India

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) Continuing with its campaign against the government over the Rafale deal, the Congress Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was directly involved in it, adding that he had much to hide about it.

Questioning Modi's silence over the deal, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma claimed that only the prime minister was aware that the offset contracts would not be given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Jammu, Oct 13 (PTI) Like first two phases, the enthusiastic voters have thronged polling stations across Samba district of Jammu region in the third phase of the urban local bodies (ULB) elections to seal the fate of 242 candidates in 56 municipal wards. 

Besides Samba, the voting is in progress in the third phase of the four-phased ULB polls in Jammu and Kashmir from 6 am covering a total of 96 wards of eight municipalities 40 wards in Kashmir valley's Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar districts. 

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The air quality in Delhi remained poor Sunday with drop in wind speed even as authorities predicted further fall in air quality index of the national capital in the coming days.

The overall air quality index(AQI) recorded at 10 am Sunday stood at 208 which falls in the poor category, according to Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

On Saturday, the AQI of the national capital stood at 300.

Former judge K Ravinder Reddy, who quit after delivering the verdict in the Mecca Masjid blast case, has joined the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS), part of the opposition alliance led by the Congress for the coming Assembly polls, weeks after expressing keenness to embrace the BJP.

The move is being seen as a shot in the arm for the TJS in the run-up to the December 7 polls. Reddy was welcomed into the party by TJS president M Kodandaram at an event Saturday.

Former judge K Ravinder Reddy, who quit after delivering the verdict in the Mecca Masjid blast case, has joined the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS), part of the opposition alliance led by the Congress for the coming Assembly polls, weeks after expressing keenness to embrace the BJP.

The move is being seen as a shot in the arm for the TJS in the run-up to the December 7 polls. Reddy was welcomed into the party by TJS president M Kodandaram at an event Saturday.

KANPUR: It is for the first time the Kanpur Cricket Association has extended its financial help to the former cricketer. A cheque worth rupees twenty-five thousand was presented to the ailing player Dilip Srivastav by the senior officials of the KCA. He is also a member of the referee panel of the Association. 

KANPUR: Unnao will soon equip with a Bio-gas CNG unit. The agricultural wastes shall be used to produce the gas. The crop growing farmers will provide the raw materials to the unit to be set up along the highway extending between Kanpur and Lucknow.

The vehicles running along the highways will obtain CNG filling stations.

New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) Unemployment, financial and political corruption, as also crime and violence are among the key issues bothering Indians the most, says a survey.

The survey -- 'What Worries the World' conducted by the Ipsos, an independent market research company -- shows that 44 per cent of respondents in respect to India are bothered about unemployment, and financial and political corruption.

Mumbai, Oct 12 (PTI) The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 915.8 million to USD 399.609 billion in the week to October 5 on account of a fall in foreign currency assets, according to RBI data.

In the previous week, the reserves had declined by USD 1.265 billion to USD 400.52 billion.

In the reporting week, foreign currency assets, a major component of the overall reserves, decreased by USD 1.011 billion to USD 375.231 billion, as per the RBI data.

Visakhapatnam (AP), Oct 12 (PTI) A woman Maoist, an accused in the recent killing of two TDP leaders, including an MLA, was gunned down by security forces in alleged encounter near Andrapali forest Friday during intense combing operations, police said.

They said four maoists, including three women, were captured after the exchange of fire during the combing operations held in the forest near Andhra-Odhisha border.

The deceased Maoistwas identified as 40-year old N Meena, wife of top Maoist leader Gajarla Ravi alias Uday alias Anand, police said.