The Bombay High Court today asked the Election Commission of India and the state Election Commission to amend the standard rules of conduct so as to stop children from participating in election campaign conducted by political parties across the state.

"This is a serious issue....prima facie, it appears that the existing rules do not provide for a ban on children. Please look into this aspect and make a provision to stop children in the electioneering," said a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka while hearing a PIL. The court asked both the ECI and the state Election Commission to file their affidavits by July 20 on the issue. Further hearing on the matter has been adjourned to July 28. The standard rules of conduct are guidelines framed by the government for political parties during electioneering.

The petition filed by a Pune resident Chetan Bhutada enclosed several photographs of children holding placards and flags and raising slogans.

The photos pertained to the campaign conducted by various political parties in the state. Petitioner's lawyer Sriram Choudhari said children below the age of 14 were roped in for election campaign, thereby violating the provisions of Child Labour Act.

The US has revoked a visa given to the chief of a hardline Buddhist group in Sri Lanka accused of involvement in the recent violence against minority Muslims.

The five year multiple entry visa of the Bodu Bala Sena chief Galagodaatte Gnanasara was revoked last week, the group said today. The US embassy in Colombo had told the monk last week that his visa had been revoked, a BBS spokesman said.

The news came as the BBS or the Forces of Buddhist Power faced accusations for its alleged role in communal clashes directed at the Muslim minority this month. Four people were killed, nearly 100 wounded and several homes and business torched during the violence, forcing authorities to impose curfew for days.

However, the US embassy declined to comment on the visa revocation, saying that it would not comment on individual visa issues.

Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramvilas Paswan assured today, that despite warnings of less rainfall predicted by the Met Department, there will not be any shortage of foodgrains in the country.

"The government has enough stock of wheat and rice to meet foodgrain requirements of the country for a year and the country is fully prepared to meet a situation like drought in the event of less rainfall," Paswan said, addressing an even on food security.

Targeting the UPA government for criticising the BJP-led NDA government on the issue of inflation, he said that the present government was in office for nearly 35 days and it is trying to improve the system.

The Centre will put in public domain all information it gets about black money stashed in foreign banks, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.

"The government will put all the information it gets regarding black money in public domain when the time comes. We will take steps keeping in view the international and national laws," he told reporters.

Singh said constitution of Special Investigation Team on black money immediately after the formation of the government was an appreciable step. India has made a fresh request to Switzerland seeking bank details and names of Indians having unaccounted money in the country's banks.

Following death of 11 persons in last week's flood in Guwahati following heavy rains, the government today started a major eviction drive across the city to clear the wetlands.

Kamrup Metro district administration has been clearing the encroachments on both sides of the Bharalu river, the tributary flowing through the city, since this morning, Assam Commissioner and Secretary (Political) Prateek Hajela said.

Along with this, the administration is demolishing the illegal houses constructed on the Silsako lake in the city, he added. "Our main objective is to clear the water flow route through the city. That is why we are targeting the Bharalu at the first step. Wetlands are also very important and so Silsako is being cleared," Hajela told reporters at the spot.

The government has hiked petrol prices by Rs 1.69 per litre and diesel by Rs 0.50 per litre. The hike comes into effect from midnight.    

TMC MP Tapas Pal from West Bengal threatens to rape female members of the opposition CPM. Pal said he will ask his party members to go and rape female family members of the CPM if necessary.. "If CPM workers threaten and try to kill our workers, I will not spare them," he said.

TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien said the statements made by Pal are very insensitive and the party does not in any way endorse what he said.

Pal is the TMC MP from Malda and was a former actor in Bengali films.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar met PM Narendra Modi today. During the meeting, Pawar discussed the delayed monsoon with Modi and its effect on the Indian economy.  The PMO called the visit a courtesy call.

The Delhi police today pleaded in a local court that charges under stringent Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) be framed against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda in a case relating to recovery of explosives here in 1996.

It is no secret that Smriti Irani is one of Narendra Modi's favourite ministers, but she has often come under sharp attack for capitulating on values that are at the heart of the Prime Minister's good-governance agenda. As one of the most photographed ministers in the recently- formed NDA Cabinet, the 38-year- old former model and actress who holds the HRD portfolio is accused of having a penchant for playing to the gallery. Read more

Following death of 11 persons in last week's flood in the state capital following heavy rains, the government today started a major eviction drive across the city to clear the wetlands. All the main thoroughfares and most of the localities were flooded, disrupting daily life.All education institutions in the city were rendered non-functional, while government offices, including the ground floor offices in the sate secretariat complex were under flood water.

In an indictment of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's governing abilities, party general secretary Digvijaya Singh said the Gandhi scion does not have a temperament suited to the ruling benches.

In an interview to a Goa cable news channel on Friday and telecast on Saturday, Digvijaya Singh also said Rahul should have taken up the responsibility of leading the party in the Lok Sabha and taking on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

"He is by temperament not a ruling person. He is by temperament someone who wants to fight injustice," the Congress leader said.

"All I said was that Rahul Gandhi doesn't run after power but wishes to fight what's wrong in country," Digvijaya Singh. 

Congress sought to explain Digvijaya's remarks as a result of the "churning" within the party following its Lok Sabha poll debacle.

"Digvijaya Singh has already clarified his statement. The fact is that Congress has not performed very well in the election. There are different voices which are emanating from different parts of the country. Senior leaders are speaking. There is a process of churning which is going on.

Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, "I think all this will be factored into the churning and wherever correctives have to be applied either collectively or individually, those correctives will be applied. So I do not think that there is really reason to read very much into a particular statement or statements, whichever have emanated from the leaders."

MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin on the latest in the evacuation from Iraq. Akbaruddin says 60 Indian workers have left today from Najaf, while papers are being processed for 31 for tomorrow and 30, for the day after.

Thirty Indians have left Karbala today, while the departure of the next 100 will take place in the next 3-4 days.

Akbaruddin says the government wants the 46 Indian nurses in Tikrit to leave the country before the situation in Iraq becomes unmanageable.

In Baghdad, four Indians left today, eight will leave depending on the availability of the tickets.

"All Indians are leaving by commercial flights,  however all our national assets stand ready should they be required," says Akbaruddin.

Days after the government began planning for the possible evacuation of 10,000 or more Indians who may be in Iraq, the Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, sought help from other Gulf countries as well.

Also read:'We are safe at the hospital, please pray for our safe return'.

Just in: Preity Zinta arrives at the Mumbai Police Commissioners office to record her statement. The Marine Drive police have started the process of scrutinizing the CCTV footage and video recordings from Sony channel in connection with the case registered against industrialist Ness Wadia by the actor on June 13. However, even after 15 days, the police have neither arrested Wadia nor recorded his statement.

Onion prices have shot up 40 per cent in the last two weeks to Rs 18.50 per kg (wholesale) at Lasalgaon, the country's largest wholesale market for the edible bulb, despite the imposition of minimum export price on the vegetable to check its domestic rates from going up.

Prices have increased due to speculation amid anticipation of weak monsoon affecting Kharif (summer-sown) crops.

Fourteen senior IAS officers were found "absent' during a surprise check conducted by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the state government's Mini Secretariat in Chandigarh today.

"Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today made a surprise check here at the Mini Civil Secretariat at sharp 09:05 am and found 14 senior officers absent from their offices,' an official spokesman said.

He said that the check was aimed at ensuring punctuality and discipline in the government offices besides fulfilling the commitment of the state government for prompt deliverance of citizen-centric services and redressal of public grievances.

In the euphoria surrounding the election results, it is tempting to avoid facing up to the harsh realities of making development happen. Even for those who characterise the election as "the dawn after the dusk', in the new light of day, India's development challenges remain essentially the same.

These challenges were not overcome by an election, nor can be overcome by doing more of the same, even if effectively, but only by doing things differently. Read more

An apparently embarrassed Congress, meanwhile, sought to explain Digvijaya Singh's remarks as being due to the "churning" within the party following its Lok Sabha poll debacle. On the other hand, one senior leader totally rejected Digvijaya Singh's contention that Rahul Gandhi does not have the temperament of a ruler.

"Digvijaya Singh has already clarified his statement. The fact is that Congress has not performed very well in the election. There are different voices which are emanating from different parts of the country. Senior leaders are speaking. There is a process of churning which is going on.

"I think all this will be factored into the churning and wherever correctives have to be applied either collectively or individually, those correctives will be applied. So I do not think that there is really reason to read very much into a particular statement or statements, whichever have emanated from the leaders," said former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari.

Congress today went into damage control mode over party general secretary Digvijay Singh's purported comment that Rahul Gandhi does not have the temperament of a ruler even as BJP attacked the Congress Vice President saying he was "not Prime Minister material".

"Digvijay Singh has said a correct thing (sic) that he (Rahul) is not Prime Minister material. He is talking about leader material. The country should know that he (Rahul) is not PM material," said BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.

Hussain said that although Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had ruled the country, "now there is a new thinking in this (Nehru-Gandhi) family that they should discharge the role of a ruler without taking responsibility".

He claimed that although Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had gone to the President in 2004 to stake claim to form the government, "later on she, however, delegated the responsibility to Manmohan Singh.

Be a ruler without taking responsibility and the same role has now come to the mind of Rahul Gandhi".

The World Health Assembly is targeting a decline of 100 million in the number of stunted under-five children by 2025; a 10% decline in stunting rates in India by 2014 can close a fifth of the gap. This article contents that we are in the midst of a 'perfect storm' for ending undernutrition, and maximum effort is required to take advantage of this transformative opportunity.  Read more

If you are Rakhi Sawant you can join a political party every month. But then you have to be Rakhi to be able to do that. For lesser mortals, even top politicians, jumping parties is not that easy. Read

Indian classical musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod, which he has been playing for the last 45 years, has gone missing while he was returning to Delhi from London by a British Airways flight.

The Padma Vibhushan sarod maestro had gone to London along with his wife Subhalaxmi for a performance at Dartington College to celebrate the life of Rabindranth Tagore on June 21 and returned on the night of June 28. He and his wife were travelling first class on British Airways flight (BA-143) on their return journey from London.

"But when we arrived at Delhi airport on June 28, I could not find my priceless sarod. We waited there for 4-5 hours while airline people tried to trace the instrument.But they were not able to trace it, and they said most likely it would come by the next flight," Khan said.

"But now its more than 48 hours and still I am waiting for some news. How can such a big airline be so irresponsible," Khan said.

MoU for Metro extension in Ghaziabad has been signed, says MoS External Affairs, VK Singh.

British Airways misplaces Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod.

It was the deadliest accident in India's energy sector since August 2013, when 28 people were killed in a fire at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation's refinery at Visakhapatnam in the same State. Read more

The annual rath festival in a village in Odisha's Ganjam district turned tragic when an elderly woman and her five-year-old grand daughter died after coming under the rolling wheels of the chariot of Lord Jagannath, police said today.

The NGO as an expression of voluntarism is a Janus-faced entity and it is this double-edged nature that puts it in a perpetual state of suspicion. The recent Intelligence Bureau report on NGOs against development has to be reread as a part of a new text of suspicion. Read

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee has been admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata after suffering a mild cerebral stroke. "Chatterjee was admitted at around 8.30 last evening. He suffered a mild cerebral stroke.

He has undergone treatment and is presently stable. He is now in the ICU," senior hospital official P Tandon said. Presently his condition is stable, he added. This is second time in the last six months that 84-year- old Chatterjee was hospitalised.

Other UPA-appointed governors, yet to resign, include: Sheela Dikshit (Kerala) and  Kamla Beniwal (Gujarat).  

BL Joshi and Shekhar Dutt put in their papers last week as the governors of Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, even as Congress launched a vocal opposition to what it called "political vendetta" of the ruling BJP. 

And in other resignations -- the former MD and CEO of Times Television Network was designated as President - Corporate Development, BCCL, earlier this year.

Today was his last day in office at Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. After he was replaced by MK Anand at TTN, Lulla was designated as President Corporate Development, BCCL, in January this year. 

West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan resigns. Narayanan is the fourth governor to resign. Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar became the third person to resign from the post after the NDA government sounded out some governors appointed during the UPA regime to do so. His resignation was on the cards as he had informed the government a few days ago that he will put in his papers soon.

On Friday, the CBI questioned K Narayanan as a "witness" in connection with its probe into allegations of bribery in the Rs 3600-crore VVIP chopper deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland.

BJP activists clashed with the police in Lucknow today while protesting against the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

Policemen in riot gear used batons, water cannons and teargas shells to try and disperse scores of protesters who tried to break through barricades put up outside the UP assembly building.

The activists, many of them wearing saffron scarves, shouted slogans and The BJP has been targeting the Akhilesh Yadav government over a series of rapes and killings in UP last month. Opposition protests in the state assembly have repeatedly disrupted legislative business.-- NDTV

Pakistani authorities in Karachi have sent a water bill amounting Rs 263,774 to Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the country's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, 47 years after her death.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has sent the bill to Fatima Jinnah and she has been directed to pay the amount within 10 days of receipt of the notice, or the connection of water and sewerage could be disconnected, the News reported.

It said that according to the Land Revenue Act, the property could be confiscated, auctioned and a fine can be imposed. Moreover, she can also be arrested.

According to the notice, the last date for payment of the amount was May 28.

In the notice, it has been said that the excuse of non-receipt of the bill will not be accepted.

Her address has been written as RA 241, Cantt, a property of Jinnah which is being used as a museum, where the items of personal use of the Pakistani leader and his sister are kept. Jinnah had bought the "Flag Staff House" in March 1944 for Rs 1.15 lakh. In September 1948, Fatima moved into the house and lived there till 1964.

After losing an election in 1965, she vacated the house. She died in 1967.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today returned to Delhi by a special aircraft after witnessing the launch of PSLV C23 at Sriharikota, 100 km from Chennai. Modi left for Delhi at 11.43 am. On his arrival from Sriharikota by a helicopter, he was received and later seen off by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Sunita Purukayastha, Pallavi's mother, says she wants the death sentence for the watchman. Pallavi's father, Atanu, says they want nothing less than the death penalty so that it serves deterrent for other potential criminals.

This is what happened in the Pallavi Purakaystha murder:

Pallavi, who worked as a legal advisor with filmmaker Farhan Akhtar's firm Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, returned to her rented flat at 11 pm.

Finding that there was no electricity, she texted Sengupta, her senior at Indian Law School at Pune, who lived with her. Sengupta advised her to call an electrician, who came and set things right.

After some time, power was gone again. She called the electrician who was accompanied by Mughal. As the attention of the victim and electrician was focused on fixing the problem, Mughal stole the keys to the flat.

The problem was fixed and Purkayastha retired to her bedroom after switching off the high-volt appliances, as advised by the electrician, to avoid tripping.

The watchman had told his interrogators that he had "manipulated" the electric meter of the flat located on the ground floor which led to a power cut for the second time.

After entering the flat, Mughal sneaked into the bedroom of the victim and tried to force himself on her. A scuffle ensued and Pallavi, a former national-level swimming champion, put up stiff resistance.

Mughal then stabbed her and fled the scene after concealing the murder weapon -- a knife -- under a shoe rack on the third floor.

He jumped over the fence to escape the notice of fellow watchmen but was apprehended by the police near Mumbai Central railway station before he could board a train to Jammu and Kashmir.

Almost two years after Mumbai lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha was brutally murdered inside her apartment building, a Mumbai court has found the security guard of her building guilty.  Purkhayastha's (25) brutal murder at her Wadala apartment on August 9, 2012, had left Mumbai shocked.

The court has pronounced Sajjad Ahmed Mogul, the security guard of the building, guilty on all charges. The quantum of punishment will be decided on July 3.

Her fiancee, Avik Sengupta, who discovered her body, died of an illness in November 2013.

The prosecution says that Sajjad had planned to rape Pallavi after she rebuked him for stalking her.

On the night of the murder Sajjad repeatedly switched off power supply to her flat. When she asked for help, Sajjad arrived with an electrician and stole the keys. He later entered her flat with a knife. Finding Pallavi asleep he tried to rape her but she put up a strong fight.

The then joint commissioner of police Himanshu Roy had called this perversion of the highest order and deserves nothing but the death sentence.

On June 24, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mars rover, Curiosity, which soft-landed on the floor of the Gale Crater on a never-before-used contraption called sky crane, successfully completed one Martian year -- 687 Earth days.

Seeking strong diplomatic action from the Centre for release of 28 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said the Centre should "not" treat the IMBL with the island nation as a settled question, as it is a subject matter of litigation in the Supreme Court.

Referring to the latest apprehension of Indian fishermen by Lankan Navy, Jayalalithaa in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "These continued and repeated instances of apprehension and abduction of our fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy are adding to the very heightened sense of unrest and resentment among the Tamil Nadu fishermen".

PSLV C23 rocket places all five satellites on intended orbit around Earth.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today witnessed the launch of Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV C-23 rocket in Sriharikota.This is India's fourth dedicated commercial launch, but the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle's 27th launch. The launch vehicle costs Rs 100 crore.

Excerpts of what he said at the launch: "My congratulations to our brilliant space scientists for yet another successful launch of the polar satellite. Even today's satellites are from developed nations. Truly, this is a global endorsement of our space capability. This is a domain where we are the international cutting edge.

"We have achieved excellent and cut beyond mediocrity. We are proud that our programme is indigenous. Generations of scientists have worked to make India a self-reliant space power. Our space journey has come a long way from the humble beginnings.

"I congratulate the scientists. This Sadhna you have done in the lab has the power to change the lives of millions of people. Such technology is fundamentally connected with the common man.

"As a change agent, it can empower and connect, to transform his life
Space technology has also evolved into an invaluable asset in disaster management.

"Satellite communication channels, often end up being the only mode of communication GIS technology has transformed policy planning, implementation. Space imaging enables modern management, conservation of water resources India's Space program, is driven by a vision of service to humanity. "

G Madhavan Nair, former chairman, ISRO on the PSLVC-23 launch: "I am extremely proud that the PM emphasized on the need to harness technology and make it available to improve the quality of life. It has proven to be one of worlds most reliable space launch vehicles." 

Modi on PSLV's successful launch: "It fills every Indian's heart with joy and pride," says the PM and asks the space community to develop a SAARC satellite. "Today's launch of five foreign satellites a global endorsement of India's space capability, says Modi. Technology has a critical role in realising the vision of a digital India, he said.

PM Modi after the launch: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls India an elite group after ISRO's successful launch of  230 tonne PSLV C-23.  Says he's privileged to witness the launch 

ISRO launches PSLV C-23 with 5 foreign satellites from Sriharikota. The PSLV-C23 rocket is carrying satellites of France, Germany, Canada and Singapore. 

The 230-ton Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV lifted off at 9:52 am, carrying five satellites from four countries - France, Germany, Canada and Singapore. 

A Pakistani girl who survived being shot by the Taliban because she advocated education for girls has won the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia. 

A Marine who was declared a deserter nearly 10 years ago after disappearing in Iraq and then returning to the US claiming he had been kidnapped, only to disappear again, is back in US custody, officials said. 

Jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq announced Sunday the establishment of a "caliphate", referring to the system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottomans.

North Korea today said two detained American tourists would face trial for charges including "perpetrating hostile acts". 

Two days after an under-construction building collapsed in Chennai, the death toll has climbed to 14 while 40 people are still trapped under the debris. Six people including the builder have been arrested.

Iraqi forces pressed a counter-attack on Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit today as jihadists who led a blistering Sunni militant offensive that captured swathes of territory declared a "caliphate". 

North Korea confirmed today its second missile test in recent days, with leader Kim Jong-Un overseeing the drill just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits South Korea. 

About 30 bodies have been found in a migrant boat which was stopped between Sicily and the North African coast, Italian news agencies reported today, citing the navy and coastguard.