were carried out. Details are awaited, a CBI officer told PTI.

An Amnesty International India executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about half-a-dozen CBI sleuths arrived at about 8.30 am at the Bengaluru office and carried out searches till 5 pm."

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) Lawyers in all the six district courts in Delhi called off their strike on Friday, which was underway since November 4 after a clash between advocates and police at the Tis Hazari court.

The Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations took the decision in a meeting of the office bearers after the Delhi High Court order directed the lawyers to resolve the matter.

Kolkata, Nov 15 (PTI) The number of military aircraft in the country will soon increase to 2,000 from the present 1,400, thus opening up more opportunities for the MSME sector in repair and overhaul, a senior IAF officer said on Friday.

There will be a huge requirement of aircraft in the next 10 to 20 years in military aviation of the country, said Air Marshall R K S Shera, Air Officer Maintenance of the IAF.

"The number is going to blow up from whatever we have today at 1,400, it will rise to 2,000 soon," he said at a programme here.

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) India's exports contracted for the third month in a row in October by 1.11 per cent to USD 26.38 billion mainly on account of a significant dip in shipments of petroleum, carpet, leather products, rice and tea.

Imports too declined by 16.31 per cent -- the steepest fall in more than three years -- to USD 37.39 billion in October, narrowing the trade deficit to USD 11 billion, according to the government data released on Friday.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16 (APP): Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the public hearing by Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress on human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) wherein the lawmakers called for an independent fact-finding mission to the IOJK.

In its meeting held on November 14 at Washington DC, the Commission reinforced the internationally recognized disputed nature of the Jammu and Kashmir issue and highlighted the gross human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis in IOJK.

Panaji, Nov 16 (PTI) A Russian tourist died after his two-wheeler collided with another bike in Arambol beach village in North Goa on Friday evening, police said on Saturday.

While Denis Belyakov died on the spot, Alyssa Dawn Hammel who was riding another two-wheeler injured, a police official said.

Hammel, a US national, suffered injury to her leg, he said, adding that she was recuperating at hospital.