IN LAST LEG, NRC HEARINGS TO BEGIN TODAY

GUWAHATI: With the Supreme Court fixing July 31 as the deadline for publishing the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, matters have entered the last and most crucial phase: the first round of hearings for claims and objections will be held from February 15-28. As the draft NRC, published on July 31 last year, had excluded 40,07,707 people, over 3.6 million claims were filed for inclusion in the final list. Around 2,00,000 objections have been filed against the inclusions, including by individuals associated with the All Assam Students Union (AASU).

Former BJP MP Kirti Azad set to join Congress

PATNA: Three-time Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad is likely to join the Congress in Delhi on February 13, said a senior party leader on Sunday. Suspended from the BJP in 2015 for anti-party activities, will also stake his claim to the all-important Darbhanga parliamentary seat. The constituency has traditionally seen a fight between the BJP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Azad will join the party in the presence of senior Congress leaders. However, the Congress leader did not elaborate if the RJD had agreed to part with the seat. The RJD and Congress have decided to fight the Lok Sabha polls together, though the seat-sharing arrangement is yet to be finalised.

E-tendering scam: CERT confirms data manipulation

BHOPAL: The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a government of India organisation, investigating into the ₹3000 crore e-tendering scam, has confirmed that data in three of the nine tenders being probed had been manipulated. Director general, Economic Offences Wing (EOW) K N Tiwari confirmed the development. “We have received report in three of the nine tenders being probed. The short report says that three of the Jan Nigam tenders were modified...”

Indian couple on desert safari killed in UAE

SHARJAH: An Indian tourist couple was killed and five others from their family, including two children, injured after their speeding vehicle flipped over multiple times during a desert safari in Sharjah. The couple, who were on their first visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a family reunion, were being taken back after the safari when their vehicle crashed on Tuesday, the Khaleej Times said in a report on Wednesday. Rohinibahen Vinodbhai Patel, 42, died on the spot while her husband Vinodbhai Patel, 47, suffered a cardiac arrest after the accident and died a few hours later at a hospital.