LIVE! Trump defends his executive orders, says world a horrible mess

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Sun, 29 January 2017

Trump defends his executive orders, says world a horrible mess

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20:50 Trump defends his executive orders, says world a horrible mess

US President Donald Trump today defended his controversial executive orders on immigration, borders and extreme vetting of refugees, saying that the world is a "horrible mess" and America needs "strong borders".

"Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!" Trump said in an early morning tweet.

In his first week in office as US President, Trump has signed several executive orders that immediately stops entry of refugees and temporarily ban issuing of visas to people from seven Muslim-majority countries and extreme vetting for others.

The executive orders has resulted in outrage among the opposition Democratic leaders, human rights bodies and a large section of the American tech-industry, including from Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The Reserve Bank of India has rejected the request of the Election Commission to enhance the weekly cash withdrawal limit, imposed after demonetisation, for those contesting assembly elections in five states, prompting an angry reaction from the poll panel.

The Commission had on Wednesday requested RBI to enhance the withdrawal limit of candidates to Rs2 lakh from Rs24,000 per week imposed post demonetisation as the nominees would find it difficult to meet their campaign expenditure.

But RBI said that it was not possible for it to hike the limit at this stage. An apparently peeved Commission has now written back to RBI governor Urjit Patel expressing serious concern about the cursory manner in which the issue has been dealt with.

"...(It) appears that the RBI has not realised the gravity of the situation...It is reiterated that it is the constitutional mandate of the Commission to conduct free and fair elections and to provide level-playing field to all candidates... in order to facilitate proper conduct of elections, it is imperative that directions issued by the Commission are complied with," the poll panel said.

It urged the central bank to reconsider the proposal.

As many as 101 candidates in Punjab are facing various criminal cases, including that of murder and attempt to murder, poll watchdog Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has said.

Besides, out of total 1,145 candidates in the fray, 428 are having assets of more than Rs 1 crore, with average assets per candidate being worked out at Rs 3.49 crore.

According to the analysis of candidates' affidavits by ADR, 101 out of 1,145 candidates have declared criminal cases against them.

Of them, 78 candidates are facing serious criminal charges including that of murder, attempt to murder and crime against women, said Jagdeep Chhokar, founding member of ADR.

Prominent among those who are facing criminal charges are Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder Singh, Simarjeet Singh Bains, he said.

As per report prepared by ADR, 14 candidates of Congress, 12 of AAP, 10 of SAD and 2 of BJP and 20 out of 304 Independents were facing criminal charges, said Chhokar.

The report also said that a whopping 688 out of total 1,145 contestants, have declared their educational qualification between 5th standard and 12th standard while 41 candidates are illiterate.

Despite political parties stressing upon giving more nominations to women in polls, 81 (7 per cent) women out of 1,145 candidates are contesting Punjab Assembly polls, as per the report.

Sir Mo Farah, Britain's double 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic champion, has condemned Donald Trump's decision to ban Muslims from several countries from travelling to America, calling the decision "ignorant and prejudiced" -- and saying he will have to tell his kids that he might not be able to come home to the US from his training camp in Ethiopia.

In a statement, he said: "On 1 January this year, Her Majesty the Queen made me a knight of the Realm. On 27 January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien."

"I am a British citizen who has lived in America for the past six years -- working hard, contributing to society, paying my taxes and bringing up our four children in the place they now call home. Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome. It's deeply troubling that I will have to tell my children that daddy might not be able to come home -- to explain why the President has introduced a policy that comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice.

"I was welcomed into Britain from Somalia at eight years old and given the chance to succeed and realise my dreams. I have been proud to represent my country, win medals for the British people and receive the greatest honour of a knighthood. My story is an example of what can happen when you follow polices of compassion and understanding, not hate and isolation."

The Election Commission on Sunday ordered poll authorities in Goa to register an FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks about bribes made at a poll rally in the state.

The poll body also termed as "scurrilous" the AAP leader's claim that the Commission is encouraging bribery by restraining him from uttering such statements.

The poll body said FIR/complaint be lodged against the AAP leader under provisions of the Representation of the People Act dealing with bribing voters and relevant sections of the IPC.

"Being Chief Minister of Delhi and a star campaigner of AAP in Goa, he is expected to conduct in an exemplary manner in election campaigns in a law abiding manner so as to be a role model for others to emulate but he has on several occasions again violated provisions of MCC by breaking his assurance to EC...

"The Commission directs that necessary legal action be initiated by filing an FIR/complaint against Arvind Kejriwal for the statements...compliance report in this regard should be sent to the Commission latest by 3.00pm on January 31," the poll panel said.

Seeking reservation in government jobs for the community, members of Jat organisations today started their agitation in most districts of Haryana.

The call for the fresh stir has been given by some Jat outfits, especially those owing allegiance to the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) headed by Yashpal Malik.

Members of the Jat community are staging peaceful dharnas at Ramayan village near the Hisar-Bhiwani railway track, Jolilath village on Sonipat-Gohana road, Jassia village on Rohtak Highway, Rasalwala Chowk in Jhajjar, Umrakheri village near Panipat-Shamli road, Bala village near Assandh road in Karnal, Malik said.

"The agitation in Yamunanagar, Panchkula and Mewat districts of the state will begin from January 31," Malik said, adding "the dharnas are peaceful...we are not blocking rail or road traffic".

Violence in last year's Jat stir claimed 30 lives and caused huge damage to property in the state.

However, officials said Haryana this time has been put on maximum alert.

Ridiculing the Centre's demonetisation policy, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today said many former RBI Governors had opposed the move, so the Modi government must have "consulted some RSS pracharak" before taking the decision.

He said the government's move from demonetisation to 'remonetisation' was not "notebandi" but "notebadli".

"...it is a decision taken without consulting those who should have been consulted. The Finance Secretary, the banking secretary and the Chief Economic Advisor were not consulted, so who was consulted?...they must have consulted some RSS pracharak," Chidambaram said addressing a meeting of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee in Hyderabad.

The former finance minister said a series of RBI Governors had opposed demonetisation for 27 years and none of them thought demonetisation was the answer.

"We had Raghuram Rajan as Governor for three years. He did not think demonetisation was the answer and he categorically told the government 'no'.. do not do demonetisation. Then, a new Governor (Urjit Patel) comes and in 64 days, he agrees for demonetisation," he alleged.

Chidambaram said no major country has demonetised its currency in the last 50 years.

"History books will show that Zimbabwe, North Korea, Libya and...India demonetised its currency... It is a shame... May be this government thought these were the most prosperous countries in the world," he said.

A documentary film on this year's Ashok Chakra awardee Hangappan Dada has taken the internet by storm with over eight lakh views within three days of its release, a tribute to the valiant soldier who killed three infiltrators single-handedly in Jammu and Kashmir before being martyred.

One of the makers of the 12-minute film -- Warriors of India -- is 27-year-old Somesh Saha could closely relate to the supreme sacrifice made by the soldier from Arunachal Pradesh as his father also belongs to Assam Regiment like Dada.

"My father, who happens to be the Colonel of Assam Regiment, was tensed over the loss of a soldier. An ordinary Indian would not understand this, but being the son of an Army officer, I have always been inspired by stories of soldiers. They have been a part of my upbringing," says the young filmmaker.

"I was not aware of the huge response but I wanted the valour of Havaldar Dada to go into the annals of history and these days history is internet. I talked to my two other friends and the result is extremely wonderful. The comment of one soldier, 'the film made me cry and smile at the same time', is etched on my mind and will remain my most treasured memory," says Somesh, who is a jingle expert in advertisement industry.

17:49 Respect for Mayawati is intact: Rahul

Rahul Gandhi today appeared soft on Bahujan Samaj Party stating that his respect for Mayawati at personal level is "intact".

"BSP government might have committed mistakes. I personally respect Mayawatiji. I respect Kanshi Ram also and there can be no comparison between Mayawati and BJP," he said.

The Congress vice president was replying to a question about the possibility of an alliance with BSP in the future at a press conference here addressed jointly by him and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

"BSP ran government and had committed mistakes but the respect is intact... There is a lot of difference between BJP and BSP. BJP's ideology is harmful to the country but Mayawati's ideology is not. Do not compare Maywatiji with RSS," he said praising the BSP supremo.

Asked if BSP could also be taken along in the alliance against BJP, Akhilesh light-heartedly said, Mayawati, whose party's symbol is elephant, will "require a lot of space".

When Akhilesh was reminded that he used to refer to Mayawati as "buaji" (aunt), the SP leader said, "Now I am not saying that any longer. You have not heard it from me now."

16:51

Just In: Nadal wins the fourth set 6-3 in 40 minutes.

16:34 GST protest: 70K tax officers to wear black bands to work tomorrow

About 70,000 tax officers and employees in the country will wear black bands at work tomorrow, on Martyrs Day, to protest some recent decisions taken by the GST Council headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The associations representing them said the decisions are heavily tilted towards the states which is not good for the sovereign function of the Centre to levy and collect taxes.

While extending their support for successful and smooth implementation of Goods and Services Tax, the associations demanded that the same has to be done in a rational and transparent manner.

"However, in the present set of things and decisions, which has been taken in the recent meeting of the GST Council, it is felt that the basic structure of the scheme is being compromised and the same may lead to utmost chaos which may be detrimental not only to the revenue but also to the industry, trade and commerce in general," the associations said in a statement issued today.

16:10

Just In: Federer takes the 3rd set 6-1, leads Australian Open final 2 sets to 1.

16:08 Merkel says Trump immigration ban 'not justified': spokesman

German Chancellor Angela Merkel today condemned the restrictions on immigration imposed by US President Donald Trump, seeing them as unjustified, her spokesman said.

"She is convinced that even in the necessarily resolute battle against terrorism it is not justified to place people from a certain origin or belief under general suspicion," Steffen Seibert was quoted as saying by national news agency DPA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally in Punjab's Kotkapura. Highlights of his speech:

* AAP's attack on EC for same day polls in Goa & Punjab is an excuse for defeat; it will lose due to party's antics in Delhi.

* Congress labelled youth of state as terrorists. Few others called them drug addicts. How can that be accepted?

* Any farmer can sell his produce using technology, using his mobile phone.

* Ethanol production plant will be set up soon in Punjab.

* Akali Dal is the only party of and for the farmers.

* Punjab shares its border with Pakistan; For security, the state needs a Govt committed to safety & security in the State.

* I urge people in Punjab to elect a Govt that is committed to welfare of people of the state.

* The country's fortunes are linked with the Punjab poll verdict

15:25

Just In: Nadal levels Australian Open final against Federer at one set all

14:43 Modi asks the youth to spread stories of soldiers' valour

On the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary observed as Martyrs' Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the youth to use social media to spread stories of valour of soldiers, who were recently given bravery awards, saying it will make people proud and inspire them.

In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' address, he also paid tributes to soldiers who died in avalanches in Kashmir at a time when the country was holding Republic Day celebrations.

"On January 30, the death anniversary of our revered Bapu, we observe 2-minute silence at 11am to pay our tributes to the nation's martyrs. This 2-minute silence on January 30 should become a practice for us as a society and country...I especially urge the youth as you are very active on social media.

"Please search on Internet about the brave soldiers who were awarded this year. Write about them and spread it among your friends. When we come to know of their valour, then we are surprised as well as feel proud and inspired," he said, congratulating soldiers and their families who received awards in various categories.

Modi used the broadcast to offer his congratulations to the Coast Guard for completing 40 years of service during which it has become one of the four largest coastal security forces in the world with a fleet of 126 ships and 62 aircraft. Its anniversary falls on February one.

Over Rs 96 crore in cash, 14.27 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 25.22 crore and more than 4,700 kg narcotics valued at Rs 19.83 crore have been seized, with the maximum from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, by EC-appointed surveillance and expenditure monitoring teams in the five poll-bound states.

As per official data compiled since the announcement of polls early this month till Saturday, UP has witnessed the maximum seizure of cash at Rs 87.67 crore followed by Rs 6.60 crore from Punjab, Rs 1.27 crore in Goa, Rs 47.06 lakh in Uttarakhand and Rs 8.13 lakh in Manipur.

In other illegal inducements suspected to be used to lure voters in these states, a whopping 14.27 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 25.22 crore has been seized by Election Commission appointed police and state excise teams in these states.

In UP these seizures were recorded at 8.01 lakh litres worth Rs 20.62 crore followed by over five lakh litres spirits worth Rs 2.69 crore seized in Punjab, over 36,000 litres liquor worth Rs 93.91 lakh in Uttarakhand, 71,000 litres worth Rs 81.80 lakh in Goa and beer and other hard spirits worth Rs 15.14 lakh in Goa.

In Punjab's Bathinda on Saturday, one lakh liquor bottles were seized by surveillance teams for which the valuation is being done, it said.

Drug seizures by the anti-narcotics agencies and police teams was seen maximum in Punjab as the total haul has been recorded at 4,774 kg valued at Rs 19.83 crore, with Punjab accounting for 2,632 kgs worth Rs 12.30 crore followed by Rs 2,035 kg worth Rs 4.89 crore seized in UP, over Rs two crore in Manipur, 6.85 kg of the same consignment worth Rs 34.22 lakh in Goa and about Rs 28.54 lakh worth contraband in Uttarakhand.

14:05 The 'cycle' will be with the 'hand': Akhilesh

More highlights from the jointpress conference of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav:

Rahul Gandhi: The SP-Congress alliance will help foster brotherhood and communal harmony in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul Gandhi: We will show the BJP that you cannot divide this country, cannot trample over people and win elections.

Rahul Gandhi: Alliance is confluence of Ganga & Yamuna out of which Saraswati of development will come out.

Rahul Gandhi: Priyanka has been of tremendous help to me. Whether she campaigns or not is her choice, she is an asset to Congress.

Akhilesh Yadav: In the coming 5 years, we will together govern the state well.

Akhilesh Yadav: Mann ki baat manoge, to phas jaoge (If you listen to mann ki baat, you will be in trouble)

Rahul Gandhi: We want to give the youth another option. The Cong and SP have similarities; this is an alliance based on these similarities:

Akhilesh Yadav: The 'cycle' will be with the hand

The fitness trainer of Under-19 Indian cricket team Rajesh Sawant was found dead in a private hotel on Sunday morning, police said.

The incident came to light when 40-year-old Sawant did not report for the training session in morning and so other team staff went to his room, they said.

"When there was no response after knocking the door repeatedly, the room was opened and they (the staff members) found him lying unconscious," police said.

Marine Drive Police was informed and Sawant was immediately shifted to Bombay Hospital where he was declared dead before admission.

It is suspected that he may have died due to cardiac arrest, they added.

The exact reason of his death will be ascertained only after post-mortem, Deputy Commissioner of Police Manojkumar Sharma said.

The India team is scheduled to play five 50-over games and two four-day games against England Under-19 from tomorrow at Wankhede Stadium.

US President Donald Trump today directed the country's military to develop a "comprehensive strategy" within 30 days to defeat the ISIS, asserting that America must take decisive action against the dreaded terror group.

"The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is not the only threat from radical Islamic terrorism that the US faces, but it is among the most vicious and aggressive. It is also attempting to create its own state, which ISIS claims as a 'caliphate'. But there can be no accommodation or negotiation with it," Trump said in his executive order.

"For those reasons I am directing my administration to develop a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS," he said.

The plan to be submitted to the President within 30 days calls for a comprehensive strategy to defeat the ISIS and recommend changes to any US rules of engagement and other American policy restrictions that exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of force against the terror group.

Trump said the ISIS has engaged in a systematic campaign of persecution and extermination in those territories it enters or controls.

"If ISIS is left in power, the threat that it poses will only grow," he warned.

13:49 FM may hike service tax to 16-18% in Budget

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may hike service tax rate to 16-18 per cent from the current 15 per cent in the Budget, due on Wednesday, as a precursor to the Goods and Services Tax rollout.

The move, that will make flying, eating out, phone bills and a host of other services expensive, would be an attempt to take the rates closer to the proposed tax slabs for GST.

GST, which will subsume central and state levies like excise duty, service tax and VAT, is scheduled to be rolled out from July 1.

The tax slabs decided for the GST are 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent and taking service tax closer to one of the slabs is a logical move in the Budget, tax experts said.

Tax experts say, Jaitley, who had in his previous budget hiked service tax rate by 0.5 per cent to 15 per cent, may raise the levy by at least one percentage point to 16 per cent.

Some others feel there could be different service tax rates with a lower 12 per cent for basic services and a higher 18 per cent for the rest.

Also, a higher service tax for April-June will help the government garner more revenue to meet expenses on schemes and programmes it may be planning to contain the impact of demonetisation.

13:48 FinMin may scrap sugar cess in Budget 2017

As part of the exercise to move towards the uniform goods and services tax, the Finance Ministry in its forthcoming budget is likely to abolish sugar cess, a levy which forms corpus of the Sugar Development Fund and is used for modernisation and expansion of mills.

The Centre is levying the cess, collected as an excise duty, of Rs 124 per quintal on the sweetener produced by any factory in the country. It was raised substantially from Rs 24 per quintal only last year.

The cess, collected from sugar mills, is deposited in Sugar Development Fund (SDF) managed by the food ministry. The fund is used to lend money to mills at lower interest rates.

According to sources, various kinds of cess and surcharges are levied on goods and services. The finance ministry wants to subsume some cesses under GST, which is why it has proposed to do away with the sugar cess under SDF.

Some cesses would continue as funds collected will be used to compensate states for any losses incurred after GST is rolled out, the sources added.

And this is what senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan had to say:

The decision to ally with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is like choosing the "lesser evil" because of the need for secular forces to come together to take on the BJP.

The UP minister also took a dig at rival BSP, saying that giving 97 tickets to Muslim candidates is not enough and the Mayawati-led party should have given 403 seats to candidates from the community if it wants to woo it.

"In the laboratory of politics, there are experiments of political science...There was an experience in Bihar of a 'mahagathbandhan' (grand coalition). That experiment in Bihar had succeeded and there was a view among common people that there could be a coalition of like-minded secular people or people who are close to being secular or those who were once secular but because of political compulsions lost their way and again want to take that path, so those people should come together and contest elections," Khan said.

Days after stitching up an electoral alliance for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav are addressing a joint press conference in Lucknow on Sunday.

Highlights:

Akhilesh Yadav: Rahul Gandhi and I are like two wheels of a cycle.

Akhilesh Yadav: This alliance will answer those who made the nation stand in queues.

Rahul Gandhi: The alliance has made the personal and political relationship between Akhilesh and me better.

Rahul Gandhi: This SP-Congress partnership is an answer to politics of division and hate.

Rahul Gandhi: Akhilesh and I have both political and personal relationship.

Akhilesh Yadav: We will win 300+ seats and people's confidence.

To plug tax loopholes, the I-T department will use Big Data analytics to track down evaders by collecting information such as common address, mobile number and e-mail to establish relationship between their multiple PANs.

The department, with support from private firms, will analyse the voluminous data available post demonetisation for checking relationships between PAN holders.

The Managed Service Provider (MSP), which the I-T department plans to hire, will design and operationalise analytical solution that will help collating data, matching it and identifying relationships as well as clustering of PAN and non-PAN data, an official said.

The analytical solution would help the department gather data received from banks, post offices and other sources for linking of information and identification of duplicate details.

It will also identify records with errors or other defects for resubmission. "The data quality errors and defects will be communicated to the reporting person or entities, say, banks or post offices for correction and improving data quality," the official added.

The arterial Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was thrown open for one-way traffic today, five days after snowfall in the Valley had led to the closure of the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and the rest of the country.

"The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has been opened for traffic and vehicles have been allowed to ply from Jammu towards Srinagar," an official of the Traffic Control

department said.

He said following the improvement in the weather, the highway was cleared off snow and debris left by landslides and one-way traffic was allowed this morning.

The nearly 300-km road was closed for traffic in the wake of snowfall on Tuesday. It remained shut for five days, choking the supply of essentials to the Valley where prices of these commodities have more than doubled in the past week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat:

I congratulate families and personnel who won gallantry awards on Republic Day. I urge youth to research on them by using internet and spread the word.

My condolence to the brave jawans who lost their lives due to avalanche in Jammu and Kashmir.

We will observe a silence of 2 minutes on morning of 30 Jan to pay respect to martyrs who gave their lives for the nation.

In the light of recent Republic day celebrations I'd say the stress laid on rights must also be laid on duties.

I want to talk about exams and what so many people have written to me.

Why should exam time be a time of stress or sadness? Do not think about exams as pressure; they should be celebrated as festivals. I will tell all students smile more and score more.

During exams there should be an environment of festivity, it will turn P for pressure into P for pleasure. When you are relaxed, the recall value will be more; Relaxation is the best tonic for memory. A happy mind is the secret of a good mark sheet. The exams that you'll give are a test of this year not of a lifetime.

We sometimes do not see exams in the right perspective; Exams are not a benchmark of your success in life. See example of Dr Kalam. He wasn't able to get into the forces, if he would've let it hamper him, we wouldn't have had a great man like him

If your mission and ambition are in sync, marks will follow. You should compete with yourself to see how can tomorrow be made better than yesterday.

Only studying for marks will lead to shortcuts and one will limit himself or herself. Its important to study for knowledge. See the example of Sachin Tendulkar, for 20 years he kept breaking his own records hence getting better every time.

Look at life of Sachin Tendulkar; he kept challenging himself and bettered his own records, which is what is inspiring

Competing with others can make you unhappy and jealous. Complete with yourself and you will be energised and more determined to excel. Root of problems are expectations, it is acceptance that makes things easy.

I urge parents to accept rather than expect. Our expectations from our children should not get heavy. Parents' expectations are much heavier than the school bags of students.

Haryana has been put on maximum alert in view of the call for a fresh round of quota agitation from Sunday given by some Jat outfits.

During a similar stir a year ago, there were 30 deaths and widespread destruction of property.

An assembly of five or more people in about 500 metres from national and state highways and railway stations has been banned.

The paramilitary forces are out in sensitive areas while heavy police force too has been deployed to maintain strict vigil. -- ANI

Image for representation only.

Iran said on Saturday it would stop United States citizens entering the country in retaliation to Washington's visa ban against Tehran and six other majority-Muslim countries announced by President Donald Trump.

'While respecting the American people and distinguishing between them and the hostile policies of the US government, Iran will implement the principle of reciprocity until the offensive US limitations against Iranian nationals are lifted,' a Foreign Ministry statement said.

'The restrictions against travel by Muslims to America... are an open affront against the Muslim world and the Iranian nation in particular and will be known as a great gift to extremists,' said the statement, carried by state media.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said it was no time to build walls between nations and criticised steps towards cancelling world trade agreements, without naming Trump. -- Agencies

The Vigilance Department of the Delhi government is faced with a piquant situation after it received Rs 23,500 in demonetised notes from the dean of a top medical college who got the money by post from an unknown donor which was meant for the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

A packet containing the notes had come to Deepak K Tampe, Dean of Maulana Azad Medical College. It was clearly written on the packet the money is meant for the Prime Minister National Relief Fund, Delhi government sources said.

The dean sent the packet to Vigilance Department along with a letter saying he felt something 'fishy' about the packet which contained two envelops one of which had the scrapped notes.

The Vigilance Department after receiving the packet apprised and consulted the Account Section of the Finance Department on how to deal with the case.

Official sources said the Accounts Department is mulling over the matter and is likely to give its opinion in the next two-three days.

Officials suspected that donor might not have been able to exchange the Rs 23,500 that's why he or she may have decided to donate the amount to Prime Minister Relief Fund.

"The amount of Rs 23,500 received was in 11 demonetised currency notes of 1,000 and the rest was in 500 demonetised notes," sources said.

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who wrote and directed the 2017 Oscar-nominated foreign language film The Salesman, would not be able to enter the United States for the awards under President Donald Trump's recently enacted travel ban.

The 2017 Oscars will take place on February 26.

Farhadi's film A Separation won an Academy Award for best foreign film in 2012. The Salesman -- the title a reference to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman -- tells the story of a young couple, who play the lead roles in the play.

On Thursday, after Trump proposed the bans, Iranian star of The Salesman Taraneh Alidoosti announced that she would not attend the awards as a boycott.

09:49

JUST IN: Officials say boat with 28 Chinese tourists missing in Malaysia.

09:46 Trump's travel ban affects non-Muslims too

About 300 non-Muslim Iranians, who expected to establish new homes in the United States, have been denied entry into Austria, the country they hoped to use as a way station, the American media reported.

Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by the Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha'i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States.

Iran has banned the Baha'i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers.

Read more.

09:37

The Iranian student who was not allowed re-entry into the United States post travel ban. Read.

09:34 Read these stories about people affected by Trump's immigration order

United States President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, which suspends the arrival of visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and bars all refugees from entering the country for four months, caused chaos and confusion across the world on Saturday.

The stories of those affected by the measure illustrate how Trump's order was broader than many were expecting.

Read about the lives that have been shaken up by a stroke of Trump's pen.

IMAGE: Demonstrators shout slogans during anti-immigration ban protests outside Terminal 4 at San Francisco International Airport. Photograph: Kate Munsch/Reuters

09:24 Federal judge stays Trump's travel ban

A federal judge in New York has granted an emergency stay on President Donald Trump's travel ban, reports in the American media say.

The stay has been granted for citizens in transit from seven countries named in Trump's executive order.

The order came after several passengers from these seven countries, who left for the United States before the ban came into effect, were detained after arriving at the NYC airport. -- Agencies

Google delivered a sharp message to staff traveling overseas who may be impacted by a new executive order on immigration from President Donald Trump: Get back to the United States now.

Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai slammed Trump's move in a note to employees Friday, telling them that more than 100 company staff are affected by the order.

Read more.

Clarifying his stand on his film Padmavati, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has said that the periodic film shows no objectionable scenes between Rani Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji, while expressing confidence that the people of Mewar would be proud of the move made on their 'revered queen'.

The official statement of his team said, 'Sanjay Leela Bhansali has shot two films in Jaipur and despite his love for Rajasthan, for the safety of his crew, we have decided to stop the shoot and leave the city post the shocking incident where miscreants damaged property and misbehaved with the crew on the shoot of Padmavati.'

'He was inspired by the beautiful and courageous queen and is making a feature film on the story. We clarify that there is no dream sequence or any objectionable scene between Rani Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji. We have been carefully researching and making the film,' the statement read.

Expressing gratefulness to the authorities of Jaipur 'who responded promptly and limited that damage on shoot', the team said, 'We are confident that Mewar will be proud of the film made on their revered queen. We do not want to hurt any sentiments and would appreciate if the local people support is in making this film and making their queen revered by the world.' -- ANI

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