Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Over 200 artistes across cultural disciplines will come together over the weekend to "resist the politics of hate" and to "stand up for democracy" in a first of its kind festival of the arts being held under the banner "Artistes Unite".

There will be music, dance, poetry, theatre, cinema and more at the two-day festival, which will held against the historic backdrop of the Red Fort in the 15 August Park.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) A non-resident Indian was arrested from the IGI airport here for allegedly raping a woman he had met on a matrimonial site in 2017, police said Friday.

The accused has been identified as Ravinder Singh, a native of Jalandhar district in Punjab, they said.

According to police, the woman filed a case on March 27, 2018 stating that she came in contact with Singh through the matrimonial website.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) The chiefs of the Indian Air Force and Navy will get Z-plus security cover after a fresh assessment of their threat perception by the security agencies, officials said.

The decision was taken after a thorough review of the threat perception of IAF chief Air Marshal B S Dhanoa and chief of Naval staff Admiral Sunil Lanba in the wake of heightened tension with Pakistan.

The chiefs of Air Staff and Naval Staff will be given the Z-plus security, a government official said.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman landed in Delhi Friday night, hours after he was handed over to India by Pakistan after being in captivity for nearly three days.

A group of people gave a rousing welcome to him at the Palam airport, from where he would be taken to a medical facility for examination.

He was handed over to Indian authorities at Attari-Wagah border Friday evening.

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The Centre Thursday banned the Jamat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for five years under anti-terror law on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and is expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the state.

A notification, banning the group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs after a high-level meeting on security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The Union cabinet on Thursday approved the Kanpur and the Agra metro rail projects, a move to boost public transport connectivity in the two Uttar Pradesh cities.

According to the government, the Agra rail project will have two corridors, which will pass through heart of the city and will connect prominent tourist places like the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sikandra, as well as the interstate bus terminal, railway station, medical college and others.

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) A red alert was sounded for the entire Delhi Metro network on Wednesday by the DMRC, in view of hightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

"As advised by security agencies, a red alert has been imposed on the entire DMRC network from 6 pm onwards," a senior DMRC official said.

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday took a dig at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his proposed mega-video conference, amid heightened tensions with Pakistan.

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "misplaced priorities" and that he was "desperate only for re-election".

The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a tweet, alleged that the prime minister was "hell-bent on creating a video conference record" when the entire country was praying for return of its braveheart pilot.

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) Twenty-one opposition parties Wednesday expressed anguish over what they alleged was "blatant politicisation" of the sacrifices of armed forces and urged the government to take the nation into confidence on all measures to protect India's sovereignty, unity and integrity.

After a meeting in the Parliament Library, the leaders of these parties issued a joint statement, expressing concern over the prevailing security situation in the country.