Indian Sub-continent

KANPUR: The Railways cared a fig for passengers’ thirst but it has been pondering over saving wastage of water in the washing of its racks daily. Now, automatic washing machines will solve the purpose only after the Railways Board approves the proposal.

As many as 4500 litres of water in the cleaning of three racks with 24 to 26 bogies are being used manually. It will take only 1500 litres of water if cleaned by automated machines.

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The Train 18 will run from Delhi to Varanasi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed on Wednesday, saying the run-time would be eight hours, about "one-and-a-half-times" faster than the fastest train on the route.

While the railways had been saying that it had proposed two routes for the train, Delhi to Bhopal and Delhi to Varanasi, this is the first time that the route has been officially confirmed.

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The CBI has arrested a Sub Inspector of Delhi Police for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 80,000, officials said Wednesday.

Sub Inspector Gopal Singh posted at Lodhi Colony Police Station was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), they said.

It was alleged that the officer had demanded the bribe from the accused in a case that he was probing, assuring to "go soft on him", they added.

Jammu, Jan 2 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Police Wednesday issued an advisory warning people not to make investments in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin due to the "heightened risk" associated with them.

The police also said this form of currency was not backed as legal tender by the government and central financial institutions.

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The BJP Wednesday demanded Congress president Rahul Gandhi's apology for terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's televison interview "staged" and that it was conducted by a "pliable journalist".

In a late night statement, BJP media head Anil Baluni defended the journalist who interviewed Modi and said Gandhi's attack on the media person was reflective of the Congress' mindset about journalists in general.

Jodhpur, Jan 2 (PTI) International Hindu Parishad president Pravin Togadia on Wednesday said he would launch a political party in a month's time and rope in candidates for almost all the seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

He said the preparations for floating the party had already been initiated, adding that he would soon announce the name of the party.

On a day-long visit to Jodhpur, Togadia claimed that the BJP-led central government had failed on every front and the people of the country needed an alternative.

Raipur, Jan 2 (PTI) In a sudden move, the newly-elected Congress government in Chhattisgarh replaced the state's chief secretary, Ajay Singh, with Sunil Kujur, a 1986-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, on Wednesday night.

According to an order issued by the government, Singh, a 1983-batch IAS officer who was appointed as the chief secretary in January 2018, has been made the chairman of the Revenue Board, Bilaspur.

KANPUR: When the name of Havelock Island in Andaman & Nicobar was renamed, it erased the memory of barbarity connected with that Brigadier General in Kanpur during 1857. Although Kanpur is famous for different features at present yet the fierce fight between Peshwa Nanrao army and the British forces cannot be forgotten. The Massacre Ghat is an open example of the past incident.

02 Jan 2019; AFP: The high priest of one of India's holiest temples carried out a "purification ritual" on Wednesday after two women defied Hindu traditionalists to sneak inside for the first time since a landmark court ruling.

The Supreme Court in September overturned a decades-old ban on women of menstruating age -- deemed as those between 10 and 50 -- setting foot inside the gold-plated Sabarimala temple.

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday condoled the demise of Bollywood actor and writer Kader Khan, who passed away in Canada after prolonged illness.

Khan, 81, died at a hospital in Canada on Monday.

"I am sorry to hear about the demise of noted actor Kader Khan Ji. I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans all around the world," Gandhi said.

"We will miss him," the Congress chief said in a Facebook post.