LIVE! Idea of a grand coalition in J-K sent BJP jitters: Mehbooba Mufti

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Wed, 21 November 2018

Idea of a grand coalition in J-K sent BJP jitters: Mehbooba Mufti

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23:33 Idea of a grand coalition in J-K sent BJP jitters: Mehbooba Mufti

The very idea of a grand coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has given the BJP jitters, former chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday night after the dissolution of the state assembly by the governor.

Former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Governor Satya Pal Malik's decision to dissolve the assembly "cannot be a coincidence" as it came within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti staking claim to form the government.

Mehbooba tweeted, "In my twenty six year old career as a politician, I thought I had seen it all! But like they say never say never! Nevertheless, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to @OmarAbdullah and @Ambikasoni4 ji for helping us achieve the seemingly impossible."

In series of tweets, she said since the past five months, regardless of political affiliations, "we shared the view that the state assembly be dissolved immediately to avert horse-trading and defections".

"Oddly enough our pleas fell on deaf ears. But who would have thought that the very idea of a grand coalition would give such jitters," she said.

She also said in a lighter vein that "In today's age of technology, it is very strange that the fax machine at HE Governor's residence didn't receive our fax but swiftly issued one regarding the assembly dissolution."

Abdullah said his party had been pressing for dissolution of assembly for the last five months.

"JKNC has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. It can't be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears," Abdullah tweeted minutes after the governor's decision to dissolve the state assembly.

Former BJP leader and former union minister Yashwant Sinha said the dissolution of the assembly was the latest example of the BJP to not let anyone form the government even if that meant bypassing the Constitution.

The Jammu and Kashmir governor on Wednesday night dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government.

Governor's rule was clamped in the state on June 19 for a six-month period following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government after the saffron party withdrew support. The state assembly was also kept in suspended animation so that political parties could explore the possibility of forming a new government.

-- PTI

The BJP on Wednesday said the best option in Jammu and Kashmir is to have fresh assembly polls at the earliest as it slammed the proposed alliance of opposition parties as a "combination of terror-friendly parties".

The BJP said on Twitter, soon after the state governor dissolved the assembly amid claims by rival formations on forming a government, that the border state cannot afford horse-trading and instability keeping its security scenario in mind.

"The proposed alliance between the Congress and the PDP broke up even before it was formed. They have taken contradictory positions on dissolution. One supports it and the other opposes it," the BJP said.

"The best option in such a scenario is to go in for a fresh election at the earliest. This assembly cannot produce a stable government," it added.

Jammu and Kashmir needs a firm administration to deal with terrorism and not a combination of terror-friendly parties, it added.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was abruptly dissolved by the Governor Wednesday night hours after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference and the Congress followed by another bid from the two-member People's Conference which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 legislators from other parties.

The dissolution was announced by Governor Satya Pal Malik in a communique released by the Raj Bhavan.

-- PTI

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik's decision to dissolve the state assembly within minutes of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti staking claim for government formation "cannot be a coincidence".

In a sudden development, the Jammu and Kashmir Governor tonight dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government.

Earlier, Mehbooba in a tweet said she was not able to fax her letter to the Raj Bhawan for staking claim for government formation.

"J&K Raj Bhavan needs a new fax machine urgently," Omar quipped after PDP president went public with her letter on Twitter.

Earlier Wednesday, Sajjad Lone, leader of the People's Conference, also staked claim to form a government in the state with the support of the 25-legislator strong BJP and "more than 18" other lawmakers.

In a letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik, Lone, whose party has two MLAs, including himself, said he has the support of more than required number of legislators in the assembly to form a government.

After the PDP's claim to form the government, former deputy chief minister and senior J&K BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said the efforts are being made on "instructions of Pakistan" and urged the people to thwart the attempt.

Governor's rule was clamped in the state on June 19 for a 6-month period following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government after the saffron party withdrew support. The state assembly was also kept in suspended animation so that political parties could explore the possibility of forming a new government.

-- PTI

The Election Commission will examine whether the model code of conduct can be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir even before fresh elections are announced there, a senior official said Wednesday after the governor dissolved the state assembly.

The poll panel had recently decided that in states where assemblies are dissolved prematurely, the model code will come into force immediately.

The poll code, which bars the caretaker government and the party in power from taking policy decisions, otherwise comes into force the day polls are announced by the EC.

Telangana was the first state where the model code of conduct had come into effect before the assembly polls were announced.

"Model code was imposed there (Telangana) as the elected government had dissolved the assembly. Here (Jammu and Kashmir), the case is different. Here the assembly could have been dissolved out of compulsion... There was no government ... We will examine in the coming days whether the model code can be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir, too," the functionary explained,.

In a sudden development, the Jammu and Kashmir governor tonight dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government.

Governor's rule was clamped in Jammu and Kashmir on June 19 for a six-month period following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government after the saffron party withdrew support.

The state assembly was also kept in suspended animation so that political parties could explore the possibility of forming a new government.

-- PTI

A right-wing group said on Wednesday it would will file a defamation case against Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for allegedly "hurting sentiments" of the Brahmin community.

Advocate Hastimal Saraswat will file a case in the Rajasthan high court in Jodhpur against Dorsey on Thursday, Sushil Ojha, the founder of Vipra Foundation, said in a statement.

Dorsey was trolled for holding a placard that read 'Smash Brahminical Patriarchy', following which the company issued an apology.

Ojha alleged that propagating such views by the Twitter CEO had "hurt the sentiments of crores of people" and were highly condemnable.

The clarification of Twitter's legal experts was insufficient and objectionable, he claimed.

-- PTI

In a sudden development, the Jammu and Kashmir governor tonight dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government.

Governor's rule was clamped in J-K on June 19 for a 6-month period following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government after the saffron party withdrew support. The state assembly was also kept in suspended animation so that political parties could explore the possibility of forming a new government.

The decision by Governor Satyapal Malik to dissolve the state assembly under the relevant provisions in the state constitution was announced in an official communique. The state is now headed for another spell of central rule

beyond December 18 when the governor's rule comes to an end.

Earlier, former chief minister and PDP patron Mehbooba Mufti staked the claim to form a government with the support of the Congress and the National Conference.

Shortly thereafter, People's Conference leader Sajad Lone also staked claim to form the government with the help of the 25-member BJP.

In a letter to the Governor, Mehbooba said the PDP is the largest party in the state assembly having a strength of 29 MLAs.

"You might have gathered from the media reports that the Congress and the National Conference have also decided to extend support to our party to form a government in the state. The National Conference has a strength of 15 MLAs and the Congress 12. That takes our collective strength to 56.

"Since I am presently in Srinagar, it would not be possible for me to call on you immediately and this is to keep you informed that we would be seeking your convenience shortly to stake the claim for forming the government in the state," Mehbooba said in her letter.

-- PTI

The BJP today slammed the AAP and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his MLA Somnath Bharti's alleged misbehavior with a female journalist, with Union minister Harsh Vardhan dubbing the party as "Anti Aurat Party".

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari denounced Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia over Bharti allegedly using "uncivilised and objectionable words" against the female TV anchor and asked them to take action against him.

"It's shameful that he (Kejriwal) has time to review movies but not for taking action against the use of filthy langauge against a female anchor," Vardhan tweeted in Hindi using the hashtag "Anti Aurat Party" for the AAP.

The Aam Aadmi Party disapproved of Bharti's alleged misbehavior with the journalist, saying he should not have talked like he did on the television.

An FIR was registered against Bharti by the Noida police on the complaint of the woman anchor.

Tiwari alleged Bharti insulted the entire women community and demanded Kejriwal to take action against him.

He also targeted Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal, saying "she was not even in a position to take cognisance of Bharti's action".

Tiwari said the BJP will file a complaint against Bharti with the DCW and the Press Council of India and protest against him till action is taken.

-- PTI

21:07

Jammu and Kashmir Governor dissolves state assembly

21:01 After Mufti, now Sajjad Lone stakes claim to form govt with support of BJP

Minutes after it was revealed that Mehbooba Mufti had staked claim to form the government in Jammu-Kashmir with the support of Omar Abdullah's National Conference and the Congress, Sajjad Lone said that he too has staked claim to form the government with the help of the BJP.

In a statement on Twitter, he said, "We have sent a letter to His Excellency the Governor staking our claim to form the government. Fax not working. We have whatsapped it to the PA to his excellency."

The state is currently under governor's rule which cannot be extended after it completes its six-month period on 19 December. It is proposed to impose President's rule thereafter but the 87-member assembly is not being dissolved, according to Governor Satyapal Mallik.

20:49

Sajad Lone stakes claim with support of BJP to counter Mehbooba Mufti-Congress-Omar Abdullah alliance

20:34 Mehbooba Mufti stakes claim to form government in Jammu-Kashmir

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti says she will stake claim to form government in the state with support from the Congress and National Conference.

She has sent a letter to the Governor of the state saying that she has the support of the National Conference and the Congress.

The PDP has a current strength of 29 in the state assembly, while the NC has 15 and the Congress has 12, making their collective strength 56.

The couple are here! Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone looked lovely as they posed for their reception in Bengaluru at the Leela Palace.

The reception will see Dips' family and friends in attendance.

According to reports, the venue was selected because it serves her favourite Italian food!

Deepika, it is said, loves the restaurant New York Le Cirque in NYC and their franchise in Bengaluru's Leela Palace sealed the deal for the gorgeous actress.

The bridal couple will wear their favourite designer, Sabyasachi, once again.

After the reception, the couple will head back to Mumbai for their second reception on November 28 at the Grand Hyatt.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter

Delhi's overall air quality was in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday with four areas in the city recording 'severe' pollution due to low wind speed, authorities said.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall air quality index in the city was recorded at 373, which falls in the 'very poor' category.

Anand Vihar, Nehru Nagar, Mundka and Wazirpur, all recorded 'severe' air quality, while 30 areas recorded 'very poor' air quality, it said.

At 392, the overall air quality of Greater Noida was the worst in the National Capital Region, just points below 'severe' category.

Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad too recorded 'very poor' overall air quality.

On Wednesday, the PM2.5 particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre level was recorded at 240, while the PM10 level was recorded at 389, CPCB data said.

According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting, air quality in the national capital is expected to remain in the 'very poor' category for the next two to three days.

"At present, winds are unfavourable for dispersion which allows pollutants to accumulate. Humidity is still high which is unfavourable," the SAFAR said in its report.

Fire counts from stubble burning declined and will have a marginal impact, it added.

Authorities are mulling to use artificial rain to clear the toxic air but cloud seeding would require certain meteorological conditions which are currently not favourable.

-- PTI

The BJP alleged on Wednesday the attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was "scripted" by his Aam Aadmi Party and that it was its "modus operandi" before every election to gain "sympathy".

Addressing a news conference, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari listed the attacks on the AAP chief in the run-up to the 2013 Delhi assembly election and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

On Tuesday, a man flung chilli powder at Kejriwal outside his office at the Delhi Secretariat. The Aam Aadmi Party described it as "politically motivated".

"The attack on the CM was scripted by the AAP. Before the incident, the man who attacked Kejriwal was in touch with the CM's office. He gained entry into the Delhi Secretariat after the CM's office asked for it...It is the AAP's modus operandi before every election to seek people's sympathy," Tiwari told reporters.

The BJP leader termed the incident as another "drama" ahead of the Lok Sabha election to be held early next year.

The Delhi Police registered a case against Anil Kumar Sharma at the IP Estate police station, a senior police officer said.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged the BJP leadership had knowledge of the attack on Kejriwal and that the opposition party wants the AAP chief eliminated to stop him from working for the people.

-- PTI

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will carry soil from Shivneri fort, the birthplace of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, to Ayodhya during his visit on November 25, his close aide said on Wednesday.

Thackeray had announced during the Shiv Sena's Vijayadashmi rally in Mumbai that he will visit Ayodhya on 25 November and "question" Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of the construction of the Ram temple.

Thackeray's close aide Harshal Pradhan said the Sena chief will visit Shivneri fort, located near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra tomorrow and preparations for it are underway.

"Shivaji Maharaj is an idol not only for the Sena but for the entire country. Balasaheb Thackeray (late Sena patriarch) had always striven to work in accordance with his ideals, which Uddhav ji continues to do now," Pradhan said.

"Thackeray will carry the soil from Shivneri fort with him in an urn to Ayodhya as Chhatrapati Shivaji's blessings and also because the issue of Ram temple is very close to his heart," he said.

Thackeray had said on Tuesday that he had not yet decided if he would hold a rally in Ayodhya.

In a bid to intensify his party's campaign for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Thackeray has given a new slogan -- 'Pehle mandir, fir sarkaar' (first the temple, then the government).

-- PTI

17:41 WhatsApp names Abhijit Bose as India Head

Popular messaging app WhatsApp on Wednesday named Abhijit Bose as its India head, meeting one of the key demands made by the Indian government.

Bose, who will join the messaging platform early next year, will build WhatsApp's first full country team outside of California and will be based in Gurugram, WhatsApp said in a statement.

Bose and his team will focus on helping businesses, both large and small, connect with their customers, it added.

WhatsApp is deeply committed to India and we are excited to keep building products that help people connect and support India's fast-growing digital economy," Matt Idema, Chief Operating Officer of WhatsApp, said.

As a successful entrepreneur himself, Bose knows what it takes to build meaningful partnerships that can serve businesses across India, he added.

He joins WhatsApp from Ezetap where he has served as co-founder and CEO. Founded in 2011, Ezetap is an electronic payments company backed by top-tier Venture Capitalists.

The appointment comes at a time when the Facebook-owned company has been under tremendous pressure to put in place a mechanism to curb fake messages on its platform, that incited mob fury.

-- PTI

Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday saw a flurry of political activities, including several meetings among leaders of the PDP, National Conference and Congress, aimed at cobbling up an alliance to form a new government in the state.

Veteran CPI-M leader M Y Tarigami met National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah to discuss the feasibility of forming a new government by extending support to the Peoples Democratic Party, said a source privy to the development.

The source said the NC is willing to extend support to the PDP for forming government for now, but wants early dissolution of the assembly, kept in suspended animation since imposition of Governor's Rule on June 19, and eventually an election.

"The aim is to pave way for fresh polls in the state so that an elected government takes charge and the political uncertainty due to the Governor's Rule is put to an end," the source said.

He said the developments so far have been moving in the direction of possible formation of a new government in the state in coming days.

A senior Congress leader said his party, in principle, supports any alliance that will "keep communal forces" at bay.

"We have been working for a grand alliance at the national level and there is no reason why we oppose any such move in the state as the aim is to keep communal forces out," said the leader.

He, however, added that no decision has been taken as yet on coalition with the PDP or any other party in the state.

Senior PDP leader and Amira MLA Kadal Altaf Bukhari is tipped to lead the government, if the PDP-NC alliance comes to fruition, according to sources.

The PDP has 28 MLAs, followed by NC's 15 and and the Congress' 12. The three parties together will have majority in the 87-member House. The BJP is the second largest party in the state with 25 members.

-- PTI

17:00

Sexual harassment allegations against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri dismissed by probe committee, top board official

16:48 Half of India's ATMs may close down by Mar '19, warns CATMi

Changes in regulatory landscape are making it unviable to operate ATMs, and may lead to the closure of half of the 2.38 lakh machines in the country by March 2019, the Confederation of ATM Industry warned on Wednesday.

Closure of the ATMs will impact thousands of jobs and also the the financial inclusion efforts of the government, the industry body said in a statement.

"Service providers may be forced to close down almost

1.13 lakh ATMs across the country by March 2019. These numbers

include approximately one lakh off-site ATMs and a little over

15,000 white label ATMs," it said.

The industry has reached a "tipping point", the body added.

A majority of the ATMs which can be shut down will be in the non-urban areas, it said, underlining that this can impact the financial inclusion efforts as beneficiaries use the machines to withdraw government subsidies.

The industry body said that recent regulatory changes, including those on hardware and software upgrades, coupled with mandates on cash management standards and the cassette swap method of loading cash, will make ATM operations unviable, resulting in the closure.

The new cash logistics and cassette swap method will alone result in costs of Rs 3,000 crore for the industry, it estimated.

-- PTI

One person has been arrested for the Amritsar grenade attack which killed three people, said Punjab CM Amarinder Singh in a press conference.

In the presser, Amarinder Singh said that while one person, identified as 26-year-old Bikramjit Singh, has been arrested, another will be nabbed soon.

The CM also refuted claims of the attack having a communal angle. He said, "There is no communal angle. It's pure case of terrorism.They were targeted as they were easy targets."

Three persons were killed and 20 injured in a grenade attack on a religious congregation on Amritsar city outskirts on Sunday.

The incident took place inside the Nirankari Bhavan at Adliwal village near Amritsar's Rajasansi, police said.

A religious congregation of the Nirankaris was being conducted inside the Bhavan at the time of the incident.

The Sant Nirankari Mission is a spiritual organisation and the Bhavan in Amritsar lies close to the international airport.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the credibility of institutions like the Parliament and the Central Bureau of Investigation has been systematically denigrated in the Narendra Modi-led regime, which he said is making "careful, well-thought-out calibrated effort" to weaken democracy.

Addressing a press conference in Indore, Singh said corruption was peaking in the Modi government.

"The country has witnessed credibility of institutions like the Parliament and the CBI systematically denigrated. There is a careful well-thought-out calibrated effort to weaken democracy," he said.

"The rule of law is under attack. history shall never forgive our present generation if the situation is not changed," he said.

He termed demonetisation as "organised loot and legalised plunder".

"It (demonetisation) is a done act and can't be reverted. It is up to the people to get rid of the government which brought them on this disastrous path," he said.

Singh also accused Modi of misusing the prime minister's post. "It does not befit the PM to abuse political opponents," he said. -- PTI

Nearly 400 paramilitary personnel were killed due to firing from across the Indo-Pak border, and terrorist and insurgency violence in the country in the last three years, officials said Wednesday.

The highest number of personnel killed in action were from the Border Security Force.

The force lost 167 personnel between 2015 and 2017, and a majority of them were killed while guarding the highly sensitive border.

The Central Reserve Police Force has lost 103 personnel in the last three years, mostly while fighting Naxals and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry official said.

While the BSF lost 62 personnel in action in 2015, 58 in 2016 and 47 in 2017, the CRPF lost nine personnel in action in 2015, 42 in 2016 and 52 in 2017.

As many as 48 personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal were killed in action in the last three years of whom 16 were killed in 2015, 15 in 2016 and 17 in 2017, the official said.

The SSB guards the Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Nepal border. The troops of the force is also deployed in internal security duties.

A total of 40 personnel belonging to the Indo Tibetan Border Police, which guards the Sino-Indian border, were killed in action between 2015 and 2017. Among them, 15 personnel were killed in 2015, 10 in 2016 and 15 in 2017.

Altogether 35 personnel of the Assam Rifles, which guards the Indo-Myanmar border and fights militants in the northeast, were killed in action in the last three years.

Eighteen personnel of the Assam Rifles were killed in 2015, nine in 2016 and eight in 2017.

The Central Industrial Security Force has lost two personnel in action in the last three years -- one each in 2016 and 2017.

There were no casualties in 2015 from the CISF, which guards, airports, nuclear installations, metro services and other sensitive locations, another official said. -- PTI

Voicing concern over inadequate resources available for implementing peacekeeping mandates, India has warned that asking peacekeepers to "do more with less" is a strategy that is "setting us all up for a tragedy".

A day after an Indian peacekeeper deployed with the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was wounded in an attack, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin highlighted during a Security Council debate that peacekeeping missions in Africa are operating in vast environments.

Drawing the attention of the Council to what MONUSCO peacekeepers are facing while deployed in sensitive areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Akbaruddin said the central sector of the country constitutes more than 500,000 sq kms of a total area of 2.34 million sq kms, with more than 11 million people of a total population of 81.5 million.

For this vast area, four battalions of UN peacekeeping operations, totalling only about 3,000-odd troops, are responsible for the area of operations. This comes to one soldier per 158 sq km, he said.

"If in such a scenario, we task the troops deployed to enforce protection of civilians, without even providing enabling air assets for rapid reinforcement operations, it is obvious that the size and scale of UN deployment are insufficient for the tasks entrusted. The strategy of peacekeepers, needing to do more with less, is setting us all up for a tragedy," he said Tuesday at the debate on 'Strengthening Peacekeeping Operations in Africa'.

According to the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo, a member of the Indian Formed Police Unit was "lightly wounded" in an attack launched Friday evening by suspected Allied Democratic Forces elements in the area of Boikene, close to Beni in North Kivu Province.

In the attack, a civilian was reportedly wounded, and two homes and a civilian vehicle were destroyed. The injured peacekeeper was a Border Security Force personnel and is "out of danger". Peacekeepers from Tanzania and Malawi were killed last week while serving the peacekeeping in MONUSCO.

Akbaruddin further said that given the multi-dimensional peacekeeping mandates, the UN needs to resist the temptation of adding disproportionate mandate components and aim at prioritisation of mandates. "This would help in judicious allocation of meagre resources available for implementing the mandates," he said. -- PTI

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership had knowledge of the attack on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the saffron party wants the latter eliminated to stop him from working for the people.

On Tuesday, a man flung chilli powder at Kejriwal outside his office in the Delhi secretariat. The chief minister's spectacles broke but he was not injured in the attack.

The attacker, identified as Anil Kumar Sharma, has been arrested.

"(Union) Home Minister Rajnath Singh called Kejriwal and asked him to file a complaint in the attack on him. Is this the way an attack on a chief minister should be probed?" Sisodia asked at a press conference.

Sharma's Facebook profile shows that he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.

The BJP had termed the incident as "drama" by Kejriwal, with its Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari demanding a high-level probe into it.

"After failing to stop Kejriwal from working for the people of Delhi, now the BJP wants him eliminated. The entire series of events indicate that top BJP leadership had knowledge of the attack on Kejriwal," Sisodia claimed.

The deputy chief minister also lashed out at the Delhi Police, alleging it was acting on the behest of the BJP and trying to save the culprit.

Even 24 hours after the attack, Delhi's Lt Governor has not reacted on it. This means that he also knew about it, Sisodia alleged.

Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party has said it will hold a protest at the BJP's national headquarters on Wednesday against the attack on Kejriwal.

Later on Tuesday, the Delhi Police registered a case against Sharma at the IP Estate police station.

However, no formal complaint was received from the secretariat, a senior police official had said. -- PTI

14:52 Rahul Gandhi is the 'best PM material': Moily

As efforts to forge an anti-BJP front gather momentum, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Wednesday his party's president Rahul Gandhi is the "best material" to become the prime minister.

Moily said TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu was "doing well" to unite opposition parties.

The former Karnataka chief minister, on the campaign trail in Telangana, also said the Congress was gaining ground at the national level, while the BJP-led NDA was losing partners.

"I don't want to say that.... the question is that ultimately he (Rahul Gandhi) is the best material for the prime minister," he told PTI when asked whether the proposed anti-BJP coalition will project Gandhi as its leader.

Quoting Naidu as having said that the Congress is the "mentor" in the larger context of unity among opposition parties, Moily noted, "That's how things are shaping up".

The former union minister said there will be a consolidation of opposition parties against the NDA at the national level.

He asserted the Congress was likely to win the elections in all the five states--Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram--where the poll process was under way.

"Things are shaping up so well, evolving so well, the opposition unity is becoming a reality, and the Congress party is picking up in all the five atates... (there's) likelihood of coming to power. Definitely, it adds up to the credibility of our leader Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Moily was dismissive about scepticism over the success of a broad-based opposition alliance with the possibility of partners squabbling on the issue of who would be the prime minister.

"All that is not correct. Everybody is united against Narendra Modi, the present BJP regime. When it comes to unity against Narendra Modi and NDA, all parties are united and that is important," he said. -- PTI

United States President Donald Trump has indicated that he might attend the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner next year as the event will for the first time in decades feature an eminent Pulitzer winning author instead of a comedian.

Unlike his predecessors, Trump has skipped the annual dinner of White House reporters twice time in a row. However, on Tuesday he welcomed the move of the White House Correspondent's Association and indicated that he might go to the annual event.

The White House Correspondent's Association on Monday announced that Ron Chernow, one of the most eminent biographers of American presidents and statesmen, would address its annual dinner on April 27, 2019 following the pushback over Wolf's sharply anti-Trump performance last time.

Trump hinted that he might attend the dinner.

"So-called comedian Michelle Wolf bombed so badly last year at the White House Correspondents' Dinner that this year, for the first time in decades, they will have an author instead of a comedian," Trump said in a late night tweet.

"Good first step in comeback of a dying evening and tradition! Maybe I will go?," Trump said.

The WHCA in a tweet confirmed regarding Chernow addressing the event next year.

"I'm delighted that Ron will share his lively, deeply researched perspectives on American politics and history at the 2019 White House Correspondents' Dinner," Olivier Knox, Chief Washington Correspondent for SiriusXM and president of the WHCA, said.

Chernow also confirmed the invitation from the WHCA.

"The White House Correspondents' Association has asked me to make the case for the First Amendment and I am happy to oblige," Chernow said in a statement.

"Freedom of the press is always a timely subject and this seems like the perfect moment to go back to basics. My major worry these days is that we Americans will forget who we are as a people and historians should serve as our chief custodians in preserving that rich storehouse of memory. While I have never been mistaken for a stand-up comedian, I promise that my history lesson won't be dry," he said. -- PTI

Demanding compensation for drought and the transfer of forest rights to tribals, thousands of farmers and tribals began a two-day march from Thane to Mumbai on Wednesday, eight months after a similar protest that started from Nashik.

Magsaysay award winner Dr Rajendra Singh, also known as Waterman of India, is among the marchers.

They started walking Wednesday afternoon and will reach the Somaiyya Ground in Mumbai's Sion area where they will halt for the night.

They will reach Azad Maidan in south Mumbai early on Thursday and will try to hold a demonstration near Vidhan Bhavan, where the state legislature session is underway, a leader of the march said.

The participants are mostly from Thane, Bhusawal and Marathwada regions, he said.

The farmers are demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report, which suggested that farmers must have assured access and control over resources such as land and water. They are also demanding an increase in the minimum support price and a judicial system to ensure its implementation.

The farmers, struggling to cope with the agrarian crisis, are demanding proper implementation of the loan waiver package announced by the BJP-led government in the state last year, land rights for farmers and compensation for farm labourers.

"We have been consistently asking the state government to fulfil our long-standing demands but the response has been lukewarm. We are forced to launch this agitation," said Pratibha Shinde, general secretary of Lok Sangharsh Morcha, which is organising the protest.

"We are taking maximum care to ensure that Mumbai citizens are not inconvenienced," Shinde said.

In March, thousands of farmers, led by the Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha, took out a 180 km long march from Nashik to Mumbai in March to press for their demands.

That protest saw a sea of red, formed by farmers in red caps, converge in Mumbai from across Maharashtra. -- PTI

The Prime Minister's Office has refused to share details of alleged corruption complaints received against Union ministers, saying providing such information "may be a subjective as well as a cumbersome exercise".

The PMO's assertion comes at a time when a senior officer in the country's premier probe agency -- Central Bureau of Investigation -- has levelled corruption charge against Union minister of state for coal and mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary.

Replying to an RTI query, it said the PMO receives complaints against various Union ministers and high-level functionaries from time to time.

"These include pseudonymous and anonymous complaints. The complaints so received are duly examined keeping in view the veracity of the allegations/accusations and supporting documents in relation to these accusations," the PMO said in reply to the RTI application filed by whistle blower bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service officer, has exposed several corruption cases in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi when he was posted as the chief vigilance officer -- which acts as a distant arm of the Central Vigilance Commission to check corruption -- during July 2012 to August 2014.

In its reply to the RTI plea, the PMO said after taking the needful action, the records are not kept in one place and these are scattered across different sectors and units of this office.

"These complaints received relate to a variety of matters including corruption related and non-corruption related matters. The applicant in his application has only sought details of all corruption related complaints.

"To identify, examine and categorise each of these complaints as corruption related complaints may be a subjective as well as a cumbersome exercise," the PMO said.

The collation of information sought will require the undertaking of thorough search of numerous files, it said.

"Such an exercise will disproportionately divert the resources of the office from the normal discharge of its functions and attract the provisions of Section 7 (9) of the Right to Information Act," the PMO said.

The section says "an information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question". -- PTI

A day after Lok Sabha member Konda Vishweshwar Reddy quit the Telangana Rashtra Samiti citing 'disppointment' at various levels, AICC in-charge of Telangana, R C Khuntia, on Wednesday said he would join the Congress.

Reddy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi today and expressed his desire to join the party, Khuntia told PTI.

Reddy would formally join the party on November 23 at a Congress campaign rally at Medchal in the presence of former Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said.

Photograph: ANI

Automated Twitter accounts or "bots" played a disproportionate role in spreading misinformation online during the 2016 US presidential election, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, analysed 14 million messages and 400,000 articles shared on Twitter between May 2016 and March 2017.

The period spans the end of the 2016 presidential primaries and the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017.

Researchers from Indiana University in the US found that a mere six per cent of Twitter accounts that the study identified as bots were enough to spread 31 per cent of the "low-credibility" information on the network.

These accounts were also responsible for 34 per cent of all articles shared from "low-credibility" sources, they found.

The study also found that bots played a major role promoting low-credibility content in the first few moments before a story goes viral.

The brief length of this time -- 2 to 10 seconds -- highlights the challenges of countering the spread of misinformation online, researchers said.

Similar issues are seen in other complex environments like the stock market, where serious problems can arise in mere moments due to the impact of high-frequency trading.

"This study finds that bots significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation online -- as well as shows how quickly these messages can spread," said Filippo Menczer, a professor at Indiana University.

The analysis also revealed that bots amplify a message's volume and visibility until it's more likely to be shared broadly -- despite only representing a small fraction of the accounts that spread viral messages.

"People tend to put greater trust in messages that appear to originate from many people," said Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia, an assistant research scientist at Indiana University. -- PTI

Young women who actively like or comment on Facebook or Instagram images of friends they find attractive are likely to be left feeling worse about their own appearance, scientists say.

The research by a team from the York University in Canada shows how young women interact with images online can affect how they feel about their own bodies.

The research published in the journal Body Image, focused on young women, aged 18 to 27 years old, who liked or commented on photos of people they deemed to be more attractive than themselves.

"The results showed that these young adult women felt more dissatisfied with their bodies," said Jennifer Mills, associate professor at York.

"They felt worse about their own appearance after looking at social media pages of someone that they perceived to be more attractive than them," said Mills.

"Even if they felt bad about themselves before they came into the study, on average, they still felt worse after completing the task," she said.

The research included 118 female undergraduate students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Participants reported their age, ethnicity, and years of post-secondary education in an online questionnaire six weeks before the experiment.

Each participant was given questionnaire where they had to indicate using a specific scale how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with their appearance or body image.

Participants were then randomly assigned into one of two experimental conditions. One group of participants were asked to log into Facebook and Instagram for a period of five or more minutes and find one peer that was the same age who they felt was more attractive than themselves.

After looking at the photos, each participant was asked to leave a comment of their choice.

In the control group, participants were asked to do the same task except this time comment on a post of a family member whom they did not think was more attractive than themselves.

The data showed that participants' views of their own appearance were not affected when interacting with their family members. -- PTI

Delhi's overall air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, while pollution levels in some areas touched 'severe' levels due to low wind speed, authorities said.

According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting or SAFAR, the overall air quality index in the city was recorded at 387, which falls in the 'very poor' category.

Thirteen areas in Delhi recorded 'severe' air quality and 23 recorded 'very poor' air quality, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board.

On Wednesday, the level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 248, while the PM10 level was recorded at 402, it said.

According to the SAFAR, the air quality in the national capital is expected to remain in the 'very poor' category for the next two to three days.

"At present, winds are unfavourable for dispersion (of pollutants) but it may increase slightly to favour dispersion. Humidity is still high which is (also) unfavourable. Fire counts from stubble burning declined and will have a marginal impact," it said in a report.

Authorities are mulling inducing artificial rain to clear the toxic air but cloud seeding would require certain meteorological conditions which are currently not favourable. -- PTI

12:24 Look whos talking!

When the Reserve Bank of India board was meeting on Monday, former finance ministers Yashwant Sinha and P Chidambaram appeared on TV channels to speak about RBI-government relations.

A day later, a senior government functionary pointed out that Chidambaram and Sinha should not pontificate on North Block-Mint Road relations, as they both had issues with the RBI during their terms as FM.

Then RBI governor R N Malhotra quit after differences with Sinha during his first stint as FM in 1991, while Chidambaram was not on talking terms with two governors, the official said.

Image: Yashwant Sinha

-- Business Standard

United States President Donald Trump has defended his daughter Ivanka Trump who is being criticised for using her private email for official purposes in a possible violation of federal record-keeping laws, saying the emails didn't contain classified information and haven't been deleted.

President Trump, in the run-up to the US Presidential election in 2016, had slammed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her term as the top US diplomat.

The Washington Post on Tuesday reported that Trump's daughter Ivanka sent hundreds of emails about government business from a personal email account last year to White House aides, Cabinet members and her assistant.

This was in violation of public records rules, the daily alleged.

Trump said that these emails were not classified like those of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

"Just so you understand, early on and for a little period of time, Ivanka did some emails," Trump told reporters when asked about the charges from his political opponents.

"They weren't deleted like Hillary Clinton, who deleted 33(000) -- she wasn't hiding -- she wasn't doing anything to hide her emails," he said.

"I looked at it just very briefly today and the presidential records -- they're all in presidential records. There was no hiding. There was no deleting like Hillary Clinton did. There was no servers in the basement like Hillary Clinton had. You're talking about a whole different -- you're talking about all fake news," Trump said.

What Ivanka did is all in the presidential records.

"Everything is there. There was no deletion. There was no nothing. What it is is a false story. Hillary Clinton deleted 33,000 emails. She had a server in the basement. That's the real story," Trump said. -- PTI

11:34 #MeToo: Rape case registered against Alok Nath

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday registered a rape case against actor Alok Nath on a complaint filed by TV writer-producer Vinta Nanda.

"The case was filed under under section 376 of IPC (rape) in the Oshiwara Police sattion," additional commissioner of police Manoj Sharma said.

In a social media post on October 8, Nanda alleged that a 'sanskari' actor had raped her 19 years ago.

Although Nanda did not name Nath in her post, social media identified the actor who is known for playing characters endorsing 'moral values' in films like Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Vivah.

Later, Alok Nath filed a civil suit against Nanda, seeking Rs 1 as damages and an apology from her for defaming him.

Fred Ryan, CEO and publisher at the Washington Post has trashed United States President Trump's response to Jamal Khashoggi's murder, calling it a betrayal of long-established American values of respect for human rights.

Ryan, in a statement, accused the US President saying, "Trump is placing personal relationships and commercial interests above American interests in his desire to continue to do business as usual with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia."

Adding further to the statement, the Washington Post CEO insisted that if there is any reason to doubt the findings of the Central Intelligence Agency revealing the hands of Saudi Crown Prince behind Khashoggi's death then President Trump should immediately make that evidence public, Washington Post reported on November 20.

"An innocent man, brutally slain, deserves better, as does the cause of truth and justice and human rights," Ryan added.

Trump on Tuesday had claimed that the US will not tarnish relations with critical ally and will stand behind Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ignoring the CIA's conclusion of him ordering the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. -- ANI

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been under fire over the social media's network's many missteps, with the New York Times weighing in with its report last week that the company's top executives tried to first conceal and then play down the Russian interference in Facebook.

In his first interview since the expose, Zuckerberg spoke to CNN Business's Laurie Segall at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Right off the bat he ruled out stepping down as the Facebook CEO, saying, "That's not the plan." Nor is there any possibility of his second in command, COO Sheryl Sandberg, leaving.

"Sheryl is a really important part of this company and is leading a lot of the efforts for a lot of the biggest issues that we have. She's been an important partner to me for ten years. I'm really proud of the work that we've done together and I hope that we work together for decades more to come," he tells CNN Business.

About the damning NYT report itself, Zuckerberg says, "It is not clear to me at all that the report is right. A lot of the things that were in that report, we talked to the reporters ahead of time and told them that from everything that we'd seen, that wasn't true and they chose to print it anyway."

"A lot of the criticism around the biggest issues has been fair, but I do think that if we are going to be real, there is this bigger picture as well, which is that we have a different world view than some of the folks who are covering us."

About the decision to not take down then US presidential candidate Donald Trump's controversial 2015 statement about Muslim immigration into the country, and if it was done as to 'appease political leaders,' Zuckerberg says, "I think it's very important that people have the opportunity to hear from what political leaders are saying," adding that Facebook's content policies give "special deference" to newsworthy content, CNN Business reports, here.

"I think we did the right thing there," Zuckerberg says.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar today appeared before the special investigation team probing the police firing on Sikh protesters after a series of incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015.

The Punjab Police SIT summoned Kumar under Section 160 of Code of Criminal Procedure on November 11.

Though Akshay does not have any direct link with the case, the SIT wants to examine him as his name was mentioned in the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission report on sacrilege incidents, which was tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in August this year.

The Justice Ranjit Singh commission report had referred to a letter written on October 9, 2017 to it by former MLA Harbans Jalal, claiming that Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had met at the actor's flat in Mumbai in 2015 to facilitate the release of Ram Rahim's movie 'MSG' in Punjab.

Akshay has already denied arranging any meeting between Badal and Ram Rahim.

The actor had also denied having ever met Sirsa-headquartered Dera's chief, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term in two rape cases.

The SIT has already questioned former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh.

Sukhbir told SIT members Monday that he had never met Akshay outside Punjab when asked if he had met the actor in Mumbai.

Robert De Niro has split from his wife Grace Hightower after over 20 years of marriage.

According to a report by Page Six, the couple has confirmed that they are no longer together and are expected to announce the same in the coming week.

"They are not living together at this time," a source close to the couple said.

De Niro and Hightower got hitched in 1997 after dating for about a decade.

De Niro met Hightower in 1987 when she was working at famed eatery Mr. Chow in London. They share two children together, son Elliott (20) and daughter Helen Grace (6).

According to People, in 2004, the Hollywood couple renewed their vows in front of some A-list celebrities including Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller, and Tom Brokaw.

The two were last spotted together on the red carpet of the 72nd Annual Tony Awards in New York City. -- ANI

09:12 Cuttack bus mishap: Death toll rises to 12

The death toll in Cuttack bus accident has increased to 12.

A bus fell into the Mahanadi riverbed from a bridge near Jagatpur on the outskirts of Cuttack on Tuesday evening,

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who visited the accident spot said, "The bus which met with an accident was coming from Talcher and plunged off the bridge on Mahanadi River in Cuttack. So far, 12 people have lost their lives."

The minister further said that many people were also injured in the accident and have been shifted to the hospital.

Pradhan also visited the hospital to meet the injured people.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those who were killed in the mishap.

Expressing sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident, Patnaik said that free treatment would be provided to those who sustained injuries in the incident.

United States President Donald Trump has defended his decision to not hold the Saudi rulers accountable for the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi arguing that maintaining strategic ties with Saudi Arabia was in the best interest of America and keeping the global oil prices down.

"Because it's America first to me," Trump told reporters, adding that despite Khashoggi's murder, the US will remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia to ensure its interests as well as those of Israel and all other partners in the region.

"It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!" Trump said in a statement that immediately drew sharp criticism from his political opponents.

"I'm shocked that President Trump said there will be no punishment for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi," Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said as she and several other lawmakers announced their plan to bring in legislations to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Responding to questions from reporters at the White House before leaving for Florida to spend his Thanksgiving holidays, Trump said his decision was all about America first.

"We're not going to give up hundreds of billions of dollars in orders and let Russia, China and everybody else have them. It's all about -- for me -- very simple, it's America first," he said.

"Saudi Arabia, if we broke with them, I think your oil prices would go through the roof. I've kept them down. They've helped me keep them down. Right now, we have low oil prices, or relatively, I'd like to see it go down even lower," he said.

"But I think that it's a very simple equation for me. I'm about making America great again and I'm about America first, Trump argued.

He denied the allegations that this was at the expense of human rights. -- PTI

The United States has suspended USD 1.66 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, following President Donald Trump's directive early this year, the Pentagon has said.

"USD 1.66 billion of security assistance to Pakistan is suspended," Col Rob Manning, spokesman of the department of defense told reporters in an email response to questions on Tuesday.

No further breakdown of the suspended security assistance to Pakistan was provided.

According to David Sedney, who served as deputy assistant secretary defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia during the previous Obama administration, the blocking of military assistance to Pakistan, which began in January of this year is a strong signal of American frustration.

"But, so far Pakistan has taken no serious steps to address the core US concern -- that Pakistan tolerates and often encourages groups which use violence against Pakistan's neighbors," Sedney said.

"Pakistan's leaders have promised cooperation, but beyond words, serious cooperation has not happened, therefore President Trump is frustrated and so are most Americans," he said in response to a question.

"This frustration does not ignore the suffering that Pakistani people have undergone. It just asks Pakistan to recognise that it should act to help stop the suffering of others," said the Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.

Previously, Sedney was at the department of state and the National Security Council, as well as acting president of American University of Afghanistan.

He was a part of the Pentagon when Osama bin Laden was killed in a daring raid by US commandoes in Abbottabad.

Over the last few days Trump has said that people in Pakistan knew about the presence of bin Laden. -- PTI

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signalled that the United States will not take strong action against Saudi Arabia or its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and intends to remain steadfast partner of Riyadh in the interests of his country, Israel and all other partners in the region.

He, however, said that the US intelligence agencies would continue to assess all information related to the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist.

'King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event -- maybe he did and maybe he didn't!' Trump said in a statement, headlined 'America First'.

Days after being briefed by the Central Intelligence Agency Director, the US President said we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

'In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The US intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!' Trump said in the statement, which started with the sentence that 'the world is a very dangerous place'.

Acknowledging that there were members of Congress who, for political or other reasons, would like to go in a different direction, he said they are free to do so.

"I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America," he said.

Noting that after the US, Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing nation in the world, Trump said they have worked closely with America and have been very responsive to my requests to keeping oil prices at reasonable levels -- so important for the world.

'As the President of the US, I intend to ensure that, in a very dangerous world, America is pursuing its national interests and vigorously contesting countries that wish to do us harm. Very simply it is called America First!' Trump said.

Trump said the crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that US does not condone.

'Indeed, we have taken strong action against those already known to have participated in the murder. After great independent research, we now know many details of this horrible crime. We have already sanctioned 17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder of Khashoggi, and the disposal of his body,' he said.

Trump asserted that representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an 'enemy of the state' and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but 'my decision is in no way based on that -- this is an unacceptable and horrible crime'.

Observing that the world is a dangerous place, Trump said Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilise Iraq's fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more.

Likewise, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East.

Iran states openly, and with great force, 'Death to America!' and 'Death to Israel!' Iran is considered 'the world's leading sponsor of terror', he alleged.

'On the other hand, Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians would agree to leave. They would immediately provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has agreed to spend billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism,' he said.

Trump said that after his heavily negotiated trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the US. This is a record amount of money. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, tremendous economic development, and much additional wealth for the US. -- PTI

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