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.

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.

Srinagar, Oct 25 (PTI) Two militants were killed Thursday in a gunbattle with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Kreeri area in the early hours following information about presence of militants there. Militants opened fire towards security forces, and two ultras were killed in the ensuing gunbattle, a police official said.

"The encounter at Kreeri in Baramulla is over. Two militants have been killed," the official said.

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.

Hyderabad, Oct 25 (PTI) Leaders cutting across political affiliations condemned the attack Thursday on YSR congress leader Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was injured when he was attacked by a man with a small knife at the airport lounge here.

Telangana minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao strongly condemned the incident and demanded the culprits be punished.

"I wish him a speedy recovery," he tweeted.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded a probe on any possible security lapses at Visakhapatnam Airport.

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.

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.

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.

Ankara, Oct 23 (AFP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said that the "savage murder" of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was meticulously planned, demanding that all those linked to the killing face punishment.

Erdogan had promised that his speech in Ankara would give the "naked truth" about the killing and he gave a host of new details while still saying Turkey wanted answers to key questions, including who gave the orders.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai has been officially opened. The bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province is considered to be the longest in the world.

The bridge officially opened to traffic at 9 a.m. on Oct. 24. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

STRASBOURG, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk said here on Wednesday that all details of the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, shoud be revealed regardless of "who is behind it".

"This was such a horrible crime, that even the slightest trace of hypocrisy would bring shame on us," Tusk said in a speech to the European Parliament.

"It is not my role to state who wants to protect whose interests here. But I know one thing: the only European interest is to reveal all the details of this case, regardless of who is behind it," he said.

Surat (Guj), Oct 24 (PTI) A priest associated with the Swaminarayan sect here in Gujarat was arrested Wednesday for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman on two occasions under the pretext of offering money for her mother's surgery, the police said.

The accused Nikunj alias Karan Swarupdas Babubhai Savani (24) had allegedly raped the woman, a local resident, around a fortnight ago in a room adjacent to the Swaminarayan temple at Dabholi under Katargam police station and again on October 23, a police official said.