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Fri, 27 April 2018
It's my right to vote in Karnataka polls but can't travel to India: Mallya

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22:56   It's my right to vote in Karnataka polls but can't travel to India: Mallya
Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, who had represented Karnataka twice in the Rajya Sabha, today said it was his democratic right to vote in the state assembly polls, but lamented that he cannot travel to India, where he is wanted to face charges of fraud and money laundering.

The 62-year-old former businessman parliamentarian had first represented Karnataka as the member of the Upper House of Parliament between April 10, 2002 and April 9, 2008.

"It is my democratic right to vote in Karnataka, but as you know I am here and cannot travel," he told reporters outside the Westminister Magistrate's Court in connection with a hearing in his ongoing extradition trial, to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities involving an amount of around Rs 9,000 crores, as well as money laundering cases.

He was re-elected for the Rajya Sabha from the southern state on July 1, 2010 and resigned on May 5, 2016 before his the expiry of his term on June 30, 2016.

He is in the United Kingdom since March 2016.When asked about his opinion on the Karnataka polls, he said, "I haven't been following the politics so closely, so I have no opinion (on the polls)."

The elections for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative assembly is scheduled to be held across the state on May 12. The results will be out on May 15.  -- PTI
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22:23   India, Pak DGMOs talk about LoC firing incidents
India's & Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations had an unscheduled 'hotline' interaction with each other.

In the conversation, Pakistan's DGMO alleged that Indian security forces had resorted to unprovoked firing and calibre escalation along the Line of Control, the Indian Army said on Friday.

To which, Indian Army DGMO said that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out in response to unabated support given by Pakistan army to armed terrorists, the army said.

More details awaited.  -- ANI
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21:59   Three BJP ads banned from being aired in Karnataka
Three video advertisements of the Bharatiya Janata Party against the ruling Congress in poll-bound Karnataka were today banned by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee from being aired on a complaint from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

The committee restrained the media from airing or sharing the advertisements on the ground that they were violative of Election Commission guidelines.

Karnataka is going for assembly elections on May 12.

It was acting on a complaint filed by MLC V S Ugrappa, on behalf the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, who had contended that the advertisements violated the election code of conduct.

The Commissioner of department of information and public relations Harsha P S, in his order, banned airing of 'Jana Virodhi Sarkara' (anti-people government), Viphala Sarkara (failed government), both of 35 seconds duration, and 'Mooru Bhagya' (three fortunes) of 50 seconds.

The order said the video advertisements violated the Election Commission guidelines. The permission for these three visual advertisements was given to Ganesh Yaji, state office secretary of the BJP on April 22.

Ugrappa in his complaint said the advertisements were also contrary to the provisions of Indian Penal Code as well as the Representation of People's Act.

The complaint said, 'Series of television advertisements have also been published and broadcast across various TV channels in Karnataka, which are absolutely false and" unverified claims amounting to further attacks on the integrity and personal image of the chief minister.'
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21:22   Durishetty Anudeep of Hyderabad tops UPSC civil services exam
JUST IN: Union Public Service Commission Civil Services 2017 examinations results announced.

Durishetty Anudeep of Hyderabad has topped the exam, while Anu Kumari stood second and Sachin Gupta third.

Bihar's Atul Prakash has secured fourth rank.

As many as 990 names have been recommended for being appointed to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and Central Services, Group A and Group B.

The results are available at upsconline.nic.in.

See the full list HERE

Photograph: Kind courtesy Anudeep Durishetty/Facebook
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21:04   Aditya Ghosh steps down as IndiGo president, Rahul Bhatia new CEO
In a surprise announcement, no-frills airline IndiGo today said Aditya Ghosh would step down as its president and Whole Time Director while promoter Rahul Bhatia would become the interim CEO.

The company's board, during its meeting today, accepted the resignation of Ghosh, according to a regulatory filing.

His resignation as Whole Time Director is effective from April 26 while he would step down as president with effect from July 31.

The board has appointed Bhatia as the Interim Chief Executive Officer and he would continue as a director.

The statement also said that IndiGo will consider appointing Gregory Taylor as President and CEO subject to regulatory approvals.

IndiGo is the country's largest domestic carrier with a market share of about 40 per cent.  -- PTI
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20:45   We will unite all regional parties, says KCR
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is on a mission to form a non-Bharatiya Janata Party non-Congress alternative, today said he would unite all regional parties in coming months to bring about 'a qualitative change' in the country.

"The way we created an earthquake and persuaded the country's political system and realised Telangana state; in a similar way, we will unite the country, move like a bird and unite all regional parties in the coming two-three months to bring about a qualitative change in the country," he said.

He was speaking at the 17th formation day Pleanary of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Hyderabad.

A resolution was passed unanimously at the Plenary authorising Rao to take appropriate decisions on forming the proposed federal front. Rao, who has recently met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda as part of his move, said he would meet Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam working president M K Stalin on April 29.

Stalin had two days ago 'endorsed' Banerjee's efforts to bring together various parties against the BJP.

Rao said Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav would come to Hyderabad to meet him on May 2.

"We are speaking to many others," he added. In a sharp attack on the Congress and BJP, he said the two parties must explain why the country remained backward on various fronts as two parties had ruled the country for most of the period since independence.

He said nature or God had given the country 70,000 TMC of water, yet neither the farmer gets water for irrigation nor drinking water was available. Sarcastically asking who gave this 'gift', he said 'the prime minister of the day (Narendra Modi), also former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the presidents of the two national parties, Amit Shahji and Rahul Gandhiji, should answer this. Seventy years have passed and you have run government. Both of you ruled for 65 years'.

Rao claimed that the country remained backward in various areas, including ports, airports, roads, inland waterways and even life expectancy.

Questioning why subjects like agriculture, health and rural roads remain with the Centre, he alleged that state governments had been reduced to worse than municipalities.

Instead, the Centre should take care of issues like Kashmir where Pakistan was provoking every day and international diplomacy, Rao said. He claimed that his move to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative has rattled both the parties.

"(Congress president) Rahul Gandhi says KCR is Narendra Modi"s agent. I did not understand. Have only Congress and BJP taken the contract to talk about national politics? Others do not have the right?" he said.

Rao also dared Telangana state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy to prove his claim that there were 150 rooms in his (Rao's) newly-built official residence.

Rao, who is the president of TRS, said 'a massive' public meeting would be organised either in October or November and 'others' would be invited for it.  -- PTI
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20:17   Modi gifts Xi paintings made by Chinese artist during Santiniketan stay
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented President Xi Jinping reprints of two paintings done by celebrated Chinese painter Xu Beihong (1895-1953) during his stay at Santiniketan during 1939- 40, sources said.

Titled 'The Horse' and 'Sparrows and Grass', these paintings are in the collection of Visva-Bharati, and their single reprints were especially commissioned by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on the occasion of the informal summit between the two leaders at Wuhan.

President Xi showed warm gesture after dinner as he came to see Modi off, sources said.   -- ANI
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19:27   Donkey issued hall ticket to write exam in J&K
Two years after a cow was issued an admit card to write an examination in Jammu and Kashmir, a hall ticket has apparently been issued to a donkey to appear for a recruitment test for naib tehsildars.

A prankster seems to have got an 'admit card' issued by Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board in the name of 'Kachur Khar' (brown donkey) to write the paper scheduled for Sunday.

A photograph of the 'admit card' is being widely circulated on Twitter and Facebook.

The admit card has the animal's photograph on it.

Calls made to Board officials for comment on the lapse were not answered.

Social media users were having a field day over the apparent lapse by the authorities.

One Twitter user lamented the waste of resources the prankster had to indulge in to get the admit card.

'It is ridiculous to get a system generated card in the name of donkey and then make it a news. It only shows how much extra time we have for wastage. Grow up,' the user wrote.

A Facebook user also lashed out at the Board.

'This application form could have been deleted or cancelled easily by SSB officials from the system because the issue was already highlighted in 2015,' the Facebook user wrote.

In 2015, the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations had issued an admit card to a cow to write an examination.  -- PTI

Photograph: Twitter
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19:14   India, China forging close economic ties: Chinese media
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping began their two-day summit, an official status report in Wuhan on India-China relations said a closer economic relationship is now part of bilateral ties.

Economic ties between China and India have become closer in recent years, the report by state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The two economies are highly complementary and have good potential for increased cooperation, it said.

The report pointed out that bilateral trade reached a record high of $84.4 billion last year, up 20.3 per cent from 2016, the fastest growth for five years.

It said China has become the largest trading partner of India, with imports rising by more than 40 per cent in 2017.Bilateral trade in Q1 hit $22.1 billion, up 15.4 per cent year-on-year.

Chinese and Indian businesses signed 101 trade agreements in March, with a total contract value of $2.4 billion, it said.

The report said Chinese investment in India added up to more than $8 billion by the end of 2017, with India an important destination for infrastructure cooperation and investment.

Indian investment in China has grown by an average of 18.5 per cent during the past three years, it said adding, Chinese smartphone brands are popular in India. It said Xiaomi has a market share of 27 per cent and shipped nearly 8.2 million units in Q4 of 2017.

The report said China and India are home to over 35 per cent of the world's population and contribute about 20 per cent of global GDP.  -- PTI
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18:28   The two Koreas agree to sign peace treaty after 65 years of 'war'
North and South Korea on Friday agreed to sign a peace treaty formally later this year, ending the 65-year-old war between the two countries.

The Korean War between the two countries took place between 1950-53 which ended with a ceasefire and signing of an armistice agreement.

Technically, both the countries are still at war since no peace treaty has been signed between them.

In a joint declaration of the third inter-Korean summit at the Peace House here, the document formally called the 'Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula,' read, 'The two leaders solemnly declare ... that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace has begun,' CNN reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in a statement, said that the two Koreas are one united people who should work together towards reunification.

"We are not a people that should be confronting each other, we should be living in unity. We have long waited for this moment to happen. All of us," Kim said.

"The road I have used today, I sincerely hope every South and North Korean citizen can use this road. We will be able to enjoy peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula without having to fear the war," he added.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also reiterated that a new era of peace has begun and there will not be any more war on the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders also agreed for denuclearisation of the peninsula. While Kim did not appear to mention denuclearisation in his speech, Moon said that the two sides wanted to achieve complete denuclearisation.

"Chairman Kim Jong-un and I have agreed that complete denuclearisation will be achieved, and that is our common goal," President Moon added.

The declaration on denuclearisation read, 'South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard. South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.'

Before the joint declaration, the two Korean leaders held a ceremonial tree-planting, wherein the two shovelled some soil onto a pine tree that was already in the ground before the leaders arrived.

The tree dates back to 1953, the year the armistice agreement of the Korean War was signed. Kim used soil from a mountain on the southern island of Jeju while Moon used earth from Mount Paektu in the north to plant the tree.

The two Korean leaders separately watered the tree with water from the other's territory respectively.

The duo will attend an elaborate dinner, to be held around 6.30 pm local time, that will include symbolic dishes originating from both the Korean countries.

This is the first time in 11 years that an inter-Korean summit is being held between the two Korean leaders.

The summit is expected to set the stage for the first meeting between the United States President Donald Trump and Kim, either in May or June.     -- ANI
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18:00   PM calls Rahul after learning about mid-air scare
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Wuhan in China today, called Congress president Rahul Gandhi last night immediately after learning about the opposition leader's mid-air scare. Rahul was flying from New Delhi to Hubli.


Aviation regulator DGCA has set up a two-member committee to probe the incident of technical snag in a chartered plane that was carrying Congress President Rahul Gandhi, a senior official said.


The incident happened during landing of the flight from New Delhi at Hubballi in north Karnataka on Thursday. Alleging "intentional tampering" with aircraft, the Congress party had yesterday demanded a probe into the "suspicious and faulty performance" of the 10-seater Falcon 2000.


"The Directorate General of Civi Aviation (DGCA) has set up a two member panel to investigate the incident. While one member is from the Directorate of Air Safety, the other member is from the Directorate of Airworthiness," a senior DGCA official told PTI. The panel has been asked to submit its report in the next 2-3 weeks, the official added.


As part of the probe, the official said the panel would call cockpit crew and also engineers for questioning about the incident. If required, the committee might also call the operations staff of the particular aircraft to gather details, the official said.


On Thursday, a senior DGCA official had confirmed that the aircraft had suffered "technical snag". "According to the operator's report, it was a snag of auto pilot mode and the pilot shifted to the manual (mode) and landed (the aircraft) safely," he had said, adding that shutdown of auto pilot (mode) incidents are not uncommon. "For any VIP flight, the DGCA examines it in detail. We shall do that here also," the official had said.

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17:37   Super Trouper! Abba to release 1st album in 35 years
ABBA have announced they are set to release new music for the first time in 35 years, reports the Independent.


Posting a statement on the official ABBA Instagram account, the band wrote: "The decision to go ahead with the exciting ABBA avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence.


"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!"


They continued: "It resulted in two new songs and one of them 'I Still Have Fair In You' will be performed by our digital selves in a TV special produced by NBC and the BBC aimed for broadcasting in December.

"We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good.

"Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn, Anni-Frid - Stockholm, Sweden, 27 April 2018."


The group's manager Gorel Hanser also confirmed the news in a press release.


During a speech in Brussels on 25 April, singer Bjorn Ulvaeus, 72, revealed that virtual "Abbatars" are being created to represent the four members of the pop group of the upcoming digital tour, expected for 2019 or 2020.
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17:17   HC rejects plea for removal of Jaya's portrait from TN Assembly
The Madras High Court today rejected a plea seeking removal of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's portrait from the state assembly. First bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose dismissed the petition filed by DMK MLA J Anbazhagan seeking removal of the portrait, unveiled on February 10 last.


He had sought removal of the portrait on grounds that Jayalalithaa was found guilty on corruption charges. The bench observed that in the absence of any law prohibiting the display of portraits of a person convicted for corruption, "this court cannot interfere in the matter."


The decision to unveil the portrait in the House was taken by Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal. The petitioner had submitted that Jayalalithaa was convicted by a special court on graft charges.


Later the same was set aside by the Karnataka High Court and on appeal the Supreme Court found all the accused guilty of the charges. In view of her demise, appeals against Jayalalithaa were treated as abated, the petitioner said. PTI
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17:09   India and China have 'big opportunity' to work together: PM tells Xi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed the centuries old Sino-India ties, telling Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two countries have a "big opportunity" to work together for the benefit of their people and the world. During his delegation-level talks as part of an unprecedented informal summit with President Xi in the central Chinese city, Modi said such informal summits should become a tradition between the two countries.


"I'll be happy, if in 2019, we can have such informal summit in India," Modi told Xi. Modi said India and China have the responsibility to work for 40 per cent of the world population and the two sides have a big opportunity to work together for the benefit of their people and the world.


The summit in Wuhan - the favourite holiday spot of revolutionary Chinese leader Mao Zedong - is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff last year.


Modi recalled that during the 2000 years of history, India and China together provided momentum and strength to the world economy and dominated it for around 1600 years.


"The two countries together constituted for about 50 per cent of the world economy and another 50 per cent was shared by rest of the world for 1600 years," the prime minister said. Modi also said the people of India felt proud that President Xi has twice received him out of the capital.


"I'm perhaps the first Prime Minister of India, for whom, you have come out of the capital (Beijing) twice to receive me," Modi said, referring to his visit to Xi'an - the home town of President Xi in 2015.


On his part, President Xi said the two countries have established closer partnership and made positive progress in recent years. "In the past five years, we have achieved a lot. We have met each other on many occasions," he said.


"Our two countries have established closer partnership and cooperation. We have have made positive progress. India and China have a combined population of 2.6 billion which provides enormous potential for development. The influence of our two countries is steadily rising in the region and the world," Xi told Modi.


Xi said he believes in future and the two leaders could meet in format like this from time to time. -- PTI
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16:59   AIADMK ministers call Delhi after HC verdict
Two ministers in the Tamil Nadu assembly who are very close to the New Delhi leadership called up two senior union ministers and thanked them for the legal guidance that led to the victory of the  AIADMK in the Madras High Court today.

The Madras High Court today dismissed a petition by DMK seeking the disqualification of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and 10 other AIADMK MLAs for having voted against the Palaniswami government last year.
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16:28   Fresh petitions filed in SC against Section 377
Fresh petitions were filed in the Supreme Court on Friday against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises homosexuality.


The petitioners, who moved the apex court are Ashok Rao Kavi, Humsafar Trust and Arif Jaffar.


Their prayer comes just six days after hotelier Keshav Suri, too, filed a plea in this regard in the top court.They all sought a hearing from the apex court, which agreed to hear it on Tuesday (May 1).


In response to Suri's plea, the apex court on April 23 sought the Centre's reply on the plea seeking scrapping of Section 377.


Earlier in 2009, the Delhi High Court had decriminalised Section 377, but the order was later set aside by a Supreme-Court bench. Categorised as an unnatural offence, consensual sexual intercourse between persons of same sex is termed 'against the order of nature' under Section 377 of the IPC, and can be punishable by life imprisonment. - ANI
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16:18   PM invites Xi to informal summit in India next year
PM Modi tells Chinese President Xi Jinping that he will be happy to host the next informal summit in India next year. In his one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, PM Modi drew a parallel between the Indus and Chinese civilizations, both of which sprawled around rivers.


Prime Minister Modi said, "Both our civilisations developed beside rivers. If We talk about the Mohenjo Daro and Harappa civilisations in India the entire development used to take place around rivers."


Acknowledging Prime Minister Modi's first visit to Wuhan President Xi said, "We also understand that you are interested in Eastern and Western China. Wuhan is located in Central China that is why we are meeting here."


President Xi further pointed out that Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, has emerged as a transportation hub and a key industrial base.


Prime Minister Modi praised the speed and magnanimity at which China has developed itself as a nation. He highlighted his previous visit to the Hubei province in China as Gujarat's Chief Minister.


"When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had the opportunity to visit this province. I had heard a lot about the Three Gorges Dam. The speed at which you constructed it and the scale inspired me. So I came on a study tour, spent a day at the dam."


The two leaders are now scheduled to hold informal summit talks at East Lake guesthouse followed by a boat ride.The two-day visit by Prime Minister Modi to China is touted as an informal meeting between the leaders of the two Asian giants. ANI
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16:02   HC dismisses DMK plea for disqualifying OPS, 10 AIADMK MLAs
The Madras High Court today dismissed a petition by DMK seeking disqualification of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and 10 other AIADMK MLAs for having voted against the Palaniswami government last year.


A bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose dismissed the petition by DMK whip Sakkarapani. The petitioner had contended that by voting against the trust motion these MLAs had violated the whip issued by the ruling party and hence attracted disqualification under the anti-defection law.


Panneerselvam and other MLAs, then in the rebel camp, had voted against the trust vote sought by Chief Minister K Palaniswami on February 18, 2017.
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15:56   Vijay Mallya back in UK court for extradition hearing
Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya was back in a UK court today for a hearing in his ongoing extradition trial. The 62-year-old, who is wanted in India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore, is currently on a 650,000 pounds bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant by Scotland Yard in April last year.


"It's another day in court", Mallya told reporters outside the Westminster Magistrates' Court. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot is set to consider some additional material sought from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, hear closing arguments, and set a timeline for a verdict in the case -- which is expected by next month.


At the last hearing in the case on March 16, the judge had noted that it was "blindingly obvious" that rules were being broken by Indian banks which sanctioned some of the loans to the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines owned by Mallya.

File pic.
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15:49  
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold delegation level talks in Hubei. 
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15:42  
@BBCBreaking Duke & Duchess of Cambridge name royal baby Louis Arthur Charles.
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15:34   Trump admin ends special protections for 9,000 Nepalese immigrants
The Trump administration has decided to terminate the temporary protection status for nearly 9,000 Nepalese immigrants with authorities asking them to leave or find another way to stay in the US to allow for an orderly transition.


Temporary Protected Status is a designation afforded to nationals of countries experiencing humanitarian crisis such as violent conflict, environmental disasters, earthquake or epidemics that would prevent nationals from returning safely.


This decision affects 8,950 people, 85 per cent of whom live in New York. All of these people from Nepal would have to go back to Nepal or face deportation. However, to allow for an orderly transition, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M Nielsen has determined to delay the termination for 12 months. The designation will now terminate on June 24, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security said.


The decision to terminate TPS for Nepal was made after a review of the environmental disaster-related conditions upon which the country's original designation was based and an assessment of whether those originating conditions continue to exist as required by statute. PTI
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15:17   You look tense, Rahul mocks PM's 'no agenda' China visit
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to China as one having "no agenda", but reminded him to raise the Doklam standoff with Chinese troops last year and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with the leadership there.


Gandhi mocked Modi, saying "you look tense" on the visit. However extending his party's support, he told the prime minister that India wants to hear him talk about these crucial issues - Doklam and CPEC - with China.


"Dear PM, Saw the live TV feed of your "No Agenda' China visit. You look tense! A quick reminder: 1. DOKLAM 2. China Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through POK. That's Indian territory. India wants to hear you talk about these crucial issues. You have our support," Gandhi said on Twitter.


Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a standoff in Doklam area last year. The face-off ended through negotiations after 72 days. The CPEC, a part of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and India opposes the controversial project.


Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping today began talks at an unprecedented two-day informal summit in Wuhan city in central China. During the visit, the two leaders will have a series of one-on-one conversations on bilateral, global and regional issues. PTI


Image: PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Wuhan museum this morning. Pic: PIB.
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15:08   RSS writes to Aligarh Muslim University for shakhas on campus
The RSS on Friday wrote a letter to Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, asking for 'Shakhas' on the campus. The letter was written to dispel misconceptions about the right-wing outfit among students of the minority community.


A RSS worker, Mohammed Amir Rashid in the letter stated "Wrong perception is being created that RSS is anti-Muslim, they are actually a nationalist organisation. If 'Shakhas' are held students will know what RSS is about."


Rashid noted that RSS is dedicated to the nation's service and works without religious discrimination.


According to media reports, the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union president opposed the move. ANI
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14:59   Fitch retains India rating at 'BBB-', stable outlook
Global credit rating agency Fitch today affirmed India's sovereign rating at 'BBB-' with 'stable' outlook, saying that the country's medium-term growth potential is strong. 'BBB-' rating indicates lowest investment grade.


"India's rating balances a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable external balances with weak fiscal finances and some lagging structural factors, including governance standards and a still-difficult, but improving, business environment," Fitch said.


It projected India's growth at 7.3 per cent in current the fiscal and further to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20. Growth is projected to be 6.7 per cent in the last fiscal, ended March 31.


"The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch's assessment that upside and downside risks to the ratings are broadly balanced," Fitch said. The Fitch review for annual sovereign rating follows India's rating upgrade by Moody's after a gap of 14 years. S&P had retained the earlier rating.


Fitch said India's fiscal finances are weak but current account deficit position is favourable. Per capita GDP is the lowest among 'BBB' range peers and continued structural reform implementation should enhance productivity.  -- PTI
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14:46   JNU students file police complaint against prof facing sexual harassment charges
Accusing the JNU administration of shielding a professor facing sexual harassment charges, a group of university students have filed a police complaint, saying they are "threatened" with his presence on the campus.


The students have also sought protection from the police in their complaint against JNU professor Atul Kumar Johri.


"We, the students of School of Life Sciences, are feeling threatened. The presence of the accused in the premises is making it a distressing environment. He is coming to school premises daily for past three days," they said in the complaint filed at Vasant Kunj Police Station last night.


A police official said they have received the complaint but no FIR has been registered yet. "We are looking into the issue." On Wednesday, Delhi High Court Justice Rajiv Shakdher directed the university to initiate a probe against Johri.


The court also said: "Can't you (JNU) advise him to stay outside the campus till the enquiry is completed? ... Can't you treat the representations as complaints? The core issue is that the students should feel safe in the campus. I am not saying you completely trash the professor. Take his defence, give him a preliminary hearing. Do something, you can't expose your students like this." PTI
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14:21   Autopilot failure not uncommon: DGCA on Rahul's plane snag
DGCA on technical snag in aircraft carrying Rahul Gandhi: As per operator's report, it was snag of autopilot mode. The pilot shifted to manual mode and aircraft landed safely. Autopilot failure incidents aren't uncommon. A 2-member committee has been set up to probe the incident. A report is expected in 2-3 weeks.

The Congress on Thursday hinted at intentional tampering with Congress President Rahul Gandhi's special flight to Hubli on on Thursday.

Rahul Gandhi's aide Kaushal Vidyarthee sent a complaint letter to Karnataka Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police Neelamani N. Raju and demanded to investigate the incident and ground the aircraft till the investigation is completed.

According to the complaint; Rahul Gandhi along with Vidyarthee, Rampreet, Rahul Ravi and SGP official Rahul Gautam was travelling to Hubli from New Delhi on April 26, 2018 in a special flight (VT-AVH) .

"The flight, which took off from New Delhi around 9:20 a.m., faced unexpected technical errors. At around 10: 45 a.m. the flight suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply, combined with the violent shuddering of the aircraft body.

It is to be stated that the weather outside was sunny, normal and not windy as per observation of the passengers and as per the forecast for the day," said the complaint.

It added that a clanking sound was clearly audible from one side of the plane throughout the shuddering of the aircraft body.

"It was also learnt that the autopilot of the aircraft was not functioning. After two attempts, the plane finally landed at Hubli around 11:25 a.m. while continuously shaking and making unusual audible sounds," the complaint said.

The complainant hinted at intentional tampering with the aircraft and demanded thorough investigation in this regard.

"Serious questions related to intentional tampering with the aircraft cannot also be brushed aside and are required to be addressed and investigated," the complaint demanded.
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14:17   Modi-Xi talks begin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping began their informal summit at the East Lake guesthouse in China's Wuhan city on Friday. Prime Minister Modi was received by Chinese President Xi at the guesthouse.


Prime Minister Modi arrived in Wuhan early Friday morning for a two-day visit to participate in an unprecedented 'informal' summit with President Xi and reset the ties, which took a hit post the two-month-long Doklam standoff.

They are expected to discuss issues of several bilateral interests while the on-going Doklam stand-off and China's veto on declaring Masood Azhar as a global terrorist and a fugitive might not figure in their talks.Later in the day, the leaders are expected to go for a walk around the guesthouse.


President Xi would also host a dinner for Prime Minister Modi at Meiling Hall in the East Guest Lake House.Prime Minister Modi is staying at Hotel Wanda Reign situated in Huangpu, China. (ANI
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13:47   SC stays Kathua gangrape and murder case trial till May 7
The Supreme Court today stayed till May 7 the trial in the Kathua gang-rape and murder case, after it was seized with petitions seeking shifting of the trial to Chandigarh and handing over the investigation to the CBI.


A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra said it will deal with the prayer of the victim's father for shifting of trial to Chandigarh and plea of the accused seeking handing over the probe to CBI.


The bench posted the matter for further hearing on May 7.  -- PTI
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13:30   99 pc population won't travel in 'elitist' bullet train: Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today slammed the Narendra Modi government for reportedly approving the diversion of 77 hectares of forest land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project and said 99 per cent of India's population would not travel in the "elitist" train.


Referring to 13 children being killed when their van was hit by a train at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, Chidambaram said in a series of tweets that the decision to divert forest land reflected the priorities of the NDA government.


"On the day when 77 hectares of forest land are diverted for Rs 1,08,000 crore bullet train, 13 children are killed at an unmanned crossing. Bullet train scores over supervised level crossings! Shows priorities of Modi government.


"77 hectares of forest land lost. Lives of 13 children lost. What is the gain? An elitist train in which 99 per cent of the population will never travel," he said.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly given in-principle approval for the diversion of 77 hectares of forest land for the Rs 1.08 lakh crore bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.


The clearances have come with a rider that the remaining deficiencies on pending claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, in proposals submitted by Gujarat and Maharashtra, must be ironed out at the earliest.


The two states have also been told to coordinate closely with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited to speed up the project, the reports said. -- PTI
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13:12   Seven Naxals gunned down in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district
Seven Naxals were gunned down in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district today in a joint operation carried out by the state police and their Telangana counterparts, an official said.


The gunfight took place in a forest near Ipenta village of the district this morning, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.


A joint squad of Greyhounds -- an elite anti-Naxal unit of the Telangana Police -- and security personnel from Chhattisgarh had launched a combing operation in the forests along the inter-state border following a tip-off about presence of Maoists there, he said.


When the patrolling team was in Ipenta, located around 500km from the state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides.


After the guns fell silent, security forces recovered the bodies of seven ultras, including that of women, from the encounter spot, Garg said.


Some weapons and Maoist literature were also seized from the site, the SP said, adding the search operation was still continuing and more details are awaited. In early March, a team of Greyhounds personnel had swooped on a Naxal camp in Bijapur district as part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police. Ten Maoists, including seven women, were killed in the operation. PTI
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13:08   Congress manifesto in K'taka promises 1 crore jobs
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today released the party's election manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly polls.

Interestingly, the manifesto promises the creation of one crore jobs over five years.

The BJP's ally Shiv Sena had hit out at the party last month saying while the PM promised had one crore jobs every year, not even 1,000 people actually got employment and on the contrary, even those employed became jobless.

Job creation has remained a bugbear for the government. 

Gandhi described the manifesto as the "voice of the people of Karnataka" and not a document prepared by "three or four people in a closed room".

He also took potshots at Narendra Modi, saying while the prime minister likes to tell people his "mann ki baat", this manifesto contained the "mann ki baat" of the people of Karnataka.


Taking a dig at the BJP, Gandhi said the manifesto that the saffron party will release would not be for the people of Karnataka and reflect the views of the RSS. The Congress president claimed the the Siddaramaiah government had fulfilled 95 per cent of the promises made in the manifesto released ahead of the 2013 polls after coming to power. Elections to the 225-seat assembly are scheduled for May 12. PTI


Image: Rahul Gandhi with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Whether the Congress can fight anti-incumbency will be seen on May 15.
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12:52   Women in India make on-average 16 pc less than men: Report
Women in India make on-average 16.1 per cent less than men, similar to the global average, as the percentage of the fairer sex in higher-paying roles is less, says a Korn Ferry report.


According to the Korn Ferry Gender Pay Index, women across the globe make on-average 16.1 per cent less than men.


However, the pay gap becomes much smaller while analysing same job level, same company, same function. Globally, while considering the same level at the same company, the gap further reduced to 1.5 per cent.


And when the male and female employees were at the same level and the same company and worked in the same function, the average gap amounted to 0.5 per cent. In India, when evaluating the same job level, the gap is 4 per cent, and when considering the same level at the same company, the gap fell to 0.4 per cent.


When male and female employees at the same level and the same company worked in the same function, the gap fell to 0.2 per cent. -- PTI
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12:32   GST, demonetisation brought 1.8 mn more people into I-T net: India
India has informed the UN that the Goods and Services Tax reform implemented by it, coupled with the demonetisation of high-value currency notes, has brought 1.8 million more people into the income-tax net.


Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs A Gitesh Sarma, addressing the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow Up, said India is currently implementing a wave of reforms. Apart from encouraging digital over cash transactions, India introduced the Goods and Service Tax regime which provides for uniform taxes.


He said this has led to a 50 per cent increase in the number of indirect taxpayers. "Coupled with demonetisation of high-value currency notes, the GST brought 1.8 million more people into the income-tax net,' he said at the forum yesterday.
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12:12   HC rejects Rajiv case convict's plea for release
The Madras High Court today rejected Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Nalini's plea for premature release. The court had earlier this week said it will pronounce the judgement today on an appeal filed by Nalini, a life convict in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.


A division bench, comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and R Subramanian, had reserved the order on April 24 on the plea by Nalini, challenging the order of a single judge rejecting her prayer for premature release under a 1994 state government scheme under Article 161 (powers of Governor to grant pardon).


In a February 22, 2014 representation to the state government, Nalini had sought premature release under the 1994 scheme and had later moved the court.


The state government had opposed the plea citing pendency of a similar matter in the Supreme Court then. Following this, the single judge had asked it to consider the representation subject to the outcome of the apex court proceedings.


The Supreme Court had in its March 2016 order made it clear that for premature release pleas under CrPc Section 435, concurrence of the Centre was required in cases handled by central agencies such as the CBI.


Upholding the single judge's order, the division bench said Nalini will have to wait for the outcome of the matter pending before the Supreme Court, and dismissed her appeal.


"The bench is in full agreement with the views expressed by the learned single judge," the bench said. During arguments before the bench, Nalini's counsel Radhakrishnan said the apex court order was nowhere connected with the present case as his client had sought premature release under Article 161. PTI
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11:47   Terrorists attack joint military camp, no casualties reported
Terrorists attacked a joint camp of army and Central Reserve Police Force in Tahab area of Pulwama district on Friday. The terrorists used a UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher) to fire the grenade at 0530 hrs. The grenade exploded near the fenced boundary of the camp. No casualties or injuries have been reported till now.
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11:44   SC to hear review pleas on SC/ST verdict on May 3
The Supreme Court will hear the Centre's plea seeking review of its judgment on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act) on May 3.


Attorney General K K Venugopal mentioned the matter for early hearing before a bench comprising Justices A K Goel and Deepak Gupta and said he had already filed his written submission in the matter.


"The last line of your last order says that list the matter after written submission is filed. I have filed my written submission. Four states have also filed review petitions. Please give us a date," Venugopal told the bench.


Justice Goel said the matter would be listed for hearing in the next week and posted it for arguments on May 3. The Centre had moved the apex court on April 2 seeking review of its judgement by which safeguards were put on the provisions for immediate arrest under the SC/ST Act.


The government, in its review petition, told the Supreme Court that its March 20 verdict will violate Article 21 of the Constitution for the SC/ST communities and sought restoration of the provisions of the Act.


The apex court had on March 20 said that on "several occasions", innocent citizens were being termed as accused and public servants deterred from performing their duties, which was never the intention of the legislature while enacting the SC/ST Act. -- PTI
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11:22  
Madras High Court rejects Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini's plea for premature release. PTI
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11:22   Sanji Ram planned Kathua girl's murder to save son: investigators
Police investigating the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua say that Sanji Ram, one of the main accused, has told them during interrogation that he learnt about the rape four days after her abduction, and decided to have her killed because his son was also involved in the sexual assault.


The investigators say the girl, who was kidnapped on January 10, was first raped the same day by Ram's nephew, a juvenile, and was killed on January 14. Her body was found on January 17 in a forest. Along with the juvenile, Ram and his son Vishal, five others have been charged in the case, which has shaken the nation and led to the government promulgating an ordinance mandating death sentence for the rape of a child aged 12 and below.


The investigators told PTI that the girl, from the Muslim Bakerwal community, was kept in a 'devisthan', a small temple, where Ram was the custodian. The aim of the kidnapping was to scare and drive away the nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal communities from the Hindu dominated area, they said.


Ram's lawyer Ankur Sharma refused to comment on the investigators' version of the incidents, saying it would not be appropriate for him to discuss defence strategy.


Sanjhi Ram claimed he found out about the sexual assault only on January 13 when the nephew confessed to him, according to the investigators. He told them that he had performed prayers at the 'devisthan', and asked his nephew to take prasad home. But the nephew delayed doing so, and in anger Ram beat him up, investigators said.


The juvenile thought his uncle had found out that he had raped the girl, and spilled the beans, they said. They claim the juvenile also implicated his cousin, Vishal, saying they both had raped the girl inside the 'devisthan'.


It was then that Ram decided "that time was ripe to kill the girl so as to achieve the ultimate goal' of scaring away the nomads, according to the chargesheet filed in the case. Investigators say Ram also convinced his nephew to confess to the crime. On the intervening night of January 13 and 14, the juvenile, Vishal and a friend, Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, took the victim out of the 'devisthan'.


They were later joined by a special police officer Deepak Khajuria who wanted to rape her once more before she was killed, they said. She was murdered on January 14 as Ram did not want to leave any evidence that led to his son, investigators have found.


Preparations for the abduction had started on January 7 when sedatives and 'manar' (local cannabis or bhang) were purchased, the chargesheet said. The child was sedated with 'manar' and kept in the 'devisthan' covered with a rug and a mattress weighing nearly 15 kg, investigators said.


A senior police officer of the Crime Branch investigating the case consumed the 'manar' tablet in front of his colleagues and the medical team to understand the effect of the drug, it is learnt.


The chargesheets -- a separate chargesheet was filed for the juvenile -- named Ram, his nephew, his son Vishal, SPOs Khajuria and Surender Verma and friend Mannu. While Ram has been charged with murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence, Mannu has been charged with kidnapping. The other three have rape added to the list of charges. The chargesheet also names head constable Tilak Raj and sub-inspector Anand Dutta - who allegedly took Rs. 4 lakh from Sanji Ram and destroyed crucial evidence. All of them have been charged under Section 120 B of the IPC for criminal conspiracy.
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10:58   Congress releases Karnataka manifesto
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders launch Congress party's manifesto for the Karnataka elections. In a brief speech in English, Rahul Gandhi said, "Five years ago the government of Karnataka promised you something and we delivered on it. Our manifesto contains the Mann Ki Baat of the Karnataka people.


"Whatever the manifesto says will be done. Ninety-five per cent of what was mentioned in the last manifesto has been done. The BJP manifesto will be decided by three or four leaders. It will have a certain amount of corruption hidden in it. It will have the idea of the Reddy brothers hidden in it."


He said the manifesto was drawn up after going to every single block, district and community in the state. He said the party went to the people of the state, asked them what they wanted and put it in our manifesto. "I believe in the philosophy of Karnataka and that is what the Congress wants to bring to the state," the Congress president says.  
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10:56   Indu Malhotra sworn in as SC judge
Indu Malhotra sworn in as Supreme Court judge, she was administered oath of office by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.
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10:42   AIIMS resident doctors on strike after colleague slapped by senior doc
Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have declared an indefinite strike after one of their colleagues was assaulted by a senior doctor. In a statement late last night, the AIIMS said the incident in question took place on Wednesday, following which the senior doctor apologised to his junior.


The doctors have demanded immediate suspension of the senior doctor, who also heads a department at the premier institute.


The Resident Doctors' Association has also urged that the doctor in question should not be allowed to take in thesis candidates and conduct any kind of verbal or written examination.


As a mark of protest, the doctors yesterday worked wearing helmets. They also sought a written apology from the senior doctor concerned. In a letter to AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, the RDA alleged that the senior doctor slapped a senior resident in front of attendees, nursing staff and colleagues, and that the resident doctor was under depression and had gone home.


The RDA said an atmosphere of fear existed in the department headed by the senior doctor, and that nobody protested as the chief threatened to fail the junior doctors. The resident doctors also raised the reported misbehaviour of the senior doctor towards the female residents.  -- PTI
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10:19   After Rahul's flight snag, Cong cries 'intentional tampering'
The Congress on Thursday hinted at 'intentional tampering' with Congress President Rahul Gandhi's special flight to Hubli on Thursday. Rahul Gandhi's aide Kaushal Vidyarthee sent a complaint letter to the Karnataka Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police Neelamani N. Raju and demanded an investigation into the incident. The aides also said the aircraft should be grounded till investigation is completed.


According to the complaint; Rahul Gandhi along with Vidyarthee, Rampreet, Rahul Ravi and SGP official Rahul Gautam was travelling to Hubli from New Delhi on April 26, 2018 in a special flight (VT-AVH) ."The flight, which took off from New Delhi around 9:20 am, faced unexpected technical errors. At around 10:45 am the flight suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply, combined with the violent shuddering of the aircraft body.


It is to be stated that the weather outside was sunny, normal and not windy as per observation of the passengers and as per the forecast for the day," said the complaint.


It added that a clanking sound was clearly audible from one side of the plane throughout the shuddering of the aircraft body. "It was also learnt that the autopilot of the aircraft was not functioning. After two attempts, the plane finally landed at Hubli around 11:25 am, while continuously shaking and making unusual audible sounds," the complaint said.


The complainant hinted at intentional tampering with the aircraft and demanded thorough investigation in this regard."Serious questions related to intentional tampering with the aircraft cannot also be brushed aside and are required to be addressed and investigated," the complaint demanded.
 - ANI
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10:06   Willing to maintain peace in border areas: Chinese defence ministry
The Chinese Defence Ministry on Thursday expressed its willingness to stabilize Indo-China military ties on the sidelines of the on-going visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Wuhan city.


China's state-owned Xinhua News Agency quoted China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Quian saying, "Stabilizing military relations between China and India and maintaining peace in the border areas are the shared aspirations of people from both countries."


Wu further acknowledged the few hiccups in the bilateral relations of Indo-China to say,  "Despite some difficulties and obstacles in the bilateral military relationship, we are willing to deepen understanding, enhance mutual trust, properly handle differences."


He reiterated the need for the stable development of military ties as he called upon the leaders of India and China to reach a consensus regarding their bilateral ties. Wu made these comments while addressing a press conference.


Prime Minister Modi is currently on a two-day visit to China as part of which he is scheduled to hold 'informal talks' with China's President Xi Jinping.


He arrived at Wuhan early on Friday (2200 hrs IST on Thursday). Later in evening, he will meet Xi at Hubei Provincial Museum. --ANI
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09:48   N Korea's Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea for historic talks
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the southern side of the demilitarised zone to hold talks and meet the rival South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the first time a North Korean leader has stepped into the territory since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the heavily fortified DMZ between the countries.


The two leaders, who are set to hold the historic inter-Korean Summit in Panmunjom, the truce village on the north-south border of the peninsula, will commence the official talks at 10:30 a.m. (local time).


According to CNN, after entering the Peace House for the inter-Korean summit, Kim Jong Un wrote in the guest book "a new history begins now" and "an age of peace, at the starting point of history."


Topics, on the agenda, most likely include denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, a peace settlement and the improvement of inter-Korea relations, reported South Korean news agency Yonhap.


The two leaders will jointly inspect a South Korean honour guard as part of an official ceremony to welcome the North Korean leader.


The duo will attend an elaborate dinner, to be held around 6.30 p.m. local time, that will include symbolic dishes originating from both countries.It is the third inter-Korean summit, but the first to be held in South Korea.


The summit is expected to set the stage for the first meeting between sitting US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May or June. -- ANI


Image: Kim Jong-un becomes the first North Korean leader to cross into the South since the end of the Korean War in 1953 for a historic summit with his southern counterpart South Korean President Moon Jae.
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09:44   US calls on China to immediately release 11th Panchen Lama
The United States today called on China to immediately release the 11th Panchen Lama, reportedly abducted by the Chinese authorities some two decades ago.


"On April 25, we marked the birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has not appeared in public since he was reportedly abducted two decades ago by the Chinese government at age six," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.


She said the US is concerned about "eliminating" the religious, linguistic, and cultural identity of Tibetans by the Chinese authorities. We are also concerned about the ongoing "destruction" of communities of worship, such as the Larung Gar and Yachen Gar monasteries, Nauert said.


"We call on China to release Nyima immediately and to uphold its international commitments to promote religious freedom for all," she said. - PTI
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09:14   Vijay Mallya extradition case in closing stage in London court
Indias request to the UK to extradite businessman Vijay Mallya to face charges related to financial misconduct has reached its closing stage in the Westminster Magistrates Court, which is due to rule on the admissibility of some key documents on Friday.

Unlike previous extradition cases that progressed through the courts over years and were eventually unsuccessful, Indian officials are delighted that the Mallya case has moved swiftly from the initial request, made on February 17, 2017, his arrest on April 18, 2017 and the likely conclusion now.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Theresa May discussed extradition cases of individuals sought by both countries during the formers visit to London earlier this month, with Modi mainly mentioning those of economic offenders such as Mallya.

Mallya, a flamboyant businessman who once ran a thriving conglomerate, faces charges of financial misconduct amounting to nearly Rs 9,000 crore in debt owed to Indian banks by his defunct airline Kingfisher. He and his lawyer, Claire Montgomery, have stated during the series of courthearings that he has always been willing to reach a settlement with creditors.

He flew out of India to the UK on March 2, 2016, days before a debt court in Bengaluru ruled against him.
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08:52   Indu Malhotra to be sworn-in as SC judge today
Senior advocate Indu Malhotra would be administered oath of office by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Friday morning at the Supreme Court, making her the first woman lawyer to enter the top judiciary directly.

The name of Malhotra, 61, cleared by the government, was one of the two recommended by the collegium to be elevated to the apex court bench.

The list of the business of the apex court mentions that Malhotra will be sworn in on Friday.

Earlier in the day, a Law Ministry communique said: 'In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Ms Indu Malhotra, to be judge of the Supreme Court of India with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office'.

Malhotra will be the seventh women judge in the top court since Independence as only six women judges have made it to the Supreme Court so far. Other women judges were elevated to the apex court from high courts.

Currently, Justice R Banumathi is the lone woman judge in the apex court.
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08:33   Priyanka Chopra learns 'B@&%h Please!' in sign language
During a press tour, American talk show host Jimmy Fallon asked Priyanka Chopra on the languages she knows, and in a brief interaction on the topic, she talks about her experience learning the sign language from Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, who is part of Quantico this year. 

My character on the show apparently speaks ASL; my hands and my brains dont co-ordinate very well. I learnt a lot of bad words, as we do in any language, she continued, Marlee is super cool, she said Girl you need to know all the bad words, anything anyone asks you, you go <*B@&%h Please!* in sign language*>. 

Jimmy taking advantage of the situation asked, Priyanka do you have a plus 1 to the Royal Wedding? to which she replied with the B@&%h Please! action.  

Watch Priyanka Chopras fourth visit on the sets of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Comedy Central.  
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08:05   PM Modi-Xi summit: From walk to boat ride, what all to expect
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at picturesque Wuhan city in Central China, at 12:30 am on Friday, ahead of his much anticipated informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of the efforts made by both India and China to move past the tensions, which rose out of last year's 73-day Doklam standoff.

Prime Minister Modi will commence his meetings with Chinese President Xi at 3:30 pm on Friday at the Hubei Provincial Museum.

After touring the museum for about an hour, the two leaders, accompanied by six top officials from each side, will hold talks at the sprawling East Lake Guest House, where Xi is staying.

This will be followed by the leaders' walk.

Dinner will be hosted by Chinese President Xi at the guest house in central Wuhan.

On Saturday, the two leaders will have an opportunity to spend time without their aides, with Xi taking Modi for a lakeside walk and a boat ride on the picturesque East Lake.

This will be followed by a private lunch hosted by the Chinese president.

No joint statement or communique will be issued after PM Narendra Modi holds informal talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to the sources, the informal talks will be broad-based and over arching and no specific issues will be discussed.

The idea is to open strategic communication channel at the highest level.

-- ANI
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00:33   Bill Cosby convicted of drugging and molesting a woman
Actor Bill Cosby was convicted on Thursday of drugging and molesting a woman.

Cosby, 80, could end up spending his final years in prison after a jury concluded he sexually violated Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

He claimed the encounter was consensual.

The verdict came after a two-week retrial in which prosecutors put five other women on the stand who testified that Cosby, married for 54 years, drugged and violated them, too.   -- Agencies

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