LIVE! Xi confers upon Putin 'highest state honour of China'

LIVE

Fri, 08 June 2018

Xi confers upon Putin 'highest state honour of China'

Timeline Refresh

23:41 Xi confers upon Putin 'highest state honour of China'

resident Xi Jinping today awarded China's first friendship medal to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the two leaders firmed up their alliance amid mounting US diplomatic and economic pressure on them.

Xi presented the medal described by the official media as the 'highest state honour of China' at a special ceremony at the Great Hall of People during which he expressed his respect and admiration for Putin's contributions and efforts to building a peaceful world.

Last year Putin awarded Xi the Order of St Andrew for his distinguished service to the peoples of China and Russia.

The Order of St Andrew, the Apostle of the First-Called was presented to Xi during his visit to Moscow.

On his 19th visit to China after his recent re-election, Putin held talks with Xi while on his way to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting at Qingdao tomorrow.

China and Russia expanded their ties manifold in recent years as Putin is under increasing pressure from the US and Europe. Their alliance grew further as US President Donald Trump stepped up pressure specially on China both on the trade and North Korean fronts.

Presenting the medal, Xi congratulated Putin on winning the first Friendship Medal, and also expressed his respect and admiration for Putin's contribution and efforts to building a peaceful world, official media reported.

He called Putin his best sincere friend and most respected in China.

In his interview to state-run CGTN, Putin described Xi as 'approachable and sincere' and 'a very dependable man to work with'.

No matter how international situations change, China and Russia always firmly support each other in defending their respective core interests, deepen cooperation in all areas, jointly and actively participate in global governance, and play a pivotal role in establishing a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said in his talks with Putin. -- PTI

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet developed a technical snag during landing at the Jamnagar Air Force base and the pilot's seat got 'ejected automatically', an IAF official said.

The pilot of the aircraft was safe, said the official.

"At around 9:20 am, the pilot of a Jaguar aircraft, on a routine mission from Jamnagar, safely ejected when the aircraft developed a snag during the landing phase. It was a minor accident. Pilot is safe," said the official.

He said a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the incident.

According to him, the plane had not crash landed as it had only developed a technical snag.

There was only minor damage to the fighter jet, he said.

The official said that the aircraft had developed a technical snag related to the 'seat ejection system' while landing.

"As per primary reports, the pilot's seat got ejected automatically when the plane landed at the airbase. It was a minor accident which may have caused some damage to the aircraft. However, it is repairable. Luckily, the pilot escaped unhurt in the incident," the official said.

The incident comes just three days after another Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Kutch in which senior IAF pilot Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan was killed.

Air Commodore Chauhan, a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal and the Air Officer Commanding of Jamnagar Air Force Station, died when the deep penetration plane crashed in a field in Bareja village on June 5. -- PTI

A Dalit woman was allegedly attacked by a mob for sitting on a chair at a school in a village in Ahmedabad district, police said today.

The incident took place at Valthera village two days ago.

Pallaviben Jadav, 45, who works at an Anganwadi (government-run nursery school), had been entrusted the task of distributing Aadhaar cards, police said.

According to the first information report registered at Kath police station, Jayraj Vegad, a local resident, was infuriated to see that Pallaviben was sitting on a chair while doing her work.

Being a Dalit how she dared to sit on a chair, he asked her and kicked the chair, causing her to fall, as per the complaint lodged by Pallaviben's husband Ganpat Jadav.

Later, Vegad and some 25 others went to the woman's house in the evening and allegedly attacked her, her husband and some other family members with sticks and sharp weapons.

Koth police registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections related to attempt to murder and dacoity, and also under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The accused belong to the Karadia Rajput community which falls in the OBC category, police said.

"It was also alleged that the accused snatched away Pallaviben's mangalsutra. The accused also allegedly tried to set one of Jadav's relatives on fire," said P D Manvar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, SC/ST Cell, Ahmedabad.

Manvar, who is investigating the case, said three persons were arrested today.

Bharat Vegad, one of the accused named in the FIR,later filed a complaint against Pallaviben and her husband,alleging that it was the couple and their relatives who attacked him and others, the DSP said. -- PTI

21:17 Forcible sex ground for divorce: HC

The Punjab and Haryana high court has held that 'forcible sexual intercourse' and 'adoption of unnatural means' which are forced upon the other spouse are grounds for divorce.

The high court recently allowed a Bathinda woman's plea for dissolution of her marriage, almost four years after the lower court had turned it down.

The lower court had said it was for her to establish that her husband had committed oral and unnatural sex against her, and held that no medical evidence or a specific instance had been mentioned by her.

"Be that as it may, we find that the claim of the appellant has been wrongly rejected," the division bench of Justices M M S Bedi and Hari Pal Verma said in the June 1 judgment.

"The act of sodomy, forcible sexual intercourse and adoption of unnatural means which are forced upon the other spouse and result in unbearable pain to the extent that one is forced to stay away would certainly be a ground to seek separation or decree of divorce," it said.

The woman, a postgraduate diploma holder in computer application, had married the Bihar resident in January 2007 and had a child with him.

According to the woman's plea, her family had even given dowry. The woman's family had been told that the man was an engineer with a private company, a claim which the petitioner alleged turned out to be false.

The woman alleged that for fulfilling his lust, her husband often beat her up and adopted 'unnatural means'.

In its judgment, the court observed that the nature of the allegations levelled by the woman was very serious. It added that they cannot be proved by any corroborative evidence, as such acts are not witnessed by any other person or cannot always be proved by medical evidence.

"No doubt such allegations are very easy to level and difficult to prove," it said.

A court has always to be cautious before accepting such allegations, it said.

But it held that the marriage can be dissolved if on appreciation of the evidence and corroboration by other circumstances, it is established as probable that the spouse had indulged in such acts.

"It is not that in every case such allegations levelled would be deemed to be true. In the present case, there are allegations of demand of dowry, beating, commission of unnatural sex, creating such circumstances that the appellant was compelled to leave Bihar eight years back," the bench said.

"The totality of the circumstances available on the record indicate that the appellant has, on account of unbearable circumstances left the matrimonial home," the court said.

The court held that the woman had been treated with cruelty by her husband.

"The cruelty established in the present case is mental as well as physical," the order said, adding that the marriage is dissolved by a decree of divorce. -- PTI

Clashes were reported between protestors and security forces after Friday prayers in Nowhatta area of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said.

There were no reports of anyone getting hurt in these clashes, the police said.

After the prayers culminated at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, a group of youth took out a protest march and started pelting stones when the security forces asked them to stop, they said.

The security forces in turn fired several rounds of tear smoke shells to disperse the crowd. -- PTI

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale today condemned an alleged plan by Maoists to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but said the Elgaar Parishad and subsequent violence at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune had no Naxal connection.

Followers of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar can never be Naxals, Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader, said in a statement in Mumbai.

Several Dalit activists were among the organisers of Elgaar Parishad held in Pune.

"We condemn the anti-national elements hatching such a conspiracy," Athawale said, referring to the Pune police's claim that Maoists were planning to carry out a 'Rajiv Gandhi-type incident'.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991.

Modi is following 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' policy to build an India as contemplated in the Constitution, and it was 'wrong' to accuse him of working to strengthen a particular religion, Athawale said.

The Pune police yesterday claimed that a letter found in the house of a person arrested for alleged Maoist links talks about the ultras mulling a 'Rajiv Gandhi-type incident' and suggesting Modi should be targeted during his road shows.

The letter was recovered from the house of Rona Wilson who was among five people arrested in connection with the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune last December and the subsequent Bhima-Koregaon violence, police said.

'Ambedkarites were attacked at Bhima-Koregaon. No Naxal was involved in the Maharashtra bandh which was called to protest the attack. Nor was there any Naxal in the Elgaar Parishad,' Athawale said.

Action should be taken against those arrested for alleged Naxal links if there was evidence, he said.

'Ambedkarites can never be Naxals and Naxals can never be Ambedkarites. I will speak to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis if there are any genuine Ambedkarites among those arrested,' the minister said. -- PTI

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh today blamed 'divisive political forces' for first trying to make former President Pranab Mukherjee 'refrain' from attending its event and then for posting a morphed photograph showing him in a prayer position identified with the organisation.

'Some divisive political forces have posted a morphed photo of former President Dr Pranab Mukherjee standing in a prayer position with a folded hand during recitation of Sangha 'prarthana' (prayer) at yesterday's RSS function at Nagpur,' the Hindutva organisation's joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya said in a statement.

'These forces initially tried to create an opposition to make Mukherjee refrain from attending this function and now these frustrated forces are indulging in all such dirty tricks to defame the RSS. We denounce and strongly condemn the lowly act of these divisive political forces who are deliberately trying to defame the RSS,' he said.

Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee, a Congress leader who had opposed his visit to the RSS event, had highlighted the photograph and said, 'See, this is exactly what I was fearing & warned my father about. Not even few hours have passed, but BJP/RSS dirty tricks dept is at work in full swing!' -- PTI

19:13 Now, Fadnavis gets death threats from Maoists

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his family members have received a death threat from Maoist organisations in connection with Gadchiroli encounters, wherein 40 Maoists were killed by security forces in April.

According to sources in the Maharashtra home department, two letters, addressed to the office of the chief minister, have been received from the left-wing extremists, mentioning that the Gadchiroli encounters would be avenged.

The police have launched an investigation into the matter, scrutinising every detail of the letter.

On April 20, an encounter broke out between Maharashtra Police's C-60 commandos and Naxals in the district's Boriya forest area after the police team was fired upon and they retaliated, leaving 31 Naxals dead.

Six more were killed the next day in the Jimalgatta forest area.Said to be the biggest encounter in Maharashtra yet, several bodies were recovered from different locations in the district in the following days, taking the death toll to 40.

Earlier today, Pune Police intercepted an internal communication of Maoists in which it has been revealed that they were planning a 'Rajiv Gandhi-type' assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The police told a court on Thursday that they seized a letter from the residence of one of the five people they had arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence.

In Jammu, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is serious about the security of the PM.

"We are always serious about the prime minister's security. The Maoists are fighting a losing battle. They are now active only in 10 districts in the country," he told a press conference after a two-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir. -- PTI

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt recently wrapped up his shooting schedule for Torbaaz in Kyrgyzstan.

Directed by Girish Malik, the film stars Dutt as an army officer and features Nargis Fakhri, Rahul Dev and Rahul Mittra in key roles.

Reported to be the first Indian film to be shot in the Central Asian nation, the crew had a surprise in store for them when L Savithri, the Indian ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, dropped in on the sets along with her family.

Image: Ambassador L Savithri (in orange overcoat) with Dutt and members of her family on the sets of Torbaz

ABC Studios, the executive producers of Quantico have issued a statement apologising for offending audiences.

ABC clarified that Priyanka Chopra had no role in writing or directing the show.

"ABC Studios and the executive producers of 'Quantico' would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, "The Blood of Romeo." The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn't create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the story lines depicted in the series.

"Quantico is a work of fiction. The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone," the statement said.

Chopra who plays the role of FBI agent Alex Parrish, foils a plot by Indian nationalists to carry out a nuclear attack in Manhattan and frame Pakistanis for it days before a summit on Kashmir.

Chopra's character thwarts the plot after noticing a Hindu symbol the rudraksha on a chain worn by one of the terrorists.

Calling the fictional plot a "betrayal" and arguing that such a scenario is improbable if not impossible, a group calling itself "Hindu Americans" is proposing a a boycott of her work and of advertisers supporting her work. "She has crossed a line with her garbage lying attack on peaceful Hindus. Shame on her!" the group under the handle @HinduAmericans posted on Twitter.

Anthony Bourdain, a gifted storyteller and writer who took CNN viewers around the world, has died. He was 61. CNN confirmed Bourdain's death on Friday and said the cause of death was suicide.

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement Friday morning. "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time."

Bourdain was in France working on an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN series "Parts Unknown." His close friend Eric Ripert, the French chef, found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning. -- CNN

Haryana CM M L Khattar reacts to his government's notification asking its sportspersons to deposit one third of their earning from professional sports and endorsements to the Haryana Sports council for "development of sports" in the state. Khattar told ANI, "I have asked for the relevant file of the Sports Dept to be shown to me and the notification to be put on hold till further orders. We are proud of the immense contribution by our sports persons and I assure them of a just consideration of all issues."

Athletes employed with the state government include star boxers Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar, both of whom are DSPs in state police, hockey captain Sardar Singh and wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat. Sardar, Geeta and Babita are also employed with the Haryana Police.

Of them, Babita, who won a silver at the Gold Coast CWG, reacted to the move, calling it disheartening. "This notification will hamper an athletes preparation. How can the government give such an order? We pay taxes over whatever we earn and now this notification to pay one-third," Phogat told PTI.

Image: Haryana CM ML Khattar with Gita Phogat.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has received two threat letters allegedly from Maoist organisations which were handed over to the police, sources in the state Home Department said today.

The letters were received by the chief minister's office a week ago, they said.

"The letters came after the recent anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli, in which 39 Maoists were killed. The letters have been handed over to the police for further investigations," the sources said. According to the ministry sources, both letters mentioned the Gadchiroli encounters, and threatened Fadnavis and his family members. -- PTI

16:22 Gandhi on Gandhi

Tushar Gandhi @TusharG "These are the two sides of the two faced Statue of Bapu at Peitermaritzburg Station. It's best melted!"

Yesterday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went on a a train journey from Pentrich to Pietermaritzburg, a railway station where a young Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a "whites-only" compartment, an incident that acted as a catalyst for him to practice Satyagraha.

Swaraj, who is in South Africa on a five-day visit, also planted a sapling in the Phoenix settlement where Mahatma Gandhi had developed his philosophy of non-violence during his stay in South Africa.

15:46 Pranab, Bhagwat dialogue praiseworthy: Advani

BJP veteran LK Advani today described former president Pranab Mukherjee's visit to the RSS headquarters and his "illuminating exposition of the noble idea and ideals of Indian nationalism" as a "significant event in our country's contemporary history".

Advani lauded Mukherjee, who has had decades of association with the Congress, for accepting the invitation of the Hindutva organisation and its chief Mohan Bhagwat for inviting him, saying there was significant concord and resonance in the views expressed by both of them.

As a lifelong 'swayamsevak' of the RSS, the BJP veteran said he believed that Mukherjee and Bhagwat have truly set a praiseworthy example of dialogue transcending ideological affiliations and differences.

"Both of them highlighted the essential unity of India, which accepts and respects all diversities, including the pluralism of faiths," he said in a statement.

Advani, who has served as the BJP president for the longest period, expressed his happiness over the RSS under Bhagwat expanding and intensifying its efforts to reach out to various sections of the nation in the spirit of dialogue.

"Such conversations, conducted in the spirit of openness and mutual respect, will surely help in creating a much-needed atmosphere of tolerance, harmony and cooperation to build an India of our common dreams," he said.

Praising Mukherjee, Advani said he showed grace and goodwill in accepting the RSS invite as he recalled his long association with him.

"His own reflective nature, combined with his long and varied experience in public life, have made him a statesman who strongly believes in the necessity of dialogue and cooperation among people of various ideological and political backgrounds," he said of Mukherjee. -- PTI

15:12 PM-TN CM's 2019 strategy meet in July

Major changes in Tamil Nadu politics are expected by July. On July 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami are expected to meet in New Delhi. Political discussions and future formulations with the AIADMK will be discussed. The Centre wants the TN CM to try to get along with the TTV Dinakaran faction. The two leaders will discuss the 2019 poll strategies also.

Obviously, Palaniswami wants the AIADMK wants to go with the BJP, but the BJP wants the AIADMK to include Dinakaran. In which way this will blow, one has to wait and watch.

Palaniswami will face a major political threat from the Madras High Court Judgement on the disqualifications of the 18 AIADMK MLAs. Palaniswami needs to plan ahead as his own survival depends on it.

US President Donald Trump will travel directly to Singapore from Canada to attend the meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, the White House has said. Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island on June 12.

Trump is scheduled to leave the White House tomorrow to attend the G-7 summit in Canada.

He will leave for Singapore from there on Saturday morning.

"President Trump will depart the G7 Summit at Charlevoix at 10:30 am Saturday, following the session on Women's Empowerment," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

"G7 Sherpa and Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs Everett Eissenstat will represent the United States for the remaining G7 sessions," it added. -- PTI

India's Ambassador to China, Gautam Bambawale, on Friday said the countries have left the last year's Doklam flare-up behind and have moved forward to better bilateral ties.

"There is no doubt that India-China relations have gone through a transformation after the informal Wuhan summit. We have left the Doklam incident behind and moved forward to better ties," Ambassador Bambawale said in Qingdao ahead of the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit scheduled to be held on June 9-10.

Ambassador Bambawale said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the SCO Summit."

In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops had a long-standing face off on the Doklam Plateau. It started when Chinese troops tried to build a road to the area in violation of understandings arrived at by both countries.The stand-off ended on August 28, both India and China announcing a withdrawal of troops from the contested side in Doklam. -- ANI

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet today developed a technical snag during landing at the Jamnagar Air Force base, an IAF official said.

The pilot of the aircraft is safe as he ejected in time, said the official.

"At around 9:20 am, the pilot of a Jaguar aircraft, on a routine mission from Jamnagar, safely ejected when the aircraft developed a snag during the landing phase. It was a minor accident. Pilot is safe," said the official.

He said a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the incident. According to him, the plane has not crash landed, as it had only developed a technical snag. There was only minor damage to the fighter jet, he said.

The incident comes just three days after another Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Kutch in which senior IAF pilot Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan was killed. Air Commodore Chauhan, a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal and the Air Officer Commanding of Jamnagar Air Force Station, died when the deep penetration plane crashed in a field in Bareja village on June 5. -- PTI

The Pune Police has intercepted an internal communication of Maoists in which it has been revealed that they were planning a 'Rajiv Gandhi-type' assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It may be recalled that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 in Sriperumbedur, Tamil Nadu, by a suicide bomber from neighbouring Sri Lanka while on the campaign trail.

Pune Police told a court on Thursday that they seized a letter from the residence of one of the five persons they had arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence.

"Modi-led Hindu fascism is bulldozing its way into the lives of indigenous Adivasis. In spite of big defeats like Bihar and West Bengal, Modi has successfully established BJP government in more than 15 states. If this pace continues, then it would mean immense trouble for the party on all fronts. Greater suppression of dissent and more brutal form of Misson 2016 (OGH)," the letter read.

"Com. Kisan and few other senior comrades have proposed concrete steps to end Modi-raj. We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi type incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a good chance that we might fail, but we feel that the party PB/CC must deliberate over our proposal. Targeting his road-shows could be an effective strategy. We collectively believe that survival of the party is supreme to all sacrifices," the letter stated.

Among those arrested include Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut.In the letter, it is written that for Moaists "defeating Hindu fascism has been our core agenda and a major concern for the party".

"Several leaders from secret cells as well as open organisations have raised this issue very strongly. We are working to consolidate ties with like-minted organisations, political parties, and representatives of minorities across the country," the letter further added.In a press conference yesterday, Pune Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Kadam said that during the investigation the police recovered "pen drive, hard disk and some other documents" which were later sent to forensics. -- ANI

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association, the pilots union of Air India said they would stop complete cooperation with the management in lieu of the delay in their salaries.

In a letter to the ICPA's Central Executive Committee, the Regional Executive Committee said the non-cooperation would continue until salary payment is regularised and normal functioning is restored.

"In the REC meeting held in Delhi on June 06, Delhi REC unanimously decided that no wages on time amount to financial stress and mental agony, thereby resulting in undue fatigue, which is severely affecting flight safety. With no notification about delayed salary payment, members are being hounded by financial institutions constantly, severely affecting their day to day life. Keeping in view of the above consideration, REC has decided to STOP Complete Co-Operation with the Management till the time salary payment is regularized and normal functioning is restored," the letter read.

The Haryana Sports and youth affairs department, in a notification dated April 30, has asked its sportspersons to deposit one third of their earning from professional sports and endorsements to the Haryana Sports council for "development of sports" in the state, the Economic Times reports.

"One-third of the income earned by sports-persons from professional sports or commercial endorsements will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council, amount to be used for development of sports in the state, the notification read.

The circular issued by the Sports and youth affairs department states that athletes who are employed in any department of the State Government or any other government bodies participating in professional sports or endorsements will be accorded extraordinary leave without pay.

The notification said that in case the "sportsperson is treated on duty with prior approval of the competent authority while taking part in professional sports or commercial endorsements, the full income earned by the sport person on this account will be deposited with Haryana State Sports Council."

The state of Haryana has produced a huge number of sports personalities who have represented the nation at various international levels. However, the decision to take a cut from the players earning is bound to leave many athletes frustrated.

Wrestler Babita Phogat told ANI, "Does the government even realize how much of hard work a sportsperson puts in? How can they ask for one-third of the income? I do not support this at all. Govt should've at least discussed it with us."

Earlier in April of this year the Haryana Government, had cancelled a ceremony to felicitate the medal winners from Commonwealth Games. Prior to this the state Government had also proposed a cut in prize money from those who had won medals at Gold Coast.

Image: Wrestler Babita Phogat.

Pakistani authorities have suspended the national identity card and passport of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on the orders of a special court hearing a treason case against him, according to a media report.

Musharraf, 74, was indicted in March, 2014 on treason charges for imposing emergency in 2007 which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of over 100 judges.

On March 18, 2016, the former president travelled to Dubai for medical treatment. A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show in the case.

The court in March ordered the federal government to suspend his Computerised National Identity Card and passport. -- PTI

12:22

And that's Salman Khan with his father Salim Khan and union minister Nitin Gadkari.

12:16

Mumbai: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari meets Salim Khan as part of the 'Sampark for Samarthan' initiative; Salman Khan (not in picture) was also present.

12:10 Jawan injured in militant attack succumbs to injuries

An Army jawan, injured in a militant attack on an Army patrol near the Line of Control in Keran Sector of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, has succumbed to injuries, the Army said today.

Sepoy Sukhwinder Singh (26) and another jawan sustained bullet injuries during a standoff attack by militants along the LoC in Keran while they were patrolling forward areas ahead of the fence.

While the injured were provided immediate first aid, Singh was later evacuated to Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed to injuries late last night, an Army official said. A Srinagar-based defence spokesman said the Army paid befitting tribute to Singh in a solemn ceremony at Badamibagh cantonment in Srinagar. -- PTI

11:57 Rajnath's day 2 in J-K

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, will be meeting people living near the border areas in Kashmir on Friday.

Singh will be travelling to Kupwara, where ceasefire violation from across the border and other terrorist activities has forced some locals to shift their base over the past few weeks. He is also expected to meet those living in the border areas in Jammu.

Image: Rajnath Singh meets the nomadic Bakerwal community in Jammu. An eight-year-old girl from the nomadic community was abducted, raped and bludgeoned to death in January.

The RSS has said that former president Pranab Mukherjee, in his speech at the organisation headquarters here, reminded the glorious history of the nation while highlighting inclusiveness, pluralism and unity in diversity as foundation of India.

"Mukherjee's address reminded the glorious history of the nation...5,000-year-old cultural heritage of the country. Our state system may have changed but our values remain the same. He also highlighted inclusiveness, pluralism and unity in diversity as foundation of Bharat," RSS prachar pramukh (official spokesperson) Arun Kumar told PTI last night and thanked Mukherjee for attending the RSS meet.

"We thank for him coming to the event and strengthening the conversation around the concept of nation, nationalism and patriotism," he said. Mukherjee yesterday warned that any attempt to define India through "religion, hatred, dogmas and intolerance" will dilute our existence and said public discourse must be freed of all forms of violence, as he addressed an RSS event despite criticism by the Congress and his family. -- PTI

Even as former President Pranab Mukherjee was delivering his speech, or may be minutes later, at the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh event in Nagpur on Thursday, morphed images of him giving an RSS-style salute started doing the rounds of social media.

The photoshopped image shows him wearing a black cap like the ones favoured by the RSS and his hand raised to his chest in a RSS salute. While Mukherjee wore a Bengali dhoti-panjabi (kurta) and jacket, he did not wear a cap nor did he salute.

Responding to photograph, Mukherjee's daughter Sharmishtha reminded her father that she had cautioned him that the RSS would resort to this.

In a Twitter post Sharmishta wrote: "See, this is exactly what I was fearing and warned my father about. Not even few hours have passed, but BJP/RSS dirty tricks department is at work in full swing!"

On Thursday, Sharmishtha had cautioned her father that his speech and visuals from the event are likely to misused by the "dirty tricks department of the BJP/RSS". She had said that by accepting the invite to address RSS cadres, Pranab Mukherjee was giving the BJP and the Sangh a handle to plant false stories.
She had added that his speech will be forgotten soon but the visuals from the event will be remain and be misused.

Yesterday, she wrote, "Hope @CitiznMukherjee now realises from todays incident, how BJP dirty tricks dept operates. Even RSS wouldn't believe that you are going to endorse its views in your speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain and those will be circulated with fake statements," she had said.

11:00

Pradhyumn Thakur murder case: School bus conductor Ashok taken by CBI to identify the role of local police who were involved in misleading the murder investigation initially.

The seven-year-old boy was found with his throat slit and lying in a pool of blood in a washroom of Ryan International School in Gurugram.The police had claimed to have cracked the case hours after the gruesome murder with the arrest of Ashok Kumar, one of the schools bus conductors. When the CBI took over the investigation, Ashok was let off and a student of the same school arrested in the murder.

10:53 Followers of Ambedkar, shouldn't be considered Naxalites: Athawale

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday said if the five people, arrested by the Pune police in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence are followers of Ambedkar, then they should not be considered as Naxalites.

He also said that he would try to help those arrested, if it is not found that they have any connection with the Naxal movement. "There is no connection between Yalgar Parishad and Bhima Koregaon violence. Five people who were arrested yesterday, if they are followers of Ambedkar they should not be considered naxalites. There should be a thorough investigation in the matter," Athawale told ANI.

"I will talk to the Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) regarding this. If those who were arrested yesterday have no connection with naxal movement then I will definitely try to help them. I want to appeal to the young followers of Ambedkar that they should not have any association with naxal movement," he added.

The five people arrested by the Pune police in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence have links with Naxals, the city's Joint Commissioner of Police said on Thursday.

A Pune Court on Thursday sent all the five arrested, including activist Rona Wilson and lawyer Surendra Gadling, to police custody till June 14 in connection to the Bhima Koregaon violence case. -- ANI

10:38 Sharmishtha Mukherjee on her father, Pranab

Sharmistha Mukherjee @Sharmistha_GK reacts to Subramanian Swamy's advice on coexistence despite differing opinions with her father, Pranab Mukherjee.

"Exactly! That's how I grew up, & that's why I don't have any problem expressing my differences with him on issues even in public. We are a democratic, argumentative family; & I learnt this from my father only," Sharmishtha Mukherjee tweeted.

Swamy had said, "This is something you must grow up to. My own daughter doesn't agree with my views and I don't agree with hers. But we are a happy family. We must learn that individuals have opinions."

Former President Pranab Mukherjee spoke at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur, last evening and said that attempts to define Indias nationhood on the basis of religion would dilute our nationality.

Ahead of his speech, Sharmishtha had cautioned her father saying, ""Hope @CitiznMukherjee now realises from today's incident, how BJP dirty tricks dept operates. Even RSS wouldnt believe that u r going 2 endorse its views in ur speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain & those will be circulated with fake statements.

"@CitiznMukherjee By going 2 Nagpur, u r giving BJP/RSS full handle 2 plant false stories, spread falls rumours as 2day & making it somewhat believable. And this is just d beginning!," she added.

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram on Friday lauded former President Pranab Mukherjee for highlighting Congress' ideology during his speech at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh event held on Thursday.

"Happy that Mr Pranab Mukherjee told the RSS what is right about Congress' ideology. It was his way of saying what is wrong about RSS' ideology," Chidambaram tweeted.

Mukherjee's acceptance of the RSS' invitation to attend the Third Year Sangha Shiksha Varga event led to backlash from the Congress and others. Earlier, Chidambaram had requested the former President to tell the RSS what is wrong with their ideology.

Image: Pranab Mukherjee with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the party HQ in Nagpur yesterday.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a front outfit of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba has provoked Muslims to wage Jihad (holy war) during the holy month of Ramzan.

The Indian government has called for a conditional ceasefire against militants in Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. However, the defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the army will retaliate if provoked.

Maulana Bashir Ahmad Khaki, a senior JuD functionary while speaking at Friday sermon in Rawalakot city of Poonch district, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), said, "Ramadan is the pious month of 'Jihad-o-Qital' (Jihad and killing). Those who attain martyrdom while waging Jihad, doors of heaven remain open".

"JuD cadres are still waging Jihad in Kashmir and fighting with Indian forces in Kashmir. They are waging Jihad for freedom of Kashmir and destruction of India. Urge participants to raise flag of 'Jihad' against infidels," he added.

Calling himself a messenger of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, Maulana Bashir said, "The flag of Islam will be hoisted in India and America. Modi (Indian Prime Minister) will be killed. India and Israel will get disintegrated as more and more martyrs will be produced."

Meanwhile, terrorists attacked an army patrol party in the Haril area of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir this morning. No injuries or casualties have been reported as yet. This comes a day after two soldiers were injured after terrorists attacked an army patrol party near Line of Control fence in Kashmir's Keran sector. It is to be noted that of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Srinagar to review the security situation on the LoC and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.

United States President Donald Trump said he would be willing to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the White House if their Singapore summit goes well.

Trump made the remarks after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the June 12 summit.

"Maybe we'll start with the White House," he told reporters after he was asked whether he would invite the North Korean leader to the White House or Mar-a-lago.

About the personal letter delivered to Trump from Kim last week, he said, "The letter was just a greeting. It was really very nice. Perhaps I can get approval to put it out. It was really a very warm letter, a very nice letter".

"I appreciated it very much, and nothing other than. 'We look forward to seeing you, and we look forward to the summit, and hopefully, some wonderful things will work out'. So it was really very warm, very nice. We appreciated it," Trump said.

He, however, made it clear that he was ready to "walk away" from the meeting if his goals were not achieved.

"I am totally prepared to walk. It could happen. Maybe it won't be necessary. I hope it won't be necessary to walk, because I really believe that Kim Jong-un wants to do something that is going to be great for his people, and also great for his family, and great for himself," Trump said.

"I am totally prepared to walk away. I did it once before. You have to be able to walk away. If you're not going to be able to walk away -- we didn't walk away from the horrible Iran deal that was signed, and if you look at what's happened, since I signed that deal, Iran and in all fairness, I say it with great respect for the people of Iran, but Iran is acting a lot differently. They're no longer looking so much to the Mediterranean," he said.

Iran, he said, is no longer looking so much to what was going on in Syria, Yemen and other places.

"They're a much different country over the last three months. And again, I say that with hope that maybe something can happen," said the US President. -- PTI

08:47 Watch out! Rahul meets Tejashwi Yadav

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav in New Delhi, after which the opposition leader in the Bihar assembly said their coming together was aimed at "protecting Constitution, secular-democratic values and goals of social justice".

The meeting came days after the RJD won the Jokihat assembly seat in Bihar in a bypoll, defeating the ruling JD-U.

"We are here not to form governments but to transform the lives of the downtrodden people against the wishes of (the) current right-wing authoritarian regime. Our togetherness is aimed at protecting Constitution, secular-democratic values & goals of social justice. We shall fight, we shall win," Yadav tweeted after the meeting.

In another tweet, he said, "Fruitful meeting with @RahulGandhi Ji. Bliss was it to be in that dawn..to be young was all the more heaven. We are committed to take nation out of the climate of fear generated by this regime. Watch out! Shall come out with a committed programme for farmers, youth,women, poor...(sic)."

RJD candidate Shahnawaz Alam defeated Murshid Alam of the JD-U by over 41,000 votes. Jokihat seat in the Muslim-dominated Araria district of Bihar was won by the JD-U in the 2015 assembly election.

The Jokihat bypoll defeat came as a jolt to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD-U who dumped the RJD and the Congress last year to join hands with the BJP to form a new coalition government in Bihar. -- PTI

Maharashtra Swabhimani Paksh chief Narayan Rane targeted the Shiv Sena and dared the Uddhav Thackeray-headed party to walk out of the BJP-led NDA government in the state as it announced its decision to contest elections on its own.

"You talk about fighting polls without an alliance (with the BJP). Then why do you not let go of power? You criticise your ally while being part of the government. Contesting elections separately does not befit the Sena," Rane said, addressing his party workers in Mumbai suburban Bandra.

Rane, a Rajya Sabha member, said there were various challenges plaguing the state but no political party seemed interested in tackling them, hence, he had to form his own political party.

The former chief minister of Maharashtra further questioned if the Sena was formed for the welfare of Marathi-speaking individuals, why did the percentage of such people decrease in Mumbai.

"Marathi people gave everything to the Sena but what did the party give back to them?" he questioned.

"If the entire responsibility of governance is on the BJP, are you just there to sit and eat? he asked.

Slamming the Congress, Rane said the party did not fulfil the promises it had made to the people.

In an apparent dig at former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was earlier a Union minister, Rane said the reins of the state were given to a person who knew nothing about the state.

"I left the Congress because they kept making promises to me. After I quit the party, I had offers from parties including the Sena. However, I realised I had to form my own party if I wanted to give justice to my (party) workers," Rane said as he exhorted his workers to start preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. -- PTI

The International Monetary Fund said addressing the ongoing crisis in the banking sector was important for India to support investment and inclusive growth agenda.

"Addressing the banking sector balance sheet issues and improving the performance of particular public sector banks is a very important issue for India to support investment and its inclusive growth agenda," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters at his bi-weekly news conference.

Responding to a question on India's banking crisis, he said the authorities have made progress in addressing the stock of non-performing assets and were taking further measures to deal with the flow problem.

"These steps include the recognition of these non-performing assets, the resolution framework under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. It's in an early stage, but we think that's an encouraging development," Rice said.

He said it was a positive step as a more proactive approach was being taken to identify and closely monitor asset quality issues.

These needs to be complemented by further governance reforms in this area, especially regarding the public-sector banks to materially improve risk management and operations, he added.

"But we welcome the authority's intention to make public sector bank recapitalisation contingent on measures to strengthen governance and operations and encourage the accelerating implementation of the ongoing reforms," Rice said. -- PTI

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said that his much awaited summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ready to go and his meeting next week in Singapore would be more than a photo-op.

Singapore has designated a special event area of the Sentosa island tourist resort for Tuesday's historic summit, which is expected to be covered by over 2,500 journalists from across the world.

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 over the key issue of denuclearisation.

"I think I'm very well prepared. I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about the attitude. It's about willingness to get things done. But I think I've been preparing for the summit for a long time," Trump told reporters in a brief joint media appearance with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office.

"As has the other side... They've been preparing for a long time, also. So this isn't a question of preparation, it's a question of whether or not people want it to happen, and we'll know that very quickly," he said.

Responding to a question, the US president said it will be more than a photo-op.

"Well, it's gonna be much more than a photo-op. I think it's a process. I've told you that many times before. I think it's not a one meeting deal. It would be wonderful if it were.

"They've been doing this for a long time. They've got a lot of enemies out there. A lot of dislike, a lot of hatred between countries. This will not be just a photo-op. This will be at a minimum, we'll start with perhaps a good relationship," Trump said.

The Japanese Prime Minister is visiting the White House for talks with Trump ahead of the next week's US-N Korea Summit.

Multiple US and N Korean teams are holding simultaneous meetings ahead of the Singapore Summit. -- PTI

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES