Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Madrid in Spain, on the second leg of his six-day, four-nation tour. Photograph: ANI

Anti-Romeo squads, which undertook a massive exercise to check eve-teasing at public places, lodged 538 cases and initiated legal action against 1,264 people in Uttar Pradesh in past two months.

According to an official release, 3,38,344 people, mostly youths, were let off with warnings by the squads of policemen.

During the period between March 22 and May 28, the squads questioned over seven lakh people at more than two lakh spots including malls, markets, outside schools, colleges and educational institutions, bus and railway stations.

Anti-Romeo squads, a poll promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party, were set up the Yogi Adityanath government soon after coming to power with an aim to ensure safety of women, especially young girls.

The squad had also attracted criticism from some quarters after visuals of policemen targeting young boys and girls were shown on the TV and on social media.

At a few places in the state, some youths were made to do sit-ups at busy crossings holding their ears and taking pledge not to indulge in eve-teasing.

Later, however, the government issued strict instructions to the police and the anti-Romeo squads to exercise restraint,saying things like shaving of heads or blackening of face should not be done or innocent people harassed.  -- PTI

Nine persons, including eight minors, died and nearly 200 people were taken ill after eating rice and pork at an after-church feast in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya, officials said.

"Eight persons, including seven minors, died today due to food poisoning at Nongkya village," district Deputy Commissioner C P Gotmare said.

Another minor died yesterday at Umsning, a senior Healthdepartment official said.

Four persons died at the Ganesh Das hospital in the state capital Shillong, one at the Shillong Civil Hospital, one at aprivate hospital at Nongpoh, two in Nongkya village and oneat the Umsning CHC, the official added.

Nearly 200 others from nearby villages fell ill after consuming the food at the Sunday feast, he said.

Of them, 80 were admitted to the Nongpoh Civil Hospital, 33 to the Umsning CHC, 23 to the Bhoilymbong health facilityand the rest to the Shillong Civil Hospital, NEIGRIHMS and Ganesh Das Hospital, he added.

Following a preliminary enquiry, Food Safety officialsdid not rule out that the packed rice and pork served after the church service was stale and unfit for consumption.

Samples of the food were collected today and sent to the Guwahati-based Public Health Laboratory, Joint Commissioner, Food Safety, S N Sangma said.

The victims are residents of 10 adjoining villages.  -- PTI

Image only for representation.

JUST IN: Punjab Police busted a terror module planning to indulge in large-scale violence and targeted killings under banner of 'Khalistan Zindabad'. Four youth, including a woman, have been arrested from Mohali, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana. Two pistols of 32 bore (with 4 magazines and 5 live rounds) have been seized.-- ANI

Two research scholars at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, came to blows on Monday over the 'beef fest' on campus in which both sustained injuries, sources inside the campus have said.

According to them there was no 'right wing' attack on students for taking part in the beef fest.
 
According to a PhD scholar at the IIT, who spoke on condition of anonymity, 'It is being portrayed as a group attack on a student, Suraj, who was present at the beef party on Monday, but this is not true'.
 
The student said: "In our mess, there a section which serves Jain food. During lunch today, Manish Kumar Singh, a student from Bihar, saw Suraj eating there. He asked him what was he doing there after organising a beef party. This turned into a verbal spat and Suraj made some provocative statements. The two hit each other in which Manish's hand was fractured while Suraj sustained injuries below his eyes."
 
"It was a fight between two students and not a group attack on one. Manish, meanwhile, is not a member of any right-wing group," the student said.
 
He said that a complaint has been registered with the dean of students.

Meanwhile, a friend of Suraj was quoted as saying by ANI that the 'beef party was not a celebration of the right for us to consume beef'. "Major point for the event was to have discussion within institute and to raise awareness," he said.

IMAGE: IIT Madras student Suraj being taken for treatment after the brawl. Photograph: ANI

Veteran Telugu filmmaker and former minister of coal Dasari Narayana Rao passed away on Tuesday at the age of 75.

Rao, who holds a record for directing 125 films in Telugu, died at Hyderabad's KIMS hospital after prolonged illness.

Rao is known for his work predominantly in Telugu cinema. Some of his most famous films are Tandra Paparayudu (1986), Meghasandesam (1983) and Kaante Koothurne Kanu (2000).

Rao, who was a minister in the United Progressive Alliance government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, was also chargesheeted in the coal scam. -- Agencies

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, wanted by the National Investigation Agency on terror charges, has applied for Malaysian citizenship, according to agency sources.

Naik has been changing his base quite frequently after the NIA moved the Interpol for issuance of a Red Corner Notice, international arrest warrant, against him, they said.

The preacher, who is believed to be having Permanent Residence status in Malaysia, has now sought its citizenship but no decision has been taken so far on his application, the sources said.

The Indian government is planning to use its diplomatic channels to frustrate all attempts by the controversial preacher to get citizenship in any country, they said.

The Malaysian authorities were aware about terror cases pending against the controversial Islamic preacher, they said.

Naik is being probed for terror and money laundering charges. He had fled from India immediately after an investigation against him was initiated.

His present place of stay is unknown and it is believed that he has been shuttling between the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, African and Southeast Asian countries, the sources said.

The controversial preacher is accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year-long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence of his NGO -- Islamic Research Foundation -- and Peace TV, being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

The central government has already banned his NGO and taken his TV channel off air. During the probe, the NIA claimed to have found 37 properties owned by Naik and companies run by him, which are estimated to be worth more than Rs 100 crore.

A Special NIA court in Mumbai, while issuing a non- bailable warrant against Naik, had said that 'there are reasonable grounds to believe that Naik is evading arrest and that he will not voluntarily appear before the court or before the agency'.

The NIA alleged that Naik has been promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India through his speeches and lectures on various platforms and inciting Muslim youths and terrorists in India and abroad to commit terrorist acts.

Naik had fled from India on July 1, 2016 after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches on waging jehad. -- PTI

Also read

Zakir Naik granted Saudi citizenship?

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed a trial court order allowing former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi, a key accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, to travel to Indonesia.

Decrying the 'special treatment' given to Tyagi, Justice I S Mehta said, "I do not understand, why the accused persons always want to travel abroad...why should he (Tyagi) be given the special treatment."

Staying the trial court order till July 12, it agreed to the contention of the CBI that the former 71-year-old IAF chief, who is on bail, may tamper with the ongoing probe in the case.

The court, which is hearing the CBI's appeal against the grant of bail to Tyagi and two other accused in the case, said, "You (Tyagi) are facing trial in a case and also getting special treatment. What is this? Till July 12, you will not travel. The trial court order is stayed till that time."

The high court's interim order came on a plea of CBI challenging the trial court's May 24 decision permitting Tyagi to travel abroad. -- PTI

Spain's Fernando Verdasco upset tournament favourite and 9th seed Alexander Zvarev to advance to the second round of the French Open.

After rain stopped play on Monday, veteran Verdasco and Zvarev took the court and the veteran Spaniard did well to fightback from a break down early on Tuesday.

Verdasco solid defence saw him outplay German Zvarev 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday.

Former civil aviation minister Praful Patel today termed as 'multi-tiered and collective' the decisions to merge Air India and Indian Airlines, and the order to purchase 111 aircraft by the state-run carriers, a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation decided to launch investigation into these.

The CBI had on Monday registered three FIRs to probe alleged irregularities in purchase and lease of aircraft by the two airliners, and surrender of profitable routes by them to favour domestic and foreign carriers.

Besides, it had also registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe the controversial merger. Patel said the CBI had registered the PE to go into these issues in 2013 when the United Progressive Alliance was in power.

Asserting that 'all decisions were multi-tiered and collective', he said 'the aircraft purchase order was cleared by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by P Chidambaram and the merger was cleared by an EGoM headed by Pranab Mukherjee'.

"Both the decisions were ratified by the Cabinet," the Nationalist Communist Party leader said.

The CBI's action followed the Supreme Court's January 5 direction on a petition filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation led by lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

The process for the merger was initiated by Patel on March 16, 2006 when he had sought a concept paper on the merger.

A presentation was made before the Prime Minister on March 22 that year. An Empowered Group of Ministers had later examined the proposal.

The merger proposal had received the Manmohan Singh cabinet's approval on March 1, 2007.

Indian Airlines officially merged with Air India in April 2007.

The Comptroller and Auditor General had in 2011 questioned the rationale behind the government's decision to order 111 airplanes for AI and Indian Airlines--48 from Airbus and 68 from Boeing-- for about Rs 70,000 crore in 2006.

The government auditor had called the merger of the two national carriers 'ill-timed' and said, 'the financial case for the merger was not adequately validated prior to the merger'.  -- PTI

The Reserve Bank of India to soon put into circulation currency notes in one rupee denomination. These are legal tender as provided in the Coinage Act 2011, the RBI said. Existing currency notes in this denomination in circulation continue to be legal tender.

Printing of the one rupee note was discontinued about 20 years ago.

India today thanked Germany for backing its membership bid in the Nuclear Suppliers Group as the two countries supported each others candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed their commitment to "strengthen global non- proliferation efforts," said a Joint Statement issued after their meeting in Berlin. 

White House communications director Mike Dubke resigns, three months after being appointed by President Trump.

The Madurai Bench of Madras HC today put a four-week stay on Centre's ban on cattle slaughter.

The High Court has asked the Centre and state government to reply in four weeks over the issue.

Last week, the Union environment ministry had notified stringent new rules that ban sale and purchase of cattle from any animal/livestock market for purposes of slaughter or religious sacrifice.

The ministry had notified the stringent Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, banning the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

The rules define cattle as a bovine animal including bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and calves and camels.

The rules define cattle as a bovine animal including bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and calves and camels.

The new rules also prohibited establishment of an animal market in a place which is situated within 25 km from any state border an

The IMD gets its monsoon forecast right for the first time in a decade!

A day after Germany slammed Donald Trump for his policies, the US President tweeted, what could be construed as a response: "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change."

Germany's foreign minister launched a scathing criticism of Donald Trump on Monday, claiming the US President's actions have "weakened" the West. He also accused the US government of standing "against the interests of the European Union."

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has admitted that recent crimes, including those by cow vigilantes, against minorities in the state show Rajasthan in a bad light, but stressed that firm action will be taken against those behind the violence. "The law of the land prevails in Rajasthan, and the government will ensure the culprits are brought to book," she said.


In April, 'gau rakshaks' or cow vigilantes lynched a 55- year-old cattle trader, Pehlu Khan, in Alwar and injured four of his companions. Khan later succumbed to injuries.


A month later, the desert state hit the headlines again when a video -- showing Sikh men allegedly being thrashed by villagers in Ajmer -- surfaced. "Rajasthan cannot be singled out. Such incidents are happening across India. But this government will not tolerate such crimes as it shows the state in a bad light," Raje told PTI in an interaction.


She said the administration acted "swiftly" and the perpetrators were arrested in the Pehlu Khan case. The chief minister, who is due to complete her term next year, said, "We do not discriminate among people on any lines. In less than a week, the accused in the honour killing of a Kerala engineer were arrested and a thorough inquiry was also ordered into the Ajmer incident." In a suspected case of honour killing, 28-year-old Amit Nair, a civil engineer, was shot dead last week allegedly by his in-laws here for marrying a Rajasthani woman. "

PM Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint press conference in Berlin. Highlights of what the PM said...

Guten Tag Deutschland! This is my 2nd official visit to Germany for IGC.
Our relations have a regional and global perspective.

We discussed new and upcoming opportunities and challenges in Asia, Europe and the world.

We welcome the role played by friendly countries in our development.

German business and industry are an important partner in achievements of India's economic priorities.

We are made for each other -- Germany is a key partner for Make in India.

Climate protection and living in harmony with nature is a part of India's ethos.

There has been a quantum jump in Indo-German economic cooperation.

Our cooperation in areas like renewable energy is gaining momentum. Science and technology, the start up world are important areas which have been given attention to during this visit.

India-Germany tie-up will help the world, expecting quantum jump in trade ties.

Germany has played a very important role to make skill India mission a success.

India-Germany partnership will help us and the world. We are looking at an outcome oriented momentum in India-Germany ties and a quantum jump specially in economic ties.

Terrorism is a big threat for civilization,  emphasized to work together.

Germany's extensive work in skill development, which has set the standards globally, can benefit the youth of India.

Will work together with Germany to promote sports.

Just in: All accused are charged with criminal conspiracy under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) in the Babri trial. The special court was given a month by the Supreme Court to frame conspiracy charges against LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and nine other leaders in the Babri demolition case, and was asked to deliver its verdict within two years. Advani, 89, made his second court appearance in the case in 25 years.

The court also granted bail to the BJP veteran leaders and the other nine accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

According to reports, all the 12 accused have been granted bail on personal bond of Rs 20,000.

"They have been granted bail by signing bonds of Rs. 20,000. We have submitted discharge application. If the court rejects it, then charges will be framed," said lawyer of accused Prashant Atal.

The court had also asked BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, VHP's Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Sadhvi Ritambara to present themselves before the court in person.

While directing the accused to present themselves in person, the judge had said no application for adjournment or exemption from personal appearance shall be entertained.

Just in: The CBI court is now framing charges against all the 12 accused. They will face conspiracy charges in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Just in: Charges to be framed shortly against accused in Babri trial, their discharge petition has been rejected. The accused had asked to be discharged from the case. The court said the trial has to be heard without 'unnecessary adjournments and delays' on a day-to-day basis.

A special CBI court on Tuesday granted bail to BJP veteran leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and the other nine accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

According to reports, all the 12 accused have been granted bail on personal bond of Rs 20,000.

"They have been granted bail by signing bonds of Rs. 20,000. We have submitted discharge application. If the court rejects it, then charges will be framed," said lawyer of accused Prashant Atal.

The court had also asked BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, VHP's Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Sadhvi Ritambara to present themselves before the court in person.

While directing the accused to present themselves in person, the judge had said no application for adjournment or exemption from personal appearance shall be entertained.

The debris of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' helicopter, which crash-landed in Latur last week, has been moved to Mumbai as a part of investigation into the mishap, a senior official said today.


Fadnavis, along with five others including two crew members, escaped unhurt on May 25 when his helicopter, while taking-off, got entangled in overhead wires and crash-landed in Nilanga, around 45 kms away from Latur.


The chief minister was on way to Mumbai after holding a programme with farmers in Nilanga when the mishap occurred. Later, a probe into the incident was initiated by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which comes under the civil aviation ministry. The investigating officers last night shifted the helicopter's debris from the mishap site to Mumbai, Latur Collector G Shreekant told PTI today.

Training their guns on the Centre for banning the sale of cattle for slaughter across the country's livestock markets, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that BJP leaders have earlier accepted that they consume beef too.


"The beef issue has been initiated by BJP and not by the opposition. We have many a time put forward our petition requesting the government to completely ban cattle slaughter in Manipur and Goa too but it was never taken into consideration. Many of the BJP leaders have accepted that they consume beef- Is this not politics?," Congress leader Meem Afzal told ANI.


He further warned the Centre to not take any arbitrary measure towards the country.Resonating similar views, another Congress leader Madhu Goud Yaskhi stated that the grand old party had never turned the cow into a political issue.


"Even when the Congress was in power, the government never made such statements nor amended them. The grand old party never made cow a political issue nor on the eating habits of the people," Yaskhi told ANI.


Earlier, criticizing the Centre's order, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that he didn't need a "lesson in food habits from New Delhi or Nagpur."


"Those sitting in Nagpur and Delhi cannot decide the food habits of Malayalis," he said.

Baywatch babe Priyanka Chopra, who flew into Germany ahead of the Berlin premiere of Baywatch yesterday, met PM Narendra Modi in the city.  Wearing a white, printed dress embellished with lace, the Quantico star tweeted this picture, saying, "Thank you for taking the time to meet me this morning @narendramodi Sir. Such a lovely coincidence to be in #berlin at the same time."

The Prime Minister also arrived in Berlin on Monday on the first leg of his six-day, four-nation tour of Germany, Spain, Russia and France aimed at boosting bilateral economic engagement with them and inviting more investment for India's transformation.

His Germany visit, which he described as a "new chapter" in bilateral relations, began with a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel at her country retreat of Schloss Meseberg.


Priyanka, who will soon start filming the third season of her television show Quantico and her next Bollywood film, reached Berlin after Cannes and posted a selfie yesterday en route to Berlin, writing, "Berlin bound but selfie first. #summertimefeels (sic)."

Update: The bail bond for all the accused in the Babri masjid case that is being heard by the CBI court in Lucknow, has been set at Rs 20,000 each, not Rs 50,000 each, as reported earlier.

Just in: The CBI court has granted bail to LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti and the other accused in the Babri Masjid case. The conspiracy charges are yet to be framed in the case. The bail bond was set for Rs 50,000 each.

The leaders appeared today before the Special CBI judge S K Yadav.

The court had also asked BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, VHP's Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Sadhvi Ritambara to present themselves before the court in person.

While directing the accused to present themselves in person, the judge had said no application for adjournment or exemption from personal appearance shall be entertained.

The court, which is hearing two separate cases relating to the demolition, would also frame charges against Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Ram Vilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma alias Prem Ji, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Dharma Das and Satish Pradhan in the second matter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded a ceremonial welcome and accorded a guard of honour in Berlin. He will now attend the IGC plenary meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The PM kicked off a four-nation tour on Monday, aimed at boosting bilateral and economic ties with Germany, Spain, Russia and France.

In the first leg of his trip, PM Modi is holding talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and will call on German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

In a Facebook Post, PM Modi had said he and Merkel will "chart out a future road map of cooperation with focus on trade and investment, security and counter-terrorism, innovation and science and technology, skill development, urban infrastructure, railways and civil aviation, clean energy, development cooperation, health and alternative medicine."

At least 41 of the 64 outfits banned by Pakistan, including the Pakistani Taliban and the sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, are active on Facebook and just a click away from the country's 25 million users of the social media platform, a media report said today.

The outfits' network, both interconnected and public, is a mix of Sunni and Shia sectarian groups, global terror organisations operating in Pakistan, and separatists in Balochistan and Sindh provinces, Dawn news reported.

The names of all banned outfits - including acronyms and small variations in spelling - were searched on Facebook to find pages, groups, and user profiles that publicly "liked" a banned outfit, the report said.

"41 of Pakistan's 64 banned outfits are present on Facebook in the form of hundreds of pages, groups and individual user profiles," it said.

BJP stalwarts LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti reach the special CBI court in Lucknow in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Earlier today, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj said "no power on earth" could stop the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya ahead of proceedings in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case here.

The Babri Masjid versus Ram temple debate should be dropped now, he said, claiming that those who had opposed the construction of the temple were now Ram bhakts.

The Muslim community too was in favour of a temple being built in Ayodhya, he said in Lucknow today. "No power on earth will be able to stop the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said.

Meanwhile, senior Hindutva leader Ram Vilas Vedanti, an accused in the case, said that he was among those who had pulled down the structure in Ayodhya. "I was one of those who had pulled down the dome of the disputed structure in Ayodhya," Vedanti, who is here to appear before the special court in the Ayodhya case, told reporters.

The special CBI court will be framing charges in the demolition case.

If you're going to enter a swearing contest, the one person you probably don't want to go against is Gordon Ramsay, swearing is a key part of his brand after all.Kevin Spacey is an ambitious man, and his bravery on taking on the "F-word" host may have just worked.  Read more

Search and rescue teams on Tuesday found a blood-stained shoe, half-burnt PAN card and a wallet of one of the two pilots of the Air Force's Sukhoi-30 fighter jet that crashed near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border last week, officials said.

The teams comprising the Army, the Air Force and civil administration personnel had recovered the jet's blackbox on May 28 from the crash site, located in a dense forest.

"Search operations are continuing despite bad weather conditions. However, there is still no trace of the two pilots," Army sources said.

The wreckage of the fighter jet, which went missing on May 23, was found on May 26 through aerial recce, in a thick forest around 60 km from Tezpur city.

Bilkis Bano gang-rape case: The Supreme Court refused to hear on an urgent basis the plea filed by IPS officer RS Bhagora, who was convicted by the Bombay HC. Supreme Court likely to hear the plea of the IPS officer in the second week of July.

Yogi Adityanath, LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti are all the VVIP guesthouse in Lucknow. Adityanath received Advani and MM Joshi at the airport. All the accused, some 22 of them in court today, will have to make a personal appearance in the court. The court said nobody was exempt from a personal appearance.


Image: Senior BJP leader LK Advani at the VVIP guest house. He will head to the special CBI court later today.

Sakshi Maharaj, BJP MP from Unnao, who is also an accused in the case says, "Babur was a foreigner, who had nothing to do with India. Media should not repeatedly call it 'Babri'. It is Ram Janmbhoomi."

UP CM Yogi Adityanath reaches the VVIP guest house in Lucknow where he met LK Advani and MM Joshi. The two leaders and Uma Bharti, who are accused of criminal conspiracy, are set to appear in court where the framing of charges will take place in the Babri Masjid demolition case.


The Supreme Court allowed the CBI to revive the conspiracy charges levelled against the leaders in 1992, essentially turning back the clock. The apex court has clubbed two cases, the one fought in Raebareli court with the other case filed in a Lucknow trial court (minus the criminal conspiracy charges).

The apex court has issued a two-year deadline, starting sometime in the next four weeks, to the designated court, directing it to hold daily proceedings without any adjournment.

Just in: Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian dictator, is dead at 83. He was ousted in a US invasion in 1989.

Just in: LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi land at Lucknow airport. Sakshi Maharaj enters the Special Court in Lucknow where the framing of charges in the Babri Masjid case will take place. Sakshi Maharaj, who is one of the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case said, "No force on Earth can prevent the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya."

UP CM Yogi Adityanath met the top leaders ahead of the hearing in the court in Lucknow. 

"Not only does Tamil Nadu not help its own distraught farmers but it helps pay for farmers in UP. Farmers from Maharashtra are also protesting for waivers of their loans due to drought. Their protests have also been futile but Maharashtra is the biggest contributor to UP loan waivers. This is the saga of India's federal taxation quagmire. To be clear, this column is not about the ideology or economics of farm loan waivers but about India's fragility as a tax union."  Read the column here.

As a special CBI court in Lucknow is set to frame charges today against BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti in the Babri Masjid demolition case, the feisty sadhvi said she did not consider herself a criminal.


Union Minister Uma Bharti said today, "I do not consider myself a criminal. The case is related to God and my expectations are also from God.

"Yeh khula aandolan tha jaise emergency ke khilaf hua tha. Iss andolan mein kya sazish thi mujhe pata nahin abhi. This was a revolution, just like the one opposing the Emergency. I don't know how there can be a conspiracy," she said. 


The leaders will appear today before the Special CBI judge S K Yadav.The court had also asked BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, VHP's Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Sadhvi Ritambara to present themselves before the court in person.


While directing the accused to present themselves in person, the judge had said no application for adjournment or exemption from personal appearance shall be entertained.


The court, which is hearing two separate cases relating to the demolition, would also frame charges against Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Ram Vilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma alias Prem Ji, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Dharma Das and Satish Pradhan in the second matter.


The Supreme Court had on April 19 ordered prosecution of Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti, and other accused for criminal conspiracy in the politically sensitive case.


It had also ordered day-to-day trial to be concluded in two years.


The apex court ordered that two separate cases in Lucknow and Rae Bareli against Advani, Joshi and Bharti and unknown 'kar sevaks' shall be brought together in one trial.


The apex court also directed the trial court in Lucknow to commence the proceedings in four weeks and hear the matter on a day-to-day basis so as to complete the hearing in two years. The apex court also said there will be no 'de novo' (fresh) trial.

Following his visit to Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today arrive in Spain to kick-start his two-day visit to initiate bilateral engagements with President Mariano Rajoy.


During his stay, he will meet the top leadership of the country to discuss issues of mutual interests. He is also expected to call on King of Spain - King Felipe VI tomorrow.


The Prime Minister will be discussing ways to enhance bilateral engagement, especially in economic sphere, and cooperation on international issues of common concern, particularly in combating terrorism.


Prime Modi will also meet top Chief Executive Officers of the Spanish industry and encourage them to take part in the 'Make in India' initiative.


During his tour to Spain, a number of agreements are likely to be inked in the fields including, renewable energy, high speed rail, infrastructure, civil aviation, water waste management and air space management.


In the first leg of his four nation tour to Germany, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed number of regional and global issues, including Brexit, terrorism, Afghanistan as well as China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.


Discussions on climate change and the possibilities of including India in the G 20 contact also took place.


The two leaders also reviewed Brexit, its effects on both India and Germany as well as the future of the European Union (EU).

Cyclone Mora fallout: Isolated and extremely heavy rainfall very likely over Assam and Meghalaya today, says the National Disaster Management Authority. Rainfall at most places with very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Fishermen along and off the West Bengal coast are advised not to venture into the sea during the next 12 hours.

At least 10 people were killed and 40 other were left injured when a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad early Tuesday.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on Twitter and Telegram by the group's media wing, Amaq, reports CNN.

The statement said ISIS targeted a gathering of Shiites.

"A car bomb exploded in the busy al Hurriya Square in central Baghdad," police Maj. Ali Mohammed said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Saad Maan said the blast occurred outside an ice cream shop.

The attack comes in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began on Friday. Families often stay out late during Islam's holy month of Ramadan after breaking their daily fast.

ISIS has carried out several attacks across the capital and killed dozens of people in this year.

Justifying his bizzare statement drawing parallels between having babies and possessing a house, BJP MLA from Gorakhpur Radha Mohan Das Agarwal on Tuesday said, that not all the things should be taken seriously, as some matters are meant to be in jest.

While in Sant Kabir Nagar district to address a public rally in its Maghar town, marking the third anniversary of the BJP, a woman approached the MLA requesting him for their accommodation, to which Agarwal replied asking her how many children did she have.

When the woman said two, he again raised a question asking if the children were born together. The woman replied, "no".

Continuing with his callous attitude, the minister taunted saying if the children were not born together, how could she expect all the demands to be fulfilled in one go.

While issuing justification over the same, Agarwal later said, "If I have five children, they will take birth one after the other and not all at once. Some things are to be taken lightly. One cannot have a relieved life, if he starts taking everything seriously."

Such brazen statements are becoming a pain in the neck for the Yogi Adityanath-led Government.

The same MLA recently brought tears in the eyes of an IPS officer by allegedly misbehaving and insulting her.

However, the MLA refused to apologise to the woman officer and instead, accused the officer of exercising high-handedness with the protesters.

Convicted paedophiles will have their passports cancelled to prevent them travelling overseas to offend again under tough new laws which Australia today hailed as a "world first". Legislation will be introduced to parliament this month making it illegal for registered offenders to leave or attempt to leave the country as part of a crackdown on child-sex tourism.

Conditions 'favourable' for the onset of the South-West monsoon in Kerala by today, says the Meteorological Department.

The southwest monsoon is "most likely" to hit the Kerala coast and northeast India simultaneously on Tuesday, the onset date forecast by the Met earlier in the month.

Monsoon's early push into the northeast, where the rain system normally arrives a few days after its onset over Kerala, is being aided by cyclone Mora, currently moving north from the Bay of Bengal.

More on the Modi-Merkel meeting in Germany.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have held "very good" discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues like the Brexit consequences, trade and radicalisation in the context of recent terror attacks in Europe.

In their informal talks yesterday at Schloss Meseberg, the Chancellor's official country retreat near Berlin, both leaders also exchanged views on China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and climate change.

"Had a very good interaction with Chancellor Merkel," Modi said in a tweet after his meeting. "The interaction lasted nearly three hours, and covered various areas of mutual interest including smart cities, skill development, clean energy etc. There was appreciation for India's economic reform agenda, including GST (Goods and Services Tax)," a Prime Minister's Office statement on the meeting said.

"The leaders had discussions that covered the bilateral agenda and how Germany can partner with India on its flagship programmes. There was appreciation of India's reform agenda, particularly GST," India's Ambassador to Germany Mukta Dutta Tomar told reporters at a briefing here last night. Highlighting that this is Modi's second bilateral visit to Germany since 2015, she said that the ease of doing business in India and the fast track mechanism set up in 2015 to assist German businesses work in India received appreciation from the German side.

"In fact, there has been foreign direct investment of 2 billion dollars (from Germany) in the past two years. The figures speak for themselves," she said. Regional and inter-global issues were also discussed during the three-hour-long interactions -- some at the delegation level and some one-to-one between Modi and Merkel.

Image: PM Modi and German chancellor Angela Merkel at Schloss Meseberg yesterday.

More on the Modi-Merkel meeting in Germany.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have held "very good" discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues like the Brexit consequences, trade and radicalisation in the context of recent terror attacks in Europe.

In their informal talks yesterday at Schloss Meseberg, the Chancellor's official country retreat near Berlin, both leaders also exchanged views on China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and climate change.

"Had a very good interaction with Chancellor Merkel," Modi said in a tweet after his meeting. "The interaction lasted nearly three hours, and covered various areas of mutual interest including smart cities, skill development, clean energy etc. There was appreciation for India's economic reform agenda, including GST (Goods and Services Tax)," a Prime Minister's Office statement on the meeting said.

"The leaders had discussions that covered the bilateral agenda and how Germany can partner with India on its flagship programmes. There was appreciation of India's reform agenda, particularly GST," India's Ambassador to Germany Mukta Dutta Tomar told reporters at a briefing here last night. Highlighting that this is Modi's second bilateral visit to Germany since 2015, she said that the ease of doing business in India and the fast track mechanism set up in 2015 to assist German businesses work in India received appreciation from the German side.

"In fact, there has been foreign direct investment of 2 billion dollars (from Germany) in the past two years. The figures speak for themselves," she said. Regional and inter-global issues were also discussed during the three-hour-long interactions -- some at the delegation level and some one-to-one between Modi and Merkel.

Image: PM Modi and German chancellor Angela Merkel at Schloss Meseberg yesterday.

Cyclone Mora made landfall in Bangladesh today damaging several houses and packing winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour after authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from the coastal areas.

In a special bulletin, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the severe cyclonic storm 'Mora' moved northwards over North Bay and started crossing Cox's Bazar- Chittagong coast at 6 am (local time). It is likely to move in a northerly direction further, it said.

Under its influence, gusty or squally wind with rain or thunder showers were continuing over North Bay and the coastal districts and maritime ports of Bangladesh., the Daily Star reported.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 64 km of the cyclone centre was about 89 kph rising to 117 kph in gusts or squalls, it said. As many as 300,000 people had been taken to shelters in more than ten districts most vulnerable to the cyclone.

At least 2.5 million people in ten districts risk falling in the way of the severe cyclonic storm. The districts at risk were Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal and Pirojpur.


Representational image.

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