Indian Sub-continent

Srinagar, Jan 12 (PTI) Two militants were Saturday killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Katpora area in south Kashmir's Kulgam district this evening after receiving specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

As the forces were conducting the searches, the militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter in which two militants were killed, he said.

NEW DELHI, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two major political parties and arch rivals Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday formally announced their pre-poll alliance in northern state of Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Indian general elections.

Leaders of the two parties, Akhilesh Yadav of SP and Mayawati of BSP addressed a joint press conference in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, and thus delivered the first opposition front to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- As the Chang'e-4 probe made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, a senior Chinese space expert said China will deepen its lunar exploration and venture further into the unknown.

KANPUR: As we know the National Green Tribunal is determined to bring improvement in the environmental condition, it has fielded as many as 23 judges to study the situation in the whole of the country. On Friday the solid waste management monitoring committee visited the city areas and found the grim situation. The panel president Justice (retd) D P Singh appeared deeply annoyed with the state of affairs and did not fail to indict the officers concerned in this regard. They had no genuine answer.

New Delhi, Dec 11; PTI: Former CBI director Alok Verma, who was ousted from the agency by a high-powered selection committee Thursday, has said that he was transferred on the basis of "false, unsubstantiated and frivolous allegations" made by only one person, who was inimical to him.

Islamabad, Jan 11; PTI: The Pakistan government has decided to continue the travel ban on former president Asif Ali Zardari, his son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah among other Pakistan Peoples Party leaders, a top minister said.

The decision, which prevents them from flying abroad, was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday, Dawn news reported.

New Delhi, Jan 11; PTI: Nepal on Friday strongly pitched for convening of the SAARC summit, saying differences should be resolved through dialogue and the grouping should collectively deal with terrorism and other key challenges facing the region.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali also cited last year's historic talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, saying dialogue was the only way to address differences.

New Delhi, Jan 11: In a big setback to CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, the Delhi High Court Friday refused to quash the FIR lodged against him on bribery allegations and set a a 10-week deadline to complete the investigations.

Holding that permission for prior sanction to prosecute Asthana was not required considering the facts of the case, the court vacated its interim order that granted the CBI's No. 2 protection against criminal proceedings which in effect meant there is no bar on his arrest.

Srinagar, Jan 11 (PTI) Former IAS officer Shah Faesal, who quit the service recently, Friday shared his future plans, saying he would not join any mainstream political parties "as of now", or separatist Hurriyat Conference, but would be happy to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The 2010-batch officer said he was deeply inspired by the style of politics of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but the "situation" in Jammu and Kashmir would not allow him to pursue politics their style.

Banda (UP), Jan 11 (PTI) A 16-year-old girl committed suicide almost a month after she was allegedly raped by a man from her village in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district, police said Friday.

She hanged herself from a ceiling fan in her room Thursday night in Pahadi area, Police Station Incharge Dinesh Singh said.

The girl was allegedly raped by a man from her village on December 15 last year. After her family lodged a complaint, an FIR was filed and the accused was arrested, Singh said.