News

Devotees throng banks of River Ganges to take holy dip to mark harvest festival

Varanasi/ Allahabad/ Chennai/ Guwahati, Jan 15 (ANI): Thousands of Hindu devotees on Thursday thronged to the banks of holy River Ganges to take a holy dip to mark harvest festival, 'Makar Sankranti'. The festival marks the arrival of spring. People from different parts of India came to Allahabad and Varanasi cities in Uttar Pradesh to take a dip in the River Ganges. The pilgrims camp by the riverside and in the evening they decorate the entire riverbank with earthen oil lamps. Security is tightened at the river banks to avoid any untoward incident. The festival marks the beginning of New Year and the holy bath absolves the devotees of all sins committed so far. People queued up before priests to perform the rituals and offer prayers. Meanwhile, people in Chennai too celebrated the harvest festival in the form of 'Pongal'.

Jan 15, 2015

Service Chiefs pay tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti on Army Day

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): The nation on Thursday is celebrating the Army Day. All three service chiefs participated in the celebration. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Robin K Dhowan and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha paid tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate this morning. The chiefs also lay floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti remembering the martyred soldiers and thereafter signed the record book at the India Gate. This was followed by Army Parade amidst intense fog. The service chiefs saluted the army during the parade. Army Day is observed on January 15 every year. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted the Indian Army on the occasion. Modi tweeted saying, "On Army Day I salute the indomitable courage and valour of our Army. We are extremely proud of their dedication and determination."

Jan 15, 2015

Sakshi Maharaj raises question over dead bodies found floating in River Ganges

Unnao, Jan 15 (ANI): BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj raised question over unidentified bodies found around a bank of River Ganges. Nearly 50 bodies were found in revered River Ganges in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Dogs, crows and vultures dug into bodies as they had reached the bank due to low water level, posing major environment challenges in the areas under Unnao district. Maharaj visited the site where bodies were buried after they were recovered from the river bank. He said this matter should be investigated thoroughly to unearth the truth.

Jan 15, 2015

US Judge Dismisses Case against Modi in 2002 Gujarat Riots

A human rights group had filed a lawsuit against PM Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Jan 15, 2015

Delhi Elections 2015: Kiran Walia Named Congress Candidate Against Arvind Kejriwal

According to sources, Ms Walia was at first hesitant about contesting from Delhi but agreed later following the party's direction.

Jan 15, 2015

Wouldn't have quit had I got 36 seats in 2013 Delhi polls: Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal said that he would not have resigned from the post of Delhi Chief Minister had he got 36 seats in 2013 assembly polls. Kejriwal was addressing a gathering of supporters in New Delhi ahead of assembly polls scheduled to take place next month. Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party( BJP) is eyeing power in the national capital, high on their wins in recent state elections and the general election last May. Meanwhile, Kejriwal also criticised the opposition Congress party. Kejriwal also declared the BJP as its main rival and urged his supporters not to waste their vote by voting for Congress party.

Jan 15, 2015

Finance Minister Jaitley holds pre-budget meet with IT sector representatives

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met representatives of Information Technology (hardware and software) sector ahead of the budget to discuss issues faced by the industry. Jaitley is due to present the BJP-led government's 2015/16 budget and its fiscal deficit target to parliament at the end of February. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infosys, Vishal Sikka praised Jaitley for making an effort to meet everyone for pre-budget consultations. The budget statement will be preceded by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policy meeting on February 03, with some speculation that the central bank could lower its key interest rate, which has stayed unchanged at 8 percent since January 2014.

Jan 15, 2015

Bhutan PM meets Indian President to enhance bilateral relations

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi in a bid to boost bilateral relations between the two nations. Earlier in the day, Tobgay met Vice President Hamid Ansari, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and Trade Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. His visit will impart further content and momentum to the close partnership between India and Bhutan. Tobgay is also scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and have official engagements with other senior members of the cabinet. Tobgay is on a nine-day official visit to India at Modi's invitation.

Jan 15, 2015

Australian PM Tony Abbott applauds cover page of Charlie Hebdo's latest edition

Canberra, Jan 15 (ANI): Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke to Australian radio station from his office in Parliament House in Canberra commenting on the cover of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. He welcomed the cover page of the weekly satirical magazine and said that the cartoon saying 'all is forgiven' gave out a positive message. It is the first edition of Charlie Hebdo to be published after the deadly attacks by Islamist gunmen and sold out within minutes at newspaper kiosks around France on Wednesday, with people queuing up to buy copies to support the satirical weekly. A print run of up to three million copies has been set for what has been called "the survivor's edition", dwarfing the usual 60,000 run.

Jan 15, 2015