Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 27(PTI) Train 18, India's fastest train, will begin operations in January 2019 at a curtailed speed of 130 kmph, sources said Thursday.

Train 18, which is set to replace the Shatabdi series, has the potential to run between 160 kmph to 200 kmph. At trials, it breached the 180-kmph mark.

Mumbai, Dec 27 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said Thursday he was hopeful of the contentious triple talaq bill getting passed in the Rajya Sabha though the NDA government did not have a majority in the Upper House.

His comments come after the bill criminalising instant divorce by Muslim men was passed by the Lok Sabha after a heated debate on Thursday, with the government projecting it as a matter of "insaaniyat aur insaaf" for Muslim women, and rejecting the contention that it was aimed at targeting a particular community.

New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Lok Sabha proceedings were again disrupted on Thursday as vociferous protests and sloganeering over various issues forced Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House till noon.

Despite repeated warnings from Mahajan, Congress, AIADMK and TDP members continued to stand in the Well of the House and sought to raise various issues, including Rafale deal.

Soon after the Question Hour began, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge wanted to raise the issue of Rafale deal but Mahajan said the matter can be raised during the Zero Hour.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) The politically sensitive bill which seeks to make the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslim men a penal offence will come up for discussion in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Lok Sabha had last week on Thursday decided to take up the bill on December 27 after the Congress agreed to participate in the debate.

As the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, was taken up for consideration, Leader of the Congress in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, had suggested it be taken up for discussion next week.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday appointed the party's in-charges for the Lok Sabha polls for 17 states, drafting in Union minister Prakash Javadekar for steering the campaign in Rajasthan and Thawarchand Gehlot, another minister, for Uttarakhand.

Govardhan Jhadapia, a Gujarat leader, Dushyant Gautam, who is a party vice president, and Narottam Mishra, who is from Madhya Pradesh, will be in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, politically most crucial state, where the BJP is likely to face a tough challenge from a prospective alliance of the SP and the BSP.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) A 13-year-old girl, a daughter of a rickshaw puller, was allegedly raped by a man in Madhu Vihar area of Dwarka district, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when the minor stepped out of her house for some work, they said.

The victim told police that while she was on her way, she was stopped by the accused on the street who forcefully took her to a secluded home in the same locality and raped her, a senior police officer said.

New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon introduce a new Rs 20 currency note with additional features, according to a document of the central bank.

The central bank has already issued new look currency notes in the denominations of Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, and Rs 500, besides introducing Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 bank notes.

The new look notes are being introduced since November 2016 under Mahatma Gandhi (New) series. These are different in size and design compared to the notes issued previously.

NEW DELHI, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- As many as 45 flights were delayed at Delhi's international airport amidst dense foggy conditions and high air pollution levels on Tuesday.

The entire north India, including the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh have been witnessing dense fog over the past few days, particularly during morning and evening hours.

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) A PIL was filed on Monday in the Supreme Court challenging the government's notification authorising 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any computer system.

The petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma seeks quashing of the government's December 20 notification.

According to the government's notification, 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology (IT) Act for computer interception and analysis, Ministry of Home Affairs officials said.

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The BJP is of the view that the Supreme Court should hear the Ram temple land dispute case on a daily basis to deliver an early judgement, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Monday.

"Our wish is that there should be a daily hearing on that matter so that we have an early judgement," he said responding to a question on the issue.