Harvey Weinstein appeared in court in New York on Tuesday, to plead not guilty on rape and criminal sex act charges.

The Karnataka High Court today directed the state government to provide necessary security for peaceful release of superstar Rajinikanth-starrer 'Kaala', which pro-Kannada outfits had threatened to stall over the actor's reported remarks on the Cauvery row.


Justice G Narendar issued the direction on the basis of a Supreme Court order, which had stayed ban orders imposed on the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Padmaavat' by four states, including Rajasthan, early this year.


"Freedom of speech and expression, particularly as a medium of expression in films, cannot be curtailed. The creative content is am insegregable aspect of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution," the judge said, citing the Supreme Court verdict on the release of the film 'Padmaavat'.


The Supreme Court in January had cleared the release of 'Padmaavat' and had stayed ban orders imposed by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. Miffed with Rajinikanth's reported comments that whichever government comes to power in Karnataka should implement the Supreme Court order on Cauvery water sharing in toto.


The Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce had on May 29 decided not to allow screening of 'Kaala', due for release on June 7.  -- PTI

Miss America scraps swimsuit competition: "We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor issues a statement in connection with the Sunanda Pushkar death case. A Delhi court today summoned Tharoor as an accused in the case related to his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death and asked him to appear before it on July 7, saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him. Responding to the summons Tharoor in a written statement said, "I find the charges preposterous and baseless, the product of malicious and vindictive campaign against myself."


"I will continue to vigorously contest these charges and maintain my steadfast conviction that ultimately truth will prevail through the judicial system that we are privileged to have in our country," Tharoor said the in  the statement.

Editor-turned-entrepreneur Shekhar Gupta's media venture Printline Media Pvt. Ltd has raised an undisclosed sum from investors including Ratan Tata, Uday Kotak and Nandan Nilekani, all of whom are putting money in the company in their personal capacity.  Read the report here.

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday refused to intervene in the ongoing 'Kaala' movie ban row.


The court further asked the lawyers representing the Rajinikanth starrer to provide all details of theatres screening the movie to the state so that necessary security arrangements can be made.


Last week, media reports said pro-Kannada outfits sought a ban on the release of Kaala in Karnataka as the Cauvery water dispute remained unresolved.


Reportedly, Rajinikanth had asked the new government in Karnataka to release Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery river water to the state as mandated by the Supreme Court verdict. -- ANI

Two people were arrested for sexually assaulting a minor girl in Kaimur district after a video of the same surfaced. The incident took place in Bhagwanpur village of Kaimur district, where six people were filmed assaulting a minor girl. Kaimur Superintendent of Police (SP) Faroguddin said the video was received by the authorities and the perpetrators have been identified.


"Seven people have been identified in the video, out of which one of them is the victim's boyfriend. Two out of the six assaulters has been arrested till now," he told ANI. Investigation in the matter is underway.

Malaysia appoints ethnic Indian Tommy Thomas as new attorney general, replaces official who cleared ex-PM in 1MDB scandal. Read the report here.

When US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet for their historic summit in Singapore later this month, they will be protected by men from one of the fiercest warrior tribes in the world '" the Gurkhas of Nepal. Read the report here.

The preparations for the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next Tuesday in Singapore are going well with "significant progress" made, the White House said today, painting an upbeat picture of the unprecedented meeting.


White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the two leaders would first meet at 9:00 am local time (6:30 am IST) and that President Trump was receiving daily briefings from his national security team.


With just one week to go to the summit, hosted by Singapore, very few details have been publicly confirmed. It remains unclear exactly where in the city state the two leaders will meet. But Washington has made it clear that sanctions would not be lifted against North Korea unless it gave up its nuclear weapons.


Commenting on the upcoming summit, Sanders said, "I can tell you the president has been receiving daily briefings on North Korea from his national security team, and I can also tell you the schedule tentatively, for that first meeting will be on June 12 at 9:00 am Singapore time, and take place June 11, 9:00 pm East Coast time."


The Trump administration, she said, is actively preparing for the summit between the US President and the North Korean leader. There was initially much uncertainty over whether the summit would go ahead at all, and it was briefly called off last month by Trump after a dispute with the North Koreans.


"The advance team in Singapore is finalising logistical preparations and will remain in place until the summit begins. In the Demilitarised Zone, the US Ambassador's delegation continues diplomatic negotiations with the North Korean delegation. Discussions have been very positive, and significant progress has been made," Sanders said.


Last week, Trump met with a top North Korean official at the White House to plan for the summit. Kim Yong Chol, a top aide of Kim handed over to Trump a letter from the North Korean leader.


"I am not going to get into the specifics of the letter, but as the president said, they were interesting, and we feel like things are continuing to move forward, and good progress has been made, and we're continuing to prepare for the president's summit," Sanders said.


When asked whether Trump supports a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim, she said the focus of the administration right now was the President's meeting with the North Korean leader.


"And the President will make his views known directly to him when we're in Singapore, and our focus will continue to be on denuclearisation," Sanders said. Responding to a question on "maximum pressure" policy on North Korea, the press secretary said the US policy towards Pyongyang has not changed.

A Delhi court today summoned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor as an accused in the Sunanda Pushkar death case and asked him to appear before it on July 7. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Tharoor for commission of offences in the case.


Tharoor has been charged with abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi in 2014. Her last mails and messages on social media have been taken by the police as her dying declaration.


The parliamentarian from Kerala has also been accused of cruelty to his wife in the chargesheet submitted in court last month.

The Pakistan Army has said that former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani, will be punished as per the law and the country's Army Act for controversially co-authoring the book "The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI And The Illusion Of Peace" with India's former Research and Analysis Wing chief A.S. Dulat.


Interacting with the media on Monday afternoon, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said an inquiry has been ordered against the former ISI chief and outcome of the inquiry will be shared with the media.


"He (Durrani) is retired as a three-star general and you know the circumstances of his retirement - it was premature. He's involved in the Asghar Khan case as well," said Major General Ghafoor, adding that the army is clearly unhappy with what the retired officer had done.


"As soon as the book was published, we took action. We all know why he [Asad Durrani] was kicked out from the Army. He remarked that no one can become an angel after wearing the army uniform. He also noted that Durrani's book referred to incidents that took place after his tenure. It was not okay for the retired spy chief to use his experience to comment on matters that happened after his retirement,"said Major General Ghafoor.


"We are all human, we make mistakes. But when you make mistakes, you suffer the consequences. The Pakistan Army has never forgiven any mistake, whether made by a soldier or a general. What will happen to Durrani will be in front of you," he said.


He added that the reason why the forces had reacted so sharply to Durrani's book was because the army does not take violations of its code lightly.


"Had he taken an NOC (no objection certificate) for the book, all of this would not have happened," he said. -- ANI

The Enforcement Directorate today questioned Raj Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, in connection with a money laundering probe related to a bitcoin transactions case, officials said. The businessman was summoned at the ED office in Mumbai and was asked questions about his involvement in the trade, termed as illegal by the government, they said. There are some instances of the case that are linked to Kundra and hence, he has been asked to record his statement, the officials said without elaborating. The Enforcement Directorate sometime back, had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against bitcoin-based investment website GainBitcoin, its founder Amit Bhardwaj and eight others.


It is alleged that about 8,000 investors lost about Rs 2,000 crore by transacting in this scheme. The ED had filed its case based on an FIR of the Maharashtra Police in this case and the Pune Police arrested Bhardwaj and his brother Vivek from Delhi earlier. Bhardwaj reportedly was behind ventures like GainBitcoin, GBMiners, MCAP and GB21, and the investors were allegedly duped after transactions on these portals.


 Last year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had informed Parliament that there are no regulations governing virtual currencies in India and the RBI has not given any licence to any entity/company to operate such currencies. The government had also cautioned investors to be wary of virtual currencies such as bitcoin, saying they are like Ponzi schemes with no legal tender and protection. -- PTI

Lalita Salve (29), a constable from the district who recently underwent a sex reassignment surgery, will get benefits granted to a male constable after joining duty, a police official said today.


 But, the constable will have to bear expenses of the sex-change operation, he said.


Salve had on May 25 undergone the first stage of sex reassignment surgery at the state-run St George's Hospital in Mumbai. The second stage operation will be conducted after six months, doctors had said after the surgery.


"Salve (on resumption of duty) will be treated as a male constable. We have received a letter from the director general of police in this connection.


According to the letter, Salve will get all benefits entitled to male constables after joining duty," Beed Superintendent of Police G Shreedhar said. -- PTI

Sunanda Pushkar death case: Shashi Tharoor summoned by Patiala House court, asked to appear before it on July 7.

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said allegations of scam in the Rafael deal are baseless.


"There is no shortage of defence ammunition today. Allegations of scam in the Rafael deal are baseless," Sitharaman stated while addressing a press conference on the occasion of the completion of four years of the National Democratic Alliance government.


On a related note, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has long been criticising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, alleging that the government has signed an overpriced deal.


Gandhi had also said the United Progressive Alliance government had cracked a better deal, while the incumbent government's deal will be causing a loss of over Rs 40,000 crore. In February, Gandhi posed eight questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal and alleged that the Prime Minister personally went to Paris and changed the deal. -- ANI

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the Ramzan ceasefire with Pakistan.  Addressing a press conference, Sitharaman says terror and talks cannot go together. She said the army was consulted before the ceasefire was announced. The defence minister said 50 terrorists were killed in 19 weeks before Ramzan, while seven terrorists were killed in two weeks during Ramzan. "We will keep our borders safe," the minister said.


On the Ramzan ceasefire, the minister added, "When it is an unprovoked attack the Army was given the right to retaliate. We honour the ceasefire but of course, a margin was given to us when there is an unprovoked attack. The MoD's role isn't to asses whether it was successful or not. It's our business to guard the border and we won't stop if we're provoked. We shall be alert that no unprovoked attack goes without us responding. It's our duty to keep India safe."


She said the defence ministry spending was its highest last year for over a decade. She said there was no real cash crunch in defence. She said when the government came in there was an ammunition shortage, but not any more.


Image: Villagers staying along the Indo-Pak border take shelter at a temporary camp, after heavy shelling from the Pakistan side, at Arnia, about 40 km from Jammu.  File pic. 

The Election of the Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha is critical for the Narendra Modi government with the entire Opposition ganging up against the BJP. If the Opposition does unite, the BJP will not get the numbers to get its candidate elected.


Battle-weary they may be, but PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah make a lethal combo proven by successive wins in state elections.


So, will the BJP offer the deputy chairman's post to the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti or the YSR Congress? If the latter happens, both Chairman (Venkaiah Naidu) and Deputy Chairman will be from Andhra Pradesh.

Or will the BJP offer the post to AIADMK Which has 13 MPs.

There are 30 political parties represented in the Rajya Sabha. Congress wants to ensure that 25 parties which are anti BJP should unite and put up on common candidate like the Karnataka/Kairana model of politics.

The incumbent deputy chairman PJ Kurien retires in June. Once the monsoon session of Parliament begins on July 23, the election to the deputy chairman's post becomes inevitable and may then be held in the first week of August. The government may even postpone the election to a Budget session.


Image: Deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien.

The Tamil Nadu government today announced banning use of plastic items, including non-biodegradable bags, from January 2019 in the interest of the environment and to "gift a plastic-free" state to future generations.


Chief Minister K Palaniswami's announcement in the state assembly coincided with International Environment Day today.


Late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had earlier constituted an expert panel on the issue that had suggested banning plastic products, including bags, plates and cups, and recommended that traditional items such as plantain leaves and plates made of palm leaves be used, Palaniswami said.


The chief minister said non-biodegradable plastic products, mainly polythene covers affect the environment, impeding water flow. Burning plastic also causes problems, he said, adding that plastic products contributed to various forms of pollution-- air, land and water.


"Considering the damage caused by plastic, and to ensure this is not left behind for future generations, the Amma government has decided to ban non-biodegradable plastic covers, plates, cups, water packets, straws and bags," he said.


However, plastic sachets used to pack milk, curd and oil, besides those used to wrap medical products, will be exempted from the ban, Palaniswami said.  -- PTI

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today said there was no decision on seat sharing between his party and the BSP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and that it would be discussed at an "appropriate time".


The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's remark come amid reports that the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is demanding 40 out of the total 80 seats in the state for the next year general elections.


"Whatever seats are to be given will be decided once talks proceed. We will discuss at the appropriate time. Whatever is being reported regarding seats is only in newspapers.


"We have not discussed anything. We 'samajwadis' (socialists) have a big heart," he told PTI in an interview, his first after the Kairana bypolls in which the joint opposition candidate trounced the BJP's nominee, snatching the seat from the ruling party in the state. RLD's Tabassum Hasan polled 4,81,182 votes in the bypoll, while BJP's Mriganka Singh got 4,36,564 votes, a difference of 44,618 votes.


The SP chief also alleged that "the (communal) fire in which Kairana burnt was doused by the people there by voting against the BJP".


On assembly polls in other states, Yadav said, "The SP will contest all the seats in Madhya Pradesh and is also preparing for polls in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand." Regarding possibilities of a BSP-Congress tie-up for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, he said, "I have no information about this." -- PTI

Businessman and actor Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Bitcoin scam. Kundra is presently being questioned in Mumbai. The ED is recording Kundra's statement.


Image: Raj Kundra with actress and wife Shilpa Shetty

Tamil Nadu to ban plastic from January 2019. Milk and oil pouches, along with other basic need items will be exempted from the ban, says Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Update on the Jaguar crash: The Pilot, Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan, lost his life in the crash. A court of Inquiry ordered to investigate cause of accident.

An Indian Air Force Jaguar aircraft has crashed in Mundra in Kutch. The pilot, who was initially reported to be missing, has been found, but is seriously injured. The reasons for the crash are not known yet, but the jet was on a routine sortie.


Image: Wreckage of the IAF jet.

A gentleman with a name eerily close to the prime minister's has been making news. Companies associated with him borrowed billions from a bank and did not repay; while the bank is in trouble with authorities, its customer flits from city to city abroad and continues to live in luxury.


He is not the only one living it up on loans from government banks. There is another, once famous for throwing lavish parties on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, who lives comfortably in a country cottage in England while his Indian creditors try without success to get Britain to extradite him.


If their examples are any guide, borrowing big sums from Indian banks and escaping abroad to enjoy life is excellent business; it may attract more seekers for good times. Read the full column here.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today said at least nine MLAs from the JD-S will be inducted in the first phase of cabinet expansion of the JD-S-Congress coalition government in the state.


"In the first phase (of the cabinet expansion), eight to nine members (MLAs from JD-S will be there (inducted in the cabinet). Two to three vacancies will be there," Kumaraswamy said here when asked about the first phase of cabinet expansion.


Kumaraswamy also ruled out any differences among JD-S MLAs over cabinet berths and allocation of portfolios and said party president H D Deve Gowda has been given total freedom on the next phase of cabinet expansion.


"There are no differences at all among our MLAs (over cabinet berths and portfolio allocations). Actually they have given total freedom to the national president to select the future cabinet," he told reporters.


Kumaraswamy also said the national president has advised all MLAs about giving good governance with their cooperation.


"Today we had a meeting with our MLAs. Our national president advised all MLAs to cooperate with the cabinet for developing the state and providing good governance," he said.


As per the coalition agreement on June 1, Congress was allocated 22 ministerial berths and 12 to JD-S. Congress were allocated Home, Irrigation, Health, Agriculture and Women Child Welfare ministries, while JD(S) Finance and Excise, Public Works Department, Education, Tourism and Transport ministries.


Both parties also agreed on setting up of coordination and monitoring committee to oversee smooth functioning of the coalition. The committee will be led by senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, while JD-S' Danish Ali will work as its convenor.


Meanwhile, ahead of the Cabinet expansion tomorrow, Congress leaders from the state are likely to visit New Delhi to discuss the list of ministers and portfolio allocation with the party high command. -- PTI

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda claimed that the Nipah Virus outbreak in Kerala is the result of "tampering with nature".

Ten people, including six women, were killed and one person was injured when a building was swept away by landslide triggered by heavy rain in Lunglawn area of south Mizoram's Lunglei town, police said today.

Update: A Delhi court today extended till July 10, the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union Minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case.


Special Judge O P Saini passed the order after the Enforcement Directorate sought more time to file a detailed reply to Chidambaram's plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case. Senior advocate Sonia Mathur and advocate Nitesh Rana moved the plea on behalf of the ED, saying the agency needed four weeks time to file a detailed reply.


At this, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocate P K Dubey, appearing for Chidambaram, requested the court to fix the matter to July 10 when the court is already scheduled to hear the anticipatory bail plea of Chidambaram's son Karti in the same case.


The senior Congress leader had on May 30 moved his plea for anticipatory bail in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case. In his plea, Chidambaram said all the evidence in the matter appears to be documentary in nature which is already in the possession of the incumbent government and nothing was to be recovered from him.


The court has already granted interim protection from arrest till July 10 to the former minister's son Karti in two cases filed by the CBI and ED in 2011 and 2012, respectively in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases.


The relief was granted to Karti after the ED sought time to argue on his application seeking anticipatory bail.

Update on the Aircel-Maxis case: The court gives P Chidambaram protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate till 10 July. The ED seeks time for filing a detailed reply in the case. Court fixed the matter for further hearing on July 10, the same date on which hearing against Karti Chidambaram in Aircel-Maxis case is scheduled.

Donald Trump has not done anything wrong and therefore there would be no need for a pardon, the White House has said, sidestepping questions about the US president's remarks that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself.


Trump yesterday said that he has absolute right to pardon himself as he slammed the opposition Democratic party for witch-hunt against him alleging that the appointment of a special counsel is unconstitutional. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is the Special Counsel appointed by the Department of Justice to investigate into the allegation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections in Trump's favour.


"Thankfully, the President has not done anything wrong and wouldn't have any need for a pardon,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.


Sanders, at her daily news conference, was flooded with questions on President Trump pardoning himself, after he twitted that he had an absolute right to pardon himself.


"Certainly, the Constitution very clearly lays out the law. And, once again, the President hasn't done anything wrong, and we feel very comfortable in that front,' she said.


"Certainly no one is above the law,' she added. The assumption that president has done anything wrong is incorrect, she asserted in response to another question. -- PTI

The BSE benchmark Sensex slipped below the key 35,000-mark in early trade today following losses in banking, power, realty and capital goods stocks. Investors are cautious ahead of RBI's policy decision due tomorrow, brokers said.


The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee began its three-day meeting yesterday amid speculation that it may hike the key interest rate for the first time in over four years on account of firming inflation.


The 30-share index, which had lost 310.49 points in the previous two sessions, fell further by 101.70 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 34,910.19. Sectoral indices led by power, banking, realty, capital goods and PSU declined up to 1.20 per cent. The NSE Nifty also shed 33.55 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 10,594.95. -- PTI