Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad today appealed to senior Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav to undertake a nationwide tour to defeat 'communal' forces that have fanned out in the country.

"The kind of communal atmosphere is prevailing in the country, we desperately need politicians like Sharad Yadav ji who believes in secular fabric of the nation," he said in Patna.

"I will appeal Sharad ji to undertake a nationwide tour and throw all his energy into defeating the communal forces that have fanned out in the country," he said.

Notably, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury had met Sharad Yadav on July 28, the day JD-U chief Nitish Kumar won the confidence vote in the Bihar assembly.

According to sources, Sharad Yadav did not approve of Nitish Kumar's move to dump the 'grand alliance' and form a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar.

The former JD-U president is also said to be 'upset' over not being taken into 'confidence' by the chief minister before he decided to align with the BJP.  -- PTI

Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today vacated the official residence and shifted to the hill resort of Murree along with his family, days after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday disqualified 67-year-old Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader out of office.

Sharif left the PM House with his wife Kulsum Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law Captain (Retd) Safdar and shifted to his private residence in the hill resort of Murree near Islamabad.

He met the staff before leaving.

The luggage of the former first family was already shifted, local media reports said.

Ousted finance minister and Sharif confidante Ishaq Dar also left for Murree with the Sharif family.

The PM House, nestled in the foothills of Margalla Hills overlooking the capital Islamabad, would be renovated for the new occupant, officials said.

It is not known for how long Sharif would stay in Murree, a place he likes a lot and has been visiting frequently since he was the chief minister of Punjab.  -- PTI

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav does not approve of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's move to dump the 'grand alliance' and form government with the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to Communist Party of India leader D Raja who met him in New Delhi on Sunday.

Raja said Yadav is 'upset and disturbed' over the developments in Bihar.

In a sudden development, Kumar had quit as Chief Minister on Wednesday last, dumping the grand alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.

He formed a new government next day with the BJP.

"I understand he (Yadav) was kept out of the decision," the CPI leader told PTI.

Raja said he met Yadav after the latter called him up yesterday when he was in Chennai.

Yadav, former president of JD-U, has so far not commented publicly on the Bihar developments.

Describing Kumar's action as 'betrayal of the people's mandate' in Bihar, Raja said, 'in this moment of crisis, Yadav should stand up and lead the fight against evil designs of BJP-RSS and communal forces'. -- PTI

In a fresh round of violence, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters and police clashed in Jaigaon on Sunday.

The protest turned violent at Jaigaon in Alipurduar district when police stopped a rally by protesters, injuring many including police personnel.

Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to stop the GJM supporters.

The GJM supporters took our rallies at several parts of Darjeeling and other districts of North Bengal carrying black flags in protest against the recent crackdown on pro-Gorkhaland supporters.

The protesters demanded Centre's intervention for the cause of Gorkhaland.

Earlier on Saturday, several protestors and police personnel were injured in the clashes that took place in Sukna area of the hills.

The police and security forces patrolled the streets of the hills and kept a tight vigil at all entry and exit routes.

Normal life remained crippled on the 46th day of the ongoing indefinite strike to press for a separate Gorkhaland state. Barring medicine shops, business establishments, restaurants, hotels, schools and colleges remained closed. -- ANI

The Congress on Sunday paraded its Gujarat MLAs before media in a resort in Bengaluru.

The party alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state is threatening and trying to bribe the MLAs.

"The BJP is hitting below the belt, we are fighting to protect democracy," senior party leader and MLA Shaktisinh Gohil said.

"Ask these MLAs the way they are threatened, they chose to stand by party even when offered Rs 15 crore," Gohil said, adding that the Congress has required numbers to win the Rajya Sabha polls.

"There's no need for us to stay here (in Bengaluru) for even a minute if they say they won't threaten," Gohil said. -- ANI

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist in Kerala said on Sunday that the killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Rajesh is not linked to politics.

"Probe shows the attack on RSS worker isn't political killing. Main accused isn't a CPI-M member," Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI-M state secretary said.

"In last two weeks, two cases were registered against the victim and the main accused over personal rivalry. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is creating law and order problems," Balakrishnan said.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh voiced concern over attacks on political workers in Kerala and said political violence was unacceptable in a democracy.

During a telephonic conversation with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Singh discussed with him the recent incidents of political violence in the state.

'I have expressed my concern over the law and order situation in the state of Kerala. Political violence is unacceptable in a democracy,' he said in a tweet.  -- ANI, PTI

Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Pavak intercepted and apprehended a Merchant Vessel carrying approximately 1,500 kilogrammes of heroin valued at about Rs 3,500 crore off the coast of Gujarat.

Based on intelligence inputs, the vessel was intercepted at around 12 noon on July 29.

This is the largest single haul of narcotics seized till date.

Joint investigation of the vessel by the ICG, IB, Police, Customs, Navy and other agencies is currently underway. -- ANI

Photograph: ANI

A gunman opened fire at a disco in southern Germany today, killing one and wounding four before being shot by police, officials said in a statement.

The 34-year-old attacker 'was critically injured in a shootout with police officers as he left the disco, and later succumbed to his wounds in hospital', police said in a statement. -- Agencies

After a fatwa was issued against Janata Dal-United leader Firoz Ahmad for saying 'Jai Shri Ram' by the Mufti of Imarat Shariah in Patna, the Muslim leader on Sunday affirmed that he stands firm on his words, as he believes in humanity and serving people of Bihar.

"If saying 'Jai Shri Ram' is important for the country, then I would not stop myself from saying it. I was not just elected to serve the Muslim community. My duty is to serve the public of Bihar, irrespective of their cast, creed and religion", Ahmad told ANI.

Ahmad asserted that his religion cannot be questioned based on the phrase 'Jai Shri Ram'.

"Islam teaches you to love all. My faith is not so weak that just by saying 'Jai Shri Ram', I will turn into a Hindu. Allah knows my purpose of saying ' Jai Shri Ram'. We all worship the same God", he said.

The JD-U leader further said that he's not afraid of the fatwa and his work would prove his identity.

"My work would prove my identity. I am not scared about the Fatwa at all. I don't have anything to lose. I am would only be afraid, if I am unable to fulfill my responsibilities towards the public of Bihar", he said.  -- ANI

Pakistan's parliament will elect a new prime minister on Tuesday to replace the ousted premier Nawaz Sharif.

The Supreme Court on Friday disqualified 67-year-old Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader out of office.

President Mamnoon Hussain has summoned National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Tuesday at 3 pm to elect the new leader of the house. Separately, the National Assembly Secretariat has announced schedule for election of the new prime minister.

According to a notification, nomination papers can be obtained from the office of the secretary National Assembly from 3 pm on Friday. The papers will be received till 2 pm tomorrow and the speaker National Assembly will scrutinise the papers at 3 pm the same day and announce the list of final candidates.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister for now but later he would make way for Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister. -- PTI

The air hostess and crew members of the Air India Mumbai to Jeddah flight were detained in Saudi Arabia for three hours due to a permit issue.

The incident took place on June 26 when the crew members of the national carrier landed in Jeddah. The air hostess and crew of the Air India flight 931 were returning to their hotel after having dinner when their taxi was intercepted by Saudi police to check their permits.

Despite showing the xerox of immigration and valid Air India IDs they were put in the police vans and were told not to use cell phones.

The crew members made a call to hotel and explained the situation and gave the location following which two hotel staff came for their release.

The staff showed the immigration paper to the police and tried to explain them but they didn't listen and took the crew members to the police station.

The cell phones of the crew members were confiscated by the police and they were locked in a room. After three hours, an Arab hotel staff came and explained the police official about their identity following which they were released.

The crew members and the air hostess were detained as xerox permits were not valid in Jeddah, and only original documents and passports are valid.

The crew members upon reaching hotel got a call from station manager, Jeddah, who enquired about the incident. The station manager said that the amnesty period is over in Saudi and the government is throwing out illegal immigrants.  -- ANI

Image for representation only.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation through his radio programme Mann Ki Baat. Excerpts:

- Monsoon is enjoyable but this season also leads to floods. We are doing everything to help in relief and rehabilitation. A 24x7 control room helpline number 1078 is functioning continuously to deal with the flood situation.

- Like always, I seek ideas and suggestions from people. This time, I have got lot of calls and letters on GST (goods and services tax).

- It has been one month since GST was implemented and its benefits can be seen already. I feel very happy when a poor person writes to say how because of GST prices of various items essential for him have come down.

- GST has transformed the economy. GST is more than just a tax reform! It ushers in a new culture.

- Successful rollout of GST is a case study. It is also an example of cooperative federalism. All decisions taken by both Centre and states.

The Kerala Police on Sunday detained three people in connection with the murder of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker in Thiruvanthapuram.

The accused have been sent to the police custody.

The state police chief said the cops have been instructed to strictly deal with any attempt to incite violence and adequate force have been deployed in all sensitive spots.

He also appealed to social media users to restrain themselves from spreading rumours and provocative messages, which would attract legal action. -- ANI

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today said that anti-terror raids carried out in Sydney yesterday "disrupted" an alleged plot to bring down an
aircraft, even as four people were held in this connection.

According to media reports yesterday, four men were arrested during anti-terror raids carried out by Australian federal police, New South Wales police at five
properties in Sydney.
 
"We face a range of terrorist threats. Some of them are lone actors, who activate very quickly with very little warning. On other occasions you get quite elaborate conspiracies this appears to be in that category," Turnbull
said.
  
Police allege the group of Sydney men were planning to use an "improvised device" to carry an attack to bring down an aircraft but no details on a particular target, location, time or date were uncovered.
  
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said they had no reason to believe airport security had been "compromised" but a heightened state of security has been implemented.

Police said that they found the material and items that could be used to make a homemade bomb, when they raided the house at Surry Hills yesterday.
  
Turnbull said the "major counter-terrorism operation" was underway and extra security measures had been put in place at major airports.

He said those with plans to travel should do so with confidence, but allow extra time for security screening because of the threat.

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter between security forces and militants in Tahab village of Pulwama district in South Kashmir this morning.  The local terrorists have been identified as Irfan Ahmad Sheikh and Abid Magray.

Forces from Jammu and Kashmir police and army cordoned off Tahab village in Pulwama on specific input about presence of terrorists in area.

As the cordon and search operation continued from house to house, militants hiding in one of the house fired on the forces.

Combing operations are on to flush out more terrorists who could be hiding in the region.

Security forces have cleared the area for civilians and operation is underway.

Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was under pressure from RJD chief Lalu Prasad during the grand alliance rule in Bihar and described his step to walk out of the coalition as a "big step" towards clean politics.

Rudy, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, also expressed confidence that under the new JD-U-BJP government, Bihar would be transformed.

"Bihar's population is 11 crore and Nitish Kumar has forged the partnership with the BJP in the interest of these people and the state. This alliance should have taken place much earlier. With this decision, Bihar is heading towards big transformation," he said.

"I feel Nitish Kumar was under huge pressure of Lalu Prasad Yadav during the alliance, but now he is relieved and I think this decision is a big step in the direction of clean politics," he added.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said singing 'Vande Mataram' was a "matter of choice" and those refusing to sing it could not be dubbed as anti- nationals.

"Singing Vande Mataram is absolutely an individual's choice. Those who want to sing can sing it, those who don't, may not. Not singing it does not make one anti-national," said the Union minister of state (independent charge) for parliamentary affairs and minority affairs.

He added that however, if someone deliberately opposed the singing of the national song, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, it was "in bad taste" and "not in the interest of the country".

Meanwhile, commenting on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's return to the NDA-fold, Naqvi described the JD-U chief as "a natural ally of the BJP".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Assam on August 1 to review the flood situation in the state. The floods in Assam this year have claimed 79 lives so far.

During the visit, the prime minister would discuss all the aspects related to the floods with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior officials.

The Centre has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each under the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those dead and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured in the floods.

Meanwhile, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit has contributed a month's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the flood-hit people.

PLEASE READ: From Gujarat to Assam, India faces flood fury

Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif deserved what he got, former president and army chief General Pervez Musharraf said.


Musharraf called the Pakistan Supreme Court judgment that deposed of Sharif "tremendous" and good for the people of Pakistan.

Musharraf denied charges that the Supreme Court disqualifying Sharif from office amounted to a 'judicial coup', saying that the judgment was "well thought-out" and applauding the justices for showing "caliber".

The Pakistan Supreme Court verdict came in a case related to the Panama Papers expose that threw up documents purportedly showing Sharif's family owning properties in excess of their incomes.