Indian Sub-continent

SBS Nagar (Pb), Mar 16 (PTI) AAP leader Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the Punjab chief minister on Wednesday.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann in the swearing-in ceremony that took place at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Punjab's Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.

Only Mann took the oath during the ceremony.

The event was supposed to start at 12.30 pm but got delayed and was held at around 1.25 pm.

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) A visit to India by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later this month could be on the cards but there is no finality on it yet, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

There is no official word by the Ministry of External Affairs or the Chinese government on the possible visit.

If the visit takes place, it will be the first trip by a senior Chinese leader to India after the eastern Ladakh standoff between the two countries began in May 2020.

Kanpur: Police invoked the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act against BSP leader Mohammad Safi, who unsuccessfully contested the Kanpur cantonment seat, and seven others for allegedly running a gang and being involved in illegal activities.

Police also said that Safi, (43 yrs), and others were booked at Chakeri police station here. 

Safi gained as many as 3,331 votes and stood third at the Kanpur cantonment seat. 

Kanpur: Fight continues in Ukraine. But its impact on the rate of soda ash is even felt here. An increase in the cost of soda ash has been affecting the business for the past three weeks.

According to the organisation's office bearers, 40% of soda ash is imported from Russia while nearly 30% comes from China.

As the fight has entered 21 days, the cost of soda ash is soaring continuously. Its rate on February 15 stayed at Rs 33 per kg has now soared to Rs 45 per kg. This comes to a 40% increase in the rate.

Kanpur: The district administration began the process of returning fines collected from the accused persons booked for their alleged involvement in the protests against the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment Act).

The fine was collected for damages caused to public and private property during the protests.

It has been reported that the district administration handed over cheques to six persons on Tuesday.

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Several BJP leaders on Tuesday hailed the Karnataka High Court order upholding the ban on wearing hijab in schools and colleges, saying the entire debate on the issue should be seen from the context of women empowerment.

Agartala, Mar 14 (PTI) The Tripura government has decided to make 'The Kashmir Files' tax-free to encourage people to watch the movie based on the ordeal of the Kashmiri Pandits during the start of the insurgency in the valley.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday appealed to the people to watch the movie directed by Vivek Agnihotri.

Indore, Mar 14 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Indore bench on Monday sought a reply from the state government on a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of a nearly five-decade-old law banning begging.

The law empowers police to arrest beggars without a court warrant.

A division bench comprising Justices Vivek Rusia and Amarnath Kesharwani issued a notice to the state government, seeking its reply, while hearing the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by a non-government organization, Matru Foundation.

Kanpur: A couple under ambiguous situations hanged to death with the noose of a sari tying it on a bamboo ladder at Balmiki Nagar in Bilhaur here.

Their bodies were found on Monday when Sushma, r/o Balmiki Nagar, went inside the couple's room.

She found 33-year-old Rahul's body was hanging on a bamboo ladder, while Neelam (28 years) was lying dead on the ground.

Upon finding the bodies, Sushma raised an alarm and alerted her neighbours. Soon, the locals alerted the police.

New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Several BJP and Congress leaders from Haryana on Monday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) here after its stupendous victory in the Punjab Assembly polls.

The BJP's former Gurugram MLA Umesh Agarwal and ex-minister and senior Congress leader Bijendra Singh are among those who joined the AAP, the party said.

INLD leader and former Haryana minister Balbir Singh Saini also joined the AAP at the party headquarters, it said.