Indian Sub-continent

JALALABAD, Dec 21 (NNN-ANA) – Five people were killed, after intelligence personnel of Afghanistan’s caretaker government, busted an armed kidnapping group in Jalalabad city, capital of eastern Nangarhar province today, the local government confirmed.

“The Special Forces of General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) launched an operation against a hideout of a kidnapping gang in Qasaba locality, Police District 1 of Jalalabad city, this morning. As a result, three members of the gang were killed,” the government said, in a statement.

21 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Indian government has used the Israeli-made Pegasus software to spy on the indigenous Indian rights activist, Rona Wilson, who is currently in prison, the Guardian reported late last week.

Kochi, Dec 21 (PTI) The Prime Minister is the leader of the nation and not of a political party and citizens "need not be ashamed" to carry a vaccination certificate with his photograph and "morale boosting message", the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday and dismissed a plea seeking removal of PM's photo from the COVID-19 immunisation certificates.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Concerned over high prices of cooking oils, the government has reduced the basic customs duty on refined palm oil to 12.5 per cent from 17.5 per cent till March next year to boost domestic supplies and bring down rates in the domestic retail markets.

With reduction in the basic custom duty (BCD), the effective levy (including social welfare cess) on both refined palm oil and refined palmoline will come down to 13.75 per cent from 19.25 per cent, according to Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Opposition leaders on Tuesday took out a protest march here demanding that action be taken against Union Minister Ajay Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying they will not rest till the minister is sent to jail.

Leaders of several opposition parties took out the march from Gandhi statue inside Parliament complex to Vijay Chowk demanding that the minister, whose son has been arrested in the Lakhimpur violence case, be immediately sacked.

Kanpur: The minimum temperature was recorded at 5° Celsius today. Clouds continued throughout the day.

The cold day conditions in isolated pockets over west Uttar Pradesh are likely during next 24 hours and abate thereafter, the weatherman reports.

It is, however, very likely to continue in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

Chances of cold waves from December 22 are very low due to the arrival of two back-to-back western disturbances, the first in Wednesday nigh and the other on December 24.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The word lynching was practically unheard of before 2014 when the BJP came to power, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter on Tuesday and went on to taunt the prime minister with a "Thank you Modiji".

Asked about the lynching jibe at a media briefing later in the day, the former Congress president said, "Sarkar ki dalali mat karo (Don't do mediation for the BJP)."

Guwahati, Dec 20 (PTI) The Assam government on Monday said that it will discuss and consider a proposal to introduce a bill against mob lynching, in line with states like Manipur, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Replying to the issue of bringing in legislation to stop incidents of mob lynching, Assam Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said in the Assembly that the state government has not thought about it so far.

Unnao (UP), Dec 20 (PTI) A sub-inspector (SI) was suspended on Monday after a video emerged in which he was allegedly seen justifying taking bribe from people for doing their work.

"If police takes money, it also does the work. Go to some other department, they will take money but they won't do your work," SI Umesh Tripathi, posted at Bighapur Police Station, was reportedly heard saying in the video made during a programme here.

The video was stated to be of November 29, when a police programme was held at a local school.

Kolkata, Dec 20 (PTI) Amit Mitra, West Bengal's former finance minister and current chief advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said he fears India may be heading towards stagflation .

Mitra, an economist by training said, India is already suffering from rising inflation and unemployment simultaneously.