US President Donald Trump threatened to close the US' southern border with Mexico and deploy the military to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America.

In a series of tweets, Trump also threatened to stop all American financial assistance to countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala from where illegal immigrants flow in, and blamed the opposition Democratic party for supporting such illegal migration.

"I am watching the Democrat Party-led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to US," Trump said in his first tweet.

"In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the US military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" said the president in a strongly-worded tweet.

 Trump said the assault on the US at its southern border, including the criminal elements and drugs pouring in, is far more important to him as president, than trade or the recently agreed upon US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

"Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats' fault for weak laws!" he tweeted. 

The tweets came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Mexico ahead of the December inauguration of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as Panama. 

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Thursday took stock of ongoing preparations at the site of the 'Statue of Unity' at Kevadiya in Narmada district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to unveil the world's tallest statue at 182 metres, dedicated to the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31.

It is being built on Sadhu Bet island near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel also accompanied Rupani, stated an official release.

Armies of India and Japan will hold their first ever joint exercise from November 1 at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram's Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation, officials said Thursday.

  

The focus of the two-week-long exercise 'Dharma Guardian" will be to increase interoperability between the two forces and enhance coordination in dealing with various security challenges, they said.

"Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario," the Army said in a statement. 

Security experts from both sides will also hold detailed discussions to share their views on various aspects of military operations as part of the exercise, it said.

The Indian contingent will be represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles while the Japanese contingent will be represented by 32 Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.

     

"It will contribute immensely in developing mutual understanding and respect for each other's militaries and also facilitate  tracking the worldwide phenomenon of terrorism," the statement said.

The Army also described the exercise as yet another step in deepening the bilateral strategic ties. 

Painter Jatin Das has been accused of sexual harassment by a fourth woman, who on Thursday claimed that the Padma Bhushan recipient harassed her when she worked with him as his assistant in "1999 or 2000".

  

Das denied the allegations, saying he has nothing to do with these.

He was first 'outed' on October 16 by Nisha Bora, co-founder of a paper-making company, as part of India's ongoing #MeToo movement. Bora claimed Das molested her at his studio 14 years ago.

In a post, shared by #MeToo activist Sandhya Menon on Thursday, Malvika Kundu alleged that Das misbehaved with her when she was 18 years old.

When contacted, the 76-year-old Das said, saying, "It's very vulgar. I don't know what you people are trying to do here. I have nothing to do with this. I don't know what more I can say."

Kundu accused Das of "unnecessarily" touching her, calling her "baby" incessantly -- even when she objected to his usage of that word --  and standing "too close" when she worked for him.  

"This all happened on the very first day of the job at his (Das') home, which required cataloguing of his collection of books, she wrote.

"He made me so uncomfortable that I hated the three days I lasted on this job. Telling him off didn't stop him from calling me baby.

"Apart from the constant baby's he would often unnecessarily touch me, for example by running down his hand down my back, or he would come over, stand too close and speak softly and intently to me about something that could have been said from across the room," she added.

In her account, Kundu also recounted the second day of her job when Das' son visited him along with his friend. 

Kundu said the "final straw" came on the third day when Das told her that he was older than her "and presumably therefore wiser" and that she being "so young" should be more "receptive" to him.

"Specifically, he said I should think of myself as a matki and I should let him 'plant his seed in it'. I may be fuzzy on some of the details of those few days, but these particular words I won't forget," she added.

Kundu, who doesn't wish to have any "redressal" in her case, hoped that adding her voice to this "chorus of women helps dismantle the sense of entitlement of men like him (Das)".

Delhi' s air quality remained "very poor" for the second consecutive day on Thursday, with several areas in the national capital nearing severe levels of pollution, according to the authorities. 

The overall Air Quality Index of Delhi was recorded at 315, according to the Centre run system of Air Quality Forecasting and Research. 

The AQI on Wednesday for the first time in this season was recorded at 315. 

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor" and 401 and 500 "severe". 

On Thursday, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 317, Dwarka Sector 8 353, ITO 295, Jahangirpuri 336 and Rohini 344, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

The PM10 level (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 289 and the PM2.5 level was recorded at 137, as per the CPCB data. 

M J Akbar attended official meetings on Monday and Tuesday as the junior external affairs minister after returning from a trip abroad, the ministry said on Thursday, in first comments on the issue.

  

At a press conference, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, replying to a question, said he was not aware of any specific meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Akbar on the allegations levelled against him. 

Akbar, a former journalist, stepped down on Wednesday in the face of mounting pressure following a spate of allegations of sexual harassment against him by several women journalists.

He was on a trip to Africa when the allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him as part of the #MeToo movement in India. 

Hours after returning home on Sunday, he issued a statement trashing the allegations. However, he quit following increasing pressure on him as more women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by him.

Asked whether it was his own decision to quit or whether Swaraj or Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent any communication to him to resign, Kumar only said, "The minister has resigned. He has also issued a statement and I think beyond that I have nothing to add."

"As far as meeting is concerned, I can only share with you that since he has returned to India, there were certain officials meetings in the MEA on Monday and Tuesday. He was part of those meetings. But I am not aware of any specific meeting between the external affairs minister and the MoS on this matter," Kumar said.

He did not reply when asked whether Akbar was asked to resign.

Pakistan may not have to approach the IMF for loans as it has received "positive" responses from some "friendly countries", Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said, days after Islamabad formally approached the global lender for a bailout to tide over the economic crisis. 

  

Talking to a delegation of senior editors on Wednesday, Khan said his government was in touch with some "friendly countries" and has sought cooperation to address the mounting balance of payments deficit and dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Though he did not name any countries, Pakistani media has reported that the government was consulting allies like China and Saudi Arabia for financial help.

"Their response is positive. I am quite hopeful that we will not have to approach the International Monetary Fund for our economic needs," he was quoted as saying by The News.

Imran's comments follows some tough talking by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and the US on Pakistan's bailout plan, demanding absolute transparency on the country's debts, including those owned by China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.

Apart from selling off surplus luxury cars, Prime Minister Khan's proposals include turning state-owned buildings into universities, dispensing with VIP security protocol and cutting air conditioning in government offices to keep the economy afloat.

Khan has vowed to steer Pakistan out of a looming balance-of-payments crisis, saying it needs $10 to 12 billion.

He said Pakistan's economy has been badly hit. He said the previous governments borrowed so much that it has become hard for his government to repay the loans.

People of Rajasthan will take revenge from the BJP for insulting Rajput leader and former Union minister Jaswant Singh in the December 7 assembly election, his son Manvendra Singh said on Thursday.

  

Singh, who joined the Congress on Wednesday, exuded confidence in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi saying it is important for the country's leader to have humanity, which the Congress chief has in abundance.

"It was not easy for me to quit the BJP as it was my family. But, when I was not heard within the family and a friend (Rahul) heard me, it was then that I took the step...

"The people of Rajasthan, especially from Barmer, Jalaur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur will take revenge for that insult caused to my father Jaswant Singh when he was denied the party ticket and was expelled," he said.

BJP veteran Jaswant Singh was denied the party ticket in 2014 Lok Sabha elections but he contested as an Independent from Barmer and lost. He was later expelled from the BJP for contesting the election against the party's official candidate.

"After Atal ji left, values in the BJP have also gone and that old traditional values are no longer there in the BJP. I feel, the decision taken by me has Atal ji's blessings," he said.

Brother of the Kerala nun, who has accused former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape, on Thursday expressed dissent over the bail granted to the cleric.

He said, "I am shocked to hear that he got bail, he is a rape accused. Police found all the evidence against him. Had he been innocent, there would not have been so many evidences against him."

He said, "He (Bishop Mulakkal) has no repentance, no remorse, and he is not even sad, that shows what kind of indecent man he is. He is trying to show that he is innocent but the truth is in everyone's mind. He is not a religious person; he is not even a decent person. He does not deserve to be a Bishop."

Bishop Mulakkal was released from Kottayam jail on October 16, a day after being granted conditional bail

The nun's brother was also astonished by the kind of welcome the bishop received when he went back to Jalandhar. "The court granted him bail, and I respect the decision, but that doesn't mean that he is innocent. I am saddened to see the grand welcome he received after being released. Being a religious figure, he should be ashamed of himself. He seems to be unapologetic."

The bishop received a grand welcome with garlands and rose petals on Wednesday when he reached Jalandhar.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said women should be treated well everywhere and not only at workplace, as the #MeToo campaign continues to gather steam against sexual harassment faced by women in various spheres.

  

Javadekar, however, refused to comment on the resignation of his cabinet colleague MJ Akbar following a series of sexual harassment allegations against him.

"We have always maintained that not only at work place but everywhere in the society, women should be seen as equals, should be treated with equality. That is what we always say, there is nothing else to comment," Javadekar told reporters when asked about Akbar's resignation.

Akbar stepped down on Wednesday as Minister of State for External Affairs the face of mounting pressure following a spate of allegations of sexual harassment against him by several women journalists who worked with him during his tenure as editor of various media publications.

The 67-year-old journalist-turned-politician has denied the allegations and has also filed a criminal defamation case against Priya Ramani, who was the first to name him for alleged sexual misconduct around 20 years ago.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat calling on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government to pass a law on Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya, is a clear example of a nation being converted into totalitarianism.

Owaisi's remarks come following Bhagwat's Vijayadashami speech at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. Bhagwat in his speech said, "The government should clear the path for construction of the grand temple through appropriate and requisite law."

Owaisi said: "Do it. Who is stopping the RSS and their government? It is a clear example of when a nation is converted into totalitarianism. The RSS and the BJP believe in totalitarianism. They don't believe in pluralism or rule of law. So do it."

"The RSS chief has shown his ignorance of law, because in the Ismail Faruqui judgement, the Supreme Court has clearly said that you cannot make a law for a particular religion, it goes against the basic structure of the Constitution, and it will be a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution (right to equality). But you want to do it, you do it."

Responding to Bhagwat saying that certain elements of the society are disrupting the peace, Owaisi said, "Well, that is what the fascists and people who believe in totalitarianism keep on harping about. They believe they are a paragon of virtue and the rest are anti-nationals. This is not new; we have been seeing this since Nazis in Germany, (Benito) Mussolini was in power in Italy."

With the national capital region bracing for choking smog, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for compensation to farmers to discourage them from burning stubble, and warned that the problem could aggravate if the matter is not addressed urgently.

  

The prime minister was sympathetic to the problem of farmers, said Singh, who is pressing for Rs 100 per quintal compensation to farmers to check stubble burning.

Singh told Modi that the problem of air pollution because of stubble burning could aggravate, despite steps being taken by the Punjab government, with the close of the harvest season, and needed to be addressed urgently.

The NCR region is bracing for smog due to stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states, including Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi's air quality remained "very poor" for the second consecutive day Thursday. Several areas were nearing severe levels of pollution, authorities said.

Giving details of the meeting, an official spokesperson of the Punjab government said Singh also urged Modi to intervene to ensure settlement of the Rs 31,000 crore CCL (cash credit limit) gap and sought Centre's assistance for the preparation of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of first Sikh guru Sri Guru Nanak Dev.

He urged Modi to advise the Finance Ministry to settle the CCL gap on the principle of shared responsibilities.

Singh pointed out that the matter had been discussed in detail in internal report of the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, referred as the PK Jha Committee Report.

In the backdrop of the 'Metoo' movement, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Thursday urged all recognised political parties to form internal committees immediately to look into complaints of sexual harassment .

  

Maneka Gandhi said she has written to six national parties and 59 regional parties to form internal complaints committee against sexual harassment and post information on it on their website. 

"We are trying to get to every single form of harassment that is being experienced by women at workplace," she said.

"I have written to chiefs of political parties to form Internal Complaints Committee, which should have already been there under the law. When we are asking every organisation to have an internal complaints committee, why should we exempt political parties from it," she said.

Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act mandates every organisation which employs women to constitute an internal complaints committee which is to be headed by a senior women employee.

The minister had earlier also written to all Bollywood production houses to form an ICC, following which about seven of them had formed such committees. 

A 26-year-old Muslim man in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra allegedly gave triple talaq to his wife through WhatsApp, and was booked following a complaint lodged by her, police said Thursday.

The man, Javed Saber Pathan, a resident of Khandala village in Vaijapur taluka in the district, was booked on Wednesday under section 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of

Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2018, a police officer said.

"Javed had married Shabana Nisar Shaikh alias Sabha in

December 2016. Things were fine between them for about a year.

However, after that they regularly started arguing over small

issues," police inspector Anant Kulkarni said.

"On September 9 (2018), Javed dropped Shabana at her maternal aunt's house in Kannad tehsil (in the district), but did not return to take her back. Shabana's parents visited his house to request him to patch up with her. But on September 23, Javed sent a triple talaq message on her WhatsApp," he added.

Shabana lodged a complaint against him with Vaijapur police station on Wednesday, following which a case was registered, Kulkarni said.

Javed was yet to be arrested, the inspector said adding that an investigation has been launched into the case.

Civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima case and his alleged links with Maoists, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the case lodged against him by Pune Police.

In his petition filed earlier this month, Navlakha urged the high court to quash the First Information Report lodged against him, claiming there was no evidence against him and that he was being falsely implicated.

His petition will be heard on Friday by the high court's division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Bharti Dangre.

Navlakha, prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao, activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves and trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj were arrested in August this year by the Pune police.

However, the Supreme Court had later ordered for the activists to be kept in house arrest.

The apex court had last month refused to interfere in the case and said the Pune Police could go ahead with its

probe.

Earlier this month, the Delhi high court had allowed Navlakha to be freed from the house arrest.

A Delhi court commenced hearing on M J Akbar's criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani, who has accused him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago.

  

Senior advocate Geeta Luthra, representing former minister of state for external affairs, started referring to alleged controversial tweets of Ramani before additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samar Vishal.

 

Akbar tendered his resignation on Wednesday.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed his ministers to avoid trips abroad for the next sixth months, until the general elections get over.

The decision was taken during Adityanath's recent visit to Gorakhpur for a Navaratri puja. He also announced that all MPs and senior leaders were instructed to spend more time in their constituencies for better feedback from residents.

The chief minister will lead by example; he'll start visiting villages to gauge the public mood, and find out how citizens are responding to government schemes.

Stay focused, give a hundred per cent to help the party's performance in the elections: That was Adityanath's message to his colleagues.

A day after devotees opposing entry of women into Sabarimala Temple clashed with the police at Nilackal, the Kerala government charged that the RSS was trying to "destroy" the Lord Ayyappa shrine by "unleashing terror".

The BJP, however, countered the allegation, saying the CPI(M)-led LDF government was trying to tarnish the Ayyappa Temple and was responsible for creating tension at the holy shrine.

Blocking devotees from proceeding to the Ayyappa Temple and forcing them to return by creating terror were part of the RSS-Sangh Parivar's move to "destroy" Sabarimala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan charged in a Facebook post.

The chief minister claimed that right wing forces had always been disturbed due to the unique nature of Sabarimala temple where devotees, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, offer worship.

The saffron groups' attempt was to destroy this basic quality of the hill shrine and the present developments could be seen as part of that move.

"RSS is trying to destroy the Lord Ayyappa shrine by unleashing terror,"the Chief Minister alleged.

Making it clear that the government would not allow the temple to be turned into a "riot zone", he said any attempt to check people from trekking the holy hills would be dealt with.

Reacting to developments at Sabarimala, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai demanded a judicial probe into the circumstances that led to the violence and lathicharge by police against protesters at Nilackal, the base camp.

Pillai said the police had "deliberately" triggered provocation and turned Sabarimala into a "war zone".

He also alleged that police personnel had destroyed the make-shift shelter put by the devotees to conduct their prayer

meeting protest at Nilackal.

"We also saw on TV, the policemen threw away the framed pictures of Lord Ayyappa," Pillai charged and questioned the police action of arresting and evicting even  senior members of tantri family and Pandalam Palace who were conducting a peaceful protest at Pamba.

    

He said the party would continue its support to the devotees and protest at Nilackal till October 22, the day when the Ayyappa shrine would be closed.

 

Renowned street artist Banksy has put a full stop to all the conjectures and clarified that the auction house was not aware of the art-shredding prank.

After the anonymous British artist self-destructed one of his most iconic artworks, 'Girl with Balloon', some art experts had questioned how it was possible to pull the stunt off without Sotheby's (auction house) knowledge.

Banksy took to Instagram to answer the questions. "Shredding the Girl and Balloon - the Director's cut. Some people think it didn't really shred. It did. Some people think the auction house were in on it, they weren't," read the post.

On his website, Banksy posted a video, entitled Shred the Love (the director's cut), in which he showed a shredder being fitted to the frame of the painting. It also shows the moment of partial destruction and the 'shocking' expression of the crowd present at the auction.

A mysterious artist from Bristol, Banksy has become one of the world's best-known artists. He rose to fame with graffiti that appeared on buildings across the UK, often marked by deeply satirical undertones. 

Four major US public funds that hold shares in Facebook Inc onproposed removing Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman following several high-profile scandals and said they hoped to gain backing from larger asset managers. 

State treasurers from Illinois, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, co-filed the proposal. 

They oversee money including pension funds and joined activist and original filer Trillium Asset Management. A similar shareholder proposal seeking an independent chair was defeated in 2017 at Facebook, where Zuckerberg's majority control makes outsider resolutions effectively symbolic.

Rhode Island State Treasurer Seth Magaziner said that the latest proposal was still worth filing as a way of drawing attention to Facebook's problems and how to solve them. "This will allow us to force a conversation at the annual meeting, and from now until then in the court of public opinion," Magaziner said in a telephone interview.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.

At least three of the four public funds supported the 2017 resolution as well. The current proposal, meant for Facebook's annual shareholder meeting in May 2019, asks the board to create an independent board chair to improve oversight, a common practice at other companies.

It cites controversies that have hurt the reputation of the world's largest social media network, including the unauthorized sharing of user information, the proliferation of fake news, and foreign meddling in U.S. elections. Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in an interview that, while an independent chair might not have prevented all the issues, "there might have been fewer of these problems and less of a drop in share price" at the company.

Shares of Facebook have had a rocky year, under pressure from revelations about the privacy and operational issues as well as concerns over slowing revenue growth. They closed Wednesday at $159.42, 10 percent lower than at the start of the year and well off a closing high of $217.50 reached on July 25.

Four major US public funds that hold shares in Facebook Inc onproposed removing Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman following several high-profile scandals and said they hoped to gain backing from larger asset managers. 

State treasurers from Illinois, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, co-filed the proposal. 

They oversee money including pension funds and joined activist and original filer Trillium Asset Management. A similar shareholder proposal seeking an independent chair was defeated in 2017 at Facebook, where Zuckerberg's majority control makes outsider resolutions effectively symbolic.

Rhode Island State Treasurer Seth Magaziner said that the latest proposal was still worth filing as a way of drawing attention to Facebook's problems and how to solve them. "This will allow us to force a conversation at the annual meeting, and from now until then in the court of public opinion," Magaziner said in a telephone interview.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.

At least three of the four public funds supported the 2017 resolution as well. The current proposal, meant for Facebook's annual shareholder meeting in May 2019, asks the board to create an independent board chair to improve oversight, a common practice at other companies.

It cites controversies that have hurt the reputation of the world's largest social media network, including the unauthorized sharing of user information, the proliferation of fake news, and foreign meddling in U.S. elections. Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in an interview that, while an independent chair might not have prevented all the issues, "there might have been fewer of these problems and less of a drop in share price" at the company.

Shares of Facebook have had a rocky year, under pressure from revelations about the privacy and operational issues as well as concerns over slowing revenue growth. They closed Wednesday at $159.42, 10 percent lower than at the start of the year and well off a closing high of $217.50 reached on July 25.

Calling actor Nana Patekar "indecent", Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has said the #MeToo' movement is a serious matter, and should not be debated on social media.

Speaking at an event, the MNS chief said, "I know Nana Patekar; he is indecent. He does crazy things but I don't think he can do such a thing. Court will look into it. What is the media to do with it? #MeToo is a serious matter, the debate over it on Twitter isn't right."

Discussing the 'movement, which sparked off following allegations of misconduct levelled against Patekar, Thackeray claimed that the movement might have been fuelled in a bid to divert attention from skyrocketing petrol prices, dip in rupee value against dollar and unemployment in the country.

He further said that if any woman faces something unwarranted, she can approach the MNS for help. Thackeray also stated that women should raise their voice as and when they face oppression, and not after 10 years.

"It seems it is being done to divert attention from petrol price, rupee value, and unemployment. If anything like #MeToo happens, women can come to MNS. We will teach a lesson to accused. Women must raise the voice when they face oppression, not after 10 years," the MNS chief said.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday stated that the recent Supreme Court verdict, allowing women of all ages to enter Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, did not account for traditions accepted and followed by the people for years.

In his Vijayadashami speech, Bhagwat said that "decisions taken without considering all aspects and patiently creating the mindset of the society, will neither be adopted in actual practice nor will they help in creating a new social order in tune with changing times and positions."

"The situation arising out of the recent verdict on Sabarimala Temple shows similar predicament. The nature and premise of the tradition that has been accepted by society and continuously followed for years together were not taken into consideration," Bhagawat added.

His comments come in the wake of the 12-hour statewide strike called by the Sabarimala Protection Committee earlier today over the incidents of violence and protests across Kerala in opposition to the September 28 SC verdict, rescinding the ban on the entry of women aged 10 to 50 in the Lord Ayappa shrine.

Bhagwat said that in order for the country to progress, a 'Swa' (self) - based system will have to be adopted, which will include rejuvenating all precincts of national life.

The department of telecommunication and the Unique identification Authority of India have dismissed news reports claiming that over 50 crore mobile numbers are at the risk of disconnection as "untrue and imaginary". 

In a joint press statement, both the DoT and the UIDAI clarified that the Supreme Court judgment on Aadhaar nowhere states that the mobile numbers issued through Aadhaar eKYC have to be disconnected. 

They also made it clear that users, if they wish, can get his/her Aadhaar eKYC replaced by a fresh KYC by requesting the service provider to delink the Aadhaar even though the mobile numbers that use Aadhaar as eKYC face no threat of disconnection. 

Earlier, a report stated that over 50 crore mobile connections stare at the prospect of disconnection if the SIM cards procured on the basis of Aadhaar are not verified with fresh identification. 

The Supreme Court, in its judgment on Aadhaar, had barred telecom service providers from using Aadhaar as a mode of verification. 

Ashish Pandey, a former Parliamentarians son who brandished a pistol at a five-star south Delhi hotel, has approached Delhis Patiala House Court for surrender. 

Aashish Pandey has been on the run since the incident last weekend outside Delhis Hyatt Regency hotel.

Pandey told the media, "I'm being projected like I'm a wanted terrorist and police across the nation is looking for me. Look Out Circular has been issued against me. If you check CCTV footage, you'll find who went to ladies toilet that night & who threatened whom. 

" I took the gun with me for safety. I didn't brandish it. It was hanging behind me all the time. I didn't even address that girl, she pushed me and made obscene hand gestures. I've faith in judiciary and so I decided to surrender. There is no history of police case against me."

Demanding a law for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said that the construction of a temple is necessary from self-esteem point of view.

"Temple construction is necessary from self-esteem point of view. It will also pave way for an atmosphere of goodwill and oneness," he said in his annual Vijayadashmi address at the RSS headquarters at Reshimbagh in Nagpur.

Bhagwat said Maoism has always been "urban" and the neo-Left doctrine of urban Naxals is to establish an "anti-national" leadership with blind followers solely committed to them.

He charged that "urban Maoism" was propagating falsehood and spreading hatred in the society.

Maoism has always been urban which used neglected sections of society to further its agenda, he said.

"These people (Maoists) take strength from the country's enemies and always malign the nation wherever they go," he charged.

To establish an anti-national leadership with blind followers solely committed to them is the 'neo-Left' doctrine of these urban Naxals, he said.

Their cohorts already established in social media, intellectual circles and other institutions are associated with such activities, he added.

Through the manufacturing of a vicious atmosphere that weakens the social cohesion - essentially the bedrock of internal security of a nation  a world of psychological warfare is being carved out, he charged.

"This is called as 'Mantrayuddh' in our traditional 'rajneeti shastras'," he said.

Bhagwat said the government and the administration need to address this.

A number of well-known activists in the country were arrested in the recent past for their alleged links with naxals

Two New York Times journalists, who managed to climb up the pathway to reach the famed Sabarimala temple on Thursday morning, were forced to abandon their trek.

Delhi-based Suhasini Raj, along with her colleague, a foreign national had to turned back following a massive protest by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The two women managed to go past the Pamba gateway, just before the climb to the hilltop shrine, but was stopped midway by angry devotees who formed a human wall before her.

According to witnesses, the protesters forced the two journalists to return.

As she was climbing up, she kept saying that she did not come to pray but to do her work.

President Donald Trump has denied "giving cover" to United States' "important ally" Saudi Arabia in the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi and sought a full report from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the dissident Saudi journalist's mysterious disappearance.

 

Khashoggi, 60, is feared to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. 

The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. 

Turkish authorities suspect he was abducted and murdered by the Saudis.

But Riyadh insists that the journalist, a known critic of Saudi King Salman, had left the building and that murder claims are "baseless".

Amidst mounting pressure in the US, Trump on Wednesday appeared to be resisting any move to take strong action against Saudi Arabia, arguing that it was a key ally of America.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked for the audio that gives a clue of the alleged brutal killing of Khashoggi.

"We've asked for it, if it exists," he said.

The New York Times, citing the content of the audio made available through its Turkish sources, said the audio gave a detailed account of the alleged brutal murder of Khashoggi.

"I'm not sure yet that it exists. Probably does. Possibly does. I'll have a full report on that from Mike when he comes back," Trump said, referring to his meeting with Mike Pompeo on Thursday on his return from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

"That's going to be the first question I ask him," he said.

On his way back from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pompeo refused to comment on the existence of the audio tape.

"Have you heard or asked to hear the alleged audio on the actual murder?" he was asked.

"I don't have anything to say about that," Pompeo said, insisting Khashoggi was missing and the Saudi government has launched a probe.

"They're going to do their investigation. I know you all are going to ask questions. I'm going to be very consistent: We're going to give them the space to complete their investigations of this incident, and when they issue their reports, we'll form our judgment about thoroughness, depth, and the decisions they make about accountability connected to that," Pompeo said.

Trump told reporters that he wanted to find out from Pompeo what had happened.

"He went to Turkey; he went all over.  But he spent a lot of time with the Crown Prince, and he's going to have a full report. I'm not giving cover at all," he said, refuting allegations that he is being soft on the Saudi establishment.

"Saudi Arabia has been a very important ally of ours in the Middle East. We are stopping Iran. We're not trying to stop Iran. We went a big step when we took away that ridiculous deal that was made by the previous administration - the Iran deal - which was USD 150 billion and USD 1.8 billion in cash. What was that all about?" he asked.

"They (Saudis) are an ally. We have other very good allies in the Middle East. But if you look at Saudi Arabia, they're an ally and they're a tremendous purchaser of not only military equipment, but other things," he said. -- PTI

The Trump administration has said it is coming out with new proposals to not only revise the definition of specialty occupations under H-1B visas, but also the definition of employment under this foreign work visa category which is popular among Indian companies.

 

Such a move, which is part of the Unified Fall Agenda of the Trump administration will have a detrimental impact on the functioning of Indian IT companies in the US and also small and medium-sized contractual companies in the IT sector, which are mostly owned by Indian Americans.

          

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said the US Citizenship and Immigration Services plans to come out with its new proposal by January, 2019.

 

It will "propose to revise the definition of specialty occupation" to increase focus on obtaining the best and the brightest foreign nationals via the H-1B programme.

 

It will also "revise the definition" of employment and employer-employee relationship to "better protect" US workers and wages, DHS said. In addition, DHS will propose additional requirements designed to ensure employers pay appropriate wages to H-1B visa holders, the administration said.

 

The DHS reiterated that it is proposing to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation.

         

The DHS said it is also finalising its interim regulation governing petitions filed on behalf of alien workers subject to the annual numerical limitations applicable to the H-1B non-immigrant classification.

 

This rule precludes an individual from filing duplicate petitions on behalf of the same alien temporary worker. This rule also makes accommodations for petitioners to create a more efficient filing process for H-1B petitions subject to the annual numerical limitation.

 

Observing that the demand for H-1B visas has often exceeded the numerical limitation, DHS said it is proposing to establish an electronic registration programme for such applications. This will allow USCIS to more efficiently manage the intake and lottery process for these H-1B petitions, it said. -- PTI 

M J Akbar's criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani, who has accused him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, is scheduled to come up for hearing on Thursday in the Patiala House court in New Delhi. 

Akbar resigned as minister of state for external affairs on Wednesday following a spate of accusations of sexual misconduct levelled by several women. 

His lawyer Sandeep Kapur said the legal battle would commence from Thursday and the veteran journalist-turned politician would press for the prosecution of scribe Priya Ramani against whom he filed the defamation complaint when he was the minister.

Kapur of law firm Karanjawala and Co said the private criminal defamation case would come up for hearing before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal.   

There has been mounting pressure on Akbar by political opponents, alleged victims and #MeToo activists to resign.

He said since he decided to move the court to "seek justice" in "personal capacity", he decided to step down to challenge "false accusations" also in "personal capacity".

"Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity. I have, therefore, tendered my resignation from the office of Minister of State for External Affairs. I am deeply grateful to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and to the External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj for the opportunity they gave me to serve my country," Akbar said in his letter. 

ACMM Vishal's court is the special designated court of the national capital to hear cases pertaining to politicians and has been hearing various high-profile matters including the National Herald, Sunanda Pushkar's death, matters against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, cross-defamation cases involving Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam.

Ecuador has formally ordered Julian Assange to steer clear of topics that could harm its diplomatic interests if he wants to be reconnected to the internet, according to a memo published.

The nine-page memo by Ecuadorian website Codigo Vidrio said Assange is prohibited from "interfering in the internal affairs of other states" or from activities "that could prejudice Ecuador's good relations with other states".

There was no indication Assange signed on to the memo, which governs the WikiLeaks founder's access to the wi-fi network of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has lived since seeking asylum there in 2012.

Tension has been long building between Assange and his hosts, particularly after the Australian ex-hacker began cheering on Catalonian secessionists in Spain last year. In March, Ecuador announced it was restricting Assange's access to the internet.