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Fri, 03 August 2018
No. outdated, haven't asked it to be saved on devices: UIDAI

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23:56   Modi thanks people as BJP wins in Maha civic polls
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today thanked the people of Maharashtra for their continued 'faith' in the Bharatiya Janata Party following the party's win in two civic polls.

The BJP scored a big win in the Sangli municipal elections by defeating the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance and also swept the Jalgaon civic body in Maharashtra where it trounced the Shiv Sena.

'Impressive victories for @BJP4Maharashtra! Great performance in Jalgaon and outstanding win in Sangli. I thank the people of Maharashtra for the continued faith,' he tweeted.

'I also appreciate the hardwork of CM @Dev_Fadnavis, @raosahebdanve and the entire team of Maharashtra BJP,' the prime minister added.

BJP president Amit Shah also hailed the win.

'This continued support for BJP in Maharashtra reflects people's desire for a better quality of life, being delivered by the state government led by CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Modi government's commitment to take Maharashtra to greater heights,' he said.  -- PTI
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23:21   No. outdated, haven't asked it to be saved on devices: UIDAI
The Unique Identity Authority of India today said it has not asked any device maker or service provider to include its toll free number on mobile phones, and clarified that the number 1800-300-1947 appearing in the contact list of Android phones is an 'outdated and invalid' helpline number.

Distancing itself from the backlash it faced on social media over the default inclusion of '1800-300-1947' in contact list of Android phones, the Unique Identification Authority of India said in a statement that, '...the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI toll free number and some vested interests are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public'.

The UIDAI's valid toll free number is 1947, which is functional for more than the last two years, it said.

'UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers,' the statement added.

Referring to the reports on automatic inclusion of the UIDAI's 'outdated and invalid' helpline number 1800-300-1947 in phone's contact list, the Aadhaar-issuing body said that it 'has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever'.

Amid heightened privacy concerns, many on social media have questioned how the UIDAI helpline number had crept into their smartphone contact list.

Yesterday, french security expert who goes under the pseudonym Elliot Alderson and describes himself as 'worst nightmare' of the UIDAI had tweeted, 'Hi @UIDAI, Many people, with different provider, with and without an #Aadhaar card, with and without the mAadhaar app installed, noticed that your phone number is predefined in their contact list by default and so without their knowledge. Can you explain why?'

A vigilante hacker who uses the handle @fs0c131y on Twitter, Alderson was vocal during the recent Aadhaar dare thrown by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chief R S Sharma and has, in the past, also revealed purportedly flaws in Aadhaar system.  -- PTI
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22:09   Eye on polls, Raje to set off tomorrow on 58-day Rajasthan yatra
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is set to begin tomorrow a 58-day, 6,000-km`yatra' that will roll through 165 assembly constituencies of the state which goes to the polls later this year.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah will flag off the yatra's `Vijay Rath' -- a customised bus -- at Kankroli village in Rajsamand district.

The 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra' trip will end in the temple town of Pushkar on September 30.

A special prayers of the 'rath', decked with garlands, was performed at the chief minister's residence in Jaipur this evening before it left Jaipur for Rajsamand.

The chief minister, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria and MLA Ashok Parnami will be on the road for 40 of the 58 days, and rest on the remaining days.

Raje will offer prayers at the Charbhuja temple in Rajsamand tomorrow morning and travel 25 km to Kankroli on a helicopter for a public meeting there, before beginning the yatra.

The opposition Congress has alleged that taxpayers' money is being spent on the yatra. During the yatra, Raje will address 135 public meetings and events to welcome her will take place at 500 places.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has already named Raje as its chief ministerial candidate in the coming assembly elections, and claimed it will win over 180 of the 200 seats.

"The yatra will highlight public welfare work done by the government," BJP state president Madan Saini told reporters.

He said there is excitement among the people to welcome the yatra.

"The list of work done by the BJP government is endless, compared to the previous Congress government," he said.

Gulab Chand Kataria, who is the yatra convenor, said national-level BJP leaders will hold meetings at the constituencies not covered under the yatra.

"Most of the constituencies kept out of the Gaurav Yatra are in Jaipur division," Kataria said.

The yatra will cover the state's all seven divisions of Udaipur, Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Jaipur and Ajmer.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the yatra, officials said.

Hoardings and cutouts of the party president and the chief minister have also come up in several places.

The Congress today said it will raise issues which effect the state while the BJP yatra is on, posing one question for the CM every day.  --  PTI
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22:00   Choksi's crimes occurred under UPA, Modi govt exposed them: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party today claimed that it was the Narendra Modi-led government which exposed the alleged crimes of fugitive businessmen Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi which they committed during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance government.

Hitting back at the Congress over its allegation of the government's complicity in the escape of Choksi, BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni said the fugitive's lawyer had also claimed in a statement that he had links with 'big leaders' of the opposition party.

"The Congress is levelling baseless allegations against the BJP to deflect the charge it is facing over its senior leaders' links with him. The people, however, are convinced that we exposed Choksi's crimes he committed during the UPA government," he claimed.        -- PTI
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21:07   Assam's only woman CM fails to find place in NRC
The name of Assam's lone woman chief minister Syeda Anowara Taimur, who is residing in Australia, is missing from the National Register of Citizens and she plans to return home to initiate the process of enlisting herself and her family in the register of citizens of the state.

''It is sad that my name is not there in the list. I will return to Assam in the last week of August and then initiate the process to get mine and my family's name enlisted in the National Register of Citizens (NRC)," the octogenarian told a television channel.

Taimur had headed the state government from December, 1980 to June, 1981.

She has been ailing for some years and is living with her son in Australia.

The former Assam chief minister said she had 'requested a relative to submit the application for the family's inclusion in the NRC, but maybe it could not be done due to some reasons'.

The NRC authorities in Guwahati, however, said there was no legacy data of the former chief minister available with them and as such it was not possible for them to ascertain whether she and her family members had applied for inclusion of their names in the draft NRC.

Taimur had served as a Rajya Sabha member in 1988. She was elected as a member of the state legislative assembly in 1972, 1978, 1983 and 1991.

She left the Congress to join the All India United Democratic Front in 2011.

AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam today told PTI that they, too, had heard from media reports about her name not being in the list.

''We have come to know from media reports that our party member and Assam's first woman chief minister's name does not figure in the list. There are others like former president Fakhruddin Ali's nephew whose names do not figure in the NRC. This is a serious matter," he said.

"The NRC is full of errors and we will soon meet NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela and then chalk out our future course of action," he said.

Meanwhile, Taimur's Guwahati residence near the Rajdhani Masjid in Dispur is lying vacant.

The complete draft of the NRC released on July 30 included the names of 2.89 crore people, out of the 3.29 applicants, with the names of over 40 lakh people excluded.  --  PTI
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21:04   No person should be termed illegal immigrant: Taslima Nasreen
Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, who has been living in exile since 1994, has said no person should be termed an 'illegal immigrant'.

Her statement comes in the backdrop of the omission of the names of 40 lakh people from the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

The omission has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and other political parties.

"Early humans moved from Africa to Asia for a better life. Since then humans have been moving. Our human ancestors were not illegal," Nasreen wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

'No person shld be called illegal immigrant. B'deshi ppl who illegally enter India, their acts are illegal based on Indian law, but they r not 'illegal' (sic),' the physician-turned-author wrote on the microblogging website.

In another tweet, she quoted a World Bank report that Bangladeshi economic migrants can go back to their own country from India as 'Bangladesh's economy is now much better than before'.

In another tweet, Nasreen said, 'India has enough Muslims. India does not need more Muslims from neighbouring countries. But the problem is, Indian politicians need them.'

The controversial author has been living in exile in India and Europe after having incurred the wrath of fundamentalists back home over a novel written by her in 1994.

The writer had penned her struggles from her time in exile in her book 'Nirbashan', which has now been translated from Bengali into English as 'Exile'.  -- PTI
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20:54   Imran Khan summoned by Pakistan's anti-graft body
Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister-in-waiting has been summoned by the country's anti-graft body on August 7 in connection with the misuse of official helicopters which caused Rs 2.17 million loss to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, an official said today.

The National Accountability Bureau summoned 65-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman on August 7.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Khan's party has led the provincial government since 2013.

The NAB is investigating the cricketer-turned-politician for causing Rs 2.17 million loss to the provincial exchequer by using the government's helicopter for over 72 hours.

A NAB official said Khan has been summoned on August 7 for questioning and to record his statement.

Khan has denied any wrongdoing and said the case was politically motivated.

Khan was earlier summoned on July 18, but he failed to appear before the panel, citing elections. His lawyer had filed an appeal requesting the accountability watchdog to fix the date for case after the general elections, 'preferably on August 7'.

His party's former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, and four senior bureaucrats have already recorded their statements in the case.

Khan's PTI has emerged as the single largest party in the elections held on July 25. He is expected to take oath in the second week of August.  -- PTI
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20:07   Bill to restore original SC/ST atrocity law tabled in Lok Sabha
A bill to overturn a Supreme Court order which had laid down certain safeguards in SC/ST law to prevent atrocities against people of scheduled castes and tribes was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.

The move is being seen as a reach-out by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government to Dalits, days ahead of their proposed August 9 nationwide protest with the key demand to restore the provisions of the law.

The bill rules out any provision for an anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against SC/STs, notwithstanding any court order, while it also provides that no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering a criminal case and an arrest under this law would not be subject to any approval.

"The principles of criminal jurisprudence and section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 as interpreted in several judgments, implies that once the investigating officer has reasons to suspect that an offence has been committed, he can arrest an accused.

"This decision to arrest or not to arrest cannot be taken away from the investigating officer," states the bill introduced by Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Dalit groups have been asking the government to overturn a Supreme Court ruling of March 20, saying it had 'diluted' and rendered 'toothless' the law against atrocities faced by the weakest sections of the society by putting additional safeguards against arrest of the accused.

The nationwide protest of Dalits on April 20 had turned violent in several states, leaving at least 12 dead, while call has been given for another 'Bharat Bandh' on August 19 with several opposition parties also offering their support this time.  -- PTI
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20:05   Nation becoming intolerant: Kamal Haasan
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan today said it would not be possible for him to produce a movie like Hey Ram at present as the whole nation, according to him, was becoming intolerant.

Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Haasan said Hey Ram, written, directed and produced by him in 2000, was a 'very strong movie,' which reflected his politics and ideologies.

Asked if his new film Vishwaroopam 2 also reflected his politics and ideology, the Makkal Needhi Maiam leader said it was there in all his movies.

"However, this (Vishwaroopam 2) was not aimed (at it) directly," he said.

"If you want to see my political reflection, Hey Ram is the film. I don't think it will be possible to release that kind of movie today. That is a very strong movie," he said about the film that revolves around partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Haasan said it would also not be possible for Malayalam writer and Jnanpeeth awardee M T Vasudevan Nair to produce a movie like Nirmalyam at present.

Nirmalyam, which had won the national award for the best film in 1973, focused on the neglect of temples in the villages of Kerala and the difficulties faced by families dependent on the places of worship.

Asked if it was time to unite against all 'intolerant voices' in the country, he said, "It is. The whole nation is becoming intolerant."

Hassan, who was in Kochi to promote Vishwaroopam 2, said he was shocked that a state like Kerala was also toeing the line of the politics of intolerance.

He said his party would go in the direction of whatever would be good for Tamil Nadu.

"I am looking at achieving that goal. We are not opportunists," the MNM leader said in response to a query if he would join a broad platform of secular parties now evolving at the national-level.

He said his focus was on politics in Tamil Nadu.  -- PTI
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19:36   India gave no adverse info on Choksi: Antigua on citizenship
Antigua has claimed it was told by Indian agencies that there was no adverse information against Mehul Choksi when it did a background check on the fugitive billionaire before granting him citizenship in 2017, a local media report in the Caribbean nation has said.

While the Antiguan authority responsible for grant of investment-linked citizenship named the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) as one of the Indian agency to have given such a clearance in case of Choksi (RPT) Choksi, the Indian capital markets regulator rejected the claim saying it neither received any such request, nor provided any such information to the concerned department in Antigua.

Choksi's application for citizenship in Antigua in May 2017 was accompanied with clearance from the local police as required by norms, Antiguan newspaper the Daily Observer reported, citing a statement from the Citizenship by Investment Unit of Antigua and Barbuda (CIU).

Choksi is one of the alleged masterminds of the USD 2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank and uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi.

'The said police clearance certificate from the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, certified that there was no adverse information against Mr Mehul Chinubbhai Choksi which would render him ineligible for grant of travel facilities including visa for Antigua and Barbuda,' the report said.

The authorities in the island country did a thorough check on Choksi from open source global agencies, including the Interpol, that there was 'no instance' of any derogatory information against him, it added.

The Antiguan authorities, as part of their own checks, found two instances of Sebi action against Choksi's firms in 2014 and 2017 and sought more information on them, the report further said. It further quoted CIU as claiming that Sebi had told authorities in Antigua that one case was 'satisfactorily closed' and there was 'insufficient evidence' to pursue the second matter.

However, the Indian regulator issued a statement today denying these claims.

"Sebi has neither received any request from the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua for updates on any investigation nor provided any such information to CIU," the regulator said.

As per the Antiguan media report, the CIU has said if there was a warrant against Choksi when his application of citizenship was being processed, Interpol should have been informed about it and it should have been part of national criminal database.

Choksi had fled India on January 4 this year and took oath of allegiance in Antigua on January 15.

His citizenship was cleared in November 2017.

On January 16, this year, the $2 billion scam was detected by Brady House branch of Punjab National Bank, making it the biggest banking scam in the country.

On July 29, 2016, Bengaluru resident Hari Prasad had informed the Prime Minister's Office about alleged nefarious activities of Choksi and his companies.  -- PTI
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18:54   Adani emerges biggest winner of city gas licences
Billionaire Gautam Adani's group today emerged as the biggest winner of gas retailing licences, winning rights to selling CNG in 11 cities including Allahabad.

Adani won rights to retail CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in six cities on its own and another five in joint venture with state-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC), according to results of 48 out of the 86 cities that were bid out in the country's biggest city gas distribution (CGD) bid round.

According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, IOC on its own won rights to four cities.

Bharat Gas Resources Ltd, a unit of state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), won a licence for six cities, the same number for which Torrent Gas Pvt Ltd too made winning bids. State gas utility GAIL's retailing arm, GAIL Gas managed rights for three cities.

When the bid round closed last month, IOC, BPCL and Adani Gas Ltd were the top bidders.

Of the 86 cities offered for retailing of CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in the 9th CGD bid round, IOC bid for 34 cities on its own and another 20 in partnership with Adani Gas Ltd.

Adani Gas on its own bid for 32 cities. Bharat Gas Resources Ltd bid for as many as 53 cities while GAIL Gas Ltd put in offers for 34 cities.

Gujarat-based Torrent Gas Pvt Ltd bid for 31 cities while Gujarat Gas Ltd put in offers for 21 areas. Petronet LNG Ltd, India's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, sought to foray into CGD business by bidding for the licence in seven cities.

Indraprastha Gas Ltd, which retails CNG in the national capital region, put in bids for 11 cities.

According to PNGRB, Adani Gas won rights to Surendranagar, Barwala, Navsari, Kheda and Porbandar districts in Gujarat as well as Balasore in Odisha.

Its joint venture with IOC, Indian Oil-Adani Gas Pvt Ltd won Kannur in Kerala, Gaya in Bihar, Bulandshahr, and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

IOC won Aurangabad in Bihar, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh and Jagtial in Telangana.

In a statement, PNGRB said the 9th CGD Bidding Round was launched on April 12 for development of city gas networks for the 86 Geographical Areas (GAs) which includes 174 districts (156 complete and 18 part), spread over 22 States and Union Territories (UTs) in India.

"Based upon the bids evaluations PNGRB in its 79th Board meeting held on August 3, approved issue of Letters of Intent (LoI) to the 18 successful bidders for 48 GAs," it said.

The regulator said bids for remaining GAs are being evaluated and outcome of the same will be announced shortly.  -- PTI
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18:17  
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda met Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders M K Stalin and Kanimozhi at Kauvery Hospital to inquire about DMK chief M Karunanidhi's health.  -- ANI
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18:06   Landslides destroy Army transit camp, cut off road links
Landslides, owing to incessant rain in the last couple of days, have left a trail of destruction in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, while an Army transit camp located at Sessa was totally damaged, official sources today said.

However, there were no reports of any casualty. The stretch of Bhalukpong-Charduar-Tawang Road has been the worst-affected with reports of landslides in several portions of the road, the sources said. The Kimi-Khupi road has also been badly hit.

Bhalukpong Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) Tomo Riba said that a massive landslide on August 1 hit the Army transit camp at Sessa and its ration store, barrack, generation room and ammunition store were buried under the debris.

As many as 22 jawans and a Junior Commanding Officer (JCO) had a narrow escape while one of them sustained minor injuries.

Though the BCT road was closed, landslides blocked seven locations between Pinjoli Bridge Point and Sessa and the area has been totally cut off, Riba said.

A team of officers led by Bhalukpong police station OC Dutto Bagra, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Mobile and radio connectivity have also been disrupted.

However, the Army personnel were shifted to another barrack located below the transit camp area.

The NEEPCO project road connecting Kimi with Pinjoli, Khuffi and Tenga has also been blocked at multiple locations due to landslide and erosion.  -- PTI
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17:55   Mehbooba warns against fiddling with J-K's special status
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti today said fiddling with the state's special status would have 'catastrophic ramifications' for the entire country.

Her warning comes days before a Supreme Court hearing, scheduled for August 6, on petitions challenging the validity of Article 35A of the Constitution, which grants special rights and privileges to the state's residents.

"Today people cutting across party lines and other affiliations are united in their fight against dilution of Article 35A. As I have already stated before, fiddling with J-K's special status will have catastrophic ramifications for the entire country," Mufti said.

Article 35A, which was incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential Order, also denies property rights to a woman who marries a person from outside the state.

'My father (former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) took great pride in the special status that J-K enjoys under Article 370. He would often mention that while people of the state have made great sacrifices for larger goals, we need to safeguard what we already have,' the PDP president wrote on Twitter.

Protests by the separatists, business and trade bodies and civil society organisations have rocked the Valley over the past few days against petitions demanding that Article 35A be repealed.

The separatists have called for a two-day strike on Aug 5-6 over the issue.  -- PTI
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17:45   Muslim man forced to shave beard after argument
A Muslim man was allegedly forced to shave his beard and thrashed following an altercation in Gurugram's Sector 29. A resident of Haryana's Mewat, Jaffruddin had come to Gurgaon to meet his friend when the accused started abusing the victim in Khandsa Mandi area on Tuesday.


"Jaffruddin initially ignored the religious insults, but later got into an argument. Then the accused started thrashing Jaffruddin. They took him to a salon and chopped his beard off," Gurgaon Police public relations officer Subhash Bokan told PTI.


They also threatened to kill Jaffruddin if he approached the police.


However, the next morning, Jaffruddin went to Sector 37 police station and filed an FIR.


"Three persons have been arrested. This is an isolated incident and no organisation is involved in it," said Sumit Kuhar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Gurugram (Crime).The accused have been identified as Gaurav, Eklash from Uttar Pradesh and Nitin from Haryana. -- PTI
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17:20   Donald Trump Jr. co-hosts Dinesh DSouzas very conservative D.C. film premiere
The red carpet for the screening of far-right filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza's new documentary was all business. There's no time for chitchat about who is wearing what when you've got an entire liberal ideology to topple. Read more
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17:17   Piyush Goyal to chair 29th GST council meet tomorrow
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will chair the 29th Goods and Services Tax council meeting tomorrow at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The council meeting is convened mainly to discuss issues, concerns and suggestions of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the GST regime among others.


The meeting will cater to all aspects of GST from simplification of policy, reducing compliance burden to technology-related issues which affect the MSME sector.


In the 28th meeting of the GST Council, held on July 21 here, the Ministry of Finance discussed, several issues such as rationalisation of GST rates, simplification of return filing procedure, recommending amendments.
-- ANI
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17:09   Anantnag: 2 CRPF personnel injured in grenade attack
Two security personnel suffered minor injuries on Friday after terrorists hurled grenade on the CRPF party deployed at State Bank of India branch at Lal Chowk in Anantnag district.The area has been cordoned off and the injured have been rushed to the hospital.


Earlier today, in another attack, terrorists barged into a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Karpan area of Shopian district and looted cash.


They also snatched away a 12 bore rifle from the private security guard deputed at the branch. Police investigation into the matter is underway. The incident of terrorist attack is on a rise in the state.


Earlier on August 2, terrorists snatched away a 12 bore rifle from a security guard posted at the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Anantnag's Brakpora area.


A similar incident was also reported in Kulgam district on August 1.On July 31, around three to four terrorists opened fire at security forces deployed at the Kandahar general road in Maidanpora in Kupwara district. The terrorists also snatched an INSAS rifle from a security personnel.
-- ANI
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17:06   Tech Mahindra to collaborate to launch India's first blockchain district in Telangana
The Telangana State Information Technology, Electronics and Communication department has signed an MoU with the global digital transformation provider Tech Mahindra to launch India's first Blockchain District in the state of Telangana.The Blockchain District will be a Center of Excellence for Blockchain, an incubator for technology and process development with innovative infrastructure and facilities to foster growth of Indian blockchain start-ups and companies.


Tech Mahindra as a founding member of the Blockchain district will provide platform and technology assistance to all the incubators in the Blockchain District.


Tech Mahindra will also empower accelerators to develop and solve market problems across its global customer ecosystem.


Further, The Telengana ITE&C Department will provide regulatory and policy support to enable and promote Blockchain growth both in India and globally. -- PTI
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16:58   Rlys, metro, airports authorised to implement plastic ban: Maha to HC
The Maharashtra government today told the Bombay High Court that it has authorised the railways, metro and airport authorities to initiate action, within their jurisdictional areas, against those violating the state's plastic ban.


On March 23 this year, the government had issued a notification imposing a ban on the manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of all plastic materials like one-time use bags, spoons, plates, PET and PETE bottles and thermocol items. The notification was challenged in the high court by plastic, PET bottle and thermocol manufacturers and retailers' associations on the ground that the ban was arbitrary, bad in law and violated their fundamental right to livelihood.


In April, a division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla refused to stay the notification after observing that the court cannot ignore the adverse effects of plastic waste on the environment. The government today filed an additional affidavit in the petitions.


"Any officer nominated by the Railways, Metro, Maharashtra Maritime Board and Airport authorities is also authorised to initiate action under the notification," the affidavit, filed by Under Secretary of state environment department Sanjay Sandhanshiv, said.


It said the Empowerment Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the state environment minister had heard the representations made by the petitioners and submitted its recommendations to the government.


The government, on the basis of these recommendations, had, on June 30, issued amendments to the notification. The amended notification states that the use, sale, storage and manufacture of PET/PETE bottles having liquid holding capacity of less than 200 ml has been banned.


"It shall be the sole responsibility of the manufacturer of PET bottles to ensure that these bottles are collected from retailers and recycled. The manufacturers shall diligently implement their extended producer's responsibility plan," the affidavit said.


The plan shall also include coordination and collaboration with scrap traders and retailers for collection of plastic waste, its recycling and the final disposal, it said. -- PTI
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16:51   SC refuses to interfere with Delhi HC order on Karti
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the anticipatory bail granted to Karti Chidambaram by the Delhi high court in the Aircel-Maxis case.

A bench of the apex court, comprising of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, was hearing the case.

Justice Sikri, while refusing to interfere with the order of the Delhi high court, observed that the court should not go into the technicalities when it comes to the question of liberty.

The Apex Court also left it to the petitioner, Karti Chidambaram, as to whether he can approach the high court when his application for bail was already pending before the trial court.

The case pertains to a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance allegedly granted by former Finance Minister P Chidambaram to M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel.

The FIPB approval was allegedly granted in the year 2006 when Chidambaram was the finance minister under the United Progressive Alliance-I government.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had dismissed the plea filed by Karti Chidambaram against the issuance of summons in the case after the CBI on July 19 filed a fresh charge-sheet before a Delhi court against 18 accused, including P Chidambaram, Karti and select government officials (serving and retired).  -- ANI 
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16:46   12 schools burnt down in Pakistan
Twelve schools, half of them all-girls', have been burnt down by unidentified terrorists in coordinated attacks in Pakistan's restive Gilgit-Baltistan, triggering protest by local residents who sought safety for educational institutions which are often attacked by terrorists, officials said today.

The schools in Chilas town, about 130-kilometre from Gilgit, were targeted late last night by the militants who set them on fire and damaged school property across Diamer district, police said. Superintendent of Police Diamer Roy Ajmal told media that 12 schools, half of them girls' school, were targeted by rebels who fled after the attack.

"Police have launched probe and security forces are searching for the culprits in the area," he said.

Commissioner Diamer region Abdul Waheed Shah said no proof of a bomb attack on any school had been found so far.

Officials also said that some of the schools attacked by the miscreants were still under construction.

Following the attacks, local residents staged a protest at Siddique Akbar Chowk demanding the arrest of culprits and seeking safety for educational institutes which are often targeted by the terrorists.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

However, the Taliban terrorists have attacked hundreds of schools in north-western Pakistan in the past. Girls's schools are often attacked in the northern areas of Pakistan.

In December 2011, at least two girls' schools were partially damaged in low-intensity explosions in Chilas.

Earlier that year, unidentified assailants had also blown up two girls' schools.

In 2004, girls' schools in Chilas came under a string of attacks. Nine schools of which eight were girls' schools were attacked and destroyed in five days in the area in February.

Terrorists have also blown up educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

According to a report, about 1,500 schools have been destroyed in the tribal belt during the last 10 years.

Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai was also shot by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating girls' education in the Swat Valley.

In 2017, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its report stated that attacks by the Taliban and other terror groups disrupted the education of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.  -- PTI
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16:03   Pak court to hear high treason trial against Musharraf on Aug 20
A special court in Pakistan hearing the treason charges against former dictator Pervez Musharraf has scheduled the hearing of the high-profile case on August 20, according to a media report.
 
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had filed the treason case against the ex-army chief General Musharraf (retd) over the imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

The bench that will hear the case will be headed by Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali, Geo News reported.

Musharraf, 74, who is currently residing in Dubai, has refused to return to Pakistan citing security reasons.  

The three-judge special court will hear the high treason case against Pakistan's president on August 20, the report said.

-- PTI
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15:42   Heads up if you're headed to Bengal tomorrow
The Trinamool Congress will observe a "black day" throughout West Bengal on August 4 and 5 to protest against the detention and "manhandling" of its leaders at the Silchar airport in Assam yesterday, a senior party leader said today.


TMC secretary general and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said the party will observe "black day" in every block and district of the state on Saturday and Sunday.


"We condemn the way the public representatives were manhandled and detained by the Assam police at the Silchar airport. They being MPs had every right to visit a place, but all rules were violated and our party delegation was stopped. This is shameful," he said.


An eight-member TMC delegation, which had six MPs, were stopped at the Silchar airport when they tried to enter Assam's Cachar district to assess the ground realities after the final draft of the National Register of Citizens was published in the north-eastern state on Monday. -- PTI


File pic.
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15:31  
The Trinamool Congress  to observe black day on August 4 and August 5 over TMC delegation detention at Assam's Silchar airport.
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15:28   Poop from skies: NGT raps DGCA for repeated defiance
The National Green Tribunal has rapped the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for "repeated defiance" on issuing a circular to airlines operating at the IGI Airport in Delhi to ensure that they do not empty toilet tanks midair.


A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel warned that if the order is not complied with by August 31, the salary of the Director General of Civil Aviation would be stopped. The green panel took strong objection that despite its specific order there was neither any valid explanation nor there was compliance by the aviation regulator on the issue.


The tribunal also warned that if there is "continued defiance" it may have to consider prosecution of the Director General on the next date.


The NGT directed that a copy of the order be sent by e-mail to the officer concerned and posted the matter for hearing on September 17. During the hearing, the DGCA told the bench that the order has not been complied till date because a review petition against the NGT's order was pending adjudication.


The DGCA had sought a stay and review of NGT's December 20, 2016 and the January 10 order of the tribunal claiming that it was impossible to dump human waste mid-air from aircraft toilet.


On October 2016, a Delhi resident, Lt Gen (retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya, had filed a case alleging that houses in his neighbourhood were damaged by faeces dumped by airlines from planes at night. Dahiya had moved the NGT alleging that faeces were splattered from aircraft on his South Delhi house before Diwali in 2016 after which the tribunal on December 20, 2016 had directed the DGCA to issue a circular to all airlines to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation if their planes are found dumping waste midair.


The petition has referred to the findings of the expert committee, constituted by NGT, and said there is no switch or system available in the aircraft to dispose waste in flight. "The aircraft system has three level of in-built external protection for disposing the waste and under no circumstance release of waste during flight is possible and there has been no such resort ever by the operators.


"The modern day airline toilets are sealed and cannot be emptied in flight and toilet waste can only be disposed of by manual operation on ground during its servicing," the DGCA had said.


Representational image.
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15:11   UIDAI number mysteriously appears in mobile contacts
Thousands of smartphone users in India woke up puzzled on Friday with a Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) toll-free helpline number saved in their phonebooks by default, reports IANS.


UIDAI has replaced the earlier helpline number -- 1800-300-1947 -- with the new number -- 1947, which got into people's phonebooks without their consent. Following the switch to the new number, the previous number that is saved in the contacts is not operational anymore.


UIDAI has now issued a statement saying the toll-free number added to Android Phones is invalid - it never asked anyone to provide this facility. Its statement said 'vested interest were trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public'.


"This is no joke as it is on my phone too. I didn't save this number. Check your phone asap, feeling worried," a user tweeted with a screenshot.


However, users who dialled the number said the call did not go through, with a recorded message saying, 'service to the dialled number was unavailable'.

A French security expert, Elliot Alderson, asked UIDAI on Twitter: "Many people, with different providers, with and without an #Aadhaar card, with and without the mAadhaar app installed, noticed that your phone number is predefined in their contact list by default without their knowledge. Can you explain why?"


Twitter was abuzz again with the new development after a huge uproar due to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman R.S. Sharma's open Aadhaar challenge to critics and hackers.

Sharma made a tweetstorm by sharing his 12-digit Aadhaar number on July 28.

Ethical hackers exposed at least 14 personal details of the TRAI Chairman, including mobile numbers, home address, date of birth (DoB), PAN number and voter ID, among others.
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14:43   In parliament, Cong questions govt pressure on media to conform
The Congress today alleged in the Lok Sabha that a senior executive of a prominent news channel and two other staffers had recently quit due to pressure from the government for airing stories critical of the ruling establishment.


Strongly refuting the charge, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the government has nothing to do with the internal developments of the channel and the opposition was raising the matter as it has no issues to flag in the House.


"No showcause notice was served on the channel when it was running wrong news. The government has nothing to do with it (the resignations)...The TRP (rating point) of the channel is going down," Rathore said.


Though Kharge named the channel and the executive who had quit, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the name of the private entity and its employees would not go on record.


Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Kharge alleged that the senior executive, who had served in the channel for 14 years, and the two other employees, were forced to quit following government pressure after it carried out a "reality check" on a claim by a woman farmer from Chhattisgarh during an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that her farm income had doubled.


"It is unfortunate that the media is being targeted for doing its duty, for carrying out reality checks on the government's claim. The media is being intimidated. The Managing Editor (of the channel) was told to go. Two anchors of the channel were also asked to go," the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha alleged. -- PTI


Image: On Wednesday, ABP News channels management announced the resignation of its editor-in-chief, Milind Khandekar. This announcement was followed soon by the departure of Punya Prasoon Bajpai, anchor of the popular nightly show, Master Stroke.
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14:09   Were pushed back like infiltrators: TMC's delegation to Silchar returns home
The TMC delegation -- six MPs, one MLA and one West Bengal minister -- who had gone to Silchar in Assam have returned to Kolkata.


The delegation had gone to Silchar to interact with people left out of the draft of the National Register of Citizens published on July 30.


The NRC draft, touted to be a proof of Assamese citizenship, had excluded over 40 lakh people, triggering a political slugfest between the BJP and other political parties.


After arriving in Kolkata, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, "The way infiltrators are treated... they are pushed back... we were treated the same way... we were pushed back. We were manhandled, even women MPs were not spared.


"How can six MPs, a minister and an MLA create trouble in a state?" he asked while talking to reporters.


The prohibitory order document stated that action would be taken against those found to be carrying firearms and explosives, Roy said, and asked whether they had been carrying such items.


Before leaving Silchar, he had said, "We are going back. The police have not allowed us to go out. We requested them several times but they refused. We spent the night in three rooms at the airport."


"The way the MPs and a state minister (Firhad Hakim) were harassed shows that democracy is under threat," another member of the delegation Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar alleged. "We wonder whether rule of law exits in the country. It appears that an undeclared emergency is on," she said.


After the TMC leaders had landed at Silchar airport yesterday, the authorities stopped them and took them under preventive detention, saying their visit might create trouble. -- PTI
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13:59   JD(U) MLA's son found dead near railway track in Patna
The son of former Bihar minister and MLA of the ruling JD(U) Bima Bharti was found dead today morning under mysterious circumstances mear a railway track here and two of his friends have been taken into custody in this connection, police said.


Bharti is the sitting MLA from Rupauli constituency in Purnea district. Deepak Kumar (21) had left his residence last night along with a couple of friends and his body was found close to the railway track in front of the NMCH hospital in the city by some locals who informed the police, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj said.


He said injury marks were noticed on Deepaks head and thigh and the body has been sent for post-mortem. -- PTI
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13:54   Centre withdrawing notification on social media hub, AG informs SC
In a U-turn, the Centre today told the Supreme Court that it was withdrawing its notification proposing to create a social media hub, which some have alleged could become a tool to monitor online activities of citizens.


A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra considered the submission of Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, that the impugned notification was being withdrawn, and disposed off petitions challenging it.


Venugopal told the bench, comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, the social media policy would be reviewed completely by the government. The bench was hearing a petition filed by TMC MLA Mahua Moitra alleging that the Centre's social media hub policy was to be used as a tool to monitor social media activities of the citizens and has sought quashing of the same.


The apex court, while agreeing to hear the plea on July 13, had asked the government whether its move to create such a hub was to tap people's WhatsApp messages, and observed that it will be like creating a "surveillance state". -- PTI
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13:46   Ashamed of Muzaffarpur incident: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar speaks on the horrific instances of rapes and molestation at the Muzaffarpur shelter home. "Muzaffarpur main aisi ghatana ghat gayi ki hum sharamsaar ho gaye. I am ashamed of what happened in Muzaffarpur. The CBI is investigating the matter and the hight court is monitoring it.


The CM's statement comes after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the Bihar shelter home rape cases on Thursday, and had sought an explanation from the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government  and the Women and Child Development Ministry as to why neither body took action to stop minor girls from being raped in the shelter home.


A notice has been issued to both governments.


Reports said that the chargesheet in the case detailed a network of police, politicians, administration and criminals behind the racket that has been going on for around four years.


The apex court has also banned electronic media from putting up images of minor girls, even in morphed or blurred forms, who were allegedly raped at the shelter homes in Muzaffarpur, ANI reported. The Supreme Court also barred the media from conducting any interviews with the minor victims.
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13:04   Rajnath's statement on TMC team's detention at Silchar
Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement in the Lok Sabha on the detention of the TMC delegation at the Silhcar airport.


"On August 2, a TMC delegation was received at Silchar airport with full protocol. They were asked to go back but the delegation engaged in an argument during which two women security personnel were injured, few passengers were also inconvenienced.


"Police arrested the delegation members under 151 CrPc and were made to halt the night at a guest house near Silchar airport. On August 3, the delegation flew back to Delhi from Silchar. The situation was handled in a way that law and order can be maintained."
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12:43   SC refuses to interfere with Delhi HC order granting bail to Karti Chidambaram
The Supreme Court today refused to interfere with a Delhi High Court order granting bail to Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, for alleged financial irregularities related to INX Media.


When it comes to the question of liberty, the courts do not go into technicality, a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said.


The bench said it is not interfering with the bail granted to Karti but was leaving the question of law open -- on whether he can approach the high court when his application for bail was already pending before the trial court. -- PTI
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12:36   Sidhu, Kapil Dev, Gavaskar, Aamir NOT invited to Imran Khan's swearing-in
Not yet on the seat, but the hope that Imran Khan will be his own man, has just been turned on its head.


Pakistan's Prime Minister in-waiting has apparently withdrawn the invitations sent out to friends, actor Aamir Khan and former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Sidhu.


Reports had said that Khan had personally requested them to attend his oath-taking ceremony on August 11.


The Oxford-educated politician's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has now said that it is not inviting any actors or cricketers for function.


The PTI spokesperson had on Wednesday said that official invites would go to Khan's friends, but on Thursday the party decided to go for an "extremely simple" and "austere" event.


Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu had said he would certainly attend his "close friend's" swearing-in ceremony and gushed how it was an honour to receive an invitation. He had also likened Khan to a Greek god.


All speculations on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be attending the ceremony were laid to rest when PTI yesterday confirmed that no foreign leader would be invited.
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12:03   Cong wants to know if NRC limited to Assam
Anand Sharma, Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha: Home Minister should clarify if NRC is limited to Assam. There is apprehension that NRC will be conducted in other states as well. He said the NRC is creating panic among the people.
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11:59   High-profile exits, diktats on Modi at ABP News revive fears of media censorship
The Wire has learned that a week before these changes at the channel, BJP president Amit Shah told a group of journalists in parliament house that he planned to "teach ABP News a lesson". Read the report here.
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11:49   Rajnath on NRC: No question of discrimination
Home Minister Rajnath Singh making a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the National Register of Citizens. He reiterated that the NRC was a draft and not a final list and everyone who was not on the list would get a chance to prove their citizenship. Unlike Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh was allowed to make the speech without any disruptions from the Opposition benches.

Excerpts of his speech...


The procedure of the NRC started in 1985 through the Assam accord when the late Rajiv Gandhiji was the PM. The decision to update was taken by Dr Manmohan Singhji in 2005.

The Home Minister said there is no question of any discrimination against anyone who did not make the list. He also reiterated that no coercive action will be taken against anyone.

"People can still file their documents and I assure everyone that the procedure is and will be fair and objective.


"The whole procedure of the NRC Assam was undertaken under the supervision of the Supreme Court. I would like to repeat that its a draft and not final, everyone will get chance to appeal. It's a totally fair process. Unwarranted accusations are unfortunate," he said.


"Indian citizens who have come to Assam from other states will be allowed to prove their citizenship. They will be get a chance to prove they are Indians," Rajnath Singh said.


Addressing the sense of fear and uncertainity in Assam, he said there is an attempt to provoke communal disharmony in the state. "It is unfortunate that some people are spreading lies. We will ensure peace is not disturbed in Assam. All parties should cooperate on this," he said.


Rajanth Singh said it was natural for a country to want to know who are its citizens who are migrants. Every country wants to keep a tab on migrants.


Addressing Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajnath Singh said the 40 lakh people left out of the NRC are individuals, not families.

He said that according to the guidelines, everyone will get a chance to apply for citizenship once the government has a final list. They will have full rights nothing will be taken away from them."
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11:23   Govt clears elevation of Justice K M Joseph to SC
The government has cleared the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium to elevate Justice K M Joseph, who heads the Uttarakhand High Court, to the top court, ending a long standoff with the judiciary.


The government has also given its nod to appoint Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa High Court Chief Justice Vineet Saran to the SC.


Justice Joseph's name was recommended for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court by the collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on January 10.


On April 30, the government had returned the recommendation for reconsideration on the ground that he lacked seniority. The executive had also pointed out that several high courts remain unrepresented and Justice Joseph's elevation would be against the principle of regional representation. His parent high court is the Kerala HC.


Justice Joseph had struck down the imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand in 2016 after the dismissal of a Congress government led by Harish Rawat. The collegium on May 16 in-principle reiterated the decision to recommend Justice Joseph's name.  -- PTI
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11:16   Trump downplays Ivanka's remarks on media
Donald Trump today tried to tamp down speculation of differences with daughter Ivanka over his remarks about the press by saying that it is the 'Fake News' and not the entire media that is the enemy of the people, hours after she distanced herself from the US president's comments.


Trump has repeatedly criticised the media before and during his presidency. He has declared journalists to be "enemies of the people", drawing condemnation from across the political spectrum.


During an event yesterday, when Ivanka was asked about her father's repeated accusation that the media is the "enemy of the people", she said, "No. I do not feel that the media is the enemy of the people."


"I've received my fair share of reporting on me personally that I know not to be fully accurate, so I've had some sensitivity around why people have concerns and gripe, especially when they sort of feel targeted," Ivanka, who is also Trump's senior adviser, said. Her remarks were construed as her differences with the president on this issue.


However hours later, President Trump took to Twitter to clarify the issue. "They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people. She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people! (sic)," he tweeted.


Asked at the White House briefing about Ivanka's remarks, press secretary Sarah Sanders refused to reject the president's statements that the media is the enemy of the people.


"The president's rightfully frustrated; 90 per cent of the coverage on him is negative despite the fact that the economy is booming, ISIS is on the run, and American leadership is being reasserted around the world,"she said. When Acosta insisted her to express her views, Sanders said, "I'm here to speak on behalf of the president. He's made his comments." -- PTI
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11:09   Militant killed in encounter with security forces in JK's Baramulla
Security forces today killed a militant in an encounter in Sopore township in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, a police official said. The encounter began after militants opened fire on security forces during a search operation in Dursoo village, he said.


The militant was yet to be identified. The official said the search operation was launched after specific information about the presence of militants in the area. The operation was still underway. -- PTI
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11:05   I&B ministry directive says, Hindi films must have credits in Hindi
The Information and Broadcasting ministry has shot off a letter addressed to the Film and Producers Guild of India, The Film Federation of India, the distributors association, saying credits of Hindi films should be in Hindi.


The letter states, "Logically the credits of the film should be in the same language as that of the film, so that people who are not conversant with English are not deprived of the information relating to the cast and crew."


The directive will be put into effect in a month's time. The move has generated a mixed response from producers and trade pundits.


Filmmaker Hansal Mehta tweeted today, "So as a colleague pointed out this directive to put our credits and titles in Hindi is issued in English. Well played I & B Ministry!"
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10:40   Review: Mulk screams so bad it mutes its distinct voice
'Mulk gets a lot of things right, including its vision of the country as a place where underneath the punctilious, forced-secular surface there are volatilities waiting to go off,' says Sreehari Nair. Read before you go.
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10:36  
TMC MP Saugata Roy moves adjournment motion in Lok Sabha over detention of TMC delegation at Silchar airport yesterday. #NRCAssam
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10:35   The Accidental Prime Minister director arrested for Rs 34 crore GST fraud
Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence officials have arrested Vijay Gutte, the director of the film, The Accidental Prime Minister, for defrauding Rs 34 crore by submitting fake invoices, reports Mumbai Mirror.

Anupam Kher essays the role of Manmohan Singh in the film, which is slated to release in December 21.
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10:19   Sonali is stable: Goldie Behl
Sonali Bendre's husband Goldie Behl has revealed the actor is stable and is following her treatment without any complications. The filmmaker took to Twitter to thank Bendre's fans and well-wishers for their support.


"Thank you all for the love and support for Sonali... She is stable and is following her treatment without any complications. This is a long journey but we have begun positively," Behl tweeted.


Last month Bendre revealed that she has been diagnosed with a "high grade cancer" and is undergoing treatment in New York.


"A niggling pain led to some tests, which led to this unexpected diagnosis. My family and close friends have rallied around me, providing the best support system that anyone can ask for. I am very blessed and thankful for each of them... We remain optimistic and I am determined to fight every step of the way," the actor had said in a statement. -- PTI

Also read: Is Sonali Bendre's cancer curable?


Image: Sonali Bendre got this funky haircut after she was diagnosed with cancer. Pic courtesy: @iamsonalibendre on Twitter
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10:02   Sensex rises over 250 pts, Nifty reclaims 11,300 mark
The benchmark Sensex staged a strong comeback in early trade today gaining over 250 points on widespread buying by participants in rate-sensitive realty, auto and banking stocks.


The 30-share index was trading higher by 253.38 points, or 0.68 per cent, at 37,418.54. All the sectoral indices, led by realty, auto, banking, healthcare, infrastructure, power, oil and gas, PSU and metal, recovered up to 1 per cent. The 30-share Sensex had lost 441.42 points in the previous two sessions. -- PTI
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09:59   India makes formal request to UK for Nirav Modi's extradition
MoS MEA VK Singh informed the Rajya Sabha yesterday that the request for extradition of diamantaire Nirav Modi has been sent to the High Commission of India in London. The request has been sent by a special diplomatic bag for onward transmission to UK authorities.


Nirav Modi, the main accused in the PNB scam became the 29th fugitive India has asked to be extradited from the United Kingdom.


The request will now be forwarded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK Government.

The minister also added that two Interpol Red Corner Notices had been issued against Modi.


But Modi need not be overly worried. India has a poor track record of extraditions from the UK.


Since 2002, India has made 29 such requests of which 9 have been rejected. The UK court also declined to issue arrest warrants in three cases. The remaining 15 cases, which includes that of Vijay Mallya's is pending.
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09:51   Sushma Swaraj in Astana
The bright and pleasant morning in Astana, Kazakhstan is symbolic of the bilateral relationship with India, tweets MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. "EAM @SushmaSwaraj warmly welcomed by Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan @MFA_KZ, Kairat Abdrakhmanov at the Foreign Office building ahead of the delegation-level talks."
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09:46   TMC delegation leave Assam after overnight detention
Six of the eight-member Trinamool Congress delegation left Assam this morning after an overnight detention at Silchar airport, an official said. Two others -- MPs Mamatabala Thakur and Arpita Ghosh -- will leave the state later in the day, Cachar district Deputy Commissioner S Lakshmanan said.


"We are going back. The police have not allowed us to go out. We requested them several times but they refused. We spent the night in three rooms at the airport," Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who was among those detained, said.


Besides Roy, MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Ratna De Nag and Nadimul Haque, West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim and MLA Mohua Maitra were in the delegation. They were sent by there by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to assess the situation in Assam post-NRC.


After they landed at the airport yesterday afternoon, they were stopped and taken under preventive detention. Banerjee had accused the BJP of imposing "super emergency" in the country. -- PTI
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09:44   NRC draft: Manipur constitutes committees to monitor influx of immigrants
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said that the state government has constituted two separate committees, state and district level, to monitor the entry of "illegal immigrants" in the state, post publication of the final draft of NRC in Assam.


In a press conference, the Chief Minister said the two committees will initiate steps for checking and verification of the people accordingly.


"In relation with Assam's NRC list, Manipur government is inquiring about influx of illegal immigrants from Assam and neighbouring states. We have taken measures to prevent entry of illegal immigrants and formed two committees - state level and district level monitoring committees," Singh said.


He asserted that the Manipur police on Thursday identified 29 people, who are not permanent residents of the state, at the airport in Imphal.


"From reliable sources government got info that some illegal immigrants are coming to Imphal by air. So, the state government has established a check point inside Imphal airport premises and today we identified 29 people who aren't permanent residents of the state. Police is monitoring," Singh added.


The draft, which was released on July 30, left out nearly 40 lakh people in Assam, incorporating names of 2.89 crore people out of 3.29 crore applicants.



Since then, the Opposition has been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Centre over the issue.The NRC draft features the names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens, who have been residing in the northeastern state before March 25, 1971. -- ANI
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09:40   J-K: 2 terrorists gunned down by security forces
Two terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore district on Friday. The exchange of fire between terrorists and the security forces took place in Drusu village. Following the attack, a search operation is underway.


Further details are awaited. This comes after two terrorists were killed on Thursday in an encounter with the security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. The exchange of fire took place during a Naka checking. -- ANI
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09:08   Muzaffarpur shelter home case: RJD's nationwide strike today
The Rashtriya Janata Dal has called for a nationwide strike on Friday, demanding the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar against the alleged mass sexual exploitation at various shelter homes in the state.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said: "RJD will hold a strike in Bihar and across the country, including at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, on August 4 to seek answers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the Muzaffarpur shelter home case and several other crimes in the state."

Eleven employees of a child shelter home in Muzaffarpur were arrested on July 24 for allegedly sexually harassing the inmates. After receiving information, the police raided the vicinity and rescued 44 girls.

Yadav even criticised the Bihar government of shielding the accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case after a photo of its owner Brajesh Thakur being felicitated by Nitish Kumar emerged.

The alleged sexual exploitation of the girls was uncovered more than a month ago by a Mumbai-based social science institute. They had submitted its report in April and the Bihar social welfare department approved another project to Thakur on May 31 for beggars' shelter in Patna. 
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09:02  
6 TMC leaders leave Assam after overnight detention at Silchar airport, 2 others to leave later in the day: Cachar district DC
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08:30   Rishi-Tapsee starrer 'Mulk' banned in Pakistan
The Federal Censor Board of Pakistan has banned Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu's upcoming court drama, 'Mulk' in Pakistan.

The reason behind the decision is yet to be ascertained.

The makers of the movie released a statement, saying, "We are disturbed by this prejudiced verdict and it is such an irony because our film talks about this very prejudice. We urge the Pakistani Censor Board to reconsider their decision. They will realise how essential it is to the well-being of the human race across the world."

Taking to Twitter, director Anubhav Sinha wrote a letter to Pakistan, writing, " Sorry a question really!!! #MULK in Theaters tomorrow."

-- ANI
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08:05   Mamata Banerjee's lawmakers spend night at Assam airport after arrests
Lawmakers of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress were formally arrested at Assam's Silchar airport late Thursday evening. The lawmakers had gone to the state to campaign against the draft citizens' list, which triggered a political storm, when they were stopped by the police.

In dramatic footage from the airport, women in the Trinamool team were seen running as they were chased and restrained by policewomen. Now the police too, have presented footage claiming one of the lawmakers had jostled and pushed a constable, injuring her.

In the video footage, lawmaker Mahua Moitra is seen pushing the woman constable, who, at one point, is seen pleading with her. They will be kept at the airport for the night, the police said.

Earlier this evening, Mamata Banerjee had told her lawmakers to stay put at the airport and not go anywhere. "There is a super emergency in Assam. They don't want us to talk to people," said the West Bengal Chief Minister.

The eight-member team of Trinamool lawmakers was to address public meetings in Silchar against the National Register of Citizens, an updated list that excludes four million people from Assam. Opposition parties have accused the BJP - which rules Assam - of using the register to target people for election reasons in the name of identifying illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
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00:05   Will give reservation to Marathas lawfully: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that his government will provide reservation to Marthas in accordance with law.

After holding a meeting with state leaders from diverse sections, Fadnavis told the media that a joint statement has been signed to resolve the matter.

"A joint statement has been signed to give reservation to Marathas lawfully. State Government stands in absolute support for Maratha Reservation and we are following a requisite process to do it at the earliest," Fadnavis said.

The Maratha communities have been agitating across the state demanding reservation in government jobs and education.

The major demands of the communities are--- decision on the Maratha quota at the earliest, all cases against Maratha protesters be taken back, action against the officers responsible for firing and lathi charge during July 25 protest, resignation or sacking of ministers MLAs who gave irresponsible statements against Maratha community.

Besides reservation, the outfit has also been demanding loan waiver, justice in Kopardi rape case and a solution to unemployment in their community. -- ANI

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