Timeline Refresh
OPS was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Dr V Maitreyan, former minister Palanisamy and former MP Manoj Pandian.
Our sources tell us that OPS had a 15-minute one-on-one with the prime minister where he discussed the political future of Tamil Nadu.
The chemistry between the PM and OPS has been good even when J Jayalalithaa was the CM. On two occasions they had even exchanged confidential information. At this meeting too, the two leaders were cordial.
Modi has earnestly begun the exercise of getting commitments from smaller parties to support the BJP candidate for the presidential polls.
In fact, the Prime Minister's meeting with OPS is the third in a series of meetings. Last week, he met the YSR Congress and the Akali Dal
The PM has entrusted Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu with the task of coordinating with smaller parties. In fact, Naidu had a detailed meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edaapadi Palaniswami last week, when he was in Chennai to flag off the Chennai Metro.
Naidu has been given a verbal commitment, but it will be properly endorsed only after Palaniswami formally meets the Prime Minister and assures him of his support.
Palaniswami belongs to the VK Sasikala faction of the AIADMK (Amma), which holds the votes of 26 Lok Sabha MPs and 124 MLAs.
These numbers are not to be sniffed at.
This faction's support will be given to the PM by the TN CM once TTV Dinakaran gets bail.
-- R Rajagopalan
File pic
Explaining the move, Azmi said, "Now, there are cases on Zakir Naik. Initially, the students, teachers and parents from his school were very worried. We went to the Education Minister, but he told us that there was an inquiry underway on properties related to Naik. If this school is run by somebody else, then the officials have no problem regarding this. So, I gave admission to all those children to the school running under my trust. Now, this school has nothing to do with Zakir Naik and his trust," Azmi told ANI.
The IIS will now be renamed as 'Avicenna International School'.
In November last year, the Centre, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), had banned the IRF for five years.
Naik has been accused of allegedly making hate speeches and indulging in the circulation of terror among the people.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said that the accused must be interrogated and punished as per the law of the land.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said that if the Hurriyat leaders were accepting money from illegitimate sources, then they must be held accountable for the same.
"There have been instances and specific reporting about leaders of the Hurriyat conference receiving funds through unapproved and illegal sources," said Kohli.
"From this perspective, if they are receiving funds from, for example, somebody in Pakistan in cash beyond the prescribed amount, then they are obviously answerable for it and when we see the situation there, where militants are involved and if these funds are related to terrorism, then the NIA will have to look at it," he added.
Echoing similar sentiment, another BJP leader G.V.L. Narsimha Rao urged that it was an open secret that Hurriyat was accepting money from Pakistan and that it is high time that needed to be exposed.
"It has always been an open secret that separatist groups and those who are actually giving a financial assistance to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir region are all funded by Pakistan," said Rao.
"Not only there have been allegations and evidence available in the public domain, but recently many media organisations have also brought out the manner in which separatist groups have fuelled trouble and created disturbances like stone pelting. I think all of them need to be exposed and be punished," he added.
The NIA has registered a preliminary enquiry into the funding of Hurriyat leaders - Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Naeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Gazi Javed Baba and others in J-K by Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Muhammed Saeed and other Pakistan based terrorists and agencies to carry out subversive activities in Kashmir. According to sources, a team of NIA led by a senior member has reached the Valley for the inquiry into Hurriyat funding.
The team will probe into the nuances of the funding, which are mostly being made for subversive activities including stone pelting and damage of public properties there.
According to reports, post the recent arrest of two ISI operatives in India, it has come to light that separatists in Jammu and Kashmir area have been getting a constant flow of funds - to the tune of Rs. 70 lakh - from Pakistan's ISI over the past few months.
Slew of documents that have been accessed that cite that the nexus between Pakistan and the separatist leaders is responsible for instigating the youth to conduct violent acts in the conflict-ridden state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Also, while Hurriyat leaders and separatists have been telling Kashmiris to not send their children to army-run schools, alleging that these institutions were weaning the next generation away from their religion and culture, the family members and children of many of these have got the best education, settled abroad and eventually led a luxurious life.
An apparent example of how the kith and kin of these Hurriyat leaders availed the above-mentioned is the faction of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, which inversely always has goaded the youth of Kashmir to come out on the roads and leave their studies for a 'bigger cause', indirectly urging them for 'stone-pelting'.
The main beneficiaries include steelmakers and some consumer goods, though personal care items including sanitaryware will be taxed at the top rate, along with appliances such as air conditioners.
Healthcare, education to remain exempted from GST, services to be taxed at 5, 12, 18, 28%; transport services to be taxed at 5%:
Restaurants with turnover of Rs 50 lakh or below to face 5% tax under GST; non-AC restaurant at 12%, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
AC restaurants and those with liquor licence to charge 18% GST; 5-star hotels to levy 28%; hotels with tariff of Rs 1,000-2,500 to pay 12% rate.
Telecom, financial services to attract GST of 18 per cent; 28% tax for race club, betting and cinema halls.
Five per cent GST to be levied on cab aggregators like Ola and Uber.
Consumer staples including milk, fruits and vegetables, grain and cereals have been exempted. Sugar, tea, coffee and edible oil will be taxed the lowest rate of 5 percent.
Jaitley says there are hardly any areas where rates have been hiked.
More details awaited.
Sartaj Aziz, the foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was quoted by The Nation as saying that Islamabad will appoint a new team of lawyers to defend Pakistan's position at the The Hague, Netherlands-based International Court of Justice.
The Pakistani legal team was led by Khawar Qureshi who faced off against Harish Salve on Monday when both argued their respective countries' position on the Jadhav death penalty matter.
State-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan further reported Aziz saying that Qureshi had courageously represented Pakistan at the International Court of Justice.
The ICJ on Thursday allowed India's petition that Pakistan be directed not to execute Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was handed a death sentence by a Pakistani military court in April this year.
The ICJ, accepting India's plea, said Pakistan must not hang Jadhav until the court hears the matter in full and that Islamabad must inform the World Court of the steps it has taken to ensure that the Indian national is not executed.
Responding to the ICJ order, Aziz, Pakistan's de facto foreign minister, was reported to have said, "Pakistan's security is so important and we have to maintain our fundamental sovereign right."
Image: The Pakistani legal team was led by Khawar Qureshi
Reuters reports that Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny has today decided to discontinue the preliminary investigation regarding suspected rape concerning Julian Assange," the prosecutors office said in a statement.
Assange, 45, has lived in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012, after taking refuge there to avoid extradition to Sweden over the allegation of rape, which he denies.
The film broke records during its opening week, with Rs a 121 crore collection netting Rs 320-325 crore over the first three days of release.
At Rs 320-325 crore, Baahubali 2 is now the highest opening Indian film, beating Bollywood blockbusters and its 2015 predecessor Baahubali: The Beginning by a huge margin.
The highest opening weekend collection by a Bollywood film so far is by Sultan (2016) at Rs 180 crore. However, the movie was released mid-week and hence enjoyed a five-day opening weekend. If one were to consider the Friday-Sunday opening weekend period, Baahublali 2 has left Sultan far behind as estimates peg the opening weekend collection for the Hindi dubbed version only at Rs 128 crore (net after tax).
Baahubali 2 has earned Rs 1,502 crore gross across the world in which India's contribution is Rs 1,227 crore according to trade analyst Ramesh Bala.
Baahubali stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia and Sathyaraj in pivotal roles.
Yet to watch the film? Read the review before you go.
Jaitley held a meeting with senior army commanders at a forward post along the LoC in north Kashmir, and reviewed the security situation in the valley which has been witnessing spiralling violence.
"Had a meeting with senior commanders & troops at a forward post along the LoC, and reviewed security situation.
"The aggressive domination and readiness of troops for befitting response to any misadventure by enemy is very satisfying," he tweeted.
Jaitley, who also holds the finance portfolio, is here to primarily attend a two-day meeting of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council which began yesterday.
He conducted an aerial survey of forward posts along the LoC and interacted with troops in Rampur sector where he told them to maintain vigil and foil any misadventure from across the border, an army official said. Jaitley, who was accompanied by General Officer Commanding of Chinar Corps, lauded the high morale of the troops and assured them that the entire nation was with them, he added.
His visit comes weeks after Pakistani Army beheaded two Indian security personnel in Poonch district which was termed "barbaric" by India.
While Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat had hinted at retaliation to avenge the killings, Jaitley had said the sacrifice of the two soldiers will not go in vain and that the armed forces will react "appropriately".
On Wednesday, in a meeting to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, had asked the Army to remain prepared to give a befitting reply to any misadventure from across the border.
"We sent the legal notice earlier this week, but there is no response to it. After we learnt that they are making the film on the same subject, we decided to go the legal way," Mehta told PTI.
"This is complete breach of trust. I believe hijacking a fully developed project is a brazen attack and this is not acceptable," added the director of films such as "Maya Memsaab" and "Mirch Masala".
The filmmaker, who has worked with some of the biggest stars in the Indian film industry, says he is in deep shock and has never faced a situation like this before.
"It's my dream project and I have been working on it for 10 years. This has been a life-long ambition. I have worked with stars like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, but this has never happened to me. This is unethical."
Mehta says he had approached Kangana to play the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai in June 2015 and the "Queen" actress had committed to doing the film. "Since 2015, we have been talking about the project. We have shared various versions of the script, research material, and books with her. We were planning it as an international co-production so that we could reach out to the global audience. She had said she was excited about the film."
Before taking legal action, the filmmaker had tried to contact Kangana. "I was hospitalised for a minor surgery. I recovered in early March and that's when I learnt she is doing the film with someone else. This is shocking. She said she was under great pressure to start the film after the box office failure of 'Rangoon'.
She said producer Kamal Jain wanted to do the film with a new team. It's crazy," he said. Apparently, Kangana has said she was not keen on doing the film in English. But Mehta says his film was supposed to be bilingual - English and Hindi- and that the 30-year-old actress was aware about it.
"This is fabrication of sorts as the film was supposed to be made in both English and Hindi. The story of Rani of Jhansi has the potential to travel across the globe. It's the story of a courageous woman." Kangana, he says, never informed him that she was not keen to work on the movie with him.
"She had said she would like to work on the script with us and she sent some notes for it. We were waiting for the final draft from the writer so that we could fine-tune it. Even our film was to start soon." Kangana launched the first poster of "Manikarnika..." in Varanasi earlier this month. The actress was accompanied by the whole team including the director, producer and music composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
He claimed that the state police is the first to start such a course in the country.
The move comes as policemen are often criticised for handling unruly situations, crowd or individuals without proper emotional understanding though their actions may be legally correct, he said.
This often portrays a negative image of the police in public, despite the personnel having knowledge and skill to tackle the situation in a lawful manner, the official said.
"To enhance the service delivery of police to the public, improving the decision-making ability and to build their confidence level, the state police has introduced a course in emotional intelligence in the training," Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur told PTI.
He claimed that Maharashtra police is the first in the country to formally introduce the course in emotional intelligence in its training curriculum, thereby making it integral to the ethos of the state police.
This is a benchmark practice for other states too to emulate and reap the substantial benefits therein, he said. A select group of around 50 officers from the state police have been recently trained in EI.
The group will go to various units and impart training in the course to policemen and officers across Maharashtra, a senior police official said. As of now, this group has trained around 800 officers and 2,500 police personnel, he said.
"I have responsibilities and works, same with you. Let's do it, but when the ultimate war comes, we all will see," he said.
The actor was possibly reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy's remarks dubbing him as a 'disaster' in Tamil Nadu politics.
The superstar also expressed his disappointment over the 'wrong system' which needs to be changed.
While mentioning the names of eminent Tamil politicians, Rajinikanth said those people are able administrators but the 'wrong system' does not let them work properly.
Rajinikanth further said that the system needs to be changed, and moreover the mindset of the people has to change.
"There are many senior people in politics. One among them is M.K. Stalin who is very able. Anbumani Ramadoss is an able administrator who has toured across the world. Thirumavalavan has been very vocal about each and every subject," he said.
Rajinikanth left his fans and political circle into a speculation spree when he hinted towards joining politics earlier on Monday.
Continuing to maintain his intriguing stand over joining politics, Rajinikanth further asserted that some people used his name for 'political gains'.
Addressing his fans in Chennai, the superstar said, "Some of my fans urged me to join politics and it's not bad even to enter politics, but making money out of this is bad."
However, the star added, "If in case I decide to join politics, then those making money will not be entertained."
"God made me an actor and I promise Rajini will never ever disappoint his fans in acting," he added.
Rajinikanth made the remark during first of his five-day 'Janta Darbar' which he held to interact with fans after a gap of eight years.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also constituted a committee headed by Delhi Jal Board CEO to oversee the execution of work pertaining to cleaning of the river and asked it to submit reports at regular intervals.
The Delhi government and the municipal corporations were directed to immediately take action against industries which operate in residential areas and are a major source of pollution to the river.
The green panel noted that almost 67 per cent of the pollution reaching the Yamuna would be treated by the two sewage treatment plants (STP) located at Delhi Gate and Najafgarh under Phase 1 of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.
The apex green panel had on May 1 ordered inspection of the STPs at Delhi Gate and Okhla with a view to ensure that wastewater was cleaned before it reached the Yamuna. It had sought a report with regard to functioning of these plants.
The tribunal was informed that a total of 14 STP projects are to be constructed to clean wastewater. Of these, seven are to be built by the Delhi Jal Board with its own funds. The directions came as the NGT was hearing a plea on the monitoring of implementation of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also constituted a committee headed by Delhi Jal Board CEO to oversee the execution of work pertaining to cleaning of the river and asked it to submit reports at regular intervals.
The Delhi government and the municipal corporations were directed to immediately take action against industries which operate in residential areas and are a major source of pollution to the river.
The green panel noted that almost 67 per cent of the pollution reaching the Yamuna would be treated by the two sewage treatment plants (STP) located at Delhi Gate and Najafgarh under Phase 1 of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.
The apex green panel had on May 1 ordered inspection of the STPs at Delhi Gate and Okhla with a view to ensure that wastewater was cleaned before it reached the Yamuna. It had sought a report with regard to functioning of these plants.
The tribunal was informed that a total of 14 STP projects are to be constructed to clean wastewater. Of these, seven are to be built by the Delhi Jal Board with its own funds. The directions came as the NGT was hearing a plea on the monitoring of implementation of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017'.
However, the president's office said, "It was not aware of any such representation."
The lawyers yesterday said a memorandum/representation under Article 72 of the Constitution was sent through e-mail on behalf of Justice Karnan seeking "suspension/stay of his sentence of six months imposed on him" by a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar. Article 72 states that the president shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence.
The representation prepared by Justice Karnan's counsel Mathews J Nedumpara and A C Philip referred to the developments since the May 9 judgement.
His lawyers had earlier claimed that the judge had shot off letters to the president, the prime minister and others against his jail term. Justice Karnan has also moved a petition in the apex court seeking recall of the May 9 order but has been denied urgent hearing by the CJI.
The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.56 percent while the Small-Cap index rose 0.89 percent. The Sensex resumed higher at 30,539.65 and advanced to 30,712.35.
It was quoting at 30,619.16 at 1100 hrs, showing a rise of 184.37 points or 0.61 per cent. The NSE 50-share Nifty was also up 52.20 points or 0.55 per cent at 9,481.65 at 1100 hrs. Major gainers were ITC 5.02 per cent, HUL 2.38 per cent, SBI 1.83 per cent, Bharti Airtel 1.66 per cent, Power Grid 1.51 per cent, Axis Bank 1.47 per cent, Coal India 1.46 per cent and NTPC 1.17 per cent.
Officials said the central probe agency registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), ED's equivalent of a police FIR, against the accused named in the CBI complaint including Karti, INX media and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, and others. The ECIR has been registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
They said the ED will probe the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated in this case and may also attach assets of the various accused. It is the ED which had provided information about the alleged illegal payments made by INX media, based on which the CBI had filed its FIR.
This startling finding is part of a "General and Social Sector' report prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and tabled in the UP assembly Thursday. Read more
The incident took place this morning when a team of CRPF's 2nd battalion was out on an anti-Maoist operation in a forest area under Kerlapal police station limits, Deputy Inspector General (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
While they were cordoning-off a forested patch near Pariya village, the Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) in which two CRPF jawans suffered injuries, he said. Reinforcements were rushed to the spot soon after, he said.
The injured jawans were admitted in a local hospital in Sukma. They were stated to be out of danger, the DIG said.
Meanwhile, a combing operation was underway in the region, he said. On April 24, as many as 25 CRPF personnel were killed and seven others injured when Naxals attacked a patrol party of the paramilitary troops while they were ensuring security to road construction work near Burkapal village in Sukma district.
Also read: Hidma Madvi, the Maoist behind the CRPF attacks
File pic.
The funeral pyre was lit by his brother and nephew amid a tearful adieu by those present on the occasion at Bandrabhan, where Dave used to organise international river festivals to create awareness among people on the issue of conserving rivers, BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal told PTI.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Uma Bharti, Anant Kumar, Narendra Singh Tomar and Thawar Chand Gehlot, senior RSS leaders Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Dattatraya Hosbole and Suresh Soni, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya among others were present on the occasion.
The mortal remains of Dave were brought early this morning to Bandrabhan from his home, 'Nadi Ka Ghar', in the state capital. Chouhan and other BJP leaders lent their shoulders to the departed leader. A guard of honour was also given as a mark of respect him.
The Election Commission last week formally threw a challenge to political parties to prove electronic voting machines used in the recent assembly polls were tampered with after several opposition parties questioned their reliability and demanded going back to the paper ballot system.
Several major opposition parties had claimed the faith of people in the machines has eroded.
While announcing the challenge at an all-party meeting convened by the Commission here, Chief Election Commission Nasim Zaidi, however, did not mention any date for the proposed event.
He said parties can try and prove that EVMs can be tampered with even under strict technical and administrative safeguards as applicable during elections.
An EC official said the challenge will not be restricted to machines used in recent assembly polls.
"Other machines will also be available. But since allegations were regarding the elections, the CEC made specific mention," he said.
Also read: AAP 'rigs' EVM in Delhi assembly, EC calls it 'duplicate' gadget
Meeting fans in Kodambakkam in Chennai, today, Rajinikanth first spoke about the speculations of his entering politics. "I have responsibilities and work. It's the same with you. Let's do that first. But when the ultimate war comes, we all will see".
Then, responding to Swamy's quip, Rajinikanth said his fans had made him Tamilian.
Subramanian Swamy has gone on record to say that Rajinikanth is a "Marathi from Bengaluru." Swamy also took potshots at the megastars fans: It is a cult following, he said.
However, Swamy denied he had made the statement, saying, "I never said Rajinikanth is not Tamilian; don't think he's addressing me but the DMK, who always made an issue of his Marathi origin."
Rajinikanth also said today that his last interaction with fans was blown out of proportion and became a controversy on social media.
On Monday, the actor had triggered rumours of a political plunge saying he would not allow "wrong people" to join him if he decided to enter politics.
In an open interaction with his fans, Rajinikanth had said, Right now God is using me as an actor, but I cant say anything about the future. If God decides that I join politics, then I will do so.
Congress leader Nagma said Rajinikanth would be an asset to any party.
Image: Rajinikanth meeting fans in Chennai today.
Agitated villagers also torched two vehicles belonging to the police in connection with the incidents.
Three persons were lynched by the villagers, who suspected them of being child lifters in Nagadih within the limits of Bagbera police station on Thursday night, Superintendent of Police (City) Prasant Anand said.
An old woman was also seriously injured and has been admitted to a hospital here, he said. Two of the victims were identified as Uttam Kumar Verma, a resident of Jugsalai, and Ganesh Kumar Gupta of Bagbera, the SP (city) said adding, the identity of another victim could not be established.
The SP (city) said when a police team reached the spot, agitated villagers started pelting stones at them, injuring some police personnel. Two vehicles were damaged.
"A police picket has been posted at the spot to maintain law and order," Anand said.
Earlier, two persons were beaten to death in Sosomoli village, while another was lynched in Shobhapur village by local residents, DIG (Kolhan region) Prabhat Kumar said.
Some of the villagers were identified and action would be taken after investigation, Kumar said adding senior officers have gone to the spot with reinforcement.
The incident occurred a week after two persons had been beaten to death and as many injured by a mob on suspicion that they were child lifters in Uranium township of Jadugora in East Singhbhum district.
Following the incident, the police had asked the villagers not to pay heed to rumours. -- PTI
Photograph: ANI
Mukesh Sharma, a property dealer and tobacco trader, said he had donated the money through a demand draft on March 31, 2014.
"The public support to the AAP at that time was overwhelming and I had donated the money to the party hoping that it will do good for Delhi and for the nation," Sharma said.
Mishra had on Sunday alleged 'massive irregularities' in the funding of the AAP and raised questions about the 'suspicious' donation of Rs 2 crore.
He had also claimed that several shell companies had given money to the AAP and the party knew it.
Asked what took him so long to claim that he donated the money, Sharma said, "I was tired of the allegations that it was given by shell companies."
He added that tax men are probing him since last two-and-half years over the donation made to the party.
A video clip of Sharma's interview by a news channel was also retweeted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. -- PTI
IMAGE: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra shows copies of the complaint before lodging an FIR against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders with the CBI at its headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI Photo
Atul Kumar Babubhai Patel was taken in custody by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Atlanta City Detention Center for two days.
He died on Tuesday afternoon at the hospital with the officials stating the preliminary cause of his demise as complications from congestive heart failure.
Patel arrived at the Atlanta airport on May 10 on a flight from Ecuador.
US Customs and Border Protection subsequently denied him entry into the country as he did not possess the necessary immigration documents, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.
Patel was transferred into the ICE custody last week at the Atlanta City Detention Center where he received an initial medical screening and was found to have high blood pressure and diabetes.
On Saturday, two days after being in the ICE custody, a nurse checking Patel's blood sugar noticed he had a breathing problem following which he was shifted to a hospital where he passed away.
ICE said it is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is 'undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of the incident, as it does in all such cases'.
The agency the informed the Indian consular representatives who notified Patel's kin about his demise.
The agency added that fatalities in its custody are 'exceedingly rare' and occur at a fraction of the rate of the US detained population as a whole.
Patel is the eighth such individual who died in the custody of ICE the fiscal year 2017. -- PTI
IMAGE: Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, US. Photograph: Tami Chappell/Reuters