Indian, Pakistani troops trade heavy fire on LoC Jammu, January 5 (IANS): Indian and Pakistani soldiers on Friday traded heavy gunfire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. Defence Ministry sources said the clashes began after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy firing on Indian positions in Shahpur area. "We retaliated strongly and effectively. No damage or casualty has been reported from our side," an official said. On Thursday, the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an attempt by militants to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan on the international border in Arnia sector of Jammu district. One intruder was killed by the BSF. Police said the unarmed victim could have been a guide to the infiltrating militants who pulled back into Pakistan. The BSF also said it destroyed two mortar pickets of Pakistan on Thursday. '1.56 cr abortions in 2015' New Delhi, January 5 (IANS): A total of 1.56 crore abortions took place across India in 2015, parliament was informed on Friday. "A report published in Lancet Global Health Medical Journal mentions that about 1.56 crore abortions took place across India in 2015. The study is based on a sample of six states and is not representative of the country," said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwani Kumar Choubey in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Choubey also said that the government provides safe and Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) services to women in health facilities. "There are various reasons for unsafe abortions like confidentiality, stigma, need for anonymity, provider bias and self-medication. Disaggregated data on various methods of abortion is unavailable," said Choubey. The National Health Mission (NHM) provides support to the states for provision of services for comprehensive abortion. "Guidelines on Comprehensive Abortion Care services and Medical Methods of Abortions (MMA) have been provided to all the states in the country to facilitate the implementation of these services," said Choubey. Now, women can join Territorial Army as High Court clears way New Delhi, January 5 (IANS): Women are now eligible to serve in the Territorial Army as the Delhi High Court on Friday ruled that any provision of any Act that bars or discriminates women in the recruitment transgresses the fundamental rights of equality provided under the Constitution. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar gave the go ahead to recruitment of women in the TA, the second line of defence after the regular Army, saying "any person in section 6 of the TA Act, shall include both men and women". TA comprises volunteers who get military training in order to be mobilised for the country's defence in case of an emergency. The court's order came on a PIL filed by petitioner Kush Kalra, who alleged institutionalised discrimination against women for not being recruited in the TA. Kalra had contended that the government has a duty to ensure that there is no discrimination practiced by anyone in the country and non-recruitment of female candidates who are gainfully employed is against the spirit of the Constitution. The petition had sought that the provisions of the Act which prohibit the recruitment of women into the TA be either struck down or interpreted in such a manner that both sexes can join the organisation. Explosive materials found near Kerala railway bridge, probe on Malappuram , January 5 (IANS): Police experts are examining the five explosive devices, which seem to be small "mines", that were recovered from the river near a railway bridge at Kuttipuram in this Kerala district late on Thursday night, a police officer said. Speaking to IANS, a police official attached to the Kuttipuram police station said that they were informed about about presence of explosives near the bridge late on Thursday night. "The police team soon reached the place and it was found out that these small 'mine' like materials was seen on the river side about 40 metres from the pillar of the railway bridge," said the official who did not wish to be identified. Later higher police officials came to the scene and the explosives were taken to the police camp near here. "Experts from the Indian Army and the National Security Guard are expected to arrive for further examination of it," added the official.
