Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to the United States and meeting Donald Trump later this year, the White House has announced. 

Another civilian has died in the Budgam encounter taking the death toll to three. One terrorist was killed and a stash of ammunition has been recovered.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said nothing can be achieved through violence adding that the state must realize this and accept that only talks are the way forward.

Mufti asserted that thousands of militants, civilians and have died in attacks and encounters.

"Nothing can be achieved through war and violence. Every year thousands of militants, civilians, security forces and police officials die due to these attacks," she said.

Security forces on Tuesday gunned down a terrorist and also recovered a weapon from him, ending the encounter which began this morning.

However, an Army jawan has been injured and three civilians have been killed during the gunbattle.

Meanwhile, security forces have launched a combing operation to sweep the area, ensuring no untoward elements are still present.

The encounter started around 6 a.m. after security forces launched cordon and search operation in the area on the basis of specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area.


Image: Mourners with the body of one of the civilians killed during the encounter during clashes with security forces. Pic: Umar Ganie

Britain's Daily Mail newspaper has been reported to the press regulator for publishing a front page in which it focused a photo of Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeons' legs, reports the Independent.

Amelia Womack, the deputy leader of the Green Party, accused the paper of breaking the editors' code and treating women with "contempt' in a submission to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), which the paper is signed up to.

The newspaper's 28 March front page was dominated by a large picture of Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon wearing tights, with the caption "Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!' (See image alongside).

Separatists in Kashmir have called for a general strike tomorrow against the killing of three civilians during protests near an encounter site in Budgam district and sought an impartial inquiry into the incident.

"There should be a complete strike tomorrow and peaceful protests after Friday prayers against the incident," chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement.

Two youth were killed when security forces, engaged in an encounter with militants at Durbugh village of Chadoora, opened fire to chase away protesters attempting to break the cordon around a house where militants had taken shelter.

The separatists alleged that the Chadoora incident was the outcome of the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's statement warning local youth against creating hurdles during anti-militancy operations early this year.

Update: Chinese company Oppo faced major backlash at its Noida office on Tuesday after an employee allegedly "tore the national flag and dumped it in a dustbin." Soon after, people reached the site with flags in protest against Oppo India for allegedly disrespecting the national flag.  Details awaited.


Image: Actress Bipasha Basu is the brand ambassador.

Just in: HC bans all mining in Uttarakhand and seeks a reply from the state government.  

Chinese national disrespects the tricolour. Reports say that the flag was allegedly dumped in a dustbin, provoking protests against a Chinese mobile firm. Details awaited. 

UPDATE Jammu and Kashmir: Budgam Encounter ends, one terrorist was gunned down by security forces, and an army jawan has been injured.

Heads up property owners.

From July 1, leasing of land, renting of buildings as well as EMIs paid for purchase of under-construction houses will start attracting the Goods and Services Tax. Sale of land and buildings will be however out of the purview of GST, the new indirect tax regime. Such transactions will continue to attract the stamp duty, according to the legislations Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced in the Lok Sabha yesterday for approval.

Electricity has also been kept out of the GST ambit. GST, which the government intends to roll out from July 1, 2017, will subsume central excise, service tax and state VAT among other indirect levies on manufactured goods and services.


The Central GST (CGST) bill -- one of the four legislations introduced, states that any lease, tenancy, easement, licence to occupy land will be considered as supply of service.


Also, any lease or letting out of the building, including a commercial, industrial or residential complex for business or commerce, either wholly or partly, is a supply of services as per the CGST bill.


The GST bills provide that sale of land and, sale of building except the sale of under construction building will nether be treated as a supply of goods not a supply of services. Thus GST can't be levied in those supplies.


'Goods' in earlier drafts of the bills were defined as every kind of movable property other than money and securities but includes actionable claim. 'Services' were defined as anything other than goods. It was thought that GST may be levied on supply of immovable property such as Land or building apart from levy of stamp duty. But the bills presented in Parliament have now clarified this position.


Tax experts said that currently service tax is levied on rents paid for commercial and industrial units, although it is exempt for residential units.

Just in: The house in which the militants were holed up in Budgam, J-K, has been burnt to the ground by the security forces. One terrorist has been killed and arms recovered, while two civilians have been killed in clashes with the security forces at the encounter site. 

While fellow MPs had criticised Gaikwad's action, and Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she would take a call if any parliamentarian brought the topic to her notice in the House, the Sena has taken no action against its MP.

In fact, the party called for a bandh in his constituency Osmanabad in protest.


The MP has refused to apologise nor has he expressed regret for his behaviour, telling journalists on Friday, "Kaahe ka pashchaataap (what is there to repent)? I will not apologise ... he (Sukumar) should come and apologise. Then we will see. A 60-year-old man should know how to behave,' he said.

Sukumar (60) was the duty manager who had intervened when Gaikwad refused to get off the flight at Delhi.

Air India has cancelled Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad's Mumbai-Delhi ticket again. Air India which instituted a fly ban for the MP who slapped an elderly employee 25 times with his slippers, has blacklisted the MP.

On Friday, Air India and several other private carriers refused to fly Gaikwad from Delhi to Mumbai after which he was forced to take the train.

Reports say that today too, Gaikwad has taken a train for Delhi.

Blacklisting a passenger is a common practice among many international and some Indian private airlines for safety and security reasons, this is the first time that the national carrier has introduced such a 'blacklist' of rowdy passengers.

Gaikwad has however refused to to apologise for the incident.

Pellet guns "may be" used by the security forces in Kashmir valley to disperse the rioters if their alternatives fail, the government said today. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj G Ahir said that the government had constituted an expert committee on July 26, 2016 to explore other possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons.


"The commitee has submitted its report and the recommendations have been taken into account by the government for appropriate implementation.


"Accordingly, the government has decided that the security forces will resort to various measures such as using PAVA- chilli (shells and grenades), Stun Lac (shells and grenades) and tear smoke shells to disperse the rioters," he said.


The Minister added: "However, if these measures prove to be ineffective in dispersing of rioters, use of pellet guns may be resorted to." He was replying to question whether the government is planning to take a re-look at the non-lethal weapons used by the security forces as scores of people have lost their vision due to shots fired from pellet guns in the Kashmir valley.

In a shocking remark, Congress leader MM Hassan has said menstruation is impure and women should not enter places of worship during that time.


"Menstruation is impure and during this period women should not enter temples. There is a scientific reason behind the instruction that women should enter during this period. It should not be given other interpretations. During this period, Muslim women do not observe fast. My opinion is that women should not go to temple, mosque or church when their body is impure," he said at a public function after he took over as KPCC's interim president.

Succumbing to the pressure of former chief minister and veteran leader Oommen Chandy, the Congress high command has decided to give the temporary charge of KPCC president to Chandy's nominee Hassan.

The president's post has been lying vacant ever since V.M. Sudheeran decided to resign on health grounds.

US President Donald Trump congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Uttar Pradesh victory was the main topic of discussion among MEA's senior joint secretaries over their RAX internal communication system on Tuesday. 

India captain Virat Kohli today said that he would wear a "broader smile" on his face once the current team conquers an overseas season. Asked why he does not look happy even after 10 wins in 13 Tests over India's longest home season in recent times, the skipper replied, "It is a classic case of understanding that this is not the end of anything."


"No need to get over excited with whatever we have done. We are very happy with No 1 ranking in the world but our main challenge begins now. If we can conquer the overseas season, that's when you will see a broader smile on my face when I sit down for the press conference." For Kohli, the biggest gain has been building a team for the future with all these wins at home.


"It is a very proud moment. Playing good cricket all season, especially in the home season, we dominated all of it. It was very important for a young side to do so and build a team for the future so that we can give such performances consistently. That we did in this whole season and it was important how we responded to difficult situations."

The government which expects to pass the GST Bill at the end of a long debate in the Lok Sabha tomorrow has opposition coming up. Quite literally.

The Congress today said the GST Bills in their present form were "not acceptable". However, the party sought to tread cautiously to avoid being seen as against the tax reform measure.

At a key strategy meeting of Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha chaired by party vice president Rahul Gandhi, it was decided to raise the concerns of the public on the GST Bills and seek necessary amendments. According to sources, Gandhi told the members that the party should play the role of a constructive opposition and should not be seen as against the GST legislations. He also told the members to raise the issue of the farmers' distress and press for a farm loan waiver in Parliament.

Stones pelted at J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti's convoy in Anantnag where she was out campaigning.

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna in reserves as India announce squad for Davis Cup tie vs Uzbekistan in April

Sachin and his wife Anjali usher in the new year at their Bandra home. 

Six persons were today injured when some armed men opened indiscriminate fire outside the district court complex in Rohtak, targeting a gangster who had come there for a hearing, police said. Three-four men, dressed as women, were waiting for gangster Ramesh Lohar outside the Rohtak court complex and opened fire on him and his aides immediately after they arrived there, police said. The attackers escaped on a motorcycle after the incident.

Update: Two killed, 17 injured in clashes between security forces and protesters near the encounter site in Kashmir's Budgam. 

India today retained the ICC Test Championship mace and also won a cash award of USD one million for holding on to the top position in the Test Team rankings on the annual April 1 cut-off date. Captain Virat Kohli received the mace and cheque from Sunil Gavaskar at a ceremony after the fourth and final Test against Australia, in which Ajinkya Rahane led the side as Kohli could not play due to a shoulder injury.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath will meet protesting meat-sellers at 2 pm today. 

One person has been killed in violent clashes in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, when security forces battling militants opened fire on a group of stone-pelting protesters, police said. Agencies said four other people were also injured

Reports say that stone pelters, including the young 22-year-old man who was killed in police shooting, tried to disrupt army operations against the terrorists in Budgam's Chadoora.

The encounter is still underway between the security forces and terrorists.

Several civilian deaths have been reported during encounters between militants and security forces in the restive state in recent times and come against the backdrop of army chief Bipin Rawat warning people attacking security forces during anti-militancy operations.

Gen Rawat had warned of tough action against protesters.

Meanwhile, some terrorists barged into the residence of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of police and a Constable in Kashmir's Shopian district and ransacked their houses in Jammu last night.

The terrorists fired gunshots in air before fleeing from the spot.

Trouble brewing in Budgam, J-K. A 22-year-old civilian has been killed during a clash with security forces at the encounter site. Many others have been injured. Details awaited.

The wave of public protests that swept over Russia on Sunday has strong undercurrents. For a start, it may seem that 7000 to 8000 people demonstrating in Moscow, a city of 12 million population, is no big deal. But then, in Russia's specific context, it is never so much the number of protesters but the fact that a substantial number of common people take to the streets to air their anti-establishment sentiments at all that needs to be carefully noted.

Read MK Bhadrakumar's column on Rediff.com.

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat will be a good choice for the post of a President to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra'.


"If his name is being discussed for the presidential post, the there is nothing more satisfying than this. It is a very good thing to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra'. It is the highest post in the country. Somebody with a clean image should occupy it," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI.


The Presidential elections will be held in July when President Pranab Mukherjee will complete his term.According to reports, the names of Sushma Swaraj, Sumitra Mahajan and L K Advani are also being considered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).


President Mukherjee's term comes to an end in July and there are speculations that the Narendra Modi government will look for a fresh face for the nation's highest office.

As the Border-Gavaskar Series 2016-17 drew to a close with India reclaiming the title, Australia captain Steven Smith sought apology for his slip of emotions in the series while talking to Ravi Shastri in the post match conference of the fourth Test at Dharamsala.


Smith's apology referred to the time during the second Test at Bangalore when he looked up to the dressing room while in two minds to take the Decision Review System (DRS) for umpires decision declaring him out. Smith termed the incident as Brainfade while Indian skipper Virat Kohli accused Australia in the press conference of repeating the act.


Today Smith said in the post match conference, At times I have been in my own bubble and have let my emotions slip. I apologise for that. But I have really enjoyed playing in this series and it has been a great learning curve for me as a captain and [for] our team as well. Smith marked the series as one of the best he has played and praised Indian team for their efforts. [This has been] A magnificent series, probably one of the best I have been a part of so far. I thought we have played some very good cricket throughout the series, we probably had our opportunities at times. But credit to India, they are a fantastic cricket side, particularly here at their own backyard. If you give them a sniff they are probably going to take it. Congratulations to India for winning the series 2-1.

It was a fantastic learning curve. For Australians, coming to India is one of the toughest places to tour and I think the way the guys were able to adapt and challenged India in these conditions was fantastic. The guys came here with some really good plans. I am really proud the way the boys performed here in India, the Australian skipper opined about the young Australian side giving tough competition to the hosts.

English examinations of Class 10 of the UP board was postponed at two centres after an incident of mass cheating surfaced. Describing the incident as unfortunate, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that it reflected a downfall of the education system.

"This is unacceptable, compromising on merit and such thing prevailing is absolutely unacceptable. Country can't make progress in such atmosphere, and therefore, we will take this issue up with the concerned government, as after all, it is there domain. We will definitely have some concrete action plan after discussing with the state," Javadekar told ANI.

The government has issued helpline number to register cheating related complaints in order to check incidents of cheating in UP Board Exam. Complaints can be registered on WhatsApp number 945445724

The district court in Thane on Monday issued non-bailable warrants against alleged international drug-lord Vicky Goswami and his partner and yesteryear Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni in an ephedrine haul case.


Both are believed to be outside India. The warrants were issued by District Judge H M Patwardhan.

Thane police raided Avon Lifesciences in Solapur last year and seized around 18.5 tonne of ephedrine worth Rs 2,000 crore.As per the police, ephedrine was being diverted from Avon Lifesciences to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Goswami where it was used to make party-drug Methamphetamine.The police have arrested more than 10 persons in the case.

With the indefinite strike called by meat vendors affecting several establishments in the state, meat sellers on Tuesday urged the Uttar Pradesh Government to come up with provision so that legal shop owners can work without any problem.

"The time this matter was started, our business is suffering from loss. Nobody is selling meat in the market. We just want to request the government to come up with such provision so that we can work," a meat shop owner told ANI.

He further said that they are facing heavy losses due to the strike and is not even able to pay their workers.

"The government didn't even issue any notice before banning the slaughter houses. We are not getting meat from anywhere. What are we going to sell now? The government has asked us to renew the license. When we go to do so, the official says that they don't have permission to renew the license," said another meat shop owner Mohammad Riyaz.

As per the shop owners, the government is not renewing their license and when they open their shops the police ask them to close it.

"If the government wants to close anything, they should have first closed liquor, tobacco shop. They should first restrict these things. Whatever is illegal should be banned but what is the use of banning the legal slaughterhouse," said a meat buyer. The meat shop owners are facing huge loss.

A number of shops are closed as they are not able to get meat due to its scarcity.

After coming to power, the Adityanath-led government has ordered the closure of illegal slaughterhouses and strict enforcement of the ban on cow smuggling to fulfill a key electoral promise.

Adityanath earlier on Saturday said abattoirs operating legally will not be touched but action will be taken against those being run illegally.

Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh are on an indefinite strike from Monday against the crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses.

The Supreme Court to hear tomorrow, pleas seeking a modification of an earlier order banning liquor vendors within 500 metres of national and state highways. States like Kerala, Punjab and Telangana have sought modification of the order which is scheduled to be operational from April 1.

The Supreme Court in December had ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways across the country and made it clear that licences of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31, 2017.


A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur also directed that all signages indicating presence of liquor vendors will be prohibited on national and state highways.

The bench also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao said the existing licences of liquor shops across the highways will not be renewed after March 31, 2017.

The apex court had expressed concern over 1.5 lakh fatalities every year in road mishaps, saying it may direct closure of liquor vends on national and state highways across the nation, besides removal of the signages indicating their location.

Reminding the state government of its constitutional obligation to prohibit liquor sale, the bench had asked the state to do something for general public considering that nearly 1.5 lakh people were dying every year.

The bench had also expressed unhappiness over alleged inaction by various states in removing liquor shops alongside roads which give rise to drunken driving and consequential fatalities.

It had said that revenue generation cannot be a valid reason for a state or a Union territory to give licence for liquor shops on highways and the authorities should adopt a positive attitude to remove the menace.

The bench had also rapped the Centre for not doing anything concrete for the last 10 years forcing the court to step in.

Several pleas have been filed on the issue including the one which referred to the 2015 report of the ministry of road transport and highways and said almost five lakh accidents occurred last year in India, killing 1,46,000 people and leaving thrice the number injured.

It was alleged that despite recommendation of a committee to ban of sale of alcohol on state and national highways, states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were sticking to their prevailing excise policies under which licences were being issued to liquor shops along the highways.

An analysis of road accident data 2015 reveals that around 1,374 accidents and 400 deaths take place every day on Indian roads, resulting in 57 accidents and loss of 17 lives on an average every hour," the court had said.

One person has been injured after a low-intensity explosion near a railway track in Sant Kabir Nagar, UP. Police have seized three crude bombs. Forensic team at spot.

What exactly is the problem in the Congress? India's oldest party is in its worst position in history and seems unable to revive itself. Is it in terminal decline or is it awaiting renewal through a new leader? Let us examine the issue, writes Aakar Patel. Do read

An encounter broke out today between militants and security forces in Chadoora area of central Kashmir's Budgam district, police said here. The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Durbagh locality in Chadoora area following information about the presence of militants, a police official said.


"The search operation turned into a gun battle after militants opened fire on security forces," the official said, adding that the exchange of firing was going on till last reports came in. No casualties have been reported so far, he added.

To promote FIFA-U17 World Cup, Sports Minister Vijay Goel comes to BJP Parliamentary party meet with a football.  The PM has already arrived. 

Tomorrow, the Lok Sabha will hold a 7-hour debate on the GST Bill.

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of his council of ministers today to brief them.

Four bills crucial to the implementation of GST will be passed at the end the debate; they were introduced in the lower house yesterday by union finance minister Arun Jaitley.

The governments needs to ensure that these bills are approved by Parliament in the current Budget session to be able to meet a July 1 deadline for the launch of GST, a unified tax regime that subsumed a slew of indirect taxes at the centre and in states.


File pic.

The Central Industrial Security Force has handed the Union home ministry a dossier on MPs accused of bullying its jawans at airports when asked to undergo the mandatory security check. It has asked that these MPs' names be put on the ministry website to shame them. The dossier comes at a time major domestic airlines have barred a Shiv Sena MP from their flights for thrashing a 60-year-old Air India official with a sandal aboard a plane on Thursday.


However, there's already talk of sorting out the row through talks and allowing Ravindra Gaikwad to fly again, reflecting the challenge before the CISF, which manages airport security across India. Read more

Asserting that Air India was trying to misguide everyone as to what actually caused the altercation on board the aircraft, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad stated that he had never demanded a Business Class seat, but had instead requested a complaint book to address his grievance about 'substandard service'.

Issuing a fresh statement, the MP said that while travelling in the flight, he noticed "carelessness and substandard" service of Air India and requested for a complaint book, but despite his frequent requests he was not provided the complaint book, instead the staffer misbehaved with him.


"I was demanding proper facilities not the business class seat. But just to hide their carless attitude and cheating towards lakh of Air India passengers, they tried to create a picture that I was continuously demanding for business class seat. This is completely baseless," he said.


Gaikwad on Friday submitted a complaint against Air India before the Delhi Police alleging that he was pushed and yelled on.In his complaint, Gaikwad, who allegedly manhandled Air India staffer, said he was made to travel by Air India on economy class even as he had business class ticket.

The Shiv Sena is also likely to bring a privilege motion in the Parliament over the issue of Gaikwad being put in 'no fly list' of all airlines.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaks to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the attack on African students in Noida.

'I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident (sic),' Swaraj said on Twitter.

The incident took place last evening, when local residents raised slogans demanding that all Africans living in residential colonies in Greater Noida be asked to vacate their rented houses immediately. -- Agencies

Asserting that his linkage with the Russia story is a 'hoax', United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned as to why the House Intelligence Committee is not investigating Bill and Hilary Clinton's 'various ties with Moscow'.

This came after Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner volunteered to speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

'Why isn't the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech money to Bill, the Hillary Russian 'reset', praise of Russia by Hillary, or Podesta Russian Company. Trump Russia story is a hoax. #MAGA! (sic),' Trump said in a series of tweets.

He also said that the Republican House Freedom Caucus 'snatched defeat from the jaws of victory', apparently referring to the failure of the House to pass a repeal and replace plan for Obamacare.

Earlier, it was reported that Kushner is ready to speak before the panel as part of its investigation into Russian meddling in the US Presidential election.

'Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials. Given this role, he has volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr's Committee, but has not yet received confirmation,' CNN quoted a White House spokesman as saying on Monday.

The Senate committee sought Kushner, who is a key adviser to the President, as part of its investigation, according to sources. The timing is still being determined, a Senate aide said.

Last week, FBI director James Comey confirmed that federal investigators are investigating ties between Trump's top campaign aides and Russian officials. -- ANI

One day before Britain kick-starts Brexit proceedings, the Scottish parliament is likely to dismiss Prime Minister Theresa Mays overtures and back calls for a fresh independence referendum.

Lawmakers in Edinburgh are due to vote on Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeons bid for a new referendum, despite the prime ministers last-minute appeals.

The Scottish vote had been scheduled for last Wednesday but was postponed after the terror attack near the British parliament in London, the same day.

The Brexit vote last year has spurred the independence campaign of Sturgeon, head of the ruling Scottish National Party, who argues that Scotland is being forced out of the European bloc against its will.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, but they were outnumbered by voters in England and Wales who backed Brexit. -- Agencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with full Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

During the meeting, progress of different flagship schemes and development initiatives taken by the government are expected to come up for discussion.

This would be the first meeting of the full council after the Bharatiya Janata Party's massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections. -- ANI

An encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Chadoora area of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Two terrorists are believed to be holed up in the area.

More details awaited. -- Agencies

Representative image.

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