The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Punjab and Goa.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda released the BJP's first list of 17 candidates for Punjab polls and 29 candidates for Goa polls.

In Punjab, out of seventeen candidates, the number of sitting MLAs contesting are five while in Goa the number of sitting MLA contesting are eighteen out of twenty nine.

Punjab will go for polls in a single-phase on 4 February. The date of notification is January 11, the last date of nomination is 18 January, the scrutiny of nomination will take place on 19 January and the withdrawal of candidature will take place on 21 January.

Khanderi, the second Scorpene class submarine that has superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles whilst underwater or on surface, was on 12 January launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), in Mumbai.

Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre presided over the function to initiate the launch of Khanderi (Yard 11876).

The submarine was launched by the Union minister's wife, Bina Bhamre.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba was also present on the occasion when the submarine was separated from the pontoon on which it was assembled.

After receiving a furious warning from External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Amazon on 11 January removed the Indian flag-themed doormats from its website.

Taking strong exception to Amazon Canada selling such doormats Swaraj had asked the e-retailer to withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, failing which no official of Amazon will be granted Indian visa and the ones issued earlier will also be rescinded.

"The item (Indian flag-themed doormats ) is no longer available for sale on the site," said an Amazon spokesperson.

The minister on Wednesday had asked the Indian Embassy to take up the matter with Amazon Canada.

"Indian High Commission in Canada: This is unacceptable. Please take this up with Amazon at the highest level.

The strike called by the sanitation workers demanding payment of pending salaries of the last three months entered its eighth day on Thursday.

The sanitation workers, who have gathered outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) here, said that they would continue with the protest until their demands are not met.

"We haven't got our salaries for the last three months. How will we survive? We are not able to feed our children," said one of the protestors.

Earlier on Wednesday, the agitated staff dumped heaps of garbage at the office of Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and in other locations.

The protests by sanitation workers in different parts of East Delhi also created chaos on the roads as they dumped garbage on the way. Roads in major localities such as Kanti Nagar, Jhilmil, Shahdara and Laxmi Nagar have turned into garbage dumps as over 2,000 metric tonnes of waste accumulated in East Delhi over the week.