LIVE! China calls for constructive efforts to ease Korean tensions

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Mon, 25 December 2017

China calls for constructive efforts to ease Korean tensions

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21:17 China calls for constructive efforts to ease Korean tensions

China called all countries to make constructive efforts to ease tension after North Korea said the latest UN sanctions against it are an act of war and tantamount to a complete economic blockade.

The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Friday for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, seeking to limit its access to refined petroleum products and crude oil and its earnings from workers abroad.

The US-drafted resolution also caps crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year and commits the Council to further reductions if it were to conduct another nuclear test or launch another intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea on Sunday rejected the resolution, calling it an act of war.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the resolution appropriately strengthened the sanctions but was not designed to affect ordinary people, normal economic exchanges and cooperation, or humanitarian aid.

Hua noted it also called for the use of peaceful means to resolve the issue and that all sides should take steps to reduce tension.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and chief ministers of many BJP-ruled states would attend the swearing-in ceremony of Jairam Thakur as the new chief minister of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.

The ceremony would be held at the historic Ridge ground, Thakur said.

The five-time MLA from Seraj in Mandi was elected leader of the BJP legislature party yesterday after the party ousted the Congress from power in the state by winning 44 out of the 68 seats in the assembly polls.

Thakur said apart from Modi and Shah, chief ministers of many BJP-ruled states would attend the swearing-in ceremony.

The ceremony would be brief and some ministers would also take oath, but their names are yet to finalised, he said.

Elaborate security arrangements are being made for the swearing-in ceremony and the prime minister is likely to address people at the Ridge.

-- PTI

Russias central election commission voted on Monday to bar opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running in a presidential election next year, saying he was ineligible because of a past criminal conviction.

The commission said the conviction, for which Navalny received a suspended sentence and which he has repeatedly described as politically-motivated, meant he could not run for president in March.

Twelve members of the 13-member commission voted to bar Navalny. One member of the commission abstained, citing a possible conflict of interest.

Polls show President Vladimir Putin is on course to be comfortably re-elected, meaning he could remain in power until 2024.

Navalny, 41, has been jailed three times this year and charged with breaking the law by repeatedly organizing public meetings and rallies.

The mother and the wife of former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav finally met him earlier in the day. But it was not any ordinary meeting as they were separated by a glass barrier.

The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to this end, clarified that the barrier was placed due to security reasons and that Jadhav already knew this would be the setting.

"It was there due to security reasons. We had already told them that you will be able to meet him but a security barrier would be there," Dr Mohammed Faisal, Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Faisal substantiated his stance by adding that Pakistan considered Jadhav as "the face of Indian terrorism, especially in Pakistan."

On the matter of consular access, Faisal said the meeting was just on 'humanitarian ground' and was not a 'consular access.'

As news channels played out images of Kulbhushan Jadhav meeting his mother and wife - separated by a glass wall - a childhood friend of the former Indian Navy officer expressed his frustration on the Pakistani authorities not allowing the family members to hug him.

Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan for alleged spying, met his wife and mother in Islamabad in a carefully choreographed event that unfolded in tweets, photos and TV footage.

Tulshidas Pawar is Jadhav's childhood friend and lives in Mumbai's Parel area. He watched images of Jadhav's mother Avantika and wife Chetna sitting across a glass screen flicker on the TV set at his home.

"Can you imagine what a mother who last saw her son two years ago must have felt when allowed to meet him from across a glass partition and was unable to touch him," Pawar said.

"The Pakistan authorities should have allowed the mother to hug her son," he said. "This carefully choreographed meeting was a sham."

He said, "What Pakistan did (allowing Jadhav's mother and wife to meet him) is just a spectacle for the global community," Pawar said.

For him, the treatment meted out to Jadhav's mother and wife by the Pakistan authorities was "unacceptable".

-- PTI

19:20 WikiLeaks' Assange's Twitter page vanishes

Wikileaks founder Julian Assanges Twitter account has disappeared with no indication of why it has vanished.

The only message which can be glimpsed on Assanges official Twitter page on Monday is Sorry, that page doesnt exist!.

It is not clear whether the social media site decided to delete the account or the 46-year-old himself made the decision to erase it.

Wikileaks has not commented on the fact the Australian computer programmers Twitter account has mysteriously disappeared.

People have speculated as to why Assanges account has vanished and questioned why he would potentially choose to silence himself.

On the occasion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees 93rd birthday today, a biopic titled Yugpurush Atal was announced here. Produced by Rajeev Dhamija, Amit Joshi and Ranjeet Sharma under the Spectrum Movies banner, the film has been written by Basant Kumar and will be directed by Mayank P. Srivastava.

We are making this biopic on Vajpayeejis familys consent. We are constantly in touch with his family members. His niece Mala Tiwari has helped us in executing this project, Srivastava said.

The makers will soon start casting for the project. Veteran composer Bappi Lahiri has created a song for Yugpurush Atal. I wish good luck to the makers for this biopic. I have made a song for Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji. This song is made from a poem that he wrote earlier, Lahiri said.

With Delhi playing host to ASEAN summit next month, the AAP-led city government has directed beautification of all its roads on a war-footing by

resurfacing road stretches along with ensuring adequate safety measures.

The Public Works Department has chalked out a plan under which its officials will carry out several works, including filling of potholes, repair of the central verge, footpaths and drains, among others.

The ASEAN summit is scheduled to take place between January 19 and 30 in the national capital.

According to an official, all road safety measures like road reflective delineators, cat eyes, bollards and other road safety fixtures will also be installed on immediate basis.

-- PTI

The move to not invite Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the inauguration ceremony of the new Magenta line of the Delhi metro has not gone down well with the Aam Aadmi Party. The party has asked for a refund of the 50 per cent amount it reportedly paid for the construction of the new metro line.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the new metro line connecting Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Monday lashed out at the central government for snubbing Kejriwal, saying this depicts the personal enmity of the central government with the Delhi CM.

He further pointed that a similar situation had occurred during the inauguration of the Faridabad corridor of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Hitting out at PM Modi, Singh said that the move clearly showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party leader hates Kejriwal and doesnt like to be seen around with him.

Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also took to Twitter to hit out at the Modi government over the issue. He alleged that Kejriwal was not invited because he would have asked PM Modi to lower the metro fare in front of people.

As the ghost of Padmavati continues to haunt us, the chairman of Central Board for Film Certification seems determined to exorcise the nation of the story of the Rajput princess that has given sleepless nights to many.

The CBFC has set up a panel of historians to consult before it can release Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film - starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.

One of the panelists RS Khangarot, professor of History in Agrawal PG College in Jaipur, Rajasthan said, "Poetic licence does not mean you make history, or change history.

The history professor is set to meet CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi in January next year.

Khangarot, who has worked on an academic paper on Jodha Akbar, was consulted by film maker Ashutosh Gowariker during the shoot of his film. However, the film was not released in Rajasthan.

Padmavati should not be seen as a Bhansali versus Karni Sena, or Bhansali versus Rajput, but it should be seen as Bhansali versus history debate. I think the film should be historically correct, you must not deviate from the facts, said Khangarot.

Khangarot also feels that the film has mixed legend with history. There is Padmavati in history as told in folklore and as legend as narrated by Jayasis Padmavat. There seems to be an attempt to mix legend with history, he said. The history professor gave the example of Richard Attenboroughs Gandhi to emphasise on how films based on historical characters should be made.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were met by hundreds of well-wishers as they turned out for the British royal family's traditional Christmas Day church service Monday.

The pair, who announced their engagement last month, joined Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, as well as other family members at Sandringham, the Queen's country estate in rural Norfolk, around 100 miles north of London.

According to British media, it is the first time someone who has yet to marry into the Royal Family has been invited to take part in the celebrations.

The pair walked arm-in-arm along with Harry's father, Prince Charles, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Hundreds of people lined up to meet members of the royal family with Harry and Meghan this year's big draw.

Photograph: @KensingtonRoyal/Twitter

16:54

JUST IN: Fire breaks out on 17th floor of a building in Mumbai's Walkeshwar, 10 fire tenders rushed to the spot

16:52 Diplomat Eenam Gambhir's mobile phone snatched

Bike-borne men snatched the mobile of Eenam Gambhir, the first Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, police said today.

The incident occurred on Saturday when Gambhir had gone for a walk in Rohini with her mother, they added.

The accused snatched the phone from her on the pretext of asking for directions, the police said.

Since it was evening, she could not note down the vehicle's registration number, they said.

In her complaint, the diplomat said that the accused asked her for directions to Hanuman Mandir. When she started pointing towards the temple while holding her phone, they snatched the phone and fled, the police said.

Gambhir stated that the iPhone had a US-registered SIM card and some important files related to her work, they said.

In September this year, exercising India's right to reply after Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly, Gambhir had made a strong rebuttal by calling Pakistan a "terroristan".

Shortly after meeting his mother and wife ever since his arrest on March 3 last year, Kulbhushan Jadhav in a video, which Pakistan released, said, "I requested a meeting with my wife and mother and I am thankful to the government of Pakistan for this grand gesture."

Accompanied by Deputy high commissioner J P Singh and a Pakistani woman official, TV footage showed Jadhavs family entering the main building of the ministry of foreign affairs and the door shutting behind them.

They met Jadhav for around 30 minutes.

The two women arrived in the capital via Dubai in a commercial flight and are expected to leave soon after the meeting where they will be accompanied by Singh.

Jadhav, 47, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the International Court of Justice in May. The ICJ halted his execution on Indias appeal pending the final verdict by it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to play tour guide to Christian pilgrims in a message relayed from Jerusalem, whose recognition as Israel's capital by US President Donald Trump has split global Christian opinion.

A Christmas video on Twitter showed Netanyahu against the backdrop of East Jerusalem, an area laden with Jewish, Christian and Muslim shrines that Israel captured in a 1967 war and which Palestinians want as their own future capital.

In the message, titled "Merry Christmas from Jerusalem, the capital of Israel!" he described Israel as a haven for its 2 percent Christian minority because, he said, "We protect the rights of everyone to worship in the holy sites behind me."

Netanyahu named several Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel - including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem's Old City - which would take visitors "in the footsteps of Jesus and the origin of our Judeo-Christian heritage."

"For those of you who come to Israel, I'm going to take a guided tour. In fact, I'll be your guide on this guided tour," Netanyahu said. This would happen Christmas next year he said, without going into the logistics.

15:44

JUST IN: The meeting between Kulbhushan Jadhav, his mother and his wife at Pakistan foreign affairs ministry in Islamabad ends.

15:33 AIADMK to sack 6 office bearers supporting Dinakaran

The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu today decided to sack six office-bearers supporting sidelined party leader TTV Dinakaran, a day after he won the RK Nagar bypoll here with a thumping margin of 40,000 votes.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by top party office-bearers O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami, AIADMK sources said.

The party decided to remove, among others, key Dinakaran aides P Vetrivel and Thangatamilselvan, AIADMK district secretary in Chennai and Theni respectively, the sources said.

Though AIADMK supporters are divided between Dinakaran and the Palaniswami-led camps, many office-bearers from the rival group hold party posts.

In a jolt to the ruling dispensation, Dinakaran defeated its candidate E Madhusudhanan by 40,707 votes in the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll.

The votes were counted yesterday.

-- PTI

The new BJP government in Gujarat, led by Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel, will be sworn-in at a grand function in Gandhinagar tomorrow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah, chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states and those governed by NDA allies are expected at the ceremony, to be held at an open ground near the state secretariat, Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani said.

Several Union ministers and other senior leaders of the party have also been invited for the swearing-in ceremony.

"We have also invited saints and religious leaders of various faiths to give us their blessings," Vaghani said.

On December 23, the state BJP leaders met Governor O P Kohli and staked claim to form the government.

The governor accepted the BJP's claim and asked the party to form the next government.

Rupani and Patel were elected respectively as the leader and the deputy leader of the BJP legislature party on December 22, in presence of central observers - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the party's general secretary Saroj Pandey.

The BJP secured a simple majority by winning 99 seats in the 182-member assembly in the recently-held elections.

Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav today met his wife and mother at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Pakistani officials said.

Accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh and a woman Pakistani official, TV footage showed Jadhav's family entering the main building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

and the door shutting behind them.

"The meeting between Jadhav and his wife and mother has started," Pakistani officials said.

The wife and mother greeted the media after arrival but refused to respond to questions.

Jadhav's family arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Indian High Commission where the wife and mother of Jadhav halted for more than half an hour.

Jadhav was at the MOFA before the arrival of his family.

It was not known where he had been kept before being transported to the ministry.

Image: Jadhav's wife and mother at the ministry of foreign affairs Pakistan office. Photograph: @ForeignofficePK/Twitter

At least 17 trains were cancelled while several others arrived late as fog enveloped parts of north India today.

According to a Northern Railway spokesperson, at 6 am, 17 trains stood cancelled, 26 were delayed and six others were rescheduled due to poor visibility.

Over the last week, a dense fog covered several parts of north India, with the temperature dropping in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a ride today on Delhi Metro's new Magenta Line connecting the capital with neighbouring Noida for the first time.

A 12.6-km section of the line connects south Delhi's Kalkaji and Noida's Botanical Garden. PM Modi flagged off the new metro, decked with marigold flowers, from Noida and travelled to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary station.

The launch was shadowed by sparring over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal not being invited - though his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath of the BJP was.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh accused the Modi government of "hatred" towards Arvind Kejriwal, terming the Delhi Chief Minister's exclusion from the launch function "cheap mentality".

Magenta Line is the third metro line to be inaugurated by PM Modi in 2017. He had earlier "dedicated the Kochi Metro to the nation in June, and the Hyderabad Metro in November.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja has courted a controversy by saying that people who will smuggle and slaughter cow will be thrashed to death.

Ahuja's statement comes days after a man was beaten up by mob in Alwar district for allegedly smuggling cows.

"Gau taskari, Gaukashi karoge to yun hi maroge (If you indulge in cow smuggling and slaughtering, you will get killed like this only)," he said.

A man named Zakir was allegedly thrashed by a mob on suspicion of him being a cow smuggler as he was carrying a truck containing eight cows.

Zakir, who sustained injury, was admitted to the hospital and was later arrested by the police.

-- ANI

12:34

JUST IN: Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav has not been given consular access, reports Pak media quoting Foreign Office

12:20 After long wait, wife and mother to finally reunite with Kulbhushan Jadhav

The wife and mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav, Indian death row prisoner, have landed in Islamabad and will shortly meet with him at the foreign ministry's office.

Roads leading to the Constitution Avenue, on which MOFA is located, have been closed for traffic. Special security passes have been issued for those visiting the Foreign Office, the officials said.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the International Court of Justice in May. The ICJ halted his execution on India's appeal pending the final verdict by it.

Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.

India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

Pakistani authorities said today they have deployed sharpshooters at the foreign ministry's office where Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav will meet his wife and mother.

Jadhav, 47, would be meeting his family today at the foreign office in Islamabad.

The exact time of the meeting is not immediately known but officials said it would be around midday or early afternoon. The duration has also not been confirmed but it may last for an hour, according to sources in the Foreign Office.

Jadhav's family is flying to Islamabad via the UAE.

Strict security measures have been taken on the occasion of Jadhav meeting his family at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials said.

Ruling AIADMK has alleged that there was a "tacit understanding" between rival faction leader T T V Dinakaran and the opposition DMK to defeat it in the RK Nagar bypoll in which the sidelined party leader emerged victorious.

Asserting that the win, which was achieved by a "conspiracy" of Stalin and Dinakaran, would not affect the AIADMK, party coordinator O Panneerselvam and co-coordinator K Palaniswami said yesterday the DMK, their party's arch rival, faced its "worst defeat" in an election to any assembly segment in Tamil Nadu so far.

Dinakaran won the bypoll to the prestigious seat by a whopping margin of over 40,000 votes while DMK candidate N Maruthu Ganesh finished third, garnering 24,651 votes, in the process losing his deposit. AIADMKs' E Madhusudanan came second.

The bypoll was held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting MLA and then chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

"The result of the RK Nagar bypoll is an outcome of the tacit understanding between DMK working president M K Stalin and Dinakaran," Panneerselvam and Palaniswami said in a joint

statement.

Stalin rejected the charge and alleged it was the state ministers under the charge of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam

who aided the Dhinakaran camp in distributing money to voters.

To reporters' query on the AIADMK's charge, he asserted that the DMK faced the poll only in "alliance with democracy".

"Hence, this poll is not a loss for the DMK. It is a huge defeat for the Election Commission," Stalin claimed.

11:12 Vajpayee turns 93; VP, PM wish him

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee turned 93 today.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished him on his birthday.

"His phenomenal as well as visionary leadership made India more developed and further raised our prestige at the world stage. I pray for his good health," Modi tweeted.

Wishing him on his birthday, Naidu posted a poem by Vajpayee which urged people to remain united and not to give up hope in tough times.

Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister.

Born in 1924, he entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi.

-- PTI

Pakistan has granted India consular access to Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a Pakistani media channel, reports PTI.

He said an official of Indian high commission would accompany Jadhav's wife and mother during their meeting with him, Geo News reported.

When asked if it constituted "consular access as an Indian official would be present in the meeting", Asif categorically said, "Yes". "Had India been in place of us, it would not have given us this concession," he said.

Indian officials, however, downplayed the comments by the Pakistani minister, maintaining that the Indian diplomat was only accompanying Jadhav's family and it cannot be construed as "consular access".

Badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa on Sunday got married to businessman and model Karan Medappa at a ceremony in Karnataka's Coorg.

The marriage was performed as per the rituals of the Kodava tradition.

Ponnappa was draped in a traditional Kodava sari, while Karan was dressed in 'Kuppasa Datti'.

The wedding reception took place in Virajpet.

Tennis player Rohan Bopanna and squash player Jyotsna Chinnappa were among those who attended the function.

Ponnappa represents the nation at the international badminton circuit in both the women's and mixed doubles disciplines.

09:05 Kulbhushan Jadhav's family to meet him today

After a long wait, the wife and mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav, being held prisoner in Pakistan, will meet him today.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad J P Singh will accompany them, along with one or two officers of the foreign office, the Dawn has reported.

Pakistan has deployed security and traffic personnel within and outside the FO in view of the meeting. The meeting will last between 15 minutes to an hour and the two women will be allowed to speak to the media if they wish to, Dawn said, citing diplomatic sources.

In addition to this, the meeting between Jadhav and his family members reportedly will not be the last one.

On December 20, Pakistan issued visas to Jadhav's mother and wife on humanitarian grounds.

Pakistan has repeatedly rejected India's plea for consular access to Jadhav at the International Court of Justice, alleging that he is not an ordinary person and had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities.

Jadhav was arrested in March this year, in Balochistan, Pakistan, over charges of alleged involvement in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency -- Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Pakistan.

On May 18, the ICJ stayed the hanging, after India appealed against the death sentence.

The birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today will bring cheers to 93 prisoners as the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to set them free.

These convicts are lodged in different jails of Uttar Pradesh and their names were chosen from a list of prisoners who have completed their tenure in jail.

"It has been decided to set free 93 prisoners convicted in different cases on the 93rd birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. These prisoners have completed their tenure in jail but could not be released due to non-payment of fine imposed on them," principal secretary (home) Arvind Kumar said in an order issued in Lucknow.

He directed the prisons department to ensure the fine is paid by NGOs, trusts and others, after verifying their credentials.

"The names of convicts to be set free have been picked in a random manner from a list of 135 such prisoners who are not named or are serving imprisonment in another case," a senior home department official said.

Vajpayee had represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times '" in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. BJP leaders Lalji Tandon and Rajnath Singh won the Lok Sabha elections from the Uttar Pradesh capital in 2009 and 2014.

08:41 AIADMK to discuss RK Nagar bypoll defeat today

The ruling AIADMK has alleged that there was a 'tacit understanding' between TTV Dinakaran and the opposition DMK to defeat it in the RK Nagar bypoll, in which the sidelined party leader emerged victorious.

The party is also likely to brainstorm on the defeat at a meeting in Chennai on Sunday, party sources said. Asserting that the win achieved by "conspiracy" by Stalin and Dhinakaran will not affect AIADMK, party leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami said.

The DMK, their party's arch rival, faced its "worst defeat" in an election to any assembly segment in Tamil Nadu so far. Dinakaran won the bypoll by a thumping margin of over 40,000 votes while DMK candidate N Marudhu Ganesh finished third, garnering 24,651 votes, in the process losing his deposit. AIADMKs' E Madhusudanan came second.

The bypoll was held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting MLA and then chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

"The result of the RK Nagar bypoll is an outcome of the tacit understanding between DMK working president MK Stalin and Dinakaran," Panneerselvam and Palaniswami said in a joint statement on Sunday night.

Rejecting the charge, Stalin alleged it was the state ministers under the charge of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam who aided the Dinakaran camp.

Responding to reporters' query on the charge by AIADMK, he asserted that the DMK faced the poll only in "alliance with democracy". "Hence this poll is not a loss for the DMK. It is a huge defeat for the Election Commission," Stalin claimed.

Tight security is in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Noida today to inaugurate Delhi Metro's Magenta Line.

The 12.64-km section connects Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi. Modi will also address a public meeting in Noida.

The elite Special Protection Group, which provides security to the prime minister, has taken control of the premises.

Provincial Armed Constabulary and paramilitary forces are part of the security at the venue.

The area has been divided into 15 zones and an officer for each has been appointed.

Aerial surveillance will be conducted with the help of helicopters, for which three helipads have been made at the Botanical Garden.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would attend Holi celebrations in Mathura on February 24 next year and perform aarti after artistes dressed up as Krishna and Radha Rani descend from a helicopter, stateminister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said.

On the occasion of Diwali this year, Adityanath had attended an event in Ayodhya as 1.71 lakh earthen lamps glittered on the banks of river Sarayu while a copter decorated as the mythological 'Pushpak Viman' descended with artistes dressed as Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman.

At a meeting convened to discuss the organisation of Holi celebrations, Chaudhary said the chief minister would watch a holi of flowers and rose powder in Barsana on February 24.

The main attraction of the event would be a helicopter descending with artistes dressed as Radha Rani and Krishna, following which Adityanath would perform aarti, the minister said.

The chief minister would then attend a flag worship ceremony and take part in Samaj Gayan (holy songs sung in front of the deity). He would then watch Laathmaar Holi in Rangili Gali, Chaudhary said.

Shailjakant Mishra, vice president of the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad, who attended the meeting, said the event would reflect Indian culture, especially Brij culture, and attract both foreign and domestic tourists.

Principal secretary (information), Avanish Awasthi, said, "Like Diwali in Ayodhya, where around two lakh earthen lamps were kindled in the presence of the chief minister, the Holi celebration would promote tourism.'

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