Indian Sub-continent

KANPUR: An important decision in regard to the sale of firecrackers on approaching Diwali has been considered. Fresh license for sale of the firecrackers will not be issued. The past year's provisional licenses will get a renewal this year

The ADM (City) Vivek Srivastava said that as many as 375 applicants were provided with provisional licenses last year which will be renewed.

Srinagar, Oct 25; GANASHAKTI:  CPI(M) MLA from Jammu and Kashmir M Y Tarigami on Thursday accused the Centre of contributing to the cycle of violence in the state with its use of disproportionate force to quell unrest.

He said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is making the situation in the state worse by subduing people's political aspirations instead of holding a credible dialogue.

Islamabad, Oct 25; PTI: Promising that all corrupt leaders will go to jail, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that no politicians and officials who have put Pakistan into the debt trap through their corrupt practices will get protection from any legislation like the defunct National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) The Maharashtra government Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order by which the extension of time granted to state police to conclude probe in the Koregaon Bhima violence case was set aside.

The Bombay High Court Wednesday had quashed the lower court's decision by which the Maharahstra Police was granted more time to conclude the investigation and file the chargesheet in the violence case in which several rights activist had been made accused.

Panaji, Oct 25 (PTI) Former Goa unit RSS chief Subhash Velingkar has alleged that the BJP high command is pressuring Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to continue in the post despite his ill health, to retain power in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, rubbished his charge, saying Parrikar was not being forced to continue as the chief minister and that his health condition was improving.

Velingkar demanded that the state government give an update on the chief minister's health.

Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) Four members of an inter-state gang were arrested by Raigad Police in Maharashtra for allegedly smuggling snake venom worth Rs 1.7 crore in illicit markets, an official said Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rajaram Jaiswar (46) and Udaynath Jaiswar (37) at Mandva Jetty in Raigad and recovered snake venom kept in a water bottle, he said.

The accused, hailing from Malvani in Mumbai, allegedly told police that two persons from Gujarat had handed over the venom to them.

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) President Ramnath Kovind is learnt to have dismissed a plea to disqualify 27 ruling Aam Admi Party MLAs of Delhi for allegedly holding office of profit by being appointed as chairpersons of Rogi Kalyan Samitis attached to various city hospitals.

The President signed the order dismissing the plea based on an opinion given by the Election Commission (EC) in July, a senior poll panel functionary said Thursday.

The EC had found no merit in the plea.

Ahmedabad, Oct 25 (PTI) BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said CBI Director Alok Verma is an "upright officer" who was doing a "good job" to check corruption and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider action taken against him.

Swamy said he has full faith in the prime minister but claimed that those "around him" are trying to "harm the interests" of Modi as well as the BJP.

Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who were at loggerheads, were divested of all powers and sent on leave by the government on Tuesday night.

Nalbari, Oct 25 (PTI) A married woman was allegedly raped by five men in lower Assam's Nalbari district, police said Thursday.

The woman was on her way to a market in Nathkuchi village on Wednesday evening when the five men forcibly pulled her into their car and sped away to Korkabari area of Tihu town, police said quoting the woman's FIR.

They allegedly raped the woman in two separate places and then dumped her near the forest area with her hands and legs tied, said the woman in her FIR filed at Tihu police station.

Kolkata, Oct 25 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership Thursday mocked at "corrupt" BJP for trying to "rein in corruption" in the CBI and said the recent turn of events in the investigating agency proves that it is being controlled by the saffron party to serve its political purpose.