Srinagar: Security forces have launched cordon and search operation near Lal chowk after noticing suspicious movement in the area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Chinese defence minister will visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings.


Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS Summit, met Xi for the third time in nearly three months last evening after their two-day informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late April and a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China in June.


"It is important to maintain this momentum and for this we should, at our level, regularly review our relationship and give proper instructions whenever required," Modi told Xi in his opening remarks.


He told the Chinese leader that their recent meetings have given a new strength to bilateral ties and also provided new opportunities for cooperation. President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations since their informal meeting in Wuhan, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.


He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication, increase mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen dialogue and properly manage differences, it said.


Modi said the Johannesburg meeting has provided one more opportunity to them to strengthen their closer developmental partnership. Briefing the reporters about the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders reaffirmed their readiness to give the necessary direction to their militaries to enhance communication between them and to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.


"They were satisfied with the efforts being made by the officials of the two sides to strengthen bilateral engagements and to implement some of the understandings and decisions that the two leaders had reached at Wuhan," he said.


Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to send National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to China this year for the Special Representative-level boundary talks, he said. -- PTI


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Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP today turned up the heat on the Modi government, saying its support to the BJP is issue-based as it sought a law to restore the stringent measures of an Act on atrocities against Dalits and removal of NGT Chairman A K Goel by August 9.


Party MP and Paswan's son Chirag Paswan said patience of many within the Lok Janshakti Party is running out as circumstances raising concerns of the Dalits and tribals have emerged of late. Protecting interests of these communities was at the root of the LJP's tie up with the BJP in 2014, he told a press conference in New Delhi.


His party has been demanding for over four months now an ordinance to restore the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act but the government has not done so. He, however, stayed away from issuing any direct threat to the BJP and said the LJP has faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his government had done a lot for Dalits.


"We will cross the bridge when it comes," he said when asked if his party would consider walking out of the BJP-led NDA if its demands are not met by the August 9 deadline.


Various Dalit and tribal groups have called for a 'Bharat bandh' on August 10 to press their demands, including restoration of the Act. They have said a Supreme Court order in March weakened the law.


Chirag Paswan said incidents of atrocities against the community have risen following the verdict and FIRs were not being registered by police. Goel was one of the two top court judges who delivered the verdict and he was appointed the National Green Tribunal chairperson earlier this month immediately after his retirement from the Supreme Court.


The LJP has criticised his appointment with Chirag Paswan writing to Modi seeking his removal, saying it has sent a wrong message. Dalits believe that he has been rewarded for his judgement, he said. His father has also written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue. Chirag Paswan expressed the hope that the prime minister will take appropriate decisions once he returns from his foreign visit later in the evening. He said the opposition has been working to give an impression that the government was being "anti-Dalit" and the Modi dispensation should take strong measures to dispel it.


Blowing hot and cold, he said the LJP strongly remains a part of the government as it makes it easier for his party to carry out its Dalit agenda.

DMK Working President MK Stalin's health report of his father: He (M Karunanidhi) is recovering steadily as his fever is coming down.


Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing.


Karunanidhi's son and working president of DMK Stalin had on Wednesday said his father was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication and assured the people that there was nothing to worry about the nonagenarian leader's health.

France exempts Indian passport holders from transit visa. 

The Election Commission of Pakistan is yet to announce final results but wide speculations of possible inductees in the new cabinet are already doing the rounds.


The unofficial results for the just ended Pakistan general elections have portrayed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan as the next Prime Minister.Geo TV quoted sources confirming that consultation is underway for the formation of a cabinet of 18-20 members.


As names for the Speaker's post for the National Assembly are being speculated, Geo TV reported that the post is likely to go to Dr. Arif Alvi. The Deputy Speaker's post may go to Zartaj Gul Wazir or to a member of a coalition partner.


Shah Mehmood Qureshi is a strong contender for the foreign minister's berth. There are also speculations that Asas Umar might take over as the Finance Minister as party chief Imran Khan had apparently called him as the top choice before the elections took place. Former Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak's name is being considered for Interior ministry.Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari are likely to become Defence Minister and Information Minister respectively, according to the report.

-- ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today expressed her concern over the health condition of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to an urinary tract infection. Banerjee prayed for a quick recovery of the 94-year-old veteran politician of Tamil Nadu. "Concerned about the health of @kalaignar89 Hope and pray that Karunanidhi Ji recovers soon @mkstalin," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle.

A senior Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hari Om Pandey sparked a fresh controversy after stating that the cases of heinous crimes such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India.


The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar also asserted that soon a new nation like Pakistan will be carved out from India if the government fails to curb the rising Muslim population in the coming days.


"The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim populants since the time of Independence," said Pandey.


He also added that the increased population will result in unemployment and stagnant economic growth which in-turn will bring anarchy in India.


Pandey was of the view that a bill pertaining to the matter should soon be introduced in the Parliament and the necessary measures should be taken at the earliest for curbing population growth."I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition," he said.

Opposition parties in the state, especially the SP, that accused the BJP of just inaugurating projects initiated by previous governments, should in fact congratulate the saffron party, UP Industries Minister Satish Mahana said today.


Rival political parties should, on a large hoarding, mention the projects that were started during their tenure but inaugurated by the current dispensation and acknowledge that they were incapable of completing them, he added.


"If we are taking your work forward, then you should in fact congratulate Yogi Adityanathji," Mahana told PTI.


Attacking the BSP, he claimed industrialists were so averse to BSP supremo Mayawati, that they used to flee at the slightest mention of her name.


Responding to the Opposition's allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making back-to-back trips to UP to mislead people, Mahana said the PM was visiting the state to showcase the achievements of the government as it had worked for the welfare of the people and hence had the confidence to reach out to them now. -- PTI

Political leaders cutting across party lines and DMK cadre today made a beeline for the residence of M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the 94-year-old DMK chief a quick recovery.


"Spoke to Thiru @mkstalin and Kanimozhi Ji. Enquired about the health of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Ji and offered any assistance required. I pray for his quick recovery and good health. @kalaignar89 (sic)," he tweeted.


Security has been beefed up at Karunanidhi's Gopalapuram residence as DMK cadre kept pouring in there.


Kauvery Hospital, which is treating the nonagenarian leader, said in a bulletin last night, "There has been a slight decline in the health of DMK president M Karunanidhi due to age-related ailments."


MDMK chief Vaiko, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan visited the residence of Karunanidhi and enquired about his health from his family members and the DMK working president M K Stalin. Visitors are not allowed to meet the ailing leader.


After visiting Karunanidhi's residence, Vaiko told reporters, "Such fever after a tracheostomy procedure is usual. Stalin told me that he is fine. I am confident that he will bounce back with the same magnetic voice."


Karunanidhi has been not keeping well since October 2016, and some days ago he had undergone a procedure to change his tracheostomy tube, provided to help in breathing. Stalin had on Wednesday said Karunanidhi was suffering from fever and doctors were providing medication, as he assured people that there was nothing to worry about the nonagenarian leader's health. -- PTI

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The wife of a 40-year-old tribal man, who did not have a ration card, has claimed that her husband had died of hunger in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district.


Rajendra Birhor, belonging to the primitive Birhor tribe, died yesterday at Nawadih village in Mandu block, 20 km from Ramgarh.


However, district officials denied it, saying his death was due to "illness". Birhor's wife, Shanti Devi (35), said her husband was suffering from jaundice and her family did not have money to buy food and medicines prescribed by doctors. The family also did not have a ration card for getting subsidised food grain under the public distribution scheme of the state government, Devi said.


A father of six children, Birhor was the only earning member of his family. He was recently admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences here, but was discharged following treatment.


The Mandu block development officer, Manoj Kumar Gupta, who visited Birhor's house yesterday, denied that the tribal man died of starvation. He claimed that Birhor died of illness.


The BDO, however, admitted that the family did not have a ration card. He gave Devi foodgrains and Rs 10,000 to the family. "We are looking into why the family was not enlisted to avail subsidised ration being provided by government," he said. -- PTI


Also read: Girls had no food for 8-9 days

A senior Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Karnataka has stirred controversy by saying that he would have ordered the police to shoot intellectuals, had he been the Union Home Minister. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an MLA from Vijayapura, also branded liberals and intellectuals as "anti-nationals".


"These people (intellectuals) live in this country and use all the facilities for which we pay tax. Then they raise slogans against the Indian Army. Our country faces grave danger from intellectuals and seculars than anyone else," Yatnal said at a Kargil Vijay Diwas event on Thursday.


The lawmaker had earlier courted a controversy when he told a local party municipal members to not help Muslims. Yatnal was a BJP MLA between 1994 and 1999. Between 1999 and 2009, he served as the MP from Bijapur.


Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Yatnal served as minister of state for Textiles and Railways between 2002 and 2004. In 2010, Mr Yatnal had quit the BJP to join the Janata Dal (Secular).


A year later, he became an independent MLC after quitting the JD(S).
-- ANI

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in an over USD 2 billion scam in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries, local media in Antigua reported.


In a statement issued by his attorney David Dorsett on the diamantaire's behalf, Choksi said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by the Indian government, the Daily Observer, a newspaper in Antigua, reported.


Choksi who was allegedly the partner-in-crime of his nephew Nirav Modi in the banking fraud refused to say anything further on the issue, on the advice of his lawyers.


"I can however state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application I did all that was lawfully required of me to do. My application for citizenship was in due course approved," the statement published in the newspaper said.


Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, and oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, according to a local newspaper Antigua Observer.


"My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries," the statement said, adding that he was in the United States in January 2018 for medical treatment. 


"Having received treatment I am still in a state convalescence. That being the case I have decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda," it read. After it emerged that Choksi had moved to the Caribbean country in July and also taken a local passport, the CBI wrote to Antiguan authorities seeking the whereabouts of the fugitive diamantaire.


The CBI, in its communication sent to Antiguan authority, cited diffusion notice issued by the Interpol against the fugitive businessman and sought details of his movement and his present location.


The Antigua Government indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Nirav Modi and Choksi are being investigated by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the Punjab National Bank of more than Rs 13,400 crore with purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees. -- PTI

People in the national capital woke up to heavy rains and had to face waterlogging and traffic snarls at various places of the city for the second consecutive day today.


The meteorological department warned of moderate to heavy rains throughout the day. The Delhi Police has been alerting the commuters about the routes that can be avoided. The Safdarjung observatory, the recording of which is considered the official figure for the city, registered 45.8 mm of rainfall between 5.30 pm yesterday and 8.30 am today, while the Palam observatory recorded 37.4 mm of precipitation during the same period.


The Lodhi Road observatory received 51.8 mm of rains and the ridge area recorded 46.2 mm, while Ayangar recorded 41.9 mm of rainfall, an official of the MeT department said.


Waterlogging was reported at Zakir Hussain college, near Ramlila Maidan, and civic centre in central Delhi. Heavy traffic congestion was reported at RTR Marg in the carriageway from Vasant Kunj towards airport.


Waterlogging has also caused congestion at Okhla Mandi, Badarpur railway underpass, Under IP flyover, Under Modi mill flyover, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, etc. Waterlogging on the streets affected traffic in many areas of Delhi, while in Ghaziabad, many schools remained closed under the directions of the district magistrate on account of heavy rains and adverse weather conditions. However, schools in Delhi and Noida remained opened today. -- PTI


Image: Water-logging near Delhi's Ramlila Ground.

Headed to Himachal Pradesh. Head's up on the weather: National Highway 305 is blocked near Luhri in Kullu district due to mud flows and flooding following heavy rainfall in the region. 

In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been "stolen" and warned that the "tainted and dubious' results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics.


Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail yesterday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported.


He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates.


Thursday was a meeting day for Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, who were imprisoned after they were convicted by an accountability court over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London.


A number of party leaders, who visited the jail, quoted Sharif as saying that the Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been "made victorious' in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite its previous government's bad performance in the province.


Sharif said that Khan's position was much weaker this time than in 2013 when last general elections were held. He said the polls had been stolen and the "tainted and dubious' results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics, the daily reported.


PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Junaid Safdar (Maryam's son), Mahnoor Safdar and Meharun Nisa (daughters of Maryam), former federal minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N media coordinator Muhammad Mehdi were among those who called on Sharif and his daughter. The personal physician of Sharif also visited him in the jail.


The jail authorities, following the orders of the superintendent, brought Sharif, Maryam and Safdar from their cells to the conference hall where they met the visitors. Sharif and Shahbaz also held a one-on-one meeting lasting more than half an hour, later to be joined by Maryam, the daily said.


During the meeting, post-elections scenario of the country was discussed, it said. The PML-N leaders said that no facilities were provided to Sharif in the jail as they met him in a room with no air conditioner while an air conditioner was running in the waiting room for the visitors, it said.


The health of the former prime minister was not good, they said, adding that Sharif did not make any comment about his health but his condition was obvious from his physical appearance.


Meanwhile, a team of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which was to examine Sharif on Thursday, had to wait for over one hour and finally returned to the hospital as Sharif was meeting his family members. The team has been mandated to submit a report on whether Sharif should be shifted to hospital or not.  -- PTI

North Korea handed over the remains of the American troops, killed in the Korean War on Friday morning.


Hailing the move as a significant step, the White House, in a statement said that it was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change."


"A US Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members has departed Wonsan, North Korea. It is accompanied by service members from United Nations Command Korea and technical experts from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency," the White House said.


As per CNN, the US also praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for "fulfilling part of the commitment he made to President Donald Trump to return fallen American service members."


Pyongyang's move to repatriate the remains of Americans from the 950-53 war was a part of the agreement which was signed between the US President and North Korean leader at their landmark summit in Singapore in June 2018. As many as 35,000 US troops were killed on the Korean Peninsula during the war, out of which around 7,700 are still under the missing list, including 5,300 in North Korea alone, CNN reported.

However, between 1990 - 2005, 229 sets of remains from Pyongyang were repatriated, but later those operations were suspended when after the ties deteriorated over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. -- ANI

The reality of PM Modi's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao movement. In Madhya Pradesh, students of a government school in Dindori marched to the District Council and submitted a memorandum addressing the President of India, stating, "During monsoon, water drips from the roof in every room. There are no washrooms. Its been like this for many years, please help us."

The Sensex rallied over 300 points, and Nifty breached the 11,200 mark for the first time in early trade today, as ITC lifted benchmark bourses to fresh life-time highs after posting strong Q1 results. Better-then-expected quarterly earnings by select index heavyweights, positive Asian cues and firm foreign capital inflows boosted investor sentiment here.


Keeping up its record setting spree for the fifth straight session the 30-share Sensex added 308.77 points, or 0.83 per cent, to hit a new peak of 37,293.41. -- PTI

Commuters on Mumbai's Central Railway were inconvenienced once again just before 8 am today, following a technical glitch on the slow line tracks towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.


The glitch affected many trains on the slow track with trains stationary for over 45 minutes approximately. With no announcements forthcoming as is the norm for the suburban rail network on both central and western railway, commuters had little choice but to jump on to the tracks and begin walking to the nearest train station.  Thankfully, it wasn't raining at the time. Trains stalled due to flooded tracks is also a given for Central Railway every single year.

As suddenly as it stopped, the train service resumed after a while.

Which is when Central Railway tweeted: 'There was a unit problem on Up slow line. Though the problem has been resolved but cascading effect of bunching has delayed trains on main suburban line for some time. Traffic being normalized shortly."

Commuters vented their ire on social media."Its 9.43 n still issue remains same. Many trains got cancelled and no announcement anywer.. Why everyday there is new issue?' Amisha tweeted.


'Plz have some mercy on us. We R being harassed in this manner every other day. Think about people travelling from far. Plz take out some permanent solution. In which laguage do u understand our problems? Only when some1 loses a life, u understand Seriousness,' tweeted advocate Priya.


'This is the 3rd time in the week central railway fails. Train is delayed by 30min Sick and tired,' Mujahid Shaikh tweeted, speaking for many commuters.

-- Hemant Waje/Rediff.com


Image: Commuters walking the tracks between Kurla and Sion stations, both low-lying flood-prone areas. Thankfully, there were no rains today. Pic: Hemant Waje.

For all Arvind Subramanian fans -- the former chief economic advisor to the government of India, who quit his job to relocate to the US like his friend and colleague, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan -- will be in Harvard shortly.

Here's what @arvindsubraman tweeted: "My new coordinates. This year, I will be visiting @ Harvards @Kennedy_School & a non-resident Senior Fellow @ the Peterson Institute for Intl. Econ. (@PIIE). Or paraphrasing Vikram Seth: Smitten by India, but parted from its warm clime, I will now keep Eastern Standard Time".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has invited party leaders of both the Houses for a meeting in Vidhan Sabha on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Maratha protest.


Talking to media, Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil confirmed the news and said that the law and order situation in the state due to the Maratha agitation should be discussed by all parties.


"Law and order in the state due to Maratha Reservation should be discussed by all parties. So, Chief Minister Fadnavis has invited party leaders of both houses for a meeting in Vidhan Sabha on Saturday," Patil said after the Chief Minister's meeting with state BJP ministers and party MLAs. -- ANI

A protester, who was injured in the violence during the Maratha quota stir in adjoining Navi Mumbai, has succumbed to his injuries at the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai.


Hospital Dean Dr Mukund Tayade told PTI that 25-year-old Rohan Todkar had sustained multiple injuries on his head, hands and legs during the violence at Kopar Khairane on Wednesday. He was shifted to J J Hospital yesterday and was kept in the intensive care unit, but succumbed to his injuries yesterday, Tayade said.


Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Kopar Khairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh called by Maratha organisations to demand quota for the community in government jobs and education.


Over 150 vehicles, including 20 belonging to police, were damaged in the violence. Nine persons were injured when police caned protesters and fired pellets and rubber bullets on the violent mob, police had said. Police had fired 40 shotgun rounds, 22 rubber bullets, 42 teargas shells and 11 teargas grenades to disperse the violent mob in Navi Mumbai, an official had said. Internet services were suspended in Navi Mumbai as a precautionary measure yesterday.


Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation. The community had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation. The agitation, however, turned violent after a 27-year-old protester jumped to his death in Godavari river near Aurangabad on July 23. -- PTI

Representational image.

Li Keqiang became the first Chinese premier to visit Tibet when he went on an inspection tour in the Tibet Autonomous Region on July 25.