India

Lucknow, Dec 26 (PTI) At a time when the opposition has alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is more focused on cows than human lives, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials concerned to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows.

He has also ordered clearing of grazing grounds in different parts of the state from encroachments.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) The politically sensitive bill which seeks to make the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslim men a penal offence will come up for discussion in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Lok Sabha had last week on Thursday decided to take up the bill on December 27 after the Congress agreed to participate in the debate.

As the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, was taken up for consideration, Leader of the Congress in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, had suggested it be taken up for discussion next week.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday appointed the party's in-charges for the Lok Sabha polls for 17 states, drafting in Union minister Prakash Javadekar for steering the campaign in Rajasthan and Thawarchand Gehlot, another minister, for Uttarakhand.

Govardhan Jhadapia, a Gujarat leader, Dushyant Gautam, who is a party vice president, and Narottam Mishra, who is from Madhya Pradesh, will be in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, politically most crucial state, where the BJP is likely to face a tough challenge from a prospective alliance of the SP and the BSP.

Bahraich (UP), Dec 26 (PTI) Ace golfer Jyoti Randhawa was arrested Wednesday on charges of poaching in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve's protected area in Uttar Pradesh, an officer said.

Equipment used for hunting, a .22 bore rifle and a deer hide were seized from the international golfer, field officer Ramesh Pandey said.

Guwahati, Dec 26 (PTI) The CJM court of Assam's Nagaon district has summoned Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain to appear before it on January 8, 2019 in connection with the alleged rape of a 24-year-old woman in that district.

In August this year, a case under Indian Penal Code sections 417 (punishment for cheating), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered against Gohain for allegedly raping and threatening the married woman.

The summons, which became public Wednesday, was issued on November 28.

Dehradun, Dec 26 (PTI) An Israeli business delegation met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here Wednesday and discussed the setting up an algae and a medicinal cannabis farms in the hill-state.

According to a press release by the government, Puremagics Ltd, an Israeli firm specialising in biotechnology, intends to produce Haematococcus pluvialis, a species of algae used in the manufacturing of cosmetics and nutritional supplements in Uttarakhand.

Sambalpur (Odisha), Dec 26 (PTI) An exchange of fire took place between Maoists and security forces at Gandhamardan hill range in Bargarh district, around 180 km from here, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

Police claimed that at least two Maoists suffered injuries in the gun battle on Tuesday night.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) A 13-year-old girl, a daughter of a rickshaw puller, was allegedly raped by a man in Madhu Vihar area of Dwarka district, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when the minor stepped out of her house for some work, they said.

The victim told police that while she was on her way, she was stopped by the accused on the street who forcefully took her to a secluded home in the same locality and raped her, a senior police officer said.

Amritsar, Dec 26 (PTI) India sent home Wednesday two Pakistani nationals, including a 21-year-old who said he had crossed over in 2017 to meet Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.

Abdullah and Mohammed Imran Qureshi Warsi were repatriated through the Attari-Wagah border on the basis of an emergency travel certificate issued by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, officials said.

Madurai, Dec 26 (PTI) Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said it was "very difficult" to predict the country's next Prime Minister in view of the current political situation.

Noting that he was "not focussed" on politics, the 53-year-old yoga guru said he would not support or oppose anyone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to reporters at the airport here Tuesday, Ramdev said, "We can't say who will become the next prime minister (after the 2019 general elections)."