Pope Francis said on Saturday that silence on sexual abuse can "no longer be tolerated" as he ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July. 

"Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated," said Francis in a Vatican statement in which he declared the Church had to tackle "the grave scourge of abuse within and beyond" the institution.

The case of McCarrick triggered a storm in August after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, dropped a bombshell letter accusing the Pope of ignoring allegations about the prominent US cardinal, one of the most senior Catholic leaders to face abuse allegations. 

Following Vigano's letter, US groups representing survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests urged the Vatican to publish a list of clerics accused of sexual assault.

Saturday's Vatican statement said Francis was "aware of and concerned by the confusion that these accusations are causing in the conscience of the faithful." The statement added: "Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated" and said the Church had a duty "to prevent such crimes from being committed in the future to the harm of the most innocent and most vulnerable in society".

The statement also underlined that Francis had in an August letter to Catholics stated that "the only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God. "This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within," said the statement.

Regarding McCarrick, the Vatican said Francis "has decided that information gathered during the preliminary investigation be combined with a further thorough study of the entire documentation present in the Archives of the Dicasteries and Offices of the Holy See ... to ascertain all the relevant facts, to place them in their historical context and to evaluate them objectively."

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday chaired a review meeting and discussed security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the forthcoming polls to the Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats polls and the need of safe environment for the elections.

The meeting that took place at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar was attended by Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, Northern Army Commander, Advisors to the Governor, BB Vyas, Vijay Kumar, B.V.R. Subhramanyam, Chief Secretary, Dilbagh Singh, Director General of Police A.K. Bhatt, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of XV Corps among others.

The Governor, while obtaining sector-wise assessments of the prevailing security situations in the valley, emphasised on the importance of maintaining a close and sustained watch on the ground situation. He also appreciated the coordination and synergy between the security forces and the civil administration.

Malik also stressed the need for a heightened vigil and ensuring the safety and security of all important establishments and installations.

The Apollo Hospital has submitted to a panel probing late J Jayalalithaa's death that CCTV cameras in the corridors were switched off during the

former chief minister's movement inside the premises based on

instructions by police.

There are no CCTV cameras in the treatment rooms in the hospital, be it the ICU or the CCU, in keeping with international practices, legal manager S M Mohan Kumar apprised the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry in an affidavit on behalf of the hospital.

CCTV cameras are, however, positioned in spots like corridors and entrances for security purposes, counsel for the hospital, Maimoona Badsha said quoting the affidavit submitted.

The affidavit was filed to answer two queries of the commission related to CCTV cameras and issuance of press releases by the hospital.

"Whenever the late chief minister was taken out of her room for diagnostic tests like a scan within the hospital, the cameras covering those particular pathways were switched off," she said.

This was done based on instructions from police officials, including Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) K N Sathiyamurthy, she noted.

Interpol has made a formal request to China for information about the agency's missing president, citing concerns for the well-being of the senior Chinese security official who seemingly vanished on a trip home.

  

The Lyon-based international police agency says Saturday it used law-enforcement channels to submit its request about the status of Meng Hongwei.

It says the agency "looks forward to an official response from China's authorities to address concerns over the president's well-being."

Meng's wife says she hasn't heard from him since he left the French city of Lyon at the end of September to go to China.

France has launched its own investigation. French authorities say he boarded a plane and arrived in China, but the 64-year-old's subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

Meng is also a vice minister for public security in China.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and screen writer Apurva Asrani are among the first voices from the Hindi film industry to condemn "Queen" director Vikas Bahl over the sexual harassment allegations against him. 

  

Last year, a woman employee at Phantom Films, which had Bahl as one of the partners along side Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had levelled allegations of molestation against Bahl, who she said behaved inappropriately during a trip to Goa.

In a recent article in Huffpost India, the woman has reiterated the allegations, sharing further details about the incident.

According to the report, in October 2015, the woman reached out to Kashyap and detailed her experience, but no action was taken while Bahl continued to harass her until she finally quit the company. 

Sharing the article on Twitter, Mehta wrote, "Will anybody do anything about this bloody creep or will the industry protect him like it always does?"

Asrani said such incidents made him feel "sick". 

"Why was no action taken against Vikas Bahl in over 3 years? To think that the victim had to continue to work in the same office and even be assigned to report to him is awful," he tweeted. 

Critically-acclaimed filmmaker Onir said it was sad that some of the biggest stars in the Hindi film industry were still working with Bahl. 

"It's sad that inspite of knowing the truth... studios and stars continue to turn a blind eye to the perpetrators."

Bahl is currently directing his next venture "Super 30", featuring Hrithik Roshan in the lead.

Quoting the story, "Sacred Games" actor Kubbra Sait tweeted, "The details in here are gory. But necessary to read. May the girl continue to fight knowing that her story isn't wasted. Thank You for the courage. #MeToo #TimesUp". 

In the article, which has since become viral on social media, Kashyap has admitted he had failed the woman, three years after he first learnt of the allegations.

"Whatever happened was wrong. We didn't handle it well, we failed. I cannot blame anyone but myself. But now we are determined to do better. We believe her completely. She has our undying support. What Bahl has done is horrifying. We are already on our path of course correction and will do everything in our capacity to fix it,"  Kashyap said.

Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy, who was injured while participating in the Golden Globe Race,was brought to Visakhapatnam safely onboard Indian Navy vessel INS Satpura.

The vessel, which started off with Tomy on board on September 28, was later rerouted to Vizag for the treatment of the injured sailor at the Naval Hospital there.

Cdr Tomy has now been shifted to INHS Kalyani, the naval hospital of the Eastern Naval Command.

The 39-year-old was rescued by a French vessel on September 25 after his non-motorised yacht was damaged in a storm on the South Indian Ocean on September 21 while competing in the prestigious race.

Tomy was drifting for nearly three days in his 32-feet yacht, 'Thuriya,' which was damaged in a storm, before he was rescued by French fishing vessel 'Osiris. 

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday said he did not agree with the portion of the historic Supreme Court judgment decriminalising consensual gay sex that called sexuality a part of free speech, as he felt it raises questions on restraining any form of homosexual or bisexual activity in a school hostel, prison or army frontier.

 

He also differed on a portion of the apex court ruling on adultery, saying it may end up converting the Indian family system into a Western family system.

On the Supreme Court allowing women's entry into the Sabarimala shrine, he said such a ruling cannot happen on select practices as it may have many social consequences.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, Jaitley said the judgment decriminalising gay sex was fine but "the problem comes when writing these historical judgments, you get carried away and want to be part of history and therefore you go a step further".

He said he fairly agreed with the reasoning given by the court in the judgment that sexual activity is part of Article 21 of the Constitution that guarantees right of life and that no discrimination on the basis of sex should be there, but added that he completely disagrees with the reasoning that sexual activity is part of free speech.

"Because I think that's little excessive and consequences of that may not be on decriminalisation. Free speech is entirely a different gambit, it can be restrained on the reasons of sovereignty, security, public order and so on and mind you there is tendency of creating new fundamental rights everyday.

"So when you convert this into a fundamental right and say its free speech then how do you restrain any form of sexual activity, homosexual or bisexual in a school hostel, prison, army frontier," he said.

NCP president Sharad Pawar will not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, party leader Jitendra Ahwad said on Saturday. 

Putting to rest speculations that Pawar will contest from Pune Lok Sabha seat, Ahwad told reporters that Pawar had already made it clear in 2014 that he will not contest the Lok Sabha polls again.

"Pawar has told the party not to consider his name as he will not be a candidate. In today's meeting, Pawar said he is not in the race and nobody should propose his name," said the NCP MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa, in neighbouring Thane district.

Awhad also denied that the NCP chief had opposed the candidature of Parth Pawar, son of senior leader Ajit Pawar, for the Mawal Lok Sabha seat.

Hollywood star Keira Knightley has slammed Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's post-birth appearance, calling it "the face the world wants to see".

  

According to People magazine, in Scarlett Curtis' new book "Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies)",  Knightley has penned a letter to her and husband James Righton's three-year-old daughter, Edie.

In the piece, titled "The Weaker Sex", she compared how she looked and acted after childbirth to how the British Royal appeared hours after she and Prince William welcomed their second child.

"She was out of hospital seven hours later with her face made up and high heels on. The face the world wants to see. Hide. Hide our pain, our bodies splitting, our breasts leaking, our hormones raging. Look beautiful, look stylish, don't show your battleground, Kate," the 33-year-old wrote. 

The morning after Middleton, 36, gave birth to Charlotte, she and William stepped out of the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital and debuted their baby to the press. 

The Duchess wore a yellow floral shift dress, makeup and high heels, and her hair was styled.

"Seven hours after your fight with life and death, seven hours after your body breaks open, and bloody, screaming life comes out. Don't show. Don't tell. Stand there with your girl and be shot by a pack of male photographers. This stuff is easy. It happens every day. What's the big deal? So does death, you s**t-heads, but you don't have to pretend that's easy," Knightley wrote.

The British actor recalled how she did not sleep during her hospital stay and that a day after giving birth, she brought her child home and took a shower.

"My shoes are crusted and sticky with the amniotic fluid of yesterday. They smell. I remember the s**t, the vomit, the blood, the stitches. I remember my battleground. Your battleground and life pulsating. Surviving. And I am the weaker sex? You are?" she said. 

Nana Patekar on Saturday denied he misbehaved with actor Tanushree Dutta on the sets of a 2008 film, calling her claims a "lie". 

  

In a recent TV interview, Dutta alleged Patekar misbehaved with her when the two were shooting a special song for "Horn Ok Pleassss" 10 years ago.

Patekar, who was shooting for upcoming film "Housefull 4" in Jodhpur, landed in Mumbai on Saturday. 

"I said this ten years ago... a lie is a lie (Dus saal pehle bol chuka hoon, ab jo jhoot hai woh jhoot hai')," Patekar told reporters at the airport. 

The actor was surrounded by officials as he exited the airport. 

At the Jodhpur airport, when reporters asked Patekar about the allegations and maintaining silence over it, he chose not to answer any query. 

When asked about addressing the media in detail, Patekar said, "It will happen".  

The 67-year-old actor is likely to hold a press conference on October 8. 

Patekar's lawyer has sent a legal notice to Dutta.

In a scathing attack on Saturday on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the party of practising vote bank politics and  dividing people to get into power.

The prime minister made the charge at a rally in Ajmer just ahead of the announcement of assembly election dates for Rajasthan and four other states by the year-end.

He asked people not to let the Congress get into power again.

Modi said vote bank politics is not limited to elections now.

Modi said political parties which do vote bank politics divide the bureaucracy when they are in power. This badly affects governance, he said. 

They allocate the budget as per vote bank politics and therefore overall development does not happen, he said at the meeting which marked the end of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's state-wide political `yatra'.

The Congress has established this tradition in the past 60 years, Modi  said.

Sonam K Ahuja has decided to take a break from microblogging site Twitter as the the actor finds it "too negative". 

  

The 33-year-old star on Saturday announced that she will not be interacting with her fans on social media for some time. 

"I'm going off Twitter for a while. It's just too negative. Peace and love to all," Sonam posted. 

Even though, Sonam has not mentioned any specific incident which has forced her to take a leave from the platform, the actor's decision comes after a man trolled her over her post in which she complained of pollution in Mumbai.

"It's taken me two hours to reach town. And I'm still not at the destination. The roads are bad and the pollution is ridiculous it's a nightmare to get out of the house," Sonam had posted on Twitter. 

The man commented on her post, saying the pollution levels are rising "because of people like you,who don't use public transport or less fuel consumption vehicles."

"You Know that your luxury car gives 3 or 4 km per litre mileage and 10 /20 AC's in your house are equally responsible for global warming. First control your pollution," he added. 

Sonam replied to the user, "And it's because of men like you that women find it difficult to use public transport for fear of being harassed."

The Samajwadi Party on Saturday said it has "waited too long" for the Congress and will now "consult" the BSP and the Gondwana Gantantra Party for the Madhya Pradesh polls. 

  

The SP's move comes days after Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati parted ways with the Congress, alleging that the Rahul Gandhi-led party was adopting a stubborn attitude and it was out to finish her party.

"We have waited too long for the Congress. How much longer should we wait? We will now consult the Gondwana Gantantra Party, with which we had an alliance, and the BSP for the coming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh," SP president Akhilesh Yadav said.

Yadav had asked the Congress to show large-heartedness for the upcoming elections as any delay will prompt smaller parties to declare their candidates. 

A Kerala court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal, arrested over allegations of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a nun, by 14 days.

  

The magistrate's court in Pala in Kottayam district remanded the bishop to judicial custody till October 20.

The 54-year-old clergyman was produced before the court after the period of his judicial custody ended Saturday.

Sources said the lawyers of the bishop were planning to approach the Kerala High Court once again, seeking bail.

The high court had dismissed Mulakkal's bail plea on Wednesday, while accepting the prosecution's argument that the accused, holding a high position in the society, would try to influence the witnesses in the case if he was granted bail.

The police had said the investigation in the case was progressing even after the arrest of the accused.

The bishop is currently lodged in a sub-jail in Pala.

In her complaint to the Kottayam Police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal had raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May, 2014 and subsequently, sexually exploited her on several occasions.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Centre of "ruining" the country's economy and said political steadiness cannot be achieved without economic stability.

She also lashed out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, claiming it was behaving "more like a political party" in the state.

"The entire Indian economy is in a dangerous condition. It has to change to save our country. If there is no economic stability, there can't be any political stability. This

government should go," Banerjee told reporters.

Blaming the Centre for high fuel prices, she said the Union government should first roll back the Rs 10 cess it levies on petrol and diesel before asking the states to cut taxes.

Banerjee said many like-minded and prominent leaders from across the country have evinced interest in participating in her 'Federal Front' rally in Kolkata on January 19 next year to oust the BJP from the Centre.

"Several top leaders have confirmed that they will attend the rally. We are inviting everybody (opposition parties). We will also invite CPI-M, RSP and Forward Bloc. In the next election, the BJP will be defeated. We'll appeal to everybody that the BJP should not win a single seat in Bengal," she said.

Commenting on the recent legal notice by the RSS to senior TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, the TMC supremo said she was not at all "bothered" about it and suggested that the RSS declare itself a political outfit.

"The RSS should declare itself a political outfit. I used to think that the RSS is a social organisation, but nowadays it is behaving like a political party," she said.

The RSS has sent a legal notice to Chatterjee for claiming the organisation was responsible for the death of two students during a clash between students and police at Islampur in North Dinajpur district, party sources said.

The US has named Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa among the separatist movements that pose a risk to American interests overseas by conducting assassinations and bombings against major economic, political and social targets.

Babbar Khalsa International seeks, through violent means, to establish its own independent state in India and is responsible for significant terrorist attacks in India and elsewhere that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians, according to the Trump administrations new National Strategy for Counterterrorism unveiled by the White House on Thursday.

The direct reference to Babbar Khalsa, an international terrorist organisation and banned by several countries including the US, Canada and India assumes significance because its minuscule support base in North America. In recent months, the Indian government is believed to have raised with the Trump administration the issue of separatist Sikhs using United States as a platform to gain global traction.

In its strategy paper, the White House said there is a broad range of revolutionary, nationalist, and separatist movements overseas whose use of violence and intent to destabilise societies often puts American lives at risk.

Such groups may avoid or deprioritise targeting United States interests for now to avoid detracting from their core goals but frequently conduct assassinations and bombings against major economic, political, and social targets, heightening the risk to United States personnel and interests overseas, the strategy said.

Over 15 people were critically injured when a minibus fell into a deep gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a senior police officer said.

  

The vehicle was going to Ramban from Banihal. On reaching Kela morh near Maroof, the driver lost control over the vehicle which rolled down the 200-feet-deep gorge, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Anita Sharma said.

She said rescuers immediately swung into action and so far 15 people were admitted to hospital. 

The rescue operation was going on, the officer said.

A Delhi court today granted interim bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in IRCTC scam case.

Delhi's Patiala House Court has granted interim bail to all accused present in the court in the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. 

All accused have to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with one like amount surety.

The court has fixed November 19 as the next date for the hearing.

The Election Commission will today announce dates of the assembly polls in four states -- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram.

The EC will be holding a press conference later in the day, news agency ANI reported.

The model code of conduct will be in place as soon as the announcement is made by Election Commissioner OP Rawat.

Interpol President Meng Hongwei has been detained in China for questioning as part of an investigation against him, a media report said Saturday, a day after he was reported missing in his native country.

Meng, 64, the first Chinese head of the international law enforcement agency headquartered in France, was "taken away" for questioning by discipline authorities "as soon as he landed in China" last week, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted a source as saying.

It was not immediately clear why he is being investigated or exactly where he is being held.

Meng, who is also a vice-minister at China's ministry of public security, is under investigation in China, the Post reported amid mystery surrounding his disappearance after his wife reported to the French police that he had gone missing.

The French police said on Friday that they have launched a probe for Meng after being contacted by his wife.

Interpol, which is based in Lyon, said on Friday that it was aware of reports of Meng's "alleged disappearance and that the issue was a matter for the relevant authorities in France and China.

Meng was last seen in France on September 29, according to reports from France.

So far neither the public security ministry nor the foreign ministry in China has commented.

Under China's supervision law, a suspect's family and employer must be notified within 24 hours of detention, except in cases where doing so would hinder an investigation. It appears Meng's wife was not informed.

Reports quoted an unnamed French judicial official as saying that Meng arrived in China at the end of September but there had been no news of him since.

While Meng is listed on the website of China's Ministry of Public Security as a vice-minister, he lost his seat on its Communist Party Committee -- its real decision-making body -- in April, the Post reported.

According to his own page on the site, Meng's last official engagement was on August 23, when he met Lai Chung Han, a second permanent secretary of Singapore, it said.

Meng was appointed the head of Interpol in 2016. His appointment also sparked concern about China extending its crackdown on dissidents abroad. He is due to serve until 2020.

Interpol is the world's largest agency facilitating police cooperation with 192 member countries. -- PTI

The French Police have launched an investigation into the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the president of the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol.

Hongwei boarded a plane from France to visit his homeland, China. But after that he just disappeared, according to a French judicial official. But then, nothing.

Hongwei's wife has not heard from him for around 10 days, Interpol told CNN.

It has not been established yet if the Interpo chief was in China when he disappeared, but a senior French law enforcement official confirmed that he was not in France, adding that Hongwei's wife reported his disappearance with police in Lyon.

"Interpol is aware of media reports in connection with the alleged disappearance of Interpol President Meng Hongwei. This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China. Interpol's General Secretariat headquarters will not comment further," a statement from Interpol read.

Both the French police and the French Interior Ministry have not commented on the matter yet.

Hongwei was elected as the Interpol chief in November 2016, becoming the first Chinese official to be the Interpol president. He is currently the vice minister for Public Security in China and was the former head of Interpol China. -- ANI

The aggressive Chinese industrial policies has adversely impacted some of the critical American capabilities and its defense manufacturing base, the Pentagon said in a report.

In its report at the direction of the President Donald Trump, the Pentagon said Friday while many companies have established their research and development wing in countries like India and China, the latter is different in its approach. 

"Many technology-intensive multinational corporations have established R&D facilities in countries like India and China for access to cheap, high skilled labour. As part of its industrial policy aggression, China has forced many American companies to offshore their R&D in exchange for access to the Chinese market," the Pentagon report said.

As technical innovation moves abroad, changing rules around intellectual property development will impede US access to the latest manufacturing technologies and decrease overall competitiveness, it said. 

"At risk is America's loss of leadership in industries of the future such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and robotics. Over the remainder of this century, these emerging industries will help redefine the battlefield," the Pentagon said. 

According to the Pentagon, China's capture of foreign technologies and intellectual property, particularly the systematic theft of US weapons systems and the illicit and forced transfer of dual-use technology, has eroded the military balance between the US and China.  

Such transfers aid China's efforts to gain a qualitative technological advantage over the US across key domains, including naval, air, space, and cyber, it said. 

"China's aggressive industrial policies have already eliminated some capabilities with critical defense functions, including solar cells for military use, flat-panel aircraft displays, and the processing of rare earth elements," the report said.

As such China's actions seriously threaten other capabilities, including machine tools; the production and processing of advanced materials like biomaterials, ceramics, and composites; and the production of printed circuit boards and semiconductors, the report said.

The Pentagon said foreign dependency risk arises when domestic industry does not produce the item, or does not produce it in sufficient quantities. China is the single or sole supplier for a number of specialty chemicals used in munitions and missiles.  

In many cases, there is no other source or drop-in replacement material and even in cases where that option exists, the time and cost to test and qualify the new material can be prohibitive especially for larger systems (hundreds of millions of dollars each), it said.

According to the report "Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States" currently, the US industrial base faces an unprecedented set of challenges: sequestration and uncertainty of government spending; the decline of critical markets and suppliers; and unintended consequences of the US government's acquisition behaviour, aggressive industrial policies of competitor nations; and the loss of vital skills in the domestic workforce.

The report said increasing globalisation of the supply chain and a diminishing domestic manufacturing sector are combining to create human capital gaps and erosion of American capabilities. STEM knowledge and core trade skills are necessary to ensure the holistic and synergistic health of the defense ecosystem.  

It said skill gaps in both areas entail inherent risk, from a decline in production capacity to decreased innovation. -- PTI 

After India formally signs the mega USD 5.4 billion S-400 missile defense deal with Russia, which places it in the bracket of a potential American sanction, the Trump administration said the presidential waiver granted by the Congress in this regard is narrow and intended to wean countries off of Russian equipment.

"The (CAATSA presidential) waiver is narrow, intended to wean countries off of Russian equipment and allow for things such as spare parts for previously-purchased equipment," a White House National Security Council Spokesperson said after India entered into an agreement to purchase state of the art S-400 missile defense system. 

The S-400 missile defense system would give India's defense a cutting-edge security against any missile attack by its enemies.

"India lives in a very turbulent and nuclear-powered region. S-400 provides that assurance and is compatible with its current platform. Friends understand that these discussions with Russia started several years ago hence I do not believe the US will impose sanction on India," Mukesh Aghi, president of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum said.

But for the presidential waiver, Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA sanctions kicks in the event of a major purchase like S-400 missile defense system. Ahead of the deal, the US had urged India not to purchase S-400. It reiterated Friday.

"The Administration has indicated that a focus area for the implementation of CAATSA Section 231 is new or qualitative upgrades in capability including the S-400 air and missile defense system," the White House NSC Spokesperson said. 

Last month, US had imposed sanctions on China for the purchase of S-400 from Russia. 

"Our recent action to sanction a Chinese government entity for an S-400 delivery underscores the seriousness of our resolve on this issue," the spokesperson said. 

"The waiver authority is not country-specific. There are strict criteria for considering a waiver," said the spokesperson. 

The State Department, which is tasked with reviewing the deal and initiated the process of sanctions or waiver under CAATSAA, and then recommend to the president, did not respond to the question on the time frame and the process. 

However, one industry source told PTI that the law is ambiguous about "when a waiver is necessary so this can be avoided for years."  -- PTI

India on Friday rejected as false Pakistan's allegations of reported use of chemical weapons by Indian security forces in Kashmir, saying 'malicious attempts' to deflect international opinion away from terrorism emanating from the neighbouring country will not succeed.

India also asserted that Pakistan was acting in a highly 'irresponsible manner' with the sole purpose of repeating untruths in the vain hope that the international community will start believing their falsehood.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal had on Thursday alleged that Indian forces reportedly used chemical weapons against Kashmiris.

In response to a question by the media regarding the allegations, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "We completely reject allegations made by Pakistan about the reported use of chemical weapons by the Indian security forces against Indian citizens."

Such allegations are not new and are totally unfounded, he said.

India has repeatedly stated its complete opposition to the use of chemical weapons by anyone, at anytime, and anywhere in the world, Kumar said.

"India is an original signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The international community has recognised India's abiding commitment and contribution to the CWC which is the universal multilateral instrument prohibiting the use of chemical weapons.

"It is, therefore, a matter of deep concern that Pakistan repeatedly tries to make such false allegations," Kumar said.

Such 'malicious attempts' to deflect international opinion away from the terrorism emanating from Pakistan shall not succeed, he asserted.  -- PTI