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Fri, 26 May 2017
Delhi on high alert after inputs about possible terror strike

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23:40   Delhi on high alert after inputs about possible terror strike
The Delhi Police have been put on high alert following intelligence inputs that a group of 20-21 Laskar-e-Tayiba terrorists has entered the country to
carry out attacks.

The Delhi Police Special Cell has issued an advisory alerting its district, metro police and railway police units, asking them to step up security in market areas, religious places, malls and metro and railway stations.

The advisory has asked various police units to maintain utmost vigil and keep a "sharp eye for suspected persons/articles and vehicles" and conduct proper frisking and checking of vehicles and persons.

This advisory comes close on the heels of terror attacks in Manchester in the UK and several other places across the world.

Police sources say it is suspected that the group members might be putting up in Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan or Punjab.

Officials have also been asked to carry out mock drills to check preparedness of the their staff.
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23:09   Reject violence to pursue peace: Trump to Muslims on Ramadan
US President Donald Trump today wished Muslims a "joyful Ramadan" and urged them to reject violence and help fight terrorism around the world.

"At its core, the spirit of Ramadan strengthens awareness of our shared obligation to reject violence, to pursue peace, and to give to those in need who are suffering from poverty or conflict," Trump said in his first Ramadan message to the Muslim world as the president of the United States.

"This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan," Trump said.

"Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology," he said.
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22:52   J-K govt lifts ban on social media in Kashmir
A month-long ban on 22 social media sites and applications in Kashmir was lifted by the Jammu and Kashmir Home department today.

Access to the banned social media sites was restored,  an official said.

Jammu and Kashmir Home Department had on April 26 banned 22 social media sites and applications, including Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter, in an attempt to curb the street protests in the Valley.

However, the ban had little meaning as users accessed the banned sites through virtual private networks.

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22:32   Melania Trump visits Sicily, wears $51,500 designer jacket
Today in Sicily, while US President Donald Trump convened with world leaders at the G7 Summit, the first lady took the opportunity to sightsee with the other spouses -- only she did so in a $51,500 (Rs 33.23 lakh) Dolce & Gabbana jacket.

The "3D flower" jacket is from the Italian design house's fall 2017 ready-to-wear line, and it's not yet available in most stores. However, the luxe retail website, Moda Operandi, has already sold out. 

Trump wore the coat on Friday's activities, which included a visit to the Chierici Palace City Hall of Catania. To get there, she and the other spouses were ferried from G7 site Taomarina, via private helicopter.
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22:04   'Large part' of Manchester bombing network held: Scotland Yard
British police has "got hold of a large part of the network linked to the suicide bomb attack at a pop concert in Manchester that killed 22 people, the country's counter-terrorism police chief announced today.

Mark Rowley, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan Police Service, said detectives had made "immense progress" in the investigation, but warned there were still "important lines of inquiry" to pursue.

"Further arrests are likely, although police believe they have got hold of a large part of the network," Rowley said.

He said police have reviewed security at more than 1,300 events across the UK and urged public not to change any plan and "go out as you planned and enjoy yourselves".

Investigators believe 22-year-old Manchester-born suicide bomber Salman Abedi, from a family of Libyan origin, acted as part of a terrorist network and their focus had been on intercepting his wider network.
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21:54  
JUST IN:  Terrorists attack army patrol party at Saimooh village in Pulwama's Tral, cordon and search operations started.
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21:48   Tharoor files Rs 2 crore defamation suit against Arnab Goswami, Republic
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today filed a civil defamation suit against Arnab Goswami and newly-launched news channel Republic TV in the Delhi high court claiming damages and compensation of Rs two crore for
allegedly making defamatory remarks towards him while airing news relating to the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

The Lok Sabha MP has also sought a direction from the High Court to restrain the TV channel from broadcasting any show relating to the death of his wife till the investigation is completed by the Delhi police.

The Congress leader, in his lawsuit, has made Goswami and Arg Outlier Media Asianet News Private Limited, the company which owns Republic TV, as parties.

He has referred to the broadcasting of news items from May 8 to 13 when the TV channel claimed to air an expose connected to the death of his wife.
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21:38  
JUST IN: EC says CPI-M is another party willing to take up the challenge to hack its EVMs
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21:26   HC cancels Gayatri Prajapati's bail
The Allahabad High Court today cancelled the bail granted to former UP minister Gayatri Prajapati and two others in a case of alleged rape of a woman and molestation of a minor, saying the lower court had acted in haste.

The HC had earlier stayed the April 25 order of the Additional Sessions Judge granting bail to Samajwadi Party leader Prajapati and his associates Vikas Verma and Amrendra Singh alias Pintu.

Allowing the petition of the state government seeking cancellation of their bail, Justice AP Sahi today questioned the manner in which the ASJ handled the matter saying "the entire process was concluded as if the grant of bail had been preordained".
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21:07   BJP chief Shah to listen to 'Mann Ki Baat' with slum dwellers
BJP chief Amit Shah will listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address along with slum dwellers in R K Puram area in the nation's capital on Sunday. 

The BJP president will be present at Ravidas Ashram, under New Delhi Parliamentary constituency, to listen to the prime minister's monthly radio address to the nation on Sunday, 11 am, said party vice president and Delhi unit in-charge Shyam Jaju.

"We have instructed our party workers to connect people with Mann Ki Baat and get them to listen to it. Our party president will visit Ravidas Ashram under the same programme," Jaju said. 

The party president may also have lunch with the local people during the visit, he added.
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20:39   Facing criticism over Saharanpur clashes, Adityanath vows to establish law and order
Unperturbed by the Opposition's criticism over Saharanpur clashes, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that maintenance of law and order has been the priority of his government and assured that they would work for the same in the coming days.

Adityanath also blamed the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party government had inherited a "jungle raj" in Uttar Pradesh when their government took over the administration.

"Uttar Pradesh is a big state. Around 22 crore people live here. When we took over, we inherited a jungle raj, lawlessness, a situation where criminals were nurtured by politicians," Adityanath said. 

"The incident came to light very soon and we swiftly put an end to that. I can, with confidence, say that the vision of development and law and order in Uttar Pradesh, as promised by our prime minister, will be fulfilled," he added.
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20:20  
JUST IN: Results of CBSE class XII examination to be announced on May 28.
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20:10   Nitish downplays speculation about skipping Sonia luncheon
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today downplayed speculation about his skipping the luncheon meeting hosted by Sonia Gandhi and accepting an invite of the prime minister to join a lunch tomorrow, terming it as 'misinterpretation'.

The Prime Minister's lunch is in honour of Mauritius Prime Minister.
    
"It's all nothing but misinterpretation," Kumar told reporters asking them not to read too much into it.

Kumar said, "There is nothing about going or not going. I had told Ahmed Patel about this 4-5 days back itself when he had called me to invite JD-U for the meeting over lunch".
   
"The invitation was given to JD-U and Sharad Yadav attended it as party representative," he said emerging from a meeting of the state Cabinet.
    
With his absence from opposition get together today being seen as a setback to non-BJP parties to field a common candidate in coming Presidential election, Kumar said, "I have already met Sonia Gandhi over it and has telephonic talks with prominent leaders of other parties."    

On joining PM's lunch tomorrow, Kumar said he accepted the invitation as the chief minister of Bihar.
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19:55   Manchester bomber spoke with brother 15 minutes before attack
British authorities are trying to contain the network they believe is behind the Manchester attack as it emerged that the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, reportedly spoke to his brother in Libya just 15 minutes before he detonated his explosives.

"We are following up on the network, rolling it up, trying to contain it. As you've seen from the number of arrests, we are on the right track to try to contain it," UK Security Minister Ben Wallace said on Friday. "In the end you get to the bottom of a network."

Investigators continue to work around the clock to track down associates of Abedi, a 22-year-old Briton of Libyan descent, amid fears he is part of a network plotting further mayhem.
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19:41   Advani better than Modi, says Jairam Ramesh
In a withering diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday censured the Prime Ministers dictatorial tendencies, wryly commenting that even LK Advani appeared moderate in contrast.

Read full story HERE
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19:17   Nine MPs to be conferred with Sansad Ratna awards
Nine Members of Parliament -- six from the Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha members -- will be honoured with the `Sansad Ratna Awards 2017' here on Saturday.

"The awards will be presented to the parliamentarians by Justice (retd) P.Sathasivam, Governor of Kerala," K Srinivasan, chairman, Prime Point Foundation said. 

"These awards were instituted by Prime Point Foundation and eMagazine PreSense based on the suggestion given by late President Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This is the eighth edition of the award. This is the only award on behalf of the civil society to honour achievers in Parliament," Srinivasan said.

The MPs' performance is measured based on the number of debates they participate in, the number of questions raised, the number of private members' bills introduced, attendance and usage of funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.
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18:53   Modi@3: PM addresses nation
Speaking from Assam, Modi says: 

>> The era of pessimism is gone. People are hopeful of change

>> People earlier wondered if there was a government at all.

>> Now there is a new day every day. Every day there is a new scheme, new announcement in the same number of days, same amount of time, same number of files and workers.

>> Now government employees coming on time makes headlines.
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18:50  
JUST IN: NCP the only party willing to participate in EC's EVM challenge on June 3. 
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18:39   'Heartfelt gratitude to people for giving me opportunity as 'pradhan sevak'
The Modi government is celebrating its three years of governance, after it defeated the ruling-party Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in the country today. PM Modi, as part of elaborate celebrations that will go on for the next 20 days, visited Assam today.

Here are highlights from his rally:

>> Want to express my heartfelt gratitude towards people of country, that they let us form a government, gave me opportunity as a 'pradhan sevak

>> By 2022, we want to double our farmers' income. Through 'Sampada Yojana' we want to ensure value addition of agri-products

>> For the first time, we have taken a step to uplift the OBCs. The OBC Commission has been passed

>> For the NDA government, every region of India is important

>> People of this country has always supported us, even during the most difficult times

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18:19   Can't expect anything from a 'shamshan, kabristaan' party: Akhilesh
Hitting out at the government over the Saharanpur incident, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP, that pitched for Diwali and Ramzaan; Shamshan and Kabristaan during the recent concluded state assembly polls, is sole responsible for the violence in the state.

"What else can you expect from BJP? What we can expect from the one who had divided the Indian festival (Diwali and Ramzaan), electricity, Shamshan and Kabristaan during the Uttar Pradesh election campaign. They are the root cause of this communal conflict. Our party committee visits every affected area. During our government we gave all sort of facilities," Akhilesh said.

In the wake of clashes between two communities in Saharanpur, the Yogi Adityanath Government yesterday transferred 174 Sub-Divisional Magistrates.

The Ministry of Home Affairs  also asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to submit the report on the recent worrisome clashes in Saharanpur.

Earlier, Saharanpur District Magistrate Nagendra Parsad Singh was sacked after he was unable to control the clashes between two communities in the area.

Clashes occurred on Tuesday after BSP supremo Mayawati's visit to Saharanpur, where one person was killed and several others were injured.

The state government also announced to give compensation of Rs. 15 lakh to relatives of the person, who was killed during the incident.

In another incident, one person was killed and 16 people, including a head constable, were injured on May 5, in clashes between the Dalits and the Rajputs in Shabbirpur and Simlana villages.
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18:10   Does TN bureaucrat want to move to Centre?
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan met Governor Vidyasagar Rao today ostensibly to brief him about the vice chancellor's appointment.  

But sources say the the real reason for the meeting is to express her views on the state administration.

Vaidyanathan is believed to have conveyed her apprehensions about ministers and bureaucrats seeking favours and wants to overturn decisions taken by previous governments.

Vaidhyanathan was overlooked and her portfolio of Director of Anti-corruption and vigilance was taken away from her. This was done by the AIADMK, said a source.

She is now being considered as a candidate for secretary at the Centre.

From the 1981 IAS batch, she has a PhD in health economics from IIT Madras and her appointment as chief secretary has taken many by surprise.

She was always an unpopular officer for the AIADMK, unlike the DMK which used her vision and ideas in many programmes and policies. This is a real surprise, said a senior government secretary.

Girija replaced P Rama Mohan Rao after IT raids were conducted at his residence and he was found guilty of graft.


Image: Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanath with former CM O Panneerselvam.
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17:51   In warring Telangana and Andhra, PM has a secret weapon
That the prime minister is a master politician is well known, but the manner in which he handled the sensitive issues between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, deserves a mention.

Each have diametrically different policies, programmes and ideologies and it is to the PM's credit that he can handle both states with elan.

For this, Modi uses the services of ESL Narasimhan who is the governor of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, to settle the differences between the two. He also gets political intelligence through Narasimhan.

That is the prime reason he has retained the UPA nominee over the last three years in a crucial state like Telangana.

Narasimhan was Intelligence Bureau chief and therefore knows how best to bring the two warring chief Ministers -- KCR and Chandrababu Naidu -- to the meeting table.

While Modi has met the two chief ministers, political machinations are handled by Amit Shah and the administrative details by Governor ESL Narasimhan.

Our sources tell us that Telangana Rashtriya Samiti Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao was really rattled with the aggressive posturing  and the media coverage of the BJP Chief's visit to the state.
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16:58   Telangana and Karnataka on BJP's sights next
First Karnataka in 2018, then Telangana, thereafter. That's the plan for the BJP in the years ahead, party president Amit Shah said yesterday while briefing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his three-day visit to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The BJP chief said that if the party widens its organisational base in Telangana there is a bright possibility of capturing power in the state.

Amit Shah briefed the PM on the four-digit RAX special phone, soon after his return to New Delhi. In fact, it is via these phone calls, that Shah keeps the PM informed of organisational matters.

A senior BJP General Secretary told this correspondent that there was a great synergy between the PM and Shan.

Shah's visit to Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana last week created a political furore
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16:51   Aiyar welcomes 'illiterate' Anupam Kher's criticism on Hurriyat meeting
Taking a dig at Bollywood actor Anupam Kher for criticising his recent meeting with Hurriyat leaders, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday welcomed his disapproval saying that the former lives in a mansion in Bombay and had not visited Kashmir to take stock of the situation for decades.


"You think I didn't expect it. This is a democratic country. He lives in a mansion in Bombay and I don't think he has been to Kashmir for decades. If in his illiteracy he wishes to criticize me then I welcome his criticism and I will give a response to the people of Kashmir.


Condemning Aiyar's meeting with Separatist leaders, Anupam Kher had said, "Representations of some political parties insult us by meeting certain Hurriyat leaders."


In an effort to resume dialogue with the stakeholders in Kashmir, five-member delegation led by Aiyar on Thursday called on moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and discussed ways to calm down the protestors.


The delegation reached at the Nigeen residence of Mirwaiz to discuss the prevailing situation in the Valley and the necessary steps to be initiated for bringing peace in Kashmir, which has been marred by violent protests since July 2016.


Considering the situation very critical where students and youth have joined the protests, Aiyar insisted that the Central Government should hold dialogue with all the stakeholders in Kashmir as it would bring enduring solutions by bringing peace in the Valley as well as reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.


The meetings with Hurriyat leaders assume significance after the group insisted that the Central Government should hold talks with Pakistan including separatists for resolution of the Kashmir issue.


The delegation participated in a seminar organised by an NGO, Peace and Progress, where they proposed that government of India should talk to Kashmiri people including gunmen, protesters, stone pelters and should take the support from academics, clerics to calm down the unrest.


It is pertinent to mention that a five-member delegation led by former external affairs minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha met Kashmiri hardliner Geelani in 2016 to break the ice between the centre and the Hurriyat leadership. But Geelani demanded release of all youth and separatist leaders as a pre-condition for talks.


The delegation stressed that Central Government must interact with Kashmiri people and assuage the feelings of the protesters to find a solution for the progress and development of the state.
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16:22   KPS Gill, tough cop who ended Punjab insurgency, dies
Just In: KPS Gill, the ex-DGP of Punjab, has passed away. He was 82.

Gill has served twice as DGP of Punjab and is credited with having brought the Punjab insurgency under control. He retired from the IPS in 1995. He was also president of the Institute for Conflict Management and president of the Indian Hockey Federation.He received the Padma Shri in 1989 for his work in civil service.
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16:00  
Sukhoi crash update: Search parties of Army also attempting to reach site by trekking cross country, progress hampered due to inclement weather, thick vegetation.
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15:59   IAF search & rescue team to be airdropped to Sukhoi wreck site
Just in: Wreckage of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jet that went missing with two pilots found in a forest around 60 Km from Tezpur, where it lost radar contact with the base. Ground parties standing by to be airdropped to site as area is inaccessible. Search for flight data recorder and missing crew to be perused by them.

The wreckage of the IAF Sukhoi fighter jet was found after three days of search operations. The Sukhoi jet had gone missing after taking off from the Tezpur Salonibari Air Force station in Assam at 10:30 am on Tuesday on a routine training sortie.

Defence spokesperson, Tezpur 4 Corps, Lt Col Sombit Ghosh told PTI that the wreckage of the missing SU-30 jet was found close to the last known position of the aircraft, which was 60 km north-west of Tezpur in Assam's Sonitpur district.

"As of now, weather is bad and the place has dense foliage and members of the search operation are yet to reach the spot", he said.

The two-seater SU-30 MKI aircraft had gone missing after taking off from Tezpur airbase of Salonibari and lost radar and radio contact on May 23 at around 11.10 am.

Unconfirmed reports said the fighter plane had on board one squadron leader and a crew member but the IAF has not yet released any name or rank of the two members in the missing plane.

The country's front line aircraft SU-30 MKI was inducted in Tezpur air base during the tenure of former IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal P K Barbora on June 15, 2009. At present Tezpur has a strength of two squadrons of SU-30 aircraft with one squadron comprising 12 to 16 aircraft.


Pic: First images of the crash site of the Sukhoi fighter jet near Tezpur
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15:50   Palaniswami regime completes 100 days in office
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today released a souvenir marking 'achievements' of the government led by him in its first 100 days in office.

Palaniswami handed over the souvenir to Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and state ministers including Forest minister Dindigul C Srinivasan and School Education minister K A Sengottaiyan.

On February 16, Palaniswami took over as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu along with a council of 30 other ministers. English and Tamil dailies today had front page advertisements inserted by the government detailing "100 days achievements" of the Palaniswami regime.
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15:29   Army foils attack, Infiltration attempt at LoC, 2 Pak special forces men killed
J&K: Infiltration attempt and attack by Pakistan's Border Action Team on an Indian Army patrol along the LoC in Uri sector foiled. 2 BAT personnel killed. Ops on. The Indian Army says that the attackers could have been targeting an army cantonment.


On May 1, the BAT had attacked two Indian soldiers -- Prem Sagar and Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh -- in the Krishna Ghati sector of LoC -- and beheaded them and mutilated their bodies.


In retaliation, the Indian Army pounded Pakistan Army posts along the LoC but Pakistan dismissed the incident and claimed that they neither committed ceasefire violation nor mutilated Indian soldiers.


In 2013, the BAT killed, beheaded and mutilated Lance Naik Hemraj and injured constable Rajinder Singh of the BSF.


Representational image.
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15:15   Modi has destroyed tourism in the Valley: MS Aiyar
After coming under fire for having a dialogue with Hurriyat leaders, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday asserted that it was conveyed to him that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message that 'terror and tourism cannot go together' has ruined tourism industries in Jammu and Kashmir this year.

Speaking to ANI,  Aiyar said, "The tour operators of the Valley were present in the meeting with the Hurriyat leaders and they told me that Modi's message that terror and tourism cannot go together has ruined tourism industries in this Valley this year. He has inflicted untold harm by going around proclaiming that the Valley has nothing to offer but terror."

Talking about his meeting, the senior Congress leader further said that now he was more convinced that the situation in the Valley is extremely grave and that corrective actions need to be taken sooner than later, otherwise much bigger problems will surface.

In an effort to resume dialogue with the stakeholders in Kashmir, five-member delegation led by Aiyar yesterday called on moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and discussed ways to calm down the protestors.

The delegation discussed the prevailing situation in the Valley and the necessary steps to be initiated for bringing peace in Kashmir, which has been marred by violent protests since July 2016.

Considering the situation very critical where students and youth have joined the protests, Aiyar insisted that the Central Government should hold dialogue with all the stakeholders in Kashmir as it would bring enduring solutions by bringing peace in the Valley as well as reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

Aiyar also showed his willingness to meet the pro-independence JKLF chief Yasin Malik, but he refused to meet the delegation.

The meetings with Hurriyat leaders assume significance after the group insisted that the Central Government should hold talks with Pakistan including separatists for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

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14:56   Sonia's lunch meet over, Mamata says no names discussed for prez candidate
After Sonia Gandhi's luncheon meet with opposition party leaders, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said no names have been discussed at the meeting. But the opposition was of the view that a consensu candidate would be acceptable provided the person had secular credentials. Banerjee said a joint statement will be available soon.

Leaders of 17 political parties in the Opposition met at Congress president Sonia Gandhi's lunch today.
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14:44   Will ban burqa as it stops vitamin D intake from sunlight:UKIP
The far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) has pledged in its general election manifesto to ban the burqas or the full face veils in public places, citing among others a bizarre reason that they "prevent intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight".

"Clothing that hides identity, puts up barriers to communication, limits employment opportunities, hides evidence of domestic abuse, and prevents intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight, is not liberating," the UKIP election manifesto says.
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14:15   Arvind Kejriwal removes Ram Jethmalani as his lawyer
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal removes Ram Jethmalani as his lawyer, reports ANI. 

This comes after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley filed another suit against Kejriwal for remarks made by his lawyer in court. Jethmalani had called Jaitley a 'crook' in the Delhi High Court. When Jaitley asked if the remarks were made on Kejriwal's instructions, Jethmalani had said, 'yes'. Jaitley then filed another defamation suit of Rs 10 crore in addition to the older suit of the same amount.

Last week, the Delhi High Court which is hearing the defamation case said the remarks made by Kejriwal's lawyer Ram Jethmalani against  Jaitley in court were "scandalous".

Jaitley was being cross-examined in the Rs 10 crore civil defamation case filed by him against Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for accusing him of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association or DDCA of which he was the President from 2000 to 2013.

Five AAP leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai -- along with Arvind Kejriwal are also facing a criminal defamation case filed by Mr Jaitley on the same issue.

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13:59   17 opposition party leaders at Sonia's lunch meet today
Leaders of 17 political parties in the Opposition are at Congress president Sonia Gandhi's lunch today. They will be discussing the upcoming Presidential elections and the way ahead for the opposition.

There will be an informal discussion on a consensus candidate for the President to take on the NDA's nominee.

The meeting is also being seen as a show of strength by the opposition parties.

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, NC's Omar Abdullah, BSP chief Mayawati,  RJD chief Lalu Prasad, CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja are among the 17 leaders at the meeting. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is not at the meet since he was not invited. JDU-chief Nitish Kumar sent Sharad Yadav to the lunch meet.

The meeting coincides with the day government completes three years in office.
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13:48  
Sensex reaches record high of 31,005.20, rises 255.17 points. 
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13:38   Cong dubs BJP's 3 years in power as 'kalakari ki rajniti'
On the occasion of the completion of three years in power by the Narendra Modi-led government today, the BJP is counting its positive points while the Congress is trying to corner the saffron party on its promises made but not delivered.


Hitting out at the Prime Minister, the Congress said that the BJP has spent Rs 2000 crore on the celebrations, adding that these three years of the Modi government can be summed up as 'Bhashan aur aashwaasan, yeh hai mera shaasan'.


"The entire focus of the Modi government is only on its publicity. They do not have any concrete policy for the country. Modi government has not done anything in the last three years. This government has only given attention to the promotion of schemes like Make-in-India, Jandhan and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan," Congress leader Kamal Nath said.

He added that millions of rupees have been invested in the promotion of these campaigns, adding the present government should highlight how much black money has returned.

"They should tell what the country has got from the demonetization move. In these three years, the conditions of the farmers have deteriorated. Most farmers have committed suicides only during the tenure of Modi government and these farmers have got no benefit from the crop insurance scheme," he asserted.

Nath further said that the diversionary tactics used by the BJP of diverting the people's mind is a "Kalakari ki Rajneeti".

"With the largest aspirational society on this planet, the youth of the country are looking for employment. We see employment at a 15 year low. With approximately 550 million youngsters in the country, employment has been the lowest in the past seven years," he added.

He further said that the Prime Minister during his election campaign promised about two crore jobs a year.

"What is the outcome? We see that only 1.35 lakh jobs were created in 2015 and by 2028 India needs to create 34.3 crore jobs and that is not to meet the shortfall but we need to create it to be able to have employment," Nath added.


Image: Rahul Gandhi with Congress leader Akbar Ahmed
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13:28   Trump's aid to Tibet is a big ZERO
President Donald Trump has proposed zero aid to the Tibetans in 2018, reversing the decades-old US policy of providing financial help to the community to safeguard their distinct identity under the Chinese rule.

The State Department, which sent the detailed proposal to the Congress as part of Trump's maiden annual budget, described the move as one of the "tough choices" that it had to make as its budget itself has been slashed by more than 28 per cent.

The Trump administration now wants other countries to jump in to help the Tibetan community.

Leaders of the Tibetan community in the US refrained from commenting on the Trump administration's move, saying they are still reading the budget papers.

At the same time, they observed that majority of the assistance to the Tibetan people, including for Tibet, so far have been Congressionally- driven.

The president of the Central Tibetan Administration  Lobsang Sangay had said on Wednesday in Washington that the Chinese government "is hell bent upon the destruction of Buddhism in China".
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13:16   You tiny, tiny man: Rowling to Trump on 'shoving' Montenegro PM
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series scoffed at US President Donald Trump's infamous gesture at the NATO summit in Brussels, where he appeared to be forcefully pushing aside Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic in order to shove his way to the front of a crowd.

Twitter exploded soon after as people began sharing the infamous shove.

"Did Trump just shove another NATO leader to be in the front of the group?" tweeted one.

Another mocked, "Donald J Trump presents the struggles in Hong Kong during rush hour."
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12:52   PM names Assam bridge after singer Bhupen Hazarika
PM Narendra Modi names India's longest river bridge over Brahmaputra after singer Bhupen Hazarika.
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12:50   If Vajpayee had won in 2004 bridge would have been built earlier: PM
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the country's longest river bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Tinsukia district of Assam and said that the state has moved ahead in the one year of BJP rule. Narendra Modi took office as Prime Minister on this date, three years ago, and it marks a 20-day celebration by the government across the country beginning with Assam.

Highlights of the speech:

-- The bridge that you've been waiting for many years is here now.
-- I urge you to take out your mobile phones, turn on the flashlight and the send the signal of how big a festival this is.
-- Brothers and sisters, it is my good fortune to come to this land - where Sri Krishna had once set foot.
-- The bridge that you've been waiting for the last five decades, today you have got it.
-- Our government's intent is to make development permanent.
-- Assam better off under a BJP government.
-- Infrastructure is the key for Assam.
-- If Atal Bihari Vajpayee had won in 2004, you would have got the bridge earlier.
-- The bridge has been delayed because of the UPA.
-- In 2003 Vajpayee approved the bridge.
-- But then the government changed and there were obstacles, so your dream was delayed.
-- Today when the BJP government in Assam is completing a year, Assam's problems are being solved one by one.
-- Assam has moved ahead in one year of Sonowal's government.
-- This bridge is not just a reason of Assam's pride but that of the entire country.
-- One thing is certain, if you want to make development permanent then infrastructure is the first thing needed.
-- Physical infrastructure, social infrastructure should go hand in hand.
-- My government's intent is to make development permanent. We want to fulfill all dreams of the country.
-- This bridge will bring Assam and Arunachal closer. A 165 km distance has been shortened, hours of transit time saved - this opens new doors of economic prosperity.
The ginger farmers of Sadiya will get a new market.
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11:54   Wreckage of Sukhoi aircraft missing in Assam found in forested area
Just in: The wreckage of the missing Sukhoi 30 has been found in a heavy forested area north of Tezpur in Assam after it went missing on May 23. No information on the two pilots in the aircraft as yet. 

The Sukhoi-30 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force went missing near the China border after taking off from the Tezpur air base in Assam. Search operations were launched immediately but yielded no substantial information.

The Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft with two pilots on board was on a routine sortie when it went missing on Tuesday morning around 60 km northwest of Tezpur airbase in Assam.

There were reports of adverse weather in the area.

China on Wednesday said it had "no information" on the missing jet.
 
Representational image.
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11:47   What you didn't know about the India's longest bridge
Dhola-Sadiya Bridge factoids...

-- The bridge has been constructed across the River Brahmaputra

-- It connects Dhola with Sadiya in upper Assam's Tinsukia district.

-- The Dhola-Sadiya bridge is 9.15 kilometres in length.

-- The bridge is longer than Mumbai's Bandra-Worli Sealink by 3.55 kilometers.

-- The bridge has been built to carry T-72 tanks.

-- To cross over to Sadiya near the Lohit border in Arunachal, will take 30-minutes, reducing the travel time by four hours.
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11:37   Sensex up by 112.60 points, marks an all-time high of 30,862.63
The market on Friday witnessed a surge in its trade with the Sensex and Nifty hitting an all time high of 30,862.63 and 9,534.75 respectively. 
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11:33   Last 3 years have transformed people's lives: PM Modi
On the occasion of completion of three years of the National Democratic Alliance's government at the Center, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said these years have seen concrete steps that have transformed people's lives.

The Prime Minister took to the social media to ask the people their views on completing three years as Government at the Center.

"What do you feel about the Govt? Where have we done well & where can we do even better. Join this survey on NM App," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

"Last 3 years have seen concrete steps that have transformed people's lives. These graphics tell you how," he said in a series of tweets.


Image: PM Narendra Modi walks on the Dhola-Sadia bridge across the Brahmaputra that he inaugurated this morning. The @PMO tweeted saying, " Futuristic infrastructure that will power India's growth....PM at the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge during his Assam visit."

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11:10   PM inaugurates India's longest bridge across Brahmaputra in Assam
The PM spends a quiet moment with the River Brahmaputra.The writing on the billboard says, 'Welcome to the Dhola-Sadia Bridge'.

The Narendra Modi government completed three years in office today. Modi was was sworn-in as Prime Minister on May 26 , 2014 after a landmark victory in the general elections.

The first of the many programmes scheduled to mark the occasion is the opening of the Dhola-Sadia bridge linking eastern Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. This is now India's longest bridge traversing a length of 9.15 km.

The PM will launch a number of other infrastructure projects in Assam today. Celebrations to mark the government's third anniversary, called M.O.D.I or the the Making of Developed India, will last 20 days.

The PM will personally lead five programs, the first of which is this bridge opening.
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10:56   PM inaugurates India's longest bridge in across Brahmaputra
PM Modi inaugurates Dhola-Sadia Bridge across the River Brahmaputra in Purana Sadiya, Assam.
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10:26   M.O.D.I begins: PM in Assam to open India's longest bridge
Assam CM Sarbanand Sonwal welcomes PM Modi in Dibrugarh. The  PM will inaugurate the Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the Tinsukia district of the state. At 9.15 kilometres in length, the DholaSadiya Bridge will be the longest bridge in India. It spans the Lohit River and connects the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Modi will kick start the 5-day M.O.D.I. (Making of Developed India) fest from the north-eastern frontier state Assam to mark the completion of the NDA government's third anniversary.

Assam has been been enveloped with a massive security cover in view of the PM's visit.

Intensive security checks are being done across the state including Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Guwahati which have been put on high alert. A three-layered security cover has been put at all places the PM will be visiting.

Anti-terror units have been deployed at various places. People have been advised not to bring any objectionable items and carry proper identity cards.

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10:15   Common man admires PM for his sincerity, courage: Jitendra Singh
Citing examples of welfare schemes like, Jan Dhan Yojna, Mudra Yojna, Start up India and demonetisation, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Friday asserted looking back at three years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government, the Centre stands vindicated.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "Looking back at three years, we stand sufficiently vindictive from the point of view that series of new initiatives, some of them path breaking have been taken with the nucleus as the poor and youth of the country.

"When we started off, there was a general sense of pessimism all over the country and people looked up at Prime Minister Modi with great deal of expectation," said Singh.

The Union Minister further stated the all the welfare schemes initiated under the Prime Minister Modi regime has touched the heart of the common people and youth of the country.

"What makes me more optimistic that the common man of India has not only begun to indentify these new initiatives but also admire Prime Minister Modi for his sincerity, his courage of conviction and his consistency," he said.

Singh promises to carry the good work of BJP government forward to achieve targets which they have laid down for themselves.
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10:02  
Barkha Dutt @BDUTT tweets on the army officer's decision to tie a man to a jeep to ward off stone pelters in Kashmir. The senior journalist writes, "We forget in the whole debate around Major Gogoi is that the Army has been left to hold the can for the failure of politics in Kashmir."
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09:58   Why Saharanpur caste violence is bad news for Yogi Adityanath and BJP
"A simple question is beginning to haunt the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh. Two months after its historic win, why is this powerful government unable to handle a district level law and order/political issue?

"Saharanpur is emerging as the site of resistance to the BJP, as the party seeks to consolidate its hold over the governance structure in Lucknow after a spectacular win. The repeated confrontation between Dalits and Thakurs has eroded BJP's claims of providing law and order early in its tenure. But the implications go deeper."  Read more
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09:52  
Hat tip to the former J-K CM for rising above party and politics. Omar Abdullah tweeted: @abdullah_omar "PM Modi has many achievements to boast of after 3 years & it would be petty to deny them but J&K remains a dark blot that's getting darker."
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09:47   Saudi monarch apologizes to Nawaz Sharif for Riyadh 'humiliation'
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the reigning King of Saudi Arabia has apologized to leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not presenting them with a chance to address the Riyadh Summit.


Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson, Nafees Zakaria informed the press that 30 leaders of the Muslim world could not address the Riyadh summit due to shortage of time and the hosting monarch of Saudi has apologized to all of them.


This comes after the Pakistani media mocked the PM for being denied a speech at the U.S.-Arab Islamic summit on counter-terrorism in Riyadh.


The Pakistan media frowned as Sharif was not given the stage for speech branding it as 'national humiliation'.


"The PM was effectively gagged at the American-Islamic summit on counter-terrorism. It also represented a national humiliation", said The Daily Times, adding that "no opportunity was given to Pakistan to present its case within the context of the country being a victim of regional instability and terrorism."


Islamabad was further miffed with the fact that U.S. President Donald Trump in his speech at the event said "India was one of the countries which had suffered due to terrorism," while ignoring Pakistan.
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09:42   This is what Sonia has to battle to stop M.O.D.I juggernaut
Two important political developments will be taking place in India today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick start the 5-day M.O.D.I. (Making of Developed India) fest from the north-eastern frontier state Assam to mark the completion of the NDA government's third anniversary.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi will discuss a possible strategy with 26 non-NDA political parties in New Delhi to finalise a joint candidate for the post of President against the probable NDA candidate.

PM Modi, his entire cabinet, with Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and other Party office bearers will leave no stone unturned to market the NDA government's achievements of last three years beginning today.

And on other side in Delhi, Sonia Gandhi will be trying to forge a new possible alliance against the BJP, which will be first discussing the upcoming Presidential election in July this year.

Several top opposition leaders like Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Rashtriya Janta Dal's Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's   representative, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's representative and DMK is expected to join hands to counter Modi for President election.

The luncheon meeting called by Sonia at Parliament House is also being seen as a bid to unite all the political parties to counter the NDA in 2019 general elections.

Recently, Sonia, who was in self-imposed political hibernation, took the affairs of the party in her hands and made many organizational changes in the party.

Political analysts believe that Sonia was forced to take the center stage again after her son Rahul Gandhi failed to dent the political prospects the BJP in recently held assembly and local bodies' elections.

United opposition would again meet in Chennai on the occasion of DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's birthday on June 3 as they are yet to see who the NDA chooses to be its candidate.

However, the Opposition is trying to pose a united front at a time when the BJP is at its acme and there is a leader who doesn't behave like a 'routine politician'.

Since the landslide victory in 2014, the BJP has performed well in the recently held state elections. The duo of PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah stitched the most astonishing win in India's largest state- Uttar Pradesh- with 312 seats out of 403 seats.

UP is a state that gives hint which party would be forming next government at Centre. An analysis of the nation's current mood portends that a perception continues to build in favour of Prime Minister Modi, who has taken several bold steps that don't suit a typical politician.

The demonetisation was one such step. The economic and political pundits may have reasons to declare it a farce but the fact of the matter is that the poor and middle classes believe that Modi boldly waged war against the black money hoarders.

These classes faced most difficulties post demonetisation but the election results show that they acceded to Modi's appeal to support him in his 'war against black money'.

Modi's another revolutionary step was to grant banking access to the poor and downtrodden through Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). The 'elite' critics and political pundits didn't take it seriously when it was launched. But, they didn't realise that a bank account was the 'most prized possession' for crores of poor Indians. After three years, the average
deposit per PMJDY account has more than doubled from Rs. 1,064 in March 2015 to Rs. 2,235 in March 2017. This data shows that the PMJDY was a masterstroke of Modi.

All erstwhile prime ministers would connect with the masses via media, especially state run Doordarshan. But, Modi chose All India Radio to connect with Indians a.ka. real voters via his Mann ki Baat.

The Prime Minister himself is most tech-savvy politician with 3.1 Million followers on Twitter.

Here is another example that the Opposition will have to deal with a Prime Minister who thinks out of the box. Before Modi became Prime Minister, Mahatma Gandhi was being portrayed as political icon of the Congress party. But, Modi broke that perception by launching a nationwide Swacch Bharat Mission in the name of Gandhi. The PM is leaving no stone unturned to spread the cleanliness mantra of the Mahatma. Actually, Modi is doing what the Congress missed.

Modi is a workaholic and as a result he inspires his ministers to become his alter-egos. Till now, he has managed to give a 'scam free government'.

With a clear cut mandate of the majority Indians, Modi has marketed India very well at the international level. India has alienated Pakistan globally. Modi understands the mood of countrymen and acts accordingly.

For example, the Prime Minister was under deep pressure when Pakistan tested his temper with mounted aggression along the Line of Control last year.

Breaking the normal procedure, the Modi government publicly announced that Indian Army conducted surgical strike on the terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in September 2016 to avenge the killing of 19 soldiers in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army also on Tuesday released a video which shows Pakistani posts along the Nowshera sector in Rajouri being hit. This was a retaliatory step after Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) mutilated bodies of two Indian soldiers in Krisha Ghati in Jammu and Kashmir on May 2.

The effects of the surgical strikes on ground could be debated, but Modi has given a sense of confidence to the Indians that there is a strong government in Delhi.

It is a fact that perception is jugular vein of politics and for the time being Modi has an edge over his political rivals as far as the perception is concerned.

It would be interesting to see that whether Sonia and other opposition leaders will be able to stop Modi hurricane or not. They, however, will be facing a herculean task to regain the lost trust of the voters.
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08:42   Saharanpur's caste-based violence a "well-planned" conspiracy: UP Hom Secy
Terming the recent caste-based violence as a "well-planned" conspiracy, Uttar Pradesh Principal Home Secretary Mani Parsad Mishra on Thursday said those responsible will not be spared.
Addressing a press conference in Saharanpur, he said though there had been incidents of violence reported from the district in the last few years but it had not attained the magnitude which was witnessed during April 20,  May 5, May 9 and May 23 clashes.
"It was also witnessed that since April 20 violence, the intensity of such incidents has been on a rise and some where it has been felt that there was something lacking in the police administration," he said, adding that following which a new team was sent to the district within 24 hours.
He said that in next 24 hours, the situation is likely to become normal and those responsible for the violence would not be spared and no innocent will be made an escape goat.
After arriving in Saharanpur, he said, he had met a number of people from Shabbirpur including the aged, women and children, and came across cases in which an 80-year-old man or a 14-year-old child have been made an accused.
When asked why Congress leader Shailja was stopped from visiting Shabbirpur while Deoband MLA Brijesh Singh was allowed, he said there is total ban on visit by any political leaders to Shabbirpur, and it has happened then action would taken against those responsible.
On the arrest of leader of Bhim Army Chandrashekhar Azad, he said he would be arrested soon.
Asked about the ban on internet, he said the ban was imposed after there were reports of misuse of social media but it would be lifted soon when the situation becomes normal.
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08:33   PM to kickstart MODI fest from today to celebrate 3rd anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick start 15-day M.O.D.I. (Making of Developed India) fest from north-eastern frontier state Assam to mark the completion of his government's third anniversary.

Modi, his entire cabinet, with Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and other party office bearers will leave no stone unturned to market the NDA government's achievements of last three years beginning from today.

In Assam, where the BJP government is also celebrating its first anniversary, the PM will launch a number of infrastructure projects including India's longest bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Tinsukia district.

As a part of the fest, events will be held in about 900 cities across the country between today to June 15 to highlight the achievements in the three years of the central government.

The festivals will be organised by state governments; apart from presentations highlighting key government policies and accomplishments, caps and leaflets about large welfare schemes will be shared.
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00:38   UK attack fallout: Muslim student spat on, another told 'stop bombing'
A number of anti-Muslim incidents have been reported in the UK after the Manchester bombing with a Muslim woman spat on while a teenaged Muslim girl taunted by a passer-by who said, "when are you going to stop bombing people".

A 14-year-old pupil at Manchester Islamic High School for girls was taunted while on her way to school by a passer-by.

Mona Mohamed, head teacher at the school, said that the teenager had been "upset and hurt" by the comment, "when are you going to stop bombing people", but had not responded.

A few hours after the Manchester concert attack an unidentified figure was caught on CCTV attempting to set fire to the door of a mosque in Oldham.

On Tuesday, a Muslim woman was spat on by a stranger on Manchester's Oxford Road.
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00:07   US court rules against Donald Trump's travel ban
A US federal appeals court has declined to reinstate an order from the Trump administration that would block travellers from six Muslim-majority countries, the latest legal setback to the controversial measure.

Chief Judge Roger Gregory of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that the order speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination.

He added: "Surely the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment yet stands as an untiring sentinel for the protection of one of our most cherished founding principlesthat government shall not establish any religious orthodoxy, or favour or disfavour one religion over another.
Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute. It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation."


US President Donald Trumps first attempt to implement the travel order was scrapped after a different appeals court upheld a nationwide injunction keeping it from taking effect.

A revised version of the order --which narrowed the number of affected countries from seven to six --was also hit with numerous legal challenges out of the gate, including the one at the centre of the 4th Circuit ruling.

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