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Wed, 22 April 2015
French minister says church attack foiled in Paris
Timeline Refresh
23:32 US teen 'seduced' by IS ideology, convicted on gun charge
A 16-year-old American accused of planning to join the Islamic State group has been found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm in South Carolina, a prosecutor said today.
The teenager, who has not been identified because he is a minor, conspired with another person to travel to the Middle East with the intention of joining IS and "perhaps cause trouble in the United States," prosecutor Kevin Brackett alleged.
Because South Carolina does not have anti-terrorism laws, the youth was convicted yesterday of illegal possession of a handgun, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison, Brackett said.
"He was seduced by the ideology of ISIS," the prosecutor told AFP.
"I don't know specifically that ISIS reached out to him personally. But he was in contact with people in North Carolina who shared his views and he had embraced this sort of radical Islamic ideology and he wanted to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS and join that cause," he said.
During yesterday's hearing in the town of York, Brackett alleged that the youth wanted to use the handgun to shoot US military personnel.
The youth, who was arrested in February, apologized to the court for his actions and said he did not intend to carry out his plans.
23:10 French minister says church attack foiled in Paris
A man allegedly planning an attack on "one or two churches" has been arrested in Paris, France's interior minister announced today, adding the IT student was also allegedly behind the mysterious murder of a woman near the French capital.
The 24-year-old, who was detained on Sunday, was known to intelligence services for wanting to go to Syria to fight with jihadists.
"Several war weapons, hand guns, ammunition, bullet-proof vests and computer and telephone hardware" were found at his home and in his car, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
The arrest comes more than three months after Islamic extremists went on a three-day killing spree in and around Paris, leaving 17 people dead.
The January 7-9 attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a policewoman and a Jewish supermarket sent shockwaves around the world, and prompted several reforms in France including controversial new spy laws that are currently being debated in parliament.
22:42 'X-Men' character Iceman outed as gay
There's something we never knew about Bobby Drake, aka Iceman of the X-Men.
Wednesday's issue of "All-New X-Men" No. 40 reveals the truth: Bobby is gay.
"There are thousands if not millions of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality," Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote the issue, said in a statement to CNN. "The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, give us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys. This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told."
Iceman's outing happens in an unusual manner. In the "All-New X-Men" storyline, members of the X-Men team travel to the past, as younger versions of themselves.
Read full story HERE.
22:28 Pope Francis to visit Cuba in September
Pope Francis will visit Cuba on his way to the United States in September, the Vatican said Wednesday -- a trip that will come months after he helped negotiate a diplomatic thaw between the two countries.
The exact timing of the Cuba trip wasn't immediately released, but the Vatican said the Pope would stop in Cuba before his planned late September stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, played a role in restarting diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, earning praise from both U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro.
Read full story HERE.
21:55 Farmer's suicide: Kejriwal orders magisterial probe
Describing the suicide of a farmer at his rally venue as "extremely sad incident", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
Delhi Government has asked District Magistrate of the area (New Delhi District) to probe into the entire incident. The government will await the inquiry report before any further reaction.
Kejriwal also offered condolence to the family of Gajendra Singh, the Rajasthan farmer who hanged himself at Jantar Mantar today amid full public view while AAP was holding farmers rally.
"The loss of life of this farmer in distress is an extremely sad incident and no words can fulfil the irreparable loss caused to Gajendra's family," Kejriwal said in a statement.
Government also clarified that they do not wish to indulge into any blame game.
"Delhi government does not wish to engage in any blame game at this terrible tragedy and will do everything to find out how such an incident took place in full public view," statement said.
21:22 Two new joint directors in CBI
Two senior IPS officers were today inducted as Joint Directors in CBI while the government extended the tenure of six others working at the same level in the agency.
AK Sharma and Amrit Mohan Prasad, IPS officers of the Gujarat and Odisha cadre, respectively, have been appointed as JDs in CBI for an initial period of five years, said an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.
21:17 India sends plane to airlift Nepal accident victims' remains
Government today sent an IL 76 aircraft to Kathmandu to bring back mortal remains of the 17 Indian pilgrims who were killed in a bus accident in Nepal.
The plane will reach Kathmandu tonight. However, the bodies and 28 people injured in the incident will be air-lifted tomorrow after completion of formalities.
"India sends IL 76 aircraft to bring back mortal remains of victims of tragic bus accident in Nepal. Aircraft to reach Kathmandu tonight," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
He said that on account of more time for formalities relating the tragic bus accident, IAF has informed that the victims' mortal remains and injured will be brought back tomorrow.
At least 17 Indian pilgrims including nine women were killed and 28 others injured when a bus carrying them from Gujarat plunged some 100 metres from a mountain highway in Nepal.
The ill-fated bus with Indian number plate, carrying around 45 pilgrims, veered off the Prithvi highway in Dhading district, some 75-km east of Kathmandu
20:43 One-fifth of Parliament CCTVs not working: Panel
Over one-fifth of the 450 CCTV cameras installed in Parliament are not working, a parliamentary panel said, as it found gaps in the security apparatus to guard the sensitive complex.
The committee of three MPs set up to look into the security drill in Parliament for the protection of the complex also found that many of the security personnel do not have bullet-proof helmets and jackets besides latest equipments and modern weapons, sources said. The MPs have dealt with security matters during their professional career.
Furthermore, the panel found that most of the equipments installed for security are out-dated.
The committee headed by former Union Home Secretary R K Singh and also comprising former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh and former Rajasthan DGP Harish Chandra Meena said in its report that out of the 450 CCTV cameras installed in the complex, nearly 100 were not functioning.
The report, submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan with a copy marked to the Home Ministry, suggested enhanced security at all 12 gates in the Parliament complex, official sources said today.
The committee suggested that the security architecture put in place at all the 12 gates of Parliament has to be improved to ensure foolproof security.
19:55 Hazare writes to Modi on land ordinance, again
Seeking changes to the controversial land acquisition ordinance, Social activist Anna Hazare has written to prime minister Narendra Modi holding that even the fresh ordinance issued earlier this month did not fulfil the promises he had made on protecting the farmers' interests.
"The government has been saying that the ordinance is in the interests of farmers. Even in the new ordinance, issued on April 3, no amendments have been carried out as per the promises made," Hazare said in the letter, his aide told PTI.
"By handing over farmers' land to private organisations and industrialists, farmers' basic rights are being infringed upon," said Hazare, who previously wrote to the PM on March 31 over the same issue.
"Despite the government's claim that the law favours farmers, the provisions of the ordinance amply make it clear that injustice is being heaped on them," Hazare said.
19:52 Rahul Gandhi to visit Kedarnath Temple on Friday
JUST IN: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be visiting the Kedarnath Temple on Friday, according to media reports.
More details are awaited.
19:46 Father sells newborn daughter for Rs 25,000 in Bengal
A daily wage earner allegedly sold his newborn daughter to a teacher in Dhupguri area here for Rs 25,000 even as police has arrested a middleman who helped in striking the deal.
Salma Begum, wife of a daily wage labourer Bulbul Haq, had delivered a baby girl at Moynaguri hospital on Saturday last, police said.
"On April 19, Salma was released from the hospital and she went back home. Once in Dhupguri, her husband struck a deal with a school teacher in Mathabhanga area identified as Partha Biswas, to sell off the baby in exchange of Rs 25,000," a enior police officer said.
"The deal was struck with the help of another school teacher of Netajipara primary school in Dhupguri, Atul Basak," the officer said.
19:42 Wrong perceptions being created on Maha cow slaughter ban: Piyush Goyl
Defending Maharashtra government's decision to ban cow slaughter, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said the move was aimed at preventing the killing of healthy milk producing cows.
Saying that 22 states in the country already have in place a beef ban, he said, "There is a beef ban already there (in Maharashtra), which came in when the Congress government was there. All that the current government has done is extended it to a certain set of animals like buffaloes or milk-producing buffaloes.
"Because, in the garb of slaughter, healthy animals were being slaughtered by misusing that exemption in the law and they (Maharashtra government) only sought to correct an anomaly in the law; People have not been stopped from eating beef, perceptions have been created which are inaccurate."
The Maharashtra State Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill (1995) last month secured the assent of President Pranab Mukherjee.
19:29 Netaji's daughter to visit India later this year: MEA
Amid a row over reported snooping on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's family decades back, the government today said the Germany-based daughter of the revolutionary leader will be visiting India later this year where she may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that Anita Bose Pfaff had conveyed to the Indian consulate in Berlin that she would be visiting India in the last quarter of this year when she intends to meet Modi.
MEA spokesperson Vikas Swaroop, who is accompanying External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the Asian African Summit here, also denied claims that Pfaff was not invited for the public reception hosted by the Indian Embassy in Berlin in honour of Modi on April 13 during the prime minister's visit to Germany.
"Our embassy in Berlin had invited Anita Pfaff for the public reception in Berlin on April 13. Anita Pfaff conveyed that it is difficult for her to make the long journey from Bavaria where she resides to Berlin to come for the community event," Swaroop said.
19:27 India saw 60,000 ransomware attacks in 2014: Symantec
India witnessed as many as 60,000 ransomware attacks on computers last year, making it the third-most attacked nation in Asia, according to security solutions firm Symantec.
Ransomware, a kind of malicious software, encrypts files in a user's computer and blocks access until the user pays a certain sum of money. The user has to pay between $300-500 (Rs 18,000-30,000) to get access to computer files.
"India has evolved from law enforcement e-mails (seen largely in 2013) to crypto-ransomware which encrypts files. India is the third-highest country to receive ransomware attacks in Asia with over 60,000 attacks last year," Symantec India Director Technology Sales Tarun Kaura told PTI.
19:14 One-fifth of CCTVs in Parl not working: Panel finds security gaps
Over one-fifth of the CCTV cameras installed in Parliament are not working, a Parliamentary panel said, as it found gaps in the security apparatus to guard the sensitive complex.
The committee of three MPs set up to look into the security drill in Parliament for the protection of the complex also found that many of the security personnel do not have bullet-proof helmets and jackets besides latest equipments and modern weapons, sources said.
The MPs have dealt with security matters during their professional career. Furthermore, the panel found that most of the equipments installed for security are out-dated.
19:12 Court orders search warrant order for Manohar Parikkar's home
A Goa court has issued a search warrant for Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's New Delhi residence to nab former Goa minister Francisco Pacheco, who has been reported missing for at least two weeks.
The trial court was conducting proceedings related to the formal arrest of Pacheco, whose conviction for an assault was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month.
Read this story HERE
18:51 SC asks Centre whether it approved army's new promotion policy
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file its response as to whether it had approved the army's 'command exit promotion' policy, which has been quashed by the Armed Forces Tribunal, meant for officers of the rank of Colonel and above from January, 2009.
"Had the defence ministry filed an affidavit before the Armed Forces Tribunal that it has approved the 'command exit promotion policy'?" a bench of justices T S Thakur and R Banumathi said.
It asked the Defence Secretary or a person authorised by him to file an affidavit within a week stating "whether the government had accepted the recommendations of the AV Singh Committee with regard to the 'command exit promotion policy'".
18:42 Farmer suicide: Cong demands FIR against Modi, Kejriwal
The Congress demanded registration of FIR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal holding them "most responsible" for the suicide of a farmer at the latter's rally today.
"A case abetment of suicide should be lodged against the central government and the state government... The two persons who can be held most responsible for the suicide are Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Kejriwal," party spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi said at the AICC briefing here.
His remarks drew a volley of questions from mediapersons who sought to know the justification of his demand and asked whether former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar can also be held accountable for suicide of farmers in the country when they were at the helm of affairs.
"The suicide happened in presence of the Chief Minister and (personnel of) Delhi Police, which is under the control of the central government... The Prime Minister did nothing to prevent it. Then who else is responsible for it?" he asked.
18:21 At no point should farmers think they are alone: PM's condolence tweet
After Rajasthani farmer Gajendra Singh committed suicide at the Aam Aadmi Party rally began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death, saying, "Gajendra's death has saddened the nation. We are all deeply shattered and disappointed. Condolences to his family."
The PM further added, "At no point must the hardworking farmer think he is alone. We are all together in creating a better tomorrow for the farmers of India."
18:15 Chinese school bars windows and balconies to stop pupil suicides
An elite Chinese school has been criticised for turning classrooms into virtual jails after authorities fitted windows and balconies with metal bars in an apparent attempt to stop students leaping to their deaths. A member of staff from the school said they were considering decking out
the new bars with spider plants to make them less forbidding. Having
these decorations could make it better, said the employee.
17:40 Baghdadis wounding is good news, but it is no mortal blow to IS
The leader of so-called Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has reportedly been seriously wounded and is no longer in control of the jihadi organisation following an air strike in western Iraq. The development, once confirmed, should be welcomed. But the international community's efforts to defeat IS still have some way to go.
Read the full report HERE
17:36 Hearing in 26/11 case adjourned till April 30
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court holding the trial of seven accused in the 2008 Mumbai attack case adjourned the hearing till next week after it failed to record the statements of two witnesses as the case document could not be produced before it. "Two witnesses -- a private and an official of Federal Investigation Agency -- arrived here from Karachi to record their statements but the judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad adjourned the hearing till April 30 as the record of the case could not be produced in the court," Prosecution chief Chaudhry Azhar said.
17:27 Next time Kejriwal will climb up tree, says sarcastic Ashutosh
Blaming the Delhi police for not carrying out their duties, AAP leader Ashutosh said, "It is the Delhi police that did not do its duty." Reacting to the criticism of Kejriwal not stopping the rally, a sarcastic Ashutosh said, "From the next time we will ask the Delhi CM Kejriwal himself to climb up a tree and save the farmer. It is Kejriwal's fault that he himself did not climb up the tree."
17:05 AAP accuses cops of lying, says workers brought farmer down
As the blame game between the Aam Aadmi Party and other political parties began, Aam Aadmi Party's Ashutosh accused the Delhi police of lying and said that the cops in fact did nothing to help. "I heard the joint commissioner of police's statement in which he said that a few AAP workers had asked the farmer to climb the tree. That is untrue. Our workers tried to help the farmer come down. But, they aren't trained like the police."
16:46 Taliban announce spring offensive in Afghanistan
The Afghan Taliban announced the start of its annual spring offensive, warning it would ramp up attacks on foreign embassies and government officials, as well as military targets, starting on Friday. The group has been fighting the Afghan government and its foreign backers since it was ousted from power by US-backed Afghan forces in 2001. "If the foreign occupiers really want to relieve themselves from this nuisance of fighting, they should immediately withdraw," the Taliban said in a statement.
16:19 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addresses European Parliament
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar pitched the benefits of Yoga during an address at the European Parliament, the world's largest legislative body. The event titled 'The Yoga Way' was organised by the Indian embassy in Brussels in cooperation with the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with India. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar held an interactive discourse, along with relaxing meditation exercises.
15:54 Blame game over farmer's suicide at AAP rally
Political parties have started blaming each other over the death of a farmer who hanged himself at the Aam Aadmi Party's rally at Jantar Mantar.
The BJP and Congress pointed fingers at the AAP for not preventing the suicide while the AAP blamed the police.
The farmer, Gajendra Singh Rajput, in his suicide wrote that he had three children and was unable to feed them.
The BJP, attacking Kejriwal, said that saving the farmer was more important than giving a speech.
15:36 PM condoles death of Indian pilgrims in bus mishap in Nepal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the Indian pilgrims, who lost their lives in a bus accident in Nepal.
At least 17 Indian pilgrims including nine women were killed and 28 others injured today when a bus carrying them from Gujarat plunged some 100 metres from a mountain highway.
15:35 Indian passport ranked 48 out of 50 most powerful: survey
The Indian passport has been ranked 48th in a list of 50 most powerful travel document in the world, according to a global survey topped by Sweden.
Germany-based Go Euro travel comparison website ranked the top 50 countries of the world based on their passport's eligibility for visa-free entry, cost of application as well as number of hours worked to acquire the document.
15:10 Pak seeks details of boat seizure off Gujarat coast
Pakistan today raised with India the issue of arrest of eight suspected Pakistani smugglers off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat and sought details of the incident.
"Pakistan High Commission has formally approached Ministry of External Affairs to share details of seizure of two Pakistani boats and apprehension of their crew members this past weekend as reported by the Indian media," Manzoor Ali Memon, Pakistani Press Attache here, said.
15:09 Farmer commits suicide at Kejriwal rally
A farmer from Rajasthan, Gajender Singh, committed suicide at AAP's Jantar Mantar rally.
The unidentified man had been rushed to hospital but the doctors said he was brought dead.
AAP leaders and others had climbed after him urging him to come down.
14:59 Al Jazeera penalised for showing wrong map, off air for 5 days
International news channel Al Jazeera was today forced to go off air in the country for five days as the government penalised it for repeatedly showing wrong maps of India.
Al Jazeera today only showed a blank screen with a message saying that "as instructed by the ministry of Information and Broadcasting, this channel will not be available from 00.01 hours on 22nd April till 00.01 hours on 27th April 2015."
14:54 Thambidurai may be removed as LS dy speaker in next session
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is upset with her deputy, M Thambidurai, which might result in the All India DMK deciding to remove him during the monsoon session of Parliament, according to highly placed sources in the Tamil Nadu party.
Thambidurai, it is said, does not want to miss an opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha and criticise the NDA government, be it on the TN fishermen's issue, or 20 Tamilians shot dead by the Andhra security forces.
It happened yesterday as well, when he sought a response from Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the encounter killings of alleged red sanders smugglers in Andhra Pradesh recently. This irked the Speaker no end, who told him: 'Thambiduraiji, you are the deputy speaker, you can ask me if you want to speak. You should not talk directly to the home minister.'
Thambidurai, it is believed, is forced to take up the issues since the general view is that his party's Lok Sabha performance is below par, and its parliamentary party leader P Venugopal is not able to effectively articulate the collective voice of his 37 MPs.
14:42 Rahul Act 3 in Lok Sabha on Monday
After attacking the land acquisition bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday, and turning to net neutrality today, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's next salvo against the NDA government will be on Monday, it is learnt.
Congress MPs have been informally told that their leader would speak on inflation and price rise on Monday, to bolster the charge that the Modi government is working only for the corporate sector.
14:41
The Delhi CM says he and Manish Sisodia are going to the hospital to meet the man who attempted suicide at the rally.
14:40
This land ordinance has been brought in for "super rich" people, says the Delhi CM.
Kejriwal on land acquisition:
Did they ever sit the farmers down and ask them if they want to sell their land?
The need of the hour is that all the farmers of the nation should come together. They should ask for a just compensation.
14:35 BJP has betrayed the trust of farmers: Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party leader is speaking at the party's farmers' rally at Jantar Mantar.
He says the BJP did not consult farmers' on the land bill issue and they have lost faith in the PM
14:27 Pak seeks details of boat seizure off Gujarat coast
Pakistan today raised with India the issue of arrest of eight suspected Pakistani smugglers off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat and sought details of the incident.
"Pakistan High Commission has formally approached Ministry of External Affairs to share details of seizure of two Pakistani boats and apprehension of their crew members this past weekend as reported by the Indian media," Manzoor Ali Memon, Pakistani Press Attache here, said.
14:25 Man attempts suicide at AAP's Jantar Mantar rally
There was chaos at the Aam Aadmi Party rally at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where a man tried to hang himself from a tree
The unidentified man has been rushed to hospital, and there is no word yet on his condition.
The man had climbed the tree and reportedly threatened to hang himself, as AAP leaders and others climbed after him urging him to come down.
14:21 The men behind the human trafficking to Italy
'They say I put too many aboard, but they're the ones who want to leave in a hurry.'
The words belong to Mered Medhanie, a 34-year-old Eritrean who is based in Tripoli, Libya. Known as 'The General', he is among the many people traffickers who are behind the refugee crossovers from North Africa to Italy, many of which result in deaths in the Mediterranean.
The above quote, reports the Independent, London, was from reports of wiretap evidence in the Italian press.
Another trafficker is overheard saying: 'They organised another trip a few days ago. I don't know what happened -- they probably died.'
The newspaper reports that the police in Palermo, 'who on Monday arrested 15 people in an attempt to bust one of Mediterranean's biggest people-smuggling rings, say the trafficking godfathers are still at large -- and plying their evil trade from the Libyan capital.'
To know more about this heartless trafficking trade, read here.
13:53 Monsoon will be below normal this year: IMD
India is likely to experience below-average monsoon rainfall in 2015.
Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbours are expected to see below average rainfall in 2015 due to the impact of an El Nino weather pattern, which can bring on a dry spell in the region, a weather expert said on Wednesday.
"The entire region is prone to below average rainfall this year except Sri Lanka and Maldives," O.P. Sreejith told Reuters, after releasing the consensus forecast of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum, a group of global weather experts affiliated to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
13:49 Broad consensus on GST among states: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said a Constitution Amendment Bill for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be passed in the current session of Parliament as there is a broad consensus among states on the issue.
Jaitley said he is optimistic about introduction of GST, which will create a nationwide unified market and remove trade barriers in the form of cascading effects of taxation, from April 1, 2016.
13:45 Is Asia heading for a debt meltdown?
'Asian governments, companies and people borrowed the equivalent of 205% of their annual economic output as of 2014... In 2007, before the financial crisis, the debt-to-GDP ratio in Asia was 144%, and that number was 136% in 1996, just before the Asian financial crisis,' writes Ken Brown in the Wall Street Journal's India edition.
So is there a danger? Read his article here to know what the future holds.
13:39 Marco Rubio and the art of engaging India
Marco Rubio, the Republican Senator from Florida who has thrown his hat into the US presidential ring, has a declared interest in India, as evidenced by his signed oped in the Daily Signal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US last September, in which he faulted the Obama administration for having neglected India post the George Bush administration's overtures.
But, points out Alyssa Ayres in the Centre for Foreign Relations' Asia Unbound blog, Rubio's action belie his words.
For instance, she writes, he has travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but not to India.
Nor has he joined the Senate India Caucus, a bipartistan grouping that is 35 MPs strong.
He did not also meet with Modi during the latter's visit to the US.
But, writes Ayres, 'he has given India greater priority than other Republican candidates in the field thus far, and is on the record with his goals.'
She also notes that while India has 'by and large been a rare issue of bipartisan agreement, and many Democrats (including Hillary Clinton) have expressed the same policy views, no one expects India to be a major campaign issue, but it would be interesting if Rubio emerges as the nominee and accuses the Democrats of not doing enough to further ties with New Delhi.'
You can read the full article here.
13:38 Broad consensus on GST among states: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said a Constitution Amendment Bill for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be passed in the current session of Parliament as there is a broad consensus among states on the issue.
Jaitley said he is optimistic about introduction of GST, which will create a nationwide unified market and remove trade barriers in the form of cascading effects of taxation, from April 1, 2016.
13:27 Naqvi presents Modi's chadar at Ajmer dargah
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today presented a chadar on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer during the 803rd Urs of the Sufi saint.
Amid tight security arrangements, Naqvi, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs and minority affairs, paid obeisance in the dargah of the 11th century saint.
"I offered the chadar on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his message, the PM has wished for the welfare of the nation. He wishes India to be the top county in the world and wants that the benefit of the development reaches to all the people of the country," Naqvi told reporters after offering the chadar.
The annual Urs of the Sufi saint began on Monday.
Image alongside shows Naqvi with Prime Minister Modi, holding the chadar.
13:07 Broad consensus on GST among states: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said a Constitution Amendment Bill for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be passed in the current session of Parliament as there is a broad consensus among states on the issue.
Jaitley said he is optimistic about introduction of GST, which will create a nationwide unified market and remove trade barriers in the form of cascading effects of taxation, from April 1, 2016.
12:44 Ready to present record of all communal incidents to House: Rajnath
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking in the Lok Sabha, says the government's efforts will be to instill a 'sense of confidence' among the minorities, not a 'sense of fear'.
However, he said, he deplored the attempts made to raise any incident of violence in any part of India in the House, and to portray it as a communal one and paint the government as being responsible for it.
This leads to protests from the Opposition benches, following which Singh said he was willing, if Speaker Sumitra Mahajan permitted him, to place before the House the complete record of communal incidents in the country so the nation could see the truth for itself.
12:37 Drone found on roof of Japanese prime minister's office
Japanese authorities were investigating Wednesday after a small drone was found on the roof of the prime minister's office.
No injuries or damage were reported from the incident, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Indonesia to attend an Asian-African conference.
Police said it was not immediately known who was responsible for the drone. They were investigating the possibility it had crashed during a flight. It was not clear when the drone landed.
12:19
Just In: 32 people dead, over 80 injured in late night storm in three Bihar districts, says the state's principal secretary to disaster management department.
12:18 Broad consensus over GST, says Jaitley
Just In: Broad consensus that states are in support of GST, some language corrections have been suggested, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
12:17 Rahul Gandhi's second intervention in three days in LS
Rahul Gandhi speaks in Lok Sabha, for the second time in three days, on net neutrality.
He begins by saying that Obama praised Narendra Modi, before moving on to net neutrality.
"It's a complicated term, and our youth should have free internet. The government plans to sell off internet and hand it over to the corporates.
"People are demanding on FB, everywhere, they are in support of free internet, but this government wants to carve it out to corporates,' he said, and demanded that the TRAI paper on net neutrality be cancelled.
Clearly, it seemed he was out of his depth discussing the issue, and spoke in English.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan intervened to say that the issue has been discussed before (probably when Gandhi was away on a sabbatical), but he could speak on it.
Responding to him, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government has never and will never be pressurised by corporates.
12:16 Rahul wants to question Prasad, is overruled
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi wanted to respond to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's reply to his intervention during Question Hour on net neutrality, but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan overrules him.
This is Question Hour, and not a question-answer session, this cannot be allowed, she tells Gandhi.
Following this, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, pleads with the Speaker to please allow Gandhi to question the minister on his reply, following which Mahajan tells him that it cannot be.
'These rules have been made by the House, if you want to change them please write to the Rules Committee,' she tells him. If you want, you can raise this as a separate issue, she concludes, before letting the House move on to other topics.
11:54 Wipro allots shares worth Rs 1 cr to employees
IT major Wipro today announced the allotment of 18,819 shares, worth about Rs 1 crore at the current market price, to eligible employees.
The shares are being issued to the employees under the restricted stock unit plans of 2005 and 2007, the company said.
'The administrative committee of the board of directors has passed a resolution in their meeting held on April 20, 2015, to issue and allot 18,819 equity shares of Rs 2 each pursuant to exercise of the stock options by the eligible employees under Restricted Stock Unit Plan 2005 and Restricted Stock Unit Plan 2007,' the company said in a filing on the BSE.
11:53 Storm causes damage in Purnia, West Benga
Four persons were killed in a severe storm in Purnia that uprooted trees, destroyed crops and disrupted traffic.
"Four persons were killed in different parts of the district due to the storm. Standing crop of maize, wheat and pulses have been destroyed in over thousands of hectares. Traffic on NH 80, 107 and 57 is obstructed as trees along them have been uprooted," Purnia district magistrate Rajesh Kumar said.
The storm hit around 10.30 pm last night and uprooted thousands of trees and electricity supply lines in the district. Several huts were totally damaged.
The maximum damage took place at Dagarua, Dhamdaha, Baisi, Purnia and Krityanand Nagar blocks, it has been reported.
11:51 Q4 results drag Wipro shares down
Shares of IT major Wipro Ltd today fell by 4.5 per cent after the company's March quarter earnings failed to enthuse investors.
The stock made a weak opening and further lost 4.51 per cent to Rs 552.65 at the BSE.
On the NSE, it was down 4.5 per cent to Rs 552.10. The stock was the top loser among the bluechip Sensex and Nifty scrips.
11:50
Just In: The Delhi high court issues notice to the Centre on a PIL alleging irregularities in the appointment of officers to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
11:49 Rahul Gandhi to speak on net neutrality in Parliament
Rahul Gandhi has put in a notice in Parliament for a discussion today on the raging topic of net neutrality.
The Congress vice president has sought the suspension of the question hour to take up an issue that has united political parties across the spectrum and is being widely debated - net neutrality, or the principle that Internet service providers should treat all traffic on their networks equally and allow users to access all websites at the same speed and cost.
This will be Rahul Gandhi's second intervention in the Lok Sabha from the opposition benches, in just two days.
11:29 Sharif to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow in a bid to cool tempers in the Gulf kingdom over Islamabad's refusal to provide troops for Yemen war, officials said today.
The Prime Minister's day-long visit comes about a week after his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif led a delegation to Riyadh but apparently failed to mend ties.
11:20 Delhi: 3-storey building collapses, one killed
A three-storey residential building collapsed following a cylinder explosion in Delhi on Wednesday, leaving one dead and at least eight people injured.
Rescue operations are underway at the site of building collapse in Moti Nagar area of Delhi.
11:08 14 Indian pilgrims die in bus accident in Nepal
At least 14 Indian pilgrims were killed and 25 others injured today when a bus carrying them plunged some 100 metre down from the hilly road at Naubise village in Dhading district, 75-km east of Kathmandu in Nepal.
The bus with Indian number plate was carrying around 45 pilgrims from Gujarat who were returning to Gorakhpur in India after a pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Superintendent of Police Bishworaj Pokharel said.
10:59 Rahul Gandhi seeks adjournment motion on net neutrality issue
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi seeks suspension of Question Hour, wants adjournment motion to be taken up on net neutrality issue.
An adjournment motion involves an element of censure against the government. However, it is up to the Speaker to decide on taking up the motion.
A strong plea was made yesterday in the Lower House for ensuring net neutrality with demands that the recent consultation paper brought out by TRAI should be scrapped and attempts by certain telecom and internet service providers be scuttled.
08:51 Railways to launch App today for paperless ticketing in unreserved segment
The Indian railways will today launch an App to help commuters obtain tickets in the unreserved category.
Having booked a ticket using the App, a commuter need not take a print-out of the same and can show its soft copy on the cellphone to the TTE.
Apart from being a green initiative, the paperless ticketing system would also save time for passengers as it allows them to avoid lining up at the ticket window.
08:26 Yemen conflict: Iran urges aid effort as Saudi air strikes end
Iran's foreign minister has called for "urgent humanitarian assistance" in Yemen after a Saudi-led coalition ended air strikes against Houthi rebels.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Saudi move was "positive" and urged talks and the formation of a new government.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia has accused Shia-led Iran of backing the Houthis, something Tehran denies.
08:11 Facebook shifts News Feed, gives priority to friends
Facebook has said it was reconfiguring its News Feed, in a move aimed at giving people more information about what is happening to "the friends you care about." The world's biggest social network yesterday unveiled changes which decrease reliance on "referral" traffic - or the sharing of news articles or other content.
"The goal of News Feed is to show you the content that matters to you," said a blog post by Facebook's Max Eulenstein and Lauren Scissors.
03:00 Cathay Pacific pilot arrested for trying to take knives on a flight
Cathay Pacific was forced to cancel a scheduled flight from London to Hong Kong after one of the pilots was arrested after trying to board the airliner with knives in his luggage.
The pilot, who has not been identified, was stopped during security checks as the flight prepared to depart on Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement Monday.
"At around 21:10 hours police at Heathrow Airport were called to a staff search area.
"Officers attended and subsequently the member of flight crew, a man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and possession of a knife blade / sharp pointed article in a public place."
He was then taken into custody at a local police station where he was later bailed and ordered to return in May pending an investigation, the police statement added.
Cathay Pacific, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, told CNN in an email that it would cooperate with authorities, but that it was unable to provide further details as the incident is being investigated by police.
It apologized to the 262 people on board Flight CX254, which eventually departed on Sunday, adding that it assisted passengers with overnight accommodation in London and alternative flight arrangements.
Read full story HERE.
02:26 US blacklists Japanese Yakuza group Kodo-kai
The US Treasury today slapped sanctions on the Kodo-kai, calling it the most violent arm of Japan's powerful Yamaguchi-gumi Yakuza crime syndicate.
The sanctions, under laws targeting transnational criminal organizations, were also applied to Teruaki Takeuchi, the chairman of the Nagoya-based, financially powerful Kodo-kai, whose 4,000 members are allegedly involved in extortion and bribery.
The Treasury said Takeuchi was promoted to Kodo-kai head in 2013 by Yamaguchi-gumi deputy godfather Kiyoshi Takayama, the former Kodo-kai chairman who is already on the Treasury sanctions blacklist.
"Takeuchi is also linked to the Inagawa-kai syndicate, the third largest Yakuza syndicate in Japan, through a symbolic brotherhood he shares with Kazuo Uchibori, the second-in-command of the Inagawa-kai," it said.
The sanctions forbid Americans from transactions with those blacklisted, and freeze any assets they have in the United States.
01:59 Colorado man cited for 'killing' uncooperative computer with handgun
Police in Colorado have cited a 37-year-old man for carrying his computer into an alley then shooting it eight times with a handgun after what authorities said had been a long battle with the uncooperative machine.
Lucas Hinch was cited for discharging a firearm within city limits after officers responded to a "shots fired" call early on Monday evening, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement.
"Investigation revealed a resident was fed up with fighting his computer for the last several months," said the statement, entitled "Man Kills His Computer."
Read full story HERE.
01:25 Obama proposes 30-year agreement with China on nuclear power
President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed a 30-year agreement to cooperate with China on nuclear power, a deal that would allow the transfer of material, reactors, components and technology between the two nations, if approved by the US Congress.
01:01 Egypt's ousted President Morsi jailed for 20 years
An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his rule.
It is the first verdict he has received since his overthrow and is one of several trials he faces.
Morsi was deposed by the military in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule.
Since then, the authorities have banned his Muslim Brotherhood movement and arrested thousands of his supporters.
Morsi and 14 other Brotherhood figures escaped a more serious charge of inciting the killing of protesters, which could have carried the death sentence.
Read full story HERE.
00:23 Sanctions will cost Russia more than $100 billion
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave the first official estimate of the cost in a speech Tuesday. He said the decision to annex Crimea had sparked a crisis that turned out to be "more difficult" than even the most pessimistic expectations.
Western sanctions imposed over Crimea and Moscow's support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine had cost Russia $26.7 billion in 2014. This year, the costs could balloon to $80 billion, he said.
"There should be no illusions. Today we are faced not only with a short term crisis," Medvedev said.
The latest trade statistics show just how bad the situation has become. The value of Russia's foreign trade slumped 30% in the first two months of this year.
Read full story HERE.
00:09 Saudi-led coalition ends military operation in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen announced on Tuesday the end to a military operation that pounded the Iran-allied Houthi rebels for more than three weeks, a statement read on Saudi-owned Arabiya TV said.
The alliance had achieved its military goals in Yemen through the campaign dubbed "Storm of Resolve" and will now begin a new operation called "Restoring Hope," it said.
The mission, the statement said, would focus on security at home and counter-terrorism, aid and a political solution in Yemen.
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