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Sat, 06 June 2015
Live! India to give dossier on Dawood to Pak, provide details on his location, movements
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23:15 India to give dossier on Dawood to Pak, provide details on his location, movements
The Home ministry has prepared a fresh dossier on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and others terrorists to exert pressure on Pakistan for taking immediate action, reports claimed on Saturday.
According to reports, the dossier contains details of their assets, residential addresses and latest movements in Pakistan.
It has a list of more than 20 addresses occupied by the three terrorists.
The MHA has sent the dossier to the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with Pakistan, reports said.
Last month, Centre had sought information on the whereabouts of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim from Pakistan and had recommended them to freeze all his bank accounts.
According to reports, home ministry sources had told that at least 10 bank accounts in Pakistan which are linked to Dawood were identified.
22:23 Now, UP minister says rapes happen with mutual consent
Uttar Pradesh Minister Totaram Yadav on Saturday ignited controversy by saying that rapes happen with mutual consent.
"There is nothing like rape. Rapes happen with mutual consent," ANI quoted him as saying.
His insensitive comment drew instant flak from activists and other leaders who termed it shameful and deplorable.
"UP Minister Totaram Yadav's statement is deplorable and shameful. But I think this is his party-line because other leaders of his party have also made such statement," said lawyer and activist Abha Singh.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Gaurav Bhatia said the party and the state government had taken cognizance of the statement and assured appropriate action against Yadav.
"The party and the government have taken cognizance of the statement and appropriate action will be taken. I would just like to clarify that he is not a Minister in the UP government as of now," said Bhatia.
22:13 7 dead, 18 injured in fire at Mumbai high-rise
At least seven people died and 18 injured when a fire broke out in a 22-storey building in Mumbais suburban Powai on Saturday evening, police said.
The fire broke out at around 5.30 pm on the 14th floor of Lake Luceme building in Chandivali area and spread to the two floors above.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Pradip Sonawane told PTI that seven people, including one woman, died, while 18 others were injured.
The fire had been brought under control by late evening, he said.
The injured were shifted to Hiranandani Hospital, where the condition of two was said to be serious, the ACP said.
Initial reports said that the victims got trapped in a stalled lift and died of suffocation.
21:59 NIA to probe the killing of 18 armymen in Manipur
The probe into the killing of 18 Army men in Manipur has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency.
The home ministry on Saturday issued a notification formally handing over the case to the NIA, which will immediately start the investigation, official sources said.
The NIA, which was set up after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is mandated to probe all terror related cases anywhere in the country.
Since the Manipur incident is one of the worst cases in recent past, the Centre has promptly decided to hand over the case to the central investigating agency, sources said.
In the worst such attack in two decades, insurgents on Thursday had ambushed a military convoy in Manipur's Chandel district killing at least 18 army personnel and injuring 11 others.
Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag had on Friday rushed to Manipur as security forces intensified their operations in the state following the deadly ambush.
21:52 One Rank One Pension: Talks fail; military veterans to go on hunger strike
The talks between ex-servicemen and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar over the One Rank One Pension scheme failed on Saturday after which the retired defence personnel decided to go ahead with their planned rally on June 14 followed by a relay hunger strike to protest the long delay in implementation of the scheme.
"Though Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar understood our problem and argument, he did not give any date for the implementation of the OROP and hence we are going ahead with our agitation," Maj Gen Satbir Singh, chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement said.
He twice led a delegation of ex-servicemen on Saturday at meetings with Parrikar and Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag.
Singh said he has complete faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hoped that the OROP will be implemented soon.
The ex-servicemen group has also written a letter to Modi seeking his intervention to meet their long-pending demand.
21:39 Bihar polls: After Patna, the action shifts to Delhi
After days of tough posturing between leadership of the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar on the issue of alliance for the assembly elections, action has now shifted to the national capital, where top leaders from both the parties will meet to thrash out the differences.
While JD-U chief Sharad Yadav arrived in New Delhi after holding talks with leaders in both the parties in Patna on Friday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday landed in the national capital. RJD chief Lalu Prasad is arriving at night.
Sources said that while leaders from the two parties can meet tonight or on Sunday to discuss the matter of Bihar alliance ahead of the polls, a meeting can also be held at the residence of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been chosen by the six splinter groups of the Janta Parivar, including these parties to work out their grand merger plan.
Sources also said that since the issue of merger is time-taking and the parties will need to broach the issue with the Election Commission to thrash out the legalities, the talks among them will primarily focus on finalising an alliance between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar for the Bihar polls.
Amid speculation over the fate of alliance between the two parties, JD-U President Sharad Yadav had on Thursday insisted that both the parties will fight the assembly polls in the state together in alliance with the Congress to challenge a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party.
21:32 Where are the jobs Modi promised; he's busy doing yoga: Rahul
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday directed his fire on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of hopping from scheme to scheme and the focus on the yoga event later this month and "failure" to fulfil promises like job creation.
He repeated his jibe of "suit boot ki sarkar" to paint the NDA government as pro-rich and anti-poor and anti farmer.
The Congress vice president also slammed the NDA government over the land bill issue while referring to the agrarian and tribal agitations in Nandigram, Bhatta Parsaul and Niyamgiri.
"One year ago a new government came in Delhi. It made a lot of promises like the ones made by Mamataji. It talked about employment, development, opening factories. Both (Modi and Mamata) said this. One year (of Modi government) has been completed now. Wherever I go to any meeting, I ask people to say whether even one person has got a job. But nobody raises his hand to say he got a job.
"He talked about sanitation. He said that you won't get employment and so hold a broom and start sweeping. When the talk of Swachchata is over, now he is saying go and do yoga at the Rajpath. There is no word about employment. Every day something new is said. All these new things are being said to cover up the unfulfilled promises," Gandhi said addressing Congress workers in Kolkata.
He also attacked the Modi government over the 'One Rank One Pension' issue.
"Money was given for the OROP for the ex-jawans of the Army during the UPA regime. Before the (Lok Sabha) elections, Modiji went to Punjab, Haryana, everywhere and promised that he will implement it within one year if his government came to power. Now the armymen are crying. They are holding agitation and demanding that a date should be given for implementing it.
"But Modi is saying ask us later as we are doing Yoga," the Congress vice president said.
21:23 Goa minister's shocker! 'Small' rape incidents occur where tourism flourishes
Unfazed by the controversy over his comments on the gangrape of two Delhi-based women in Goa, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on Saturday maintained it was a "small incident" and that it occurs where tourism flourishes.
Congress party workers burnt the effigy of Parulekar in protest against his statement even as Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar asked the police department to initiate impartial inquiry into the gangrape incident that was reported on Monday night.
"I said what I said based on the report given to me by the police. I have said this in the past and I am saying this again that in places where tourism flourishes such small incidents occur," Parulekar said.
Parulekar had on Thursday described the accused as "naive" and chose to dismiss the crime as a "stray" incident, triggering a controversy.
"Such stray incidents are bound to take place in a busy tourist destination like Goa," Parulekar had said.
"The boys are 'nadaan' (naive) and they have small crimes registered against them...this will not happen in future," he said.
Parulekar on Saturday said no Goans are involved in the incident.
20:59 Modi gifts hand-woven tapestry, DVD on LBA debates to Hasina
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has presented his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina a rare audio clip of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's speech, a hand-woven tapestry, and the transcript and digital record of parliamentary debates on the historic Land Boundary Agreement.
"Presented a hand-woven tapestry from Venkatagiri, Andhra Pradesh woven in Jamdani style to PM Sheikh Hasina," Modi tweeted.
The tapestry, done by Nellore's national award winning artist and master craftsman Shri Gowrabathini Ramanaiah, has been woven using fine cotton yarn and pure gold thread, with both the warp and the weft having the same count of cotton yarn.
Located in Nellore district, Venkatagiri is famous for handlooms, and its weavers have adopted the fine 'jamdani' style while assimilating traditional designs of the region.
The 'jamdani' style is a well-known textile tradition in Bangladesh.
"Artwork in this tapestry shows Kalpavriksh tree & the Kamadhenu cow," Modi tweeted.
The tapestry, a form of textile art traditionally woven on a vertical loom, depicted a sacred Kalpavriksh tree and the Kamdhenu cow -- both regarded auspicious and bestower of prosperity as per Hindu mythology.
The Kalpavriksh, or the wish-fulfiling tree, is one of the nine jewels churned out of the primal ocean. It is one of the most pervasive motifs in Indian artistic creations.
20:50 Op Bluestar anniv: 5 injured in clash inside Golden Temple
A clash took place inside Golden Temple in Amritsar when a group of youths raised pro-Khalistan slogans, which was opposed by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee volunteers, leaving five persons injured.
According to police, the incident took place as members of the SGPC's Task Force resorted to lathicharge on a group of 22 Sikh youths who were raising pro-Khalistan slogans on the periphery of the temple near Akal Takht in connection with the 31st anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
Five of the protesting youths were injured in the action with two of them sustaining head injuries.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Parmpal Singh said that trouble started as the group of 22 people raised pro-Khalistan slogans and were joined in it by some Sikh youths who had come to the temple.
That prompted the SGPC Task Force members to disperse them and the slogan-chanting youths were forced to move outside Golden Temple, where all 22 of them were taken into preventive custody by police.
SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar said the incident was the handiwork of some "suspicious elements" who raised separatist slogans while brandishing naked swords.
19:47 'May God forgive him for he knows not what he says,' Jung on Kejriwal
Reacting to Arvind Kejriwal's interview to NDTV, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has said the chief minister should be forgiven as he doesn't know what he says.
"May god forgive him for he knows not what he says," Jung said.
In his first interview since becoming Delhi Chief Minister, Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, accusing him of acting like a polling agent of the BJP.
Slamming Jung, Kejriwal said he does not give time even to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia or other Delhi ministers for a meeting or take his calls. "But if the 'chowkidar' (watchman) of (BJP President) Amit Shah calls him (L-G), he will crawl and go."
He also said that PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah must accept the fact that Delhi has voted the AAP to govern Delhi and only it will run the Capital and not the BJP by proxy.
18:42 US drone attack kills 9 militants in Pakistan
At least nine militants were killed today in a US drone attack in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
The CIA-operated drone targeted a rebel hideout in Shawal area near the Afghanistan border.
A security official said that two missiles were fired at a house used by the militants.
"Nine militants were killed in the attack," he said.
The exact identities were not known but initial reports suggested that all those killed were Afghan Taliban rebels.
Pakistan's army launched an operation in June last year to clear the region of Taliban militants and has since claimed significant success in the operation named Zarb-e-Azb.
North Waziristan is one of the seven regions in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas governed by tribal laws which is situated along the Pak-Afghan border and is rife with Taliban militant activity.
The US has persisted with drone strikes despite protests by Pakistan, as they help in eliminating militants in areas which are inaccessible by land for the US army.
18:18 Dravid appointed India A, Under-19 cricket coach: BCCI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday stated that Rahul Dravid has agreed to coach India A and under-19 teams.
Dravid, who was expected to play an important role for the BCCI, will don the coaching hat to enter a new phase in his career. Since his retirement, 'The Wall' has been involved in several commentary stints.
Earlier, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said that Dravid's services would be sought at an appropriate time and finally the day has come when they have come into finding a role for the former India legend.
Moreover, an advisory panel was formed by the BCCI which consists of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. The BCCI had said the three legends' guidance will be sought in preparing the national team for gruelling overseas assignments besides strengthening the domestic structure.
17:11 NIA will probe the killing of 18 army men in Manipur
The probe into the killing of 18 Army men in Manipur has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency.
The Home ministry today issued a notification formally handing over the case to the NIA, which will immediately start the investigation, official sources said.
The NIA, which was set up after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is mandated to probe all terror related cases anywhere in the country. Since the Manipur incident is one of the worst cases in recent past, the Centre has promptly decided to hand over the case to the central investigating agency, sources said.
In the worst such attack in two decades, insurgents on Thursday had ambushed a military convoy in Manipur's Chandel district killing at least 18 army personnel and injuring 11 others. Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag yesterday rushed to Manipur as security forces intensified their operations in the state following the deadly ambush.
17:08 Deccan Chronicle group VC held for bank fraud
Odisha Police have arrested PK Iyer, Vice Chairman of the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle group, from a five-star hotel in Bhubaneshwar last night.
Iyer, who was staying in a room booked in the name of a woman, had been on the run after CBI issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Iyer has been accused in a bank fraud, the police said.
"The commissionerate police nabbed Iyer following a specific input. Iyer was handed over to CBI after preliminary health check up at a local hospital," Commissioner of Police RR Sharma said today, adding that Iyer had been staying there for the past two months under a fake identity.
Earlier, he had stayed incognito in Kolkata and Port Blair before coming to Bhubaneswar, sources said.
16:39 In WB rally, Rahul slams Modi, Mamata; questions 'friendship' between two
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of trying to deflect attention away from the NDA government's "unfulfilled promises", and also targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as he questioned her "friendship" with BJP.
At a rally, he sought to project Congress as the viable third alternative for the state, saying his party will bring a change in the fortunes of West Bengal, where Assembly polls are due in 2016.
Alluding to the bonhomie between BJP and Banerjee's Trinamool Congress as she heads to Bangladesh during Modi's visit there, Gandhi said, "When our (UPA) government was there, our PM wanted to go to Bangladesh. We spoke to her and requested her to go with us. She said no, 'ekla chalo re' (I will go alone)."
16:30 India, Bangladesh ratify historic Land Boundary Agreement
India and Bangladesh have ratified the Land Boundary Agreement in Dhaka.
Earlier this month, Parliament had passed a historic constitution amendment bill seeking to settle India's 41-year-old border issue with Bangladesh. The bill paved way for operationalisation of the 1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement that provides for exchange of 161 enclaves between the two countries.
16:17 Maoists torch 20 vehicles of private construction compan in Bihar
Maoists set on fire twenty vehicles of a private company engaged in construction of roads in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district and assaulted two of its guard for not paying levy demanded by them, the police Saturday said.
"A group of nearly 40 armed Maoists attacked the camp of Gamon India construction near Kamtaul village in late Friday and torched vehicles standing there'a district police official said.Muzaffarpur
Superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra said at least eight vehicles, including three Balero, were completely damaged after Maoists set the vehicles on fire.
16:10 FSSAI to test other noodle brands; pasta, macaroni on radar
A day after banning Maggi noodles, food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India today said it will test samples of instant noodles across brands to ensure food safety.
The FSSAI said it will also examine branded pasta and macaroni products while asserting that it's not considering any action against brand ambassadors as of now.
"We will check all other instant noodles brands as well. Why should we restrict to one brand? We are drawing samples of other noodles brand," FSSAI CEO Yudhvir Singh Malik told PTI. While he did not name the brands, popular products include ITC's Sunfeast Yippee, HUL's Knorr and Nissin Foods' Top Ramen and Wai Wai from Nepal's Chaudhary Group.
"On Monday, we will publish names of all brands of instant noodles, macaroni and pasta which have taken approval from FSSAI to sell their products. Samples of those brands will be collected for testing," Malik said.
16:08 300th mild tremor felt in Nepal
A mild tremor was felt today felt in quake-hit Nepal in the wee hours, taking the total number of aftershocks with 4 or more magnitude to 300. The 4.2-magnitude aftershock was recorded at 2.33 am by National Seismological Centre with epicentre at Tibet- Sindhupalchowk area in the northern Nepal.
The country's worst temblor of April 25 has been followed by a series of aftershocks and with today's tremor, the figure touched 300 of aftershocks with 4 or more magnitude.
The devastating earthquake had killed nearly 9,000 people in the Himalayan nation and displaced thousands others.
14:32 IS using chlorine as chemical weapon: Aus foreign minister
The Islamic State terror group is using chlorine in attacks and recruiting highly trained technical experts to make chemical weapons, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today.
"The use of chlorine by Daesh, and its recruitment of highly technically trained professionals, including from the West, have revealed far more serious efforts in chemical weapons development," she said in Perth, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Bishop described the group as one of the "gravest security threats we face today".
She said Australia had no doubt that the Syrian regime had used toxic chemicals, including sarin and chlorine, over the past four years.
The use of chlorine in homemade bombs has been reported in several parts of Iraq and Syria, with car and roadside bombs easy to rig with chlorine canisters.
13:54 PAK-BODIES
Decomposed bodies of nine suspected militants have been found in a mountainous area in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province. The bodies have been shifted to civil hospital in provincinal capital Quetta for identification.
Police officials said they believed the militants were killed in clashes with security forces but their bodies were found now in the Morgand Shekhri mountain range of Kalat district.
Frontier Corps earlier this week had claimed that it had killed the militants responsible for carrying out the deadly attack on a passenger bus in the Mastung district on May 29 in which 22 people were killed.
13:22 Tariq Aziz, ex-Saddam Hussein aide, dies after heart attack
Tariq Aziz, the debonair Iraqi diplomat who made his name by staunchly defending Saddam Hussein to the world during three wars and was later sentenced to death as part of the regime that killed hundreds of thousands of its own people, has died in a hospital in southern Iraq, officials said. He was 79.
Aziz died on Friday afternoon after he was taken to the al-Hussein hospital in the city of Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, according to provincial governor Yahya al-Nassiri. Aziz had been in custody in a prison in the south, awaiting execution.
Read this story HERE
12:44 Maharashtra announces ban on sale of Maggi
Maharashtra Food and Drug Minister Girish Bapat has announced a ban on the sale of Maggi with effect from today after lab tests proved presence of lead above the permissible level in the samples tested.
Out of six samples tested in a city lab last night, three contained lead more that the permissible level, Bapat said late last night, adding, those who violated the ban would be subjected to "strict action" by food and drug authorities.
The three samples singled out contained 4.66 PPM as against 2.5 PPM which is a permissible level. "Retailers should return the old stocks of Maggi to the distributors with effect from Saturday, June 6, till further orders," Bapat said.
12:16 Anil Ambani group to invest $3 bn in power plant in Bangladesh
The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power todaysigned an agreement to invest $3 billion in setting up a mega power plant and a floating LNG import terminal in Bangladesh which faces acute power shortages
Reliance Power will set up a 2 million tonnes a year floating LNG import terminal as well as 3,000 megawatt power plant, according to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Sameer Gupta, Executive Vice President of Reliance Power, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi' two-day visit to Dhaka.
The company will use the equipment it had contracted for its Samalkot project in Andhra Pradesh for setting up the power plant in Bangladesh in three years from the date of signing power purchase agreement The equipment will be under appropriate warranties from General Electric (GE), USA and the other global suppliers, the company said in a statement.
12:06 Modi pays homage to 1971 martyrs in Dhaka
"Beginning the visit by paying homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971," the PMO tweeted.
"Foundation Stone for Jatiyo Smriti Shoudho was laid by Bangabandhu himself. Design was chosen from various entries obtained in a competition.The Memorial consists of 7 distinct triangles indicating 7 stages of the national movement of Bangladesh that led to its Independence," it said.
"After tributes to the Martyrs, paying respects to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum," it added.
11:20 Argentina orderded to pay US$5.2b to additional creditors
A US judge ordered Argentina yesterday to pay $5.2 billion to some 500 creditors seeking repayment on the same favorable terms given to other holders of the South American country's restructured debt.
In a 26-page ruling, US District Court Judge Thomas Griesa ruled that by refusing to make payment to some hedge fund and individual bondholders of its defaulted debt, while making payment to other creditors, Buenos Aires was in violation of an equal treatment provision in its contracts.
Read this story HERE
11:10 Obama committed to intensifying India-US relations:White House
US President Barack Obama is committed to further intensifying relationship with India and the recent visit of a top American defence official is reflective of the depth of the ties, the White House has said.
"The president, as he discussed on his trip to India back in January, is committed to further intensifying the relations between our two countries," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference. Referring to the just concluded visit of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, he said this is reflective of the depth of the relationship between the US and India.
"So many of the issues that we often talk about are related to how we can expand economic opportunity in both of our countries," he said.
10:57 China boat capsize: 331 bodies recovered
The Eastern Star is upright once again, looking almost normal with its bottom resting on the water and its deck and cabins clear above it.
The ship's positioning Friday was a step forward in the dayslong nightmare playing out on a section of the Yangtze River that flows through Hubei province.
It means answers should be easier to come by as to why the Eastern Star capsized Monday night and what can be done to prevent similar tragedies in the future.It also means closure could be coming soon to hundreds of families.
Read the story HERE
10:30 Tight security in Amritsar on eve of Operation Bluestar anniversary
While the Narendra Modi visit to China has helped further people-to-people contacts a great deal, it hasn't appeared to measure up to the government's claims on substantive economic, diplomatic and strategic issues.
Read this article HERE
10:10
Mukhtar Ahmad reports from Srinagar: Two militants were killed when army troops foiled an infiltration bid in the Toot Maar Gali area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir early this morning.
"The encounter is still on and so far two militants have been killed," an officer said.
10:05 Modi lands in Dhaka, welcomed by Bangladesh PM Sheikh
PM Narendra Modi has landed in Dhaka and he was welcomed by his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
He also received the Guard of Honor.
09:38 Modi expected to land soon in Dhaka
"India-Bangladesh have developed into a relationship of win win situation," said Gowher Rizvi, Sheikh Hasina's foreign policy advisor ahead of Modi's arrival.
"I consider PM Modi's visit as a landmark visit. We are very confident that Teesta will be signed, we hope its sooner than later," he added.
09:15 2 militants killed in Baramulla, operation on
JUST IN: Two Terrorists have killed by the army in Kashmir's Baramulla the in Tutmari Gali area. Early reports say that the army intercepted a group of 4-5 militants in the early morning and the operation is underway.
Image for representation only.
03:57 UN report cites Israel crimes against children
UN agencies in Israel and the Palestinian territories reported an alarming number of child victims in last year's war in the Gaza Strip but were split on whether Israel should be put on a list of violators of children's rights, a U.N. document said.
The 22-page confidential country report, obtained by Reuters on Friday, was prepared by United Nations agencies on the ground for submission to the UN special envoy for children and armed conflict as she readied a draft of the annual list.
03:19 Pak army chief embarks on Sri Lanka visit
Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif on Friday embarked on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka during which he will meet the country's top leadership to deepen defence relations.
General Raheel is visiting Sri Lanka on the invitation of his counterpart, Army spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said. He will meet Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the top leadership of Sri Lanka's armed forces.
03:18 Yangtze River disaster: Relatives raise questions after salvage operation
The search and rescue mission for the Chinese cruise ship that capsized on the Yangtze River has become a grim salvage operation to recover the hundreds of bodies still believed to be trapped inside the battered vessel, after rescuers successfully righted and hoisted the ship out of the water on Friday.
Only 14 survivors, including the ship's captain and chief engineer, have been found since the Oriental Star liner overturned with 456 on board '" many elderly Chinese tourists '" in what authorities say was a freak tornado on Monday night. Officials have warned there was no chance of finding anyone else alive.
02:31 Edward Snowden: World is rejecting mass surveillance
Legislation ending the US government's bulk collection of telephone data is "a historic victory for the rights of every citizen," former intelligence analyst Edward Snowden said in a commentary Thursday.
In the opinion piece, published in several newspapers internationally including The New York Times, Snowden reflected on what he said was a profound shift in the public's awareness of mass surveillance since his infamous leaks disclosing the extent to which the US government and some partners monitor electronic communications.
02:30 Flash floods kill 16 in SW Pakistan: officials
Flash floods caused by torrential rains in southwest Pakistan killed at least 16 people including 14 women, officials said today.
The floodwaters swept away many people in two remote villages of Khuzdar district in Baluchistan, around 370 kilometres (230 miles) south of the provincial capital Quetta.
01:38 Hezbollah vows to displace 'millions' in Israel if Lebanon attacked
The head of Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah threatened on today that his group would displace "millions" in Israel if the Jewish state attacks Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah made the threat in a televised address weeks after an Israeli army official warned that Israel would "have to" target civilian areas in Lebanon in a future confrontation with Hezbollah.
01:38 Two killed, over 100 injured in blasts at Turkey party rally
Two people were killed and over 100 wounded in explosions today at a rally by the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party in southeastern Turkey, adding to tensions two days ahead of tight legislative polls.
The two successive blasts rocked the rally in the city of Diyarbakir of the HDP, which has been the target of repeated attacks in a tightly-fought campaign. Ambulances arrived at the scene to take the injured away, with chaos on the square where the rally was due to be held, an AFP correspondent said.
01:36
Russia successfully launches military satellite Moscow, Jun 5 (AFP) Russia successfully launched a military satellite today, following a recent string of failures for the country's space programme.
The military satellite sent into space from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia at 1524 GMT was put into orbit as planned, state news agency TASS reported, quoting a defence ministry spokesman.
01:36 Russia, China block UN Libya sanctions
Russia, China block UN Libya sanctionsRussia and China today opposed a US-led request to impose sanctions on two Libyans accused of obstructing UN talks on forming a national unity government, diplomats said.
Britain, France, Spain and the United States had sought the measures to shore up efforts by UN envoy Bernardino Leon to clinch a political deal before the start of Ramadan on June 17.
00:26 10 injured in explosion at Kurdish rally in Turkey
At least 10 people were injured today in two explosions five minutes apart at a Kurdish party election rally in southeast Turkey, attended by thousands of people, witnesses and reports said.
The explosions occurred at the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party final election rally in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, as the party's leader Selahattin Demirtas was preparing to address the crowd.
00:26 'Data hacked from US federal gov dates back to 1985'
Data stolen from US government computers by suspected Chinese hackers included security clearance information and background checks dating back three decades, US officials said on Friday, underlining the scope of one of the largest known cyber attacks on federal networks.
The breach of computer systems of the Office of Personnel Management was disclosed on Thursday by the Obama administration, which said records of up to 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised.
00:24 Tariq Aziz was Saddam's voice through war and crises
Through long years of conflict and crisis in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Tariq Aziz was his master's voice to the outside world - an urbane, cigar-smoking diplomat who relayed Saddam's tough and uncompromising stance to his enemies.
In the months leading up to the 199 1 Gulf War, when U.S.-led troops drove Iraqi occupation forces out of Kuwait, the silver-haired foreign minister took center stage, refusing to give ground in the face of growing international pressure on Baghdad.
00:22 Top headlines in that last 24 hours
Kejriwal says Modi taking 'revenge' for losing Delhi
'Border deal will control infiltration from Bangladesh'
A mosque, polls, social boycott, then riots
US marine chopper crash in Nepal killed 13 people: Army
'Modi is a messiah, has answer to all problems'
Monsoon hits Kerala, 4 days behind schedule
BOO: Goa tourism minister calls gang rape accused 'naadaan'
Hackers carry out massive attack on US government; suspicion on China
Army launches huge operation against North-East terrorists
'Border deal will control infiltration from Bangladesh'
A mosque, polls, social boycott, then riots
US marine chopper crash in Nepal killed 13 people: Army
'Modi is a messiah, has answer to all problems'
Monsoon hits Kerala, 4 days behind schedule
BOO: Goa tourism minister calls gang rape accused 'naadaan'
Hackers carry out massive attack on US government; suspicion on China
Army launches huge operation against North-East terrorists
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