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Jayalalithaa's first sop as CM: Shuts down 500 TASMAC liquor stores

Newly-appointed Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa has started her term by fulfilling some of her major poll promises on 23 May.

Known for distributing freebies that range from free liquor to mixer grinders, to win mass support, Jayalalithaa has ordered 500 state-run TASMAC liquor shops to be shut down. The timings of other liquor stores have also been changed to 12 pm - 10 pm. Earlier, these shops used to operate from 10 am to 10 pm.

Chabahar port pact inked. PM Modi speaks fondly of 'old dosti' between India and Iran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India and Iran have agreed to consult closely on combating threats of terrorism while sharing serious concerns over the menace.

"We shared concerns over radicalism and terrorism in our regions, also agreed to consult closely on combating threats of terrorism," said Prime Minister Modi while delivering the joint press statement with Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani.

Dr. Rouhani on his part said both countries discussed about sharing of intelligence to check the menace of terrorism, as its tentacles are spreading over Syria, Yemen and many other areas in the region.

With both sides signing 12 major agreements, including the bilateral contract on Chabahar port, Rouhani also asserted that Iran has always attached great importance to their relations with India, which is a major power in the world. "We have always attached great importance to our relations with India, a major power. The economic relationship between the two countries can become much bigger compared to the past," he said

ISRO successfully launches first-ever made-in-India space shuttle

India's first indigenous space satellite launch vehicle, known colloquially as a space shuttle, was successfully launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation's space port in Sriharikota at 7 am today.

This is a test model, meant to return to earth on a makeshift runway in the Bay of Bengal, where it will disintegrate upon touchdown. If the guided return to earth is successful, ISRO will then test a model with an undercarriage designed to land on a terrestrial runway, according to NDTV.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered an investigation into an error by the pilots of an IndiGo aircraft on 27 February, in which the pilots mistook the road running next to Jaipur airport for the runway.

The flight from Ahmedabad to Jaipur was just 900 feet from touchdown when alarms went off in the cockpit, and the pilots pulled up sharply. The flight then made a safe landing, according to the Hindustan Times.

"The pilots mistook the road running parallel to the runway as the runway and aligned with it. This was a very serious incident," said an official.

BJP minister in J&K allegedly threatens Gujjars with reference to 1947 Muslim massacre

Opposition parties and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir are seeking the resignation of BJP MLA and J&K forest minister Choudhary Lal Singh, after Gujjar farmers filed a complaint against him for threatening them with a reference to the 1947 massacre of Muslims in the area.

The complaint was filed by both Hindu and Muslim farmers, according to the state police. Many Muslims died in Jammu in 1947, during the communal riots that accompanied Partition.

Singh has denied making a threat, and said that when he mentioned '47' he was referring to the temperature in Jammu, according to The Indian Express.

Rawat to be questioned by CBI in Delhi on Tuesday

Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat will visit Delhi on 24 May in response to a CBI summons for questioning.

Rawat is being investigated in connection with a sting operation that videoed him purportedly negotiating with rebel Congress MLAs to save his government.

"The CBI has summoned me to Delhi on 24 May 24. I had requested them to come here (Dehradun) for questioning, but they didn't accept my request, and thus, I will be going to Delhi. I will co-operate with them (CBI)," said Rawat.

Rawat had ignored a previous summons by the agency on 9 May, apparently for health reasons, according to ANI.

17 die in Arunachal road accident

At least 17 people were killed and several others injured when their vehicle fell into a gorge in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.

The accident took place at 12.30 PM on Rupa Kalaktang road when the up vehicle was on its way to Betchelling village, said power minister TN Thongdok.

"I am in touch with administration and have apprised chief minister Kalikho Pul who has assured all possible relief. ... Let us pray for peace of all departed souls. Condolence to families of the victims," said Thongdok, according to ABPLive.

JNU student arrested for raping classmate

A 23-year-old postgraduate student of history at JNU was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a classmate.

The alleged assault took place in December when both the complainant and the accused attended a party, and he forced himself upon her, said a senior police official.

The woman however, only reported the rape on Thursday, according to ABPLive. A case under IPC Section 376 (rape) was registered and the accused was arrested.

Zika virus hits placenta, foetus hard

A new study of pregnant mice has found that Zika virus damages their placentas and kills fetal mice. Investigators from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis developed two mouse models of Zika infection in pregnancy that may aid in better understanding how the virus affects pregnant women.

One system used female mice genetically engineered to lack the ability to mount a specific immune response, which made them susceptible to Zika virus infection.When these pregnant mice were exposed to Zika, the virus killed most fetuses within a week. The fetal mice that survived showed significant abnormalities, such as severely stunted growth. The researchers saw levels of viral genetic material in the mouse placentas that were 1,000 times greater than in the blood of pregnant mice, suggesting that Zika virus replicated preferentially within the placenta. In the second model system, genetically normal pregnant mice were first given an antibody that blocked their immune response to Zika virus and then were infected with Zika virus one or two days later. This model did not lead to death of fetal mice, but their growth was impaired.

Buddhist monk killed in Bangladesh's Bandarban district

An elderly Buddhist monk was killed by unidentified miscreants in Bangladesh Naikkhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district on 14 May.

B Yu Gaindya, 70, was found near Baishari area at Upaorshakh Para village in the upazila, Kazi Ahsan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikkhangchhari Police Station, reports the Daily Star.

According to reports, unknown assailants slit Yu Gaindya's throat. This was confirmed by village head Acrothoyai Chand.

Chand said that he saw Gaindya's body when he went to serve breakfast at his bihar where he used to stay alone. Meanwhile, the police have said that the motive behind the killing cannot be ascertained instantly.