Indian Sub-continent

Lucknow, Mar 1 (PTI) The general elections in the country will be held on time, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Friday, amid tensions between India and Pakistan.

The CEC is in the Uttar Pradesh capital for the past two days to review poll preparations in the state.

"The election in the country will be held on time," Arora told reporters here when asked about the poll schedule in the wake of tensions between the two countries.

Lucknow, Mar 1 (PTI) Electronic voting machines are being treated like "football", Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Friday in the wake of political parties expressing apprehensions on the working of EVMs.

The CEC is in the Uttar Pradesh capital for the past two days to review poll preparations in the state.

"EVMs are being used for the past over two decades. If we take results of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls into account, the results of the Delhi assembly polls four months after, it were different.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Over 200 artistes across cultural disciplines will come together over the weekend to "resist the politics of hate" and to "stand up for democracy" in a first of its kind festival of the arts being held under the banner "Artistes Unite".

There will be music, dance, poetry, theatre, cinema and more at the two-day festival, which will held against the historic backdrop of the Red Fort in the 15 August Park.

Mumbai, Mar 1 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a press conference and answer questions of the public.

Since he became the PM in 2014, Modi has not held a press conference in all this time, Gandhi said, addressing a public rally here.

"I address press conferences; have you seen the 'chowkidar' addressing a press conference? He is not only a 'chor' (thief) but also 'darpok' (coward)," Gandhi said.

Berhampur (Odisha), Mar 1 (PTI) A 45-year-old man was arrested Friday for allegedly raping his 13-year-old daughter repeatedly for a month in Ganjam district of Odisha, police said.

The man was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim, a student of class 8, on Thursday, Inspector-In-Charge of Bhanjanagar Police Station S K Sahu said.

The accused was booked under various sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) A non-resident Indian was arrested from the IGI airport here for allegedly raping a woman he had met on a matrimonial site in 2017, police said Friday.

The accused has been identified as Ravinder Singh, a native of Jalandhar district in Punjab, they said.

According to police, the woman filed a case on March 27, 2018 stating that she came in contact with Singh through the matrimonial website.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) The chiefs of the Indian Air Force and Navy will get Z-plus security cover after a fresh assessment of their threat perception by the security agencies, officials said.

The decision was taken after a thorough review of the threat perception of IAF chief Air Marshal B S Dhanoa and chief of Naval staff Admiral Sunil Lanba in the wake of heightened tension with Pakistan.

The chiefs of Air Staff and Naval Staff will be given the Z-plus security, a government official said.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman landed in Delhi Friday night, hours after he was handed over to India by Pakistan after being in captivity for nearly three days.

A group of people gave a rousing welcome to him at the Palam airport, from where he would be taken to a medical facility for examination.

He was handed over to Indian authorities at Attari-Wagah border Friday evening.

01 Mar 2019; AFP: Bangladesh told the UN Security Council on Thursday that it will no longer be able to take in refugees from Myanmar.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told a council meeting that the crisis over the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya sheltering in his country had gone from "bad to worse" and urged the council to take "decisive" action.

Lucknow, Feb 28 (PTI) BSP chief Mayawati Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his proposed address to BJP workers through a mega video-conference, terming it "ridiculous and betrayal of national sentiments" amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan.

Under the BJP's 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' programme, Modi is slated to have direct dialogue with about a crore BJP workers, volunteers and others through the "world's largest video conference" at noon on Thursday.