NEWS

New Delhi:Four people died in Etawah district, three in Mathura and one in Agra in mishaps related to Wednesday evening's thunderstorm. A thunderstorm lashed parts of western Uttar Pradesh killing nine people and injuring four others a week after a freak weather system had battered the region.

Principal Secretary Information AvanishAwasthisaid that another death was reported earlier in the evening from Hathras district, where a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning while returning from the fields in Mohabbatpura village. A hailstorm also struck Hathras in the evening.A tree fell on a house in Agra's Etmadpur area, killing one person, Awasthi said. Four people were injured as severe winds and rain lashed parts of Etawah district. Strong winds also hit the state capital.

New Delhi:A high voltage unfolded on Tuesday at the Supreme Court when Congress leaders represented by senior lawyer and party leader KapilSibal withdrew their petition challenging RajyaSabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu’s rejection of a notice for a motion seeking removal of the Chief Justice of India.

The lawmakers on Tuesday questioned the process by which a five-judge Constitution bench had been set up to hear their appeal -- through an administrative order, presumably issued by the Chief Justice, and not a judicial reference -- and seemed to hint at impropriety in the CJI constituting a bench to hear an appeal involving his future.

New Delhi:Twenty one people including eleven serving Army officers, seven retired officers have sent a legal notice to actor Akshay Kumar and his wife producer and writer of the film 'Rustam' Twinkle Khanna and auction house for their decision to auction a naval costume that Akshay donned in the movie.

In the legal notice served by Advocate SmitaDikshit on behalf of these people to the star couple in which they have been asked to stop the auction of the costume. If they failed to do so legal action will be initiated against them. It is stated in the legal notice that auctioning the costume is a potent security threat as it might go in the hands of wrong people. The legal notice says that the "uniforms resembling those of the armed forces pose potential threat to the national security as the said uniform, insignia and badges could pass for genuine service clothing and can find their way to anti-national elements who can use it to foment trouble."

New Delhi: A new trend has been witnessed locals staging fidayeen strikes and choose death over surrender when cornered by security forces. Kashmiris joining the HizbulMujahideen are now displaying a higher level of commitment and risk-taking on par with foreign terrorists of Lashkar-e-TaibaorJaish-e Mohammad operating in Jammu & Kashmir.

"Local terrorists recruited by HizbulMujahideen had carried out a fidayeen strike at a CRPF camp in Pulwama on December 31, 2017. Until then, suicide attacks were known to be the preserve of 'well-trained and committed' foreign terrorists pushed into J&K by Pakistan-based terror outfits like Jaish or LeT. Another worrying trend is the determination of local Hizbul not to surrender even when overpowered by the security forces. They are not even responding to appeals from their families," a senior officer of the security establishment pointed out.