Indian Sub-continent

Chennai, Feb 12 (PTI): The Tamil Nadu government Tuesday urged the Centre to allot an additional 1500 Hajj seats to the state's quota in view of the demand.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Centre has allotted 3,534 seats in 2019 for the people of Tamil Nadu to perform Hajj.

Nabarangpur (Odisha), Feb 12 (PTI) A tribal man was killed allegedly by Maoists in Nabarangpur district on the suspicion of being a police informer, a senior police officer said Tuesday.

A group of armed ultras stormed Venas village under Raighar Block late on Monday night and forcibly took away Tunu Gond from his house accusing him of being a police informer, the officer said.

Jamshedpur, Feb 12 (PTI) A 20-year-old college student was allegedly raped by eight youths in West Singhbhum district, police said Tuesday.

The woman was returning from Chaibasa to Jorapokhar with her boyfriend on a motorcycle when the accused stopped them near Tekrahatu on Sunday evening. .

They thrashed the boyfriend and then dragged the woman towards the bushes and allegedly raped her, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Sadar), Amar Kumar Pandey said.

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) India and Maldives on Tuesday exchanged diplomatic notes for the implementation of a visa facilitation agreement to boost people to people contacts between the two countries.

The agreement was signed during Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India in December within a month after taking charge of the high office. The visit was seen as an effort by his government to repair ties with India which came under severe strain during the presidentship of Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to China.

KATHMANDU, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China emerged as the largest source market of foreign tourists to Nepal in January this year as the Himalayan country welcomed 15,343 Chinese tourists, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said on Tuesday.

India, traditionally the largest source market, came second with 14,650 tourists, according to NTB.

Kalyan Raj Sharma, managing director of trekking agency Adventure Outdoor, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the number of Chinese tourists began to rise ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year that began on Feb. 5.

KANPUR: An Intermediate student committed suicide by hanging herself to death on Tuesday morning. A suicide note was also found in her book which police took into its possession. The investigation is in progress.

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar on Monday stressed the need to enhance trade ties with neighboring countries to boost the country's economy, local reports said.

Addressing a ceremony at the Peshawar Chamber of Commerce, Umar said that "Pakistan needs to improve relations and boost trade with countries in both the west and east of the region we live in."

New Delhi, Feb 11; PTI/GANASHAKTI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's daylong fast demanding special status for his state on Monday became a rallying point for various opposition leaders who visited the protest venue to back him and attack the Central government.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, National Congress chairperson Farooq Abdullah, NCP's Majeed Memon, Trinamool Congress' Derek O' Brien, DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav were among those who met the TDP chief to express their support.

Lucknow, Feb 11; PTI/GANASHAKTI: Making her political debut as Congress general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi on Monday roared into Uttar Pradesh with thousands cheering as her cavalcade slowly made its way through the city during a roadshow, being seen as launch of the party's campaign in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Accompanied by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and incharge of the western region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the beaming 47-year-old sported a kurta and a stole, and waved at the teeming party workers jostling for a glimpse.

Kolkata , February 11; GANASHAKTI: Over 2.5 lakh Jute Mill workers  of the state in West Bengal  is set to start an indefinite strike for wage revision and implementation of minimum wages act in the Jute Industry from 1st March. The slated strike, which will be effective in all the mills of the  state , will also affect over 4.5 million Jute growers, as the strike will paralyze the entire sector in the state, for an indefinite period.